, 1906-08-06
EccENTRIcITIEs OF SAGE.

As laid down by himself once sew
eral years ago this was Mr.. Sage's rule
of life:
Let every man lay down the rule
for himself that invariably he will
spend less than he makes. Then he is
safe. No man can be happy in this
life for any length of time II he does
not live up to this principle, no mat
ter how dazzlingly he starts out or
what his prospects ire If he deviates
from this rule he will come sooner or
later to grief.
HE must save to succeed. He must
succeed in something to be happy.
That man surely faces acute misery
who at 80 is not better off than he was
at 20. 1t is a simple process, and for
its nonobservance there can be no pos
sible excuse. Let the boy or man live
so economically that he always has
something to lay by, and he is certain
to have in the end a competence to pro-
tect him against all ordinary worries.
OF course there may come unavoidable
accidents, but even these will be COM
bated more easily if as a young man
the habit of economizing has been cul-
tivated. / wonder constantly when I
meet examples of misery caused by un-
thriftiness how such things can be with
a human whose brain is normal"
Here are some of the recorded say.
ings of Russell Sage, which give an in
sight into his character:
When you have made your fortune it
is time enough to think about spend
ing it. Two suits of clothes are enough
for any young a The only thought
that a young man need spend about
his clothes is to look out for bargains
at the lowest price. l much fear that
a goodly part of our young men spend
much of their time in thinking how ex-
pensive they can make their ward
robes.
Every young mar should watch the
clothing market as closely as a Wall
street broker watches the stock mar
ket. The boy who knows bargains IN
gains in stocks.
Fifty cents is enough for a straw
hat; it will last two seasons. You can
get for 80 cents an unlaundered white
shirt which is excellent. You a get
a good undershirt for 25 cents. Silk
is not for salaried men. Fine clothes
bring sham pleasure. Don't try to rival
the flowers in the field.
Clubs are only a place for idle men
and wasteful young men.
An active man builds success upon a
foundation of failure; passive man
does not.
When you have made your fortune 1t
is time enough to think about spend
ing it.
There is no such thing as a money
curse. A good mar cannot have too
much money.
Although his income was reckoned
at $4,000 a day, at least, and by some
people at twice that amount, he lived
at the rate of $4,000 a year or less, and
his personal expenses were never
more than 500 a year. That is a lib
eral estimate. He had two suits Of
clothes, one for week days and the
other for Sunday, and he wore them as
long as anybody can remember. He
did not buy a new overcoat for fifteen
OR twenty years, and his hat was quite
as old as that if not older.
A few years ago he sent for a man
who had done him a favor, and in a
confidential way said that he was go
ing to reward him with a tip that he
could work for a profit. Then, to the
mans establishment, Mr.. Sage gave
him the address of a store on Seventh
avenue where he could get shoes for
50 a pair.
One of his great minor joys was the
discovery once of a shop where he
could buy three 20 cent neckties for so
cents.