The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-10-07
FAIR HAVEN

Rev. George A. Alcott, rector of Grace P. E. church, preached a very interesting and profitable sermon last evening on Thrift, His text in Pro- verbs was He becometh poor that dealeth with slack hand; but the hand of the diligent maketh rich" MT. Alcott spoke in part as follows:
 T begin tonight a series of ser- mons on, The Strong School Ideal This ideal consists of well chosen words which correspond with the let ters which spell, The Strong School Ideal These words are thrift, helpful ness, earnestness, sincerity, fruitful ness, responsibility, obedience, neat ness, self control courtesy, honor, op- tlmism, opportunity, lawfulness. indus try, decision, enterprise; applications loyalty. It is a splendid list of words which suggest high ideals and ideas. And no doubt the purpose of the Strong school ideal is. to get the young people in that school to get it before them as a motto for the practical gui- dance and training of their lives, in school and afterwards. It is good motto and Is worthy of tho serious consideration of all men and women as well as boys and girls. For, the words which form the ideal which stand for tho splendid, rugged moral traits of character which make peo- pie strong, progressive industrious and moral I therefore take pleasure in beginning this course of sermons and 1 trust that 1t will result in spiritual profit for us all.
 Tonight I consider Thrift Thrift has to do with material prosperity. It is practically synonomous with econ omy and frugality. The French people are notably thrifty and frugal It was because of this fact that few , months ago the New York. New Ha- ven & Hartford Railroad company went to France to borrow $50,0O0,0s0 for the cost of contemplated improve ments. We therefore can think that the cut in the heart of this city is be- ing done as result of the thrift of the French people.
 | "But the American people are nota- ble spenders and far from thrifty and | yet living in this land is far easier than in France. Here, taxes are hard l ly noticeable, but, there, nearly all the common every day things are taxed. And vet the French save and we as nation spend and waste. The Jews and Italians in our midst are thrifty. Thrift is necessary. Without 1t a man cannot be generous. He cannot take part in the charitable work of the world, such as supporting the church, relieving the. needy in the time of siclsnesy and accident, contributing to hospitals and many other charitable works and institutions. If a man spends all he earns he cannot help anybody. He cannot properly educate his children.
 Even God himself is not wasteful in the administration of His laws. The law of evaporation draws water from the ocean and the rivers to the clouds. But the water Is not wasted. Tt descends upon the earth in the lshape of refreshing showers. The leaves that drop in the fall are not wasted but go to the enriching of the soil And if God is not wasteful, man should not be wasteful of his limited resources.
 Even the well-to-do ought to be thrifty and not waste their resources, but for those who are not we'll to do one of the most effectual means to attain comfort In worldly circum- stances is thrlftiness, which stands for wise economy in the spending of what is earned. Many and many a one if they have dollar to spend win buy candy or drink, or use 1t in trolley ride or go to @ cheap thea ter In other words, modern life has created in most of US artificial wants which we think must be gratihed, whereas our fathers did not have the wants and were better off for not grat- tifying them. But to be thrifty per- son must very carefully consider his wants and use a constant seif-denial in gratifying them. And here is where { we fail as a people to be thrifty. We do not like self-denial. We have not : the backbone to say no to our many
 artificial wants. There are thou } sands of people right here in our city , that are spending money for foolist and unnecessary wants who can ill 7 afford to do so They are not willing to practise self-denial.
 , "In New York city alone $1,0O0,0Ot a day is spent for drink and about billion and quarter is spent in thu . whole country year We grumbl' [ about $1 100000 congress, bu are little concerned over the perpetua
 waste of drink And this is only on : item of waste in this land.
 "But it is not the working classe
 alone that are wasteful and extrava
 gant. You see 1t in the milllonair
 and the well-to-do, Millions and nlH
 lions are wasted each year in balls
 suppers, flowers, dress, luxuries ant all sorts of forms of recreation ant amusement. Instead of curtailing per
 sonal expenses and using their wealtl
 in building houses for men and wo l men who can rent them for 8 req
 sonable sum, or in endowing hospitals
 or in relieving needy cases, or at leas | III pultlllS u dt tHe uASPooteA oL iiO'
 and women who will use it for tn
 relief of those who are temporaril,
 sick, or distressed, or in want, man,
 of our wealthy people spend it upo
 themselves for their own selfish grati
 fication. They try to justify their ex
 penditures upon the ground that the
 thus give work to many people wh |, need it. But they do not think of tn 7 fact that there is choice in the dis
 position of their wealth, They cal
 .,,ooa # for tG,n onOd of others