The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1910-11-10
THE SAVINGS HABIT
How Plan Started in Public Schools
Development tot Thrift.

The development Of the savings
bank business has a tremendous So
cial as we'll as financial aspect. I'm
til recent years the United States mas
been behind foreign nations in the
training of its people in the develop
ment of thrift by means Of the savings
habit. Now the government has Ia
ken up the matter and mas establish
ed a savings department in connection
with its postoflice department. Chill
dren are taught systematic saving
habits in the public schools of many
cities.
Training in saving habits through
the public schools has made immense
strides during the past three years.
The plan which is used in most schools
was worked out by thoughtful prn
cipal in the public schools of New
York city VINO noticed the large mum.
Der of guilds of chewing gum which
were thrown out of the waste baskets
of the school. Her pupils were from
the poorer families and ms pite of the
fact that tine children could get but
little, the aggregate sum represented
by the chewing gum was considerable.
Teaching Savings in Schools,
This teacher began the work Of
teaching saving by asking tine pupils
to bring their pennies to school every
Friday afternoon. She carefully ex
planned the value of saving as a habit
and told them that she would deposit
the money in tine bank where it would
draw interest She soon found her
self burdened with an enormous
amount Of bookkeeping in keeping the
accounts of her pupils straight and
She cast about for some method which
would simplify her work, she perfect
ed the stamp system which is now be-
ing used in the puplic schools of many
cities. The system required the CO.
operation of a savings bank which Is
sues penny stamps to the teachers. At
a given time each week the pupils ex-
change the money which they have
saved for stamps, and these thev
paste upon a cardboard until they
have acquired twenty-five. When a
pupil has this number for the first
time he takes them to the bank, a pass
book Is issued him, and he Is credited
with the amount saved. A time is set,
usually on Saturday morning, for the
! pupils to appear at the bank with their
stamps and pass books. In the large
cities a room in bank is devoted to
this purpose, a special clerk ia assign
ed to the work, and the entire Satur-
| day is occupied in taking care of the
accounts of the little ones.
Banks Cooperate.
Savings banks are ALWAYS to be
found in every city which are glad to
co operate with the school authorities
There is no immediate profit to the
| bank in the accounts of the children,
but the bank is benefited in the lons
run by the establishment of tine bank
ing and savings habit among children,
! which stays with them when they be-
come mature. Tue bank is also bene.
; fitted by the advertising feature of the
| system.
The amount Of savings of school pu
| pills runs up astonishingly large sums
For instance, at Lacrosse, Wis, where
| the system has been in effect for three
years, the pupils are averaging a saw
| ings Of more than 5000 per month
| Some of the accounts run as high as
$3.50, but they range in size from s.
! to $50.
Superintendent J. H. Beveridge oil
! the Council Bluffs public schools has
! becone interested in the training oil
s~toc. children to save, and 1t is his
intention 70 begin the establishment oil
S:.'~''' imilar to the above this fall