The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1910-01-20
PEOPLE SPEND
TOO MUCH
MAJORITY OF AMERICANS
EXTRAVAGANT BEYOND
THEIR MEANS.
Pace Set by Rich Find Ready I'M
itators Among Those Whose
Means are Limited.


The great railroad king of the
declared, as will be
that eXtravagant living
is one of the greatest evils OF the
dav in this country and that un-
less it is checked and economy
practiced by government mdivfd-
uais national disaster will result.
1t is to be noted that the PEG
pie who preach economy most
urgently are very likely to be
those who have little or no need
to practice it themselves, and
who in fact, do not practice it III
a wan that can be detected by
the public. Mr.. Hill is himself a
very wealthy man. He lives in a
palace and there is no reason to
suppose that he and his family
deny themselves anything they
NAV desire on the ground that IT
s too costly. 1t may be that their
tastes are not expensive III COM
garrison with those Of many mil
lionaires; that they do not run
to Yachts or horse racing or friv-
olities and that in this sense they
are not eXtravagant but 1t Is not
economy to deny ones self things
that are not wanted, whether
ones bank account justifies the
purchase of them or not.
Economy consists in such a
management OF ones income, the
Indianapolis Star says, that II
meets as far as may be the needs
If life and if possible leaves a re-
mainder for the rainy day. 1t is
very likely that Mr.. Hill prac-
ticed this form OF economy when
re was young and poor and that
l belief in the value and impor-
tancc OF the system still clingS
to him. but Mr.. Hills present for
tune is not the result OF any
routhful habit OF saving; it IS not
5ase1 on the small accumulations
from his wages when he was a
wage-earner. but wholly on his
ability to originate and handle
great business undertakings and
to play winning hand III the du-
buious game OF high finance
Therefore his injunctionS to the
multitude as to the virtues OF saw
ing lose something OF the force
they might have if he had built
up his wealth little by little as
the result OF economies in person
al expenditures.
ItNs doubtless true. however
as he says. that Americans. as q
class do spend too mucll-that
IS. that the majority OF them d,
70 beyond the safe margin in the
outlay OF their income; but ii they
do it is partly because OF the pace
set by those whose wealth is BE
eond the dreams of avarice" Mil
lionaires may spend what they
olease-at least that is their owl
argument-but the things thai
crafty then are equal tempta.
ton To the ptrp!1 whc ale Il i'll
tie less than millionaircS. The lat
ter want magnificent homes IL
,ity and country. too; they Wl>f
20 live in luxury, to entertain, t
'penf much time abroad hobnob
bing with royalty. and So on. Fur
Their down in the financial and SO
cial scale are men and women
who initiate the doings of these
as best they may; not that they
are always conscious OF the imi
Iitation, but the ways OK social lifI
have been established by those
in circles beyond them and are
followed as a matter of course
so lar as circumstance will per
NIT. And SO it goes on dowr
the scale, each circle influenced
more or less by those just ahead
II is inevitable that under sucl
circumstance money is spen
that absolutely necessity does no
call fgr. Nearly every ones ex
penditurcs are affected. il no
governed. by the standard set by
others. \ man buys home il
certain quarter OF town becaus,
it is fashionable, paying three
times as much for it as a plac,
equally respectable and comfort
able would cost him on anothe
street. A woman whose gown.
are perfectly good, but of las
years style, buys new garment.
because other women are buying
them. The mother whose hus
band is day laborer puts he
little girl in embroidered lawn,
because the child in the big nous,
up the street wears them. AnC
so 1t goes.
A part of this emulation
grows out OF the American spirit
the feeling that one man is a.
good as another and should hav,
the best within reach but a par
of it is Sdue to the example SCI
by the wealthy, who are not com
PEELED to limit their desires. Sterr
thrift is needed in American life
the thrift which causes each mar
to spend only that which he car
afford regardless OF his neighbors
but who shall teach the way
South Bend Times.
Woman City School Head.