The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1913-09-11

up q fight when the object Of at
tack has passed out Of view.
The National Importance OF Thrift.
Men OF the south-saye. You
must learn this lesson or that econ
omy which so stifrens the North and
inspires and stimulates its industry,
win oyepwhelm you."-Henry Clay.
The South has learned the lesson
pointed out to it by Henry Clay
more than sixty years ago, and now
it is ON the high road to prosperity.
There is new South In which com
merce and industry have an import.
ant place, and which the idea OF
saving is looked upon fayorably.
Thrift seems to be solving the
race problem in the South, too. DR..
Booker t. Washington visited re-
Gently the four counties of tide
water Virginia and the report he
made to the outlook OF the condition
of the thirty-odd thousand happy
and prosperous colored people he
found there was to the effect that
they produce every year farming
crops to the value OF six million dol
lars, and everywhere he saw farms
well titled, modern farming furple-
ments and attractive dwellings,
while no fewer than fifteen hundred
farms are owned by the negroes
themselves. All this was evidently
the fruits of application to work,
continued and persistent labor, thrift
and foresight.
But there ought to be nothing
sectional or racial about thrift. 1t
is matter OF nationwide import
ance. All great empires have been
thrifty. The Roman empire was
founded upon thrift. When extrav-
agance took the place of Thrift
among the Romans, the empire
crumbled and fell.
Prussia is another example of ma
tional thrift. This idea was nurtureu
by the father of Frederick the Great,
who stored up vast treasure and
built up a great army through the
strictest economy. This was the
forerunner of the great German
empire OF today, and the Germas... )
are still noted for their thNlrt, even
when transplanted to this country
where the temptations to spend
money constantly are so great.
The French people have been re-
ferred to SO frequently in this con-
nection that the illustration is
rather a trite one, but nevertheless
that nation is a wonderful model to
the world in the matter Of thrift.
1t was the small savings of its cit
liens that enabled France, at the end
of the Franco-Pruss:an war, to pay
at once in cash the billion dollar
indemnity imposed, thus saving it
self from bankruptcy. Knowing this
French thrift, Russia, in its time OF
need. turned to that country to bor-
row billions.
French thrift is proverbial and
France is G land of happy homes.
There is no reason why we IN
America should not save money. We
are able to earn it, we have excellent
repositories for our savings, and the
savings banks reward our thrift BY
paying US liberal interest. One bank
the Bowery Savings Bank of New
York-in the first seventy7fve years
OF its history, paid in interest to de-
positors the enormous sum Of $751;
16S,2SZs7
The savings banks are not only
doing a benefcent work in incul-
eating habits of thrift, in gathering
and conserving wealth which might
otherwise be wasted, or else lie un-
productive, and in furnishing capital
for many legitimate business enter
prises: but, especially in our larger
eastern cities, with the great influx
of alien people. they are keeping
step with the churches and the pub
lie schools in helping to make good
citizens of those who seek our shores
as immigrants.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES