Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1913-10-22
SOMETHING FOR NOTHING.

L u5 - ASl lean DduA6lS n 6St C1dbiOl
is sending out to the press of the
country a series of articles entitled,
Talks on Thrift. = They are in.
tended to encourage the habit of saw
ing, and are we'll worth thoughtful
reading. A late issue thus shows up
the fallacy Of gambling and wild
speculation.
One of the strongest things that
Secretary of Sta'e William J. Bryan
has said in his recent lectures has to
do with the subject of gamling. Mr..
Bryan says:
1t is not strange that many are
charmed by the siren song of the stock
ticker. but it means ruin, and to the
extent that man yields to the tempta-
tion his morals are weakened. There
is but one sure measure of reward,
namely one that compensates each in
proportion as he serves society. The
securing of something for nothing by
a lucky turn Of a card or a sudden
Az OuO puA u4y LO0 OuO .
purpose, and, in time, renders him
unfit for patient and persistent effort.
I might emphasize the fact that
gambling in stocks and farm products
often leads to embezzlement, larceny
and suicide, for these are the fruits
of speculation when it becomes a
disease. But [ prefer to put my
argument against gambling upon the
broader ground that it is, in all cases,
a demoralizing influence, whether
the gambler wins or loses
Speculation makes but few itch
and many poor.
If persons who are so fund of
getting something for nothing would
only stop and consider the matter
carefully they would realize that they
can enjoy the same sensation by say
ing money aud letting it earn COM
pound interest, because, in a way,
that is getting something for nothing.
The money you have worked for works
for you. and when you have enough
of it at work you can stop working
yourself if you want to do so.
The surest sure thing is saw
ings bank account 1t is batter to
have that to fall back upon than to
taxa chances on something that pro-
badly will take away all your re-
sources There is no thrift in chance.
DON t gamble. save -
This is the best advice that was
ever offered to young men, for the
gambling habit is by far and away
the worst habit ever formed. The
man who gamhles will lie aud cheat.
and steal, if occasion demands, and
he seldom reforms. Drinking is bad
enough, but it is virtue compared
to mblirg.
We are all creatur. of habit and
we sometimes overlook the fact that
1T is just as easy to cultivate a good
habit as bad one. A trip to the
savings bank on Saturday night is
just as easy as trip to the saloon,
aud when the savings habit is once
established, the first thousand dollars
soon looms up as an incentive, and
the boy finds himself a capitalist
rather than a loafer, with prospects
ahead. The necessity for saving does
not appeal to US until we reach a
period in life where earning capacity
is reduced, and where opportunities
pass us by because of age or infrmity.
We all travel the same road and
pass through the same experiences so
FAR as changing conditions, incident
20 the fight Of time, are concerned,
out we are slow to learn by ohsarva-
ton. and 50 many Of us approach the
era Of dependency with but little or
no preparation, and without uch
warning become derelicts.
There nothing better than a bank
account to prevent this kind Of
wreckage 1t commands respect and
demands recognition when life is at
ebb tide, and just how much that
means, no mau realizes until he is
brought with sharp turn against the
experience, 1t pays to cultivate the
saving habit.