The log cabin Democrat., 1914-03-14
URGES SAVING BY
 CONWAY PUPILS SCHOOL SAVINGS BANK
TO BE ESTABLISHED HERE NEXT YEAR BY SUPERIN-
 PENDENT WOMACK.

Ed tor Log Cabin Democrat:
 At the opening of school in Sep
 tember we are planning to do work for your child which we think will
 mean much to him and to you We
 think it vital in its importance One thing is certain; we cannot carry the plan through to successful issue without your hearty cooperation. Let me tell you about it. But first I will tell you the need which We are | trying to supply.
 Our children do not know the value of money. To them nickel is little
 round thing that will bring an ice cream cone or a bag of popcorn over the counter. A dime is good for two | cones or perhaps ticket to the show Even dollar is not so much-a very
 small matter, in fact. They do not even guess that nickel will buy a loaf of bread capable of sustaining
 life for day at least Nor do they know that a dime represents 40 min utes of hard manual labor on the farm or in the factory.
 How can they know? For the most part the money is given them for the !asking and no accounting is demand 1 ed. It is, Papa, give me dime; want to go to the show" or q want an ice cream cone" These of course are instances; there are hundreds of variations.
 Here is our remedy. First, we pro- pose to establish savings bank in the school and try to induce every child in the school from the tiniest tot to the seniors to keep their nickels and dimes in it. It will be our purpose so to conduct the business of the bank that there will be profits to be shared by the stockholders. We shall handle tablets, pencils, etc., and let the prof it's go to the bank patrons. When your boy wants tablet or a pencil, he will have but to write q check on his own account and get the goods At stated intervals a statement will be rendered him in regular banking style and he can see, and you can see, too, just how and where his money has gone.
 In the second place-and here is where l want and must have your CO., operation. want the children to earn their own money. say earn, and l mean it. A boy has not earned dime when he carries letter across the street to the mail box or does a chore about the house that he should do without thought of pay. He earns dime when he does work equal in quality and quantity to that perform ed by an unskilled laborer in 40 min utes, He earns money when he rem ders value received in service. Of course 1 have no desire to die tate how he shall earn the money, | though there is vast difference in the educative value of some of the ways used But 1 should greatly pre- | fer that, as far as practicable, the money be made by cultivating the soil. Conway has dozens of vacant lots that would serve as truck patches. There is perhaBs not a home in town whara tbara iS not Snma cornar whara the children could have an onion bed or potato or tomato patch. Not only would well-cultivated lots full of use
 ful growing things look better than a
 riot of weeds, there would be corre- spending increase in value also. But how are the children to turn their products into moneyS you ask. That is where you come in. You buy
 those products just as you would from
 the grocer: If Mary brings a mess of lettuce or handful of radishes
 to the kitchen, pay her the regular
 market value for them; and if Will liam puts 10 bushels of potatoes into the smokehouse, write him check | for them.
 You may object that Mary and Will l liam should provide the radishes and potatoes without pay. To that have
 no answer. I, myself, think it fear
 ful mistake to let children come to
 think they must be paid for every
 thing they do for the family. I would
 willingly give up my plan rather than
 encourage that attitude on the part of
 children. But surely you can devise
 some way to help them to make the
 money without spelling them in this way. When you read the next para