South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-02-05
Teach Your Boy
To SdUe a Little
Common Sense Exercised
When Child is Young May
Prevent Misery.

upon a habit of saving formed earlv
/ in life. The average child has a secret
aversion to this very important prin-
ciple: he looks upon it as a hardship
imposed upon him by eXacting par
ents and guardians. and feels that il
! is done from a desire to exercise that
prerogative without due cOnsidera-
| ton of the consequences that il i'm
| poses. To prove to the child that his
! future happiness and the foundation
| of his success is many times begun
| with this habit of thrift is sometimes
! difficult task
In our age when there is so much
| freedom accorded the child, and his
wants are so many times gratified
without due regard for the conse-
| quences. there is likely to be a serious
| disregard for the principles of train
| ing that will make for ideas of thrift.
The child should by no means be
| brought up with ideas of craftness;
nor should he be taught TO hoard and
I to become miser by his saving.
There is the happy medium, and the
midway path that will bring about
the ideal balance that viii, or should.
foster in him the habit of saving and
still leave him free to enjoy in mod
GRAFTON the many delights of the
world.
1t does not always follow that
child with eXtravagant parents will
walk i'm their footsteps and become a
| spendthrift, any more than that the
Echild of saving parents will act in like
manner.
There has been a tendency in the
past generation to indulge the child
needlessly in many things that are not
calculated to benefit him. These |
things nearly always cost his parents
dollars that could be saved, and the
ba los
diminished. Too often the case is /
noted where the parents can i'll afford
to crafty the childish desires, and
the result is that both are made to
suffer from the practice which is
sure to become a serious evil if long
continued. How many of us have ed
ucated our children to disregard the
saving habit! There Is a wish to
please, and a desire to initiate the
neighbOr who, even though he may
be able to afford seeming eXtrava- !
gance. is not acting with wisdom |
toward his child.
In our youth we were taught that /
wisdom is the better part of valor."
If it is wise to save something from
our earnings. we should likewise |
teach our children to do so. There are /
temptations on every side that lure 1
the child and that soon make of him /
the prOverbial fool and his money.
In many cases these allurements are
not beneficial in any way; but on the /
contrary, their general effect is TO de- /
crease the childs better views of life. /
and to open up before him vista /
that is the beginning of a pathway /
leading to evil-dOing.
The love for the things chat appear 1
to give pleasure is not lnfrequently /
the cause of same child's downfall. I'm /
order to have at least some of the /
amusements and the fOioles that are /
enjoyed by others he may even be led /
to take money TO crafty these de- /
sires if the demand be urgent The /
temptation is there, and there is but I
one way to offset it, and that is by eN-
ample and precept. The child should /
be taught early in life that all that
looks tempting is not TO be obtained /
or even to be desired Pleasures he I
should have, but these must be tenn /
pered with saneness and the cost /
should likewise be considered in every /
instance.
1t is so easy to teach the child /
while he is young to value the dollar, |
not as a dollar but as a means of I
gaining benefits for himself and 9TH /
ers He should be taught that the OBJ |
ject of having money is to enable one I
to derive good from it, TO live with /
comparative comfort, and to save AT /
least little each DAY TO provide I
against the hour of his own and /
others wants. His pleasures should /
not be curtailed beyond reason to /
make this ideal a possibility.
There has been a tendency to in /
culcate this habit in the minds Of a /
larger number of young people each 1
year. and with this as an incentive /
there has been much good accom- /
plished Still. the number of children /
and young people who give the matter /
only passing thought is great indeed. /
and the increased cost of living. a /
subject so constantly in the public |
mind. can be traced directly to a dis /
regard for the saving habit.
II is natural for Us 10 spend money |
There must be some method whereby /
we can labor with an object in view I
but at the same time we must keep !
foremost in mind the Importance of I
Withholding a portion of our incomes
to make possible a future that will /
not be filled with want and poverty.
We cannot hope that our children 1
will save if we do not impress upon I
their minds the necessity for IT, but 4
with the right training they Will IN |
time come TO view the matter with a |
saneness that will prove of the great /
est benefit to future generations.