The Washington herald., 1915-01-12
Can You Finance Yourself :?
By oRIsoN SWEET aIARDEN.

schoolboy being asked to state the
greatest event OF the year. said that IT
was the fact that he had saved fifty dol
lars. And from one point of view he was
not so wide of the mark. The first fifty
dollars he saves Is really one OF the most
important things i'm anybody's life.
The very idea OF a constantly increas-
ing savings account of some kind, wheth-
er in the form OF a bank account. an in
surance policy, or some other method,
will tend to develop a conviction i'm the
youth that a habit of this sort is abso-
Iutely imperative, that it is the only way
to safeguard life against accident, to in
sure comfort and independence in his old
age and to provide against all sorts OF
J misfortune which but for this might place
him in most unfortunate conditions.
Every child should be started in life
with a bank account however small and
something should be constantly added to
this little sum. no matter how little, If
for no other reason than to implant into
his mind the idea of saving. and the
larger idea of thrift. A child should
grow up with the idea that it is abso-
luteIy necessary to his self-respeCt, his
safety, to have a little money between
himself and want, something which will
stand as a protection, a buffer between
himself and the cold world in case of ne
cCssity, and the necessity always comes.
| know a man seventy years old, a man
Of ability. good habits. and hard work
er. who has been in business for himself
since he was a young man. and yet to-
today he is not nearly as we'll on as
many of his employees.
1t ~ one thing to work hard to make
money 1t is quite another thing to be
able to use the results Of our efforts
wisely.
Tens Of thousands OF people who are
poor today. living from hand TO mouth.
without homes. have earned money
enough to have made them independent
II they had used good sense in guarding
their earnings.
The thrifty youth is shielded from a
great many temptations which come to
the idle, the purposeless. the spendthrift.
Those who see only a good time in their
spare change, in the balance Of their
salary after paying the necessary
expenses, are liable to fall in with all
sorts Of evil associates and acquire bad
habits: while the youth who is trying to
see how much he can save, the thrifty
youth. is always trying to make the best
possible use of his money. and his imag-
ination does not picture all sorts Of good
times in the expenditure Of his spare
change.
The great majority of people in the
world are just getting along, not making
much headway, never getting much of a
life momentum, just existing. plodding
along. with very little or no improvement
in their condition from year to year.
Now. if you can merely earn a living
during your few productive years, what
will you do when you have reached the
period of diminishing returns; what will
become Of YOU if you have not stored up
something for lifcs winter? You will be
out in the cold. DO not despise a small
beginning. There is infinite meaning in
your little savings. They are the germs
Of a greater fortune. \ great many peO-
pie would be surprised at the vast accu-
mutations made in a lifetime by the con-
tinual and persistent saving OF petty
amounts which they despised.
DR.. Mardens Uplift Talks will appear
in the magazine page OF this paper every
Tuesday. Thursday. and Saturday.
Copyright. IgI4D