The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-22
TALKS ON THRIFT
American Ideals and Weaknesses
By Hop

American Ideals and Weaknesses
 Opinions may differ materially as to what Is the leading motive in the life of the average American and what the leading ideal We have been charged with being a nation of materia1ists, bent on getting money getting money all the time and all we can of it-not to save particularly, but to spend. Our aim is not to save more, but to earn more If we cannot have what we want, we do not do without, but work harder for it. We believe in gauging our pleasures by the cost and not the satis- faction we get out of them. When we make up our minds that we have been foolish and frittered away our posses sions, we try to recoup, not by spending less, but by earning more
 It must be admitted that we can, as a people, make money. We can save cnly small part in comparison with other nations. but we do have the knack of getting it. The salaries paid our officials and leading business men would make some European princes envious, and the wages of American workmen have attracted hoards of Flu ropean laborers to our shores.
 No one denies that we make money, but is that the leading motive in Ameri- can life? The questions: What in your opinion are the leading ideals of the men with whom you associate?' and What do you consider to be the chief points of weakness in American life?n were put to about 100 leading men lawyers, bankers, editors, business men, farmers, scientists and others, and the replies show that 46 consider service to ones fellows to be the lead iV1er 6oo1 Nxy,fI fr,l- tIaa .Lr rfr,tr of money for selfish enjoyment or per- sonal power is the leading motive.
 A Wall street fnancier and vice president of large trust company said:
 q think that the leading ideals of the men with whom I associate are in general the ethics of Wall street, where mans word is of greater value than anywhere else in the country. I feel, too, that their attitude has become much less provincial than heretofore, and that often the good of the country, the state, and business at large is con sidered by them more than individual profit"
 A prominent magazine editor replied;
 Our ideals are:
 Honesty and integrity
 intellectual achievement
 Beauty in art and music as a solace in life.
 
 A congressman had this to say:
 "ExtraVagance in living. Most Ameri- can prefer to spend money rather than not to spend it, and therefore very many spend money foolishly and upon things which were better not pur- chased
 "The feeling that what we do ought to meet the approval of other nations, for example, rather than our own ap- proval. This is because as a nation and as individuals we are still rather more vain than proud"
 A Boston banker wrote:
 The passion for getting on. with companying failure to see what one is getting on toward.
 Pride in power and in the owner ship of things. Too great reliance on the finality of material.
 "The lust for spending and having others know that one spends"
 A religious director of 5000 univer sity students answered;
 'tOne weakness is that of indulgence. Our life is crammed these days with opportunities for relaxing; the picture show the ball game, the theatre, the novel and the canoe grip the lives of a great many and absorb their best en- ergies."
 A bank examiner gave this list:
 ''Materialistic tendencies.
 Striving for effect at the expense of any or all ideals.
 Lack of simplicity
 Lack of serious application to pres ent or future problems
 Loss of early ideals through the breaking up of what formerly consti- tuted home life
 Lack of interest in religious thought"
 The president of one of the largest life insurance companies answered:
 'In business
 gro succeed Success means more than mere money; 1t means the power to advance methods and thereby benefit others.
 Socially
 "An utter contempt for society as that word Is usually applied. No espe- cial programme that does not aim directly at intellectual quickening and social betterment.' AMERICAN BANKERS ASSOCIATION.
 
 Tn Al