Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-23
Teaching Children Thrift.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

A small boy OF eight early developed
the ambition to become scientific
farmer. His parents. who had only g
very moderate income. talked to him
| seriously about the subject. explaining
| that If he ever wanted to go to col
lege he would have to earn the money
himself. Accordingly, the ambitious
eight-year- old started delivering pc
| riodicals throughout the Office buildings
of the city in which he lived. serving
a large list of customers. At the end
of the first month he opened a savings
account in local bank. and thereafter
made regular deposits. Last fall. at
| the age of fifteen, he entered an agri-
cultural college, the expense of which
| was covered by his bank account. leav-
ing his periodical route to his small
| brother.
| This boy was undoubtedly made of
beyond his years. or he never would
| have been able to begin his college
career at the age Of fifteen. But this
| instance serves to illustrate what may
be done with the youthful savings &C
| count.
The Importance of saving money has
| been dwelt upon with great emphasis
in the present propaganda for national
| If it had not been for the habitual thrift
of the European nations they could
never have borrowed sufficient capital
to carry on the war. The American
| of their former extravaganza, and a
| widespread movement is on foot for
teaching economy, aided by the banks
and financiers of the country.
| Since the children are the future cid
zens, they are being taught the pcla-
| ciples of thr:tt
Children Taught and OF saving
Principles of Thrift. rursr. ar. .d.
dressing large audiences Of parents in
| various parts of the country. the bureau
of education has lent support to tie
movement and parent-teachers' associa-
tons everywhere are discussing the sub
ject of youthful economy. The school
| savings bank, prominent feature of
| European education. introduced into this
country in 1898. has gained in popular
! ity and is now being adopted by many
schools which heretofore hardly knew
| of it's existence.
| But the children are not only BEING
| taught to save money; they are being
! taught how to spend it. There is diff
| ference between perjury and thrift. The
| latter is habit. the former obSes-
sion, which is list much to be avoid
| ed as extravaganza in an aggravate ed
! form. In instructins the Riddles. there
| fore. 1t should be made clear that the
| accumu lation of money is not an obje Il
n o n a oct
| a boy wants a pair of skates. or basxet
! ball, or tennis racquet. or college
education when he grows up. he is
usually willing to make sacrifices, such
| to get the things he wants. but there is.
and should be. little incentive to put
money away in the bank simply TO put it
| there. There is nothing interesting or
particularly worthy in the act itself un-
| less it is means to an end.
| The greatest value of the savings &C.
| count to the child lies in the fact that
| he has earned
Greatest Value of the money nim-
Savings Account. fore rirhtfully
belongs to him and to no one else
! Whether he accumulates it by selling
papers, or by slow process of rewards
| for running errands and RETAINING from
splitting jam on the tablecloth, he has
bought the right to it by giving some
thing in exchange. For this reason he
should be permitted to spend the money
himself, although a certain amount Of
parental supervision is. of course, necss-
sary.
| Parents are often prone to overlook
| this sacred right Of ownership ant
calmly annex their sons or daughter
savings account for shoes or hair rib
bons or something like that. Two lit
tie Philadelphia boys. who by many
| heroic sacrifices of new base ball bats
| and caramels, had managed to save
| $25 each in a school savings bank,
were suddenly left fatherless and the
| money was taken by their mother to
buy them clothing. While this parent
had no intention of being unkind, and
| made use of her children's savings only
as a last resort to purchase necessaries
| for them. it would have been more
| considerate to the boys II she had al
| lowed them to do the actual spending
AS it was, this pleasant sense of pom
| derous responsibility and ownership
| was denied them.
One well-to-do woman boosted to a
| teacner mat ner Qaughter was now
| twelve years old and had never spent
a cent. She explained that money was
| sordid. and that she did not wish hel
| child to value everything by its none
tary worth. Everything. even candy
was always bought for her, and she
was never told the price Needless tc
say, she was never made to earn any
thing. Later. however. it developed
| that the daughter had learned the val
lie Of things from other children and
was selling her belongings for the
price of entrance fees to see Mary
Pickford. This child did not realize
she was doing anything she shouldn' t
She was merely finding expression for
an Impulse of economic Independence
and for the first time in her life she
was giving something in return fol
| what she got.
There are many wcys in which chill.
| dren may earn and save money The
girls canning club.
MANY WAYS to and boys pig clubs
Earn and Save. spl.nsis s.smnl. ~,
Of intoxicating thrift. The averag,
farmer 10 usually q hard-working indi.
vidual with large family. who seldom