New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-24

Lk1xGM W the seventies, with million or
two of solid property, cor
responding income, and neither chick nor child,
who deny themselves the pleasure Of riding out
in their seven passenger car, because sit takes
much gasolene"!
And know a family, living on nothing a
year, whose members nevertheless own a col
lection Of valuable books, china and antiques
that would make you sit up and gasp. When
ever these cheerfully irresponsible souls can
scrape together stray $50, they dash out and
buy some ancient mahogany chair that they
have had their eyes on, or some stained and
cracked old teacup which they ferret out
heaven knows where! The meat bill does not
by any means have to be paid, but they must
have that cup or die.
It's queer, isn't it?
A woman told me with tears and laughter
in her eyes of something that had happened
short time before.
eve must retrench," said her husband, a
jovial, freehanded man; I'VE positively must
retrench; things are costing US entirely too
much.'
And so the willing wife, although she was
far from extravagant, began to pinch here and
cut down there, saving two cents where she
could, and three cents where she. was pretty
sure she couldn't. The line, deepened between
her eyes, and her hands grew red with the
labors that she performed in secret.
And then, one day, her husband brought
home in triumph an elaborate and expensive
cut-glass whiskey set. Nobody in the family
drank whiskey, but that was matter of no
consequence.
1T was a great bargain" quoth the genial
gentleman, beaming with the pride Of his sa-
gacty; land doesn't it look handsome on the
sideboard?"
He was greatly hurt that his wife was not
enthusiastic over his purchase. TO her credit
be it recorded that she went out that same
afternoon and bought herself quite unneces-
sary bead handbag for s12. And she gave up
trying to retrench!
suppose most of US spend money in just
the same erratic way. We deny ourselves
something that we really need, and then in a
tit Of recklessness buy something we can't use,
and that we tuck away in bureau drawer or
on a shelf, with sigh for the squandered cash.
The trouble, as analyze it, lies in not hav-
ing enough to supply ones wants with any
thing like completeness, and in not systematic
ing the expenditure of what one has.
The attempt to harmonic largo necessities
and desires with small means Is bound TO be
more or less disconcerting.
sometimes think It Is better to be frankly
poor than merely half poor, as most Of us are.
We make sure of being respectable, and 60
without two-thrds of the things we want.
The really poor, as George AIDE says, "have
everything that the rich have, except money"
They go to the seashore for several weeks in
the summer; they have dancing lessons at the
settlement, and singing lessons, and pottery
I lessons, and what not. They have good clothes
given them, which no false pride keeps them
from accepting; and Christmas treats, and
Easter flowers, and automobile rides, and
thousand and one things that the struggling
self-supporting family can never think Of hav-
ing or secure only at the cost of scrimping and
sacrifice.
Those who are bound by their sense Of the
fitness Of things to keep up appearances spend
so much money for what they do not truly want
that they have no money left for what they do
want.
IT, for instance, you had the courage to wear
suit or coat one year longer, think Of the
lars worth of books, fabrics, rugs, pictures,
fowers-al those things that you ache to pos
sess.
And why don't you do it? 1t is not that you
care SO much about the suit itself; you would
be just as warm and just as neat in the old one.
It is an intangible fear Of the look in some
body's eyes-or look that you might see
there-that makes you spend the $50 for a
suit instead of for opera tickets and Japanese
prints AS matter of fact, people care much
less about what you wear than you think
they do.
Wherefore do you spend money for that
which is not bread, and your labor for that
which satisfeth not?" asks the prophet. Where
fore, indeed?
Why haven't we the courage to spend, In
some degree, at least, for the things We love
rather than the things we think somebody else
thinks We ought to have? Perhaps, if we face
the matter squarely, We shall find that We act
ually do have the courage. Perhaps we have
never stopped to think the thing out
Ard then there is the problem Of savins-of
putting away little pile for some future con-
tngeuee. or to ward Of tho haunting demon