The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1916-02-05
When People FORGET
to Think
n~on-~snO,n-


Forgetting to think is a prevalent
ailment the world over, and in this
respect our own community is no ex-
ception to the general rule. 1t is of
daily occurrence right in our own
midst.
1t is not the big things of life that
we forget, for our nature is such
that important matters are more in
dellibly impressed upon our minds and
therefore the more certain of receiv-
ing attention at the proper time.
But it is the little things that slip
our minds, promises lightly made and
soon forgotten, duties that are left
unperformed because we simply for
get to think.
Stored away in the vaults of our
banks are thousands and thousands of
dollars drawing interest for various
good citizens when they by rights
should be credited to the accounts of
other people.
Our merchants, doctors, lawyers,
carpenters, practically everybody in
fact, have small accounts due them
here and there because people have
forgotten to pay, have forgotten even
to think.
1t is fifty cents here, a dollar there,
or two or five, small in the individual
account but enormous in the aggre-
gate. If all of these accounts were
collected together and one man be-
came responsible for the combined
sun he would never forget to give it
consideration, regardless of the ex-
tent if his wealth. 1t would be too
important to overlook, too vital to
forget.
We could name a merchant in Pleas
a~ntville who has thousands of dollars
on his books in insignificant amounts.
The people who owe him these sums
are not d~eadbeats, for they are am
ong our best class of substantial citi-
zens He is not worrying over even
tually getting the money because he
knows from long experience with
these same people hal his accounts
are as good as gold-with one excep-
ton. The gold in hand would enable
him to increase the size of his stock
and sell more goods and thereby earn
greater dividends on his investment.
But wholesalers and manufacturers
ACdQlIC IIlG1I IlOliGY VII Tile uOl, ana Il
hundred or a thousand small accounts
due the merchant are not considered
in the light of an asset by the men
from whom he buys his goods. If each
of the men who owe these small &C
counts would take the trouble to
think, they would rush in one great
throng to that store and pay up
those small bills, and the merchant
would then be in position to do ever
better by them in the future. But
they forget to think, and their money
remains in bank and they continue to
draw interest on it while the mer-
chant patiently waits for his due. And
this merchant is only one of the
many.
Even this newspaper is not immune
from the evils of forgetting to think.
In fact, we incline to the belief that
we are in ever a more unenviable DO
sition in this respect than any mer-
chant in town.
To speak candidly, we are proud of
the names we have on our subscrip-
ton list, for they represent the intel
ligence and the integrity of this whole
community.
But even men of the highest intelli-
oence and the most rigid integrity can
forget to think. They are forgetting
to think in our case.
If these same good and loyal citi-
zens could take one glance at our
books they would be appalled, at the
amount of money that is due us on
subscriptions to The Pleasantville
Press. They are small amounts indi-
vidUally, ranging from so cents to 50
or So, marked up against men and
women whose words are as good as
their bonds.
But we can not pay our own bills
with the honor and the integrity of
our subscribers. We put up the cash.
Right now we have a splendid OPP
nortunity to invest some money in our
business that would yield US hand
some returns. But we are handicap
ped because our subscribers forget to
think. We can not make the invest
ment unless our subscribers do think
NOT only think, but pay. And we do
vearn nightly toward that dividend
producing investment. Our family
vearns for the money it would bring
into the editorial home
But it will not always be so. Some
day people will not forget to think, for
our people are right minded and their
forgetfUlness is but a fault and not a
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