New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1916-12-27
Found They Could Save.
Duluth Herald)

l.
The hero of our tale does not, un-
happily, present an unusual case. In
deed, it is not SO certain that he isn't
typical of a large class-up to the
moment of his awakening. The rest
of his class mostly haven't awakened
yet.
Merely to give him a name, call
him Jones. He was the son of a man
once prominent. He was assistant
credit man in a large business house
on a salary of a, hundred and fifty dol
lars a month. He had a wife and
children. They were free spenders-
up to the limit Of their income and
beyond. That beyond" is where the
story comes in.
Little by little Jones had fallen
back until he was anywhere from six
months to a year behind his income.
Insidiously his expenditures had in
creased-largely because of the cost
of high living, though he often talked
bitterly of the high cost of living.
They had always lived up to his in
come, and the prevalent credit sys-
tenn made it easy to go beyond. Month
by month he fell behind. Finally he
owed everybody he could owe. Ulti-
he didn't have to pay.
Creditors finally began to press. Pa
tience in that case soon ceases to be a
virtue, and long before the crisis in
the case of Jones his creditors had
lost patience.
So one evening, talking 1t over,
Jones and his wife decided it would
be a good idea to borrow some money
to appease the more importunate
creditors. That seemed a likely way
out of the difficulty, and that was as
far as their thought went
So next day Jones went to the
manager Of a loan bank that deals
humanely with small borrowers, and
asked for a loan. His application was
received, an investigation made, and
the loan was rejected by the finance
committee Of the loan bank.
When Jones came in to get his
money and met this news, he was in
dignant. He hadn't thought of such
an outcome Of his plan.
This is a business institution said
the manager. 1--WE are here to lend
money at interest, but not to give 1T
away. You have gotten into a bad
way. You owe everybody, and you
are slow pay. Your credit is bad-too
bad for us to take q risk on it unless
you will make a square turn, turn
over a new leaf, live within your in
come and pay your debts promptly
Jones was still more indignant, and
resented and denied the truth of this
picture.
you owe so much to the Black
Furniture company, and. you haven't
paid them g. cent in three months;
you owe so much to the Soandso Gro
!,
ten dollars in four months; you owe
here and you owe there, and you are
increasing your debts wherever you
and getting out of paying them
as long as you can.
That crushed. Jones, for it was the
truth Humbly he asked the man.
ayers advice. The manager told him
that he and his wife were spending
too much on dress; that they were
spending too much on idle pleasures;
that they were, in short, living be-
yond their means in every direction.
"Cut 1t short" said the manager.
"Shape your expenses to your income.
Leave a, margin for paying your
debts, and pay them as fast as you
can Have heart to heart talk with
your wife and tell her the whole
truth about where you have been
heading for and where you have land
ed. Do this; get an indorser on your
note: bring me your pledge and your
wifes pledge that you will do what
YOU ought to do, and we will lend you
the money
Next day Jones came back, with his
indorser. with a report that he and
his wife had talked II over and de-
termined to do better, and with their