The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-07-01
Today Is the Beginning of the Second Half of Year So Pay-As- Yol-Enter
By DOLLY DALRYMPLE
. NEW people, attach any importance to the first day of July. probably

Ex NbW peoPleS alIdcn any importance to the first day of July, probably
 l. because the Glorious Fourth" Is so near at hand and demands all of their attention, but it has quite as much sig nificance in a way as the first day of January, for each is a day of reckoning.
 The first day of July marks the second half of the new year-then alack! one must pay the piper, who right cheerily has piped for us to dance ligtft-heartedly through the preceding six months.
 In January despite the irony of re- ceiving a bill stamped with the compn- ments of the season, you pay such bills with q certain sense of good humor; the Christmas spirit still fingers; even some of the checks received as Christmas gifts have not quite vanished away and if confronted with bills you pay them at least with sense of jovialty partly inspired by having the wherewithal to pay.
 But the first day of July, well, bills are just bills; there are no gift checks to help out with them; on the contrary, a ground rent is perhaps due, or taxes are overdue and here are unwelcome demands upon ones purse, just when you wanted to make plans for long summer vacation
 It is pending bills that give people that discouragng feeling epidemic toward the last days of June that makes them tell folk they are feeling bit run down, which is but another name for beirg bit discouraged.
 People who have financially made their mark in the world can afford to have bills, because they possess an adequate income with which to meet them, but young folk, whether married or single, dependent upon limited incomes are fool ish indeed if they do not at least make a great effort to pay cash, and avoid charge account wherever possible.
 Some humorist has said that only those can obtain credit for any length or time, who are able to pay cash; there fore, why not pay cash in the beginning?
 It is a wonderful brake upon expendi- lures to form the habit of paying inn medately for things; at first, when upon a small income you begin paying imme- diately for things, there is danger of frequently finding yourself penniess, but after d little while the spender learns that a purse has limit to it's contents while the demands upon 1t have not, and you learn to hold a small reserve fund for the unanticipated and always inn perative demands, that spring up like mushrooms every side.
 Of all the absurdities in life the most absurd is trying to tell people how to live upon fixed sum of money.
 Coal always looms large upon the list, and rent also, as though coal and roof covered the whole plan of living.
 It is not coal that swamps a body nor even rent-it is the everlasting unex- pected things constantly springing like Jacks from boxes or from nowhere at all.
 That is why men and women should, if they can, pay cash, because then at least they have ready money for emergency purposes for person has no freedom of action no choice in matters unless some coins are heard a-jingling in the pockets.
 There are moments when you'd rather send a sick friend some flowers than have a nice, juicy beefsteak for dinner; if you have a little money you forget the steak and purchase the roses, but if you have an account at the butchers and the florists, too you telephone fot both flowers and food, when really you have only money enough for one; then when the bills fall, due, you have a sick headache and want to die; however, habit becomes very strong, and by and by you come to oSsl only where you have &C., counts and life becomes drearily monoto- nous; you seem always to be paving bills with your earnings-never really buy ing anything and getting real fun out of the purchase, all of which is very dreary, for it is absolutely necessary for any mans or woman's self-respect that they handle money, and when means are restricted the only way to do this, is to pay for the things as they are pur- chased: in this way fewer things will be bought but much more pleasure will be