The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1916-03-02

that fact, that many quick sales and
a good share of the profits may be
due to the number of pennies and
nickels given to children to spend?
In a town familiar to me there is a
small store which offers a miscellan-
eous collection of goods for sale. 1t
might be called a stationery store,
a toy shop or a candy store; any one
of the names would suit it, but among
Of simply as "Johnny's' because Mr..
Johnson, the proprietor, is always be-
hind the counter, as ready to sell "all-
day suckers" and jujube drops to the
children as he is to urge a Theoretically
and hygienically sealed package of bon
bons upon customers having more
money to spend. Everything is grist
that comes to Mr.. Johnson's mill, and
from marble and top time to the foot
ball season, and then through the
able to supply to boys all the sporting
necessaries, while the girls also find
their interests are not forgotten,
from the paper-doll period up to the
time when fashion books mark a new
era.
Mothers who desire to impress up
on their children the wisdom of saw
ing pennies find it a rather difficult
task when stores like "Johnny's"
abound, especially if in proximity to
moving picture theatres. To spend
money appears to call for no effort on
the part OF the child; he takes to the
action as a duck does to the water.
some children, to be sure, are born
with a natural inclination to save.
out when that is the case the child
really saves without being taught to
DO so; the parents are almost as much
disturbed as when he is wilfully OK.
travagant. They are afraid he will be-
come miser, as saving habits grow
on one, just as the spending habit
does.
If big things grow from small be-
Slnnlngs. as we are taught, then the
candy trade that caters to those hav-
ing only pennies to spend must grow
to vast proportions, and the middle
men, the "Mr. Johnsons,'' probably
amass snug little fortunes. too. Almost
every child, even the one belonging
to poorer class, appears to have a
cent or two always on hand to spend
Tor candy, and the nickels and dimes
necessary to gain admittance to the
movies" seem to be almost as plenti-
full.
In one of the big clinics not long
ago, a doctor told a number of moth
ers that cheap and poor candy was
very bad for little children. Now. even
II only two or three of those women
Needed his good advice, there are
some children who are already better
for it. A certain amount of sugar is
necessary, but in order to be of any
use it should be good sugar. and not
that kind, loaded with germs, which
goes into the manufacture of CHEAP
candy.
The doctor at the dispensary tried
TO point out to the mothers that to
make the candy at home, now and
then, would be much better, as the
materials used would probably be Dur
err. We all remember with pleasure
the nut brittle made at home. with
water and sugar and nut meats as
the only ingredients. Molasses taffy.
TOO, is good and inexpensive If the
children are allowed ito help" and
the mother is able to stand the hin.
dfance, their helping means the
making as well as the eating of the
candy viii be a pleasure. and the lik-
ing Tor the cheap and nutritious
stuff may possibly be overcome.
There are other ways to save chill
dren's pennies, TO which some of the
public schools have been attending
There is really large amount of
money on deposit in the various
school savings banks all over the Uni
ted States and certainly the influence
exerted to keep children from spend
ing every penny that they had, either
at the candy shops, or at moving pic
ture theatres, has been a good one.
1t is hardly fair to expect older peo-
pie to develop a desire to save money,
when they have never been encourag-
ed to do so while young. 1t seems
reasonable to believe that the great
number of cheap entertainments, like
the moving picture exhibitions, must
affect the saving funds, although one
of the good points raised in favor of
the movies" is that a whole family
may have an evenings diversion at
the price it formerly took to buy one