The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-04-24
Working on
A Principle
1t Brought Its Logical Con-
sequence.
By P. A. mitchell
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Mother, I'm going to the city to
make fortune" said Joel Harding.
His mother looked at him, surprised.
He knew what she would say, though
she did not say it. What would she
and father do in working the farm
without Joel? They could not afford
to hire help, and If he deserted them
they would have a much harder time
than now.
'T'm tired" continued Joel, 'of see
ing you and father grinding your lives
out In this fashion. There's little
enough to be squeezed out of our long
worked lands, and If 1 don't break
away from them we'll none of US ever
get any comfort. was talking the 9th
er day with Mr.. Ashurst, whose family
has been spending the month of Au-
gust with the Parkers. He says that
any man can get rich If he'll do Just
one thing-he must save every cent
till he gets enough money together to
make an investment. From that time
on he has an assistant-the money In
vested. 1t is making more money for
him even when he is asleep. He saves
some more, and this, with the interest
that has accumulated on his first In
vestment enables him to make an
other. By keeping up this process for
a number Of years he rolls up enough
to live on without doing anything, ride
in his carriage and in summer time go
among the farmers, drinking the milk
and eating the honey that we folks
work SO hard to produce"
Mrs. Harding had lived long enough
In the world to pick what flaws there
might be in such reasoning, but 9
mothers first object is what her child
wants. She saw that Joel had got
an idea In his head, and the only OBJ
lection to 1t he would listen to was
that while he was gathering this In
terest bearing capital she and his ia
Their would be obliged to work all the
harder, besides being deprived of the
comfort to be derived from association
with their only child So she said:
very well, Joel If your mind II
set on going to the city to make for
tune suppose you'd better 60 Yor
won't be satisfied here any longer"
Joel took her in his arms, kissed heI
and said that his principal reason fol
making the move was that he might
better his parents condition.
That night Mrs. Harding had a long
talk with her husband about Joel's
proposition. Farmer Harding was
dead set against It, but when his wife
had finished her arguments, which
had no effect upon him, and began tc
plead he gave in, as husbands usually
do under such circumstances, and
promised that he would not oppose his
boy going. The mother put her sons
clothing In as good order as possible
and the next Monday morning Joel
provided with all the cash they could
possibly spare, started on his journey
Looking back at his parents, he said:
"Give me FIVE years and I'll return
this money with a thousand per cent
interest"
Mrs Harding turned away with g
smile, but to hide her tears, while hel
husband stalked into the house with
the remark:
eff understand Alright the principle
on which he is to make a fortune he's
sending US, in FIVE years a thousand
per cent interest on the money will be
a violation Of that principle. Success
by the principle he acts upon is based
on q strict adherence to that principle"
"Oh, pa, you are always figuring
things out on principle. Joel is doing
this for our good, and he will make
good"
Joel found a position In the city at
IS a week. Disregarding a tempta.
ton to wait before saving till he
earned more, he lived on 81 a week,
placing the other dollar In a savings
bank. At the end Of his first year he
had placed In the bank $50 and as
much more as had come from increase
of salary and extras earned, In all
some $500.
Among his fellow employees Joel
was considered the st1ngiest Of the
stingy, but his employers, seeing that
he possessed determination and self
control, advanced him rapidly. Either
he possessed business qualifications
naturally or, his heart being exclusive
~ set on business, he became an adept
at it At any rate, he soon came to be
intrusted with matters by the firm
that were not intrusted to his fellow
clerks Of equal grade with himself
This naturally brought him increase
Of salary, and before the first five
years had passed he was occupying
the position Of head clerk.
Joel did not forget that he had vol.
unteered to send his father and moth
er at the end Of five years the money
they had advanced him, with 1000
per cent interest. They had scraped
up $25 for him, on which the interest
at 1000 per cent for five years would
be, with the principal, $1.275. Joel
had at the end of the fifth year prop
erty worth $4,000. 1t was invested In
railway securities which were worth
not quite SO much as he had paid fol
them. To reduce his nest egg by SO
large an amount especially selling at
a loss, was not to be considered. He
wrote his parents that he had made
the amount three or four times over
but would defer sending it to them till
he could sen certain securities in
which he had invested at the price
paid for them.
II told you So" said Mr.. Harding to
his wife.
"Now, pa, how unreasonable you
areI You wouldn't have Joel lose by
selling something he had bought at a
less price than what he had paid
when by waiting he could get more,
would your
"No, I wouldn't" replied Harding.
"And l wouldn't have him take nearly
$500 from his capital to send to us.
1t would be a violation of the princi-
pie on which he set out"
This was too deep reasoning for the
wife and mother, but since her hus-
band did not blame their boy she was
satisfied.
Joel did not find convenient time
to send his parents the money, as he
had proposed. The price of his Sc
curities advanced, but In the mean
time he had bought more at a low
price and was scraping together all
his assets to pay for them. During
the next few years he was put in
charge Of the financial department Of
the concern for which he worked and
saw many opportunities to make mon
ey that he had never been aware OF
before.
But all these opportunities involved
capital. Not single one could be
taken advantage of without it. you
can't make money, JOEL" said the head