Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-08-20

~ rom q long journey 10 the Far
~ East said TO me the other day:
DO you know what is almost the
stronk est impression made on me by
my whole trip? II IS homely lesson
In thrift, and did no: get II from the
frugal OIIentals, but from my own
country people.
Everywhere ! met Americans
summing themselves in the warmth OF
Southern California, splashing around
in the jeweled waters at Honolulu,
drinking tea and gossiping with trav-
elers from the Back OF Beyond in the
Grand Hotel of Yokohama, p0kfng
around the curio shops in Pekiug-
and three-fourths OF these Americans,
yes, ninetenths OF them who were
travelling for pleasure, were fat, gray
headed, prosperous, middle-aged cou-
pies.
occasionally there was a young
son or daughter along but not often.
Most of them were just oldish married
folks who in their late fifties or
early sixties were taking the honey
moon trip that they had been too poor
to take 35 years before.
Il talked to dozens of these couples
and always they told me practically
the same story.
Mother and I were married when
We were very young and hadn't a
split Canadian dime between u.s. the
man would say, with a reminiscent
chuckle, but we both had plenty of
pep and ginger, and we rolled up our
sleeves and, went to work. l tell you
1t was skinny living and hard hust-
ling in those days.
"T was at the store before Z o'clock
every morning and l stayed in it until
II O'Clock at night, and mother was
up an hour before me and gave me a
hot breakfast that she had cooked
with her own hands, and when !
went TO sleep she was patching my
trousers or washing my shirt so that
4 could look neat and respectable
10 20 to work the next day. And we
counted the pennies and pinched eV-
cry dollar until we made the eagle
scream In agony and about the only
amusement we INDUCED ourselves in
was watching the little savings bank
account grow.
THAT policy Of work and saving
won out then as 1t always has won
out and always will win out. It wasn't
long beore ! was able to get an in
terest In the business, and after
while we moved over on the sunny
side of easy street Now our chill
dren are grown and married and set |
tied, and so a year ago or two /
turned the business over. to the boys |
and I said to mother that after this |
we would Just put in the balance OF
our lives enjoying ourselves and TAX !
ing the trips and doing the things |
we didn't have the time nor the |
money to do when We were young"
And every time / looked at these |
couples with their placid, contented |
faces that beamed with that surety |
OF well being that only the posses.
sion Of safety deposit vault full |
OF gilt.edeged securities can give, |
thought to myself, surely, after all, |
Yirture Is its own reward, and IL |
you want to be happy and comfor-
table when you are old you must |
practise thrift when you are young.
"And my mind would go back to |
other couples that knew at home
people about the same age as these.
One couple that knew very well had
started life on the same capital OF
nothing but love and health and youth.
But the man always worked with one
eye on the clock and a settled de-
termination that he was not going to
do one lick more that he was paid for,
and his wife had fed him out of paper
bags and bought shoddy ready-made
clothes for the family because she
couldn't see any sense in a woman
shaving herself to death over the cook
stove and sewing machine.
And they have never, in all the
years since they have been married,
been quite even with the landlord or
Che butcher or the grocer or the In