Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-04-29
PRACTICE ECONOMY
FOR THRIFT'S SAKE.
American Society For Thrift And
Patriotism Makes Public
Statement.


Practices of economy that foster
personal seldshness and money hoard
ing are long way from either thrift
Of patriotism" declares 5. W. Straus'
president Of the American Society for
Thrift in a statement made public to-
day
Through patriotism we are able
10 attain the sublime heights of com
pIete selfisnness. II is the very
antithesis of personal consideration
Thrift means progress and efficiency.
II is as necessary in winning the war
as the spirit OF unseIfishness. ANY
form Of economy, therefore, that en-
courages selfish tendencies is the
poorest sort of patriotism.
I'm the complicated economic era
which the war brought upon US, we
should at no time lose sight OF the
dangers of misguided thrift. The pres
ent situation is so new and strange TO
the average American citizen and ii
presents so many complex situations
that considerable perpleXity at times
exists as to the most patriotic course
to be pursued in the administration
of ones individual affairs.
What may be regarded by the indi-
vidual as laudable zeal, unselfish> pa
triotism, and thrift might in reality be
most unfair to legitimate business to
which the nation must look for sup
port in these days of tremendous war
expenditures.
THE motives OF selfshness, person
al comfort or personal pleasure,
should not enter into the question. In
these days the whole world of human
ity Is suffering. These are times when
tremendous personal sacrifices are
necessary 1t is not the time for one
to stand on so-called personal rights.
1t is the duty of each of us TO make
sacrifices. to suffer, and to endure
whatever hardships may come as a
result of the war.
"In all personal matters, however,
care should be exercised that we do
not go to unreasonable lengths. Many
people believe that the sum total of
thrift is boarding money, that the
thrifty man is he who spends as little
as possible regardless of his personal
conditions. Hoarding money is as far
from real thrift as the south is from
the north. ing money is stone
in the foundation of thrift. 1t is the
first step in the development of a
strudy character, for true thrift
means real character development.
"At the present time when thrift is
q mater of such vital Importance to
all of us, it is most essential that it
be practiced intelligently because of
the effect that it will have on the in
dividual and on the nation. Our citi-
zens are being called on to raise sew
eral billions of dollars year. In or
der that the war loans may be prop
erly absorbed by the country, legiti-
mate business must be protected. The
business man is forced into bank
ruptcy is certainly not able to lend as
much individual support to war finan-
ces as he would had his business re
manned solvent.
"Indiscriminate economy, therefore,
carries with it the danger of injustice
to legitimate business. without the
corresponding benefit resulting there
from in winning the war.
Each of us should strive to con-
duct our affairs from a broad, patri-
otto, sensible point of view, and keep
in mind that the business organiza-
ton of the country has rights and
uses that must not be overlooked.
While food ammunition and guns are
necessarySin winning the war, money
also is essential and at no time has
this fact been more apparent than
during our Third Liberty Loan drive.
"As the war goes on there will be
continually greater need for the
practice of thrift
More and more money will have
have to be conserved, more waste will
have TO be eliminated, and for these
reasons it is essential that, as the
practices of thrift become more gen