Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-01-05
THE CAPITAL
sAruRDAY. JANUARY 5. l9ls.
A NATION or THRIFT.

France have been held up to the in
habHants Of the balance OF the world
as models OF thrift and frugality. The
fact that France has long carried
heavy burden OF debt has naturally
made the people very serious and has
engendered the belief among them
that the chief end Of man was 10 save
and then save some more In France,
the science Of life has been reduced
10 living on as little as possible ane
saving everything not required for the
keeping Of the person in condition tc
save some more and live little
longer.
When this war shall have come to
an end, it is going to find the people
OF the United States somewhat more
thrifty nation more like the French.
than the care-free folk usually looked
upon as having only faint concep
ton of life.
The United States has never desired
that a similar condition as that OF
France should lay a burden upon its
people SO heavy that only practices
similar to those common in France
would enable the American citizen to
maintain an existence; but It is
nevertheless true that the American
people have been prodigal very prodi-
gaI. in the good things provided by
nature for the support and comfort
Of mankind Because Nature has
given us freely OF her stores, we have
felt free to use recklessly and hence
It Is that we have been so slow in un-
derstanding the meaning Of the saving
propaganda which the heads Of gov
eminent have issued and to which
they invite the compliance of the
people.
1t will come all the easier TO the
American to place the appeal on the
high grounds on which it is present
cd to him, that of curtailing our own
requirements in order that others less
fortunate than ourselves might have
d sufTciency to meet their necessities
Had we been asked to deny ourselves
merely that we might be q healthier
or a more wealthy people. We should
have paid little heed to the request,
but because of the appeal upon which
is based the request. the American
people will enter gladly upon the first
lesson in becoming frugal nation.
and having learned that the lesson
was based on something more than a
mere request to save, It will doubt
less remain with us and bring its
benefits with it.
We have been prodigal not only with
our foodstufrs and the products of field.
forest and mine. but we have been
equally so with our money. American
workmen have been the best paid EN-
ployees in the world, and they have
also been the freest spenders of what
they earned. While here and there
men have practiced economy to an ex-
IRENE and built up for their posterity
great fortunes. the average citizen
has not felt impelled to deny himself
whatever he believed would contrib
ute TO his greater convenience or hap
piness. and consequently the Ameri-
can has gained the reputation of be-
Ing a free spender. a reputation he is
now being asked 10 modify.
The government began its thrift
school by asking that less foodstuiIs
be used, and then came the second les
son. which was in the shape OF re-
Quest that the people loan the govern
ment their earnings and savings that
tho big piece Of work in hand might
be vigorously prosecuted The re-
sponse has ben generous, but not as
generous as was expected. and now
another effort is to be made to bring
an PEOPLE of the nation, from the
baby to the patriarch, into the saving
school. The government uses no
harsh means in its teaching of the
vital lessons forming the curriculum
Of the national thrift school, but
rather tempts the student into be-
coming member Of the big class
which will run well into the millions
Just as was greeted with wsF-~eleome
the invitation to conserve in food
stuffs. so win be the greeting TO the
thrift stamp proposition. The ex-
penses Of the government during the
existing crisis marches forward with
giant steps. and the people, who form
the government, must see that every
step is one forward Before we have
fully learned the lesson OF doiRg
with less in the way of food and
clothing we are asked to spend less,
aud If no more strenuous lessons in
thrift are impaired during the exist
ence Of the war and the American
people learn the two already indicat-
ed. the American people will be quite
well advanced in the knowledge of
some things we have never supposed
we should be called upon TO learn,
and we viii be none the less free
people or a strong people for having
learned the lessons.