The state herald., 1918-08-23
Millions Of Dollars Thrown Away
for Trifles That Ought to
Set Nation Thinking.
SOME WAYS MONEY GOES
Postcard and Cheap Souvenirs Take
Dle Sum Every year-6llliens
Spent for Needless Telephone
Calls and Telegrams.
By EDWARD MOTT wooLLEY.

nch and wonderful land of ours It
Ihould be necessary to conduct mighty
selling and advertising campaigns in
order to raise money to crush our enc
mies-cruel and dangerous enemies
who are bent on throttllng the very lib
srty on which our country has been
built. II we really felt the impulse,
lars spontaneously and without the
blare Of salesmanship and publicity;
md we would do 1t so easily that Ger
many and her allies would stand
aghnst at our overwhelming resources
and purpose.
The trouble is that even yet we do
not realize the tragedy that is over
us. The war has not sunk into the
American consciousness. With mil
lion or more Of our boys in France. and
the casualty lists coming home every
day, We still lack the pulsating fervor
of intrepid courage-the courage that
wells within one and stirs the soul.
Fighting Impulse Needed.
The one unqucstionable evidence Of
courage is the>willlngness to sacrifice.
A man who sees his child In deadly
peril is instantly ready to sacrifice
everything, even his life. 1t takes no
argument to "sell" to him the need of
courage. He gets 1t from within. The
fighting impulse dominates his every
instinct. What we most need In
America today is fighting impulse.
Once we get II the doom of Germany.
us n menace to ourselves and to the
world. will be sealed. II we had this
valorous. undaunted determination we
could raise, this coming year, not mere
ly six or eight billion, but as many bill
lion us our country might need. Let
US search our hearts. therefore, and
discover why It is that brnss-band
methods are needed TO sell us Liberty
bonds. II seems all the more incredi-
BILE that such should be the case when
the money we are asked to contribute
Ii merely money saved for ourselves.
Indeed. we could put through this
fourth Liberty loan without even feel.
ing II directly. am not talking here
about great sacrifices. With merely triv-
ial and passing Inhibition we can make
this fourth loan glorious manifesta-
ton Of Americanism.
Never was there such a nation Of
spenders-ws literally throw money to
the winds. Cash runs out Of our pock-
cts Into hundred channels Of extrav-
agancc. Tempted mt every turn by
something that appeals to our pleasure
saturated instincts, we hand out the
dimes. quarters and dollars. We work
hard. most Of us, and we play hard.
Many Of us play with an amazing
abandon that scarcely reckons the cost.
And we crafty ourselves not only at
plays. but we satisfy our luxury-loving
tendencies and our vanity In many Of
the things that enter into our daily
lives.
Let US consider here merely the mil.
lions that go for trivial things thnt do
not count as permanent investments
either for utility or luxury.
Millions Spent for Cards.
For instance, take our post card
manin. This hnbit. which perhaps we
would not criticize In times of peace.
II almost universal. A dealer csti.
mates that 10000 900 people spend nn
avernge OF dollar n year on the
cheaper kinds OF cards. and nm addi-
tional sum Of n hundred million dol
lars on postage. But on the fancy cards
and more expensive sets. sold largely
TO tourists. the estimate is 500. 600 900,
In nddition to the postage. Including the
cards that are kept by the purchasers.
II 10 probable that the total is half n
billion dollars. Many men have made
fortunes In this business. I know OF
one former valentine manufacturer
who retired with lot OF money.
II ~ certainly inconsistent that this
krcnt sum should 20 for such
trivial purpose when the milton IL In.
voivcd In this mighty war that calls
for cnsh cverlastingly. Here n one
expenditure that could be eliminated
almost wholly until the war Ii over.
Besides this amount put Into Liberty
bonds might mem something worth
while 10 the people themselves.
Then there II another class OF sou.
venirs TINT masquerade ns merchnn.
disc and absorb nm astonishing amount
Of money. Travellers md tourists ~.
peciniiy waste their cnsh upon these
things. and immense quantities nre
sold 10 the people everywhere. The
bulk Of this STUFF II useless junk-nt
least In war time. when conservation
10 the high need. Why spend our money
these days for fancy baskets. card
trnys, wooden ciaptrnp articles. knick.
knacks. trinkets. popguns. stuR and
whim whnmsf The souvenir stores In
Atlantic City. Asbury Park. Coney II.
iand. Revere Beach nenr Boston. Ven.
Ice near Los Angeles. and similar cs-
tablishments take more thnn q hundred
million dollars out OF our pockets
every summer. One small town con.
sern In Atlantic City sells = hundred
thousand dollars worth. on which tho
sst pront IL over nifty thousand. There