Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-05-04
MONEY BOARDING
AND REAL THRIFT

Practices OF economy tnat foster
personal selfishness and money
boarding are long way from eth
err thrift or patriotism, declares ,.
w Straus, president of the Ameri-
can Society for Thrift.
Through patriotism we are able
to attain the sublime heights OF
complete unselfshness. 1t is the
very antithesis of personal consid-
Grafton. Thrift means progress ana
efficiency 1t is as necessary in
winning the war as the spirit OF
unselfishness. Any form of econ
omy, therefore, that encourages sell
fish tendencies is the poorest sort
of patriotism.
In the complicated economic era
which the war has brought upon
us, we should at no time lose sight
of .the dangers of misguided thrift.
The present situation is so new ana
! strange to the average American
citizen and it presents so many
complex situations that consider
able perplexity at times exists as to
the most patriotic course to be
DuTSu0u III tile ddlllHiCti dllOh VI
ones individual affairs.
What may be regarded by the
I individual as laudible zeal, unself-
ish patriotism, and thrift might in
reality be most unfair to legitimate
! business to which the nation must
look for support in these days of
tremendous war expenditures.
The motives of selfishness. per
sonal comfort or personal pleasure,
should not enter into the question.
In these days the whole world OF
humanity 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 sacri-
fees, to suffer, and to endure what
ever hardships may come as re-
suit 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 regard
less of his personal conditions.
Hoarding money is as far from real
! thrift as the south is from the
north. Saving money is stone in
the foundation of thrift. 1t is the
I first step in the development of a
sturdy character, for true thrift
means real character development.
At the present time, when thrift
! is matter of such vital importance
| to all of us, it is most essential that
it be practiced intelligently because
! of the effect it will have on the in
dividuaI and on the nation. Our
citizens are being called on to raise
several billions of dollars a year.
In order that the war loans may be
properly absorbed by the country,
/ legitimate business must be pro-
| tected. The business man who is
forced into bankruptcy is certainly
/ not able to lend as much individual
support to war finances as he would
i be had his business remained solv-
F! ent:
Indiscriminate economy, there
fore. carries with it the danger of
! injustice to legitimate business,
| without the corresponding benefit
resulting therefrom in winning the
war
Each of us should strive to con-
duct our affairs from a broad, pa
triotic, sensible point of view, and
keep in mind that the business or
| ganization of the country has rights
| and uses that must not be over
! looked While food. ammunition,
and guns are necessary in winning
i 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 a greater need for the
| practice of thrift.
| More and more money will have
| to be raised for war purposes. More
| food will have to be conserved.
more waste will have to be elm
mated. and for these reasons it is
/ essential that, as the practices IF
thrift become more general. they
should be more thoroughly under.
stood.
Unhappily the word thrift al
| ready has been sadly misused
Thrift. to be of fundamental and
lasting benefit to the nation. must
be practiced broad and intelli-
gently.
We must remember that the gov
eminent of the United States and
its needs. come ahead of every per-
sonal consideration. The war must
be won at any price.
We must pay for victory, remem-
bering that at any cost, it is cheap
er to win than to pay the price of
defeat
But, while pressing on in this
determination, it is well to be re-
minded from time to time that we
| will profit nothing as a nation by
the establishment of wholly ficti-
tiOus standards of economy; that
nothing will be gained by develop
ing habits of personal seIfshness.
More and more as the day go by,
the practices of thrift will be neces-
sary, therefore, they must be car
ried out understandings in order
that the greatest amount of good
| will result Thrift is most essen
tial in winning the war and will be
Of incalculable value in the DAYS of
readjustment that will come with
/ the dawn of peace. But it would
be unfortunate for the thrift move
ment if any harm were done at this
! time under the guise of misunder-
stood and misdirected thrift.
-Buy a Liberty Bond
500 HORSES CAUSE PANIC,
Bombay.-Eight hundred unbrok-
en- horses ran wild recently in a
paddock at the Byuulla Racing club