The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1918-08-22
Millions OF Dollars Thrown Away
for Trifies That Ought to
Set Nation Thinking.
~cstesrd and Cheap Souvenirs Take
Dig Sum Every Year-BiiIons
spent for Needless Telephone
Calls and Kilograms.
sy EDWARD MOTT woouLEY.

dch and wonderful land Of ours It
should 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 throttling the very lib
srty on which our country has been
built. II We really felt the impulse,
We could raise six or eight billion dol
lars spontaneously and without the
olare Of craftsmanship and publicity (;
and we would do II so easily that Ger
many and her allies would stand
sghast at our overwhelming u
and purpose.
The trouble is that even yet we do
not realize the tragedy that Is oyer
as. The war has not sunk into the
American consciousness. With a mil
Hon or more Of our boys In France, and
the casualty lists coming home every
day, we still lack the pulsating fervor
Of intrepid c~ourage-the courage that
wells within one and stirs the soul.
Fighting impulse Needed.
The n unquestionable evidence Of
courage is the willingness to sacrifice.
A man who sees his child In deadly
peril Is instantly ready to sacrifice
everything, ever his life. 1t takes no
argument to ''seiin to hir, the need of
lighting impulse dominates his every
instinct. What we most need In
America today is fighting impulse.
Once we get 1t the doom Of Germany,
as a menace to ourselves and to the
world, will be sealed. If we had this
valorous, undaunted determination we
could raise, this coming year, not mere
iy six or eight billion, but as many bill
Hon as our country might need. Let
Us search our hearts, therefore, and
discover why It is that Grassland
methods are needed to sell us Liberty
bonds. It seems all the more lncredi-
Ole that such should be the case when
the money we are asked to contribute
% merely money saved for ourselves.
Indeed, we could put through this
fourth Liberty loan without even feel
ing It directly. am not talking here
about great sacrifices. With merely triv-
eaI and passing Inhibition we can make
this fourth loan a glorious manifesto
tfon of Americanism.
Never was there such q nation Of
spenders-we literally throw money to
the winds. Cash runs out Of our peck
cts into a hundred channels of extrav-
agance. Tempted at every turn by
something that appeals to u 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 c:il-
lions that 60 for trivial things that do
not count as permanent investments
either for utility or luxury.
Millions Spent for Cards.
For instance, take our post card
mania. This habit. which perhaps we
would not criticize In times Of peace,
q almost universal. A dealer esd
mates that -50,0O0,O00 people spend an
average Of a dollar a year on the
cheaper kinds of cards, and an addi-
tfonal sum OF q hundred million dol
lars on postage. But on the fancy cards
and more expensive sets, sold largely
90 tourists, the estimate Is 5000 900,
In addition to the postage. Including the
cards that are kept by the purchasers,
1t 10 probable that the total Is half q
billion dollars. Many men have made
fortunes in this business. I know of
one former valentine manufacturer
who retired with q lot Of money.
1t "a certainly inconsistent that this
great sum should 90 for such q
trivial purpose when the nation II in
~olved in this mighty war that calls
Tor cash e~verlastingly. Here Ii a
expenditure that could be eliminated
almost wholly until the war II over.
Besides this amount put into Liberty
bonds might mean something worth
while to the people themselves.
Then there II another class Of SOU
venirs that masquerade as merchan-
disc and absorb an astonishing amount
81 money. Travellers and tourists e.
socially waste their cash upon these
things, and immense quantities are
cold to the people everywhere. The
bulk Of this stun II useless junk-at
least In war time. when conservation
q the high need. Why spend our money
these days for fancy baskets. card
treys, wooden claptrap articles, knick-
knacks, trinkets, popguns. stnR and
within whams5 The souvenir stores In
Atlantic City, Asbury Park, Coney Is
land. Revere Beach near Boston. Ven
ice near Los Angeles. and similar es-
adjustments take more than q hundred
million dollars ont Of our pockets
every summer. One small town con-
earn In Atlantic City sells z hundred
thousand dollars worth. on which the
net profit II over my thousand. There
are factorfes that turn ont thfs sort
Of product In vast quantities. an6 much