Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1919-05-30

- Finis Wick of Tuckerman: +
% + 4 +
Americas Need of Thrift Education.
Thrift is subject which has been
widely discussed during the last few
months. The government has
recognized the need Of thrift educa-
ton throughout the nation and has
sent speakers to impress the neces-
sity of saving upon the people.
1t has been said that in one year
America wastes enough to feed
France a year. Waste is monster
which we must exterminate. 1t must
be eradicated if we are to make sue
cess in our thrift campaign.
In addition to being absolutely I'M
necessary, waste is a sin aaginst the
spirit of our American people. We
have inaugurated campaign for
thrift as opposed to waste. Extravag-
ance and wastefulness have strangle
hold upon the throat Of the nation.
Our forefathers were very thrifty.
They were compelled to be. Thrift was
instilled in the minds of their chill
dren, but as the generations have
come and gone, we have become more
and more wasteful and the frugality
| is only thing of the past.
( The realization of our wasteful-
ness has been thrust wildly before
us, and we have started campaign
| to exterminate it. As we read daily
of the starving people in many parts
of the world, the sense of our waste
fulness is brought home to us with
more force and vividness than ever
before. When we see that we waste
enough, which if properly used would
save many lives, our wastefulness as
sumes the shape of sin. 1t really is
a sin. Not only is it sin against
the spirit Of the American people but
it is a sin against God. If we can
save life and heed not the cries of
that life for help, we have committed
sin against our people, our religion
and our God.
There are many fields open to
which we may send the food amass-
ed in our thrift campaign. Belgium,
although evacuated by the Germans.
is starving. In Armenia the condition
of the people is frightful. The ma
tives are starving by the thousands.
| In other parts of Asia Minor
which are occupied by Greeks, the
people are, suffering from hunger In
Poland, the inhabitants although
freed from the German army, are in
pitiable condition. In Germany and
in Russia there are riots daily, and
in Austria the populace are facing the
horrors of starvation.
We must not neglect these oppor-
tunities to save a life. The thrift
campaign has been put in operation to
do these things. All the world looks
to America for help and it is our in
Indispensable duty to render it: The
first duty of the thrift agitators is to
impress the necessity of thrift upon
the people. As l said before men
have been sent out to do this and
their efforts have been crowned with
success. In addition to this, propag-
anda in the form of leaflets and book
lets has been distributed broadcast
Throughout the nation to awaken the
people to sense of their duty.
Not only is thrift necessary to the
salvation of the starving people of
Europe, but our own safety depends
upon the outcome. If wastefulness
should continue in our country as it
has been doing for the past few years,
lxury would grow more prevalent and
the typical American spirit of self
confidence and resourcefulness would
be destroyed.
Let us look upon wastefulness in
a new light, as related to bolshevism.
When a country is prosperous and
busy, there is no opening for bolshe-
vism. But on the other hand if ma
ton is not at work or if it is hungry,
the people will be dissatisfied and
they will receive bolshevism with
open arms. If man has employment
he is satisfied, but if he is idle or
hungry, he will embrace any doctrine
that he thinks will help him. Where
there has been nation we'll fed the
bolshevik doctrine could not take hold.
Notice the growth of bolshevism in
German. The German people have
been on starvation ration for the
past year. AS soon as their govern
ment was overthrown and the people
were free to act upon their own mi
tiative, they turned bolshevist. They
did this because they were hungry
and bolshevism promised relief. Sew
eral other nations have met the same
fate.
In order that every one may be
able to help prevent the spread of
bolshevism in America, the govern
ment has inaugurated this thrift
campaign. Everyone, even the chill
dren, may help. They cap save their
pennies and nickels and dimes, which
otherwise would be spent foolishly,
and buy Thrift Stamps and War Saw
Iings Stamps with them. Everyone can
feel that he has an interest in the
great thrift campaign and be instru-
mental in cr,shinor holShou;sr,