The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1919-01-17
Observe "FrankIin Day" Jan. II With
w. 3 3 Saving Plan for Year.

tomorrows. Never leave that till to-
morrow which you can do today. W.
may these times even better if we be
stir ourselves. Industry need not wish
and he that lives upon hope will di'
fasting"
One might think, from reading thu
foregoing, that it had been written by
some philosopher of the day, bent upor
spreading the gospel of thrift and saw
ing, and particularly as it applies tt
the purchase of Thrift and War Saw
ings Stamps. While the application il
this respect is pertinent, it has ne
relation whatever to the little stamps
that spell plenty and prosperity te
consistent buyers, but was writer
nearly 200 years ago by Benjamin
Franklin, apostle of thrift and author
of that quaint guide to clean consci.
ence and wealth, "Poor Richards AL
manac," from which the above para
graph is excepted.
Now it so happens that January II
is the printer-philosopher's birthday
anniversary and that it has come to
be generally celebrated throughout
the United States as Franklin Day."
when the patron saint of the printing
fraternity is variously toasted and
lauded for his virtues, his sayings, his
service to his country, and what he
did to inculcate the habit of thrift and
saving into the lives of the people of
his day, goodly portion of whom
were improvident, as are the people of
today.
Acting upon "Poor Richards" advice
to "Never leave that till tomorrow
which you can do today" the Govern
ment Loan and Savings organization
of the Seventh Federal Reserve Dis
trict has issued an appeal to every
man, woman and child in the district to
observe Franklin Day" by either be-
ginning the purchase of Thrift or War
Savings Stamps or adding to those
they already have, and laboring, among
their kin and friends to do the same
thing-not to neglect this opportunity
to become wealth by thinking of saw
ing as well as getting" for, as "Poor
Richard" says:
"A little neglect may breed great
mischief; for want of nail the shoe
was lost; for want Of shoe the horse
was lost; for want of horse the rider
was lost, being overtaken and slain by
the enemy; all for want of little care
about horseshoe nail"
Benjamin Franklin, when he wrote
his famous thrift maxims and business
saws under the pseudynom of "Rich-
ard Saunders" alias "Poor Richard"
"Poor Dick" was speaking to an ex-
travagant and improvident generation.
They were spending their money for
things-mostly knick-knacks and rich
from the West Indies-they
really did not need, and what was
worse still, running in debt for much
of it and taking a long chance on be-
ing sent to Jail for failing on time to
meet these fiancial obligations. He
implored them to live within their in
comes, to forego needless luxuries and
to follow out plan of systematic saw
ing in language after this fashion:
when you incline to have new
look first well over the old
ones and see if you cannot shift with
them another year, either by securing,
or even patching, if neces-
sary. Remember. patch on your coat
and money in your pocket is better
and more creditable than writ on
your back and no money to take it off,
"a man may, if he knows not how
to save as he gets, keep his nose all
his life to the grindstone and die not
worth groat at last"
"Away with your expensive follies,
and you will not then have so much
to complain of hard times, heavy
taxes, and chargeable families"
"You may think, perhaps, that a
little tea, or little punch now and
hen, diet little more costly, clothes
4 little more finer, and little enter
,ainment now and then can be of no
great matter; but remember, many
little makes a mickle. Beware of
little expenses. A small leak will sink
4 great ship"
AS if "Poor Richard" actually were |
making plea to the people of this
lay and age to invest their savings !
n Thrift and War Savings Stamps.
lie says:
"For age and want save while you
nay; no morning sun lasts a whole
lay"
Get what you can, and what you
ret hold; tits the store that will turn
III your lead into gold"
"The use of money is all the adj
'antages there is in having money" !
"He that loses five shillings, not on
Y loses that sum, but all the advant-
ge that might be made by turning it
n dealing, which, by the time that
'oung man becomes old, will amount
o considerable sum of money"
If your expect the Fates to be kind
o you and to swell your bank ac-
cunt, you must be in readiness to
rasp every opportunity that comes
our way, or, ere long, or otherwise,
Opportunity finds you dawdling or
nprofitably engaged when she raps
t your door only to receive no an
wer again and again, she will cease
er visits to you. Just now Oppor-
unity is asking you, for your own
God and for the love of country, to