New-York tribune., 1920-05-19

Thrift Is not Just n good thing so
far as the worker in industry is con
corncd.
We have for long time been con
tent with that amiable view. Some
what perverted enthusiasts have ever
commended to our attention the Italian
fruit man on the corner, who, living
for the time being on the physique
with which nature had previously en-
dowed him, saves practically all he
earns and within comparatively few
years blossoms out as capitalist 1t
is hard to be rid Of this idea of thrift;
it is hard to drop the action that thrift
and penuriousness are absolutely op-
posed-tbat the man who denies him
self of the necessaries OF life at the
expense of his physical wellbeing and
the wcllbcing of his family is every
whit as thriftless as the Prodigal Son.
And also it is hard to rid ourselves of
the thought that thrift is only a social
idiosyncrasy-that it is purely a mat
tor of taste whether one cares to en-
Joy to-day In its fullness without a
thought Of the morrow or whether he
prefers to use somewhat less to-day
and have more for tomorrow
Vicious Thrift
We have been taught always that
thrift is provision for the future and
that it has comparatively little to do
with the present excepting in the way
Of denial. Now, l take it that this is
not only an unwholesome notion of
thrift, but also an intrinsically vicious
and antisocial view. Real thrift, con-
sidered in all of its economic rela-
tions, is not based primarily upon self
denial, but upon wise spending, upon
getting ones moneys worth; upon, by
the exercise of discriminating judg-
ment, so ordering ones affairs that
there Will be a margin between income
and outgo-that this margin will be
returned for the uses of society SO
that he who is thrifty will not only
augment his income from handiwork
by q supplementary means, bnt also
Will, through the affording Of more
facilities to society, make more po-
tent his handwork efforts.
This is the positive as contrasted
with the negative thought of thrift. 1t
is the social as opposed to the per-
sonal laying up-for-a- IA my day notion.
When we come to think Of thrift as
an enlargement of ones capacity
rather than as a limitation Of ones
consumption, then bursts on US the
bigger meaning Of thrift-that it is
not merely q good thing, but way
OF living that imperatively must be
sold and with as much ardor as any
commodity ever was sold. For the
foundation of our present socie5v rests
upon thrift-that is, upon production
exceeding consumption. II we think
that those truths which we hold to be
fundamental in our society should en-
durc, then we can preserve them only
through thrift. If we have not thrift
we must be prepared to accept state
of society into which profit does not
enter-that is, we must accept some
thing akin to the MARKHAM ideal as
eXemplifed in Russia.
Simple Economics
From the standpoint of the worker
an increased investment in industry
raises his wages, stablizcs his job
and increases the buying power Of his
dollar-that is, it increases his wages
not only in dollars. but increases the
buying content of those dollars.
We're this doctrine Of simple eco
nomics more widely taught We should
not have so much nonsense about the
possibility of partnership between
capital and labor; we should not have
the talk about "helping the good
workers and making their lives fuller"
but instead we should preach: "Be-
come capitalist and not only increase
the value of what you perform with
your hands. but get an extra profit
besides."
Thus viewed we get wholly away
from the old tiresome paternal: "Sava