Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1920-06-23
TEACHING THRIFT TO THE
CHILDREN.

The parents and teachers of every
child wish him to have the benefit
Of greater advantages than they have
had. That is one of the reasons why
parents often make great personal
sacrifices to educate their children
for me- congenial work than they
themselves have enjoyed and interest
in his pupils in one of the few COM
pensations, for the trials and insuffi-
cient financial returns CT a teachers
career.
To make the principles of thrift
effective to the child, they must be
put into constant practice both at
home and in school and must have a
direct connection with his daily life.
Every educator realizes the tre-
mendous value of teaching thrift and
industry to little children both for
their immediate benefit and in anti
cipation of their future success. Par
ents who have not had a training in
personal economy are anxious to
have their children realize that the
practice of thrift and an appreciation
for the value of money are essential
to success and self respect. Thrift
principles enter into every relation
ship and problem of daily life.
! Training in economy is equally
necessary for the child of parents in
poor or moderate circumstances and
for those who are rich. In our COM
plex American life it is possible that
the poor child of today may be the
rich man of tomorrow, and that the
child born with a silver spoon in his
mouth may sometime be thrown upon
his own resources.
It is never too early in a child's
training to begin the teaching and
practice of thrift. Tales of the habits
of animals and insects furnish many
examples of this quality. The simple
story of the red squirrel will interest
any child. Tell him that before cold
weather begins the red squirrel
builds comfortable and durable
home, that during the summer and
fall he gathers nuts and acorns to
provide food for the winter time
when snow covers the ground. Con-
trast the habits of the spend thrift
rabbit, who saves nothing and who
consequently suffers from hunger.
The thrift and enterprise of the
bee and the ant may be contrasted
with the laziness of the grasshopper
and, the butterfly. The Book Of Prov
erbs and Aesop's Fables contain
many a story which shows the stu
pidity of extravaganza and laziness.
Thrift may also be taught by the
careful use of materials, in the
:Eschool room by economy in handling
ilehalk, clay, paper and other, articles,
and in the home by careful use of
furniture and the elimination of
waste in household necessities such
as fuel and light.
In every walk through the streets
to and from school, material for
consideration presents itself. The ex-
ample of the fire department, a
source of interest to every child, may
be used to show how loss of life and
property is prevented. The public
cans for rubbish are another public
economy, for by their use we de-
crease the duties of the street-sweep-
er.
The means of practieing the prin-
ciples of thrift are numerous. Child
rem may be encouraged to buy the
government Thrift Stamps issued by
the United States Treasury, or to
have accounts in Postal or Savings
Banks. Through these channels the
systematic saving of money may be
brought home to the child in an at
tractive and profitable way, and the
sums so saved conserved and invest
od Americans have been called a ma
tion of economic illiterates. They are
spendthrifts by habit. 1t may not be
nossible to eradicate the vice of ex-
travagance in this present generation
but it can be stamped out of the boys
and girls of the future by continued
instruction.
The influence of economy is far
reaching, and instruction in thrift is
a personal, municipal, and patrl-
otic duty which both parents and