Norwich bulletin., 1921-03-18

was at least one advantage "a the old road over the new. Had this advan- tage been retained by the new, then that last road would have been much more serviceable than 1t IS
 True progress is not always the same thing as mere change It does not permit the discarding of demonstrated advan- tage for the sake of a hopsd-for inl- provement It never lets Eo the bird in the hand to grasp after the one in the bush.
 My earliest rememhered suit of win ter woolens had to be first grown by tie sheep in our own pasture Then the wool had to be sheared in our own barn cleaned and carded. etc, in .he small woolen mill twelve miles awly; spun into yarn on the old spinning whe4l ROW in the attic; woven iato cloth sa1 tie hand-loom; cut by paper pattern ob- tained from the village tailor; and sew. ed Into garments by mother and s's- ' ter
 It was a long, slow. labofious prc- cess But it taught a lesson of thrift , which those who dash into a c.athing store at 4.30 D. m. and come out from t i at 4.45 with complete new suit in ! a bundle. do not learn
 1 certainly den't want to go back myself nor force others back to that old way of getting clothes. But I do re- gret. and the whole country is more or i less hiindly but no less keenly lament ing the loss of thrift which has been 1 incurred during the change.
 Thrift is defined by the dictionaries ] as thriving condition due to good hus- l bandry and economical management. The whole country complains, today, | that it Is not in any thriving condition. ! There is trouble among the well-to-do 1 and trouble among the hand-totmouth |, classes. both. The producers are fac l! enduring daily loss. Farmers are usual. l ly unable to sell crops for what they cost to raise, and railroads are unable to pay expenses from dwindiing receipts So it goes through all business.
 This condition Is due very largely to
 the lack of good husbandry and econ
 omical management which has taken the place of oldfashioned thrift. Here's a
 l;ttle item I cut from The Bulletin the i other day:
 It is computed that from tenth to a
 quarter of the cost of fooistuffs in the
 United States ~oes.to pay for crates and
 other containers that are thrown away
 instead of being used second time.' If that be true 1t m.ans that every family is being mulc:ed from ten tr
  ; spends for mere packases-for crates ant bags and bottles and boxes and cans ,,i which are thrown away as soon al ! crnpitied. This may not be hard l ship for the 'unco' rich" but 1t is goo, , i husbandry far those who find dail f worry in making both ends meet? N one will tien. that the tremendous ir , crease of the canned goods and pack . age -oods industries has b>en a ga; $ , in convenience. But it has 70 be nat :, for and is dai'.- being 1A,d f.- from th :, iard-won earnings of inaye tc. whe . thrift ought to be of more irnpor;dne :, than .any convenience, however great - It is always possible to run g9o th:rg into the ground or to drive a ire ~ hose to death. One can 9 n,.i,rn $ ra
 too dear for his whistle, no matter !Iy
 amusing 1t may be.
 - Convenience and comfort and nase al l. desirable. after one has earned them ar .. can afford them. But they are not Il ', chief ends or aims of life Nor al - they worth the sacrifice of more ess,.l r, tial virtues to s>nure. No one can l = expected to re-a . q diet of spinach .- preferable. in i.s-.f. to one of porte - house steak. But we are assured
 rather high authority that there are o