The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-01-23
THRIFT HAS NO RELATION TO COVETOIN
BOARDING THAT BREEDS PARASITES

Why any man Of reasonable intel.
ligence, having known me for
period of more than three hours,
would ever presume to ask me to
write an article upon thrift is be-
yohd my comprehension However,
one of the most impressive temper
ance lectures that | ever heard was
delivered by a bar tender and the
most exacting details of how to rear
children are usually propounded by
some old maid. It may be from this
deductive reasoning that | was asked
to express some of my observations.
Thrift Is that peculiar art of spend
ing less than we receive and it is
the continuous application of this basic
principle that has built up the substan-
tial citizenship of any community or
country. il is far reaching in its
effort to develop in the individual
all that he is capable Of producing.
1T causes him to constantly put forth
Ythe best that is in him, thereby de-
! veloping him along the lines Of
achievement and producing an atmos-
phere antagonistic TO rotous living.
The habits of a thrifty man invariably
prevent him from partaking of the
undesirable escapades of his vicinity
and If properly developed cause him
to be in ready co-operltiOn with any
civic or community movement which 10
for the lasting betterment or i'm
| Of ,ttyaa ha
1t educational, social, religious or fin
ancial
Amercanism, with IT'S broad teach
lngs of equality of men, both poll
teal and social, has tended to bring
about an unwarranted effort for fin
ancial equality that is some times
very detrimental. We often find the
fifty dollar week clerk trying 10
enjoy the same luxuries and the same
mode of living as the multi-milion-
aire. From a pc'ioIl pushing book
keeper to u full dress suit and cham
pagne suppers IS a mighty big jump
without q sprns bard.
Various countries of the world have
just passed through an epoch of in
sane extravaganza. our own country
became 80 frenzied that the profiteers
were the rule and not the exception.
The accumulation of money and sub
stantial fortunes has been for a period
oblterated by luXuriant extravagances.
The distinction between necessities
and luxuries Of life ceased to exist and
this period, conducive only of extra
vagance, and not of thrift, oan only
be rectified by reconstructlve period
entirely revou,ionizing our mode of
living. Here in the fast moving West
where fortunes are made between sun
set and sun rise where liquid gold Is
poured fourth with such mementuous
rapidity that millions are hurled into
the laps of many. We are apt to lose
sight of the great economic principle
that the strength of nation is repre-
scented by accumulation rather than
by spasmodic realization.
Why is it that the uneducated for
eigner who comes as q penniless i'm
migrant to this country within q few
years so often becomes one of the
financial powers of his community
Obviously, not because of his excess
sive earning powers, invariably he
works for the wages of the common
laborer, but because OF his oppression
over seas he makes no effort to main
tain q social standing and has well
defined idea of what is necessary
for his livelihood as differentiated