Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1923-06-01
UNCLE TED'S
BEDTIME STORIES
A STORY OF COMMUNISM


Ahead of what?" asked Uncle Ted
looking up from his paper.
Ahead OF Jack in money in tn,
savings bank" replied Ruth. "Jacl
has been ahead OF me for quite I
while but l got ahead of him today
I've got $56.40 and he has only S56.1O
Mrs. Smith gave me so cents today fol
taking care of her baby while she
went down town and now I'm ahead
We'll, you won't be ahead long,
chimed in Jack, with a not altogether
satisfied look on his face. Spring is
here and soon L will get a lot of jobs
moving lawns and raking up trash in
peoples yards, and then I'll get a
long way ahead of you"
you may earn more than 1 do, but
you won't save any more" responded
Ruth. You always spend more than
l do"
How would it do to have Just one
savings ban kaccOunt and both of you
put your earnings in that account and
when either of you spends anything,
draw it out of your joint account"
inquired Uncle Ted.
No, no, no." exclaimed both of the
children in unison.
Il should think you would like that,
Jack, because Ruth has the most mon
ey saved up to put into the joint ac-
count, and, besides, if you spend the
most, as she says you do, you would
have a larger account to draw on"
suggested Uncle Ted.
We'll, 1 want to have something to
show for what 1 do, and if 1 spend too
much, l don't want sister coming
around complaining about it."
"And l don't want any joint account,
either" added Ruth. I'm saving up so
1 can take trip to the Grand Canyon
and the Yellowstone and the other Ma
tional Parks. I don't think Jack would
spend more than his share, even if we
did have joint account, but if we kept
our money together we wouldn't try
SO hard to get little jobs to earn mon
ey, and we'd be tempted to spend
more so as to keep even with each
other"
We'll, well, you are not commun-
lists, are you, you little rascals?" COM
mented Uncle Ted.
whats a communist" asked Ruth.
81 never heard of such thing"
lieVe in all working together and own
ing their property in common. That is
the way they are trying to do things
over in Russia now, although l sus-
pect that even the people who teach !
communism are not practicing it very |
faithfully. The people who have hold |
of the savings are pretty sure to be |
living off the fat of the land while the |
real working people go hungry. So the
people who can not control the saw
ings are pretty sure not to work as
hard as they would otherwise"
"Of course, there is a lot of injustice
under our present way of running
things here in the United States. Some
people get too much and others have
too little"
81 think Ruth got too much today
when she took care of Mrs. Smiths
baby" interrupted Jack. ''Mrs. Smith
was only gone d natf ali hour and-she
gave Ruth so cents. That is at the
rate of a dollar an hour, and Ruth's
time isn't worth it"
Mrs. Smith is a better judge of
hat than you are, Jack. She may
nave been paying something extra be-
cause of Ruth's even disposition and
her dependability. When some one is 4
willing to pay a high price for some !
)ther persons services, it is pretty
good evidence that they are worth it.
some day you may be great lawyer !
md people may be willing to pay you :.
$4,000 a year just as q retainer, even 4
you do no actual work. If they do, =
will be because you are worth it. y
But 1 got diverted from what I was 3
aging when Jack interrupted me. =
here are many things in this country
hat are unjust but we have never yet
Ound any way of running things that
5 better for all concerned than the Il
resent system, which some people s.
all individualism and others call cap s.
.alism. You may not know it, but we o.
ave tried communism in this country, p
nd in every instance it has proved a u
ltal mistake. The early colony of U
JAMESTOWN was settled in 1907 and CT
established, requiring ev- ID
ryone to labor for the common store. A
Initiative was killed, men refused to I'll
Ork, and famine was aVerted only by T.
corn from the Indians and hf
lpplies from England. Capt. John liz
NTH and Gov. Dale took hold of the ST
tuation with vigor, put an end to
lie communistic system, and estab-
shed individual farms where tObac-
} raising proved a profitable indus
Y. The possibility of profits attract At,
settlers of the better class and the Nv
of the colony was assur-
"The Pilgrims, likewise, tried to
AXE a success of communism and
,arly persisted in the attempt. From
20 to 1924 all worked for the COM
on needs, with famine staring them
the face all the time. In the latter
ar an acre of land was assigned to
Oh person as his separate property,
d Immediately the crops became
undant and a surplus remained for
lie.
The incentive to own property,
tn an Independent income to tide
err periods of adversely, is one of the
ief ambitions of every man. If the
st of competition with his fellow
n is taken away, incidence follows
lduction ceases, and disaster comes.
e experience of the early colonists
We been repeated by every subse-
emit attempt to introduce commun- Sol
Idleness usually begets blOodshed,
/ where communism is tried on
ge scale, as in Russia, anarchy
oOc &"