San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-09-27

aiucieS Dy ElWOOu LLOYD, well known
financial expert, on the successful fl
nancing of the home.
There is no disputing the truth OF
the statement that our real friends
respect us for what we really arc
rather than for any pretense we may
make. This is the true answer to the
questions which come to me so FIRE.
quently as concerning the budget al.
lowance which should be made for the
social obligations during the first year
Of home-making.
The only social obligation the young
home-makers actually have is to be
their own honest, natural selves. The
recognition and fulfilling of this obi.
CATION will win more friends who will
sincerely respect them down the years
than million dollars worth Of
front" and "show"-if that display
means narrowing debt.
Just the other day, while attending
conference of financierS, / heard o
leading economist say, "The average
American man or woman is not inter
ested in saving. They do not expect
to reach financial independence by
way VI lulllI lOulN. lhslNdu VI
that. they go along, spending prac-
tically all they earn, but always hop
ing that some day in the very near
future they will win a fortune by a
lucky speculation. 1t is interesting to
note that less than one person in a
thousand ever has this expectancy
realized"
;. FALSE FRONTS"
A further discussion by this same
man brought out the fact that much
of this improvident spending by the
average American man or woman orig
sinates. or rather has its taproot for
nation during the period of the first
year of married life, when they at
tempt. as a general thing, to create
the impression Of affluence to which
they are not rightly entitled.
Truly, it is but natural that the
young man and ydlng woman should
like to show each other to their
friends and acquaintances to the best
advantage, and that they feel a prop
er setting is necessary for the most
advantageous display of any jewel.
Then too, young men have way, dur
ing the courtship days, of thought
lessly making promises concerning III
ture comforts which are often mort
easily made than kept.
DESIRES EXPENSIVE.
The young man is not to be wholly
blamed for wanting to carry out those
promises in so far as possible-and
in this day Of easy credits and deferred
payments on practically every article
Of commercial barter it is not SO very
bard to get the things necessary to
provide those comforts.
The desire for this fine setting in
the beginning-during the first year
ylCn often the wise thing is to provide
a setting which shall have more Of
comfort and less of SHOWS the prime
rcaron for the major extravaganza OF
the American people as a whole. That
and the social obligations.
Victor deVilliers, in his admirable
book, Financial Independence at Fiji
IT," says: THAT the American is a
good spender few will deny. We i'm
press the world by our spending power
rather than our saving power"
NO OBLIGATIONS.
1t is by this spending power we so
often seek to impress our friends
ana most often we confuse the express
sion social obligations :" with the more
expressive ono of putting up good
'front.'" Good fronts are a necessary
factor in our American scheme of life,
because we do an injustice to our
selves and to our friends when we
maintain a scale or standard Of life
which is below us--but it isn't at all
necessary to endeavor to maintain a
scale head and shoulders above our
eapability or position.
First of all, particularly in this
first year when we are engaged in
building the foundation under a struc-
ture we hope will continue for the rest
of our lives, our primary social Obliga.
ton is to ourselves. We have no OBJ
legation to any person or persons which
necessitates that we engage in debts
which shall prove burdensome before
the time our surplus will permit us to
assume such debts or expenditures
without worry.
The social obligation of the young
couple is to each other and to none
else. To do those things which shall
make each equally happy and COM
Portable is that obligation. The hus-
band does not actually make the wife
permanent happy by assuming obliga-
tons which will cramp the family fl
names when the time comes to pay