Evening star., 1925-01-13

Catholic. The Church OF England
claimed him as one of them. The
Presbyterians thought him half a
Presbyterian and the Friends be-
Iieved him a wet Quaker"
Since that was long before the
eighteenth amendment, what was a
wet Quaker?"
1t is fortunate that men are not
always required to Judge the virtue
of sound advice by the fadthfulness
with which the giver follows his own
good council, for when Franklin
wrote to his daughter he urged her
TO go to church, for the discourse
Is often better than the man, as sweet
ana clear waters come through very
dirty earth"
In that same spirit, we of modern
life may judge the value of Frank
llnian thrift, regardless of the per
sonaIlty of his Poor Richard or his
own self. Business men talk of the
budget system in business and in
public finance. How many of us use
II In planning our personal affairs?
Yet that is efficiency" Business
men say that to spend from -day 70
day, upon each days impulse, soon
ties up ones bank balance and drains
the red ink bottle beside our ledper
Inc budget assigns so much to he
allowed for food. so much for rent.
so much for clothes, SO much for
charity and amusements While the
budget is being planned, 1t is easv
10 control the figures, and then the
nsures VIII! control US. before it is
TOO late. Poor Richard was RIGHT
when he said: when the wells drv
they know the worth of water"
Again he tells us: "a child and ,
TOOL imagine 20 shillings and 20 vean.s
can never be spent" I'VE NAV eive
advlce, but we can not give conduct"
as Poor Richard says.
The banks, the preachers, the busi-
ness teachers, all are loaded with
advice for Thrift week. and as porr rn
hichard says: They that won't be
counseled can't be helped
x *x
They teach US that thrift does nor
mean niggardliness; 1t does not re-
qulre that JOY be taken out of life:
on the contrary, 1t enables one to be
master of himself, his time and his
destiny. The engine which has no
whirling weight, called a governor"
does not accomplish half so much as
that one whose revolutions are equal
lied and controlled with the rhythm of
the governor. No apostle ever said
e'a@b AhSHOy is Inc root or evil. bur
Paul said that "the love of monev Is
the root of all evil" Poor Richard
never denied that Paul cautioned us
not to love money for itself
We are admonished that thrift
stands for foresight, for endowment
insurance, carried during our produc-
tive years, for savings accounts while
wages are coming or profits are
good, for the buying of a home where
the landlord and the rent commission
and other goblins cannot bother, for
casting bread upon the waters, which
after many days will return to us
again-investing in the love of fell
low man whom we can help when
worthy, investing in good credit,
more precious than gold in bank,
foreseeing our own need of independ-
ence when old age creeps on. There
is neither virtue nor reproach, per sc.
in poverty. Poverty sometimes is
due to misfortune. but quite as often
to shiftlessness, lack of industry and
foresight and providence. Poor Rich
ard emphasizes that he who robs
himself of time or health, of produc-
tion or wealth, which might be his
through industry and application and
frugality, robs his neighbor and his
country. No man liYeth to himself
hence no man has a right to sQuan-
der his time or his ability, for as
Poor Richard admonishes:
For age and want, save while you may
No morning sun lasts whole day.
Copyright. 1895, by Paul v. Collins.h