Evening star., 1932-11-23
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

Almost every one knows somebody
or other who has evolved a sure-fire
scheme for the restoration OF pros
perity to our beloved land.
Mostly these plans are too compli-
Gated and show on the face OF them
wherein they would fail.
Our. friend Templeton, Jones, how
ever, has a scheme so simple that 1t
conceivably might work.
He thought it up, he says, while walk
ing through a busy downtown store
where hundreds of people were buying
things.
1T came over me in a FASH" he
said. afterwards, that prosperity lies
not alone in selling things, but espe-
cially in buying them. The accent has
been too long on salesmanship.
These people were getting a real
kick out of purchasing. 1t was buy
manship which interested them.
"You could see it in their eyes, In
their very motions.
when human beings are interested
they are like cats catching mice.
"They look handsomer, more eager
more alive.
"I saw clearly, as no doubt thou
sands of others have seen even more
clearly, that there can be no extra
buying unless people have enough
money to live decently first. =,
"Given a slight surplus, they vii
spend freely, because it is in human
nature to spend.
"There will be no spending If there
is no surplus, but, If they are g1ver
that slight excess, there can be M
holding them back.
"That is a law Of human nature
under civilization, as far as can MAKE
out. especially in the cities.
Imitation is as powerful factor
with human beings as among monkeys
I'VE all like to do what we see othel
people do. Even the philosophical per.
son. who resents following the crowd
often discovers himself following 1t, JUS
the same.
"I saw clearly, as wandered amont
the happy purchasers, that they woult
spend If they had 1t to spend. Mere
living makes 1t impossible Tor EN- u
resist.
"As matter Of fact, they don't wan
to resist.
"They love to spend their money
That is what money Is for, most OF then
will tell you.
"The only necessary thing Is to Civ
them some to spend.
II don't mean great sums, but JUS
small sums, sums in excess OF living
Even in living itself tremendous sun
of money is spent, of course, but th'
possession of a slight surplus is the rea
key to the question, because this re
moves fear, always psychologlca
hurdle, and allows for more money II
be spent even on the necessities o
living
"But a little extra is essential fo
the purchase of the hundred and one
the thousand and one, little extras, th'
niceties, as one might say, which max
the everyday life little more interest
ing, little happier.
"There is no upstage economic
about this, of course. I don't under
stand economics, and I am beginninl
to believe, after the last three years
that nobody else does either.
"Yes, I have read some of the books
some of the very latest, but, just be
tween us, either I am much too duml
to understand them or the writer
thereof are playing the old game o
using words as symbols, with specia
meanings, and then demanding tina
you accept the symbols at their precis
valuations.
"But I, too, have some brains;
question all people, either writers o
non-writers, who talk in such term
that they are not to be understood b.
men of good will and common sense.
Economics, as commonly discussed