Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1932-06-16

must never De touched, IL was conSr.
quently rather delicate matter tc
break the news to him that his parents
were forced by financial necessity tc
withdraw his savings to pay the ac-
counts that the trades people refused
to wait for any longer. However, we
assured him that we were Just Dor
rowing" his money and would pay II
back with interest at six percent. In
fact we took advantage OF the occas-
ion to give a practical lesson In per-
centage, We made the affair educa-
tional, as 1t were. We also played
upon his pride and his generosity by
showing him how fine it was TO help
father and mother" 1t seemed, like
wise, q good opportunity to take son
into our confidence about how hard
the "old man" actually had to work to
earn o living. We showed him Just
how much his father made and Just
what our expenses were. We thought
1t was time for him to feel a little
responsibility-and for lis to disabuse
him Of the idea that all dad had to do
when he wanted money was Just to
go around to the bank and ask his
friend the teller to give him some.
The whole working system Of a bank
was explained-and by the time I had
finished with him, he was glowing
with the generous thought that he
was really helping his mother and
father out Of a hole, and also with the
fact that for every hundred dollars
loaned us he would get back one hun
dred and six.
Poor deluded child From that day.
to this I have never earned enough
money even to reopen the poor boys
savings account.
Well, he took that pretty we'll. 1t
wasn't the first time that his mother
and father had promised things and,
never done them. Grownups are like
that and children soon discover 1t and
make allowances. He knows now that
his hundreds and his six percent in
terest were just good intentions, that
he will never get them-unless his dad
gets rich-and he is old enough and
shrewd enough now to realize that
his dad will always be a poor man. n
guess he puts that experience down as
just another evidence of how little re-
lation there is between "preachment"
and hard facts.
But it is an Ill wind that blows no
good. He lost his hundreds, but he
now gets twenty-five cents week
Lots more than got when was
your age, my son"-and is allowed to
save it or spend it. Yes, 1t Is really
his own, and like a wise child he
spends it on the things Of today in
stead of saving 1t for his father and
mother to borrow" from him as soon
as he has accumulated a worth while |
sum.
The moral of this story is obscure.
I'll explain 1t. When we were saving
money for Sons future, we were not
benefiting son morally or educational
ly. We may have been benefiting our
selves by making the effort, by depriv-
Ing ourselves, by living up to an ideal.
But our son was much too small to
appreciate that. He was making no
effort, depriving himself of nothing,
living up to no ideal. He wasn't even
learning to save. He wasn't learning
how to handle money, how to spend
money, how to appreciate money.
But now he is. He gets twenty five
cents a week. He spends 1t any way
he wants to. Sometimes he spends
regrets it. Sometimes
ne saves 1t up for definite, valued
object. He is learning to use money.
He is learning to deny himself one
thing for the sake of getting some
Thing better. Actually his twenty-five
cents week is more useful to him
morally and financially than his hun
iredS of dollars ever we're.