Evening star., 1937-12-24
Teach Child
The Value
OF Money
Charge Account
Bad Influence
On Youngster.
By ANGELO PATRI.

CHILDREN should not have the priv
ilege of charge accounts. There
Is nothing so demoralizing to their
sense of financial responsibility as the
feeling that all they have to do is to
buy what they want and say, charge
1t to father"
Using money is great responsibility
for grown up people, and they don't
make any too good a job of it at times.
1t is almost too much to put on chill
dren the responsibility of using it
without a check They know little
enough about money as it is. They do
not understand where it comes from,
or how. Words without experience are
worse than useless. If things come to
them without the sight of money, the
money idea is about ruined.
1t is natural for children to want
things. A certain amount of wanting
is necessary for mental health and
character growth. Wanting things has
driven man into creating things and
so increased his power over himself
ana the world. But wanting must be
eased by getting through effort,
through hard work. Getting must be
the result of personal hardwon ex-
perience, or it is profltless and useless.
To get without effort is demoralizing.
Children, not knowing about money,
knowing only that they want things,
will buy lavishly. Meaningless pur-
chases, bought only for the fun of
buying, extravagant purchases made
without judgment, things bought to be
given to friends to win applause, are
some Of the results of charge accounts.
1t is short step from the careless
charging to getting few dollars cash
for special occasions. Then the end
Is inevitable.
Give children who are old enough
TO buy things for themselves an allow
ance sufficient to their necessities. Hold
them to account for that spending
Teach them to get the value of their
money This training must begin when
the child is old enough to go along with
his mother to the shops and stores
Training in the use and value and
meaning of money is as important as
teaching the Ten Commandments
Young people who have the handling
Of money without previous training
and experience will need all the
strength of the Commandments be-
hind them and some one to gather UP
the pieces when they are through.
Young people have no business with
charge accounts. They must be taught
to pay cash for what they get and be
careful about their getting. They
should be taught to shun debts as they
would shun the plague. 1t Is Just
about as dangerous for them. The
family accounts can be explained to
them when they are old enough to
know about them. But the children
should not use them, ever
Borrowing money on allowances is
only another form of charging. It
should not be done by children. They
must pay as they go. This money!
training is of vital importance to the
happiness Of the young people as they
sre today, and for their future. Train
them to live within their means, to
have no debts, and so insure them
against one source of sorrow.
MIR. Patri will give personal atten-
ton to inquiries from Parents and
school teachers on the care and de-
velopment Of children. Write him in
care of this paper, inclosing a Scent
stamped, self-addressed envelope for
reply.
(Copyright 1877