The midland journal., 1946-09-13
LOOKING
AAE4D
Y GEORGE S. BENSON
| presideHf--HardiKg college
Searry. 4rkaHsas
The Third "R"


For a short while before my first
day at school, and for several weeks
after, I heard a great deal OF con-
versation about the three RS of
education. My elders seemed to
expect me to think it was very fun
ny that the three RS should stand
for reading, writing and arithmetic.
1t left an impression, to say the
least. I still know that education
includes some variety.
One of the things about modern
education that dismays me is the
fact that students don't pursue the
three RS long enough. They are
at liberty too early to ignore one
of them-the last one. Figures are
dry at first and lot of youngsters
drop mathematics. High school
freshmen have learned to say cts
only waste of time to study things
you don't like and will never use"
Ignorance Is Costly
"What you don't know doesn't
hurt you," is rubbish. Certainly
what you don't know does not do you
any good. Truly an actor may draw
fabulous salary for years and die
in debt. Tales are told of artists
and musicians who can't balance
their check stubs. Their ignorance
Of math did not make them better
artists. 1t would be like saying
liquor made Poe a poet, or that
harems make great kings.
A national poll might show that
millions of Americans don't know
what it means to balance the
budget. 1t wouldn't be surprising;
most of us don't even have a per.
sonal budget, we live so easily and
we'll. But our national budget needs
to be balanced. People who try to
laugh that off don't know what it
means or, worse yet, would well
come national bankruptcy as step
ping stone to revolution.
What Does 1t Mean?
Balancing a budget, whether it is
family budget or a national
budget, means keeping a safe rela-
ton between income and outgo. The
inevitable result of spending more
than we get is debt, bankruptcy and
loss of credit. That's just another
way of saying Gloss of our good
name and the respect of our neigh
bors." When we stop paying our
debts and start breaking our prom
ises, that's loss of credit.
Uncle Sam is on his way to that
social level. He has not reached it
yet, but when he does it will be too
late to save him. Now is the time
to balance the national budget. l
was never so proud of my home
state as when the entire Arkansas
delegation in Congress, senators and
representatives, went on record in
March as favoring a balanced ma
tional budget. That's practical
craftsmanship.
Read These Truths
ga balanced federal budget can
be accomplished in the next fiscal
year if congress will meet it's full
responsibility and adopt pro-
gram of economy. By considering
each appropriation bill in the light
of it's effect on total necessary ex-
penditures, we can hold the cost of
government within the annual reve-
nues collected. . TIE time to be-
gin is now" So said the statement.
Habitually spending money we Go
not have can't help but lead this
nation to collapse, and nothing
worse could happen to the worlds
economic welfare. Think of the war
functions now idling along; of the
men whose energies might be trans
ferred to the credit column. In every
locality there is uncounted waste that
should be and can be transformed
into bit of thrift.