Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 87, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 January 1919 — Thrift Puts Dollars in the Bank; Iron in the Will; Steel in the Backbone [ARTICLE]

Thrift Puts Dollars in the Bank; Iron in the Will; Steel in the Backbone

By S. W. STRAUS.

President American Society for Thrift

“The turning ppint in my life came when I made up my mind that I would spend only one dollar a week on things that were not necessary, said a young man to me recently. “I was spending every cent I earned, much of it going for extravagances. In the course of a few months I had SIBO in the bank. But what was of far more value than this, my thrift practices made me master of myself. I had developed will power in carrying out resolutely my self-imposed task. It was hard to lead such a plain and simple existence, but the very difficulty of it made it mentally beneficial. . ' * , v “Had I gone on following the line of least resistance and spending all I made, I would have had what may be called a better time. But at middle age I would have been nothing better than a pauper, and in my old age I might have become an object of charity. lam comfortably situated today and have peace of mind.” I was much impressed by this man’s anecdote for the reason that it illustrated so aptly one of thCDgreat truths of life. Too many people look upon thrift merely from the standpoint of saving money, which is only a part of the real story. It is for this reason that thrift is essentially educational. The man who looks upon thrift as only a dollar-and-cents virtue has gone no further than the primary class in his understanding of this subject. While thrift is putting dollars in your bank account it is putting iron in your will, steel in your backbone, squareness in. your jaw. This is why the majority of men in America who have been conspicuously successful began life poor. It explains also jvhy so many rich men’s sons never rise to the levels gained by their fathers.