sra.The Chemawa American
P rin te d a t C hem aw a, Oregon, a n d Devoted to the Interests o f Indian E d u ca tio n
Vol. X X II
W ednesday, F ebruary 25, 1920
BE SAVING
In this day and age of the world conditions demand
that a wise person look into the future with a view to
saving something for the later years of life, when old
age may have incapacitated him, or in case of some
accident or catastrophe. On the evening of Feb
ruary 15th Supt. Hall in an address to the students in
chapel give many excellent bits of advice, as follows:
I have observed that many of our students at Che
mawa fritter away their money uselessly, carelessly
and seemingly without regard to any possible oppor
tunity they may have to secure more. The use and
abuse of money is not in its winning, but in its spend
ing. The great mass of people generally deal in small
sums, both in income and outgo. The amounts that
you students, as a rule, spend is not deemed of much
consequeuce to you and I see that many of you fail to
give much thought one way or the other in regard to
its value. Just here lies the great fault in nearly all
mankind.
The ability to accumulate money and property is
closely related to the way in which the first beginnings
toward saving are treated. And this is true more in
the spending than in the earning. Observation has
shown in numerous cases where two young people
start out under practically the same conditions, having
equal intelligence, earnestness, or academic or voca
tional training, the same kind of a job with equal pay.
Twenty years later, more or less, one is found rich,
the other poor.
If you examine into this state of affairs you will find
that the successful one had been “ thrifty,” he had
taken care of his earnings with patience and persever
ance, first in small amounts, then in larger, and had
invested it with great care; his money began earning
something for him; later he found an opportunity
where a modest capital meant his great start in busi
ness, and in judicious handling of his business we
eventually find him a rich man.
The other fellow was careless with his money, made
no savings, did not deny himself luxuries or pleas
ures— was a general good fellow. But there always
comes a time when the truth is forced on a spendthrift
that proverty hurts and wealth counts, and that the
opportunity once passed seldom returns. Money comes
to you students in one of two ways: It is given to you
or you must earn it. If it comes as wages of honest
toil it is usually appreciated for what it is worth.
No. 20
While you are young money is almost wholly spent
for personal needs and pleasures without much thought
for the future, and the habit of reckless spending and
lack of saving grows. But it is a proven fact that
nine times out of ten the man who in earlier years, of
small earnings and light responsibilites, has not saved
from one-quarter to one-half of his wages, no matter
how small they may have been, will never in later
years save anything worth while, no matter how much
his income. He spends as he goes.
And so, boys and girls, whether it be nickles, dimes
or dollars, or thousands in your bands, and whethei
the same is earned, inherited or given you, character
is made or marred and success shaped by the way you
spend it. Strong and successful men in business—
large or small—invariably have a system by which ac
curate records are kept, and they follow fixed perma
nent habits of principles essential to sound, safe busi
ness. But two rules are always followed: First, ex
penditure within your income by a margin to be fixed
at the beginning, not at the end of the year, month
by month, and adhered to. Second, twice as much
money put into articles of permanent value, or things
worth while, as into needless indulgences, such as
candy, “ eats,” and other frivolities.
It is the nickles and dimes that count. If you take
care of the nickles and dimes the dollars will take care
of themselves. The man who sits down on the last
day of the year and wonders where his money has all
gone, need not be feared much in this race of life.
This applies strongly to our students, many who
have accumulated considerable sums during the outing
season, sufficient to supply all their needs through the
entire year if properly handled. Those who have the
character and steady force to use this money in the
right way, always make it fill all requirements
throughout the year, but the one who is a good fellow,
good spender, weak and so forth, is broke before
Christmas, or soon after.
This condition produces discontent with life in gen
eral and such students frequently endeavor to modify
it by leaving school, which is the most harmful thing
they can do for their own welfare.
I want to emphasize this fact, that the habit of
spending by impulse, once fixed, is seldom broken,
and the man or woman who has this habit is forced at
last to admit that poverty hurts, for as a rule such a
one has not saved for that “ rainy day” and the final
outcome is much unhappiness for himself and for those
who depend upon him.
I leave these thoughts with you in the hope that
you may think and act on them for your own benefit
as well as for those who may depend upon you later
in life.