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MAY
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The Chemawa American
P r i n t e d a t C h e m a w a , O r e g o n , a n d D e v o t e d to t h e I n t e r e s t s o f I n d i a n E d u c a t io n
Vol. X X III
W ednesday, October 6, 1920
TH E SP E N D T H R IF T S
W e have observed th a t m any of our stu d e n ts at
Chem aw a fritte r away th e ir money uselessly, careless
ly, and seem ingly w ithout any regard to any possible
o p p o rtu n ity they may have to secure more
T h e use
and abuse of m oney is not in its w in n in g , but in its
spen d in g . T h e great mass of people generally deal
in sm all sum s, both in incom e and outgo.
T h e am ounts th a t you stu d en ts, as a rule, spend is
not deemed of m uch consequence to you and we s e e
th a t m any of you fail to give much th o u g h t one way
or the other in regard to its value. Ju st here lies the
fa u lt in nearly all m ankind. T he ability to accu m u
late m oney and property is closely related to the wav-
in w hich the first b eginnings tow ard saving are treated
T h is is tru e m ore in the spending than th e earn in g .
O bservation has show n m num erous cases w here two
young people sta rt out under practically identical
conditions, having equal intelligence, earnestness,
and academ ic or vocational train in g , the sam e kind of
job w ith equal pay, th at tw enty years later, more or
less, one is found rich , th e other poor. If you e x
am ine into this state of affairs you will find th at the
successful one has been “ th rifty ;” he had taken care
of his earn in g s w ith patience and perseverence, first
in very sm all sum s, then in larger, and had invested
his m oney w ith m uch care; it began earn in g som e
th in g for him ; later he found an o p p o rtu n ity w here a
m odest capital m eant his g reat sta rt in business, and
in the ju d icio u s h an d lin g of this business we finally
find him a rich m an.
T he o th e r fellow was careless w ith his m oney, m ade
no savings, did not deny him self lu x u ries or pleasures
— was a general “ good fello w .” But th ere always
comes a tim e w hen th e tru th is forced on th e sp en d
th rift th a t poverty h u rts and w ealth counts, and th a t
o p p o rtu n ity once passed seldom re tu rn s. M oney
comes to you stu d en ts in one of two ways: It isg iv en
to you or you m ust earn it. If it comes as w ages of
honest toil it is usually appreciated for w h at it is
w orth. W hile you are y o ung money is alm ost w holly
sp en t for personal needs and pleasures w ith o u t m uch
th o u g h t for the fu tu re, and the habit of reckless sp en d
ing and lack ot saving grow s. But it is a fact th a t
No. 1
nine tim es out of ten the man who, in earlier years of
sm all earn in g s and light responsibilities In s not saved
from o ne-fourth to one-half of his wages, no m atter
h )w small they were, will never in later years save
a n y th in g w orth w hile, regardless of w hat his incom e
m ay be. H e spends as he goes.
And so, boys and girls of Chem aw a, and elsew here,
w hether it be nickels, dim es or dollar, or thousands
in your hands, or w hether the sam e is earned, inherited
or given you, rem em ber that y o u r character is m ade
or m arred and success shaped by the way vou spend
it.
S trong, successful men in business, large or sm all,
invariably have a system by w hich accurate records
are kept and follow’ fixed habits or principles essen
tial to sound, safe business
H ow ever, tw o rules are
alw ays followed: F irst, is e x p e n d itu re w ithin your
incom e by a m argin to be fixed at th e beginning of the
year, not at the end of it, and adhered to m onth by
m outh. Second, twice as m uch money put into a r ti
cles of perm anent value, or th in g s w orth w uile, as in
to needless indulgence, such as candy, “ e a ts ,” and
other frivolities.
I t is the nickels and dim es th a t count. If vou take
care o f the nickels and dim es the dollars will take care
of them selves. T h e m an wdio sits down on th e last
day of tiie year and w onders w here his m oney has all
gone, need not be feared m uch in this race of life.
T h is applies stro n g ly to our stu d en ts, m any whom
have accum ulated considerable sum s d u rin g the o u tin g
season— sufficient to supply all their needs th ro u g h
the en tire year if properly handled. T hose who have
the ch aracter and steady force to use this m oney in
the rig h t w’ay, alw ays m ake it sufficient to fill all re
q u irem en ts th ro u g h o u t the year, but the one w ho is a
good fellow, good spender, w eak, and so forth, is broke
before C hristm as, or soon after. T his produces d is
content w ith life in general and such stu d en ts fre
quently endeavor to,m odify th e condition by leaving
school, w hich is th e , m ost harm ful th in g they can do
for th eir own w elfare.
T h e Am erican w ishes to em phasize th e fact th a t the
habit of spending by im pulse, once fixed, is seldom
broken, and the man or wom an who has th is h ab it
is forced to adm it at last th a t poverty h u rts, for as a
ru le such a one has not saved for th at “ rain y d a y ,”
and the final outcom e is m uch unhappiness for h im
self and those who depend upon him .
W e leave these th o u g h ts w ith you in the hope th a t
you m ay th in k and act upon them tor y o u r ow n bene
fit, as well as for those who may depend upon you
later in life.