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PEOPLE are always losing money! The fact
i puzzles psychologists and banks, and is
omething of a mystery to those who suffer
rom continual small losses. The one thing for
ihich so many men and women work and
I'hich they value above other possessions be
ause it means economic security, sometimes
'disappears" under circumstances that cannot
)e traced.
Every coin, from a dime to greenbacks of
arse denomination, according to recent rec
irds may vanish from an apparently secure
allet or pocket or dainty feminine purse. No
me place to carry money seems to offer a safe
refuge for hard-earned silver coins or paper
nils. A century or more ago men seldom ven
;ured forth without a small leather "moncy
tog," which was easily fastened to their belts.
More recently, seekers of gold throughout the
West wore money belts in which were deposited
told coins, sometimes gold dust and jewels
ai these they protected with their lives. The
lt. with its several pockets designed to carry
ealth, was worn next to the skin. A business
raan or adventurer might conceal his entire
firtune upon his person and be comparatively
sate from loss so long a
Ma secret was guarded.
Today the money belt
ms fallen into disuse ex
cept in a few tropical coun
tries anil wild, unexplored
territories. New "deposi.
tones" have replaced it.
Men fold paper money into
tat bands, stuff it into
leather wallets, or into a
small trouser watch pocket.
Women, following a time
tonored custom, continue
lo "deposit greenbacks in
sappers, tups of stockings,
raall bags and purses, and
"en wrap coins in hand
kerchiefs! Yet no such pre
lautions appear to avail;
wall sums continue to dis
appear during shopping
Iwrs. in restaurants, in the
Eovies. on street cars
!'erj in the home. And men
!" not much better off.
"5l!ar bills slip from hat
lands, clothes go to the
tinners containing an
taazing amount of small
ihanee. and paper money
frr.ehow finds it way out
-' wallets.
"The reason that makes
17,51 People guard money
carefully," says one pay
''"logist. "is simply the
6-o!d demand for' secu-
.Money means com
rt. and in many cases
"e barf' necessities of existence. It is not so
-uch th. loss of small change which people
-f.d. as it is an instinctive fear of greater loss.
ffiifr is an extreme case, of course, but we
11 misers to some extent. Possessions
rt,C'allv the possession of money are the
, TnfT- between a moderately safe life and
i ?rty. or so most people feel when they
csir r.tlTtg ,,Vpn a Rmau part 0 thcir jn.
,, ;ri curious fact about this fear of loss,
so '. nr'!inan'' Vfry wealthy people place
v in nnanc'al security than do people
" mM";ly endowed with this world's goods
-vj" !h y take better care of their money,
'-an ,Pxr',n'lltllr!' may be great, but their
"r,, a" c,lt t0 a mlnin""". because as
-j-J . ih"y rrcard dollars as an important
''f- thnr lives.
E'ich'v" attltudc', toward small losses is
the same, and varies only in degree
which depends on their general
outlook upon personal economic
security. Happy-go-lucky people may not mind
losing a few coins, but most of us never cul
tivate the habit. We fall easily into any num
ber of other habits, but the custom of invol
untarily parting with cash is an affliction with
which few people are bothered."
"Almost any other habit may master the vic
tim to an amazing extent," says David Sea
bury in "Unmasking Our Minds," "and ivarious
bad habits may spring from the acquisition of
excellent habits learned in early childhood."
"From one point of view," says David Sea
bury, "habits might be painted as mighty Genii
who hold the poor victim in their grasp. Some
arc good powers who protect their slaves and
guide them into useful ways; others are evil
villains, who drive their cver.sinking creatures
like hunted animals. In neither case is the in
dividual free. The effect somewhat resembles
the control of Svcngali over Trilby. It may
lead to beautiful singing or any sort of dom
ination, but it Is an obsession of the present in
telligence by the past experience, and evidences
of forces in human nature. Even the finest
habits in the world are of this enslaving char
acter, and if instilled by others may destroy the
individual. ..."
This psychologist believes that an otherwise
brilliant mind can sometimes be equally im
prisoned by what are known as "good habits"
one of which may be an over-emphasis on
savin; money. Efficient parents may so thor
oughly instruct their children In industry, punc
tuality, neatness, politeness, proper posture, and
the value of money, that the young people's
lives become a routine of duties rather than a
free expression of their natural tendencies.
"It is frequently better to be a little extrava
gant about money," say several famous psy
chiatrists, "than to dwell too long over its loss.
A few dollars more or less over a period of
time can make but little real difference to the
individual but brooding upon loss has a deli,
nitely negative influence upon mental health."
In ancient times money was far more difficult
to carry about than it is today, and' therefore
less was lost. The Spartans for a short period
used only iron coins, which resembled large
metal doughnuts trundled around In rude carts
and almost impossible to steal
or lose. In most countries to
day gold and silver are In
common use, with nickel and
copper in minor roles. Yet in
times past. tin. lead, iron, and
platinum were used as a me
dium of exchange, while
among primitive peoples, furs,
leather, skins, sheep, cattle,
wampum, cowries, grains,
olive oil, tobacco and salt
were used as money.
The story of money in Amer
ica is crowded with unusual
incidents. At two periods since
the nation begnn to coin
money, there has been a strin
gency of small coins, which
has made it necessary for bus
iness houses to supply their
wants by an Issue of copper
tokens redeemable in legal
money by the companies which
Issued them. This first hap
pened In 18.17, when such to
kens appeared, about the size
of an enlarged copper cent
piece. One set of these carried
political slogans expressing
the opinion of the merchants
Small Watch
Pockets and Vest
Pockets Arc
About as Safe as
Money Belts,
When Confront
ed by Robbers!
The Majority of
Men Still Carry
Wallets, Which
Arc F.asy Prey
for Pickpockets.
Handkerchiefs
As Though Sneak
Thieves Didn't
Know About It!
who issued them. Another was an
obvious advertisement for the issuing
house.
Paper money itself was first adopted as a
matter of necessity, rather than choice, by order
of Massachusetts Bay Colony in 16(10. Soon
after, similnr money was produced by other
colonies and has been In use since the early
days of colonization.
Probably the first use of paper money wns by
Chinese merchants, and a report of this "strange
practice" was made by Marco Polo when ho re
turned from his famous travels through the
Orient. And before paper money, the Chinese
are believed to have used smnll pieces of skin
of the doer, about a square foot in size, called
"Phi-pi," with an estimated value of $5 each.
Coins of ancient Babylon were both silver and
gold. And in early Rome small silver and brass
"sestertius" were used for smnll change, nnd In
Greece, Alexander the Great took pride In mint
ing coins of silver and gold.
At one time It was not extremely tliflicult to
produce a reasonably good issue of paper money
whlcb often fooled even the experts, but today
the average person can detect such Imitations
with a little examination. The modern Issue of
currency carries special libers which are dis
trllvjlcd near the ends of the note, and this is
believed to be one of the most certain tests of a
real piece of paper money. These are so ar
ranged that no counterfciler is nble to place
thread to accurately imitate the original bill
Counterfeit paper money is Invariably of dis
tinctly Inferior quality, since the Federal gov
ernment has achieved the finest system of man
ufacturing the best grade of paper to be used
in hills
Each ruling, circular ornament, and medallion
on a true bill is perfectly produced from orig
inal designs, and Is turned out by a remarkable
machine which itself cost over $100,000. Occa
sionally engravings arc made to Imitate the
original, but the portraits are never equal to
those on the government money. The best thing
to do If n bill is suspected ofheing counterfeit,
Is to feel the paper. This should have a strong
texture, and the seal on the hill must he bright
and clear.
A curious one-cent piece wns coined in 1 not)
which carried the initials of V. D. H. the In
itials of the designer, Victor D. Brenner, but
this Inscription was thought to be too conspicu
ous so the succeeding Issue of the same coin
appeared without them -and these coins nre to.
day of some value to collectors.
Several years ago it was estimated that about
41 percent of the Individual wealth of the
United States was owned or controlled by
women; and that out of B5 billion dollars of life
Insurance policies, about 60 percent of the bene
ficiaries were women.
Perhaps one of the oldest stories ever told on
the loss of wealth was related by the famous
historian, Gregory of Tours, a superstitious
scholar who evidently believed in the legendary
"fairy money" of his
time. "A youth," he
wrote, "received a
piece of folded paper
from a stranger, who
told him that ho
could got from H
much money u ta
wished, so long as he did not unfold it. The
youth drew many gold pieces from the paper,
but at length curiosity overcame him; he un
folded it anil discovered within the claws of n
cat nnd a bear, the feet of a frog and his
wealth disappeared." And in the popular super
stition of primitive Europe it wns supposed that
if a person heard a hoot owl, with money In his
pocket, he would have some throughout that
year, and if he greeted the new moon in the
same fortunate condition, he would not lack
money for many weeks.
Modern attitudes toward money are more
concerned with precautions agaiiiHt loss, how
ever, than with '.cgends about Its occult pow
ers of becoming invisible And the average per
son heartily dislikes the possibility of losing
any amount of money, no matter bow small.
Men und women both, therefore, carry coins
and greenbacks where they believe no one will
think of looking! The habit of placing money
In stockings and hat bands, say psychologists,
Is very much like the old-fashioned habit of
hilling the front door key under the mat. Eight
out of ten people are said to slip the key under
the same mat, never suspecting that the custom
is widely known - anil an Invitation to house
breakers. The same rule applies to money stuffed
into men's watch pockets, wallets, and in wo
men's slippers for these nre the places first
searched by thieves and pickpockets! And peo
ple who carry money in any of these generally
accepted places, while thinking themselves cau
tious and clever, arc really showing a lack of
originality. For men. perhaps the best place for
money la in a trouser wat'-h pocket: and for
women, in an ordinary handling equipped with
a goorl clasp.
So long ns people carry money In the accus
tomed places, small sums will continually be
lost -through carelessness or pelly thievery. A
fertile Imagination, say bankers. Is required
both to make and keep money, and new "depos
itories" must he found if I lie stream of lost
coins and paper bills Is to be stopped. Todny
this loss runs Into many thousands of dollars,
but no accurate estimate of the total is" possible
because much of the vanishing flood Is found
by other people nnd usually small losses are
not reported. No one can say exactly what the
annual sum amounts to. hut a nimhic-minded
statistician has figured that such lost small
coins and hills Joined together would span the
continent!
Psychologists say that while the possession of
money is necessary not only to a man's physical
comfort but also gives him a sense of security
yet the worries and mental "upsets" caused by
its loss arc the basis of many nervous break
downs and more serious disturbances. "Money,"
they declare, "Its loss and possession, is not only
the root of much evil, but accounts for the dif
ficulties of a large number of our patients. In
many instances there are, of course, contrib
uting factors, hut a person's Rttltivlc toward his
far Bor) wurKr w irtxesdously Inftu
wmat fry Vu AtU -'
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