“When you spend money you part with it for?ever.”–Anon.

MAN is the only animal that gives in ex?change for what it takes. All other ani?mals take by force or theft.

That day, far in the distant past, when man first offered a tiger’s skin in exchange for a necklace of shells–instead of killing the wearer of the necklace and taking the trinket–that day man became a man, and master of all other animals.

That day money was born.

For anything is money which is movable prop?erty or represents such property.

Many and various things have been money dur?ing the history of the world. Salt, dates, olive oil, rice, all have been used just as we use gold.

Even today, among savage tribes of Central Africa, cattle are money. The price of a wagon or a wife is two cows or twenty cows, according to circumstances.

And in Eskimoland, iron fish-hooks are cur?rency, but so very scarce that the possession of forty fish-hooks makes a man wealthy.

Probably the best known character in all the land of fiction is “Robinson Crusoe.” Nearly everybody, young and old, has read how ingenious that sailor was at inventing ways of making his living on his solitary island sufficiently dependable so that he would be sure of having food and shelter even though he should be ill, or grow old and unable to bring in supplies each day.

But not many people know that “Robinson Crusoe’s Father,” Daniel DeFoe, the writer who told this famous story, was also the originator of the savings bank.

The story runs this way:

“During the seventeenth century there was an alarming amount of discontent and uprising and crime in the European countries, and this was owing to the fact that the great mass of the people possessed nothing. They had no property and it seemed impossible for them to accumulate any?thing. Daniel DeFoe, among other thinking people, believed that if people could have a chance to save and own something they would become law-abiding, self-respecting and better citizens. So about 1689 he worked out a plan whereby the wage-earner could lay aside a part of his earnings and have it invested. This was such a big success that during the following century a number of institutions sprang up, the most of them in Germany and Switzerland, and later on in England.”

Eobinson Crusoe was a wonderful example of what thrift and industry will do for a human being, in spite of what seem to be insurmountable difficulties. He had to provide the actual articles of food and clothing for his future use–while we only need to store money for the future, for money will provide us with comfort and luxury all through life.

The greatest cause of prosperity in this Country has been Daniel DeFoe’s second triumph–the savings bank. It is, in fact, an institution provided for the convenience and profit of the people to enable them to take care of their money in safety, and to obtain interest on amounts even as small as a dollar.

The most of us have ability in some line.

The most of us are willing to work.

But a man may work his fingers to the bone– and yet be destitute in his old age, unless he saves money.

One of the richest women in America does her own marketing. In this she displays the same cleverness and business ability which has brought her wealth; when asked why she took the time and trouble to make her own purchases for her house?hold, she replied: “I do my own marketing because I then get one hundred cents’ worth for every dollar I lay out.” If more people did that, there would be less talk of hard times and the high cost of living.

A millionaire New York widower lives in a costly home, well equipped and with many servants, but he will not tolerate the slightest waste. One morning when his coffee was brought to him, he lifted the pot and found it heavy. He sent for the house?keeper, and had her bring several empty cups which he ranged on the table before him. Then he poured the coffee and found there was sufficient to fill six cups. He pointed to them and said sternly to the housekeeper: “You know that I drink only one cup of coffee at breakfast. You have made six, so five of them are wasted. See that this does not happen again!”

Capital is the margin between what we receive and what we pay out. True economy consists not in eliminating expenditure entirely, but in spending money with more care and with the definite purpose to make it go further.

“Pride costs us more than hunger, thirst and cold.”–Thomas Jefferson.

“The short sayings of wise and good men are of great value, like the dust of gold, or the sparks of diamonds.”–Tillotson.

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Tags: The Secret of Wealth