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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 15 



training in the use of money she is likely to imagine that a rea- 

 sonable weekly allowance will buy almost every thing; and be- 

 fo e the week is half gone she will find her funds exhausted and 

 be obliged to ask for more or go in debt, hoping that the next 

 installment will help her cut. After getting hopelessly in debt 

 the husband loses confiJence in her ability to use money, and so 

 decides to take things in his own hands, doling out twenty-five 

 or fifty cents to her when she asii for it. Or, on the other hand, 

 if the man himself is improvident, using this joint means for ci- 

 gars and other unnecessary things while the absolute necessities 

 of the family are not provided for, a spirit of contention arises, 

 and, not unfequently, it results in a case in the divorce court. 

 The great lack in both of these cases is in early training in econ- 

 omy and thrift. The system of school savings banks is an in- 

 genious method of instilling into a child's m nd correct ideas of 

 the value of money. The exercise of calling the roll Monday 

 morning and receiving the pennies and nickels stimulates the 

 whole school to learn ideas of thrift and economy. Habits of 

 sell-denial, and controlling the appetite, are thus formed that 

 will go with children through life. Abundance of testimonials 

 might be given wnere this work has been in successful opera- 

 tion. It should be introduced in all our public schools, particu- 

 larly in the primary and intermediate departments. 



So many devices are now used to induce children to spend their 

 pennies that there is need of special training. The latest device 

 we have noticed is a slot machine with a glass case containing 

 salted peanuts. A penny in the -slot will bring a small handful 

 of peanuts. But a little white bead is mixed with the nuts ; 

 and if you are so fortunate as to get a bead with the nuts you can 

 go inside and get five cents' worth of candy by producing the 

 bead. A group of children were eagerly trying their fortune. 

 Not only spendthrifts but gamblers were thus being trained. 



For further information regarding the system of school savings 

 banks, send to Mrs. S. L. Oberholser, 3509 North 22d St., Phila- 

 delphia, Pa., National and World's Superintendent of this de- 

 partment for the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, or to 

 Mrs. E. J. Gray, Medina, State Superintendent for Ohio. 



She has also handed me quite a string of testi- 

 monials from different public schools in regard to 

 how the school savings bank is working. I have 

 room for only one of them. 



About two years ago I gave you quite an in- 

 teresting story in these pages in regard to the way 

 in which Mrs. Florence Richards, of Leipsic, O., 

 made their town dry. It was the story of how 

 she, a woman, almost alone, succeeded in getting 

 rid of the saloons in her town. This good wo- 

 man sends the following report in regard to their 

 own school: 



Mrs. Florence Richards, in writing of the system in the Leip- 

 sic (Ohio) public schools, says: "The system has worked a revo- 

 lution in our schools, and our teachers say the scholars are more 

 easily governed, more studious, and that the whole moral tone 

 of the school has been heightened. Our homes have felt its sal- 

 utary effect. We are having our house painted, and the painter 

 said to me to-day: 'My boys are starting bank accounts, and it 

 is wonderful, since they began, how little gum and candy we 

 have had around the house. One of the boys said to me, as 

 he started to school last Monday with his pennies for deposit, 

 " Papa, if we can get along without our gum and candy, couldn't 

 you get along without your tobacco?" and 1 said, " Yes, and I 

 will." I have for the last ten days put my tobacco money in a 

 box, and I have saved $2.50 in that time.' " 



In another column I have talked to the boys 

 about saving their pennies to buy copper wire 

 and batteries. I can well remember the time 

 when the newsboy Edison began to startle the 

 world with his wonderful experiments. He had 

 had but very little money, and he needed it so 

 badly for chemical apparatus that not a copper 

 was wasted. I have been watching him ever 

 since boyhood (for he lived not far from Medi- 

 na) much as I have been watching the Wright 

 Brothers in their experiments. At one time Edi- 

 son happened to be in a strange city, out of a job. 

 He went into a telegraph office and asked them if 

 they could not give him some kind of work. He 

 was plainly clothed, and this, together with his 

 boyish manners, made some of the city clerks 

 think he would be a good victim for a joke. 

 They were just at that time in need of one of the 

 best experts — a man who could handle twice the 

 amount of business that any ordinary operator 



could. They told Edison that he might sit down 

 to the instrument and see what he could do with 

 it. Then they piled the business on to him fast- 

 er than any living man, as they supposed, could 

 handle it. When our young scientist caught a 

 glimpse of what was coming he put his hand in 

 his vest pocket. Was it for a piece of tobacco, 

 think you? Not any tobacco for young Edison. 

 He pulled out a piece of spnue gum. I suppose 

 he had gotten into the habit of chewing gum; 

 but it was the genuine, right from the spruce- 

 tree, and it was not sugar-coated or flavored. 

 These fellows who put the job on him soon found 

 the "joke" was on themselves instead. This 

 green-looking boy could do the work of any two 

 men that had ever been in their office. Electrici- 

 ty, and especially telegraphy, at that time was his 

 great passion. He was the boy who saved his 

 pennies; and not only that, he saved his precious 

 moments. The world was so full of wonders, 

 especially those that spread themselves out before 

 his eager gaze, that he scarcely took time to sleep. 

 Not an hour ago I picked up a paper that stated 

 he is probably worth at the present time 25 mil- 

 lions of dollars. He has a home at Fort Myers, 

 Fla. , not far from our home at Bradentown. 

 The paper further stated that he says he is now 

 going to quit work — that is, he is going to quit 

 working for any thing except "just for the fun 

 of it." One of his latest schemes is to make 

 houses of cement; and when he gels his plans 

 perfected he expects to make an entire house, 

 ready to live in, in about three days, and a bet- 

 ter and more durable one than the world has 

 yet seen. 



Now, friends, if this new project started by the 

 W. C. T. U. is going to encourage our school- 

 children in starting a bank account instead of 

 wasting their pennies and injuring their health, I 

 think it may prove to be a God-send to the chil- 

 dren of the new year now before us — 1909. 



By way of explanation I clip the following 

 from one of the printed circulars: 



A deposit list, copied from the teacher's roll-book, must be sent 

 monthly to the bank in order that the accounts of the scholars 

 may be individualized. 



When a child has deposited $1.00 he is given a bank-book, 

 and becomes, through the school, a regular patron of the savings 

 bank. When the deposit reaches $2.00 or $5.00 (as the bank 

 may elect), it draws interest at 3 per cent or more. 



The pupils are allowed to take their bank-books home for a 

 day or two at the close of every month. The family interest 

 aroused by the monthly examination of these bank accounts has 

 in many instances, already noted, had telling efJect, and older 

 folks have learned lessons in thrift through their children. 



Deposits will be received every Monday only, at the morning 

 session, by the teachers of each school. The amount will be 

 delivered to the principal, who will deposit it in the Sav- 

 ings Bank in the name of each depositor. 



One cent or upward can be received by the teacher. When a 

 pupil has a deposit of $1 00 or more, a bank-book will be given, 

 free of charge, from the bank. 



THE WRIGHT BROTHERS AND THEIR FLYING MA- 

 CHINE UP TO DATE. 



A few days ago a prospectus of the Scientific 

 American was placed on my desk; and in enu- 

 merating the many things that journal has done 

 for the world I was surprised to see the broad claim 

 made that theirs was the first publication to an- 

 nounce that the Wright flying-machine was a 

 success. This statement vexed me a little because 

 of the fact that Gleanings in Bee Culture an- 

 nounced it to the world a long while before the 



