The Evening Star. FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 1876.

Evening Star, Issue 4068, 10 March 1876, Page 2

The Evening Star. FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 1876.

As we expected the proposition to establish Savings Banks in schools was not warmly welcomed by the Schoolmasters’ Association, although it was not absolutely condemned. The chairman recommended that the pamphlet forwarded for perusal by Mr Dalrymple should be read by the members before any discussion took place upon the plan, although he did not hesitate to express his own opinion . upon ' the matter. What effect his utterance may have upon the minds of the members of the Association we cannot presume to say, but, as educated, men, we apprehend each will judge for himself without being biassed by what carries with it the aspect of a mere impulse of though*. We are not quite sure that schoolmasters can bo considered competent judges on such a subject. They are not, as a rule, men who have much opportunity of observing the effect of early habits on the subsequent careers of their pupils. They see developments of various propensities in children, but when they leave school even their names are often forgotten; and whether tendencies towards good or evil have been nurtured by indulgence or corrected by self - discipline in after life, ’ does not fall within the limits of their observation. It follows of necessity that the conclusions arrived at must be mainly theoretical, and based upon hypotheses which may or may not be true. We do not know either that schoolmasters, as a rule, can be expected to be able to form very accurate ideas on the value of careful habits to success in <

business. not usually overburdened with wealth, notwithstanding the influence their professional avocations exercise upon society. Generally, what may be said of their social position is that their bread and water is sure, and having pretty nearly a fixed income to calculate upon, their mode of life is suited to their means. They may have to consider how much a certain desirable object will cost before they decide 4 upon obtaining it, and if it be beyond their means they must do without it. But this is a very different style of forethought from that of a business man, an . <^.* of the children under their tuition are destined to business in one form or other. When the majority of them grow up they will have to depend for their future success in life upon frugality and industiy. There are plenty of industrious men, but very few systematically frugal ones. If they earn much they spend it, if little they make it do until an unexpected expense comes which they must meet, and because they have not learned to save they have to face it unprepared. When the Chairman said, “If they were to teach the children how to spend their money, considerable advantage would ensue,” he exactly hit upon the right idea. It does nr/t seem to have struck him that thr, se alone can spend wisely who have learned to save. Savings Banks are intended to be the means to this end. Thev show that by judicious may be made to accm amlate, and that those may be said tc, the only poor who spend their mo n6 y unwisely. There is no necessary connection between nu 1 ? 8 “ ever y penny,” to use the .ixman’s expression, and saving what is not"advisable to expend.- The one would be miserly, the other judicious. What is needed is to direct attention and train the mind to a correct knowledge of the use of money—to teach how to use without wasting it. Were this acquired there would be far less poverty and misery in the world, far less crime, far less fraud than there is at present. There was an excellent article some time ago in ' Frazers’ Magazine’ on the improper use of wealth, one or two extracts from which seem pertinent to the subject; They bear out the Chairman’s notion that it would be well to teach children how to spend money ; but as we hold that to be one with teaching them to save judiciously, it equally illustrates both views.

Wealth ordinarily is, therefore, rather the re nit of accident than of any kind of merit; and even when it has been acquired by sheer hard-headed, ness and business capacity, the kind of knowledge and skill requisite to make much money are no guarantee of the knowledge requisite to make a judicious use of it. The very fact that a man has devoted his time and energies to acquisition almost of necessity implies that he has not thought much nf.thn heat modes of disbursement. The latter is generally considered easy enough; and without question the most incompetent person can manage to spend any amount put into bis hands. On the other hand, it may be confidently asserted that to spend money well, so as to produce good to society and not evil, requires much higher and rarer quail* ties than to make it. Mere haphazard has often mainly to do with the acquisition of wealth, but no haphazard will enable the rich man to spend his means well. Few, however, trouble themselves about this difficulty. And it must be admitted that the bounty of "libei al men Is often perverted into wrong channels. It is probable the world has, on the whole, not benefited but suffered by the offer, .ings for religious and charitable purposes. True religion has not been advanced thereby, but rather sectarianism, and what was meant for charitable relief has been more an encouragement to sloth and dependence than a help to remove the causes which produce indigence.