of added to, the purchases of the civilian.

Further, the influence of economy in preventing undue inflation of
currency and consequent high prices should be realized. A certain
amount of high prices in war is inevitable but if civilians buy
extravagantly, competition becomes intense and prices rise beyond all
need. The supplies are limited--in our case that is greatly added
to by the submarine menace--and the demands of the Government are
enormous. The competition between the Government and the people grows
more and more intense. Prices go still higher. The Government pays
more than it should and so do the people. Higher wages are demanded
with consequent higher prices, and so you get a vicious circle that
gets more and more dangerous. If the civilian will relieve this
pressure by demanding less, and cutting down his expenditure, prices
will become more reasonable and the cost of the war less.

The chief difficulty in time of war is to make people realize the need
of economy when they have, as our people have, more money than ever
before, when enormous sums of money pour out ceaselessly to the people
from the Government. They have to realize the fundamental difference
between peace prosperity and war prosperity. Peace prosperity comes
from the creation of wealth. War prosperity comes from the dissipation
of wealth--the use of all resources--the pledging of credits. It is
just as if we, as individuals, to meet a personal crisis, took all our
personal savings and borrowed all we could and proceeded to spend it.
The wise man or woman will save all of it they can and realize that
every unnecessary dollar spent helps the enemy. No civilian in a
struggle of this kind has any moral right to more than necessary
things. We want every man and woman to have all they need for their
efficiency. We would not say for one moment that every one can save,
and money spent on clothing and feeding the children and keeping the
home comfortable is well spent, but nothing should be wasted.

The standard in this matter should be set by the rich, on whom rests
the greatest responsibility, moral and social. It is impossible to
expect workers to save if they see luxury and extravagance everywhere
round them. One cannot too strongly say that.

The civilians who work hard to produce, who have done heavy toil in
munitions and industry, and receive good wages and then go out and
spend it lavishly might just as well have slacked at their work. Th