s of two classes--the
savers and the wasters, the provident and the improvident, the thrifty
and the thriftless, the Haves and the Have-nots. The men who economize
by means of labour become the owners of capital which sets other labour
in motion. Capital accumulates in their hands, and they employ other
labourers to work for them. Thus trade and commerce begin.

The thrifty build houses, warehouses, and mills. They fit manufactories
with tools and machines. They build ships, and send them to various
parts of the world. They put their capital together, and build
railroads, harbours, and docks. They open up mines of coal, iron, and
copper; and erect pumping engines to keep them clear of water. They
employ labourers to work the mines, and thus give rise to an immense
amount of employment.

All this is the result of thrift. It is the result of economizing money,
and employing it for beneficial purposes. The thriftless man has no
share in the progress of the world. He spends all that he gets, and can
give no help to anybody. No matter how much money he makes, his position
is not in any respect raised. He husbands none of his resources. He is
always calling for help. He is, in fact, the born thrall and slave of
the thrifty.

CHAPTER II.

HABITS OF THRIFT.

"Die Hauptsache ist dass man lerne sich selbst zu beherrschen." [The
great matter is to learn to rule oneself.]--_Goethe_.

"Most men work for the present, a few for the future. The wise work for
both--for the future in the present, and for the present in the
future."--_Guesses at Truth_.

"The secret of all success is to know how to deny yourself.... If you
once learn to get the whip-hand of yourself, that is the best educator.
Prove to me that you can control yourself, and I'll say you're an
educated man; and without this, all other education is good for next to
nothing."--_Mrs. Oliphant_.

"All the world cries, 'Where is the man who will save us? We want a man!
Don't look so far for this man. You have him at hand. This man--it is
you, it is I, it is each one of us! ... How to constitute oneself a man?
Nothing harder, if one knows not how to _will_ it; nothing easier, if
one wills it."--_Alexandre Dumas_.

Competence and comfort lie within the reach of most people, were they to
take the adequate means to secure and enjoy them. Men who are paid good
wages might also become capitalists, and take their fair share in the
improvement and well-being of the