THE HABIT OF SAVINGWhen the first baby came into our home-a boy-we all
thought heaven had opened its doors to us. My wife's parents,
who took the keenest and deepest interest in our affairs, and
who were always ready to lend a helping hand, were equally
happy over the coming of their first grandchild. My brother-
in-law, much older than my wife, and a bachelor, could not
understand at first the joy we all felt; but even he began to
strut around like a proud peacock after a while. What a differ-
ence a baby makes in a home!
I am injecting these details into my story merely to em-
phasize how the early days of my life were lived. I had no
opportunity to spend much money, and yet I had as much
happiness in those days as I have ever had since.
The strange thing about it all is that the experience of
those days did not teach me the value of money. If anybody
ever had a practical lesson to guide him in his future, I certainly
had it.
But let me tell you how this early experience affected me.
The birth of my son inspired me to do something that would
make more money than I was getting at teaching school and in
writing for newspapers. I did not want my wife, mother, and
sister to feel that they would have to continue indefinitely to
do their part in sustaining the household. Why should a fellow,
big and strong and healthy as I have always been, and with a
reasonable amount of ability, be content to remain a spoke
in the wheel? Why shouldn't I be the whole wheel, as far as
providing for the family was concerned?
Following my desire to make more money, I took on the
selling of books in addition to teaching and writing for news-
papers. This earned for me quite a little extra money. Finally, I
gave up teaching and concentrated on selling books, and writing
for newspapers.
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