that after all he was not a bad fellow, for if he stole from one man he assisted another, and while his left hand was in somebody else's pocket his right hand was often relieving distress with the money thus obtained. Domestic economy is practised in much the same way. What the man saves by short commons of beer or whiskey he spends in an extra allowance of tobacco. What the good wife saves by altering an old dress she invests in kid gloves or a feather. She will talk freely of how long she has worn the dress, but be mod- estly silent about the money she has wasted upon other things. She will give her children molasses instead of butter to economize, while she allows them to waste bread and meat as if they cost nothing. She will scold her little girl for buying candy while she has her own mouth full of ice-cream. So that while she thinks she is a wonderful manager she is often only "penny wise and pound foolish," and spends a dollar where she saves a cent. All of which is very human but very unwise, and perhaps the first step toward learning true economy is taken when one begins to under- stand what false economy is. There are young men in the stores of large cities whose parents in the country have tried to teach them economy and who really desire to practise it. But while they stint themselves in necessaries, such as proper food, they spend money foolishly upon mere luxuries which do them no good. Such young men never prosper, because at the end of each year they have always spent more tlian they have made, and yet very often their pinched and hungry looks show that they have not had comforts enough. They should have smoked fewer cigars and gone oftener to the sea- bath. They should have spent less upon new ties and more upon flannels. They should have drunk less lager beer and more beef-tea. They should not have cheated their boarding-house or the washer- woman to pay for tickets to the theatre, however innocent that amuse- ment may be for those who can afford it. Economy is by no means an easy habit to acquire, especially for persons of a generous disposition. It is very hard to have to count every half-dollar one spends, but at the same time it is as much a 2i8 THE hearthstone; or, life at home. duty to provide for " the rainy day " of old age or adversity as it is to get fuel and warm clothing for the winter. Yet a large proportion of men and women when they die do not leave enough to bury them, and the number of charities for the relief of the aged of both sexes clearly shows how many thousands of persons who are too infirm to work for their daily bread are dependent upon others for the miser- able pittance that keeps body and soul together. It ought not to be so. Every child should be taught, and every man and woman should have learned, the honorable pride which shrinks from the thought of ever becoming dependent upon the charity of others. All that is needed is the habit of saving a little week by week and of never quite living up«to our income. But many will say: " My income is only so and so. How can I possibly save ?" Our answer is : " You could save what you waste." " But I don't waste anything." " Yes, you do ; and if you -are saving in one thing you are wasteful in another."

AI-modernized reading of the original text

that after all he was not a bad fellow, for if he stole from one man he assisted another, and while his left hand was in somebody else's pocket his right hand was often relieving distress with the money thus obtained. Domestic economy is practised in much the same way. What the man saves by short commons of beer or whiskey he spends in an extra allowance of tobacco. What the good wife saves by altering an old dress she invests in kid gloves or a feather. She will talk freely of how long she has worn the dress, but be modestly silent about the money she has wasted upon other things. She will give her children molasses instead of butter to economize, while she allows them to waste bread and meat as if they cost nothing. She will scold her little girl for buying candy while she has her own mouth full of ice-cream. So that while she thinks she is a wonderful manager she is often only "penny wise and pound foolish," and spends a dollar where she saves a cent. All of which is very human but very unwise, and perhaps the first step toward learning true economy is taken when one begins to understand what false economy is. There are young men in the stores of large cities whose parents in the country have tried to teach them economy and who really desire to practise it. But while they stint themselves in necessaries, such as proper food, they spend money foolishly upon mere luxuries which do them no good. Such young men never prosper, because at the end of each year they have always spent more than they have made, and yet very often their pinched and hungry looks show that they have not had comforts enough. They should have smoked fewer cigars and gone oftener to the seabath. They should have spent less upon new ties and more upon flannels. They should have drunk less lager beer and more beef-tea. They should not have cheated their boarding-house or the washerwoman to pay for tickets to the theatre, however innocent that amusement may be for those who can afford it. Economy is by no means an easy habit to acquire, especially for persons of a generous disposition. It is very hard to have to count every half-dollar one spends, but at the same time it is as much a 2i8 THE hearthstone; or, life at home. duty to provide for " the rainy day " of old age or adversity as it is to get fuel and warm clothing for the winter. Yet a large proportion of men and women when they die do not leave enough to bury them, and the number of charities for the relief of the aged of both sexes clearly shows how many thousands of persons who are too infirm to work for their daily bread are dependent upon others for the miserable pittance that keeps body and soul together. It ought not to be so. Every child should be taught, and every man and woman should have learned, the honorable pride which shrinks from the thought of ever becoming dependent upon the charity of others. All that is needed is the habit of saving a little week by week and of never quite living up to our income. But many will say: " My income is only so and so. How can I possibly save ?" Our answer is : " You could save what you waste." " But I don't waste anything." " Yes, you do ; and if you -are saving in one thing you are wasteful in another."

The hearthstone; or, Life at home