International photographer (Jan-Dec 1930)

January, 1930 The INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER Three What Say Ye of Thrift? THE EDITOR Somebody said that the Dutch invented thrift, but it is quite likely that thrift existed in the world long before the Dutch nation arose. Anyway the picturesque people of the Low Countries have no copyright on it and there are evidences that even in Hollywood it is not unknown. Truth to tell our little community is even establishing a reputation for thrift notwithstanding the many flamboyant tales spread abroad about the extravagance of motion picture workers. These stories are for the most part the dreams of semi-detached hack writers pandering to the demands of the sensational press and the scuffle-hunting magazines. One of our banks is witness to a vastly different state of affairs, for it knows of many specific instances indicative of the wide spread habit of thrift among the workers at the studios. Thrift means economic management; and economic management implies not only a high degree of busines efficiency, but the principles and motives that lie back of business efficiency. Business efficiency means industry in the pursuit of vocation, profession or art and efficiency means doing the right thing in the right way at the right time. The motives and principles back of any act are the soul of the act and they arise in the innermost self of the actor. They reside, therefore, in the character of the man and it is these things that constitute the character of the man. The Bible and in fact all the charmed books of the world glorify thrift as one of the cardinal virtues, but nature goes much further and demonstrates in many ways, but particularly in the animal kingdom that thrift is a living principle, as witness the ants, bees and other insects, the beaver, squirrel, chipmunk, etc., etc. To quote from the Bible: "He that provideth not for his own and especially for those of his own house he hath denied the faith and is worse than an infidel." This means that thrift or "economic management" was to be regarded as the very highest of the qualities of character and that its absence was to be regarded even as a denial of faith in the providence of the Supreme One. Thrift, therefore, implies industry, intelligence, order, sense of duty, steadines, reliability, self sacrifice and many other ashlars of character all ornaments of the personality and all necessary to the greater success which is above mere accumulation of wealth. However, in these days thrift usually manifests in the form of a savings account at the bank, for money is the symbol of wealth and is, in the last analysis, labor or industry crystalized. When, therefore, a depositor presents himself at the receiving teller's window with money representative of his labor to place in a savings account, he is, in fact, demonstrating that thrift, or the saving instinct is strong in his character and, knowing the constituents of thrift, the man in the bank sees in the depositor a community builder in spirit and in truth. To be thrifty is to wear a badge of respectability. Thrift is a fundamental basis of character. The Aladdin's Lamp of the Movies — No. 3 By John Corydon Hill rm. W U.L' /£, I mi v~ AND A LITTLE CHILD SHALL FEED THEM