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way that your mother cuts out biscuits for supper. A round cutter is forced down on the rolled-out sheets of gold, and cuts them out. The gold that is left is heated and rolled out all over again, and the coins are weighed very carefully. Every bit of Uncle Sam's money must be of a certain standard weight, without the least variation.

The last step in making a piece of money is to stamp it with one of the beautiful designs that we know so well, an eagle, a dove, or a figure of liberty. This is done by means of heavy dies, between which the coins are placed and which stamp them on the upper and under sides at the same time. In this way Uncle Sam, the wizard, spins our gold and silver.

But gold and silver pieces are very heavy to carry about, and so the Government keeps most of them in the United States Treasury and in the banks. To take their places for our everyday use, he makes bank notes, each one of which is his promise to pay the amount of gold or silver money represented by the face of the bill, if we ask for it.

Making paper money is almost as great a task as coining metals. The paper itself is a special kind, made by the Government with very expensive machinery, and having silk threads run through it so that it will not tear. The design to be used on a bill is engraved on a metal plate, one person engraving the picture of Lincoln, or whatever portrait is used, and another person the lettering. There are two sets of these plates, one that is saved, and the other which is inked by the printer and from which the bills are printed. The printed bills are compared very carefully with the original plates to see that they are all alike. They are then trimmed neatly, tied into bundles, and sent to the United States Treasury for circulation.

A long time ago the Indians used shells for money. In certain out of the way corners of the earth to-day there are still savage tribes. Traders find it easier to buy goods from these people with jackknives, bright ribbons, and beads, than with money. So we come to see that Uncle Sam's money is not of itself so important, but gets its value from the way in which we use it.

A penny shut up in a tin bank is hoarded, not saved. Money needs to move in order to work. How can you keep money moving in the right way?

Your father earns a salary, or perhaps he has a farm, or a factory, or a store, that pays him a certain amount of money every year. He does not keep this money in gold and silver and bills, but divides it and exchanges it for certain values that make your home, and help your town. He pays rent or taxes for your house. He buys food and clothes for you and your mother. He may pay a certain amount of money in taxes that help support the schools, the fire, police, and street departments. In this way your father changes his money for something else that is quite as valuable. He buys a shelter, food for supporting life, education, and safety.

Boys and girls may use money in a similar way. Buying firecrackers means burning up money with no return except a noise. The same amount of money spent for vegetable seeds may mean more money in your pocket. It will surely mean a saving in the grocer's bills.

It is important to save, but this is a very different matter from hoarding.

The extra money that your father has after he has paid the family's living expenses he perhaps puts in the bank. The bank pays him a certain number of cents on each

dollar for the use of this money. Boys and girls should have bank accounts just as soon as they can, and there are times when Uncle Sam asks to borrow money of his people for the use of which he pays. These are important uses of money, for it helps it to change hands, and be useful in many ways. And it is still your money and increasing a little in amount all the time.

Our friends in Europe have had a fashion of laughing at us in the past, because we were extravagant. They said that we ate too much, and bought too many useless things, and were not economical in spending our money. It was all quite true, but we are changing that now. We are learning how to spend and save wisely. We ought to say to ourselves before we buy anything: "Do I need this? What is it going to do that will be good for me or my family? Where can I buy it more cheaply? Even if it does cost a good deal, will its use to me be of more value than the money?"

It is nearly always cheaper to buy sugar and make candy than to buy it. When you buy a pound of chocolate candy you pay not only for the sugar and the chocolate, but you are helping to pay the wages of the candy maker, the packer, the rent of the candy shop, and the wages of the clerk who sells it to you. On the other hand it may be economy for you to buy an expensive bicycle. It will wear longer than a cheap one, and it will help you to do errands, get a book from the library quickly, get to school on time, and improve your health by being out of doors a good deal.

An expensive pair of rubbers or overshoes is cheaper than a pair that costs less because it will wear longer and keep your feet dry. If your fence needs painting, it is cheaper to buy a can of the best paint and paint it at once. If you

leave it unpainted, the wood may decay and the whole fence give out. These are cases where spending more money in the beginning means spending less in the end. And there are so many ways of saving that you can make up the extra expense in other purchases.

Scout your town for a "cash and carry" butcher's or grocer's shop. Meat and groceries are usually just as good in such a shop and cheaper because the shopkeeper does not have to pay boys to deliver, or keep a delivery wagon. Doing your mother's errands will save money, for you take the place of the delivery boy. There are many ways of saving at home. Buy birthday and Christmas presents that can be used. Don't waste coal, gas, ice, or electric lights. Be as careful as possible of your clothing and of the furniture. If you can, have a garden with vegetables in it. Keep the gates, walks, and fences in repair as far as you can. Do everything in your power to help your father with his work, as that will give him a chance to earn more money.

Look about your town, too, and find what made the wealth of its rich people. Have they used the water power for shipping, or for running mills? Have they raised certain crops that can be best raised on that land? Have they found the town a good place in which to open stores, or to build dwelling houses and rent them? There is always a reason for the beginning of wealth; some boy or man saw a chance to do a certain kind of work, and he did it better than any of his neighbors.

That is your chance. Look for it, and find out what opportunities for work there are for you in your town. Money will be your reward, and when it comes to you, don't hoard it, but keep it moving. That is the way to build a richer American nation.

LOCHINVAR

SIR WALTER SCOTT

O young Lochinvar is come out of the west,

Through all the wide Border his steed was the best;
And save his good broadsword he weapons had none,
He rode all unarmed and he rode all alone.

So faithful in love, and so dauntless in war,
There never was knight like the young Lochinvar.

He staid not for brake, and he stopped not for stone,
He swam the Eske river where ford there was none;
But ere he alighted at Netherby gate,

The bride had consented, the gallant came late;
For a laggard in love, and a dastard in war,
Was to wed the fair Ellen of brave Lochinvar.

So boldly he entered the Netherby Hall,

Among bride's-men, and kinsmen, and brothers, and all: Then spoke the bride's father, his hand on his sword (For the poor craven bridegroom said never a word), "O come ye in peace here, or come ye in war, Or to dance at our bridal, young Lord Lochinvar?"

"I long wooed your daughter, my suit you denied;
Love swells like the Solway, but ebbs like its tide-
And now I am come, with this lost love of mine
To lead but one measure, drink one cup of wine,
There are maidens in Scotland more lovely by far,
That would gladly be bride to the young Lochinvar.”

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