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Show I How a Tenement District "Bank" Lends Aid to U. S. I I if?4"' 5 ii ' ' I Neighbor- I - hood House Child Patrons of Many 1 Nationalities Are Heavy Liberty j ' Bond Buyers, J- Their Means Being Be-ing Considered. mHE chlldrens savings bank at ! I Neighborhood Hou, Nineteenth and Morgan struts, is stll! doing la flourishing business, notwithstanding I It has been losing depositors anil de-I de-I I I posits The money has been iiltn-' iiltn-' I drawn and Invested by the little pa-I pa-I trlots In war salng stamps and I.lb-i I.lb-i I erty bonds. The bank the right name I for which 1b Thrift Club still has 500 I depositors and more than ?LuO0 in ae-I ae-I counts. And what Is best, former de-I de-I positore are now coming back and new I ones arc being gained each week ThiL unique bank is the only lnstltu- I tton of Its kind In St. Louis or any I I other center, so far as is known Al- though It has been In existence two years, little was known of it by many I I outside the neighborhood where It fa located until the unusual heavy pur- I chaso of war saving stamps and third t Liberty bonds by children of that dia-; dia-; triot caused campaign committees to sit up and take notice. "Where are all the children of tho district getting their money?:' was the if-.', t. . ' d A t It didn't take a lonpMi- investigation to bring about the solution. Tim children, chil-dren, who for tho most part ar Irom humble horrn-s, had been patronizing I the Neighborhood Houw Bank and had . . been saving their pennies and nickels, j Many of them now are proud pouBWUTI 5 of w.r saving stamps or a Liberty oond. 6om I of them own as many as two and ' thr;e bonds all pad for, too. A Youngr Patriot, f "Missus Teacher, I want to draw out rr aid a little boy. one blUBt. i f Tuesday to tho banker.'' Mrs. D. M. I Arrustead of Westminster place, who as back of the "cashier's window" an office table In the bank at Nelghbor-i Nelghbor-i hood House. The young patron was a I Uttlo Russian Jew. j "Why do you wish to draw out your money?" Mrs. Armstcad a6kcd him. I "I want to buy a Liberty bond.'' he replied 'I will pay tho 5 down on It. Don't guess I can put any more money j in the bank for a long time got to pay I a" can save on tho Liberty bond, fell I you. I want to help the United States." "I rather suspect that you are a good little American," said Mrs. Armst. ,1 1 t " I'm from Russia,' he said, "but I'm for the United States, all right, and ; I'm goln' to he'p all I can." This is only one of many similar r eases. These affairs come up evory t week on cvry deposit day, which is f Tucslay They me about because f those in charge of tho bank have for ( two years been Americanizing the Children Chil-dren of many foreign nationalities Even before the outbreak of tho war the lessons of thrift and better living gra-lually taught tho children who iiavj been coming to the "eUhborhood liOUM Bank, did much toward making real Americans out of them without their knoAlcdge. They think and do things with American minds. It didn't tako a lot of speeches and a lot of campalgn- Ing imong them to make them contract f I the war saving stamp and the Liberty bond buying feer I "Now I own $50 worth of the United I States." declared a small girl who hnd I Just drawn that amount out of tho j II Thrift Club Savings Fan and had pur-I pur-I If chajed a Liberty bond, and I'm going ill t0 try to sct my PaPa to Duy one' f0u j Ft and help the United States all ho cun." I j "Vou d better buy a Liberty bond, " a I L little boy warned another, 'for f the 1 It Germans come over here this wnoli j l bank will not bo any good and ycur I l money will not do you any good.-' V v. Where formerly conversation aittOUg tho children centered about dep-'clt. In tho bank, now it Is wholly about heln-lng heln-lng the government to in the war The greater number of the :-x patror j are of foreign birth and tarcntagt. but they hove all quite eliminated from their thought that idea of going back to the old country. They think nn longer In "old country" thought it's all Aniv: lean. The Saving Habit. Man who drew out al! of their savings, sav-ings, to apply on tho purchase of war stamps and bonds havo already mo' their obligations and hac again' opened accounts at the saving- lKnk. Al the same time new depositors are still coming com-ing In. having caught the spirit of saving sav-ing and of helping in a patriotic work from their little friends. So thcj children's savings bank still is flourishing, despite tho fact It has lost depositors and deposits. The depositors are of n.any nationalities. nationali-ties. Among them are Greeks, Russian . Italians, Slavs, Austria:!.-. Germans, Jews, Irish, French, EnglK., I'oles nnd Rohcmlans. Others ar of American parentago and birth. The most of ihaih live In the section that Neighborhood House serves in its many ways, 'this lays between Fourteenth street and Jefferson Jef-ferson avenue, and W'a.-h street and Caes avenue. For the most part they attend the Jefferson. Franklin, Jackson, Carr and Carr Lane schools. The Thrift Club was organised about two years ago. It originally was known as the savings department ol the Neighborhood Neigh-borhood Association. It began In n Vary modest way with few leposllors. Later tho name was changed, bill It continues to be a department of the Neighborhood Association. The number of depositors grew after Che first few weeks until at times there have been almost two In-' In-' dividual accounts carried. Tho largaat number was reached only a short tlmq ago, but the withdrawal of accounts since then hus served to bring the number num-ber down to about aOn. Tho business of the bank Is conducted on the lines of the regular bank of the city. Tho bockkeeou.g system is simple, consisting of hide:: cards. 'Lho bank Is open for deposits once a week. This Is on Tuesday afternoons between 3:30 and 3 o'clock Children arc taught to im.kc out 'heir own deposit slips and to keep track of their balance. Pass bo dm arc supplied so tho children arc able to keep tab on their savings. They aro paid UM per cent Interest. Unllko the savings department of regular reg-ular banks, a child may become a depositor de-positor without having to go through the formality of being ideiitllled, and an account may be oponed with a row cents. Any size deposit a child deslrcsi to make will bo accepted. Some como each week with a few pennies, and others with as much as $0. Rut tho accounts aro carried alontC regardless of the manner or amount of deposits. One girl, Leah Yaurtz of 1B1H Riddle street, now has a balance of ?''.". She Is the bank's heaviest depositor at this W a v, VO r Ko- f HjP - V IJ T MAKING, OUT THEIR WmMm h 1 OWN Dtpo5,T5up& DEPOSITORS IN LWE At Skm 1 i ' NEIGHBORHOO ' THRIFT CLUB "BANK fj , J mBKiFF? time. Others who had quite large amounts have withdrawn most or all Ol their funds to Invest In war savins stamps and Liberty bonda. The habit of saving his become second sec-ond nature with many the children of tho district who beforo had thouglu only to rush to the corner confectionery every time they came Into possession of a penny or nickel. On last deposit day a small newsboy bi ought to the bank a bag full of mon.'y. Ho had 110, all In nickels. He had earned tho money selling papers. Ho Is .one of more than fiOO children in that district who ;s an enthusiastic saver, and In laying treat plans as to how he will invest his llrsl ?100 Ho is eagerly look'ng forward to tho day ho will be able, to lay claim to that much real moncv and Is saving every penny ho can and adding It to the amount. Tho Desire to Help. When tho government ortered tno first series of Liberty bonis those In charge of the bank devoted a great creal of time and attention to explaining explain-ing tho bonds to the children and urging urg-ing tlum to Invest their money in them. Not a few of than) bought. Than, when tho second scries was ofTeren, a still largor number bought, laler tho war saving slumps were ofTcrcd. and of tmso the children bought heavily. All other records, however, were overshadowed over-shadowed within a few days alter uio tnlrd Liberty bonds wore available. Some who had bought of tho tlrst and second Invested also In t(ic third. Many. MAVMNCn WEEKLY DE POS T5 . MRS D M . ARh5TE AD (DANKE R) SE ATEDF I R5T ' IN LINE 15 LEAH YAURTZ , THE HEAVIEST DEPOSITOR however, who hnd not bought bonds before aro now wearing the Rlborty Hell buttons. Almost as a unit they havo Invested In government securities, not so much through the desire to reap the interest returns on their Investments, but through a desire to loan their savings to the government during a trying tlmo. While It Is explained to the children that the Investment Is absolutely tho best they could make, and they arc tolri of the dangers that would befall them and their treasures and everything else In America If Germany should win the war, they aro given the picture of Columbia Co-lumbia In need. And they are not slow to fly to hor relief with all the relief they cm: give. And among those, who aVe giving this roller are children of Austrlans and Germans, who havo become be-come Americanized because they havo been thinking In American terms. Coming from homes, ns many of them do. where .ho elder mcmhers of tho 'mlly ro !.. Seated In American ways, tho depositors at least some ot them were untrained along tho lines ol American Ideals. Onco becoming patrons at tho community savings nank they acquired their tlrst real lessons necessary In the process of education along other than tho lines of least re-slrtance. re-slrtance. Tho development, In many cases, has been marvelous. Not only have tho children been taught to save, hut they have been taught to think ami fo do this thinking as Americans. Helping them to become Americanized, American-ized, those who havo had their uelfaro in hand have helped them to diValop that most characteristic American trait sportsmanship. Roys who once were unfair In their games havo become "good ports'" and have seen tho great light of honaity and honor. This Is shown In tlu-lr ready desire to restore lost money or articles when found, and the Inter- est they tako In each other in many other ways. All havo become good at figures and tho most of them are better financiers than one might Mnd among American children of tho same ago and Intelligence. Intelli-gence. From among the group has developed more than one unusually rupld calculator. One is a l--ycar-old girl who often remains to help balance the books of the bank, and who. bo-cnuso bo-cnuso of her quickness and accuracy with figures. Is regarded ns being far above th.i average. Pride in Results. The nclchborhood association takes prido in its thrift club and the work ll has done and Is still doing In teaching teach-ing tho children of that section of St. Lu uls tho rules of business and right living. 'I he effect of tho work has been far reaching. Although Mrs. Armstcad has given much time to tho Red Cross and other war work, her interest in the savings bank, of which sho is "first cashier, ' has never decreased. She still finds time to bo at Neighborhood House each Tuesday to recolve deposits and to keep tho business of the bank grdng nlong. And sho takes pleasure in it "There Is so much to work for here," sho said "These children have their lives before them. Americanize them and you make Americans of all their children and tholr children's children. lf Got them out of tho one chief idea that if most foreigners have when they como ipf to America that of some day going j'H back to tho 'old country' and at the ,H samo time teach them to be thrifty and honest and honorable, and you lH have made good Americans out of H It is on this broad principle that the H , Thrift Club Is operated Children are H fajajajaj given tho opportunity to save not for IIIB the mere saving of pennies, but to In- H still In them the first lessons of econ- H omy and thrift. This, then, breeds In- H dependence and makes them not only Americans but right good Americans. This has been proved more than ever P since tho government began to Issue ff Liberty bonds and giving tho people J opportunity to express their American H sportsmanship PH The Neighborhood Association ac-Mvltles ac-Mvltles include several other depart- ments, all of which are employed for H good among thoso who need such help. Two mothers' clubs are maintained, at PH ' which young mothers are taught to H sow and do other home work. :'hey are taught better care of their faml-lies faml-lies and themselves. pH "The women who attend the meet- p Ings and are given help are good worn. en, but have been handicapped,' salt sJ one of tho Neighborhood workers "A H a rule they aro wives of men whoso limited education prevents their earn- fJ Ing capacity being as largo as it needi H to be to support the family, and the H women find they must learn to work help pf The association has a day nursery, where mothers who are obliged to work aro permitted to place their small children during the day. This lias proved a godsend to many a mother At Neighborhood House a municipal nurse twice each week con- PH ducts baby clinics, and from this IH branch much good results for the jH poorer families of the section. The association also operates a pure H milk station for tho benefit of thoso living In tho community, and at ths H same time runs a quart milk station, J where milk Is sold at 10 cents a quart. Another great good is being done at Neighborhood House by the Junior League girls, who operate a B-cant school lunchroom on tho second floor. The rooms for this aro given over to H tho Junior League girls free of cost There each school day they serve mid-day mid-day lunches for the school children, charging f cents a lunch. Here is a J typical lunch that Is served for a nick-el: nick-el: Hamburger steak, mashed potatoes, all tho bread desired, .gravy, peaches for dessert jf Needless to say, tho actual cost of each lunch is considerably more than tho price received. RfR It is Just here tho Junior League girls are doing a most unusual and charitable act. The money necessary to promote this unique work Is raised In various ways by the Junior League girls. The dinners are provided so that chU-dren chU-dren may bo fed who otherwise would often be obliged to go without their midday lunch, due to tho fact that In many cases both tho father and mother are obliged to bo away from home be-cause be-cause of their work. Formerly thaN children wcro sent to school in tho morning with a nickel with which to buy lunch. Tho most they could buy would bo an ice-cream cone or some doughnuts, or perhaps a small bag of candy, and this would constitute their Neighborhood Association Is support- H ed by leading men and women uf the iH city. Unllko so many organizations an-ga.ed an-ga.ed in charity and other kind of public-spirit work, those who contrlb- H ute to its support give their help and B money without show, and It is seldom the public hears mentioned the nam.M of those who are responsible for iho Mrs. John W. Day. wifo of the pastor of the Church of tho Messiah, has for two years been president of the asso- fH elation. Before that, J. Llonbcrgbr Davis was president. To learn welfare crk. Miss Frtcderikc Shewell, a high-school high-school girl. Is now at Neighborhood House as head worker. She is one who is "always on the Job" and In eharjP 0i the man) datalhv |