Thank you for visiting SNEWPapers!
Sign up free
Editorial
May 12, 1936
The Key West Citizen
Key West, Monroe County, Florida
What is this article about?
The editorial explores the timeless issue of balancing spending and saving, noting extremes of stinginess and wastefulness. It highlights prolific writer Edgar Wallace as a rare example of an industrious person who squandered his vast earnings, dying in debt and leaving his wife unsupported.
Clipping
OCR Quality
95%
Excellent
Full Text
SPENDING AND SAVING
The problem of spending and saving
is as old as civilization, and in scarcely any
phase of human conduct do we find
greater differences among different per-
sons. It is unfortunate that so few are able
to strike a happy medium between stingi-
ness and wastefulness.
The type of spendthrift who wastes
inherited money is well known, as is also
the lazy, shiftless type who lives from hand
to mouth in good times or bad. The indus-
trious worker who literally throws away
his earnings is more rare.
An illustration of the latter class is
seen in the late author and playwright.
Edgar Wallace. who was one of the most
prolific and successful writers of all time.
In the 25 years before his death he wrote
some 150 full length novels and literally
thousands of short stories. besides 20
plays. So many of his works had big sales
that his income must have been exceed-
ingly large.
He was thought to be a wealthy man
but at his death his estate was found insuf-
ficient to pay his debts. and his wife was
left without means of support. It seems
incredible that a man of Wallace's intelli-
gence and tireless energy should have been
so short-sighted with respect to his finan-
cial affairs.
The problem of spending and saving
is as old as civilization, and in scarcely any
phase of human conduct do we find
greater differences among different per-
sons. It is unfortunate that so few are able
to strike a happy medium between stingi-
ness and wastefulness.
The type of spendthrift who wastes
inherited money is well known, as is also
the lazy, shiftless type who lives from hand
to mouth in good times or bad. The indus-
trious worker who literally throws away
his earnings is more rare.
An illustration of the latter class is
seen in the late author and playwright.
Edgar Wallace. who was one of the most
prolific and successful writers of all time.
In the 25 years before his death he wrote
some 150 full length novels and literally
thousands of short stories. besides 20
plays. So many of his works had big sales
that his income must have been exceed-
ingly large.
He was thought to be a wealthy man
but at his death his estate was found insuf-
ficient to pay his debts. and his wife was
left without means of support. It seems
incredible that a man of Wallace's intelli-
gence and tireless energy should have been
so short-sighted with respect to his finan-
cial affairs.
What sub-type of article is it?
Moral Or Religious
What keywords are associated?
Spending
Saving
Wastefulness
Thrift
Edgar Wallace
Financial Management
What entities or persons were involved?
Edgar Wallace
Editorial Details
Primary Topic
Balancing Spending And Saving To Avoid Wastefulness
Stance / Tone
Cautionary Against Financial Shortsightedness
Key Figures
Edgar Wallace
Key Arguments
Spending And Saving Dilemma Is Ancient And Varies Greatly Among People
Few Achieve Balance Between Stinginess And Wastefulness
Common Spendthrifts Include Inheritors And Lazy Individuals
Rare But Notable: Industrious Workers Who Waste Earnings
Edgar Wallace Wrote Prolifically, Earning Vast Income But Died In Debt
Wallace's Intelligence And Energy Make His Financial Failure Incredible