SCHOOL SAVINGS BANKS IN FRANCE. 287 
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to centralize every element which tends to its onward march. Certainly 
:he lessons of thrift and economy taught our children in the schools are 
considered one of the most active agents. It is hoped that the trial 
already so successfully made will serve as a foundation to carry out more 
sompletely the plans for which the introducer has so earnestly worked for 
the past nine years. The following question has been asked me by a few 
skeptics: ¢‘ By teaching children to save their pennies, are you not teach- 
ng them to become misers 2” My answer to such argument is, that every 
ood thing is open to abuse ; but should we, therefore, prohibit the child 
trom praying to God for fear that he may become a bigot ? Must we pre- 
rent the little girl from wishing to be loved for fear of her becoming a 
soquette ? 
The surrounding aspect of the introduction of the school savings bank 
system into three hundred and seventeen schools of our country has de- 
veloped a great many good suggestions which have proved to be of incal- 
sulable value for the future welfare of our children and for society in 
Zeneral. 
{ conclude by saying that in this world we all build upon some one 
else’s success. It is perfectly natural. Life is, after all, a sort of serious 
game of ¢ follow the leader,” and what is already done or achieved is quite 
a matter of course, that some one else tries. School savings banks of 
America have been built upon lines of their success in Europe. 
Any information relating to the school savings bank system will be 
gladly furnished to any applicant. 
SCHOOL SAVINGS BANKS IN FRANCE. 
BY M. GUSTAVE SERRURIER, OF HAVRE, FRANCE. 
Myr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: —I1 shall be glad to give you an 
dea of the development of the school savings banks in France, an enter- 
prise which is of interest for all nations, and which has been promoted 
by the well-known M. de Malarce. But I must restrict myself to telling 
you what has been done in the elementary school of which I am the 
principal. I will add that the beginning of the school savings bank dates 
back to March, 1876 ; that the school is situated in a workmen’s district ; 
and that it has eleven classes and an average of five hundred and sixty 
supils. 
In the first year I thought that it would be sufficient to receive the deposits 
only twice in the week, Monday and Friday; but I soon learned that 
the pupils, especially the younger ones, had not always patience enough 
to wait for these days, and spent their sous for trifles. Besides, as the 
number of the depositors increased rapidly, the receiving of the sums took