Thrifty industry lies at the root of the civilization of the world.

Look at Spain. There, the richest soil is the least productive. Along
the banks of the Guadalquiver, where once twelve thousand villages
existed, there are now not eight hundred; and they are full of beggars.
A Spanish proverb says, "El cielo y suelo es bueno, el entresuelo
malo"--The sky is good, the earth is good; that only is bad which lies
between the sky and the earth. Continuous effort, or patient labour, is
for the Spaniard an insupportable thing. Half through indolence, half
through pride, he cannot bend to work. A Spaniard will blush to work; he
will not blush to beg![2]

[Footnote 2: EUGENE POITOU--_Spain and its People._ pp. 184--188.]

It is in this way that society mainly consists of two classes--the
savers and the wasters, the provident and the improvident, the thrifty
and the thriftless, the Haves and the Have-nots. The men who economize
by means of labour become the owners of capital which sets other labour
in motion. Capital accumulates in their hands, and they employ other
labourers to work for them. Thus trade and commerce begin.

The thrifty build houses, warehouses, and mills. They fit manufactories
with tools and machines. They build ships, and send them to various
parts of the world. They put their capital together, and build
railroads, harbours, and docks. They open up mines of coal, iron, and
copper; and erect pumping engines to keep them clear of water. They
employ labourers to work the mines, and thus give rise to an immense
amount of employment.

All this is the result of thrift. It is the result of economizing money,