Page:The Fraternity and the Undergraduate (1923).pdf/118

 his money is usually gone and he is comfortably broke before the end of the first week of the month. He lives a hand to mouth existence from one month to another and is convinced that his allowance, which is in reality a much more generous one than that of most of his companions, is wholly inadequate to his needs. Like all men of his class, while he is engaged in the rapid disposal of his funds, his studies are going to the bad, for no man can spend money and study to advantage at the same time. Either one takes a mans' best efforts to accomplish creditably.

As I have frequently found that a student is helped in the disposal of his time by keeping for a few days an actual record of just how the twenty-four hours of the day are spent, so too I am sure that, if for nothing more than his own personal benefit, he will find much that is suggestive and helpful in keeping an accurate expense account. I remember very well what a shock it was to me when I first began to live on a salary to find upon casting up my accounts at the end of the month what a disproportionate percentage of it was going for things that were useless in themselves and that gave me little real pleasure. Even though a boy's parents do not require him to keep an expense account, he will find an education in the practice just for himself.