'Charge It': Keeping Up With Harry

In Short

This satirical, didactic novel follows Harry Delance, a wealthy, globe-trotting youth who returns to his quiet Connecticut town of Pointview with a penchant for European affectations and the ruinous habit of saying "Charge it" to every expense. When his lifestyle begins to corrupt the local youth and deplete his family's reputation, his neighbor, the pragmatic lawyer Socrates Potter, initiates a campaign to restore common sense and integrity to the town. It is a lighthearted yet sharp critique of the early 20th-century obsession with status, inherited titles, and leisure.

The Story

The narrative unfolds in the small, traditional community of Pointview, which is rapidly being transformed by the influence of local heiress Lizzie—and later, by the handsome, aimless Harry Delance. Upon returning from his studies in Europe, Harry arrives with a hollow sophistication, a full line of foreign dialects, and a carefree attitude toward the mountains of debt he accumulates. He treats the town’s infrastructure—and its residents—as mere obstacles to be navigated with his motorcars, drags, and tandems. When he accidentally injures locals, his only response is to tell them to "charge it," a flippant phrase that becomes a symbol for the town’s encroaching moral and financial decay.

Socrates Potter, the town’s genial, clear-eyed lawyer, observes this trend with growing alarm. He recognizes that the local "heiristocracy" is trading away their Yankee grit for empty crests, pedigree delusions, and a desperate, frantic search for novelty. The malaise spreads: clerks pawn rings to afford theater suppers, young men avoid honest work to play the stock market, and women seek out "new thought" gurus and fake ancestral history to bolster their social standing. The situation reaches a fever pitch as the town’s youth engage in a fierce competition for Harry’s attention, leaving the older, more stable generation—like the stern, traditionalist Deacon Joe—isolated and confused.

Socrates decides to act. He begins a series of subtle, often humorous interventions designed to shock the town out of its lethargy. He pushes for a return to practical, honorable work, mocks the pretension of the "servants' ball," and eventually founds the "Church of All Faiths," a non-denominational initiative aimed at teaching the virtues of industry and character over social display. Meanwhile, Harry faces his own reckoning. After a series of "lucky" escapes from trouble and a period of genuine soul-searching in the American West, he sheds his affected persona. He returns to Pointview humbled, brawny, and ready to work.

The final conflict rests on Harry’s quest to win the hand of Marie, a woman of substance who stands apart from the local frenzy. Despite the interference of a vacuous, "school-made" minister who also seeks her affection, Harry executes a bold, decisive plan. He lands a biplane at Deacon Joe’s farm, faces down the old man’s defenses, and proves his mettle through action rather than hollow promises. Seeing Harry’s transformation into a man of purpose, the Deacon relents. The community, led by the formerly rigid Deacon, begins to embrace a more open and industrious way of life, proving that even the most entrenched "rust" of modern vanity can be cleared away by honesty and courage.

How It Unfolds

The arrival of the wanderer Harry Delance returns to Pointview, bringing with him a motorcar, a reckless disregard for property, and the habit of charging his numerous accidents and expenses to his father’s account. His presence immediately begins to shift the local social climate toward a culture of extravagant, unsustainable display.

The contagion of vanity Socrates Potter observes as the townsfolk, particularly the youth, abandon their traditional work ethic to mimic Harry’s hollow "aristocratic" manners. Crests appear on letterheads, young men turn to reckless speculation, and the town's social life becomes a frantic, empty search for novelty.

The lawyer’s counter-offensive Recognizing that the town is losing its soul to "foreign degeneracy," Socrates begins a campaign of gentle mockery and practical instruction. He encourages the young people to seek meaning in the lives of American prophets rather than in the "swamp fiction" and pretenses of the European upper class.

The Church of All Faiths Socrates founds a new community institution that successfully draws in people from all social strata, effectively sidelining the stagnant, ineffective local churches. By providing a new venue for civic life, he begins to shift the town’s focus from social status to shared responsibility and character.

The final test of character After a period of self-imposed labor in the American West, Harry returns to Pointview to prove himself. He uses a mixture of modern aviation and old-fashioned resolve to win over the skeptical Deacon Joe, effectively ending his rivalry with the shallow minister and securing his future with Marie.

The People

Socrates Potter serves as the town’s moral compass and the story’s narrator. A genial, sharp-tongued lawyer, he values industry and honesty, and uses his wit and influence to steer his neighbors away from their self-destructive social obsessions.

Harry Delance starts as a "man without a country," a handsome, wealthy youth whose life is defined by excess and disingenuous charm. Through his experiences in the West and his genuine desire for Marie, he evolves from a careless, boastful "modern" into a purposeful, hardworking man of action.

Deacon Joe represents the "old New England" tradition. Initially a stern, isolated, and suspicious figure who uses his hickory cane to fend off the changing world, he eventually finds his mind "opened" by Harry’s displays of courage and becomes a convert to the new, more active community spirit.

Marie is a thoughtful, refined young woman who acts as a crucial influence on both Harry and the Deacon. By carefully managing her own social choices and orchestrating the final confrontation with her grandfather, she proves herself to be the most clear-headed person in the community.

The Reverend Robert Knowles is the foil to Harry’s eventual transformation. A "second-hand" thinker who relies on his looks and social standing rather than actual substance, he serves as the embodiment of the very superficiality that Socrates is working to purge from the town.

In Its Own Voice

Socrates explains the consequences of the "Charge it" mentality, which has replaced personal accountability with a reckless reliance on credit:

"The check is another way of saying 'Charge it.'"

Socrates reflects on the dangerous allure of European "finish," which he believes has rotted the character of the rising generation:

"Travel and the higher education have opened the storage vats of foreign degeneracy and piped them into our land."

Socrates emphasizes the necessity of internal renewal, arguing that even the most rigid minds must allow for growth:

"They stored it full of ideas sixty years ago and locked the door for fear they'd get away."

What It's Really About

The central argument is that true social status and personal fulfillment cannot be bought, mimicked, or inherited; they must be earned through tangible, useful labor. The book posits that the "aristocratic" pretensions of the early 20th century were merely a form of laziness, a way for the wealthy to avoid the hard work of building a genuine life. By pitting the values of "old New England" (thrift, industry, and skepticism) against the perceived "foreign degeneracy" of the era, the story asks the reader to consider whether they are living their own life or merely performing a role for the sake of social approval.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the gentle, observant satire of early 20th-century literature will find a kindred spirit in Socrates Potter. His voice is that of a wise, slightly grumpy uncle who is deeply invested in the health of his community. The book feels remarkably relevant in its critique of "influencer" culture, as the characters’ struggles to maintain appearances through debt and superficial associations mirror modern-day anxieties about social media and the "highlight reel" life.

However, modern readers should be prepared for the book's didactic tone; it is a novel with a clear mission, and the plot occasionally pauses to allow for long, moralizing lectures. The period-specific language and the heavy reliance on a simplified, archetypal view of "Latin races" versus "American industry" reflect the attitudes of 1912 and can feel quite dated or even jarring. Despite these limitations, the book’s central metaphor—the "Bishop’s head" that keeps coming back to haunt Harry—provides a surprisingly effective, slightly surreal thread that keeps the narrative from becoming too heavy-handed. If you are looking for a story that values the "dignity of the common man" over the "vanity of the elite," you will find much to admire here. It is a warm, spirited, and ultimately hopeful read that reminds us that it is never too late to stop living on credit and start living with character.