He must not stand alone, he must not live his life in isolation from his neighbors. He must combine with his fellow farmers for purposes of cooperation. In the field of his material interests these undertakings of cooperation are cooperatives. While cooperatives serve material and earthly interests they must be carried by ideals of religion, particularly the ideals of social charity. Social charity inculcates brotherly love in social relations, and inspires to mutual service and helpfulness.
Social charity is nothing else than Christian charity applied to the social relations of man.
It teaches cooperators how to apply Christ's new commandment to their cooperative enterprises. In the spirit of this love cooperators will respect one another's opinions, seek to get along with each other, bear up under criticism, subdue jealousies, stop petty bickerings, in short, will be kind, respectful, and helpful one toward another. This service concept of social charity goes far beyond the relief or alms concept of social charity, as precious and salutary as this concept is under certain circumstances. Viewed in this light, cooperatives do more than build up the material fortunes of cooperators. They build men.