The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1866-05-26
Dia..ioa or desperation.


Goethe, who, ike Shakespeare, said a
thousand remarkable things, observed,
that "for . man TO know one thing well ne
needs also to know thousand" 1t GER
ltkfiig Is necessary 10 know many things to
understand one practically. 1t may be that
\ without The suggestive hight Of contraat, and
ipnriscn, it IS impossible 10 obfain clear and
distinct idea of any subject or object.
Familiarity, strangely enough, does not
teach !; it blunts the perceptions, or it tones
down characteristics, while newness Of in
spection sharpeDs the eye to observe them.
However it may be, every man knows it is
so. The traveller. when he comes home, has
far sharper eyes than he took out with him.
He sees hundred things in his own land
and native place that never struck ham be-
fore He knows better what to value, and
has sense to own that many things require
amendment which he thought well enough
before. Since international exhibitions were
held, and the middle class took to travelling
to inspect them, aldermen and town-coun-
cillors have had much higher taste for i'm
provement than heretofore Means Of com
lparison are means of wisdom. For this
reason we will say something Of Co-opera-
tion abroad, as it may quicken appreciation
Of it at home.
The Italians have a proverb, wonderful in
its sagacity for that quickwitted people il
lis this "They who 60 slowly 20 far" Then
Co-operstion may be expected to 20 far for
it goes very slowly. And it has gone both
slow and far. 1t has issued like the tortoise
from its Lancashire home in England; il
has traversed France it has overrun Ger
many it has crept under the frozen steppes
Of Russia; the bnghtminded Bengalese 10
applying it, the soon-being and far-seeing
American is turning over the idea and our
own emigrant countrymen in Australia are
sndeavoring to natsralize it there. Clearly,
\ Cooperation il becoming what the Times
fused 10 call ian established fact" Like
Liebig's new essence of beef, or q good
chronometer, Cooperation is unaffected by
change Of climate 1t remains fresh and
wholesome, and goes well.
/ Professor Tallandier published transla-
ton Of "Selfhelp-the H y Of Cooper
alton in Rochdale,n in 4 ,ns newspaper
and enriched the translation by valuable
notes of his own. NJ. Ellie Reclus, the edit
or of L'Association, has told the moral Of
that history to the Parisians, in his "Fable
of the Blind Man and tina Lame mar" In
bis own History Of the Co.operatige Asso.
lciations of Workmen in Great Britain - and
Co-operative Associations have greatly mul-
ltiplied in France in consequence. Deputy
Schultz Delitsk has inspired Berlin, where
in the east quarter Of (the Berlin Spital-
fields district), the Berlin Shawl Weavers's
4 Association is to be found. Though formed
but four years ago by twelve members, they
had increased, in March last, to 104, while
their capital had multiplied thirtyfold.
Herr Schulze not only makes the doctrine
of selfhelp the constant text of his speeches
before the working classes, he is continually
occupied in showing them how to'put the
principle into practice. Madame Mario has
lexplained, in IL Doesre Of Genoa, the char
acteristics Of English Cooperation to the
Italians and societies of mutual succor
formed under tbs suspices Of the great lead
er oil Italian unity, have for some time beer
in operation throughout Piedmont. Associ
alton has been ferventy advocated in Italy
with = ioftiness Of aim unusual in industrial
societies. sN
In Switzerland, we learn, on the authority
of Professor Huber-the distinguished advo
lcate Of Cooperation in Germany-that thsrs
existed In the Alpine land thirty Co-opera
tive Stores in 1853. Indeed, the learned
\ professor OF Wernigsfode stated some time
4 ago. in reply 10 Mr.. Hewitt, that ths number
of Cooperative Societies in Germany va
about 1000, with . working capital Of $E,
Il 0o0, 600, Or So,000, 900 thalers The Ger
i mans, itnust bssconfessed, ere as csmps
d tept as any people 10 Eerope 10 Wsigh Anew
industrial scheme in the balance, and deter
mins whether or not it Is wanting. There