Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-08-25
Cooperative Education.

A self-suppOrting Cooperative In
dustrial School for boys and girls was
founded in Reuttingen in Germany
/ in 1884 by Herr Won Werner, the son
of the Finance Minister. The found
er was a student of the University of
| Tubingen, and ut the time poor vicar.
/ The institution was opened for poor
and destitute children, in order to
show the possibility Ofusing children's
work as a capital for making such in
stitutions self-suppOrting and of get
| ting rid of the degrading influence of
I aims houses. Herr Won Werner was
assisted by an excellent lady who was
his true helper in housekeeping and
needle-wOrk, which she taught in his
school until her death in 1910. They
worked very hard, and were some
times in want of food; nevertheless.
he was able, in 1910, to buy four cows
and rent some land. a great misfor-
tune happened to him at this time
the loss of his place as vicar-but, as
he could not swear over the symbolic
books, the Government dismissed
him from his Vicarship. 1t was fa-
vOrite idea of Herr Werner's not only
to give his pupils the opportunity to
see different occupations, and TO
choose freely from them after some
experience, but to keep those from IA
to Is out of the way of the dangers of
life in large cities, when they could
not have the shelter of home life,
with friends. He therefore admitted
outside children as apprentices, but
they were obliged TO pass a full year
on probation and to remain four years
as apprentices. With the assistance
of some friends, he founded, in 1857,
a paper mill and n Credit Institution,
in which every one belonging to the
institution could take a share, large
or small. The next year occurred a
great hail storm and famine, and chill
dren left in the care of the commu-
nity of Fluorn were put into the aims
house. Herr Won Werner went to
Fluorn, and, leaving some of hese
children in the care of his friends, |
took the rest into his institution for
certain sum, paid by the community. !
He now bought a water mill in con-
nection with large farm, so impor-
tant to the comfort of the establish |
ment. This farm OF three hundred |
acres, stocked with thirty-six oxen, |
ten horses, cattle and sheep, was con-
Quoted entirely by two men and these !
children. They ground flour, oil and /
bones. 1t was very profitable, and |
very central for sending vegetables
and other provisions to other similar
From this time they /
grew very fast. The paper mill made
every day from fifteen to twenty hun
dred weight of beautiful paper, with
the help of twenty workmen and one
hundred girls. The large sO-called
Mother House contained the different
bureaus under the care of ten persons;
the needlewOrk department with for
ty girls; the tailor and show work.
shops with from thirty to forty. The
contained the church and
school rooms for four hundred boys
and girls; the dining rooms, the home
for Herr Won Werner (which seems to
have belonged to all the family, and
he sleeping rooms for the boys and
or hundred wOrkmen, nearly all of
whom have been educated in the in
ititutiOn.
This institution is now very large
md quite rich. 1t sends its travelling
agents over Wurtemburg, Switzerland /.
md the Rhine, The knitting and
and network of the
iris is sold for thirty to sixty thous-
ind forms per year. The cotton mill
s owned in fifty shares; wooden fac |
ory and chemical laboratory occupy ,
wenty houses. A kindergarten, a
hospital and a bank, also belong to I
he establishment; also q ribbon fac
ory, a machine shop, a blacksmith's !
hop, shOemakers' shops, furniture :
actory, q tannery, a school of design :
nd engraving, and large machine Z
hop and steam works, and two thous- :
nd acres of land. There are nine
hundred children from two to twenty :
ears of age, and five hundred and I
ighty adults in twenty-three estab- +
shments, entirely self-suDporting.-
III this is blessed and guided by one
cad and one large heart. The capi- j
Al building, although the work was
II done by membersof the institution,
ost 500, ,O00. Sometimes the whole
Jwn have given security for Herr Won [,
yerner.-NIeIO York Tribune. il