New-York tribune., 1884-02-03

the kitchen to expand INTO millinery ana Wy
goods store and last may come tne ia"h'is'
must he no all-powerful director, or purchasing
,,onocsr Everything must be done by committee.
The clerks and other employees must be directors
and shareholders serving at first without pay, ony
the bookkeeper and porter getting wages Al'er
the institution reaches paying basis, salaries may
he given to the clerks. Where are we TO ma the
women to undertake this hard work gratultousiy !
Well. Mrs Peirce relies great deal upon the gh,
Of the period" That idle young person mas iunu
of waste energy which might be employed LOT inc
benefit of her SEX and she ought to be very eau VI
a chance to do something for the salvation Vi S'.
ety. At any rate, there are women VINO can oo
spared from home certain number OF ho"ls 80
day. to superintend the various departments Vi % ,
enterprise and they can relieve one aho'he'' -,
,nr already supported by their husbands and lah-
ers tbev will not require high salaries; ana S'noo
women are self-sacrifcing by nature anu 'oo"oe
toned to think and plan for the wen-ooins y, ~
others they will not spoil the undertaking py sch
isbness. as men have so often done III co-opo'"''
storoo To certain extent the cooperative estao-
lisbment will be in the beginning benevolent
enterprise. managed and sustained from motives
nartlv of sef-interest but largely of philanthropy
when il is in fair working order it can stand as a
strict business concern. 1t will be seen that there
are some crudities in this scheme, and there are
some regulations for which the reason Is net paln
We have not much faith in the efficacy of beneVo-
lent impulse as O rule of business. We have stii
less i'm the management of a complicated concern
by volunteer committee of young ladies. Co-op-
erative industry needs quite as much shre"uheSS
and ability as any other form OF trade, ana "hei.
one snch concern has succeeded dozen have ended
in disaster 1t is not clear why cooperative
grocery should be required prelude to the COOK
shop any moro than cooperative meat-harke1 ol
1our-mill yet Mrs Percei is positive that 10 oni'
the grocery would be fatal. Finally, 1t does no'
appear how cooperative housekeeping is fOr the
present TO enlarge the field for womens work and
raise their waSes One of the results upon which
Mrs. perce counts most cheerfully Is to be the
driving ont of business of retail shopkeepers and
clerks with their Ignorance, meanness, daily ly
| inc and dishonesty in fine with every attribute
| Of manhood wanting She forgcts that most o
| the shopkecpers are husbands and fathers; thai
| MANY of them are wOmen that they employ III
| army of women as clerks; and to bud all the dls
| charged women betake themselves 10 more manly
OCCUPATIONS" is a little cruel. -Co-operatlon' more
over is intended to render at least hall the Servants
| srperfluOus. Mrs. Peirce seems to thlnk-thougn
on this point we are not quite CERTAIN OF her mean
| inc-that the cooperative establishments VII
| give occupation to the hungry multitude; but o.
course that is an error the whole purpose OF coop
Grafton being to reduce the number of distributors
| by crowding out those who stand between the pro
| ducer and the consumer. The ultimate result ol
domestic cooperation would be a change III socia
conditions; but it is doubtful what shape ina
change would take. and the immediate resul
| would be an increase in the number of the un
employed These considerations, however, DO no
affect the essence of the proposed reform. 1t ba
| so MANY reasonable characteristics and offers
| large class of American women such preciou
prouiso of relief, that wo hope few " committee
| of thirteen may soon be organized among our idl
and energetic young ladies, to give the plan fair
| nerseyering trial.