Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1888-01-20
ABOUT COOPERATION.
A Social Problem Which Is Almost ns Ola
as Mankind Itself.

as mhnkinu ltsou.
In one sense corporation Is as an
cient as society. Tho first tribe that
acted together knew that 1t was better
to do 80 than to fight singly. Mon rec
ognized that unity was strength bc-
fore Esop composed his fablo OF the
bundle of sticks. Nimrod doubtless
knew that two greyhounds hunting to-
gether would run down moro haros
than four hunting separately. But the
hounds ran down tho haros for their
masters. Tho modern co-operator
runs down the hares for himself Co.
operation In industry means tho equi-
table distribution of all gain among
those who earn it This Is new idea
among the working people
IN our towns, for th
method Of applying it is
scarcely forty years old. Tho coop
erative idea rs applied to industry OK
isted in tho lattor part Of the last
century. Ambelakia was almost CO.
operative town. rs may bo road In Da-
vid Urquharts Turkey and It's Re-
sources" So vast n municipal part
nership Of industry has never existed
since. Tho fishers on tho Cornish
coast carried out cooperation on tho
sea. and the miners Of Cumberland dug
on tho principle of sharing the profits.
The plan has been productive Of con-
lcntment and advantage. Gruyere
Is n cooperative cheese. being former
ly made in the JIra mountains. whero
the profits wero equitably divided
among the makers In l777. as DR..
Langford relates in his Century Of
Birmingh1m Life" the tailors of that
onterprising town set up a CO.
operative workshop. which Is the
earliest in English record. In Franco
an attempt was made by Bab@uf In
1890 to establish dospotism Of Justice
and equality by violence after the
manner Of Richolieu. whose policy
Taught the French revolutionists that
I sSSiililfr lIrin innig m be a romody. Babuuf was
| he. like all co-0bcir SSsssorn,sr who at
mendicity and idlenoss. III -PfRnRy
where no great idea ever dies, the
conception OF Babpuf was taken ur
by men who had the genius Of persua.
sion In them. Then came Morelly,
whose imagination had tho mathc.
matical quality Of precision. and who
defined tho social problem thus
10 find that situation In
which 1t shall DO impossible
for man to be depraved
or poor" Then St Simon, Fourior.
Cabet Leroux and others reset the
scientific idea of social life in luminous
theories. England. practical and Inn
partial, acts on its own ideas aud on
those of others which have promise Of
results in them; and II Il originates
few ideas, 1t realizes moro than any
other nation originates. Besides. we
had our Mores and Harringtons before
even the French mind ran on schemes
Of life according to reason. Moro
wrote his "Ulopla" In 1916. Harrine-
ton came with his "Ocoana" 14O years
later. Exceling both in English
practical genius came the grcat
Quaker, John Boilers. the son of Fetti-
place Bellers, proposing his famous
college of Industry" whose i'm
press has since bcen on tho minds Of
all English community-makcrS Con-
tomporaneous with the French revolu-
tionists we had Shute BaUington.
Bishop of Durham. who surpassed all
other bishops in human sympathy and |
social sagaclty Ho established at |
Mongowell. in 0xfordshirc, tho first
known cooperative store, and he,
Count Rumford and Sir Thomas Ber-
nard published in 1875. and for many
years after plans of cooperative and
social life far exceeding in variety and
thoroughness any in tho minds of per-
sons now living. q j. Hoiyoake in
Fortntghtiy Reviet0.