Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1894-02-23
HAPGoOD AND COOPERATION.

urru persons from different parts OF the
Fast, al of whom had been readers of a
weekly paper published in Boston, called
The March OF Progress, a mildly socialstic
sheet which proclaimed the general
equality of man, and advocated commu-
nifty of land and chattels as the remedy for
al socials evils II frequently remarked in
large type, Down with the robber rich ="
and often brought for Eard as a corollary
% this, up with the PROSTATE poor!" and
usually neatly rounded off the editorial,
and left the subject in shipshape condi-
ton by observing, "Now is the time to
subscribe
Il was before Mr.. Belamy had Looked
Backward, but The March of Progress
seems 10 have had many of his notions
concerning social evils and the remedies
therefor.
Bon Homme county is on the Missouri
river, little way up from the town of
lankton. Al this time the country was
new, there being no railroad near, nor were
there any other settlers i'm the vicinity
The absence OF the former rather pleased
the brotherhood people, however, as rail-
roads were looked upon in the light of long
iron tentacles reaching out from a hideous
great deyil-iish in New York named Wall
street. SO the Brotherhood came up the
Missouri river from Sioux City on a steam
boat which had no tentacles, being more in
the nature of an Independent shark.
Affairs went on smoothly for some time.
All property was, of course, held in COM
mon, and each night every man received
one days work certificate. Everything
was reckoned by days work certificates,
money only coming into evidence when
a l., 4
not yet seen the New Light. Days work
certificates were, however, redeemable at
the rate of 81 piece from any money
which might be in the treasury, and it was
confidently hoped that there might be
plenty Of this in the course of time. Some
members of the Brotherhood felt hurt
when they discovered that the editor of
The March of Progress insisted on having
for subscriptions the cash of the robber
rich as used in Wall street instead of days
work certificates, but the matter was hush
ed up.
One day in July a stranger appeared,
and after looking about a little went into
the Brotherhood store and began to make
some inquiries concerning the organization.
lie said that his ear had caught the Tramp
Of Progress, and that he was anxious to
fully built man with remarkably broad
shoulders, long arms, and big bony hands.
His clothes were shabby, but it was PLAIN
that he was not vagrant. After having
the aim and methods of che Brotherhood
explained to him, he expressed his desire
10 join II, and get away from a grasping
world where some men were paid higher
wages than others. One of the committee
on admissions told him til At he would have
20 procure some references as to his char
acter. This seemed to hurt him, and he
replied In effect, was he not a man and
brother? To this the committee answered
that he appeared to be, but that there
were men and brothers that they didn't
want in their community.
"How do we know that you NAV not be-
long to the capitalistic press?" asked the
committee.
800 l look it?'' inquired the stranger,
as he gazed along down the Jungle of rags
which enclosed his frame.
You may be one of its hirelings," re-
turned the committee.
The upshOt of it was that the man left
his baggage, consisting of shirt and one
stocking tied up in a bandanna handker-
chief, and walked away across the prairie
after. the required references.
In about week he returned with letters
from the governor of Iowa, member of
the supreme court of Nebraska, a Mime
sofa congressman, and various other digni-
taries, all speaking highly of him. Some
thought that there was rather too much
resemblance between the handwriting of
the various letters, but it was decided that
eaiss was too trivial matter to stand out
about 81 the man was taken in, of course
ON an exact equality with the others.
The new man gave his name as Peter
Hapsood, and soon settled down to work
He was generally voted an eccentric sort
OF a fellow, and one with whom it was diff
hcult 10 become intimate. He seemed
thoughtful and much given to examining
the horizon and making calculations on his
boot legs with piece of chalk, hastily
erasing the figures if approached. His
personal aspect remained about the same.
He always wore the appearance of having
had his beard singed off rather than shay
ed and II was the popular belief that he
caused miniature prairie fire TO run over
his face every Sunday morning. At the
table he seldom spoke, but leaned far over
u aud set little stacks of food into his
mouth In much the same manner that one
would set a stack of dishes into a dumb
walter. Not much attention was paid to
these little peculiarities, nor, indeed, to the
man himself, till one day in the fall when
he had a misunderstanding with William
Hyde, chairman Of the board of managers.
and generally looked upon as the leader of
the colony, II there can be leader where
all are equal.
The trouble was brought about by DO
litical argument. Hyde said the govern
ment ought TO issue four hundred millions
OF greenbacks without delay to make
money easy HapgOOd answered that any
darned fool ought 10 know that two hun
dred millions would be sufficient. HYDE re-
piled that he knew Of one darned fool that
didn't know anything of the kind. Hap
goods lip curled with soorn as he said that
he was sorry to say that he knew one too.
OF course peace with honor was only pos
sible through fighting.
Nov IL happened that the constitution of
the Progress Cooperative Brotherhood
prohibited all quarrellng and fighting, and
In the contract which every member had
signed when he joined he agreed to do
everything In his power TO stop any trouble
which might occur in the colony. But
when Hyde and Hapgood rose and faced
each other they all forgot this agreement,
and formed a ring and encouraged the
with loud shouts. The en-