The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-04-08
Cooperative Experiment
in Tennessee.
The Infant Settlement Given
the Name of Rugby.
Opened Under Brilliant Conditions.
Now Ordinary Hamlet.

| the eventual failure of one of his darling
schemes-the establishment in America
OF cooperative and semi-socialistic col
ony which should afford an asylum for
| English gentlemen who were unable to
get along in their own country ana should
attract like minded people of all nation
alities.
The scheme was worthy of its illustrious
| originator. Few men began lie with such
high ideals and such noble aims. Fewer
81 i'll preserved in old age such eager en-
| thusiasm for good and such profound
| faith in the better elements of humanity.
| Only a small handful have had the cour-
| age, the constancy and the opportunity
to put that faith to practical test. This
| Thomas Hug hes did by founding colony
where the citizens were TO be peasants,
| yet gentlemen; day laborers, yet with an
| appreciation for the higher humanity;
Christian worshiper', yet not sectarians;
| temperance men, yet not prohibitionists;
| plain livers, yet high thinkers. In short,
1t was TO be a Utopia plus model farm.
He first conceived his plan in 1850. lie
| Immediately went TO work and organized
a company in Boston, which was entitled,
"The Board OF Aid TO Land Ownership"
| or this board Mr.. Hughes was chairman.
| A large tract of land, extending over
more than fifty thousand acres, was pur-
| chased in East Tennessee. The building
of town, to be known as Rugby, was
commenced in September of that year
1t was formally opened on October 5, the
inaugural address being made by Mr..
| Hughes.
MR.. HUGHES INAUGURAL SPEECH.
| Mr.. Hughes started out by saying that
the gates of the colony would stand wide
| open to the entry of industry and intelli-
| gence from every quarter, and that viii lie
! In its beginning it was necessarily
English, "We hope that this will very
soon cease to be SO"
| He ALLUDED to the odium which attaches
| to the word community, and repudiated
| entirely all sympathy with the State COM
| munism of which Lasalle and Marx were
| the leaders in Europe. The Rugby COM
munity, he explained, was TO be neither
political nor religious, but simply Area
| dian. 1t proposed no reorganization of
| society, no revision OF fundamental laws.
II accepted with perfect contentment the
laws relating TO property and TO family
| life as they exist, and hoped TO make the
business of living under these laws some-
what easier. The colonists proposed to
lay out a pretty town, with due provi-
sion for parks and gardens, and to erect
suitable, simple and attractive buildings.
They meant also to apply cooperation
to the supply of many of the fundamental
and constant necessities OF daily life,
economizing health and labor and ex-
pense, and thereby greatly increasing the
common stock of vigor and rational en-
joyment, and they consecrated the col
ony to perfect religious freedom.
"In one word, concluded Mr.. Hughes,
"our aim and hope are to plant on these
highlands community CT gentlemen and
ladies, not that artificial class which goes
by these grand names, both in Europe
and here, the Joint product of feudalism
n N a In Va ha
hum blest members who live, as We hope
most IL not oil OF them will, to some ex-
tent by the labor of their own hands,
will be of such strain and culture that
they shall be able to meet princes in the
gate without embarrassment and with.
out self-assertion, should any such strange
persons present themselves before the
gate tower of Rugby in the New World"
Nevertheless, il was, primarily, for the
relief to the sons of the Impoverished
gentry of England that the colony was
started.
ENGLISH HIGHER MIDDLE CLASS.
What shall we do with our sons? is a
more important question among English
people than among Americans. The su-
perstition of classes still holds in the
oloer country. There are the aristocracy,
the upper middle class or untitled gen.
try, the middle class OF bourgeoisie, and
the various grades of the lower classes.
The aristocracy nave sufficient power
to look after itself In ell save a very
few cases. The members OF the working
classes can, as rule, place their children
in at least as good position as they are
themselves. Ii Is when you come to the
children OF the upper middle classes
that the problem assumes its most serious
aspect.
The members Of this class usually
marry early and have large families.
They are satisfied with none but a high
standard OF living. They leave little
property behind them, and this dwin6les
to inhnitesimal portiors when divided
up. Their sons have to face the world
with expensive tastes and with only a
limited field in which they are willing or
able 10 work.
TO prevent the inconvenience of the
first alternative and the horrors of the
second, good Thomas Hughes founded
his new Rugby. He hoped that IL would
be the initiative TO the establishment of
a series OF colonies of similar aim. 10
these colonies the surplus memb RS OF the
English higher middle class would grad
uaily be drafted away. 1t was an em!-
grafton scheme, of course, but without
the hard and unpleasant features of ordi-
nary emigration. The emigrant would
from the first be placed among congenial
associates. He would fino the surround
ings To which he was accustomed. Under
these geuteel conditions he would be will
ing to join his fellows i'm doing even any
manual work for which he was found
fitted. IL was expected that he would
bring some little money with him. This
he would be able 90 lay out in the pur-
chase OF land hich had been approved
by unimpeachable authorities. He was
warned that he must be prepared for
hard physical toll. lie must become
laborer, though without csasing to be n
gentleman. lie would find ample pro.
visions for the salts action Of such aspira-
tlons after culture as he might retain.
He Was invited to become PARTNER in
sort OF community store, from which
he could obtain everything be was likely
TO want. Private trading was not abso-
lutely forbidden, but Il was discouraged
on the plea that a class engaged In distri-
button IL not a producing class. Now
production was ewhat kubgy aimed at.
The distribution, IL was thought, had
best be done by cooperative association.
Moreover, the founder reserved a large
portion CT the land for stock raising,
and invited the members TO become part
ners In this with them. Private owner
ship OF property was allowed, Of course,