Industrial freedom. [volume] (Edison, Wash.) 1898-1???, 1899-01-14
Cap 1t
BE Dope ?
7O-OPERATION, as never before,
seems to be coming to the front.
Not only are co-operators them
Z selves seeking with renewed

~ selves seeking with renewed
energy to spread cooperative
education among the people; but we
find that the question of cooperation
is being more and more freely, and
more and more frequently. discussed
at Church Congresses, and at other
gatherings of people who are not yet
inside the movement. Nay, bishops
and deans, and canons, and Noncon-
tor1nist ministers even preach about
cooperation; and in some towns Co
operative Sunday seems to have come
to stay. But while all cO-operators
feel it is only necessary that people
should know the true inwardness of
cooperation to give it their blessing
and their aid yet, if one might be per-
1nitted for a moment to take Irish
leave, one would say, Cooperation
would have succeeded much more if it
had not succeeded SO much.
There is little doubt that the aston
ishing rapidity Of our growth has, in
truth become one of the obstacles in
the way of our future development.
When one calls to mind the fact that,
during two short generations, cC-ope-
ration in the United Kingdom has
gathered within its fold as large q
proportion of the population of these
islands as the great historic Church
of Rome has gathered within its fold
from the various nations of the world
during eighteen long centuries, one
can but marvel at our success. And
yet, cooperation is by no means con-
fined to these small islands of ours;
but in Germany, in France, in Italy,
in Russia, III the New World, our cause
is spreading year by year, so that to-
day cooperation is found among all
the civilized peoples of the earth, as an
evergrowing power.
But, is it not precisely this grand
success which leads shopkeepers,
whose name is legion, to write up
over their places of business "Cc-ope-
rative Store? And, thus, Our very
success is turned into barrier to fur
Their progress, since it becomes, through
the spread of this device, so tnucl more
difficult to let the people know what
true cooperation really is. Pleading
once before school board in favour
of teaching the children our principles
of cooperation, the vicar of the parish
interrupted me by saying: "Oh, but
they sell drink at the store For, to
his mind, cooperation simply stood
for that ioint-stock enterprise, which
has stolen our name but repndiated
our principles that jOint-stocll enter
prise, which gives unlimited profits"
to an unlimited number OF share
holders, while we give limited profits
to an unlimited number OF sharehOld-
ers. Were it not for these pseudo
forms of cooperation, which trade un-
der our name because OF our success,
our movement doubtless would grow
still more rapidly than it does at
present. For, surely, if it were geller-
ally known what true cooperation
really is, and what it has accom-
plished, and what it is capable OF
achieving, it would not be long before
the great mass ofthe workers were or
rolled as members of our stores, and
it would not be long before we manu-
featured most Of the articles that we
consume But we must, for time at
least, pay the penalty of our own
marvellous SlNNSSS' N-elIic4A y ~I'AN''
indeed, at the Bradford Church Con
gress. seemed to think our success was
so vast. that there was no great need
to talk about cooperation; that the
reason why the clergy did not preach
it from their pulpits was because ITS
advantages and blessings were so OBJ
vious." We ali certainly agree with
the canon with the regard to the mer-
it's of cooperation, and concerning IT'S
capacity tormeeting the pressing needs
of the industrial and social situation;
but we feel that, however obvious its
advantages and blessings may BE- 70
those who share in them, it is still ne
cessarv to make the true indwardness
of our movement known to those
peoDle who are outside our ranks.
The clergy, at any rate, at least
those who have given serious atten-
ton to the subject, do see the true
principles of cooperation, and begin
10 forecast its future. Or. Weetcott,
the Bishop Of Durham, speaking at
Macclesheld ON The Organization OF
Industry" observed that, inco-opera-
ton, 1--WE had, as il seemed to him,
the real union of capitalists, workers
and consumers. This brought the sure,
if distant, hope of a free and effective
organization of industry. The change
Of the term hands into members eN-
pressed the masterthought OF the
transformation.