The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-01-11
The WOOd-PeckerS' Tree System.
written for the Coming Nation by Phi
Adelphus,)

The Wood-Peckers' Tree System.
written for the Coming Nation by Phil
Adelphus.)
The Woodpeckers were advancing in
civilization, and took up something like
the English land system. 1t was shown
that the labor of making holes in tree
trunk was a fixed improvement, and
would not be undertaken unless owner
ship of the tree was secured. Full title
to the trees was therefore confirmed to
various Woodpeckers.
AS there was no one to hold vacant
trees until they were wanted, it was re-
solved that any Woodpecker might own
any tree not already claimed.
Thereupon the active and long-heac.d
Woodpeckers began to fix to each tree a
little round red leaf like a seal, to mark
it as his own.
The Woodpeckers increased in num-
ber so that there were not unclaimed
trees enough for everybody; then some
Woodpeckers who had taken trees near
est to the insects colonies allowed 9TH
ers to make nests in some of their trees.
Pretty soon all the convenient trees were
full, and still there were more applica-
tiOns.
Says one lazy fellow: "If you COM
mon Woodpeckers bring me grubs, you
can have tree to yourselves" So that
tree got quite full, and still little Wood
peckers were coming into the world for
whom, as all the trees were owned,
their creator had neglected to provide a
place; in fact, population increased
faster than the means of subsistence.
The WOrmiest trees were kept for rise
in value; this value appeared in the
census as increasing wealth of the
community" AS the Tree Owners could
not consume all that the others pro-
duced for them, the community suffered
from over-production.
A large and growing lower class of
Woodpeckers had nothing to peck. So
wicked and lazy did this lower class BE-
come that they organized unions and
refused to peck other birds trees unless
by constant toll they could make enough
to keep themselves alive.
Then the upper classes set up trade
schools where young Woodpeckers were
trained in the best methods of work, and
taught to accept any pay rather than be
idle. They said: The poor we must
always have with us (else wages will get
too high)." Besides, this fostered hab-
its of industry.
Then the benevolent Tree Owners sub
scribed to a wood yard as labor
test where unemployed Woodpeckers
might peck the grubs out of cord of
wood for half a grub day.
This prevented the pauperization of
the poor.
They formed an Employment Bu-
reau," where the hungriest birds were
helped to get the situations by Offering
to do the pecking cheaper than the dis
contented trades-union peckers.
They left upon the hardwood trees
some of the little waste grubs, and set
Then their friends brought back the
fattest ones. That was "philanthopy
and per cent"
They washed those wretched birds
and set them out in the air for two
weeks. They investigated them and
found that their own intemperance, i'm
pudence, ignorance, idleness and incom-
petence (and everything beginning with
I, and nothing beginning with ID, were
the causes of pauperism. They said:
Our principle is not aims but a friend"
SO when the destitute had nothing to
eat, they were not allowed to drink.
The tree-owning birds taught the poor
to live upon chips instead of upon grubs,
and when they had organized" the
means of relief they said: eve have
greatly improved the condition and in
creased the number of the DOOR,"