The Washington herald., 1909-06-14
" T FOSTER
Genealogy and Cooperation.

Editor The Washington Herald:
As an instructive experiment in savage
evolution. it would be TOO cruel for Us "a
take lot Of newborn infants from the
several creed divisions OF the Caucasian
race and keep them isolated through life
from all other beings. Their condition
could not exactly correspond 70 that O,
our primitive ancestors. but It would
closely approximate It. Much. however.
OF what could be learned from such an
experiment we can get from a process OF
reasoning.
surreputiously aided during their help
lessness, but otherwise left 70 them
selves. such infants would grow I'D know
Ing nothing Of money. nothing Of dis
cipline, nothing Of creeds. nothing Of con-
science. nothing OF right and wrong.
Savages they would be. and savages they
would propagate. Ages would elapse be-
fore they reached our own barbaric state.
on the other hand. the same infants could
be taught by proper instruction 10 believe
In and 10 practice any correlated creed.
philosophy, and industrial system. In the
one case II would be blind cropping. and
In the other intelligent leading.
There are politieo-sociologists who tell
US that aid should not be given TO him
who can help himself. and that by re-
quiring him TO thus exert himself he be-
comes self-reliant and resourcefuI. There
Is good deal Of truth In that principie.
but II Is Incomplete While that prinei-
pie causes the poor boy 70 rise, its incom-
pleteness causes the rich boy to fall
Many things that q man can 90 alone. he
can do better IN cooperation.
Henry Thomas Buckle. the nineteenth
century's great analytic and synthetic in
Vestigator Of the causes Of human prog
ress, wrote as follows:
To do good TO others. 10 sacrifice for
their good your own wishes: to love vour
neighbor as yourself, TO forgive your
enemies, 10 restrain your passions, 10
honor your parents. to respect those set
over you-these and a few others are
the sole essentials Of morals, and they
have been known for thousands OF
years" Also; Since civilization Is the
product Of moral and intellectual agen-
cies, and since the product is constantly
changing. il evidently cannot be regu-
lated by the stationary agent"
Parents who are now In recent Of mod
crate living incomes should allot a nsrt
thereof 10 the managers OF their cooper
ative enterprise. and thereby have the
most of their needs supplied at greatly
reduced cost. The most urgent OF these
needs are food. clothing, shelter. and
health. and for the young, training and
associates in addition. These needs
should receive first consideration.
Many OF our Idle or poorly paid youths
and younger men should be sent 10 work
under competent direction on food-pro-
ducing farms sufficiently near each other.
and also to build houses.
Many parents, themselves without train
ing. are painfully aware Of their inability
TO train others. A large proportion OF
the peoples restlessness. which also tends
TO intemperance. is undoubtedly due 70
the tyranny OF our customs and TO an IN
trained mental activity Correspondence
while they may possibly do a 1T
tie good. are mainly delusions and snares.
The affairs OF a cooperative enterprise
must be directed by experienced business
men. Some Of the steps preliminary to
however, can be taken bv
US common laymen. Our object cannot
be easily gained. II It could be. It would
not be worth the getting. But II Will
not be so difncult as some OF US might
suppose.
The ordinary family history serves a
useful purpose even when it consists
argely in complimentary narrative. i