Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-02-23
ReneEts of Collaboration.

| While 1t is not TO De Claimed tnd'
there are none among our people who
are familiar with those principles OF
political economy that so materially
affect the subject, cooperation in bus
mess, still it is fact that there are
many who might study these principles
to the very great advantage OF them
selves and the communities in which
they live.
do unto others as you would have
others do unto you," was given as a
moral or religious, rather than as an
economic injunction; but nevertheless
the principle involved Is not without
force and power even in commercial
life, and the more general practice OF
It would insure the benefit not only
to individuals, but to communities.
It is a common thing to hear men
discuss the superior Importance of one
trade or vocation over another, and
very uncommon to hear of an agree
ment as between the respective adVo-
Gates of two contending vocations
| The reason ought to be plain. People
who really think carefully and deeply
find it impossible to decide wherein
any one honorable calling is to be put
at the head Of the list Of all other hon
orable callings. OF course, 1t is not to
be denied that there are reasonable
gradations in most useful callings
some being less important than 9TH
ers: but when a man takes a position
for one as against all others, he is at q
place where he will find it difficult to
sustain himself.
We do not think there is any doubt
about the fact that the leading vocation
Of this section, for instance Is farming
We do not know of a vocation that Is
higher or more useful. We do moi
know of a vocation that furnishes
range for greater industry or greater
intelligence, nor do we know of an
| industry that offers more possibilities
Of satisfaction, contentment and hap
piness to those who follow it. But we
are not prepared to say that the far
mer is all in all, nor his vocation more
important than many others upon
which he is almost as dependent as he
is upon his own. 1t Is true, for In
stance that the farmer, in large meas
ure furnishes food for his brethren OF
other callings; but he could not do II
were it not for the fact that his breth-
rem of other callings furnish him with
tools, with clothes to wear, with med
ical attention with scores Of things
| that he could not produce himself, es-
pecially at the same time he Is pro-
| viding the food referred to.
Just here we are reminded Of the
story of King Solomon's blacksmith
1t goes that upon the completion Of the
temple the king gave a great feast tc
which he invited the architects, the
cunning workers in brass, the artificers
in gold and silver, and in fact all the
skilled men who had taken part in the
great work After all arrayed In
| their finest clothes had taken theil
places at the feast, there came the
noise of a commotion at the door, and
when the king made inquiry, as tc
| the cause of 1t, he was told that a SCOT
begrimed blacksmith was demanding
admission on the ground that he hao
been invited. Angry at the attempted
intrusion, the king ordered the black
smith to be brought into his presence
The order was obeyed, the blacksmith
making his appearance with soldier
holding either arm; but holding up his
head unabashed even in the august
presence. What means this rude at
tempt to break in on our company
asked the king. The blacksmith claim
ed that under the terms of the invita-
ton that included all the chief work
erS on the temple he was entitled to
place at the feast. The king laughed
scornfully and demanded that he ex'
plain. Turning to the cunning worker:
in brass, the blacksmith asked, WHO
made your tools?" THE blacksmith,
they replied. The same question was
directed to the workers in gold and the
reply was the same, and SO on, unit
| King Solomon said: That Is enough
thou hast proved thy invitation, and alst
thy right to the chief place at the
feast, for thou art the prince Of then
| ALL"
| The application of this story seem:
to suggest the fact Of Cooperation ant
community of interest even where it i:
not appreciated, and a study of the
whole subject is we'll worth the while
of legitimate workers Of and producer:
of value in every department of en-.
deavor. OF course, we would not Sug.
gest that there is no such thing In oul
business and industrial and social or
ganization as leeches on the body pol
itic, nor would we advise that they
should not be kept in mind; but W.
would warn against a common ten
dency on the part of votaries of par
ticular avocatiOns to allow themselve!
to assume too great Importance as II
relation to other avocations.
The first study of each individual
Il worker as we see II, is 10 get Clea
idea of the relation of his own avoca
ton to other useful avocations, ant
then to cooperate with those similar
ly circumstanced in the development
of the interests of all. But it is yer.
we'll to remember that such devel
; opment must always recognize limita
tiOnS Of reason and justice, and tina
these limitations cannot be overstep
ped. The very keynote of healthfu
o-Operation-co-op that will b.
permanently benefcial-is right ant
justice, and this means to try to TAX
care of the other fellow as well a
yourself.
-"Such laws will naturally mothe
unnumbered political crimes and will
, subject the people to tyranny ant
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