Norwich bulletin., 1913-08-23
THE BASE FOR COOPERATION IS THE TRUE
 CO-OPERATOR

mon" sense. And all men are not noted for their gumption.
 The trouble is that a great many men have gone into hastily devised at tempts at cooperation without first taking a good squint at themselves be- fore the looking glasses of their own ally fit for the high and honorable calling. They may have subjected their neighborS to a little scrutiny Of this sort but they have omitted to reckon up with themselves. Each one has taken it for granted that T am all right when, in too many cases, he himself needed watching quite as much as Smith or Jones.
 If a hundred men combine to co op crate in any way, and events later show that half of them are in it for what they can individually make or save, then that particular scheme will fizzle sooner or later. The sooner the better, too. The idea of cooperation is not that a hundred men shall co-op- crate for the benefit of any one or a dozen of any fifty, but each and all for the mutual advantage of the whole hundred Right there is the stump which too often tips over the whole apple-cart. Some clique undertakes to over-reach the others by just a air's-breadth,-to gain for themselves an advantage, perhaps of only few pennies. Instantly suspicion and mis- trust thicken up and the sky gets cloudy before you know it. Then look out for squalls!
 Eve been intimately connected with a small cooperative enterprise for ten years or more. We are a little com munity, and haven't had, all told, more than sixty or eighty members. Of the whole lot not more than twenty have shown themselves fit for cooperation. Some have been so frankly selfish and greedy we've had to force them out: some have been so intent on their own advantage that they have dropped out rather than see others share in their savings: some have been so intel lectually incapable of appreciating their responsibility that they have steadily unloaded all their own share of the burden on the overworked shoulders naively demanded without apparent thought of the inconsistency. that they should be treated with special conSid- eration and given special privileges.
 Not over twenty have been mentally able to comprehend the meaning of CO., operation and, at theAsame time, al truistically willing tov work for abso-
 
 work and reward.
 I suppose that human nature is about the same here on Podunk Flights that it is elsewhere and that the same con- ditions prevail, in the main.
 There's no use in trying to preach cooperation to litter of pigs. The idea of every pig is to get not only his nose but his forefeet into the trough: to gobble, not only his own share of the swill, but much of the other pigs share as he can.
 There's great similarity between some pigs and some people.
 Don't forget please, that any oc- casional failure of cooperation is not evidence against the principle of coop eration. It is merely an indictment of the would be co-operators.
 The fact that the Golden Rule isn't the supreme law of mankind is no cause for disputing the Rules worth it is just proof that mankind isn't yet up to the code.
 Men who are willing to give as we'll as take: who are capable of the Square Deal all round for themselves as well as for others and for others as well as for themselveS,-such men will never fail to find advantage and profit in CO., operation.
 But the man who goes into it with out any thought except of his own pocket, or who goes into 1t because he thinks he sees how he can work 1t" to his own personal advantagc,-that man is not fit for it.
 Ii is he and those like him who cause the occasional failures which the en- emies of the system harp upon.
 The Sterling mark on sfiverWere means that the ware is pretty good stuff. The fact that any cooperative can be and is successfully carried on in any community is preef that the manhood combined in it is 
 It fails enly when the attempt is made to pass bfumH7agen or pewter off as the real thing. THE FARMER