The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1914-09-12
EDITORIAL ON COOPERATION
One Great Problem Before Farmer 10
More Profits From Investment
Of TIme and Labor.

An editorial on the subject OF coop,
Grafton. published on the other side OF
the ocean, carries this sentence, "A
rural community, acting as one body,
buying together. manufacturing to-
gether, marketing together, is more
like family than anything else. II
is this We are fighting for"
The picture which is drawn by
these words is ideal. and being ideal
1t is scarcely practical. says kimball's
, Dairyman. There are certain con-
ceptions OF a readtustment OF eco.
nomic affairs which some would have
us believe will prove a solution OF
every rural question that is puzzling
the thinking public. Just now there
Is one great problem before the farm
ers, the question OF greater profits
| from the investment OF time, money
| and labor which they must make. Can
these be acquired through cooperation
as ideal and as communist!c as is i'm
piled by the above?
| The student OF history will thinl
/ back to the days when-in what som.
would call the good old times"-on
man did everything that was neces
/ sary for the conduct OF life in tn
home. Even the nails, the hinges, til
| horseshoes we're made in the far,
! shop. In the home the cloth VI
woven, the yarn was spun, the gi-
1 ments Uora manufactured No "a
would wish to go back to this simIe
form OF life. yet reading Of it tody
! Is as interesting as perusing the INST
! popular fiction.
Modern economic conditions Unity
| specialization. One man can do ae
thing. another may do another. Thre
! Is not time enough, competition is 90
! keen, life Is too short, for one to cCer
all lines OF work. On the other had,
there is no reason why the commdi-
ties that are necessary for the min
tenance of life In a community culd
not be purchased through coopra-
| tive efforts as we'll as by the adj
viduals. There is no reason whythe
/
munity could not be manufactured o.
operatively as we'll as to be sold ~
the individual producers. There isao
reason why the commodities that re
produced ready for consumption cold
not be sold comparatively rather tan
through the individual producer. here
is situation whereby in union tere
is power and strength and infiuace.
These characteristics cannot be de-
veloped by each to the extent that
they can by common effort.
The great obstacle in the way the
realization of this dream will De the
inevitable suspicion which ma, holds
towards bis neighbor. 1t is huian ma
ture for the less fortunate to inspect
the more fortunate. 1t is huian ma
ture for the man who is fallie back
ward In the march toward success,
to cast slurs. to see unpleasant char
acteristics, and to say unkin things
Of those who are passing hill In the
race Of business. AS long o this ia
the case, which will be as log as ~
man beings exist as they dotod2?, II
will be impossible to secure sun.ty Of
effort, a unity of purpose. rofteGt
degree Of cooperation. Ys this
perfection cannot be attaind, Ia ap-
proach is superior to tie su"ss'o
which is going on in too mnE i.'aces
today.
Tho idaal Ia MAYOR reached for ,yk-.1
1t is reached 1t ceases to cro1e "a
ideal. Therefore, one mayv-u lo?k
to the picture that is oU;lted above.
Such cooperation is we'll light 1-rfeS
ton, and although it may 0: .. fully
realized the sSproach to rs worm
while as the community nat strives
to realize this ideal will b the better
for its efforts.