The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1922-08-17
CO-OPE RATION

One of the best addresses given at
the recent meeting Of Commercial
Club secretarys was delivered by E..
u. Berdahl, secretary of the South
Dakota Retail Merchants Association
on the subject, "Co-operation between
the Business Man Merchant and the
Business Man Farmer" We reprint
his address below:
THE subject implies that not all
merchants are business men, and not
all farmers are business men, but |
guess we will all agree that some Of
them are business men and all of
them ought to be and could be bus
mess men if they Only wanted to.
Let it suffice to say that the subject
is well stated because it presupposes
the need of establishing a quality in
common before cooperation can sue
cessfully be undertaken.
| am not going to tarry with intro
ductory remarks expressing my dis
like for the term cooperation" |
think the word is SO badly used and
much abused that it has lost it's force
and it's meaning. Under the guise of
cooperation, we have seen the gross
advancement Of selfish ends. Under
a silken banner bearing that magic
word, the hordcs who are opposed
to everything hat exists have rallied
and enticed into their ranks innocent
Cor perhaps | should say, u~nthinking)
numbers who have accepted as u
sufficient the slogan Cooperation"
Oh, l believe much could be said that
might tend to discredit the word it
self. That, perhaps, might properly
be termed the abuse Of the expression
and the sin against the spirit of CO.
operation as we believe it should be
eXemplitied.
But not abused, cooperation is a
great force-a force for good as it
might, when abused, become a force
for evil. Without theorizing, then,
upon the fancies or ideals Of my per-
sonal opinions, let me as briefly as
possible take up the subject which
you intended that l speak upon.
AS | have said, there is implied in
the subject itself the need OF some
thing in common before cooperation
is undertaken. In this case, business
acumen seems to be the prerequisite
inasmuch as we are eliminating the
fellow who doesn't read or think or
study or make any attempt to be
more than a physical workman.
Now there is another requisite to
cooperation, in my opinion, and that
is a little common understanding.
We've got to know a little something
about each other-our mutual pro-
blems, our likes and our dislikes, u
circumstances, and perhaps We might
go so far as to learn each others dis
positions. BY the latter, | mean simp-
ly that we have got to know human
kind. So l would say that the first
thing that must be undertaken IL a
spirit of cooperation is to be fostered
between merchant and farmer, or be-
tween any other twain, is that each
factor learn something about the
other fellow-something more than a
casual observation and a self-formed
opinion.
Before discussing this, let me sug-
gest another prerequisite which Is
most important. We must have n
fidence in each other. Anything else
would suggest that an attempt at Co
operation" would have its whole root
in %selfshness, and would constitute
rather diplomatic manipulation than
mutual, go-to-it-together cooperation.
While other common qualities might
well be introduced, 1t is not necessary
to complicate this prescription OF
mine by the addition Of more ingre-
dents at this time. Given some COM
mon quality such as "ali OF US being
business men," then studying to
understand each others problems,
giving our neighbor the benefit OF all
doubt and putting confidence In him
as a man and a neighbor, 1t seems
that It should be q simple matter to
get together in truth and In spirit to