The Llano colonist. [volume] (Llano, Calif.) 191?-1937, 1922-09-23
FIRsT TMPREssIoNs oF LLANo
By Geo. Sutherland

BY Geo. Sutherland
/ hold in my hand document dated
August / 1916, to which the names Of
Job Hartman, President, and Frank E.
Wolfe (then) Sec'y. Of the LIano CO.
operative Colony. are attached; il is
the agreement issued to installment
members and receipt for application
fee. Being q poor money-grubber, /
could not carry on and. had TO drop
out; but, for the past six years, the idea
Of sometime entering the Colony has
been In the back Of my head" as the
saying is. An unexpected change in
financial affairs during the past six
months made it possible for my family
and self to resume negotiations for
Colony membership: we arrived Nom
day afternoon. September lIth+ this
is written on the afternoon Of the SEW
lENTEENTH. | am here giving the OBJ
servations and impressions Of FIVE
DAYS residence and industrial actiy-
| ity at Newllano--for, within 40 hours
of the time Of my arrival, ! was at work
in one Of the Colony's major industries.
as ''lumber-mlll hand ] DESIRED
1t to be so.
Since this article must be brief and
'sketchy." and for the further reason
that co-operators have adopted as their
own Herbie Hooyer's wartime slogan,
Let Nothing Be Wasted" (though we
know Herb to be four-fIusher). I'LL
just call the roll Of some Of the Colony
industries, without making comments
they are: LAUNDERING. saw mill, dairy
ing (cows and goats. farming on So
cialized scale, bakery, laundry. cabin
et-making, handle-turning, shoe and
harness-making, print-shop publishing
regularly three papers. besides turning
out much commercial printing!. The
colonists manufacture peanut butter.
syrup, vinegar and candy. There is
an auto repairing industry Of sizable
proportions; commercial blacksmithing
and wagon building are also done.
There is school system which takes
kids at two years old into the kinder
garteh and carries on through the
grades to high school work.
The hotel serves three meals day
10 an average Of zoo people; school
girls operate cafeteria, where the kids
get their dinners and suppers. There
are also swimming-pool. about so <
rs fl, and shower baths. There are
clubs, classes and groups Of many
kinds for serious study, recreation, and
lalI- round improvement,
There is library Of 5000 volumes,
lin which many Of the worlds classics
may be founl. But | must stop emu
merating features-I am asked to give
my impressions. so here goes.
The first fact which forcibly strikes
1.-The tenderfoot in this cooperative COM
munity is the MORAL EARNESTNESS
of the men and women who handle
and work in the CoIony's industries
and the various departments necessary
and vital to the community life; they
Iare tremendously interested in their
jobs as part Of the BIGGER job
hence there is absent that element Of
waste which makes it necessary to have
straw boss" for every haIf-dozen
men. as in industries on the "outside"
these men and women understand their
work and know what is required Of
them. The whip and drive Of compete
tive industry are absent here; the
common veal and social urge are the
motives which speed up the colonists in
their activities, There are no clocks
in evidence in any Of the places where
groups Of workers are employed; there
are no "clock-watchers'; we are divid-
ing up with nobody, but working for
ourselves and the race-ideal "a soci-
Iety made up of Tree men and tree wo-
men.
| see no reminders Of LAW and
FORCE at NewIlano; there are no
cops" we do nothing with which the
punitive branch Of society is concern
ed.
The chief concern Of the Colony
folks is-TEIE Chill REN those who
ARE soon to take up the task Of creat-
ing. not new heaven. as set forth in
Saint Johns pipe dream, but NEW
EARTH, new ENVIRONMENT for
men and women in the flesh; hence ed
ucation. relaxation, recreation, and in
dustry are all geared for the develop
ment Of strong-bodied. clean-minded,
straight-thinking, but use-