The Llano colonist. [volume] (Llano, Calif.) 191?-1937, 1922-10-21

Nolnfdoe SunO was IN reminiscent
mood on Thursday night, at the Psy-
Geological meeting. October II. He
narrated his experience when he and
his wife came to Newllano in 1919.
the conditions then prevailing, the at
titude of the members to one another,
and the wonderful transformation that
the colony has undergone during the
last four years, both in the outward inn
provements wrought and the more inn
portant inspiring change in the psyhco-
logy of the membership.
Psychology, he stated, was new
science. 1t is only since thirty years
that it is being taught in the higher
educational institutions of the world.
The working people, as class, never
knew that such thing existed. Karl
Marx had told EN- in the Communist
Manifesto nearly seventy-five years
ago: Workers of the world unite;
you have nothing to lose but your
chains and a world to gain" Mr.. Cur
no said that he had been in the labor
movement since 1864, and had sin
|cerely believed that unification of the
workers was all that was needed to
change to the cooperative common
wealth, but the appalling ignorance
and opinionated stubborness displayed
by the workers had caused him to
change his mind considerable. He told
of committee of Zionistts from Pale
slime who had travelled all over the
world to study the different co-opera-
tive institutions throughout the world,
and how the leader of the party, while
visiting in Newllano, had enlightened
him as to the necessary change re-
CURED in the propaganda for co-opera-
ton in order to gain the adherence of
competent managers and technical
leadership. Unless such men can be
enlisted in the workers cause, it would
be bound to fail.
No other explanation could be found
for the failure of all the popular up
heavals in the past except the deplor-
able ignorance of the workers. who,
although strong enough to overthrow
cruel despotism, were yet entirely
lacking in constructive ability to re-
place the objectional old order of
things with something better.
He spoke of the great influence Of
the psychological meetings in bringing
about better understanding and more
harmonious cooperation among the
members.
Comrade Pickett read an adverse
account of the Kuzbas cooperative
venture in Siberia published in some
paper by disgruntled member of that
venture. Pickett stated, that in the
light of his experience in Llano colony
in California, he was prepared to dis
count the whole story. People seem
to imagine that a cooperative venture
at the very start is a little paradise.
and when they fail to find palace
and veritable heaven of plenty and
happiness already open to receive
them, they get cold feet and feel great
ly wronged and imposed upon. These
unfavorable reports of the Kuzbas pro-
iect, we hope will be largely over
thrown by the Zeigfienld camera party
which left Petrograd on September z
with 10000 feet of film depicting the
industries at Nadejdenski and Keme-
rovo. These films will be released late
in October, through the Zeigfleld or
ganization. A minor film may be used
Tor lectures on the Kuzbas project la
ter in the year. The colonists at New
llano are heartily in sympathy with the
Kuzbas project and will cooperate
with the enterprise to the utmost OF
their ability. Cooperation knows no
frontiers or any other separation dis
tinction. There is no separation in the
spirit of cooperation Whoever under
stands" says Joseph Dietzgen, cannot
No real progress in the understand
ing of the human mind, of the mental
process of the individual and of So
ciety, can be accomplished. SO long as
the problem is approached with any
bias whatever, so long as the impor-
tant fact is overlooked that the same
laws which govern phenomena in gen
efal. also control the Individual and
apply TO the social consciousness. Men
tai science must take its start with the
recognition that man cannot be isolat-
ed from society of the present or the
past; that he is a social unit having
his entire existence in society; that he
is but the aggregate Of a historic pro-
cess eliminating in his present exist
ence; that no true conception can be
drawn Of him without taking into ac-
count the existing conditions which
mold and determine his consciousness.