The Llano colonist. [volume] (Llano, Calif.) 191?-1937, 1922-07-29

/
tabhshed, our homes and other hous-
Iings built and our social life thorough
ly organized and provided for, we will
necessarily have to confine our ener-
gies almost exclusively to this Job. and
content ourselves in a great measure
SO far as outside ventures in cooper
alton are concerned with moral sup
port and comradely God-speed; we
cannot afford to jeopardize this insti-
tuition by promiscuous scattering Of
our resources and energies at the pre-
sent stage Of development
| Now, George, cannot refrain from
offering few words Of caution in con-
nection with your new cooperative
venture; ! trust that you will take it
in the spirit in which it is given-in a
spirit of true comradeship. in which we
can afford to be perfectly candid and
frank with each other.
It is vastly more difficult job 10
successfully conduct a cooperative
colony or cooperative institution Of
any kind than most people imagine
in fact, there are but very few who can
do it.
Just think of it! Out Of the thou
sands who have come into this colony
at various times within its eight years
of existence, only mere handful have
proven themselves capable Of actually
cooperating thru adversely as we'll as
prosperity; and experience has shown
that until people have developed this
ability to cooperate and dogged de-
/. termination to practice it thru thick
and thin, they are very apt to make
failure of any attempt at co-opera-
ton. In proof Of this witness the many
failures and the few successes. The
practical co-operator, the successful
co-operator from the dollar and cents
point of view-which is the only view
point held by the great majority of
protested co-operators-falls far short
Of what is required to build the found
alton of the cooperative common
wealth; this requires a high degree of
ethical development, an understanding
ethical development, an undertaking
the social, industrial and economic
forces which have worked together to
bring about the conditions and envir-
onment in which we find ourselves and
a clear understanding of what is re-
CURED to be done in order to bring
about the desired change to a!truistic
cooperation; it requires deep IN
sight into, and understanding, of hui
man nature and especially Of ones
self, knowledge of psychology or the
nature of and functions Of mind-not
alone our own minds, but those of our
associates and their relation to each
other and as part of the universal
mind or force which controls the uni.
verse, Of which wes each and every
one, are a part; it requires knowl-.
edge of, and willingness to conform to
natural law, which includes the law Of
human association-an understanding
of the fact that a failure to know and
obey this law must inevitably result in
discord, lack of harmony and failure
to successfully cooperate with anyone
or anything; it requires a highly devel-
opcd sense of justice and fair play
which can be exercised without fear or
favor; it requires the ability to under
stand, and expeditiously and effectual-
ly solve the many problems great and
small which are continually arising to
disturb the individuals of the group or
the group as whole; a combination
of these characteristics will inevitably
produce the leader who can, and will,
conduct the altruistic cooperative ven
ture to successful conclusion and it
will be found that, invariably this lead
er is passionately devoted to the ser
vice of others and the group to the
utter exclusion Of self and selfish
things; the self-seeking co-operator can
not promote, much less, perpetuate, a !
institution that is worthy
TO be perpetuated.
The gruelling weeding-out process
which has been going on continuously
turnout the eight years since this coli
ony was organized has produced but
three or four persons who, by stretch-I
ing points might qualify as leaders,