Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1923-06-22
GERMAN STUDENTS
START COOPERA-
TIVE MOVEMENT


Faced by the grim necessity of cut
ting their living costs to the hone or
else of leaving school altogether, 60
thousand German students have
solved their very serious cost of living
problems by cooperation. In sum-
mer they work in factories, mines, on
railways, on farms, and in other in
dustrial trades. In winter they run
student cooperative kitchens, coopera-
tive laundries, barber shops, shoe
and clothing repair shops, lending
libraries, employment exchanges,
book-binding shops. all on coopera-
tive basis.
No story of the great desire of
youth of any land for the privileges
Of education reads like such fascin-
ating tale of heroism and determine
ton as the story of the German Stu
dents cooperative movement. Since
the war distress among the students
in Germany has increased from month
to month. Most of them sons and
daughters of the professional groups
in the country, which were harder hit
than any other groups by the great
financial instability which followed the
war, found themselves without any
funds on which to go to college. Their
families had long since parted with
the precious family heirlooms-beau-
tiful old tables, gold watches, old lace,
cut glass, silver-in an effort to get
enough to exc out a bare existence.
Despite the help which the govern
ment gave in 1921 in lowering fees
required of the students. in helping
All Mt ~ m
official report stated, Thirty thous-
and students have been reduced to a
desperately low level of existence, so
that they are suffering not only from
hunger, cold, sickness, and abject
poverty, but are, indeed, falling stead
lily the victims of tuberculosis, of
mental, moral and physical despair"
With no help in sight from any
quarter, the students realized in 1921
that they would either have to give
up all hope of education or they would
have to find a way to solve this prob
lem for themselves. Fortunately they
found the way, 1t was cooperation
that they turned to.
At meeting of their self govern
ing organization, the National Union
of Students of Germany, held in
Erlangen, in July, 1921, they organ
lied the Students Self-Help Organ
tions, which has since become a
superb proof of the grit and determ.
nation of the German students. Pro-
fessors, business men, and the trade
unions all lent their help to the in
| domitable youth. The trade unions
| came Immediately to their assistance
| declaring that eff the students in
their bitter need really desire to take
| the road of hard and honest toll in
order to make possible their training,
we offer them the hand of fellowship"
| and are willing to receive them"
Each University has its organiza-
ton of student cooperators. All the
personal services and community
needs are cared for comparatively.
The result has been that the students
weekly expenses have been reduced to
minimum, and in the cooperative
kitchens, which have been made pos
sible by gifts contributed by fellow.
| students the world over, by business
men in Germany, by farmers in the
| surrounding disticts, most of the stur-
dents have been able to purchase their
meals at price within their means.