whose chief virtues were deceit and treachery, have in the course of generations learned to confide in others, and combine in Trusts, against the world, and that some of our ancestors of only three centuries ago doubtless witnessed with approval the burning of martyrs, it is perhaps not too much to expect that a few centuries more may fit the world for cooperation. The changes of social force, in nature and direction necessary to make universal cooperation possible, do not seem to me greater than those that have taken place since the dawn of history.*

* My personal experience in cooperative work among farmers has possessed, for myself, a sort of grim humor, and may be entertaining to others. It has, at any rate, a certain educational value, and as I am in a position to write with entire frankness, I give the substance of it for what it is worth, reminding my readers that this was not a case of cooperation among or for absolutely poor people, but among those quite able to protect their own interests if they cooperated as they said they wished to. For many years I had been in charge, upon the Pacific Coast, of certain eastern interests which, in due time, developed into a Trust. The owners of the business never struck me as wicked men, but simply as ordinary good citizens, wishing, like honest farmers and workmen, to set the highest possible price for their product, and somehow compel people to pay it. They were kindly men, prominent at the missionary box, and elsewise in good words and works, but never, in any conference to which I was admitted, was the public welfare made the basis on which prices were fixed. I had no instructions to consider the public weal, and never did, but got all I could, receiving therein the cordial support of my principals, with complimentary telegrams upon the happening of a lucky stroke of business. In the meantime, in my little personal world, whose attitude towards one does so much towards making life cheerful or otherwise, I had evidence of general good-will, with some special esteem and respect as for one concerned with a Monopoly of some consequence for those days. I never heard of an unpleasant word said about me by anybody, and I suppose I had not an enemy in the world. Life was very rosy.

When I left that sinful employment, and was soon after born into the kingdom of cooperation, I cheerfully accepted the tasks which were set me, and discharged them with the same zeal with which, in my unregenerate days, I had served the arch enemy. As unexpected obstacles arose, inbred contrariness impelled me to strive to surmount them, in which endeavor I worked harder than ever before in my life, or than I ever intend to again. The aggregate wealth of the people who had asked me to serve them was far greater than that of my former employers, while I was not rich, and in fact, although I did not know it at the time, was quite poor. There was therefore no reason why they should not pay or I should not receive compensation for what

I had been asked to do, and I did take what I thought I needed, which was about one quarter of what a self-respecting Monopoly would have expected to pay for similar effort. I never thought myself incompetent for what I had undertaken, and supposed myself to be donating the greater part of the value of what I did. But the humor of the situation appeared in the attitude of my employers, the People, and of the outside world. Having always been respected as the emissary of a Monopoly, I anticipated greater esteem as the representative of the People. Having been accustomed to hear nice things said when I did good work for an evil cause, I expected still prettier compliments for harder work done in a good cause. I got none of them. The mass of my employers profoundly distrusted me, and the world at large thought me engaged in very trifling business. There was a distinct lowering of social standing, which is never agreeable. When my motives were attacked by those opposed to cooperation, no employer, that I ever heard of, defended me, and many repeated and enlarged upon the evil stories. I had left business because I had become too lazy to work hard, and wild horses could not have dragged me back into the details of affairs, but I became satisfied that the opinion was well-nigh universal that I was exploiting the poor farmers for a permanent job at a "fat salary,” not otherwise attainable, and was accompanied by a grim determination that I should never get it. I have sought in a number of cases to be actively helpful to some class, I being one of the class, but never, I think, without having my motives impugned, lies told about me, and raising a crop of enemies within the class which I was seeking to benefit. At first, of course, this was very annoying, but later the humor of the situation prevailed, and I amused myself with trying to understand why people should like a man so long as he was exploiting them, but hate him as soon as he began to try to help them exploit other folks. But I never could.

Of late years I am cooperating with everybody who wishes to cooperate, but extending no invitations of the kind, and otherwise strictly attending to my own business. As a result of this process my own little affairs are prospering fairly, and I seem to myself to be gradually regaining the esteem of mankind; so much so, in fact, that I am not without hope that I shall some time be thought of as kindly as when I was serving a Monopoly. So far as a restless soul impels me to meddle with other people's business, I find most enjoyment, and the prospect of most usefulness, in promoting useful aims by whose accomplishment I can not possibly benefit, and in doing so at my own expense. I don't like the Public as a master and will not work for it any more. I have said elsewhere that I do not think altruism a proper basis for cooperative business, but for myself I am too selfish to engage in it from any other motive. I will not surrender my peace of mind.

While I have made the foregoing statement hoping that it may aid in securing for faithful servants of cooperating farmers more considerate treatment than they sometimes receive, I should be very ungrateful, and do injustice to many, did I not in the same breath recognize the cordial support and enduring friendships which came to me, and have come to others, as the result of labor in cooperative work among farmers. There was much of this, and yet, upon the whole, the general impression which I received is as above stated.

It is also proper to say that not all of our cooperators are so weak-minded as myself. Far more evil than was ever said about me has been said for years against better men than I, who go steadily on with their work, and in time have a following who stand by them and make them comfortable. This, I suppose, will in time happen to every one who does his duty and is patient. There are many such men in California, without whose aid cooperative work could not be carried on. I simply do not happen to be patient.

After all there is nothing tragic about cooperative work among farmers. It is cooperation among the fairly well to do. It does not particularly appeal to the sympathies, nor call for much self-denial that one does not feel inclined to. It is cooperation among the really suffering that stirs the blood. It is when one thinks of such men as Mitchell in England, and Raiffiesen in Germany, and men like them, that he raises his hat and is silent a moment.

APPENDIX.

THE body of this volume is based mainly upon the experience and observation of the author, with little or no reference to the experiences of others, and no reliance whatever upon "authorities." I wished my own conclusions to go for what they may be worth. The appendix is intended to supplement my own observations with the experience and observation of others upon some of the same subjects, to illustrate more freely some topics which were necessarily treated but briefly in the text, to indicate to general readers not having access to large libraries, the sources from which, at least expense, they may inform themselves further upon any of the subjects here treated in which they may be specially interested, and to serve, in some measure, as a statistical hand-book. As will be noted, however, I have not hesitated to introduce discussion in connection with any subject upon which I thought discussion or explanation would be helpful, in which respect this differs from the usual conception of an "appendix."

All statistical and other matter not original has been credited to original sources, when known, and otherwise to the publications in which it was found. The diagrams illustrating the subject of the Currency have, unless otherwise specified, been prepared for this volume from data familiar to all students of the subject. E. F. A.