Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 January 1891 — THE BROTHER OF MAN. [ARTICLE]

THE BROTHER OF MAN.

A Sentiment that May Do In Social but Not in Business Life, Baltimore Bmt The term brotherhood of man is as much abused os the name of’ liberty, yet, like liberty, it has a real meaning to some people, and leads them to become unselfish friends of humanity. It is this sentiment of brotherhood, sometimes only that has led to the development of all kinds of cooperative societies and industrial organizations intended to correct the supposed evils arising from the necessary relation of capital and labor as distinct forces. Yet a co-operative society is no sooner formed tfyic it begins to deal with all out side its narrow circle in precisely the same spirit actuates the successful merchant or manufacturer or other employer of labor. It buys in the cheapest market, takes advantage of discounts, sell at the highest rates it can obtain, and then, when the accounts have been made up and a profit remains, begins to practice brotherhood principles—limited—by dividing the gains to its own members. What have been denounced as the selfish principles of business men acting for themselves are here exercised not by the individuals but by a group formed Into a corporation or society. Until a radical change is made in the constitution of men the greater extension of the brotherhood principle seems possible, for barter and trade,- however warped from their purpose on occasion are founded on a “just interchange of commodities, and no form of brotherhood can give us more than justice in the way o' alms. But association and co-operation, founded upon the sence of s the brotherhood of man, are nevertheless capable of doing good to humanity, though they may not be able to overturn business principles based upon barter. They encourage thrift and industry, two habits that go very far to correct the evils of poverty; they help to impart practical] knowledge of business affairs to the cooperators —knowledge which is of use to them in all their dealings. A careful

examination of tha results of co-opera-itve enterprises shows that their immediate material returns are uncertain and of too great magnitude or importance, but that their indirect benefits are sometimes very great, though incidental and unlooked for. It is this circumstance that leads to the never ending contentions between calculating mathematicians and the advocates of cooperative enterprises, who without reasoning from cause toeffect, are nevertheless sure that they bring about good results. The advocates of building societies, which may bo taken as one form of cooperation, will claim in one breath that the borrowers payless than the legal rate of interest on moneys borrowed, and that the society gains much more than legal interest on the same sums. Even when allowance is made for the compounding of interest, the calculating mathematician finds that this is not true. If he is also something of a financier he can prove—on paper—that the building society member could better afford to save and invest his money and borrow money when he needed it in the open market than deal with his cooperative bank. But the mathematician who comes to this conclusion is in as much error as the deluded advocate of cooperation, who thinks that a littlf sentiment will change the market rates for money. His theory was not a practicable theory. It does not take into ac.ount the, weaknesses of men and tho temptations to which they are subjected. Vho building society removes some of these temptations, encourages the member to save, stimulates him to make safe investments of a speculative nature in real property, teaches him business principles, and by promoting his interests in these indirect ways apparently fulfills the promise of its advocates. But these and other cooperative enterprises must follow business principles if they are to succeed, the brotherhood idea my help to form them or hold them together; it must not govern them in their dealings. There is of course plenty of room for the sentiment of brotherhood in social life, and it should be developed there as much as possible, but it 9 introduction into business is too often a sham and pretense, or may be a source of financial rhin,