Io6 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



"Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers." They began by 

 turning into the treasury two pence a week each. Next year 

 they found their "strong box" to contain what to them seemed 

 a big sum, 28 pounds sterling or about $140. With this they 

 decided to commence business. These poor weavers had high 

 ideals and much sound sense though very little education or 

 business training. They were teetotalers, they were ready to 

 labor and sacrifice for the common good. They worked eve- 

 nings and there was no clerk hire. They had fixed business 

 principles. They would tolerate no adulteration or trickery. 

 They would sell for cash only and at current market prices ; 

 they would not be a competitor of any one and they would set 

 aside a certain per cent of their profits for education. They 

 hired a cheap little room in a street called Toad Lane, purchased 

 a little flour, some butter, sugar and oatmeal and with this they 

 commenced business at first only in the evening twice a week. 

 They were scorned and ridiculed by some and pitied by others, 

 but they did not lose heart. Like every good seed in good soil, 

 it grew ; at the end of the year the capital stock had grown to 

 $900 and the w^eekly sales to $150. In 1850 it had 600 mem- 

 bers; in 1857, 1850; in 1876 it had 8892 members and its busi- 

 ness amounted to $1,500,000 with an annual profit of about a 

 quarter of a million. Best of all it has a large, well selected 

 library and small reading rooms attached to each of its now 

 numerous stores. These few hungry weavers have become the 

 teachers of the world. In every civilized country the name 

 Rochdale is synonymous with thrift, prosperity, intelligence and 

 hope. Some of you may not have had the opportunity to look 

 into the history of this movement and will be surprised when ^ 

 tell you that in Europe there are now over 50,000 co-operative 

 societies outside of Great Britain. In France there are over 

 800,000 members of farmers' societies of this kind, while in 

 England there are not less than 2000 societies with a member- 

 ship of over two million and a capital of $150,000,000. In 

 Ireland the work is progressing very rapidly, promising to 

 regenerate the industrial and social life of its long sufifering 

 people. In Germany, Holland, Belgium, the Scandinavian 

 countries and even Finland, this movement has had a wonderful 

 growth. 



