460 STUDIES, SCIENTIFIC AND SOCIAL 



giving and receiving orders among persons who look upon 

 each other, and who really are, equals, is one of the most 

 fertile sources of discord. To avoid this the names of 

 all the members were arranged alphabetically and con- 

 secutively numbered, so that every one knew his or her 

 number, and every horse and implement had also a 

 number. A series of slates were hung up in the dining 

 room at the end of each committee meeting, with the 

 numbers and names of all the members in their proper 

 order and an exact statement of the work they were to do 

 the next day. Every one looked at these slates either 

 before going to bed or early in the morning, and went 

 straight to their work without any need of instructions 

 and without any ^possibility of mistake. The members of 

 the committee were divided into sub-committees dealing 

 with special departments, and any alterations needed during 

 the day on account of changes in the weather or other 

 causes were settled by one of them. If any of the arrange- 

 ments or allotments of work were thought to be injudicious 

 by an}^ of the members, they could state their objections 

 in a " suggestion book " which was always open for the 

 purpose. The remarks in this book were read by Mr. 

 Craig as secretary, at the evening meetings of the com- 

 mittee, and the decision upon each point was noted therein 

 by him. 



Even more important, for the harmonious working of 

 the society, was the weekly meeting of the whole body, at 

 which the various suggestions during the week, with the 

 decisions of the committee upon them, were read and 

 subjected to remarks and criticism. It was thus seen 

 that attention was given to all these remarks, and that 

 many of them had been acted upon ; and Mr. Craig tells 

 us that — "sometimes very judicious suggestions would be 

 made by men who, all their lives previously, had been 

 treated as utterly unworthy of a moment's consideration." 

 A healthy public opinion was thus formed, and every one 

 gave his best thought as to how the affairs of the society 

 could be improved, and the work carried on in the most 

 economical and effective manner. 



