136 RURAL SOCIOLOGY 



minimum of mutual suspicion. "With them the recognition of 

 brotherhood and community of interest is a habit of mind. Add 

 to this their increased intelligence, larger information, broader 

 outlook, and increased political efficency, and we must recognize 

 that the bonds which hold the people of the earth together in 

 peace will be strengthened as the cooperative movement advances 

 throughout the world. 



The experience of the cooperative movement indicates that the 

 application of right ethics to business results well, not only to 

 business itself but to the character of those engaged in it and 

 to all parts of the social fabric. 



It was observed by members of the American Commission 

 that in nearly all the European countries from Italy to Ireland 

 "the great body of cooperators, especially among the leaders, 

 think of agricultural cooperation as a sort of social reform and 

 in some cases almost as a religion." The admirable moral and 

 social results are recognized nearly everywhere. Not only has 

 it taught illiterate men to read, made " dissipated men sober, 

 careless men thrifty, and dishonest men square" but it has 

 made friends out of neighbors who had always been enemies, 

 while estrangements among men through religious antipathies 

 and the inheritance of ancient feuds have yielded to its influence 

 and have disappeared. 



It is natural that sound principles of economic justice and the 

 spirit of brotherhood should create enthusiasm in those who are 

 engaged in the movement. In the cooperative enterprises there- 

 fore laborers are more contented, enjoy their work better and 

 labor and live with more zest. Large numbers of capable 

 executives are engaged in the movement at great personal sacri- 

 fice to themselves of time and money. Many men, because of the 

 same spirit, are living in great frugality though rendering invalu- 

 able service. Frequently organizers of cooperative societies in 

 whole hearted devotion live on the lowest possible salaries, suffer- 

 ing hardships and prolonged absence from congenial homes. The 

 Agricultural Organization Society in Ireland impressed the in- 

 vestigator as a Christian institution quite as really as did the 

 churches in that country. The movement in the vicinity of 

 Dungloe, Ireland, has an atmosphere like that of a Christian mis- 

 sionary enterprise in its pioneer stage of development. In two 



