328 HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL. 



A certain writer has defined a condition of perfect equality to be " where 

 each produces according to his means, and consumes according to his 

 wants." The Alliance goes farther, and seeks better results. It aims, 

 as the ultimate fulfilment of duty, to have each member educated up to 

 one common plane, as nearly as natural or acquired abilities will permit. 

 It assumes that the whole human family can be made better. While 

 admitting that some can make more rapid advancement than others, it 

 holds to the belief that all can be improved. The common " fatherhood 

 of God and the brotherhood of man " would be the ultimate end of true 

 Alliance doctrine. The duties of membership demand that the strong 

 should help the weak ; the educated, the uneducated ; and the joyful, the 

 sorrowing. Aid and fraternal assistance should include the financial as 

 well as the moral and educational. A general desire to bring about 

 peace, plenty, and prosperity to every member should actuate the whole. 

 Herein lies the full duty of membership, and is indispensable to either 

 success or progress. 



In the Alliance all meet upon certain levels, and each is possessed of 

 certain rights and privileges. These should be sacredly preserved, and 

 fully recognized by every member. Those who through ignorance do 

 not understand the full import of these conditions should be taught 

 them at once, and not be deprived of their benefits. Duty makes every 

 member his " brother's keeper," and formulates a condition of fraternal 

 dependence that cannot be neglected or ignored. In all matters per- 

 taining to moral, material, or intellectual growth, each member should 

 be governed by one purpose and guided by one impulse. Nothing 

 should interfere with continuity of action, in this respect, on the part of 

 every member of the Alliance. They should stand together as a unit, 

 defending each other, and protecting the general welfare of the order. 

 Nothing should be taken for granted, or believed to be true concerning 

 a member, unless clearly and distinctly proven ; and even then charity, 

 " the greatest of them all," should be permitted to dictate the terms of 

 judgment. 



The motives of the organization may not be understood, and, as a 

 consequence, they are liable to be impugned. Because of this, members 

 become alarmed, and the cowards retreat. Not so with those who 

 understand their duty. They seek to make plain their objects, and try 

 to instruct the public in the principles of the order. To do this requires 

 courage ; but this courage is nearly always found in conjunction with a 

 proper sense of duty, and in all cases makes the weak strong, and the 

 triumph of truth complete. The Alliance furnishes a fertile field for 

 those who desire to benefit their neighbors and friends. The oppor- 



