242 THE FARMER AS A COOrERATOR. 



such infinitesimal injury to any individual member of the 

 company, that the temptation may be very strong. 



The Manager Is Sure to be Suspected.— I think this the great 

 danger-point of cooperative distribution. There is a mean 

 streak in humanity which seems to make us unable to 

 assume good motives when those which are improper can 

 be imputed. I fear there is no sanction of honest life, however 

 long continued or conspicuously displayed, which can insure 

 against insinuations of evil, which are all tlie more galling that 

 they are seldom so openly made that they can be disputed; 

 indeed, it would be useless to dispute them, for tliey can no 

 more be disproved than proved; for it is true tliat honest life 

 does not insure continued honesty; and tlie knowledge of the 

 suspicion which will surely come to all in these positions, 

 seems to be more likely than all other influences to break 

 down the moral fiber of the suspected man. The honest man 

 has usually the confidence of those with whom he is in imme- 

 diate contact, but in a cooperative society, doing business for 

 hundreds of members who never see the manager, there will 

 be continual questionings of his honesty. Knowing this to be 

 true, there is danger that the time may come when, under 

 temptation, lie may say, "Of what use is the honest life since 

 one gets neitlier the credit of honesty nor tlie advantage of 

 dishonesty?" and will conclude that since fidelity is repaid 

 with ingratitude, and no one can know certainly whether he 

 has been honest or not, he may as well do what many believe 

 that he does. 



This fault of suspicion lies in our own nature, and the 

 remedy must be found in our own knowledge of that nature. 

 The surest way to keep an honest man still honest is to trust 

 him; there is happily in our nature, amidst much evil, a 

 noble impulse that leads us to be faithful to those who really 

 trust us. Implicit confidence, and monthly verification of 

 accounts, will keep most men honest. 



There is also another safeguard, which, with that men- 

 tioned in the last paragraph, may be expected to maintain 

 honesty in service, and at any rate, in connection with reason- 

 able trust, is all that we can do to maintain honesty in 



