MANAGEMEXT OF COOPERATIVE SOClETIE.s. 251 



means of judging either of the value of the desired service to 

 themselves, the cost of it to the individual, or its value in" the 

 competitive market. It is, of course, inij)ossihle to la\' down, 

 in a scientific way, definite rules wherehy the value of any 

 given personal service maybe determined, but something may 

 be said which will assist stockholders in forming just views of 

 this subject. 



The one thing which should have and necessarily must 

 have most consideration in determining the value of personal 

 service is the number of facts which must be accurately 

 known in order to properly perform the service. The Brook 

 Farm enthusiasts, in the ideal community which they estab- 

 lished a half a century since, laid down the fundamental 

 principle that all labor should be paid at a uniform rate, 

 regardless of its nature; with the idea, of course, that the more 

 disagreeable occupations should be shared in turn by all; and 

 in fact, for a time, the head of the community, the accom- 

 plished Dr. Ripley, received the same price per hour, whether 

 serving as an instructor in psychology, or as chambermaid to 

 the cows; but in due time it was discovered that, while almost 

 any of the community could satisfactorily replace tlie good 

 doctor in the malodorous functions of the stable, his duties as 

 instructor could not be so well performed by any other. It 

 also doubtless occurred to them, in due time, that while a 

 moment's observation was sufficient preparation for the one 

 service, ability in the other could only be acquired at the 

 price of years of not immediately remunerative labor. At any 

 rate, they abandoned the system, and so long as preparation 

 for special work has to be made at the expense of the indi- 

 vidual, he must receive the increased value of the service 

 prepared for. 



A common laborer needs to know few points, and earns a 

 dollar a day; the skilled workman must know more, and 

 earns $3.00 a day; the foreman must know still more, and 

 earns $-i.00 per day; the superintendent, who must have a far 

 wider knowledge, earns according to the extent and impor- 

 tance of his business; and, in general, the compensation of 

 personal service increases in a direct ratio with the extent 



