LITTLE STUDIES IN COOPERATION 39 



a school garden as a part of their course in botany. This they 

 did wholly themselves, although the advice of a teacher was 

 always at their command. The girls organized, electing offi- 

 cers and forming committees. Then the garden was plotted, 

 the soil prepared, the seeds sown, and the tools distributed 

 and kept in order. Moreover, what was by far the most diffi- 

 cult problem, the program of work and the allotment of time 

 were self-determined. The whole business was run with a 

 more even and just distribution of labor, and with far more 

 harmony and satisfaction, no easy matter where so many 

 were concerned, than if their teacher had managed it. 

 So at least admits the teacher. This test is certainly a fair 

 one to apply. For if cooperation proposes to do the world's 

 work better than individualism has done it, then it must do 

 the work of the school better than individualism can do it. 

 In the case just quoted, however, it should be explained that 

 this was not by any means the girls' first experience in self- 

 organized work, although it was their first attempt in cooper- 

 ative gardening. Many difficulties in technic, therefore, had 

 already been met and overcome. 



The experiment proved' quite worth undertaking, if only to 

 show what practice does in developing team play in school 

 work and among girls. The details are given by the girls 

 themselves in the following report : 



REPORT OF THE GARDEN WORK OF SECTION FIVE 1 



The members of Section Five decided, in March, 1909, to assume the 

 responsibility of the garden work ; they agreed that it would require the 

 best efforts of every girl in order to make the business a success. 



The first matter to be decided upon was the selection of seeds. A 

 committee of three members was elected ; they elected a chairman who 

 consulted with Miss W. as to the required seeds. It was found that every 



1 Written by the Chairman of the Committee. 



