CO-OPERATIVE SETTLEMENT 



no light for our present problem, since capital will not 

 invest upon the mero chance of finding extraordinary 

 men or colonists of rare character and spirit. 



The current history of Ireland furnishes us with a les- 

 son of great importance. In that country economic im- 

 provement has recently superseded political agitation in 

 the popular mind. The result is an industrial and social 

 uplift which has not yet attracted the world-wide atten- 

 tion it deserves. The movement is the result of the 

 earnest labors of the Right Hon. Horace Plunkett, Mr. 

 Thomas P. Gill, Mr. R. A. Anderson, and their colleagues 

 in the Irish Agricultural Organization Society. Their 

 methods are not exactly parallel to those which could bo 

 used in the settlement of a new country, but the only 

 difference is that which obtains between building a new 

 house and rebuilding an old one. 



Before the present movement was started Ireland was 

 about as hopeless a place for the small farmer as could 

 be discovered upon the map of the world. Those who 

 produced the wealth from the soil bought their provisions 

 and sold their crops to the poorest possible advantage, 

 and borrowed money at crushing rates of interest. Their 

 natural markets were occupied by Belgian, Dutch, and 

 French farmers, who had been so fortunate as to learn 

 at an earlier day the value of organization on co-oper- 

 ative lines. In the face of much opposition on the part 

 of his countrymen, especially of the professional poli- 

 ticians, Mr. Plunkett set out upon the career of indus- 

 trial reformer and up-builder. Knowing Ireland by heart, 

 and thoroughly informed of the methods and results of 

 co-operation in other countries, he set out upon a cru- 

 sade for the industrial regeneration of his countrymen. 



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