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An Experiment in Co-Operation
Dr. Trcderlck Van Endcn, Du ch Scientist and Literary Man, Outlines Plans
for Agricultural Colony In North Carolina.
(By William J. Hoggson.)
Dr. Frederick Van Eeden, the most
p.omlnent scientific and literary man
In Holland, whoa experiment* In so
da! problem* hare been much dis
cussed iu papers and magazines dur
ing the last few years, baa launched
Another venture In co-operation. In
two recent visits to this country, I)r.
Van K'-deu lectured and wrote about
co-operation, and he now propones a
cooperative agricultural colony in
North C. ollna, the flrat department
< f an organization to be known ax
the Co-operative Company of Amer
ica.
Frederick Van Eeden waa bora at
Haarlem, Holland, In 18G0, the huh
«»f a bulb Ktower and botanist of con
siderable reputation.
He was graduated from Ihe Uni-
worHlty of Amalerdam in 183.1. studied
Inedlclne and becamu a pracijslng
physician In Amsterdam. Hater in the
Kamo city he established with Dr.
Van ItcnterKhem, a regular clinic,
where for thirteen years, hypnotic
suggestion wag aucceaafully applied,
not an a cure-all but uh a powerful
aid In the treatment of disease.
Remarkable Man.
Van Eeden's literary activities
have been remarkable. Ah a poet,
dramatist, novelist and essayist, he
has been a leader In Dutch literature.
Ills (lYamus have been produced In
Ueriln as well as Ills own country,
(Uid two of his hooka, "The Deeps of
Deliverance" and "The finest," have
been published In English. Other
works are now being translated.
It Is, however. Iu the line of social
-x perl men' that Dr. Van Redon has
boco.oe most famous. In 1889 he
nought land near Amsterdam and
founded a colony which he called
Walden. Here he offered equality
of opportunity nml Individual free
dom, but freedom limited by common
Inteli at.
The divergent views of the various
elements gathered together and their
unwillingness to submit to Bane mam
agement and competent leadership,
proved to be the rock on which the
wreck of the enterprise waa accom
plished. The blttor Irwin learned,
the community reorganized uml be
gan again and a dozes other co-opera
tive centers were ontft'liltailed on Its
model, all bound together In a "union
for the common ownership of the
soli."
Did relief Work.
In 1903 several thousand families
were made destitute hi Amsterdam
by the failure of ft railroad strike and
Dr. Van Eedon was appointed the
head of a committee trt relief for tho
unemployed. Dellevlsg 'that co-oper
ation Distend of charity Should be the
medium, he estnbllsliral co-operative
stores mm fnetorios, xurt! gave cm-
'ploymmt Instead of distributing alms.
The plan was successful. It aimed
at purity of goods, standard prices,
gave liberal salaries to employes and
rebates to purchasers, retaining ft
certain percentage of the net profits
to be used in the extension of the
business.
| The growth of the scheme was so
rapid that Ihe difficulty in finding
I managers, the Inexperience of the
employes and their unfamiliarity with
| the duties assigned them, was oppos-
' ed to all business rules for safe de-
i velopment and growth. There were
lover 40,000 members connected with
the enterprise within a year and II
was proved conclusively that while
philanthropy might be run on busl-
1 ness lines, a business stun as Dr. Van
Eeden started could not be safely
managed and run purely as a phil
anthropy.
The result night have been fore
seen by anyone with a buslners train
ing and when the crash came after
public confidence had been lost, Dr.
Van Eeden should' red the responsi
bility, paid the debts which amounted
to over $100,000, and Impoverished
himself. Ths enterprse whch was
calb-d The (Ttion, Is now on Its feet
again and has brunches In several
rltles.
No-th Carolina Project.
Dr Ven Eeden has Interested an
advisory hoard of New York business
and literary men In the new North
Carolina project The active manage
ment will ho In ihe hands of u com
pel, tit managing director. Numbers
of plans have been proposed hereto
fore some offering land, some offer
ing lard and advice, but Dr. Van
Eeden’s Is the first effort in co-opera-
I lion that strives to make a combina
tion of capital and labor, the ultimate
i benefits of which shall revert to the
! workers on the land. It Is an effort
| to make Ihe .'armor his own landlord,
and give him so satisfactory a return
for his labor through co-operation
that the temptation to migrate to
' tho city will be removed. It will
, lend to rclle'-e the congestion of the
; cities, although at first only settlers
of known ability and those who prove
' after Investigation to he fitted to
make a success of truck-farming will
be admitted.
It Is projmspd to raise tho neces
sary money ($100,00(1) by offering
first mortgage bonds at five per cent,
and the land and the Improvements
on the land as security. The stock
of the company wlli bo divided Into
common and preferred. The former
for tenants and the latter for pros
pective customers. Tennnts may he
eligible as stockholders only on rec
ommendation of the general mnnnger
and acceptance by the ’board of trus
tees. They mny then acquire stock
representing ownership In the com
pany, by purchase or have stock set
aside for them, lj be paid out of the
earnings
The entire details are not yet de-’
elded on, bui the Idea Is that If the
company furnishes land, houses, seed
and Implements, the settler shall put
up a certain amount of money to
ward his maintenance, farm supplies
and as an evidence of good faith.!
He wlli cultivate his land, his crops
will be marketed, and the proceeds,
less a certain percentage, will be
placed to his credit. This percentage
will be held by the company for a
| sinking rund -for future extens.ons,
or for carrying along the colonists
over a possible crop failure.
Financial Plan.
The financial plan on which It Is
expected to base the new corporation
Is as fellows: There will be two !
kinds of stock, preferred seven per
cent (not cumulative) for consumer!:
and trustees, and for tenants and |
employes, common stock will be Is
sued, receiving the entire benefits be
yond Interest on bonds and dividends !
nr preferred stock. First mortgage
bonds five tier cent, secured by land.'
Improvements and all the assets of j
the company, wlli be offered to In
vestors. The capital of the company)
will be $500,000, divided equally be
tween common and preferred st-ck,'
but It Is expected to make a start on
1,000 seres of land and test the Idea
before going further. This will re
quire $100,000.
The cost of the 1,000 acre tract,!
of getting the organization In smooth j
running order, of preparing the land,!
building the cottages and buildings,
together with the seeds, implements,
supplies and mules, and of advane
lug supplies to colonists for a part j
of two years has all been carefully
computed. The office expenses and |
the cost of Ihe Incidentals such as |
taxes, etc., have been anticipated. j
and It Ir estimated that the amount
mentioned ($100,000) will safely take
care of everything until the returns I
front tho crops begin to come In.
The Income to he derived will be
from tho rent of the farms, the com
missions on supplies furnished, and j
(he handling and marketing of the,
products of the farms. Estimated on j
a basis of fifty families there should |
be, at least, a gross Income of 512,
250. The running expenses, consist
ing of the managers' salaries, both
local and at thor selling end, and Inci
dental costs should not be over $<;,-
750, which would leave a net return
of $5,500 with which to pay Interest
on the bonds.
These figures are based on fifty
families, occupying only about half
the land.
Dr. Van Eeden has already Investi
gated a large number of applicants,
and out of one hundred and fifty
families applying It is believed that
I more than fifty will be found up to
1 ihe standard. These families are all
T)ntch.
Has Land Selected.
I The land It Is proposed to Bottle
first Is In Pender county North ,'laro-
Una. on the Atlantic Coast Line! rail
road, about thirty miles north of Wil
mington. An option has tx»A!»xob»wln-
Milledgeville Man
Dined With Cook
P.r v. Richard Hamilton, well known j
here os being charge of the Mllledge-
vllle mission work of the Roman Cath
olic church, passed through Augusta Fri
day night on his return trip from Eu
rope and while he was in Copehagen h?
bod the honor of being a guest at a
dinner tendered Hr. Frederick A. CjoK
of North Pole fam*-. Father Hamilton
has many friends In Copehagen and be
ing among the visiting Americans In
the city at the time of the arrival of
Dr. Cook he was Invited to one of the
numerous banquets tendered the great
explorer.
1 he dinner was tendered by Emil Lo
renzo fjottlleh Toburg. and Ambassador
Egan, nnd It was quite an elaborate at-
falr. several of the meat distinguished
schntlsts of Ihe world being presen:
Father Hamilton states that virtually
everybody believes In Dr. Cook’s stoiy
and mere seems to be no doubt wh.it.
ever ns to Its nuthentlcltv.
Numerous Incidents of the trln to th-
frozen lands of the unexplored
A HOME OF PALIS AND FLOWERS
old
nrhlle
errltory •
gwrall} n»ffrrc*d to as th*-- frown co in-
try nnd not charactei lz«*d as **ltlier torn*
or water, utlli U 1* »:»M tnc great e:-
plorrr Mtutcn tho: It In In no ana eons*,
quently by rlgl.t of discovery \s *ne
property of the I’nlNd StuU.*.
I-’Hthcr Homtlton returned to the
I'nlied States via firemen, rominji over
on the now ntenmohlp. the Oeorge Was...
Ingtnn. which Is one of the moai i iod-
ern of nil ocean ffolnK vessel*. Ife talKs
Interestingly of the trip uhror.d and. Ilk**
t lie people ho h.m been ns^ocl itlnfi with
cn the trip, he Is n strc.ns Took advo-
cate.—Augusta Herald.
“A LITTLE BETTER FOR A LITTLE LESS”
-ARE NOW READY—The Re-building,
the exchange of the two stores is now ac
complished—we have built and planned to
make this store a place where it will he easy
to shop-our efforts have met with the approval of many
--each step has been a step forward--we are now ready to
have you call and pass your judgment on same.. To-day
we have on display the most complete and varied lines of
Dry Goods, Notions, Furnishings and Ready-to-Wear
Shown in Middle Georgia.
■» *
♦ THE PLANTER. ♦
♦ l!y Aloyslus Coll. O
A planter came to my fields one da)
From over a sunny hill.
And said to me In a hopeful way:
"Have you any land to till?"
"Acres 1 have,” said 1 to him,
Of woodland, marsh and moor,
Vales where the sun is always dim.
And the soil Is rank and poor.”
Give me the waste for half the yield,”
Said the stranger from the hill.
I shared him the barren bramble field,
And the marsh 1 never could till.
He burned the briar and gathered the
stone;
He drained the soggy land;
He cleared the wood till the sunlight
shone
Where the ramplcks used to stand.
He sowed his seed with a merry song
On a day baforo the rain;
The day he reaped the sun was strong,
And the day he threshed his gralu.
"How came It so?’’ I muttered then,
Wuen I saw the fertile yield
Of the thicket and the watery fen,
The vale and the barren field.
’AVhat wizard thou, that thou shouldst
reap
Such measures of golden grain
From the bramble waste and stony
steep
That 1 sowed with seed In vain?"
"No wizard I," said the planter then.
As he counted his yield for me;
"As I.uek I am beknown to men—
My name Is Industry!"
—Sunset Magazine.
Mr. Robert H. Norris, 56fi East 11th Nt., East Oakland, Cal., writes:
"AVo have never had any other mediv.-e but Feruna ia our home since
we have been married.
"I suffered with kidney nnd bladder trouble, but two months’ treatment
with Pcruna made me a well and strong man. ?
"My wire felt weak and was easily tired urn was also troubled with vr.r- >
ions pains, but since she took Pernna sho is well and strong, A
««H'e ere both very grateful to you end gledly do n o give this unso- f
. I Id ted testimonial, feeling that It Is the least n e can do in return for n hat >
j f’eruna has done for us. ” ^
Catarrh Entirely Relieved.
Mr. Ira Henney, Fairfield, Freestone
Oo., Texas, writes:
"1 am completely cured of all symp
toms of catarrh.
“I can truly say that Pernna Is the
best medicine 1 ever saw. I will always
recommend Peruua to all my friends, for
catarrh."
Catarrh of Head,
Mr.C. Halloek, Antwerp, Ohio,writesT
“My daughter Allie, aftor taking
three bottles of your Pcruna, Is entirely
cured of catarrh of the head of two
years’ standing. We recommend Pe-
runa to anybody who has catarrh,”
Pcruna Is .manufactured by tho
Peruua Drug Mfg. Co.,Columbus,Ohio.
A FEW DAIRY NOTES
OF MUCH IMPORTANCE
Before you milk the udder should
he wiped with a clean, damp cloth.
Don’t put milk where it will freeze
or mix warm with cold milk.
Keep away from the cows and the
milk everybody who Is diseased or
has recently be»n exposed to any
contagious disease.
Throw away all milk that Is bloody
or stringy or Into which dirt has
fallen. To mix it with the rest would
spoil all.
Don’t feed dusty hay just before
milking or do anything that will pol
lute the atmosphere where milking
is going on.
The milker must wear clean clothes
and wash and dry his hands before
milking. When milking tob oo must
not be usod. .
Always milk at'the same hour and
with the same system. Irregularities
and change in methods disturb the
cows and decrease the flow of milk.
Trtat the cows gently. Be quiet,
hut milk quickly and thoroughly. Re
ject the first two or three draws from
the teat.
If the cow ever eats food strongly
flavored like garlic, let this be done
Just after milking, go the effect may
have time to work off before another
milking.
FOR SALE.
Forty acres of land, just back of
Dr. Allen's. For prices and terms ad
dress- H. J. Lamar, z21 Second St.,
Macon, G>*
Merchandise of Class
Lightning reds have been endorsed
by ihe daptrement of agriculture. \l
least the weather bureau of that de
partment bus Issued a bulletin wrlt-t
ten by Prof. Henry In which ho say*
that more attention should be given
to the matter of prefaction from
lightning. He states tU.it fro' .500
to 800 people arc killed, twice as
many Injured, and an Immense
amount of property destroyed every
year by lightning. Prof. Henry be
lieves thai Iron rods are as effective
as copper, although Iron is not as
r>’od n conductor. No doubt many
will iake Issue with him on tnis point.
The most Important laet Is that as a
representative of the department he
advocates the use of lightning rods.
This endorsement should bring the
subject forcibly to the attention of
all property owners who are not al
ready supplied with rods.
W hen we say Merchandise of Class, we do not mean
goods that are high in PRICE our prices are always
right, but the quality comes first—each article must have
merit to back it, the style must be right, and last but not
least the price shall be low as possible.
Come and see us—Latest Styles, Largest Stock and
Lowest prices.
B E L I
Your Friends,
W. S. Myrick & Co.
THE STORE OF TO-DAY
cd on 10,000 acres, though one tract
of about 1.000 acres will he utilized
for the proposed colony. The govern
ment and other reports on the soil
of this section show it to he of the
finest character. The rainfall Is
plentiful and evenly distributed
| through the year.
> Transportation facilities are excel,
j lent, nnd the farmers being able to
market produce from this section
] much earlier than northern growers.
I the prices obtained are among the
| highest. The feature that the com-
| pany will emphasize will be the co-
joperative marketing and distribution
of the products. That such a colony
| should succeed is to a large extent
guaranteed by what already has been
i done by individuals in this same sec
tion and on the same types of soil.
! Within a few miles of the proposed
j Dutch colony of Lioba is the thriving
Italian colony of St. Helena.
The success of the new company
| depends on competent farmers, good
| land and climate, market facilities,
I able and honest management and the
) necessary capital to purchase the
) land and build houses, a store, an
1 assembly hall, and to carry the en-
i terprist until after the first crop has
been marketed. The architectural
features of the houses and the at
tractiveness of the surroundings will
receive careful attention.
! Dr. Van Eeden expects to live in
the colony and to utilize the great
amount of experience be has had in
co-operative work by instructing the
colonists in co-operative methods and
aiding the management In every way
possible to make a success of the
movement. *
(•rest sgle o( Boy’s and
Children's School Shoes.
We are showing the
strongest line of Boy's,
Misses' and Children's
Shoes we have ever own
ed He invite your in
spection See the Buster
Brown line for bovs and
pirls. patent, vci and tans
$i.oo, $1.50 and $2.00.
Quit d uning, and buy
the CADET Hose for the
bo\s and giils. Every pair
warranted. Heavy and
medium weight, equal to
the 50c value for 25c.
Boy's Strong School
Suits in olain Trousers
and Knickerbockers, $3
to $5,
It will pay you to look
them over. VVe feel safe
in saying we can save you
some money.
H E. BELL
Phone No. 25