goods.  In 1876 one hundred and sixty Grange stores were recorded.  In he same year it was officially stated that “local stores are in successful operation all over the country.”

The Sovereigns of Industry also developed co-operative distribution largely.  In 1877 President Earle reported that “ninety-four councils, selected from the whole, report a membership of 7,273, and with an average capital of only $884 did a business last year of $1,089,372.55.  It is safe to assume that the unreported sales will swell the amount to at least $3,000,000.”

There have been numerous stores started apart from these orders.  The finest success won is by the Philadelphia Industrial Co-operative Society.  Starting in 1875 with one store, it has now six stores.  Its sales for the quarter ending February 18, 1882, were $51,413.63.  A considerable increase of interest in such stores marks the opening of our decade.  Stores are starting up in various parts of the country.  The Grangers claim to have now hundreds of co-operative stores, upon the Rochdale plan, in successful operation.  Texas reports officially (1881) seventy-five co-operative societies connected with this order. * * *

We had an epoch of brilliant enthusiasm over co-operative agriculture in 1840-50, but little has been left from it.  One form of agricultural co-operation, a lower form, has been astonishingly successful—­the cheese-factories and creameries.  It is estimated that there are now 5,000 of them in the country.  In co-operative manufactures we have had many experiments, but few successes, from 1849 onward.  Massachusetts reported twenty-five co-operative manufactories in 1875.  All of them, however, were small societies.

Now, co-operation has its clearly marked limitations.  It is of itself no panacea for all the ills that labor is heir to.  But it can ameliorate some of the worst of those ills.  It can effect great savings for our workingmen, and can secure them food and other necessaries of the best quality.  If nothing further arises, the spread of co-operation may simply induce a new form of competition between these big societies; but no one can study the history of the movement without becoming persuaded that there is a moral development carried on which will, in some way as yet not seen to us, lead up the organization of those societies into some higher generalization, securing harmony.  It is constantly and rightly said that business can never dispense with that which makes the secret of capital’s success in large industry and trade, namely, generalship.  Co-operation can, it is admitted, capitalize labor for the small industries, in which it is capable of making workingmen their own employers, but it is said it can never, through committees of management, carry on large industries or trade.  I can, however, see no reason why hereafter it may not enable large associations to hire superior directing ability at high salaries,