Self-help a hundred years ago

George-Jacob Holyoake

Sujets

• Coopération
• Great Britain

Informations

• Publié par: les_archives_du_savoir
• Nombre de lectures: 77
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 10 Mo

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Self-Helr a hunrrfdyears AG(
(..J.HOLYoyri-
,AUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
AT LOS ANGELESh\x«-^\\J>si/\^:
SELF-HELP
A HUNDEED YEAES AGO
BY
GEOKGE JACOB HOLYOAKE,
"THK HISTOKY OFAUTHOR OF CO-OPKRATION IN ENGLAND.
Third Edition.
LONDON
SONXEXSCHEIX & CO.,SWAN
SQUARE.PATERNOSTEll
'•<• • - > ' ',',..1PRINTED BY
CHAS. STRAK£B AND SOXS, BISHOPSCiATE AVENUE, LONDON, E.C.— —
V\7A-s
CO
CO
CD
INTKOT^UCTION.
cr
The Royal Family of England, from the end of the last can^
tury down to this day, have taken real interest in the self-
Tlie remarkable deviceshelping welfare of the people.^
1. (commenced in recited in this book, appeared iinder the1794),
The early volumes in-^ direct encouragement of Cleorge III.
which they wex'e printed were preserved by him, and now
"exist in the King's Library," in the British Museum. The
Y
Duke of Kent, the Father of the Queen (the wisest of all the-^
^2 sons of George III.), took the chair on several public occasions
in the City of London, when or^'anisatiou of industrial life was
® "advocated. The Duke said to a friend that should he come
to the Throne (which his death unfox'tunately prevented)^ —
wovdd Mr. Owen's plans of Industrial Vil-he give effect to
lages—of the advantages of which he felt assured." Since that
day, industrial efforts of the more thinking portion of the
ways, attainedMorking people have, in a arious Co-operative
was recognised in memor-unforeseen dimensions. In 1883 this
Whole-able words addressed to the Committee of the gi-eat
Annualsale Society of Manchester, who had sent their
Volume to Her The words were these :Majesty.
^459.i4—
iNTi;oi>rt-riox.It
"Tlu> Qiiivn is glaJ to loarn tha success of a movement
whii'h not only oiu'oin-;\Lros tlnitt. luit wliii-li also teaches the
habits business promotes eihication amongof and so large and
impor(-;»nt a Invly of her }>eople."
Lately, the Prince of Wales in acknowlcilging the ofreceipt
t\v«i vohunes of the "History of Co-openition England,"in
«'a\isetl assvn-anees to be given in his name, th.at "tln^ lively
interest which the rrince took in lS8i> in this all-important
remains unabated, ami it allbnls him the highestquestion
to Kvu-n that the movement continues to make suchsjitisfaction
sa(i>fatt>MV pi-ogrcss."encoin-aging and
What the Prince of Wales said at the jxn'iod to which he
refers was so tlunightful, comjnvhensive and discriminating,
that it is a mattor of public interest to quot^j it hei"©. The
:words wciv
"The Pri»\ce has ivad with the greatest int<»rcist the det^vils
of the working of the society with which you have supplied
he is anxious tohim. and expivss the extivme gnititicatiou
which he experiences in linding that Svi large a Ix^dy of the
a»v unitt^lworking men of thisct>untry ii\ a determination to
InMielit themsi'lviv"*, In^th mondly at\il physirtiUy, by endeavour-
which his U >yal Highnessing to carry out a scheme conceive*
standai>i of theiris admimbly adapt«>l to i-!ust> the knowletige
int<>UigiMici\ to incrtvist^ their welfare and happiness;and and
ftvls very stivngly thatand, in stating this o|nnion, he such
the highest iMuunenda-jM-aJMHYorthy efforts aiv des»'rving of
wishes your stx'iety, tl>eivfore,ti«M\ and en»>>ur:»gcment. He
trusts will ixmtinue to increaset'very sncivss, and he siiuvivly it
pn^sjvrity thesjxnie pn>jK>rtion .as heretofore.''in innfTROPUCTlOX.
This consecutive recoixi of hereditary opinion, bv pei"sonages
will be new to manysoeminent, readers. The self-helping de-
vices presenteil in these pigos exceeil in wisdom of principle,
in variety and detinitencss of ^x)nception, those in the minds of
livingany persons now. Their promulgation was owing to
the jx^i'si">nal emxiun^gement of Geoi'ge III. The Mongewell
Shop, 170r», d^:>vi>;v?l by th? Bishop of Durham, may be re-
g:vn1ed ixs the mustard-seed whence has sprung that vast
network of Distributive Stores which now overspread Great
Britiun, constituting self-helpingmovement which hasa grown
into prominence during Her Majesty's reign, the like of which
has arisen in no other nation on the earth.
Three org:\nised forces contend in this country for the rights
:of lalx>ur and comj-»etent incomes for working people —Trade
Unionists, Socialists, and iterators. Trade Unionists seekCo-o
raise wages Socialists atthe cost orto by strikes ; outlay of State
CommeiviiilFunds; Co-oj^rators help themselvesby and Indus-
trial Associations, neither making war on Capitalists, nor sup-
the This last-named movement,plicating aid from State. the
English of self-help, is but one ofmanlier and more form the
singular and versatile s^uggestions put forward by prelates,
peers, and gentlemen a century ago. The story of these
notable conceptions may advantageously be made known now.
It is difficult now to conjecture from what motive such
unusual interest in the condition of the poor was taken at the
end It might be that the Americanof the last century.
Declai-ation of Independence had awakeneti unrest in the
**common people." The French Revolution, which oc-
curred shortly before these reports began, might have taught
prudent leave thethe wealthier chvsses that it was not to—
IXTRODUCTION".
labouring people in a condition of hopelessness. The awful
leign revenge which came to pass in Paris had scarcelyof
closed when these reports began. Byron at a later date
:wrote
France got drunk with blood ; :
And fatal have her saturnalia been
To freedom's cause in every age and clime.
France did put back freedom in England ; but this interest
in the social "comfort" the was not interrupted,of poor
but continued many yeai's. The leadei'S of this considerate
movement died out and left successors. Certainly,no since
iSlG no similar organised concern for the poor lias been
fliown.
It was the Peace of 1815 which killed it. While the popula-
tion was being thinned by war, it conso(|uencebecame of to
keep up the supply of men, or gentlemen wlio made the war in
class interests must go out themselves to be shot. Substitutes
"grew scarcer and dearer year by year. God's daiightei-,
"'"Carnage," asWordsworth styled her, had a good time of it, in
this century, and thetlie earl} part of slaughter of battle
abroad was aided by fever at home, bred of squalor an<l starva-
Lai'ge families were encouraged, and mothers wjiotion. had
three children at a bii-th i-eccived a bounty but the children;
being poorly fed, lacked the stamina and s^iirit required in
therefore good policy to institute plansrecruits. It was for
feeding and cheering tlieiii. The human sympathy of tho
whose herein recounted,<'minent persons, devices are were
their primaiy incentives, but it was the <liscernment of the
national mcd wliicli stiiiiulate<l so many ]iromoters among the
general public, and tints poMcy continucil what luunanity
began.