s a co-operative institution of one
kind or another. These societies have promoted habits of saving, of
thrift, and of temperance. They have given the people an interest in
money matters, and enabled them to lay out their earnings to the best
advantage. They have also given the working people some knowledge of
business; for the whole of their concerns are managed by committees
selected at the general meetings of the members.

One of the most flourishing co-operative societies is that established
at Over Darwen. The society has erected a row of handsome buildings in
the centre of the town. The shops for the sale of provisions, groceries,
clothing, and other necessaries, occupy the lower story. Over the shops
are the library, reading rooms, and class rooms, which are open to the
members and their families. The third story consists of a large public
hall, which is used for lectures, concerts, and dances. There are six
branches of the society established in different parts of the town. A
large amount of business is done, and the profits are very considerable.
These are divided amongst the members, in proportion to the purchases
made by them. The profits are for the most part re-invested in
joint-stock paper-mills, cotton-mills, and collieries, in the
neighbourhood of Darwen. One of the most praiseworthy features of the
society is the provision made for the free education of the members and
their families. Two and a half per cent. of the profits are appropriated
for the purpose. While inspecting the institution a few months ago, we
were informed that the Science classes were so efficiently conducted,
that one of the pupils had just obtained a Government Scholarship of
fifty pounds a year, for three years, including free instruction at the
School of Mines, Jermyn Street, London, with a free use of the
laboratories during that period. There are also two other co-operative
institutions in the same place; and we were informed that the working
people of Darwen are, for the most part, hard-working, sober, and
thrifty.

The example has also spread into Scotland and the south of England. At
Northampton, a co-operative society exists for the purpose of buying and
selling leather, and also for the manufacture of boots and shoes. At
Padiham and other places in Lancashire, co-operative cotton-mills have
been established. The Manchester and Salford Equitable Co-operative
Society "combine the securities and facilities of a bank with the