I do not ask any cash from you; not a cent, but I
want you to subscribe for ten thousand dollars stock in my company. That
will make you a shareholder. When the farm begins to produce you are
to have all you and your family--this is an illustration, you know--can
consume for your own use. The balance is to be sold, and one-third of
the proceeds is to be paid into the treasury of the company and credited
on your purchase of shares. When you have paid for all your shares in
this way you will have no further payments to make, except such levy as
may be made by the company for running expenses. You, as a shareholder
of the company, will have a voice with the other shareholders in
determining what that levy shall be. You and your descendents will be
allowed possession of that farm forever, subject only to your obeying
the rules of the company. You--"

"But why the company? It simply amounts to buying the land on payments
to be made out of each year's crop, except that you want me to pay for
shares in the company instead of for the land itself."

"That, as I told you, is the keystone of my Big Idea. If I sold you the
land you would be master of it; you could do as you liked with it. You
could let it lie idle; you could allow your buildings and machinery
to get out of repair; you could keep scrub stock; all your methods of
husbandry might be slovenly or antiquated; you could even rent or sell
the land to someone who might be morally or socially undesirable in the
community. On the other hand you might be peculiarly successful, when
you would proceed to buy out your less successful neighbors, or make
loans on their land, and thus create yourself a land monopolist. But as
a shareholder in the company you will be subject to the rules laid down
by the company. If it says that houses must be painted every four years
you will paint your house every fourth year. If it rules that hayracks
are not to be left on the front lawn you will have to deposit yours
somewhere else. If it orders that crops must be rotated to preserve the
fertility of the soil you will obey those instructions. If you do
not like the regulations you can use your influence with the board of
directors to have them changed. If you fail there you can sell your
shares to someone else--provided you can find a purchaser acceptable to
the board--and get out. The Big Idea is that the community--the company
in this case--shall control the individual, and the individual shal