PREFACE.

THE following letters were written to Mr. ThouAS Dixon, a working cork-cutter of Sunderland, during the agitation for reform in the spring of the present year. They contain, in the plainest terms I could use, the substance of what I then desired to say to our English workmen, which was briefly this:-"The reform you desire may give you more influence in Parliament; but your influence there will of course be useless to you,-perhaps worse than useless,-until you have wisely made up your minds as to what you wish Parliament to do for you; and when you have made up your minds about that, you will find, not only that you can do it for yourselves, without the intervention of Parliament; but that eventually nobody but yourselves can do it. And to help you, as far as one of your old friends may, in so making up your minds, such and such things are what it seems to me you should ask for, and, moreover, strive for, with your heart and might."

The letters now published relate only to one division of the laws which I desired to recommend to the consideration of our operatives, those, namely, bearing upon honesty of work, and honesty of exchange. I hope in the course of next year that I may be able to complete

the second part of the series, which vill relate to the possible comforts and wholesome laws of familiar house. hold life, and the share which a labouring nation may attain in the skill, and the treasures, of the higher arts.. The letters are republished as they were written, with here and there correction of a phrase, and omission of one or two passages of merely personal or temporary interest; the headings only are added, in order to give the reader some clue to the general aim of necessarily desultory discussion; and the portions of Mr. Dixon's letters in reply, referred to in the text, are added in the Appendix; and will be found well deserving of attention.

DENMARK HILL, December 14, 1897,

TIME AND TIDE,

BY WEARE AND TYNE.

Letter 1.

The two kinds of Co-operation.-In its highest sense it ↳ not yet thought of.

DENMARK HILL, February 4, 1867.

MY DEAR FRIEND-You have now everything I have yet published on political economy; but there are several points in these books of mine which I intended to add notes to, and it seems little likely I shall get that soon done. So I think the best way of making up for the want of these is to write you a few simple letters, which you can read to other people, or send to be printed, if you like, in any of your journals where you think they may be useful.

I especially want you, for one thing, to understaud the sense in which the word "co-operation" is used in my books. You will find I am always pleading for it; and