The Battle Hymn of Cooperation
Encyclopedia
Sung to the tune of the Battle Hymn of the Republic (which itself was an adaptation of John Brown's Body
, a marching
song
of the American Civil War
), this song was widely popular throughout the American
consumers' cooperative
movement from the 1930s onward. It remained a favorite until well after the Second World War, for example at the annual meetings of the Consumers Cooperative Association of Missouri
, where thousands of members joined in singing it. The hymn can be considered as the official song of the Cooperative League of the USA (CLUSA), later renamed the National Cooperative Business Association
(NCBA).
The hymn was originally written in February 1932 for a charity
revue of the Consumers Cooperative Services
, which operated a chain of cooperative cafeterias in New York City
. The authors were two CCS workers: Elizabeth Mead (of the bakery) and Carl Ferguson (a busboy), who won a $5 prize for composing “the best song on cooperation”. It is likely that the cooperative version of the hymn was influenced by the popular union song "Solidarity Forever
", written by Ralph Chaplin
in 1915.
We’re enlisted ’till the struggle for cooperation’s won,
And beneath our banner blazoned “One for all and all for one,"
Consumers marching on!
Chorus:
Come and let us work together
Come and let us work together
Come and let us work together
Consumers marching on!
It was long ago in Rochdale
that our cause saw first the light,
We were sadly few in numbers but our principles were right,
But today we count our millions as we girt ourselves to fight:
Consumers marching on!
Chorus
Oh, the world today is suffering filled with poverty and pain,
And the day has come for freedom from the curse of private gain,
For all may live in comfort ’neath Cooperation’s reign.
Consumers marching on!
Chorus
Oh we know our scheme is righteous and we know our cause is just;
For upon the brotherhood of man we firmly base our trust:
Let us strive to win the victory, for win we can and must.
Consumers marching on!
Chorus
John Brown's Body
"John Brown's Body" is an American marching song about the abolitionist John Brown. The song was popular in the Union during the American Civil War. The tune arose out of the folk hymn tradition of the American camp meeting movement of the 19th century...
, a marching
March (music)
A march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's Götterdämmerung to the brisk military marches of John...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
), this song was widely popular throughout the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
consumers' cooperative
Consumers' cooperative
Consumer cooperatives are enterprises owned by consumers and managed democratically which aim at fulfilling the needs and aspirations of their members. They operate within the market system, independently of the state, as a form of mutual aid, oriented toward service rather than pecuniary profit...
movement from the 1930s onward. It remained a favorite until well after the Second World War, for example at the annual meetings of the Consumers Cooperative Association of Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, where thousands of members joined in singing it. The hymn can be considered as the official song of the Cooperative League of the USA (CLUSA), later renamed the National Cooperative Business Association
National Cooperative Business Association
Founded in 1916 as the Cooperative League of America, the National Cooperative Business Association is a United States membership organization for cooperatives, businesses that are jointly-owned and democratically-controlled....
(NCBA).
The hymn was originally written in February 1932 for a charity
Charity (practice)
The practice of charity means the voluntary giving of help to those in need who are not related to the giver.- Etymology :The word "charity" entered the English language through the Old French word "charité" which was derived from the Latin "caritas".Originally in Latin the word caritas meant...
revue of the Consumers Cooperative Services
Consumers Cooperative Services
Consumers Cooperative Services was a white collar consumers cooperative in New York City which ran a chain of cooperative restaurants, bakeries and grocery stores...
, which operated a chain of cooperative cafeterias in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The authors were two CCS workers: Elizabeth Mead (of the bakery) and Carl Ferguson (a busboy), who won a $5 prize for composing “the best song on cooperation”. It is likely that the cooperative version of the hymn was influenced by the popular union song "Solidarity Forever
Solidarity Forever
"Solidarity Forever", written by Ralph Chaplin in 1915, is perhaps the most famous union anthem. It is sung to the tune of "John Brown's Body" and is inspired by "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". Although it was written as a song for the Industrial Workers of the World , other union movements,...
", written by Ralph Chaplin
Ralph Chaplin
Ralph Hosea Chaplin was an American writer, artist and labor activist. At the age of seven, he saw a worker shot dead during the Pullman strike in Chicago, Illinois. He had moved with his family from Ames, Kansas to Chicago in 1893...
in 1915.
Battle Hymn of Cooperation
Oh, we are a mighty army, though we bear no sword and gun,We’re enlisted ’till the struggle for cooperation’s won,
And beneath our banner blazoned “One for all and all for one,"
Consumers marching on!
Chorus:
Come and let us work together
Come and let us work together
Come and let us work together
Consumers marching on!
It was long ago in Rochdale
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
that our cause saw first the light,
We were sadly few in numbers but our principles were right,
But today we count our millions as we girt ourselves to fight:
Consumers marching on!
Chorus
Oh, the world today is suffering filled with poverty and pain,
And the day has come for freedom from the curse of private gain,
For all may live in comfort ’neath Cooperation’s reign.
Consumers marching on!
Chorus
Oh we know our scheme is righteous and we know our cause is just;
For upon the brotherhood of man we firmly base our trust:
Let us strive to win the victory, for win we can and must.
Consumers marching on!
Chorus
Further reading
- “The Battle Hymn of Cooperation”, Cooperation XVIII,5 (May 1932) 91.
- “A Mighty Army”, Time (December 10, 1951).
- Clarke Chambers, “The Cooperative League of the United States of America, 1916-1961: A Study of Social Theory and Social Action”, Agricultural History 36,2 (1962) 59-81, there 72.
- Gilbert C. Fite, Farm to Factory. A History of the Consumers Cooperative Association (Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 1965) 130-131.