The following is from The Friend in 1978 and has been included in an email bulletin I write for web-subscribers. I thought it would be appreciated by at least a couple of this site's regular readers...
Review: The Man who gave his company away by Susanna Hoe
(Biography of Ernest Bader, 'the émigré Swiss Quaker who has dedicated his life to building a two-way bridge between industry and Christianity')
Most people know that Ernest Bader built up a successful industrial firm, then transferred both control and income to his work force. This book goes into detail about these arrangments and the problems successfully encountered, and could serve as a ground-map ('here be dragons') for anyone studying ways to alleviate capitalism's unpleasant side-effects.
E.F. Schumacher, a trustee of the Scott Bader Commonwealth, said: 'A strong and very upright searching Quaker. But he is a very difficult chap… he is a military pacifist, a very dictatorial democrat, a very intelligent ass, an asinine genius'.
Explaining to an enthralled overseas visitor how he had created the Scott Bader Commonwealth out of love for his worker, to show the way to a new and loving order of society and hoping, through love, to put an end to war, he added: 'the trouble is, there isn't sufficient love in the world.'
'Everyone doesn't necessarily see it your way', said his son.
Ernest banged on the table. 'Then drown them. DROWN THEM.'
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