New Englanders are often accused of aggressive provincialism, and few of them would go much out of their way to deny the charge. Usually they simply assume that it is a New Yorker who is trying to turn the conversation toward his own superior cosmopolitanism, and give the matter no further thought.

But not so with the progressive directors of the Coop. As leaders of a Cooperative enterprise, they rightly shoulder the foibles and failings of the community as their own, and have launched a subtle attack on all this loose talk about provincialism. We know one New Yorker whom they have badly baffled.

He had just ordered some merchandise to be sent to his home. "There will be a slight mailing charge outside of New England," the salesgirl announced. "Oh, I live outside of New England all right," replied the proud son of the Empire State. But he had scarcely progressed beyond the 'Park Avenue' part of his address before he was interrupted by derisive female chuckles. "To the Coop," the salesgirl informed him, "New York is in New England."