THE PERSONNEL OF FOURIERISM.
Albert Brisbane of course was the central man of the brilliant group
that imported and popularized Fourierism. But the reader will be
interested to see a full tableau of the persons who were prominent in
this movement. We will bring them to view by presenting, first, a list
of the contributors to the _Phalanx_ and _Harbinger_, and secondly, a
condensed report of one of the National Conventions of the
Fourierists.
The indexes of the _Phalanx_ and _Harbinger_ (eight volumes in all),
have at their heads the names of the principal contributors; and their
initials, in connection with the articles in the indexes, enable us to
give the number of articles written by each contributor. Thus the
reader will see at a glance, not only the leading men of the movement,
but proximately the proportion of influence, or at least of
literature, that each contributed. Several of the names on this list
are now of world-wide fame, and many of them have attained eminence
as historians, essayists, poets, journalists or artists. A few of them
have reached the van in politics, and gained public station.
WRITERS FOR THE PHALANX AND HARBINGER.
Names. No. of articles.
John Allen, 2
Stephen Pearl Andrews, 1
Albert Brisbane, 56
Geo. H. Calvert, 1
Wm. E. Channing, 1
Wm. F. Channing, 1
Wm. H. Channing, 39
Otis Clapp, 1
J. Freeman Clarke, 1
Joseph J. Cooke, 10
Christopher P. Cranch, 9
George W. Curtis, 10
Charles A. Dana, 248
Hugh Doherty, 11
A.J.H. Duganne, 3
John S. Dwight, 324
George G. Foster, 7
Edward Giles, 3
Parke Godwin, 152
E.P. Grant, 4
Horace Greeley, 2
Frederic H. Hedge, 1
T.W. Higginson, 10
E. Ives, Jr., 3
Henry James, 32
Wm. H. Kimball, 1
Marx E. Lazarus, 52
James Russell Lowell, 2
Osborne Macdaniel, 47
Wm. H. Mueller, 2
C. Neidhardt, 1
D.S. Oliphant, 1
John Orvis, 23
Jean M. Palisse, 16
E.W. Parkman, 1
Mary Spencer Pease, 1
J.H. Pulte, 1
George Ripley, 315
Samuel D. Robbins, 1
Lewis W. Ryckman, 5
J.A. Saxton, 1
James Sellers, 3
Francis G. Shaw, 131
Miss E.A. Starr, 5
W.W. Story, 14
Edmund Tweedy, 7
John G. Whittier, 1
J.J. Garth Wilkinson, 12
Most of these writers were in the prime of youth, and Socialism was
their first love. It would be interesting to trace their several
careers in after time, when acquaintance with "stern reality" put
another face on their early dream, and turned them aside to other
pursuits. Certain it is, that the socialistic revival, barren as it
was in direct fruit, fertilized in many ways the genius of these men,
and through them the intellect of the nation.
NATIONAL CONVENTION.
Report from _The Phalanx_ condensed.
Pursuant to a call published in the _Phalanx_ and other papers, a
Convention of Associationists assembled on Thursday morning, the 4th
of April, 1844, at Clinton Hall, in the city of New York.
The following gentlemen were appointed officers of the Convention:
_President_, George Ripley.
_Vice Presidents_,
A.B. Smolnikar, Parke Godwin, Horace Greeley,
Charles A. Dana, A. Brisbane, Alonzo M. Watson.
_Secretaries_,
Osborne Macdaniel, D.S. Oliphant.
_Committee on the Roll and Finance._
John Allen, James P. Decker, Nathan Comstock, Jr.
_Business Committee._
L.W. Ryckman, John Allen, Osborne Macdaniel,
George Ripley, Horace Greeley, Albert Brisbane,
Parke Godwin, James Kay, Charles A. Dana,
W.H. Channing, A.M. Watson, Solyman Brown.
Before proceeding to business, the secretary read letters addressed to
the Convention by a number of societies and individuals in different
parts of the United States. The style of these letters may be seen in
a few brief extracts. E.P. Grant wrote:
"The day is speedily coming when justice will be done to Fourier and
his doctrines; when monuments will rise from ten thousand hills,
surmounted by his statue in colossal proportions, gazing upon a happy
people, whose God will be truly the Lord, because they will live in
spontaneous obedience to his eternal laws."
John White and others wrote:
"We behold in the science of associated industry, a new social
edifice, of matchless and indescribable beauty, and true architectural
symmetry! Surely, it must be no other than that 'house not made with
hands, eternal in the heavens;' for its foundation is justice, and the
superstructure, praise; in every department of which dwell peace and
smiling plenty, and whose walls are every where inscribed with
manifold representations of that highest Divine attribute--love."
H.H. Van Amringe wrote:
"Certainly all creation is a reflex of the mind of the Deity, and we
cannot hesitate to believe that all the works of Divine wisdom are
connected, as Fourier teaches, by laws of groups and series of groups.
To discover these, as observers of nature discover and combine the
harmonies of astronomy, geology, botany and chemistry, should be our
aim; and this noble and heavenly employment, while it banishes want
and misery from our present life--destroying the spiritual death and
hell which now reign--will, under the Providence of the most High,
open to us admission into the Kingdom of the Messiah, that the will of
our Father may be done on earth as it is done in heaven."
And so on. After the reading of the letters, Wm. H. Channing, on
behalf of the business committee, introduced a series of resolutions,
prefacing them with a speech in the following vein:
"It is but giving voice to what is working in the hearts of those now
present, and of thousands whose sympathies are at this moment with us
over our whole land, to say this is a religious meeting. Our end is to
do God's will, not our own; to obey the command of Providence, not to
follow the leadings of human fancies. We stand to-day, as we believe,
amid the dawn of a new era of humanity; and as from a Pisgah look down
upon a promised land."
The resolutions (occupying nearly two pages of the _Phalanx_) commence
with a long preamble of four _Whereases_ about the designs of God in
regard to universal unity, the call of Christendom and especially of
the United States to forward these designs, the dreadful state of the
world, &c., &c. The third resolution proposes Association on Fourier's
principles of Joint-stockism, Guaranteeism, Combined Industry, Series
and Groups, &c., as the panacea of human woes. The fourth resolution
protests against "rash and fragmentary attempts," and advises
Associationists not to undertake practical operations till they have
secured the right sort of men and women and plenty of capital. The
fifth resolution recommends that Associationists concentrate their
efforts on experiments already commenced, in preference to undertaking
new enterprises. The sixth resolution betrays a little distrust of
Fourier, and an inclination to keep a certain independence of him--a
symptom that the Brook Farm and Unitarian element prevailed in the
business committee. They say:
"We do not receive all the parts of his theories which in the
publications of the Fourier school are denominated 'conjectural,'
because Fourier gives them as speculations, because we do not in all
respects understand his meaning, and because there are parts which
individually we reject; and we hold ourselves not only free, but in
duty bound, to seek and obey truth wherever revealed, in the word of
God, the reason of humanity, and the order of nature. For these
reasons we do not call ourselves Fourierists; but desire to be always
publicly designated as the Associationists of the United States of
America."
It must be borne in mind, in order to understand this _caveat_, that
the courtship between the Massachusetts Socialists and the Brisbane
propagandists, though very warm, had not yet proceeded to coalescence.
Brook Farm was not yet a "Phalanx," The _Harbinger_ was yet _in
futuro_. And Fourier's latitudinarian speculations about marriage and
sexual matters, made a difficulty for men of Puritan blood, that was
not yet disposed of. In fact this difficulty always made a jar in the
family of American Fourierists, and probably helped on their disasters
and hastened their dissolution.
The seventh resolution proposes that measures be taken for forming a
National Confederation of Associations. The eighth resolution
expresses a wish for concert of action with the Associationists of
Europe, and says:
"For this end we hereby appoint Albert Brisbane, representative from
this body, to confer with them as to the best modes of mutual
cooperation. And we assure our brethren in Europe that the
disinterestedness, ability and perseverance with which our
representative has devoted himself to the promulgation of the doctrine
of Association in the United States, entitle him to their most
cordial confidence. Through him we extend to them, with joy and trust,
the right hand of fellowship; and may heaven soon bless all nations
with a compact of perpetual peace."
The ninth and last resolution appoints the following gentlemen as an
executive committee to edit the _Phalanx_, and to do many other things
for carrying into effect the objects of the Convention:
Horace Greeley, Parke Godwin, James P. Decker,
Frederick Grain, Albert Brisbane, Wm. H Channing,
Edward Giles, Chas. J. Hempel, Osborne Macdaniel,
Rufus Dawes, D.S. Oliphant, Pierre Maroncelli,
of the City of New York.
Solyman Brown, Leraysville Phalanx, Bradford County,
Pennsylvania.
George Ripley, Brook Farm Association, West Roxbury,
Massachusetts.
Alonzo M. Watson, Jefferson County Industrial Association, New
York.
E.P. Grant, Ohio Phalanx, Belmont County, Ohio.
John White, Cincinnati Phalanx, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Nathan Starks, North American Phalanx, Monmouth County, New
Jersey.
On the second evening of the Convention, Parke Godwin, on behalf of
the business committee, reported a long address to the people of the
United States. It is a powerful presentation of all the common-places
of Fourierism: the defects of present society; organization of the
townships into joint-stock companies; central unitary mansions and
workshops; division of labor according to the law of groups and
series; distribution of profit in the proportion of five-twelfths to
labor, four-twelfths to capital, and three-twelfths to talent, &c. We
quote the eloquent and pious conclusion, as a specimen of the whole:
"An important branch of the divine mission of our Savior Jesus
Christ, was to establish the Kingdom of Heaven upon earth. He
announced incessantly the practical reign of Divine wisdom and
love among all men: and it was a chief aim of all his struggles
and teachings to prepare the minds of men for this glorious
consummation. He proclaimed the universal brotherhood of
mankind; he insisted upon universal justice, and he predicted
the triumphs of universal unity. 'Thou shall love,' he said,'the
Lord thy God with all thy mind and all thy heart, and all thy
soul, and thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments
hang all the law and the prophets.' Again: 'If ye love not one
another, how can ye be my disciples?' 'I have loved you, that
you also may love one another.' 'Ye are all one, as I and my
father are one.' Again: he taught us to ask in daily prayer of
our Heavenly Father, 'Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on
earth as it is in heaven.' Aye, it must be done, actually
executed in all the details of life! And again, in the same
spirit his disciple said, 'Little children, love one another.'
'If you love not man, whom you have seen, how can you love God
whom you have not seen?' And in regard to the form which this
love should take, the apostle Paul says, 'As the body is one, so
also is Christ. For by one spirit we are all baptized into one
body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles,' &c. 'That there should be
no schism (disunity) in the body, but that the members should
have the same care one for another; and if one member suffer,
all the members suffer with it; or one member be honored, all
the members rejoice with it.' 'Ye are members one of another.'
"These Divine truths must be translated into actual life. Our
relations to each other as men, our business relations among
others, must all be instituted according to this law of highest
wisdom and love. In Association alone can we find the
fulfillment of this duty; and therefore we again insist that
Association is the duty of every branch of the universal church.
Let its views of points of doctrines be what they may; let it
hold to any creed as to the nature of man, or the attributes of
God, or the offices of Christ; we say that it can not fully and
practically embody the spirit of Christianity out of an
organization like that which we have described. It may exhibit,
with more or less fidelity, some tenet of a creed, or even some
phase of virtue; but it can possess only a type and shadow of
that universal unity which is the destiny of the church. But let
the church adopt true associative organization, and the
blessings so long promised it will be fulfilled. Fourier, among
the last words that he wrote, describing the triumph of
universal Association, exclaims, 'These are the days of mercy
promised in the words of the Redeemer, Blessed are they which do
hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be
filled.' It is verily in harmony, in Associative unity, that God
will manifest to us the immensity of his providence, and that
the Savior will come according to his word, in 'all the glory of
his Father:' it is the Kingdom of Heaven that comes to us in
this terrestrial world; it is the reign of Christ; he has
conquered evil. _Christus regnat, vincit, imperat._ Then will
the Cross have accomplished its two-fold destiny, that of
consolation during the reign of sin, and that of universal
banner, when human reason shall have accomplished the task
imposed upon it by the Creator. 'Seek ye first the Kingdom of
God and his righteousness'--the harmony of the passions in
associative unity. Then will the banner of the Cross display
with glory its device, the augury of victory, _In Hoc Signo
Vinces_; for then it will have conquered evil, conquered the
gates of hell, conquered false philosophy and national indigence
and spurious civilization; _et portae inferi non prevalebunt_.
"To the free and Christian people of the United States, then, we
commend the principle of Association; we ask that it be fairly
sifted; we do not shrink from the most thorough investigation.
The peculiar history of this nation convinces us that it has
been prepared by Providence for the working out of glorious
issues. Its position, its people, its free institutions, all
prepare it for the manifestation of a true social order. Its
wealth of territory, its distance from the political influences
of older and corrupter nations, and above all the general
intelligence of its people, alike contribute to fit it for that
noble union of freemen which we call Association. That peculiar
constitution of government, which, for the first time in the
world's career, was established by our Fathers; that signal fact
of our national motto, _E Pluribus Unum_, many individuals
united in one whole; that beautiful arrangement for combining
the most perfect independence of the separate members with
complete harmony and strength in the federal heart--is a rude
outline and type of the more scientific and more beautiful
arrangement which we would introduce into all the relations of
man to man. We would give our theory of state rights an
application to individual rights. We would bind trade to trade,
neighborhood to neighborhood, man to man, by the ties of
interest and affection which bind our larger aggregations called
States; only we would make the ties holier and more
indissoluble. There is nothing impossible in this; there is
nothing unpractical! We, who are represented in this Convention
have pledged our sleepless energies to its accomplishment. It
may cost time, it may cost trouble, it may expose us to
misconception and even to abuse; but it must be done. We know
that we stand on sure and positive grounds; we know that a
better time must come; we know that the hope and heart of
humanity is with us--that justice, truth and goodness are with
us; we feel that God is with us, and we do not fear the anger of
man. _The future is ours--the future is ours._ Our practical
plans may seem insignificant, but our moral aim is the grandest
that ever elevated human thought. We want the love and wisdom of
the Highest to make their daily abode with us; we wish to see
all mankind happy and good; we desire to emancipate the human
body and the human soul; we long for unity between man and man
in true society, between man and nature by the cultivation of
the earth, and between man and God, in universal joy and
religion."
After this address, Mr. Ripley of Brook Farm made a speech, and Mr.
Solyman Brown of the Leraysville Phalanx recited "a very beautiful
pastoral, entitled, A Vision of the Future." Here occurred a little
episode that brought our old friends of the Owenite wing of Socialism
on the scene; not, however, altogether harmonically. The report says:
"A delegation of English Socialists, from a society in this city,
presented itself. The gentlemen composing the delegation, demanded
seats as members of the Convention. The call of the Convention was
read, and they were asked if they could unite with the Convention
according to the terms of the call, as 'friends of Association based
on the principles of Charles Fourier.' This they said they could not
do, as they differed with the partisans of Fourier in fundamental
principles, and particularly in regard to religion and property. They
held to community of property, and did not accept our views of a
Providential and Divine social order. They were informed that the
objects of the Convention were of a special and business character,
and that a controversy and discussion of principles could not be
entered into. Their claim to sit as members of the Convention was
therefore denied: but they were allowed freely to express their
opinions, and treated with the utmost courtesy, without reply."
Many "admirable addresses" continued to be delivered; among which one
of Mr. Channing's is mentioned, and one of Charles A. Dana's is
reported in full. He spoke as the representative of Brook Farm. We
cull a few broken paragraphs:
"As a member of the oldest Association in the United States, I deem it
my duty to make some remarks on the practical results of the system.
We have an Association at Brook Farm, of which I now speak from my own
experience. We have there abolished domestic servitude. This
institution of domestic servitude was one of the first considerations;
it gave one of the first impulses to the movement at Brook Farm. It
seemed that a continuance in the relations which it established, could
not possibly be submitted to. It was a deadly sin--a thing to be
escaped from. Accordingly it was escaped from, and we have now for
three years lived at Brook Farm and have carried on all the business
of life without it. At Brook Farm they are all servants of each other;
no man is master. We do freely, from the love of it, with joy and
thankfulness, those duties which are usually discharged by domestics.
The man who performs one of these duties--he who digs a ditch or
executes any other repulsive work, is not at the foot of the social
scale; he is at the head of it. Again we have in Association
established a natural system of education; a system of education which
does justice to every one; where the children of the poor receive the
integral development of all their faculties, as far as the means of
Association in its present condition will permit. Here we claim to
have made an advance upon civilized society.
"Again, we are able already, not only to assign to manual labor its
just rank and dignity in the scale of human occupations, but to insure
to it its just reward. And here also, I think, we may humbly claim
that we have made some advance upon civilized society. In the best
society that has ever been in this world, with very small exceptions,
labor has never had its just reward. Every where the gain is to the
pocket of the employer. He makes the money. The laborer toils for him
and is his servant. The interest of the laborer is not consulted in
the arrangements of industry; but the whole tendency of industry is
perpetually to disgrace the laborer, to grind him down and reduce his
wages, and to render deceit and fraud almost necessary for him. And
all for the benefit of whom? For the benefit of our excellent
monopolists, our excellent companies, our excellent employers. The
stream all runs into their pockets, and not one little rill is
suffered to run into the pockets of those who do the work. Now in
Association already we have changed all this; we have established a
true relation between labor and the people, whereby the labor is done,
not entirely for the benefit of the capitalist, as it is in civilized
society, but for the mutual benefit of the laborer and the capitalist.
We are able to distribute the results and advantages which accrue from
labor in a joint ratio.
"These, then, very briefly and imperfectly stated, are the practical,
actual results already attained. In the first place we have abolished
domestic servitude; in the second place, we have secured thorough
education for all; and in the third place, we have established justice
to the laborer, and ennobled industry.*** Two or three years ago we
began our movement at Brook Farm, and propounded these few simple
propositions, which I say are here proven. All declared it to be a
scheme of fanaticism. There was universal skepticism. No one believed
it possible that men could live together in such relations. Society,
it was said, had always lived in a state of competition and strife
between man and man; and when told that it was possible to live
otherwise, no one received the proposition except with scorn and
ridicule. But in the experience of two or three years, we maintain
that we have by actual facts, by practical demonstration, proven this,
viz.: that harmonious relations, relations of love and not of
selfishness and mutual conflict, relations of truth and not of
falsehood, relations of justice and not of injustice, are possible
between man and man."
At noon on Saturday the last resolution was adopted, and the
Convention was about to adjourn, when Mr. Channing rose and addressed
the assembly, as follows:
"Mr. President and brother Associationists: We began our meeting with
calling to mind, as in the presence of God, our solemn privileges and
responsibilities. We can not part without invoking for ourselves, each
other, our friends everywhere, and our race, a blessing. It this cause
in which we are engaged, is one of mere human device, the emanation of
folly and self, may it utterly fail; it will then utterly fail. But
if, as we believe, it is of God, and, making allowance for human
limitations, is in harmony with the Divine will, may it go on, as thus
it must, conquering and to conquer. Those of us who are active in this
movement have met, and will meet with suspicion and abuse. It is well!
well that critical eyes should probe the schemes of Association to the
core, and if they are evil, lay bare their hidden poison; well that in
this fiery ordeal the sap of our personal vanities and weaknesses
should be consumed. We need be anxious but on one account; and that is
lest we be unworthy of this sublime reform. Who are we, that we should
have the honor of giving our lives to this grandest of all possible
human endeavors, the establishment of universal unity, of the reign of
heaven on earth? Truly 'out of the mouths of babes and sucklings has
the Lord ordained strength.' Kings and holy men have desired to see
the things we see, and have not been able. Let our desire be, that our
imperfections, our unfaithfulness, do not hinder the progress of love
and truth and joy."
The Convention then united in prayer, and parted with the benediction,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward
men."
But this was not the end. That last day of the Convention was also the
anniversary of Fourier's birthday, and in the evening the members held
a festival at the Apollo Saloon. "The repast was plain and simple, but
the intellectual feast and the social communion were delightful." The
regular toasts, announced and probably prepared by Mr. Channing, were
to the memory of Fourier, and to each of the twelve passions which,
according to Fourier, constitute the active forces of human nature.
"Soul-stirring speeches" followed each toast. Mr. Dana responded to
the toast for friendship, and at the close of his speech Mr. Macdaniel
proposed that the toast be repeated with clasped hands. "This
proposition was instantly accepted, and with a burst of enthusiasm
every man rose, and locking hands all round the table, the toast was
repeated by the whole company, producing an electric thrill of emotion
through every nerve."
Mr. Godwin compared the present prospects of Association to the tokens
of approaching land which cheered the drooping spirits of the crew of
Columbus. The friends from Brook Farm were the birds, and those from
other places the flowers that floated on the waves.
Mr. Ripley said, "Our friend has compared us to birds. Well, it is
true we have a good deal of singing, though not a great deal to eat;
and we have very small nests. (Laughter.) Our most appropriate emblem
is the not very beautiful or magnificent, but the very useful and
respectable barn-yard fowl! for we all have to scratch for a living!
"Mr. Brisbane pronounced an enthusiastic and hearty tribute of his
gratitude, esteem and respect for Horace Greeley, for the manly,
independent, and generous support he had given to the cause from its
infancy to the present day; and closed by saying--
"He (Mr. Greeley), has done for us what we never could have done. He
has created the cause on this continent. He has done the work of a
century. Well then, I will give [as a toast], 'One Continent and One
Man!'"
Mr. Greeley returned his grateful thanks for what he said was the
extravagant eulogium of his partial friend, and continued:
"When I took up this cause, I knew that I went in the teeth of many of
my patrons, in the teeth of prejudices of the great mass, in the teeth
of religious prejudices; for I confess I had a great many more
clergymen on my list before, than I have now, as I am sorry to say,
for had they kept on, I think I could have done them a little good.
(Laughter.) But in the face of all this, in the face of constant
advices, 'Don't have any thing to do with that Mr. Brisbane,' I went
on. 'Oh!' said many of my friends, 'consider your position--consider
your influence.' 'Well,' said I, 'I shall endeavor to do so, but I
must try to do some good in the meantime, or else what is the use of
the influence.' (Cheers.) And thus I have gone on, pursuing a manly
and at the same time a circumspect course, treading wantonly on no
man's prejudice, telling on the contrary, universal man, I will defer
to your prejudices, as far as I can consistently with duty; but when
duty leads me, you must excuse my stepping on your corn, if it be in
the way." (Cheers.)
And so they went on with toasts and speeches and letters from
distinguished outsiders--one, by the way, from Archbishop Hughes,
courteously declining an invitation to attend--till the twelve
o'clock bell warned them of the advent of holy time, and so they
separated.
A notable thing in this great demonstration was the intense
_religious_ element that pervaded it. The Convention was opened and
closed with prayers and Christian doxologies. The letters and
addresses abounded in quotations from scripture, always laboring to
identify Fourierism with Christianity. Even the jollities of the
festival at the Apollo Saloon could not commence till a blessing had
been asked.
These manifestations of religious feeling were mainly due to the
presence of the Massachusetts men, and especially to the zeal of
William H. Channing. He never forgot his religion in his enthusiasm
for Socialism.
It would be easy to ridicule the fervor and assurance of the actors in
this enthusiastic drama, by comparing their hopes and predictions with
the results. But for our part we hold that the hopes and predictions
were true, and the results were liars. Mistakes were made as to the
time and manner of the blessings foreseen, as they have been made many
times before and since: but the inspiration did not lie.
We have had a long succession of such enthusiasms in this country.
First of all and mother of all, was the series of Revivals under
Edwards, Nettleton and Finney, in every paroxysm of which the
Millennium seemed to be at the door. Then came Perfectionism,
rapturously affirming that the Millennium had already begun. Then came
Millerism, reproducing all the excitements and hopes that agitated the
Primitive Church just before the Second Advent. Very nearly coincident
with the crisis of this last enthusiasm in 1843, came this Fourier
revival, with the same confident predictions of the coming of
Christ's kingdom, and the same mistakes as to time and manner. Since
then Spiritualism has gone through the same experience of brilliant
prophecies and practical failures. We hold that all these enthusiasms
are manifestations, in varied phase, of one great afflatus, that takes
its time for fulfillment more leisurely than suits the ardor of its
mediums, but inspires them with heart-prophecies of the good time
coming, that are true and sure.
HORACE GREELEY'S POSITION.
The reader will observe that in the final passage of compliments
between Messrs. Brisbane and Greeley at the Apollo festival, there is
a clear answer to the question, Who was next in rank after Brisbane in
the propagation of Fourierism in this country? As there is much
confusion in the public memory on this important point in the
_personnel_ of Fourierism, we will here make a note of the principal
facts in the Fourieristic history of the _Tribune_:
A prominent New England journal in an elaborate obituary on the late
Henry J. Raymond, after mentioning that he was an efficient assistant
of Mr. Greeley on the _Tribune_, from the commencement of that paper
in 1841 till he withdrew and took service on the _Courier and
Enquirer_, went on to say:
"It was at the time of Mr. Raymond's withdrawal from it, that the
_Tribune_, which was speedily joined by George Ripley and Charles A.
Dana, fresh from Brook Farm, had its Fourieristic phase."
The mistakes in this paragraph are remarkable, and ought not to be
allowed any chance of getting into history.
In the first place Ripley and Dana did not thus immediately succeed
Raymond on the _Tribune_. The American Cyclopaedia says that Raymond
left the _Tribune_ and joined Webb on the _Courier and Enquirer_ in
1843. But Ripley and Dana retained their connection with Brook Farm
till October 30, 1847, and continued to edit the _Harbinger_ in New
York till February 10, 1849, as we know by the files of that paper in
our possession. They could not have joined the _Tribune_ before the
first of these dates, and probably did not till after the last; so
that there was an interval of from three to six years between
Raymond's leaving and their joining the _Tribune_.
But the most important error of the above quoted paragraph is its
implication that the "Fourieristic phase" of the _Tribune_ was after
Raymond left it, and was owing to the advent of Ripley and Dana "fresh
from Brook Farm." The truth is, that the _Tribune_ had become the
organ of Mr. Brisbane, the importer of Fourierism, in March 1842, less
than a year from its commencement (which was on April 10, 1841); and
of course had its "Fourieristic phase" while Raymond was employed on
it, and in fact before Ripley and Dana had been converted to
Fourierism. Brook Farm, be it ever remembered, was originally an
independent Yankee experiment, started in 1841 by the suggestion of
Dr. Channing, and did not accept Fourierism till the winter of 1843-4.
During the entire period of Brisbane's promulgations in the _Tribune_,
which lasted more than a year, and which manifestly caused the great
Fourier excitement of 1843, Brook Farm had nothing to do with
Fourierism, except as it was being carried away with the rest of the
world, by Brisbane and the _Tribune_. Thus it is certain that Ripley
and Dana did not bring Fourierism into the _Tribune_, but on the
contrary received Fourierism from the _Tribune_, during the very
period when Raymond was assisting Greeley. When they joined the
_Tribune_ in 1847-9, Fourierism was in the last stages of defeat, and
the most that they or Greeley or any body else did for it after that,
was to help its retreat into decent oblivion.
The obituary writer probably fell into these mistakes by imagining
that the controversy between Greeley and Raymond, which occurred in
1846, while Raymond was employed on the _Courier and Enquirer_, was
the principal "Fourieristic phase" of the _Tribune_. But this was
really an after-affair, in which Greeley fought on the defensive as
the rear-guard of Fourierism in its failing fortunes; and even this
controversy took place before Brook Farm broke up; so that Ripley and
Dana had nothing to do with it.
The credit or responsibility for the original promulgation of
Fourierism through the _Tribune_, of course does not belong to Mr.
Raymond; though he was at the time (1842) Mr. Greeley's assistant. But
neither must it be put upon Messrs. Ripley and Dana. It belongs
exclusively to Horace Greeley. He clearly was Brisbane's other and
better half in the propagation of Fourierism. For practical devotion,
we judge that he deserves even the _first_ place on the roll of honor.
We doubt whether Brisbane himself ever pledged his property to
Association, as Greeley did in the following address, published in the
_Harbinger_, October 25, 1845:
"As one Associationist who has given his efforts and means freely
to the cause, I feel that I have a right to speak frankly. I know
that the great number of our believers are far from wealthy; yet
I know that there is wealth enough in our ranks, if it were but
devoted to it, to give an instant and resistless influence to the
cause. A few thousand dollars subscribed to the stock of each
existing Association would in most cases extinguish the mortgages
on its property, provide it with machinery and materials, and
render its industry immediately productive and profitable. Then
manufacturing invention and skill would fearlessly take up their
abode with our infant colonies; labor and thrift would flow
thither, and a new and brighter era would dawn upon them. Fellow
Associationists! _I_ shall do whatever I can for the promotion of
our common cause; to it whatever I have or may hereafter acquire
of pecuniary ability is devoted: may I not hope for a like
devotion from you?
"H.G."