THE VOLCANIC DISTRICT.
Western New York was the region that responded most vigorously to the
gospel of Fourierism, proclaimed by Brisbane, Greeley, Godwin and the
Brook Farmers.
Taking Rochester for a center, and a line of fifty miles for radius,
we strike a circle that includes the birth-places of nearly all the
wonderful excitements of the last forty years. At Palmyra, in Wayne
County, twenty-five miles east of Rochester, Joseph Smith in 1823 was
visited by the Angel Moroni, and instructed about the golden plates
from which the book of Mormon was copied; and there he began the
gathering which grew to be a nation and settled Utah. Batavia, about
thirty miles west of Rochester, was the scene of Morgan's abduction in
1820; which event started the great Anti-Masonic excitement, that
spread through the country and changed the politics of the nation. At
Acadia, in Wayne County, adjoining Palmyra, the Fox family first heard
the mysterious noises which were afterward known as the "Rochester
rappings," and were the beginning of the miracles of modern
Spiritualism. The Rochester region has also been famous for its
Revivals, and borders on what Hepworth Dixon has celebrated as the
"Burnt District."
In this same remarkable region around Rochester, occurred the greatest
Fourier excitement in America. T.C. Leland, writing from that city in
April 1844, thus described the enthusiasm: "I attended the socialistic
Convention at Batavia. The turn-out was astonishing. Nearly every town
in Genesee County was well represented. Many came from five to twelve
miles on foot. Indeed all western New York is in a deep, a shaking
agitation on this subject. Nine Associations are now contemplated
within fifty miles of this city. From the astonishing rush of
applications for membership in these Associations, I have no
hesitation in saying that twenty thousand persons, west of the
longitude of Rochester in this State, is a low estimate of those who
are now ready and willing, nay anxious, to take their place in
associative unity."
Mr. Brisbane traveled and lectured in this excited region a few months
before Mr. Leland wrote the above. The following is his report to the
_Phalanx_:
"It will no doubt be gratifying to those who take an interest in
the great idea of a Social Reform, to learn that it is spreading
very generally through the State of New York. I have visited
lately the central and western parts of the State, and have been
surprised to see that the principles of a reform, based upon
Association and unity of interests, have found their way into
almost every part of the country, and the farmers are beginning
to see the truth and greatness of a system of dignified and
attractive industry, and the advantages of Association, such as
its economy, its superior means of education, and the guaranty
it offers against the indirect and legalized spoliation by those
intermediate classes who now live upon their labor.
"The conviction that Association will realize Christianity
practically upon earth, which never can be done in the present
system of society, with its injustice, frauds, distrust, and the
conflict and opposition of all interests, is taking hold of many
minds and attracting them strongly to it. There is a very
earnest desire on the part of a great number of sincere minds to
see that duplicity which now exists between theory and practice
in the religious world, done away with; and where this desire is
accompanied with intelligence, Association is plainly seen to be
the means. It is beginning to be perceived that a great social
reformation must take place, and a new social order be
established, before Christianity can descend upon earth with its
love, its peace, its brotherhood and charity. The noble doctrine
propounded by Fourier, is gaining valuable disciples among this
class of persons.
"I lectured at Utica, Syracuse, Seneca Falls, and Rochester, and
although the weather was very unfavorable, the audiences were
large. At Rochester I attended a convention of the friends of
Association, interested in the establishment of the Ontario
Phalanx. Men of intelligence, energy and strong convictions, are
at the head of this enterprise, and it will probably soon be
carried into operation. A very heavy subscription to the stock
can be obtained in Rochester and the vicinity, in productive
farms and city real estate, for the purpose of organizing this
Association; but, owing to the scarcity of money, it is
difficult to obtain the cash capital requisite to commence
operations. From the perseverance and determination of the men
at the head of the undertaking, it is presumed, however, that
this difficulty will be overcome. Those persons in the western
part of the State of New York, who wish to enter an
Association, can not be too strongly recommended to unite with
the Ontario Phalanx.
"It is very advisable that the friends of the cause should not
start small Associations. If they are commenced with inadequate
means, and without men who know how to organize them, they may
result in failures, which will cast reproach upon the
principles. The American people are so impelled to realize in
practice any idea which strikes them as true and advantageous,
that it will of course be useless to preach moderation in
organizing Associations; still I would urgently recommend to
individuals, for their own interest, to avoid small and
fragmental undertakings, and unite with the largest one in their
section of the country.
"Four gentlemen from Rochester and its vicinity will be engaged
this winter in propagating the principles of Association by
lectures etc., in western New York. At Rochester they have
commenced the publication of tracts upon Association, which we
trust will be extensively circulated. That city is becoming an
important center of propagation, and will, we believe, exercise
a very great influence, as it is situated in a flourishing
region of country, inhabited by a very intelligent population.
"It must be deeply gratifying to the friends of Association to
see the unexampled rapidity with which our principles are
spreading throughout this vast country. Would it not seem that
this very general response to, and acceptance of, an entirely
new and radically reforming doctrine by intelligent and
practical men, prove that there is something in it harmonizing
perfectly with the ideas of truth, justice, economy and order,
and those higher sentiments implanted in the soul of man,
which, although so smothered at present, are awakened when the
correspondences in doctrine or practice are presented to them
clearly and understandingly?
"The name of Fourier is now heard from the Atlantic to the
Mississippi; from the remotest parts of Wisconsin and Louisiana
responsive echoes reach us, heralding the spread of the great
principles of universal Association; and this important work has
been accomplished in a few years, and mainly within two years,
since Horace Greeley, Esq., the editor of the _Tribune_, with
unprecedented courage and liberality, opened the columns of his
widely-circulated journal to a fair exposition of this subject.
What will the next ten years bring forth?"
Mr. John Greig of Rochester, a participator in this socialistic
excitement and in the experiments that went with it, contributed the
following sketch of its beginnings to Macdonald's collection of
manuscripts:
"We in western New York received an account of the views and
discoveries of (the to-be-illustrious) Fourier, through the
writings of Brisbane, Greeley, Godwin and the earnest lectures
of T.C. Leland. Those ideas fell upon willing ears and hearts
then (1843), and thousands flocked from all quarters to hear,
believe, and participate in the first movement.
"This excitement gathered itself into a settled purpose at a
convention held in Rochester in August 1843, which was attended
by several hundred delegates from the city and neighboring towns
and villages. A great deal of discussion ensued as a matter of
course, and some little amount of business was done. The nucleus
of a society was formed, and committees for several purposes
were appointed to sit in permanence, and call together future
conventions for further discussions.
"I was one of the Vice Presidents of that convention, and took a
decided interest in the whole movement. As there existed from
the very beginning of the discussions some diversity of opinion
on several points of doctrine and expediency, there arose at
least four different Associations out of the constituents of
said convention. Those who were most determined to follow as
near the letter of Fourier as possible, were led off chiefly by
Dr. Theller (of 'Canadian Patriot' notoriety), Thomas Pond (a
Quaker), Samuel Porter of Holly, and several others of less
note, including the writer hereof. They located at Clarkson, in
Monroe County. The other branches established themselves at
Sodus Bay in Wayne County, at Hopewell near Canandaigua in
Ontario County, at North Bloomfield in Ontario County, and at
Mixville in Alleghany County."
The Associations that thus radiated from Rochester, hold a place of
peculiar interest in the history of the Fourier movement, from the
fact that they made the first, and, we believe, the only practical
attempt, to organize a _Confederation_ of Associations. The National
Convention, as we have seen, recommended general Confederation; and
its executive committee afterward, through Parke Godwin, made
suggestions in the _Phalanx_ tending in the same direction. The
movement, however, came to nothing, and at the subsequent National
Convention in October, was formally abandoned. But the Rochester group
of Associations, attracted together by their common origin, actually
formed a league, called the "American Industrial Union," and a Council
of their delegates held a session of two days at the domain of the
North Bloomfield Association, commencing on the 15th of May, 1844. The
_Phalanx_ has an interesting report of the doings of this Confederate
Council, from which we give below a liberal extract, showing how
heartily these western New Yorkers abandoned themselves to the spirit
of genuine Fourierism:
FROM THE REPORT OF THE SESSION OF THE INDUSTRIAL UNION.
"_Resolved_, That it be recommended to the several institutions
composing this Confederacy to adopt, as far as possible, the
practice of mutual exchanges between each other; and that they
should immediately take such measures as will enable them to
become the commercial agents of the producing classes in the
sections of the country where the Associations are respectively
located.
_Classification of Industry._
"_Resolved_, That in the opinion of the council, the first step
towards organization should be an arrangement of the different
branches of agricultural, mechanical and domestic work, in the
classes of necessity, usefulness and attractiveness. The exact
category in which an occupation shall be placed, will be
influenced more or less by local circumstances, and is, at best,
somewhat conjectural. It will be indicated, however, with
certainty, by observation and experience. In the meantime, the
council take the liberty to express an opinion, that to the
_Class of Necessity._
belong, among others, the following, viz.: ditching, masonry,
work in woolen and cotton factories, quarrying stone,
brickmaking, burning lime and coal, getting out manure, baking,
washing, ironing, cooking, tanning and currier business,
night-sawing and other night work, blacksmithing, care of
children and the sick, care of dairy, flouring, hauling seine,
casting, chopping wood, and cutting timber.
_Class of Usefulness._
"All mechanical trades not mentioned in the class of necessity;
agriculture, school-teaching, book-keeping, time of directors
while in session, other officers acting in an official capacity,
engineering, surveying and mapping, store-keeping, gardening,
rearing silk-worms, care of stock, horticulture, teaching music,
housekeepers (not cooks), teaming.
_Class of Attractiveness._
"Cultivation of flowers, cultivation of fruit, portrait-and
landscape-painting, vine-dressing, poultry-keeping, care of
bees, embellishing public grounds.
_Groups and Series._
"The Council recommend to the different Associations the
following plan for the organization of groups and series, viz.:
"1. Ascertain, for example, the whole number of members who will
attach themselves to, or at any time take part in, the
agricultural line. From this number, organize as many groups as
the business of the line will admit.
"2. We recommend the numbers 30, 24, 18, as the maximum rank of
the classes of necessity, usefulness and attractiveness.
"The series should then be numbered in the order in which they
are formed, and the groups in the same manner, beginning 1, 2,
3, &c., for each series.
"Mechanical series can be organized, embracing all the
different trades employed by the Association, in the same
manner; and if the groups can not be filled up at once with
adults, we would recommend to the institutions to fill them
sufficiently for the purpose of organization, with apprentices.
"Each group should have a foreman, whose business it should be
to keep correct accounts of time, superintend and direct the
performance of work, and maintain an oversight of
working-dresses, etc.
"There should be one individual elected as superintendent of the
series, whose business it should be to confer with the farming
committee of the board, and inform the different foremen of
groups, of the work to be done, and inspect the same afterwards.
"The council is thoroughly satisfied that all the labor of an
Association should be performed by groups and series, and
although the combined order can not be fully established at
once, the adoption of this arrangement will avoid incoherence,
and be calculated to impress on each member a sense of his
personal responsibility.
_Time and Rank._
"The time, rank and occupation should be noted daily, and
oftener, if a change of employment is made. The sum of the
products of the daily time of each individual, as multiplied by
his daily rank, should be carried to the time-ledger, weekly or
monthly, to his or her credit. Each of the several amounts,
whether performed in the classes of necessity, usefulness, or
attractiveness, will thus be made to bear an equal proportion to
the value of the services rendered.
A.M. WATSON, President.
E.A. STILLMAN, Secretary."
The reader may be curious to see how these instructions were carried
out in actual account-keeping. Fortunately the _Phalanx_ furnishes a
specimen of what, we suppose, may be called, unmitigated Fourierism.
"The following tables," says a subsequent report, "exhibit the mode of
keeping the account of a group at the Clarkson domain. The total
number of hours that each individual has been employed during the
week, is multiplied by the degree in the scale of rank, which gives an
equation of rank and time of the whole group. At Clarkson, for every
thousand of the quotient, each member is allowed to draw on his
account for necessaries, to the value of seventy-five cents:
SERIES OF TAILORESSES--GROUP NO. I.
_Maximum Rank 25._
-----+-------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+-----+--------
1844| | | | | | | |Total|Hours
Rank| | Mo.|Tue.| We.|Thu.|Fri.|Sat.|hours|& rank.
-----+-------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+-----+--------
20 | M. Weed, | 6 | 10 | 3 | -- | -- | 5 | 24 | 480
25 | J. Peabody, | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 62 | 1550
20 | S. Clark, | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | -- | 48 | 960
25 | E. Clark, | 2 | 10 | 10 |Sick| -- | -- | 22 | 550
18 | H. Lee, | 6 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 34 | 612
15 | J. Folsom, | 3 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 22 | 330
12 | Eliza Mann, | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 22 | 264
-----+-------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+-----+--------
The above is a true account of the time and rank of the whole group,
working under my direction for the past week.
JULIA PEABODY. Foreman.
Entered on the books of the Association, by
WM. SEAVER, Clerk.
_Clarkson Domain, July 6, 1844._
SERIES OF WORKERS IN WOOD--GROUP NO II.
_Maximum Rank 30._
-----+----------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+-----+--------
1844| | | | | | | |Total|Hours
Rank| | Mo.|Tue.| We.|Thu.|Fri.|Sat.|hours|& rank.
-----+----------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+-----+--------
24 | Chas. Odell, | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 56 | 1344
30 | John Allen, | 10 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 46 | 1380
20 | Jas. Smith, |Sick| -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 | 3 | 120
30 | Wm. Allen, | 10 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 62 | 1860
30 | Jas. Griffith, | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 60 | 1800
-----+----------------+----+----+----+----+----+----+-----+--------
The above is a true account of the time and rank of the whole group,
working under my direction for the past week.
JAMES GRIFFITH, Foreman.
Entered on the books of the Association, by
WM. SEAVER, Clerk.
_Clarkson Domain, July 6, 1844._"
For the sake of keeping in view the various religious influences that
entered into the Fourier movement, it is worth noting here that Edwin
A. Stillman, the Secretary of the Union, was one of the early
Perfectionists; intimately associated with the writer of this history
at New Haven in 1835. We judge from the frequent occurrence of his
official reports in the _Phalanx_ and _Harbinger_, that he was the
working center of the socialist revival at Rochester, and of the
incipient confederacy of Associations that issued therefrom. In like
manner James Boyle, another New Haven Perfectionist, was a very busy
writer and lecturer among the Socialists of New England in the
excitements 1842-3, and was a member of the Northampton Community.