END OF THE NORTH AMERICAN PHALANX.
The _Harbinger_ and Macdonald both fail us in our search for the
history of the last days of the North American; and having asked in
vain for an authentic account of its failure from one at least of its
leaders, we must content ourselves with such scraps of information on
this interesting catastrophe, as we have picked up here and there in
various publications. And first we will bring to view one or two facts
which preceded the failure, and apparently led to it.
In the spring of 1853--the tenth year of the Phalanx--there was a
split and secession, resulting in the formation of another
Association, called the Raritan Bay Union, at Perth Amboy, New Jersey.
A correspondent of the New York _Herald_, who visited this new Union
in June, 1853, speaks of its founders and foundations as follows:
"The subscriptions already amount to over forty thousand
dollars. Among the names of the stockholders I notice that of
Mrs. Tyndale, formerly an extensive crockery dealer in Chestnut
street, Philadelphia, who carried on the business in her own
name until she accumulated a handsome fortune, and then
relinquished it to her son and son-in-law; also Marcus Spring,
commission merchant of New York; Rev. William Henry Channing of
Rochester, and Clement O. Read, late superintendent of the large
wash-house in Mott street, New York.
"The President of the corporation, George B. Arnold Esq., was
last year President of the North American Phalanx. Many years
ago he was a minister at large in the city of New York. He
afterward removed to Illinois, where he established an extensive
nursery, working with his own hands at the business, which he
carried on successfully. He is an original thinker, a practical
man, of clear, strong common sense.
"The founders of the Union believe that many branches of
business may be carried on most advantageously here, and that
the best class of mechanics will soon find their interest and
happiness promoted by joining them. Extensive shops will be
erected, and either carried on directly by the corporation, or
leased, with sufficient steam-power, to companies of its own
members. The different kinds of business will be kept separate,
and every tub left to stand upon its own bottom. They aim at
combination, not confusion. Every man will have pay for what he
does, and no man is to be paid for doing nothing. Whether they
will drag the drones out, if they find any, and kill them as the
bees do in autumn, or whether their ferryman will be directed to
take them out in his boat and tip them into the bay, or what
will be done with them, I can not say. But the creed of this new
Community seems to be, that 'Labor is praise.' In religious
matters the utmost freedom exists, and every man is left to
follow the dictates of his own conscience."
Macdonald briefly mentions this Raritan Bay Association, and
characterizes it as "a joint-stock concern, that undertook to hold an
intermediate position between the North American and ordinary
society;" meaning, we suppose, that it was less communistic than the
Phalanx. He furnishes also a copy of its constitution, the preamble of
which declares that its object is to establish "various branches of
agriculture and mechanics, whereby industry, education and social life
may, in principle and practice, be arranged in conformity to the
Christian religion, and where all ties, conjugal, parental, filial,
fraternal and communal, which are sanctioned by the will of God, the
laws of nature, and the highest experience of mankind, may be purified
and perfected; and where the advantages of co-operation may be
secured, and the evils of competition avoided, by such methods of
joint-stock Association as shall commend themselves to enlightened
conscience and common sense."
The board of officers whose names are attached to this constitution
were,
_President_, George B. Arnold; _Directors_, Clement O. Read, Marcus
Spring, George B. Arnold, Joseph L. Pennock, Sarah Tyndale;
_Treasurer_, Clement O. Read; _Secretary_, Angelina G. Weld.
It is evident that this offshoot drew away a portion of the members
and stockholders of the North American. It amounted to little as an
Association, and disappeared with the rest of its kindred; but its
secession certainly weakened the parent Phalanx.
During the summer after this secession, the North American appears to
have had an acrimonious controversy about religion with somebody,
inside or outside, the nature of which we can only guess from the
following mysterious hints in a long article written by Mr. Sears in
the fall of 1853, on behalf of the Association, and published in the
New York _Tribune_ under the caption, "_Religion in the North American
Phalanx_." Mr. Sears said:
"I am incited to these remarks by the recent imposition of a
missionary effort among us, and by a letter respecting it,
indicating the failure of a cherished scheme, in a spirit which
shows that the old sanctions only are wanting, to kindle the old
fires. And, lest our silence be further misconstrued, and we
subjected to further discourtesy, I am induced to say a few
words in defense.
"Neither our quiet nor our good character have quite sufficed to
protect us from the customary officiousness of busy sectaries,
who professed not to understand how a people could associate,
how a commonwealth could exist, without adopting some sectarian
profession of religious faith, some partisan form of religious
observance.
"In vain we urged that our institutions were religious; that
here, before their eyes, was made real and practical in daily
life and established as a real societary feature, that
fraternity which the church in every form has held as its ideal;
that here the Christian rule of life is made possible in the
only way that it can be made possible, viz., through social
guarantees which confirm the just claims of every member. In
vain we showed that in the matter of private faith we did not
propose to interfere, but in this respect held the same relation
of a body to its constituent members, that the State of New
Jersey or any other commonwealth does to its citizens; that
tolerance was our only proper course, and must continue to be;
that the professors of any name could organize a society and
have a fellowship of the same religious communion, if they
chose; but that our effort was to seek out the divine
mathematics of societary relations, and to determine a formula
that would be of universal application; and that to allow our
organization to be taken possession of as an agency for pushing
private constructions of doctrine, would be an impossible
descent for us; that any who choose could make such profession
and have such observances as they liked, and by arrangement have
equal use of our public rooms. Still from time to time various
parties have urged their private views upon us, and whenever
they wished, have had, by arrangement, the use of room and such
audience as they could attract. But never until the past summer
has there been such a persistent effort to press upon us private
observance as to excite much attention; and for the first time
in our history there arose, through a reprehensible effort, a
public discussion of religious dogmas; and, to our regret and
annoyance, the usual sectarian uncharitableness was exhibited
and has since been expressed to us."
A further glimpse at the difficulty alluded to, is afforded by the
following paragraph, which appeared in print about the same time,
written by Eleazer Parmlee, a partizan of the other side:
"I received the inclosed letter from Marcus Spring, who
requested me to co-operate with himself and others (at the two
Phalanxes) in sustaining a preacher; as he insists 'that the
religious and moral elements in man should be cultivated for
the true success of Association.' I shall write to Mr. Spring
that it is not my opinion that religious cultivation or teaching
will be allowed, certainly at one of the Associations; and I
would advise all persons who have any respect or regard for the
religion of the Bible, and who do not wish to have their
feelings outraged by a total want of common courtesy, to keep
entirely away, at least from the North American."
It seems probable that this controversy, whatever it may have been,
was complicated with the secession movement in the spring before. We
notice that Marcus Spring, who was originally a prominent stockholder
in the North American, and who went over, as we have seen, to the
rival Phalanx at Perth Amboy, was mixed up with this controversy, and
apparently instigated the "missionary imposition" of which Mr. Sears
complains. It may be reasonably conjectured that this theological
quarrel led to the ultimate withdrawal of stock which brought the
Association to its end.
In September 1853, after the secession and after the quarrel about
religion, the following gloomy picture of the Phalanx was sent abroad
in the columns of the New York _Tribune_, the old champion of
Socialism in general and of the North American in particular. Whether
its representations were true or not, it must have had a very
depressing effect on the Association, and doubtless helped to realize
its own forebodings:
[Correspondence of the New York _Tribune_.]
"I remained nine days at the North American Phalanx. They appear
to be on a safe material basis. Good wages are paid the
laborers, and both sexes are on an equality in every respect;
the younger females wear bloomers; are beautiful and apparently
refined; but both sexes grow up in ignorance, and seem to have
but little desire for mental progression. Their mode of life,
however, is a decided improvement on the old one: the land
appears to be well cultivated and very productive; the majority
of the men, and some of the women, are hard workers; the wages
of labor and profits on capital are constantly increasing and
likely to increase; probably in a few years more the stock will
be as good an investment as any other stock, and the wages of
labor much better than elsewhere. The standard of agricultural
and mechanical labor is now nine cents per hour; kitchen-work,
waiting, etc., about the same. Their arrangements for
economizing domestic labor seem very efficient; but they have no
sewing-machine and no store that amounts to any thing. If a hat
of any kind is wanted, they have to go to Red Bank for it. They
appear to make no effort to redeem their stock, which is now
mostly in the hands of non-residents. The few who do save any
thing, I understand, usually prefer something that 'pays'
better. Most of them are decent sort of people, have few bad
qualities and not many good ones, but they are evidently not
working for an idea. They make no effort to extend their
principles, and do not build, as a general thing, unless a
person wanting to join builds for himself. Under such
circumstances the progress of the movement must be necessarily
slow, if even it progress at all. Latterly the number of members
and probationers has decreased. They find it necessary to employ
hired laborers to develop the resources of the land.
"So far as regards the material aspect, however, they get along
tolerably well. But I regard the mechanism merely as a means
for general progress--a basis for a superstructure of unlimited
mental and spiritual development. They seem to regard it as the
end. This absence of facilities for education and mental
improvement is astonishing, in a Community enjoying so many of
the advantages of co-operation. Those engaged in nurseries
should have some acquaintance with physiology and hygiene; but
such things are scarcely dreamed of as yet among any of the
members, except two or three; or if so, they keep very quiet
about it. A considerable portion of their hard earnings ends in
smoke and spittoons, or some other form of mere animal
gratification, to which they are in a measure compelled to
resort, in the absence of any rational mode of applying their
small amount of leisure. Their reading-room is supplied by two
_New York Tribunes_, a _Nauvoo Tribune_, and two or three
worthless local papers. The library consists of between three
and four hundred volumes, not many of them progressive or the
reverse. I believe there is a sort of a school, but should think
they don't teach much there worth knowing, if results are to be
the criterion. Cigar smoking is bad enough in men, but
particularly objectionable in twelve-year olds. A number of
papers are taken by individuals, but those that most need them
don't have much chance at them; besides, it is the end of
associate life to economise by co-operation in this as in other
matters. Some of them make miserable apologies for neglect of
these matters, on the score of want of leisure, means, etc., but
all amounts to nothing.
"The Phalanx people, having deferred improving the higher
faculties of themselves and children until their lower wants are
supplied, which can never be, are heavily in debt; and so far as
any effect on the outer world is concerned, the North American
Phalanx is a total failure. No movement based on a mere
gratification of the animal appetites can succeed in extending
itself. There must be intellectual and spiritual life and
progress; matter can not move itself."
A year later the Phalanx suffered a heavy loss by fire, which was
reported in the _Tribune_, September 13, 1854, as follows:
Destruction of the Mills of the North American Phalanx.
"About six and a-half o'clock Sunday morning, a fire broke out
in the extensive mills of the North American Phalanx, located in
Monmouth County, New Jersey. The fire was first discovered near
the center of the main edifice, and had at that time gained
great headway. It is supposed to have originated in the eastern
portion of the building, and a strong easterly wind prevailing
at the time, the flames were carried toward the center and
western part of the edifice. This was a wooden building about
one hundred feet square, three stories high, with a thirty
horse-power steam-engine in the basement, and two run of
burr-stones and superior machinery for the manufacture of flour,
meal, hominy and samp, on the floors above. Adjoining the mill
on the north was the general business office, containing the
account books of the Association, the most valuable of which
were saved by Mr. Sears at the risk of his life. Adjoining the
office was the saw-mill, blacksmith-shop, tin-shop, etc., with
valuable machinery, driven by the engine, all of which was
destroyed. About two thousand bushels of wheat and corn were
stored in the mill directly over the engine, which, in falling,
covered it so as to preserve the machinery from the fire. There
was a large quantity of hominy and flour and feed destroyed
with the mill. The carpenters' shop, a little south of the grain
mill, was saved by great exertion of all the members, men and
women. All else in that vicinity is a smouldering mass. Nothing
was insured but the stock, valued at $3,000, for two-thirds that
amount. The loss is from $7,000 to $10,000."
Alcander Longley, at present the editor of a Communist paper, was a
member of the North American, and should be good authority on its
history. He connects this fire very closely with the breaking-up of
the Phalanx. In a criticism of one of Brisbane's late socialistic
schemes, he says:
"A little reminiscence just here. We were a member of the North
American Phalanx. A fire burned our mills and shops one unlucky
night. We had plenty of land left and plenty else to do. But we
called the 'money bags' [stockholders] together for more stock
to rebuild with. Instead of subscribing more, they dissolved the
concern, because it didn't pay enough dividend! And the honest
resident working members were scattered and driven from the home
they had labored so hard and long for years to make. Would Mr.
Brisbane repeat such a farce?"
Yet it appears that the crippled Phalanx lingered another year; for we
find the following in the editorial correspondence of _Life
Illustrated_ for August 1855:
Last Picture of the North American.
"After supper (the hour set apart for which is from five to six
o'clock) the lawn, gravel walks and little lake in front of the
Phalanstery, present an animated and charming scene. We look out
upon it from our window. Nearly the whole population of the
place is out of doors. Happy papas and mammas draw their baby
wagons, with their precious freight of smiling innocence, along
the wide walks; groups of little girls and boys frolic in the
clover under the big walnut-trees by the side of the pond; some
older children and young ladies are out on the water in their
light canoes, which they row with the dexterity of sailors; men
and women are standing here and there in groups engaged in
conversation, while others are reclining on the soft grass; and
several young ladies in their picturesque working and walking
costume--a short dress or tunic coming to the knees, and loose
pantaloons--are strolling down the road toward the shaded avenue
which leads to the highway.
"There seems to be a large measure of quiet happiness here; but
the place is now by no means a gay one. If we observe closely we
see a shadow of anxiety on most countenances. The future is no
longer assured. Henceforth it must be 'each for himself,' in
isolation and antagonism. Some of these people have been
clamorous for a dissolution of the Association, which they
assert has, so far as they are concerned at least, proved a
failure; but some of them, we have fancied, now look forward
with more fear than hope to the day which shall sunder the last
material ties which bind them to their associates in this
movement."
The following from the _Social Revolutionist_, January, 1856, was
written apparently in the last moments of the Phalanx.
[Alfred Cridge's Diagnosis in Articulo Mortis.]
"The North American Phalanx has decided to dissolve. When I
visited it two years since it seemed to be managed by practical
men, and was in many respects thriving. The domain was well
cultivated, labor well paid, and the domestic department well
organized. With the exception of the single men's apartments
being overcrowded, comfort reigned supreme. The following were
some of the defects:
"1. The capital was nearly all owned by non-residents, who
invested it, however, without expectation of profit, as the
stock was always below par, yielding at that time but 4-1/2 per
cent. of interest, which was a higher rate than that formerly
allowed. Probably the majority of the Community were hard
workers, many of them to the extent of neglecting mental
culture. I was informed that they generally lived from hand to
mouth, saving nothing, though living was cheap, rent not high,
and the par rate of wages ninety cents for ten hours, but
varying from sixty cents to $1.20, according to skill,
efficiency, unpleasantness, etc. Nearly all those who did save,
invested in more profitable stock, leaving absentees to keep up
an Association in which they had no particular interest. As the
generality of those on the ground gave no tangible indications
of any particular interest in the movement, it is no matter of
surprise that, notwithstanding the zeal of a few disinterested
philanthropists engaged in it, the institution failed to meet
the sanguine expectations of its projectors.
"2. They neglected the intellectual and aesthetic element. Some
residents there attributed the failure of the Brook Farm
Association to an undue predominance of these, and so ran into
the opposite error. A well-known engraver in Philadelphia wished
to reside at the Phalanx and practice his profession; but no; he
must work on the farm; if allowed to join, he would not be
permitted to follow his attractions. So he did not come.
"3. The immediate causes of the dissolution of both Associations
were disastrous fires, and no way attributable to the principles
on which they were based.
"4. The formation of Victor Considerant's colony in Texas
probably hastened the dissolution of the Phalanx, as many of the
members preferred establishing themselves in a more genial
latitude, to working hard one year or two for nothing, which
they must have done, to regain the loss of $20,000 by fire, to
say nothing of the indirect loss occasioned by the want of the
buildings.
"Thus endeth the North American Phalanx! _Requiescat in pace!_
Where is the Phoenix Association that is to arise from its ashes?
"P.S. Since the above was written, the domain of the North
American Phalanx has been sold."
N.C. Meeker, who wrote those enthusiastic letters from the Trumbull
Phalanx (now one of the editors of the _Tribune_), is the author of
the following picturesque account of the North American, which we will
call its
_Post Mortem and Requiem, by an old Fourierist._
[From the New York _Tribune_ of November 3, 1866.]
"Once in about every generation, attention is called to our
social system. Many evils seem to grow from it. A class of men
peculiarly organized, unite to condemn the whole structure. If
public affairs are tranquil, they attempt to found a new system.
So repeatedly and for so many ages has this been done, that it
must be said that the effort arises from an aspiration. The
object is not destructive, but beneficent. Twenty-five years ago
an attempt was made in most of the Northern States. There are
signs that another is about to be made. To those who are
interested, a history of life in a Phalanx will be instructive.
It is singular that none of the many thousand Fourierists have
related their experience. (!) Recently I visited the old grounds
of the North American Phalanx. Additional information is brought
from a similar institution [the Trumbull] in a Western State.
Light will be thrown on the problem; it will not solve it.
"Four miles from Red Bank, Monmouth County, New Jersey, six
hundred acres of land were selected about twenty years ago, for
a Phalanx on the plan of Fourier. The founders lived in New
York, Albany and other places. The location was fortunate, the
soil naturally good, the scenery pleasing and the air healthful.
It would have been better to have been near a shipping-port. The
road from Red Bank was heavy sand.
"First, a large building was erected for families; afterward, at
a short distance, a spacious mansion was built, three stories
high, with a front of one hundred and fifty feet, and a wing of
one hundred and fifty feet. It is still standing in good repair,
and is about to be used for a school. The rooms are of large
size and well finished, the main hall spacious, airy, light and
elegant. Grape-vines were trained by the side of the building,
flowers were cultivated, and the adjoining ground was planted
with shade-trees. Two orchards of every variety of choice fruit
(one of forty acres) were planted, and small fruits and all
kinds of vegetables were raised on a large scale. The Society
were the first to grow okra or gumbo for the New York market,
and those still living there continue its cultivation and
control supplies. A durable stream ran near by; on its banks
were pleasant walks, which are unchanged, shaded by chestnut
and walnut trees. On this stream they built a first-class
grist-mill. Not only did it do good work, but they established
the manufacture of hominy and other products which gave them a
valued reputation, and the profits of this mill nearly earned
their bread.
"It was necessary to make the soil highly productive, and many
German and other laborers were employed. The number of members
was about one hundred, and visitors were constant. Of all the
Associations, this was the best, and on it were fixed the hopes
of the reformers. The chief pursuit was agriculture. Education
was considered important, and they had good teachers and
schools. Many young persons owed to the Phalanx an education
which secured them honorable and profitable situations.
"The society was select, and it was highly enjoyed. To this day
do members, and particularly women, look back to that period as
the happiest in their lives. Young people have few proper wishes
which were not gratified. They seemed enclosed within walls
which beat back the storms of life. They were surrounded by
whatever was useful, innocent and beautiful. Neighborhood
quarrels were unknown, nor was there trouble among children.
There were a few white-eyed women who liked to repeat stories,
but they soon sunk to their true value.
"After they had lived this life fourteen years,[A] their mill
burned down. Mr. Greeley offered to lend them $12,000 to
rebuild it. They were divided on the subject of location. Some
wanted to build at Red Bank, to save hauling. They could not
agree. But there was another subject on which they did agree.
Some suggested that they had better not build at all! that they
had better dissolve! The question was put, and to every one's
surprise, decided that they would dissolve. Accordingly the
property was sold, and it brought sixty-six cents on a dollar.
In a manner the sale was forced. Previously the stockholders had
been receiving yearly dividends, and they lost little.
"While the young had been so happy, and while the women, with
some exceptions, enjoyed society, with scarcely a cause for
disquiet, fathers had been considering the future prospects of
those they loved. The pay for their work was out of the profits,
and on a joint-stock principle. Work was credited in hours, and
on striking a dividend, one hour had produced a certain sum. A
foreman, a skillful man, had an additional reward. It was five
cents a day. One of the chief foremen told me that after working
all day with the Germans, and working hard, so that there would
be no delay he had to arrange what each was to do in the
morning. Often he would be awakened by falling rain. He would
long be sleepless in re-arranging his plans. A skillful teacher
got an additional five cents. All this was in accordance with
democratic principles. I was told that the average wages did not
exceed twenty cents a day. You see capital drew a certain share
which labor had to pay. But this was of no consequence,
providing the institution was perpetual. There they could live
and die. Some, however, ran in debt each year. With large
families and small wages, they could not hold their own. These
men had long been uneasy.
"There was a public table where all meals were eaten. At first
there was a lack of conveniences, and there was much hard work.
Mothers sent their children to school, and became cooks and
chamber-maids. The most energetic lady took charge of the
washing group. This meant she had to work hardest. Some of the
best women, though filled with enthusiasm for the cause, broke
down with hard work. Afterward there were proper conveniences;
but they did not prevent the purchase of hair-dye. The idea that
woman in Association was to be relieved of many cares, was not
realized.
"On some occasions, perhaps for reasons known at the time, there
was a scarcity of victuals. One morning all they had to eat was
buckwheat cakes and water. I think they must have had salt. In
another Phalanx, one breakfast was mush. Every member felt
ashamed.
"The combined order had been strongly recommended for its
economies. All articles were to be purchased at wholesale; food
would be cheaper; and cooking when done for many by a few, would
cost little. In practice there were developments not looked for.
The men were not at all alike. Some so contrived their work as
not to be distant at meal-time. They always heard the first
ringing of the bell. In the preparation of food, naturally,
there will be small quantities which are choice. In families
these are thought much of, and are dealt out by a mother's good
hands. They come last. But here, in the New Jerusalem, those who
were ready to eat, seized upon such the first thing. If they
could get enough of it, they would eat nothing else.
"You know that in all kinds of business there must be men to
see that nothing is neglected. On a farm teams must be fed and
watered, cattle driven up or out, and bars or gates closed. They
who did these things were likely to come to their meals late.
They were sweaty and dirty, their feet dragged heavy. First they
must wash. On sitting down they had to rest a little. Naturally
they would look around. At such times one's wife watches him. At
a glance she can see a cloud pass across his face. He need not
speak to tell her his thoughts. She can read him better than a
Bible in large type. In one Phalanx where I was acquainted, the
public table was thrown up in disgust, like a pack of unlucky
cards.
"But our North Americans were determined. To give to all as good
food as the early birds were getting, it was necessary to
provide large quantities. When this was done, living became very
expensive and the economies of Association disappeared.
"They had to take another step. They established an eating-house
on what is called the European plan. The plainest and the
choicest food was provided. Whatever one might desire he could
have. His meal might cost him ten cents or five dollars. When he
finished eating he received a counter or ticket, and went to the
office and settled. He handed over his ticket, and the amount
printed on it was charged to him. For instance, a man has the
following family: first, wifey, and then, George, Emily, Mary,
Ralph and Rosa. They sit at a table by themselves, unless wifey
is in the kitchen, with a red face, baking buckwheat cakes with
all her might. They select their breakfast--a bill of fare is
printed every day--and they have ham and eggs, fifteen cents;
sausage, ten cents; cakes, fifteen cents; fish, ten cents; and
a cup of coffee and six glasses of water, five cents; total,
fifty-five cents, which is charged, and they go about their
business. If wifey had been to work, she would eat afterward,
and though she too would have to pay, she was credited with
cake-baking. One should be so charitable as to suppose that she
earned enough to pay for the meal that she ate sitting sideways.
To keep these accounts, a book-keeper was required all day. One
would think this a curious way; but it was the only one by which
they could choke off the birds of prey. One would think, too,
that Rosa, Mary and Co., might have helped get breakfast; but
the plan was to get rid of drudgery.
"Again, there was another class. They were sociable and amiable
men. Everybody liked to hear them talk, and chiefly they secured
admission for these qualities. Unfortunately they did not bring
much with them. All through life they had been unlucky. There
was what was called the Council of Industry, which discussed and
decided all plans and varieties of work. With them originated
every new enterprise. If a man wanted an order for goods at a
store, they granted or refused it. Some of these amiable men
would be elected members; it was easy for them to get office,
and they greatly directed in all industrial operations. At the
same time those really practical would attempt to counteract
these men; but they could not talk well, though they tried hard.
I have never seen men desire more to be eloquent than they;
their most powerful appeals were when they blushed with silent
indignation. But there was one thing they could do well, and
that was to grumble while at work. They could make an impression
then. Fancy the result.
"Lastly: the rooms where families lived adjoined each other, or
were divided by long halls. Young men do not always go to bed
early. Perhaps they would be out late sparking, and they
returned to their rooms before morning. A man was apt to call to
mind the words of the country mouse lamenting that he had left
his hollow tree. Sometimes one had a few words to say to his
wife when he was not in good humor on account of bad digestion.
When some one overheard him, they would think of her delicate
blooming face, and her ear-rings and finger-rings, and wonder,
but keep silent; while others thought that they had a good thing
to tell of. But let no one be troubled. These two will cling to
each other, and nothing but death can separate them. He will
bear these things a long time, winking with both eyes; but at
last he thinks that they should have a little more room, and she
heartily agrees.
"Fourteen years make a long period. At last they learned that it
was easy enough to get lazy men, but practical and thorough
business men were scarce. Five cents a day extra was not
sufficient to secure them. A promising, ambitious young man
growing up among them, did not see great inducements. He heard
of the world; men made money there. His curiosity was great. One
can see that the Association was likely to be childless.
"Learning these things which Fourier had not set down, their
mill took fire. Still they were out of debt. They were doing
well. The soil had been brought to a high state of cultivation.
Of the fifteen or twenty Associations through the country, their
situation and advantages were decidedly superior. I inquired of
the old members remaining on the ground, and who bought the
property and are doing well, the reason for their failure. They
admit there was no good reason to prevent their going on, except
the disposition. But Fourier did not recommend starting with
less than eighteen hundred. When I asked them what would have
been the result if they had had this number, they said they
would have broken up in less than two years. Generally men are
not prepared. Association is for the future.
"I found one still sanguine. He believes there are now men
enough afloat, successfully to establish an Association. They
should quietly commence in a town. There should be means for
doing work cheaply by machinery. A few hands can wash and iron
for several hundred in the same manner as it is done in our
public institutions. Baking, cooking and sewing can be done in
the same way. There is no disputing the fact that these means
did not exist twenty years ago. Gradually family after family
could be brought together. In time a whole town would be
captured.
"The plausible and the easy again arise in this age. Let no one
mistake a mirage for a real image. Disaster will attend any
attempt at social reform, if the marriage relation is even
suspected to be rendered less happy. The family is a rock
against which all objects not only will dash in vain, but they
will fall shivered at its base.
"N.C.M."
But even marriage and family, rocks though they are, have to yield to
earthquakes: and Fourierism, in which Meeker delighted, was one of the
upheavals that have unsettled them. They will have to be
reconstructed.
The latest visitor to the remains of the North American whose
observations have fallen under our notice, is Mr. E.H. Hamilton, a
leading member of the Oneida Community. His letter in the _Circular_
of April 13, 1868, will be a fitting conclusion to this account; as
well for the new peep it gives us into the causes of failure, as for
its appropriate reflections.
Why the North American Phalanx failed.
"_New York, March 31, 1868._
"Business called me a short time ago to visit the domain once
occupied by the North American Phalanx. The gentleman whom I
wished to see, resided in a part of the old mansion, once warm
and lively with the daily activities and bright anticipations of
enthusiastic Associationists. The closed windows and silent
halls told of failure and disappointment. When individuals or a
Community push out of the common channel, and with great
self-sacrifice seek after a better life, their failure is as
disheartening as their success would have been cheering. Why did
they fail?
"The following story from an old member and eye-witness whom I
chanced to meet in the neighboring village, impressed me, and
was so suggestive that I entered it in my note-book. After
inquiring about the Oneida Community, he told his tale almost
word for word, as follows:
_C._--My interest in Association turns entirely on its relations
to industry. In our attempt, a number of persons came together
possessed of small means and limited ideas. After such a company
has struggled on a few years as we did, resolutely contending
with difficulties, a vista will open, light will break in upon
them, and they will see a pathway opening. So it was with us. We
prospered in finances. Our main business grew better; but the
mill with which it was connected grew poorer, till the need of
a new building was fairly before us. One of our members offered
to advance the money to erect a new mill. A stream was surveyed,
a site selected. One of our neighbors whose land we wanted to
flow, held off for a bonus. This provoked us and we dropped the
project for the time. At this juncture it occurred to some of us
to put up a steam-mill at Red Bank. This was the vista that
opened to us. Here we would be in water-communication with New
York city. Some $2,000 a year would be saved in teaming. This
steam-mill would furnish power for other industries. Our
mechanics would follow, and the mansion at Red Bank become the
center of the Association, and finally the center of the town.
Our secretary was absent during this discussion. I was fearful
he would not approve of the project, and told some of our
members so. On his return we laid the plan before him, and he
said no. This killed the Phalanx. A number of us were
dissatisfied with this decision, and thirty left in a body to
start another movement, which broke the back of the Association.
The secretary was one of our most enthusiastic members and a man
of good judgment; but he let his fears govern him in this
matter. I believe he sees his mistake now. The organization
lingered along two years, when the old mill took fire and burned
down; and it became necessary to close up affairs.
_E.H.H._--Would it not have been better if your company of
thirty had been patient, and gone on quietly till the others
were converted to your views? If truth were on your side, it
would in time have prevailed over their objections.
_C._--I would not give a cent for a person's conversion. When a
truth is submitted to a body of persons, a few only will accept
it. The great body can not, because their minds are unprepared.
_E.H.H._--How did your company succeed in their new movement?
_C._--We failed because we made a mistake. The great mistake
Associationists every where made, all through these movements,
was to locate in obscure places which were unsuitable for
becoming business centers. Fourier's system is based on a
township. An Association to be successful must embrace a
township.
_E.H.H._--Well, suppose you get together a number sufficient to
form a township, and become satisfactorily organized, will there
not still remain this liability to be broken up by diversity of
judgments arising, as in the instance you have just related to
me?
_C._--No; let the movement be organized aright and it might
break up every day and not fail.
"Here ended the conversation. The story interested me
especially, because it taught so clearly that the success of
Communism depends upon something else besides money-making. When
Hepworth Dixon visited this country and inquired about the
Oneida Community, Horace Greeley told him he would 'find the
O.C. a trade success.' Now according to C.'s story the North
American Phalanx entered the stage of 'trade success,' and then
failed because it lacked the _faculty of agreement_. It is
patent to every person of good sense, that 'a house divided
against itself can not stand.' Divisions in a household, in an
army, in a nation, are disastrous, and unless healed, are
finally fatal. The great lesson that the Oneida Community has
been learning, is, that agreement is possible. In cases where
diversity of judgment has arisen, we have always secured
unanimity by being patient with each other, waiting, and
submitting all minds to the Spirit of Truth. We have experienced
this result over and over again, until it has become a settled
conviction through the Community, that when a project is brought
forward for discussion, the best thing will be done, and we
shall all be of one mind about it. How many times questions have
arisen that would have destroyed us like the North American
Phalanx, were it not for this ability to come to an agreement!
Prosperity puts this power of harmony to a greater test than
adversity. When we built our new house, how many were the
different minds about material, location, plan! How were our
feelings wrought up! Party-spirit ran high. There was the stone
party, the brick party, and the concrete-wall party. Yet by
patience, forbearing one with another and submitting one to
another, the final result satisfied every one. Unity is the
essential thing. Secure that, and financial success and all
other good things will follow."
FOOTNOTES:
[A] To be exact, this should be eleven years instead of fourteen. The
Phalanx commenced operations in September, 1843, and the fire occurred
in September, 1854. The whole duration of the experiment was only a
little over twelve years, as the domain was sold, according to Alfred
Cridge, in the winter of 1855-6.