THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE.

of justification," &c. But throughout the preceding passage, and indeed the whole of his criticism, P. G. has strangely confounded Prudence with Morality, Constraint with Duty; where

NEW-YORK, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1849. as, according to the unanimous teaching of all ethical philoso

CRITICISM CRITICISED.

[CONTINUED.]

Fourier did not undervalue the functions of reason in its true sphere, which is that of scientific analysis and synthesis in all the departments of industrial research and social refinement. No one ever made a more effective use of Reason, than he did him self. He merely protests against making it the Supreme and Autocratic Lawgiver where it should be the obsequious Minister and servant. Nor do I understand him as undervaluing the function of Conscience in ages of spiritual darkness and selfish moralism: he simply subordinates it to what he esteems a higher life. He does not regard Morality as the divine end in the creation of Man, nor the moral life, by which I mean the life of self-control and struggle against evil, the life of a compulsory disinterestedness in obedience to some objeciive moral law, as the true and permaneut destiny of man. That is to be sought in a free spontaneous productive activity of use, an activity of creative art, which shall thoroughly discipline universal nature into complete subjection to man, which shall emancipate the individual from all social necessities and restraints, and bring our collective humanity into a willing co-operation with the Divine Spirit. And this I hold is of the genuine essence of Christianity--its distinctive mark and loftiest aim. For if Christianity be anything different from or better than Gentile Philosophy or Jewish Religion, if it be an altogether new revelation of man's destiny, its superiority must consist in its exhibition of this new and Divine life. Neither Jesus nor any of his apostles had the least sympathy with Jewish moralism or heathen intellectualism: but regarded them both as spurious,

phers of Antiquity and of Christendom, worthy the name, the essence of Morality is disinterested love of Good, and the office of Duty is so to harmonise individual and collective good as to make freely rendered private sa crifices the source of purest joy. Confucius, Socrates, Cicero, &c., and the whole train of Christian fathers of all communions have known and declared that Love is the universal Liberator. A small portion of orthodox Protestants only have fallen into the heresy of considering external formal regularity, without regard to inward conformity to right, as "moral;" and Utilitarianism of the Paley and Bentham style is a simplism of very modern date, resulting from the excessive analytic tendency of the last century. P. G. speaks very vaguely too of "Morality as the divine end in the creation of Man," &c., for he might be safely challenged to produce one writer of note of any school, who has maintained that the life of compulsory disinterestedness is the true and per. manent destiny of Man." What has been maintained is the truth, which P. G. would affirm as strongly as any one, that in the Order of perfect justice only can Freedom be found, that until Spirits voluntarily govern themselves by the Divine Law of Love they inevitably must suffer and struggle; but that instantly when individuals and collective bodies seek by disinterested co-operation Universal well being, heavenly concord, liberty and blessedness will ensue. The real point in debate is unconciously evaded, which is this: "Do Spirits, as they advance in goodness, obey Divine Order less consciously and willingly or mere consciously and willingly." Morality,-that is loving conformity to Gods' Eternal Rectitude, is the everlasting method of a Divine Life, but not an end at all. Finally P. G. appears to confound the Instinctive with the Spirituallife, Natural impulse with Divine grace, and to claim the sanction of Christs' apostles in support of his view: whereas, if there is one truth more distinctly brought out than another by Paul and the profound.

simplistic, and utterly impotent. They were broken cisterns est and most pious Christian philosophers, it is that only by which could hold no water-beggarly elements of this world-- being born anew of the Spirit can men become Sons of the Fanot fit to be named in connection with the glorious liberty of ther, of which Spirit it is the very office of Christ to be the the new sons of God. How heartily St. Paul, when he yielded medium. Fourier would have found a deeper mystery and himself to his higher inspirations, despised all self-righteous- brighter glory in the relations of Man with God, than he attainness, all humanly devised schemes of justification, all systems of ed to the vision of in his doctrine of Attraction, if with more

objective Law, whether ritual or moral; and how constantly both he and the other writers, insisted upon the prerogative of spiritual freedom, upon the superiority of the Saints to all worldly standards of judgment, upon the ability of the tru Christian man to generate his own Law--need not here be dwelt upon. "By GRACE are ye saved" is an everlasting fact

worth more than all the Prudential Moralities and bodies of

Divinity that have ever been produced by all spiritual dys

peptics combined.

REPLY.

P. G.

PASSION AND CONSCIENCE. - Here we touch Fourier's central

loyal reverence he had integrally explored Christian Theology, and put faith in the experience of regeneration so continually declared by Christians. As it was, he does not appear to have gained a glimpse of the sublime verity, -to some extent recognised by all great religious teachers, but more clearly revealed perhaps by Swedenborg than by any other, that in order to

"be filled with the fulness of God" man must ascend from

the Natural, through the Spiritual, to the Celestial degree of life. And yet his system of Combined Order has no scientific validity and cannot come into practical operation, without just that change of will, in bodies of united men, which the church throughout all ages has symbolised in the word "Sanctification."

But this important subject demands more methodical treatment, though space and time permit the briefest discussion only.

doctrine; and the test question comes up; "Did he solve the problem of Liberty and Law made one, and exhibit the Reality of Inclination and Reason reconciled, which has hovered as an Ideal, more or less bright, before the Sages of all lands?" Gratefully be it owned that in his view of Society, as a Living Organism, wherein every individual is a co-acting member. Passional Attraction, or in other words spontaneous individual

Fourier has taken a step in advance of preceding legislators; but once again the regret must be expressed that he so slighted the wisdom of Mankind as embodied in tradition, and that by natural reaction against enslaving conventionalities he was led into law-lessness.

The question is this: Was Fourier right in asserting that

impulse, is the infallible indication of Divine Order ?

To answer this question adequately, one should present a full statement of truth as to Man's Relations, Destiny, and Constitution. But a few words must here suffice. Man evidently exists in three grand relations: to the Natural Univere, to the

Of course we cannot but heartily respond to P. G's aspiration Spiritual Universe, and to God. His Destiny is, by union with after the "glorious liberty of the children of God," and his Nature and communion with Spirits, to ascend to at-one ment contempt for "self righteousness and humanly devised schemes | with God; and his Constitution, correspondent to this threefeld THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE.

self to Man.

relationship and destiny, is a tri-unity of love: being Esthetic ety can best attain to a knowledge of the Ideal Law of Justice or sensitive-active, Social, or intelligent-co-operative, and by duly respecting the highest conscience of each of its memReligious or aspiring-receptive. The peculiarly manly or bers. And both of these truths are involved in a third, that human element of Man is the power of communion with his the various Societies of the Human Race, with all their constikind, embracing his neighbors, his race, all races in the Spirit-tuent members, approach to an infallible science of Divine Wisual World, and God in his Mediate degree. This power, as we dom, according to the entireness of their conformity to the Reasaw in our last number, is what all ages have recognized and son of Humanity, wherein the Word of God, hierarchically disdenominated REASON. Its essence is Personality. And Man is tributed through the whole Spiritual Universe, manifests Himmanly just in degree as he attains to conscious, free communion In his doctrine of Passional Attraction, Fourier appears to with Humanity, and so realizes in his life the Divine Ideal of ONE-IN-MANY-MANHOOD, which is the very form of Universal have committed the very error of Simplism, against which he Reason. Only in this communion with Mankind can Man be so peremptorily inveighs. He seems to have recognized in huunited with Nature in Art, and rise to at-one-ment with God in man existence no higher mode of communion with the Divine Being than Instinct, and never to have acknowledged the truth, Religion. The very Divine Idea of Man then, is not of one Individual, that by the endowment of Free Intelligence, Man is transformed but of a Society, or rather of a Universal Confederacy of Soci- from a Pivotal Animal to an infant Angel, and is exalted above eties, hierarchically inter-linked with the whole Spiritual Uni- the fatal dominion of Nature into voluntary co-operation with verse; so that the very conception of an individual man, not Spiritual World. The conviction which animated him,--a most born as a child, not associated with his fellows as a friend, not generous and religious one,--was that God had originally harbound in intimate union of opposites as a lover and by such monized all human instincts in Man individual and collective, union transmitting life as a parent, not ranked in the collective that he perennially inspires them, and that therefore the true body as ruler or subject, is self-contradictory. Take away the form of Society, -a form of consummate liberty, order, and thought of a finite conscious form of love, freely interchanging beauty, will be found by giving all impulses unlimited scope good with other like spirits, and the very thought of Man dis- of action. But though doubtless Man was born in Eden and is appears. Thus a man has no intelligible manhood, except as One destined for a Paradise Regained, is there not a deeper mystery

of Many Men, and the primitive idea of Man involves that of an ORDER OF SOCIETY. The very Word, Wisdom, Law of God is & Form of Loving Men, communing by Mutual Use; and this common knowledge of each and all men,-that the Original, Means, and End of a human life is Love,--is the Con-Science of Mankind, Collective and Individual.

The question now recurs: Is spontaneous, individual impulse, or Passional Attraction, the infallible indication of Divine Or

der?

Evidently not. Each impulse of every individual must be

hierarchically co-operative with every other impulse, and subject to the Pivotal Impulse, which is at once the original and resultant, the simple radical, and composite fulfilment of all im pulses. Again, each impulse must have its own form and law of action, which must in turn be a constituent part of a Composite form or law, the Pivotal Legislator and Judge. Next, in action and reaction, each impulse encounters circumstances which it moulds or is moulded by, and from all combined experiences of pleasure and pain is formed a reflected image of the harmonious conditions of Integrai existence. Finally, impulse judgment, experience converge, intermingle, blend in a Charac ter or Personality, which is inwardly conscious of being Manly, and is felt by all men to be so, in proportion to its Unity. A man is loved by his fellows, as at once humane, natural, and divine, in degree as in deed, thought, feeling he progressively realizes unity in variety, and becomes a beautiful whole. And in the process of this development he ascends from a merely instinctive passionate existence, through consciously governed existence, to free co-operative existence. Only in this final consummate mode of life does he, by the abiding presence of the Divine Spirit, learn fully to know the Divine Wisdom, and through that knowledge to rejoice in the Divine Love.

The very conception of a man, however, as we have seen, is inseparable from that of a Society. Not only is it true, then, that an individual man is approximately conformed to Divine Order in proportion as all his Passional Attractions are regulated by the Law of Right Reason, enacted and executed by a

in the transition between the Fall and the Redemption, than
Fourier attained to the knowledge of in his studies of Edenism,
Surely! unless
Savageism, Patriarchalism, Barbarism, Civilization, Garantism,
and Simple and Compound Association?
Christendom is utterly befogged in sophistry.

With this mere summary of hints upon these immense topics the discussion with my friend P. G. must close. My design in the "Negative Criticism" on Fourier was briefly to suggest to Fellow-Associationists some of the points wherein one of their number dissents from our honored teacher, and thus to open profitable paths of study. Speculative errors inevitably vitiate to some extent practical plans: yet, on the other hand, practioal reforms aid us to speculative truth. In relation to Fourier, my sincere conviction is, that his wonderful sagacity, enlightened by analogy, enabled him o construct the most symmetrie form of Society, which has been thus far conceived by Man. To reconcile the Natural body of the Phalanstery with the Spiritual body of the Church, by means of Unitary Science, seems to me to be the work, which Providence to-day assigns to Christian Socialists

OUR TRUE NAME.

W. H. C.

We ought to have a name, -we ought to know our name; for everything which has life has a name growing out of itself,. which explains and helps to make it understood.

Our name is "THE COMBINED ORDER."

There is no word more expreseive than Order. It has the same elements, it is perfectly the same word as Art-or rather, I would say, Art is Order.

There is life in the word Order. Associationist is all hissing. dentals, -expressing separation and new agglomeration of the separated parts. But the R with which Order begins and enda,. even Socrates and Plato discovered to be a natural symbol of motion-of eternal motion, and a motion ever beginning, and the sonorous dental D gives outress, reality, and rest to this

Unitary, Personal Will, fitly experienced, enlightened and sanc- motion. The liquid is the spirit, and the dental is the body,tified; but yet more is it true, that a man fulfils the Divine and the vowels are the uniting soul in which the spirit and Idea, just in degree as with loyal love he yields up his own per- body meet. Order is heaven's first law. Order is God as seen sonal inclination, judgment, interest, to the guidance of the Law by the intellect. Order is the form of God's going forth in of Right Reason in the Society of which he is a living member. man.

The correlative of this is the complementary truth, that a Soci. I said to --, "that Order is the name of that to which we aspire Association may be disorderly: men are already in association, life depends that is, to his share of the natvral products of but otin order." He said "there is order already-the order the Earth, or to his share of the soil from which to obtain the of evil." But I answered, "it is profane to call that order means of sustenance, it is clear that no division or apportionwhich 'reigns in Warsaw.? It is not order. As nothing is Art but that which makes all the parts relate to the central idea, and express it, so that is not order where any part can be taken off and yet leave the whole unharmed."

Order implies organization, and "organization is high," as Mr. Godwin has said, "just in proportion as the parts are at once the greatest in number, and yet all in manifest and palpable relation to a central life, which radiates through and thrills it in every part." This is order. And to express the thought

ment of the soil among the people can remain equitable; for each new comer would demand a new apportionment, which would lead to endless change and confusion, and would be absolutely impracticable. The same fundamental objections are good against any plan for holding the land in fee by associations; for admission to these will necessarily be dependent upon the will of the associates, and consequently,-independent of natural increase or diminution, -relative numbers in proportion to the extent or capacity of domains, will be liable to conthat the order which we seek is to be produced by masses only, we siderable fluctuation. Any plan, whereby a general and pershould say the Combined Order. Who would want a definition petual control of the soil is vested in individuals or companies, of our meaning? Who would talk about "community" if we - however equitable and satisfactory to all interested it may called ourselves the Combined Order? Our very name would have been, or may be when adopted, - will in process of time explain and argue for us. Combined order is the kingdom of become inequitable and unjust, because those having possession heaven on earth. For order develops itself in time and

space.

The words are full of liquids and sonorous. They go well into all needful sentences. "The Combined order of Boston-of Philadelphia-of New-York." "The religious services of the Combined Order." It is sublime to belong to "the Combined

Order"-it is noble to work for it.

Now do not say this is verbiage. Language is the image of Man, as man is the image of God. The elements of words correspond to the elements of thought, -for the organs that utter them are symbolic of that spiritual iife which is to be uttered by them. This is the doctrine which will ultimately bring the original language out of the confusion of tongues,not by making any new entity, but by opening the eyes of Isis to discern Osiris, and enabling her to put together the disjecta membra.

I wish through your paper you would set forth this truth, and prepare the way, so that at the next General Convention we may evolve ourselves on the wings of our True Name, from the mass of confusion which is called Socialism, Association, and Community.

E.

For The Spirit of Age.

LAND REFORM.

The policy of the constitution and laws of many of uStates, and more recent movements in the direction of Ani-rentism, Homestead-exemption, Freedom of the Public Lands, &c., all indicate a growing conviction in the minds of thinking men, that & monopoly of the soil, either more or less extensive, is repugnant to the natural frights of man. Indeed, so monstrous are

will not relinquish it, but bequeath it to their heirs. Posses

sions will thus become at once unequal. In a few generations (leaving out of the question the exercise of the right of purchase and sale) some estates would greatly increase, while others would be almost infinitesimally subdivided. It follows then, if justice to every one is to be maintained-if no man is to be disfranchised of his God-right to the soil, that it should forever remain the equal possession of all; and that exclusive and perpetual possession of and exclusive jurisdiction over a single acre, much more over the whole, is an infringement of a natural right-the birth-right of every man, which, under the con ditions of his being, he may not resign.

This brings us to the consideration of that question, the sо lution of which I propose to seek:

THE JUST ADMINISTRATION OF THE SOIL, or

The best method of securing to the race the amplest produet, both natural and through cultivation and to the individual his fair share of that product.

The following hints at a plan for redeeming the Land and securing it forever to the race, are offered rather to show that the thing is possible and practicable, when the community is sufficiently intelligent to desire it, than because it is the best or even a good plan:

Jurisdiction over the soil belongs of right to the people, and may be exercised by larger or smaller communities as public convenience may require. But before the State can rightfully and justly assume and exercise supreme jurisdiction, all private ownership (which has in general been legally acquired, and in most cases by the payment of a valuable consideration) must be equitably extinguished. Suppose, as would probably be the case, that districts of about the extent of our New-England

the evils growing out of the present monopoly system, in Great counties should be found most convenient as primary communi Britain especially, that one of her most conspicuous and conser- ties. These departments might proceed to extinguish private vative public journals has advocated the right of the State to ownership in the soil, by procuring in the most satisfactory resume the fee or control of the soil, with a view to a more equitable distribution.

The inalienability of the right of each individual to his share of the natural elements necessary to his full development and sustenance, is so obvious, so fairly deducible from the conditions of his existence, that the wonder is, it should ever have been denied. The law in all civilized communities recognizes the subject's right to life, while it virtually denies him the means iving: for the Land, from which is derived all sustenance of life, being already appropriated, the new comers upon the Earth are directly or indirectly dependent upon the will of the Landholders for their food-thus making God's free gift, Life, dependent not upon His bounty and the efforts of the individual, but upon the efforts of the individual directed as his ellow-man may dictate.

Now if every individual whom God sends upon the Earth is ntitled to the free enjoyment of those conditions upon which

manner an appraisement of the value of each portion of the do main, and issuing therefor certificates of stock in the community, bearing interest at a moderate rate payable annually, the stock redeemable at the will of the community. This done the community should in its associative or corporate capacity, forever after have sole jurisdiction and administration of the soil. This arrangement need not interfere at all with existing external relations. For these departments or counties may as now in their relation to each other form States, which as now may confederate for great national purposes. And in their internal arrangements there need not be so thorough a breaking up of existing occupations of the soil, as at first thought would seem inevitable. The land would of course be rented to individuals or associations in such parcels as would serve their convenience, and at the same time secure its most thorough improvement and productiveness. In this way many would rent the premises they have previously occupied, while those who have

second, to the payment of such scrip till that also is extinguish summit of thy mountains. I shall never again give the name

drop thy arms. No! Thou hast been betrayed, thou hast been These both included the apostatized. The Magyars left in the sold, my country; the death sentence has been written, beloved third, headed by Kossuth and Balogh.

of my heart, by him whose virtue, whose love for thee I never The rumors of war between Turkey and Russia were fast dydared to doubt. Yes! in the fervor of my boldest thoughts, I ing away at Constantinople. The English ships of war were should almost as soon doubted the existence of the Omnipotent anchored within the Dardanelles. The French fleet was near as have believed that he could ever be a traitor to his country. Smyrna. Nothing further has transpired relative to the deciThou hast been betrayed by him in whose hands I had but a sion af the Emperor of Russia respecting the Turkish aflittle space before deposited the power of our great country, fairs. which he swore to defend, even to the last drop of his heart's blood. He hath done treason to his mother; for the glitter of gold hath been for him more seductive than that of the blood shed to save his country. Base gain had more value in his eyes than his country, and his God has abandoned him, as he had abandoned his God for his allies of hell.

The news by the last arrival is not of an exciting character. The state of things in Europe is perfectly tranquil.

Letters from Widden of Nov. 4, state that all the Hungarian and Polish refugees had been transported from Widden to Shumla. The first portion left on the 30th, four hundred Poles under ex-General Bem, now Murat Pacha, Massares and Count Vay; the second portion left on the 31st ult., commanded by Gen. Stein, now Fehras Pacha, and Kimely, now Kismil Pacha.