Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1842-06-01


ing from Association Gao be auaIned;-
how Industry can be rendered ATTRACT
IvE,-individual Liberty preserved and
vastly extended, how all occupations
which are now repugnant and offensive
can be performed. aud domestic. services
rendered without degrading any.
The proper number of persons for an
Association is eighteen hundred or two
thousand, or, if we suppose from six 10
seven persons to family, about three hun
dred families. THIS number is not fixed
upon arbitrarily, but is based upon the
number Of diferent characters which we
find in men, and the variety of elements
necessary to form Social Harmony. The
members should be of all ages and char
acters. of dlferent degrees of fortune, and
should possess varied practical and theor-
etical knowledge. \ Diversity in all
these respects should exist !; this Diversity,
instead of offerit.g an obstacle to Associa-
ton, is a necessary condition. 1t would
be Impossible to associate Two thousand
persons OF the same tastes and characters.
True Equality does not consist in UEi-
formity, bat in the harmony of a variety
, of elements.
A practical trial on a small scale could
be made with four hundred persons, or
eighty families. This is The smallest num-
Der with which Industry can be rendered
ATTRACTIvE,-a great variety of occupa-
tons, suited 10 both sexes and 10 different
ages aud iaclinations, established and a
choice of sympathetic characters aud vari,
ed Social relations offered to all. Four
! hundred. consequently, is the smallest
aumber with which Assoication,- combin.
ing the above advantag es-can be estab-
| lished.
An Association of thirty or forty fami-
lies, or two hundred persons, could be or.
ganized, which could be made very profit
able, and in which the condition of the
people could be improved much over what
it now is, but it would only be an improve
ment ofthe present system. The number
is too small Ito admit of Industry being rem
dered attractive, and Of offering to the
members that variety of occupation and
company which Man requires. In small
Associations, monotony, uniformity and
| often constant contact OF antipathles or
, uncongenial characters must exist. In
large Associations, there can BE- variety in
every respect, and among large number
Of persons, every one can find beings with
whom he sYmpathSeS, so that it will not
be necessary. ia order to satisfy his Social
nature, 10 mingte with persons who are
not of a congenial character.
We have other and philosophical reas.
ons why Association cannot succeed with
Il small number Of persons, which we will
explain later. We will merely say at
present that it is with Association as with
Music; we cannot have musical harmony
with three or four notes, although we can
with three or four hundred. So with AS
sociaion or Social Harmony; with small
! number Of three or four or ten or twelve
families, nothing can be done, while with
eighty families, or four hundred persons,
success would be easy. In taking certain
numbers we do net do SO arbitrarily; we
have always reason for it, based upon
fixed and natural Laws.
We must not suppose that Association
is new principle, entirely separated from
all that exists; every thing in Our present
; Societies is based upon or done by Associ-
, alton. A single !amiI y is an Association,
/ but it is the smallest one which can exist,
as it is single couple with their children
in seperate house by themselves. A
a Boarding House or Hotel is an Associa-
r hon; Bank, Railroad or an Insurance
Company is an Association, bat more or
. less imperfect and Incomplete. An Army
y is also an Association, but for the pur-
. pose efcarnage and destruction. To avoid
q entirey the principle Of Association, we
must suppose an individual living alone ia
an uninhabited region.
Without Association, Man is weak and
. miserable; il is only by Association that
# he becomes powerful and can render him
d, self happy. Our Roads, Bridges, School
Houses, Churches, aud most OF our Inter-
nal improvements are the work of Asso.
citation nothing great and important can
be done without it. The principle, there
lore, must be admiitud as good in itself;
i but it must be uniVerSaIized, aud made To
$ embrace all interests and large number
n Of families. An isolated family is like
Bank, an incomplete and imperfect Asso-
citation. -... >asa
Small Associations are detective they
: are full of waste, discord and monotonv.
S We can net hare harmony without va
. riety of elements. The isolated family
is, as we remarked, the smallest Associa-
tion that can exist it is. therefore. the
: most defective. If We examine the So
cial life OF Notwithstanding rich and poor
!. I'VE shall find that in four cases out of
q FIVE there is more or less discord or dis
satisfaction, arising either from Donotony
from want of a variety of occupations
suited to the tastes of ditferen, members,
from a constant contact of anti-paihe,ic
u characters. or other causes. If a small