New-York tribune., 1842-04-07


would necessarily keep away large number of
persons who DESTROYS of participating in the
celebration, VIC have decided upon postporing our
festival for week and altering, somewhat lis
arrangements to meet the wishes of all As
Fourier deveted life of labor to the discover. Of
a social order which would give every member of
the great family OF nan place nj the Banquet of
Life, we will Introduce such change as will make
our festival conform TO the spirit of our doctrine
Particulars will be given in "a day or two
Man md Society.
Our Societies are the work Of human legislation
and accidental circumstances. They are onlposed
Of mass of incohcrent and contradictory customs
laws and institutions, which have grown up gradu-
ally out OF the capriccs, prejudices, ignorance and
oppression of Politicians, Philosophers and ALSO
lutte Rulers, and which based upon false views
Of Human Nature They dcrangc and pcrvcrt the
action of the Passions, and make them appear de-
PRAYED, when they in fact good and perfect, and
capable of Unity and Harmony They violate, be-
sides, every principle of Justice and Economy and
engcndcr the Poverty, Suffering, Vice and Crime
which VIC sec predominant in the world around US
1t is general belief tbut the Social System is
good, but that it is Man who is pervcrse. We
mast form tie IudiUidual says the World, not
Society This superficial error ever has exercised
and still exercises, powerful influence in prevent
Ing any efforts ia change the Social Organization.
and to adart it to Human Nature and to tie
Passions. 1t is a mistaken view Of the SUBJECT
which should long since have been exploded.ZAs
theoretical evidence of its falscncss. we have but
to remark that our Succties are the work Of hu
man Politicians and Legislators, whereas Man is
the work of God. As practical evidence, we sec
tlla our moral and political Sciences have, for five
Thousand years past, been striving 10 reform Nan,
but without any success, whereas they have made
no efforts to reform Society. When will human
Science comprehend that 1t is useless to reform
Man so long as we leave the present false Social
Organization in force? Being entirely uRsued
TO his nature, it deranges the natural action Of the
Passions, and causes that Duplicity, Discord Vice
and crime, the aspect of which has led Moralists,
Philosophers and the World in general to suppose
tina, Human Nature was inherently dcpruvcd
al Let says Fourier, "a true Social Order be
once established, and we shall see that God has
known perfectly well how create the Passions
50 as to be adapted Social Unity that tie would
be wrong to change them please Seneca or Plato
and that Human Reason, instead Of criticiSing bis
work. should exert itself TO discover Social Sys-
tenn in affinity with, and adapted to, them. No
theory will ever change them; they will cternay
tend to Evil in our false Societies, as they will tend
to Good in Association.
:. Human Science wishes, however, to preserve
the basis and change the springs of action within
us,-that is, wishes to leave the Social Organiza-
ton us it is, and change the Passions and In
stincls-change the Nature of Nlan. 1t has neces-
sarily failed in every respect We cannot change
Human Nature can only change its mode of
Action or Development, and give ii true instead
of n false Development
To discover u tue system of Society what
metho, must be followed! Man and the Passions,
we reply, must be carefully studied. But that, it
will be answered, has been done; Philosophers
have devoted their attention tor centurie, TO the
study Of Man. This is an error; Philosophers
have been merely engaged in metaphysical subtle
ties and in controversies relating TO thu generation
of ideas, the nature of the Conscience, the Memory,
SO, which give us only very slight and partial
knowledge Of Man. They have accepted the gross
error, which lime and popular Prejudice have
sanctioned, that the Passions-instcud of being
pcryer,cd-are naturally dcpraved, and they have
not in consequences endearorcd to discover So
cial Order suited to them and which would direct
them rightly What we want is knowledge OF
the Passions, and Of the Laws which regulate their
Action This knowledge the world does not pos
sess it is completely in the dark with regard TO
the PASSIONS it does not know that they are ca
pabe OF two modes of actien,-one OF winch Is
true the either false and that they can producei as
much Harmony and Virtue as they now produce
Discord, Vice and Crime.
To show that Passions are in themselves good,
although they may when perverted by false So
cietv, produce bad effects, NC will make use of
an illustration which we find in Music. We will
FIRST remark, however that false or perverted
effects of Passions must net be taken for true and
original Passions. ambition and Love, for en-
ample, arc true and noblc Passions, and produce
good when lcsitimatey developed or called out;
but still these same Passions may il thwartsd and
outraged turn to Envy. Jealousy, Hatred and TIC
venge. We must not suppose that these VICIOUS
impulses are natural Sentiments inherent in Mani