Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, W.T. [i.e. Wis.]) 1843-1844, 1844-05-04
RAE AMERICAN ASsoClATIONIsTS.
M, r.;.,1a NJ association, have issued an


able and luminous Address TO the People OF 'he
United States, exposi.ory of their Peeu',s'
views Of soeie.y-which appeared 10 ',' =.
Tribune. Tho following synopsis IS from Inc
81. Louis Gazette. including such Portions a.
calculated to interest the general reader, and
throw liph, upon the subject Of Association.
The in,eres, and importance OF the subject VIII
warrant, we are sure. the space we devote to
lie consideration.
It is observed, says the authors Of
the Address, that the efforts Of philan-
,hroDis,s towards eradicating social
evil, have heretofore been almost en-
,irely nugatory. Instead Of becoming
better, society is, perhaps, retrogra-
ding. and nothing less than radical
change in its present organization can
be productive of permanent benefit.
No man can have observed the ten
denotes Of the age in which we live
without perceiying that there is rest
less uneasiness, evincive Of the neces-
sity of reform and social advancement.
But in the efforts which benevolent
men of all nations are making to melio-
rate the condition of their fellows, we
see but too little cause for encourage
ment.
Ia their efforts. we discover great
deal Of good, it is true, but on the whole
an evident inadequacy to accomplish
their aims. While, therefore, we ap-
preciate their motives, we must admit,
in sadness, tina. their efforts do not
tend towards uprooting those evils a.
gainst which they contend. No mere
changed in the administration Of gov
ernment-no legislative amendment OF
the laws--no projects for the alleOia-
zion, and not the prevention, OF pau
perism, and all its consequent igno-
rance and misery--no schemes OF pub
lie education--no Sabbath-day preach
ings without Practical realization, are
singly, or collectively, equal to the re-
moval Of the vice under which society
Iabors.
These evils are inherent in its very
structure. They exist not because there
is great want of intelligence, or arts,
or industry, or wealth, or goodness in
the world, but from the fact, that The
form o society is such, that the advan.
tages Of life already created. There
are food, clothing and comfortable hab.
itations enough, in every civilized ma
ton, to feed, cloihe and protect all its
people; there is knowledge and love
enough in the heads and hearts of GER
tain classes of every civilized nation,
could they only be made available, to
direct and render happy all classes; yet
the great mass of the people, every
where, are miserable, half-clothed, ig-
norant and debascd beings, whose bo-
dies are broken and whose souls are
ground out of them by hard work.
How great soever the general improve
ment Of any society, one fact remains
permanent the poverty and consequent
suffering of the masses.
The common relations at present ex-
isting among men, are those of extreme
sc!fshness, and lead directly to indi-
genec, fraud, oppression, bloodshed,
disease, and false and dclusive doctrines
effects which cannot be prevented
by any change short of thorough re
organization Of society.
In proof of this position the advo
Gates of Association offer Statement
Of some of the characteristics of our
present sucial arrangements. In doing
so, they follow the popular Political
Economists 10 the classification of so.
cial processes, under the heads of pro,
dueiion, distribution and conSamp.
tion, believing that society in all these
respects, is defective or pernicious.
AS to its method reproduction, they
say, il engenders and gives occasion
FOR reproductive classes which are
destructive Of wealth, and subversivs
Of social order: thus profession growing
out Of the imperfections, of society
and rendered necessary by those i'm,
projections, are dead weight upor
the producers of wealth, and woult
not necessarily exist under new or
ganization. Thatit gives occasion t,
large number of ruinous and demor
alizing parasites, who live upon tn,
means of others, by fraud and force. IL
this class are Included gamblers, sharp
ers, prostitutes, and a host of othel
pernicious agents. That it shuts al
an ;nealrnlahie <ource Of sori,l xve,lfb