The New York herald., 1845-07-12

JANIS GORDON BENNETT, Esq.
In wo previous articles touched briefly upon the
general progress which the doctrine OF Social Re
form is making IN Europe and this country; in the
present one will explain the principles upon which
those who advocate II proceed in carrying out tins
great work; but previously let me ask why men IN
general should be so opposed to the idea OF social
w nsy soss fns
Is the present system OF society the product, the
work of the American people Has il been devised
and established under the influence OF the political L.
bery and higher order of popular intelligence which
they possessl No Has il been established by the
christian nations-by the more advanced races that
accepted christianity at its advent upon earth, and
under the influence of Its doctrines Of universal
Justice and universal love and brotherhoodl No.
The system OF society under which we
now live, and which sways our doctrines,
took its rise in the Babylonan, Egyptian,
Greek and Roman periods twas ca lied into exist
ence by those nations and was developed and fully
| systematiZed In Greece and Rome; II Is called In
consequence antique, or the Greek and Roman civil
| lzafion. This society was established before the
| advent OF Christ, and under the influence OF the
principles that then reigned universally-p principles
OF violence, despotsm, usurpaton, war, conquest,
| and slavery. 1t is essentially and wholly an anti
Christian and Pagan society. The doctrines Of
brotherhood, of equality, of liberty, and of univer-
sallove and justice proclaimed by christianity, should
have changed the false social order OF antiquity
did lis false religions but the social order maintain
ed Itself and Is still erect and powerful upon earth
Il
| tlnued through the middle ages down to modern
times, and from Europe it has been transpanted to
America. II has been somewhat modified by the
Influence of christianity; slavery, for example, has
been transformed into serfdom, and sertdom into
the wages sysem-civll rights have been secured to
woman, Nc.; but the system has remained essen
italy the same. II Is based as ever upon the sepa-
ration und division of classes and families, upon
conflicts OF interests, upon war in the battlefield,
and In industry and commerce-upen industrial SER
vitude, and upon disunion, division and antagonism
and It's results are as ever dependence and oppres-
sion, poverty and ignorance, and the heavy train Of
mlseres and evils which they engender
| Now why should men cling to and uphold this sys-
tenn of society? Why should people claiming to
cratic in its politics, uphold society which is anti
christian IN Its institutions and spirit, and bend upon
social seryltude and inequality under hundred
forms II any conservative will give good and
sound reason for It, shall be the first to adhere to
| It, but as yet we have seen none.
With these preliminary remarks, letus examine how
social reform should be commenced and prosecuted.
Should It be by operating upon whole nation! by
a general change in the policy and condition OF
things at once! BY no means; this Is the policy OF
political reformers, who try their experiments upon
whole people at once, instead OF first testing them
upon small district. The advocates ofa social re-
form declare mat practical trial OF the reform which
tney propose should first be made with few hundred
persons and upon very small scale; the principles
| can be as well tested upon single township or
village as upon whole nation,, and if they succeed
upon this small scale, they will spread by their own
inherent excellence and by the advantages which
they secure to mankind generally; they will succeed
as did the steamboat, the railroad, and other great
improvements first tried upon in limited way, and
then universallzed progressively
mus our means OF propagation are practical
trial upon small scae-a local lerperin,et Of pyinc
PIES, which II they be false, will be proved so by
one tar experiment, and if they be true, will succeed
by general imitation We wish to establish one
ASSOCIATION which is the best form the type or mi
mature OF the great society which, we beieve is to
exist universally upon the earth, and in which
principles will be realised in practice before we
proceed farther. This method of reform is the only
true and legitimate one; it is peaceful and conser
vauve IN Its action, progressive IN Its policy, and
antrevolutonary IN Its mode OF operation. for II can
only succeed by proving to the eyes of all the world
by practical demonstration, that II is true and INST
i Now let those retormers who are convulslng the
country with their partial reforms, and the selshly
con nservatve who indirectly robbng the laboring
people OF the fruits of their toll, and reducing
hein 10 industrial dependence and servItude by ST.
lent and underhand revolution, by the power of prl-
vllege and class legislation, by monopolized ma
chlnery and tree competition, and the overpowerng
influence OF capital; let these classes, say, who
| attack thus idea OF social reformation, examine
thls method OF proceeding, and if they think that
they throw the first stone we invite them to do So
'And what Is this model this small type of the
larger society which you wish to establish upon the
earth p II will be asked. This model, we answer,
which contains, within ITSELF all the social laws we
advocate, and which is microcosm, to say, of
the universal society, is what we term an Assocla
ton. And Association TO define it abstractly is
the first or simplest element Of society, the primary
germ OF the state, organized upon strictly scientific
principles, and upon laws OF Justice and unity. To
understand this clearly, we will define what
derstand by the first, or primary element OF society
The United States for example, are composed OF
states, the States OF counties, and the counties OF
townships. Thus the townships (or if the families
composing II are congregated together) the town or
village is the first and simplest element, the Prma-
ry germ OF the State or Nation-and the whole sys-
tenn of society depends upon the value and charac
ter OF the organization OF this primary element and
the laws and principles upon which it is based-for
society, no matter how extended, IS but repeti-
| ton OF townships.
Now the present organization of the township is
ialse-it is based upon entirely erroneous prln-
| cipes and arrangements 1t IS based, first, upon
| the cisassoclaton and isolation OF the families
composing 1t, which give rise to endless compllca
uon and waste second, upon conflict of interests
and the antagonsm OF all branches of industry ;
thlrd upon a bad application OF labor, capital and
talent; fourth, upon an unjust division OF profits
giving the largest portion to few, and leaving but
| little 10 the producing many fifth, upon a servlle
system of hired labor and degrading system Of
domestic drudgery: sixth, upon the pecunlary de-
pendence and the non-productlveness OF women
and children; seventh, upon complicated and
wastefnl system of commerce; eighth upon the
general clashing and dscord Of aims and views
and OF the passions.
| We wish to reform and remodel this township
and base 1t upon true and scientific prnciples-and
an association such we propose, is this reformed
township. IL IS the primary element of society, or
ganlzed upon principles of right and justice. Let
one township thus rightly organized be established
ana the immense superiority OF the system that
which now reigns, will guarantee its spread until it
becomes universal.
In this reformed township, or the association, the
following, among other conditions, forming con-
| rast with those enumerated, will be fulfilled
The families and individuals composing it, will,
first, be associated, and the vast economics attend
ant upon such association will be introduced Sc
cond, OF action and interests will be estahli
ed third, labor capital and talent applied in most
efficient manner fourth, laws for just and equta-
Die division OF profits laid down, paying each nd-
vidual according 10 the labor, capital or skill which
ic organization Of labor introduced making each
Individual an associated partner, with equal rights
and privileges instead Of hlrelng, or a dependent
lnenlal SIXTH, productive spheres Of action. and the