New-York daily tribune., 1850-05-02
Of any Reasonable ground Of hope for personal gain
or popalaritv thss trust must Justify my intrusion

ur1n ihe public, for the first aad perhaps for the last
tinie, as the author OF a book.
The great truths that every human being IS NOR
sfl hound By law Of orr Social condition. D. leave
The world somewhat better for his having lived 10
it-,hat no one able 70 earn bread has any moral
rieht 20 eat rHho4t earning 1.-THE. the OBJ. cation
70 be industrious ard useful Is not invalidatcd by
the noss ssion Of wealth nor BY the generosity oi
wealthy reiatises--that useful doing N any capaci
f,, ~ vocation is honorable aud noble while Idle
ess aD1 proiigality ia whatever station Of life arc
base and contempuble-that every one willing 10
work has a clear social and moral rilht 20 OpPOrlu-
nf'r - Labor aud TO secure the fair recompensc OF
slrh Lsbor. which Society cannot deny him with
On- iuigstce-aud that these truths demand and
predict comprehensive Social ReiJrm based upon
and nodded by taeir dictates-taese wil be found
faithfully II not Orcibly set forth and eucidated ID
The following pages OF course, as the Lectures
we're written inde pendenty o. each other, and with
intervals OF months and often years between them,
fts zen Ter can hardly ia % fad tie same pr0posl-
.;os restated. The same arguments adduced the
game Illustrations employed IN TWO or more in'
stances Each Lecture IS separate thesis, de-
irving II trusti confirmation and support from 9th
e-s but maintaining no connection tnere~ith.-
And IN the arrangement Of the volume, So Tar es
any plan was kept in view, diversity and variety
e der than continuity ana c0nsecutiveness Were
deemed desirable. know hos easily the pubic
mind crows weary oi dr. discussion
I'll the NFit4cF Lbbd9 - hth hDi.~iA'N +Al~ va
orno. two oaly--tha. on DEATH by Human Law
and that on 'Fogging in the Navy - have been
reeast expressly for this work, and these bat t.
sfva a more compact ami metBOdcal expression .
views already submitted Ia ether ilrms 10 the or
deal OF public Judgment -Four Or five OF these es
saws lmainly OF a religious cast were written nom
year q wear for TIE Rose Of Sharon Apnua,
while the residue have in good part appeared IN toe
columns oil THE Iujune. These were geuerAly
suggested by some recent event, some apparent
public necessity. but hog} they vii not be found
antiquatel nor out Of place now and here
Il trust this cx innaton of the impulse snd
character of these H.nts will not be mistaken i0r
an apology. ] make none aud solicit TO .sniiy.
iacu pate no partial friend 10 delighted oudtor ss
iasti, ,ating tbs volume. IL there b. no true worth
in IL, rt the serious guilt Of adding another 20 thc
d.ulorahs nuitt0de Of books unfi' tp be read rest
on my shoulders alone Bnt # It shall be found 70
utter auv wOrn calculated b lrradlGte, however
fai1t'v or transiently the onward pathway OF our
Race. then it viii stand fully justified, though all
the cities should unite u blast it by their ierces.
ualed.c,i ius or their more fatal silence. g.
NEw YORE, April y, 1850.
Very much of this work is devoted, as those who
have glanced over is Table Of Contents viii have
perceived, to discussions Of the Social questions
now becoming 50 prominent. The following
fract from the Lecture o. The Social Architect
Fourier anl lis Ideas, is fair specimen Of their
spirit
The famous pamphles of the Able Sieycs on
The Thi,d Estate or Commons Oi France, which
gave 20 powerful an initial impulse to the Great
Revolution, assumed 20 propose and answer three
auesiions- WHAT 'S the Third Estate Nothing.
What might it be ErTyhlng. What should It
beY SomaAiag' In a Aindred spirit an nc
cuslomed TO rega'd the various eifo IS in day
,r rrs,t.n- a radical Social Reform.
W nat, then, may we reasonably hope from thee
eAortsl
Ii this question contempl late only immc3iate re
suis shall be constrained to answer, Very little.
Iruc know msny noble men and women en- |
vaged in these enterprises aud who bring 70 the |
wort a spirit worthy Of our reverent admiration
These cannot fail, though the enterprises with |
IS Whch they are connected may. II al Of tins |
stamp were united il one undertaking, with means |
at ali adequt &c to its prosecution shoald indulge
ardent hopes. But cannot put aside the impress
which sixty centuries Of Crasping and suffering, #
avarice and want have made on the human char
acter ! cannot forget that those y ho are now !
nbarhiDg il woll4 seem so brayoly, hcrocally, |
In the various Efforts to realize higher and less
s1rld Social condition, have lived from infancy
ami! scenes and under influences whereof Self WIS
the master-si-rit and the evercherished even il
unp'tercd maxim, Look out for Number Onc.'
some have doubtless risen above these influences
others mistakenly think they have. Bot the great
maiori-v, even OF those who are ready 20 embark
ia undertakings to reform Society have not yet re
rmcd themselves. The motive which IuTrcis
them. even in this is q, bottom selish-ihe hope
of ease Of abundance, Of consequence, or OF fame
As this selfish expectation is disappointed, and dis
appointed 1t must be, since great and true Re
iJrn was ever effected except through prigatous
aud sacrfces-their zeal will grow cold, their en-
thusiasm vanish, their faith die out. Their under
takngs will fail and they abandon the in the
,l conviction that the idea is chim-rlca aid can
never be realized.
And beside, we Tnus, consider that the inligi{u- |
ala easiest induced 70 embark in any novel enter |
prise like this, are usually those who have not been
strkp-y successful in their undertakings hitherto
and who may fairly be presumed less fitted than
many others to deserve and command success gen |
eraly. The fortunate, the skilful, the thrifty,
usually content 10 remain they are. They teI |
no necessity, and are slow % perceive any for a
radical change in Society. These are seldom
tempted to embark in novel enterprises, while the
uckless the por,ionless, the unskiled in the crafts
o! trade and the ways Of getting OD, are sure b
be- well represented do not Dotc this distinction |
20 cast reproach on any Every observer S aware |
u AZ the faculty Of making head~ay in the world is |
something quite distinct from moral qualities good |
or bad. Bot II ia fair, il is essential tha, this dis
tn ton should be borne in mind
am uot surprised therefore, to hear 0. the fail
Gre Of most Of the rash, ll-cousdorod, nlprovided
attempts in our day 10 furnish practical models Of
b tier Social condition. shouldhaye been greatly |
If they had all succeeded. OF those
which cmain 10 buffet tie gales Of adverse or sport
10 the breezcs Of prosperous fortune, a part will
doubtless share the fate Of those already broken
up while some, thnk, nrc destined TO survive
aud ultimately flourish. Bot this is conjecture
oniy while the fact that men hare lived, dO live,
more intimate and truslful Society than
the o. ass q IA believe possible is abuDdantly -.
iabished- Apart from the familiar example, Of the
ADfA''Ans' thc shakers. there are in this country
c1mmDnItes which have existed twenty. thifty
and ofiy years, holding all eings IN common. and
nnfng ihfii econorny, abundance, hsppiness. free
don. IN thc3r chosen condition. OF .hese Are the
settlement known a. happs Or Economy. in Ben.
Vs5 Go. Pcnusy iyana. that a. Zosr. Ohio. hnd one
1f two oihsrs. They do not appear " have been
ned Together b. any special sympathy or icrvor of