, 1852-11-06
The City of q Modern Tines .

Mr.. George Sterns, the editor of paper
called the Art of Living" published hilh-
eho among the spindles and spinsters Of
Lowel, announces his intention, in the last
number, of removing his establishment 10
to the city of Modern Times" on Long
Island. Our hand reached involuntary for
the Gazetteer, but no village, town or city
could we find. The Blue Book showed no
such post office. We applied 10 friend
who sold dozen or two Of cities around
New York, but one was not on bis list and,
stranger still, had no recollection ofany lots
being in the market, purporiing 10 be in such
locality. This was discouraging, but when
we start such game, we are not easily
banked in the pursuit. Continuing our
inquiries for a few days, we lighted on a
man who knew something Of the new city,
hereafter to be enlightened by our contem'
porary, the Art of Living, and, as all knowl-
edge is useful, we stand ready TO dissemin-
ale this intelligence for the instruction of
the public, and the benefit of posterity.
The city of Modern Times is on the
Long Island Railroad, near Thompson's
Station, some forty miles from New York.
II consists of large tract Of level, arabic
land, and al present rot more than dozen
houses-brick, frame and log-of varions
sizes. The city plot, a pretty extensive
one, is surveyed in lots of one acre each
and the price is inAexibly twenty dollars
no more and no less. There is no specula-
tion ; for it is " fixed price city. Buy
now, or five years hence, and your acre
will cost you $50. This is exactly what
the land cost and the only addition will
be the cost of survey and title.
lfyOu go to live in Modern Times, every
thing you wish 10 buy,-house, furniture
clothing, food, every thing,-will be sold
you at cost The principle upon which
the city is begun is,lhat every man charges
fair price for labor, but never one cent
profit. Buy shoes and you pay for so much
stock and 80 many hours labor, in money,
or an equivalent Of equal labor of your own.
Every man abjures all desire or design 10
gouge or overreach his neighbor In
word, OF in the axiom Of this school Of re-
formers, cost is the limfso of price and
thing is not worth what some fool may be
willing 10 give for it, but what it cost that
is, every man is satisfied with a fair days
word and no more. If one kind Of work is
harder than another, he is justified, at Mod.
ern Times in asking little more. If il is
worth ten cents an hour TO hoe corn, it
won't be worth more than six cent an hour
10 tend store and preacher, if fond Of his
vocation, will work a little cheaper while
dilchers, washeTwomen, &C., will be jusli-
fen in claiming a slight increase, so that
The most repugnant labor will be best paid.
OF course the good citizens of Modern Times
don't believe in giving $4,000 salaries to
preachers and bank presidents, nor 81 900
fees to lawyers or doctors Every man puts
his work fairly and squarely against every
other mans, and there is no Sinking or
cheating.
There is no folrierism in this new city
for they don't believe in combined interest.
Every man goes TO work very distinctly on
his own hook, with particular understand
ing that he is mol only to mind his own busi-
ness, but strenuously 10 let others peoples
alone. The Modern Times believe in the
sovereignty of the individual Every man
looks oul sharp for No. F; but in doing that,
ne is not 10 encroach on No. 3 They are
as far from Owenism or communism; and
if they have any ism it is indivdualism.
There is Encouragement for drones ; and
as every one takes care of himself, and
there is no possible chance Of speculation,
profit, pickings, or plunder, drones will be
scarce They adopt Paul's maxim, or was
ii Peters If man will not work, Meth.
er shall he eat.' To be sure, there is no CON-
pulsion the sovereignty of the individual
being thoroughly respected. A man may
be as idle as he pleases, but he must be so
at bis own cost. There is no public for
him to live on, in any possible way, or un-
der any pretext whatever. If he is an OBJ
ject OF benevolence, every man will give
what be pleases but no man can feed on
the public crib, or take the products of an
others babor without rendering an equiva-
lent.
The originator, of this movement is the
Hon, Josiah Warren, Of Indiana, a gentle
man Of very remarkable character. His
views have been ably set forth by S. P.
Andrews, Esq Of this city, in two works,
respectively entitled Individuality and
{ Cost the limit of Price,
This is the substance of what we have
discovered in relation to the city Of Modern
Times if we find our further investigations
interesting, our readers may rely upon ac-
curate information. Meantime we wish
our contemporary all sorts Of success, and
hope he may be able 10 reduce the Art of
Living to successful praclice.-[N. Y. Sum
day Times.