The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-09-20


rapidly and certainly lain fallow through the
last dozen years. Yet the truth has been so
notorious, so palpable, SO undeuiable that each
one of these Fourier Phalanxes," so called,
has been cmineutly pure in sentiment and free
from sexual iucontinence, that nobody has been
quite braZen enough to assert the contrary.
TO insinuate as a theorem that they OugLf n
he immoral was easy; it required u little more
hardihOod to maintain as a fact that they are
impure. Yet Brook Farm had been some time
in operation before this Anti-Marriage cry was
raised; and all men must realize that, had
" Free Love" been the real creed of these
" Fouriertes,' it could not have been wholly
excluded from their acts. Yet We say with
confidence that there has never been a time. in
the history Of these Socialist experiments. VIXEN
an avowal of the " Free Love > doctrine BY amy
member would not have necesstated his with
drawal or caused his expulsion.
But such charges as that Of " Free Love
against the AssOciatonists viii always find be
levers, not alone because the mass Of men
wish to find them true, and many find in their
own hearts and lives reasons for wishing the
reprobated doctrine n sound one, but because
the loose fish that float in the putrid shadows
of society always seek to nOursh their own
vices by Harvesting them to some current If
not popular theory. ST. Paul had TO rebulc
his nominal converts for Cunning the grace of
God into RIGHTEOUSNESS :" and this perver-
sion, which is the fact with respect to a few, is
true in the popular belief with regard to the
community. The Roman world in the first two
Christian centuries though itself sunk in the
grossest sensual debasement, absolutely Shud-
dered at the stories it heard and believed Of tho
bestal orgies frequently celebrated by the
Christians. Mackay. in his :. Progress of the
/ Human Intellect observes that no one has
ever set forth higher and pUrcr conception Of
the Deity, without being regarded by the multi
/ tude as an Atheist. B0ssuct boldly charges,
and the Catholic world to this day believes.
/ that the Protestant Reformation originated i'm
/ the lecherCus appetites Of Luther, Henry VIII,
( the l.andgrave OF HesSe, and a few other apos.
tate priests and princes. In short the charge
OF hostility or intidehty TO married confluence
is one of the most common and positive of any
to which retormers I'm all ages have been sub
jected. Pharisees and reprobates unite to urge
aud sustain it the former, to blaclen the char
acters of relormers; the latter, to whitewash
their own, by making it seem that they are not
really depraved, but only faithful to an unpopu-
| lar conviction. Thus the Raymonds and Tom
| Nicholses OF all ages are natural cOnfederates
and co-workers, the venom Of the former being
| rendered more effective 10y admiNture with the
! slime of the latter.
/ Let us endeavOr to clucidatc by AN easily
understood example, the iuiquity and bascness
of the studied, persistent misrepreseutations of
the New York Times on this subject. We will
suppose that the system popularity termed Cal
vinism were novel here and intensely unpopu-
lar; whereupon we, wishing to subject the
Editor OF the Tunes TO general Odium, should
charge him with holding that all who cherish
heretical religious opinions should be burnt at
the stake. He very naturally demurs, and
challenges the proof. " Our proof" we respond
" is simple and conclusive. You will not DENY
that you are a Calvinist; and history clearly
AYERS that Calvin not only prompted but secured
the burning of Michael Servctus for his heresies
at Geneva, Of which city and canton said Calvin
was then virtual dictator. His letter is eNtant
eXultng over that execution, and affirming the
right and duty Of putting such hcrctiCs as
Servetus to death. Now, you cannot be allow
ell to pick and choose among Culvin's doe
trines-you must stand by them rs Il whole:
for he doubtless understood his own system.
Being a Calvinist, you are necessarily "A be-
lever in the doctrine he eXemp!ihcd in the case
OF Servetus, though it may suit your present
purpose to deny it, And the prejudiced mob
would inevitably shout, That is dcmonstra-
ton. He is proved, being an admitted Calvinst,
to be ready to burn men for heresy, if he dare"
" But stop!' the accused would naturally
say; 81 deny your right to make creed for
me, or to draw from my actual faith conclusions
which / utterly protest. True, j hold generally
to that view of the Divine Sovereignty and its
consequences which others have stamped with
the name of Calvin but | am not responsible.
for any conclusions drawn from it by Calvin. or
any one but myself Calvin is nothing 10 me,
save in so far as his formulas embody my own
convictions, which would have been much the
same if Calvin had never existed. II he iusii-
fled persecution, he was so far wroug, aud
condemn him; 1 am no wise responsible for
that, since / was as much a Calyinist Us now
before | ever heard the name Of Seryetus
insist, therefore, that you prove your charge by
something have said or done, and not BY your
differences from what was said or dom. by :,
Frcnchman ages ago" Aud in this demand
he would be justified by reason and truth.
though condemned by ignorance, prejudice and
canting hypocrisy.