New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-01-11
10 MISTAKEN FRIENDS AND DE-
CLARED FOES,

ToH.J-. SIR. have been tod that the initials
H. j. signify one who ought 20 know something OF
Fourier and ought 70 b. capable OF gathering the
true sense Of Cotne but COME 81 that cannot Dis
cover from your letters published IN The TRIBUNE OF
Sept, - and Oct that you have seized the true spirit
Of either OF those writers Sociology. Tn the con-
trar do not hesitate to state at once and distinctly
that the arguments produced in those letters exhibit
profound ignorance of the -pr, Of both And here et
ne premise that as subjects OF high inter st cannot be
treated without a certain warmth, and that among
such subjects Sociology il the highest shall ccca-
sionally perhaps hit hard, but it will always be the
arguments not the person-and prepared to receive
hard hit- in return with cheerfulnessn the name OF
Association against lncoherencs with al its attendant
vices and evi,s, recall the war-cry o, celebrated
PREDECESSOR of mire at Cteaux: Say all; God will
save bis own
Iopeu nv attack upon the following extract from
your letter of Sept TRIBUNE OF Oct 81;
Comie take. 10 deeper view of the origin Of society n
sTdns th me y.os,Siion Of .sty 1.-THE ,Ocisi,,
you ingenious and striking apeIeu Of tqIe 80 - 81
cietv and afford. 70 glimpse Of its constitution The
anesfiou This time H. What constitutes society OF ho
together What guarantee have we that 'aI not pes
Nheu similar question IN reference to the human
boy-wher say what constitutes the body or give. II per
would SUPPOSE that be answered the question
bv enumeratug ever esnedy the Various members and 81!
of The
body ard when you say human body you lupely say H.,
The constitutes the body or holds together 80 that
the soul 10 withdrawn The body fails mo dssoq
ton 20 when you say human society, You mplcy say al
the hernoies which are possibly ihvo1'eu III w -;
an 10 And what want to know H. what pNeS oens
TO tLt.e Ewes Sns Fl, a.. b.rf and nus
eav US Wrechsd in the end than we had been IN the
Lerrnr Tbee are tie questions which Comte cannot an
h b doe. not even hear the echo .f-and which yet
-a,f be- before the Of mankind will begin 70
think OF Socialism save as pleasant dream between steep ana
waking"
Allowing Sir for the present that Comte does not
answer these questions were Won in apeasan, dream
between sleep and waking. when you read Fourier,
that YOU cannot answer them from him
Do YOU designate Fourier as an ordinary Socialist,
or as destitute of the slightest insight into the constitU'
ton of society
Your first question is, what constitutes Society, and
what holds il together
Fourier replies in every page Passional Attraction
is the handspring Of Society aud holds il together.
What guarantee have we that Society shall not
perish
Fourier replies: The guarantee OF the persistence oi
Passional Attraction since man was man.
And Fourier. agreeing with you, that ." the soul
alone constitutes the body and holds ittogether pro-
nounces Passona Attraction be the soul of the So
eal body. and that the moment that soul should be
withdrawn the social body must fall into dissolution.
the harmones which are possible in the relations OF
man 70 man. Fourier saws no-not all the harmones,
but only those harmonies which belong TO ts progress
i've stages of development. The highest or pivotal
stage OF development alone involves all the harmonles
belonging to the relations OF man and man.
And if YOU further desire to know "whatsives be-
"ug to these harmonies, he replies, Passonal Attrac-
ton gives them being. What gives them perma
uepce1 (Eyerduring Passonal Attraction gives them
pe1nanence I What prevents their turning into mere
;llusiop of the heart, and thus leaving US more
wretched in the end than we had been in the begin
ningl Passional Attraction, he replies, Is no Illusion
lift be illusion, then all is Illusion; and where Pas
sona Attraction has full play there can be no wretch
edness whether at the beginning or in the endits be,
ginning is the spring-tde of Wish it, end is the full
food Of Accom- plishmeat.
And now, Sir, for another defect in your curass.
"The starting point of Socialism you say letter
22d Sept sis the goodness of Human Nature
Denied, Sir, in toto; that is not the starting point
Of Fourier. Forces OF whatever kind whether Pas
only relatively 80, viz according 10 their staca con
diIuns On their conditions of dynamcai acuon.
Does the Socialist say that the mountain torrent !,
good which sweeps away his hearth and his homestead
Does he say that the lightning which skaters his
rooftree-hat the hurricane which uproots bis promise
of harvest-are "good 1fnOt, neither does he say
that the human nature of incoherent socety-a ma
ure which roba murders, violates and treads under
foot all the best aspirations of heart and heads
good
No Sir; the starting point of Socialism ia the latent
convergency OF human nature-its starting point is
that the passonal attractions of good con-
ditionally" lust the devastating mountain torrent
may be condtonally collected and distributed to fer
tze and give forth ito strength for the works OF
man--iust ar lightning will conditionally carry his
messages of fellowship and affection ust as the
germs" Of the hurricane may conditonaly be evolved
into the freshening and purifying breeze.
But, supposing even the goodness OF human nature
were the starting point of Socialism, such starting
point would not necessarily imply the denial Of the
Fall Of MAS-or had not your ideas OF Socialism been
begotten "'twiIt that sleeping and waking" winch
Shakespeare attributes to the ondness which proceed
by rule and measuref you had true ardor for truth,
however illegitmate such ardor might appear to the
ounces of ncOherency, you would have read IN Fourier
that he admits the Fall of MAs-that he puts down
Edensm as the first stage of human existence, from
which man fell as the infant and child fell from the un-
fuituness of ignorance and innocence, upon the paths
of knowledge and virtue.
And which the nobleI destiny, ask What the des-
tny most fitted to the highest aspirations Of man 10
tread soft w along the vevety beds OF flowers AMID the
luscious fall of fruit and the warblngs of birds of para
diseor be sent forth to conquer and To subdue the
Earth for the purposes Of Heaven-tO BE- sent forth TO
affront its perls andits panstostrke out knowledge
fortude and from the rock and from the wave
al the cost OF toll and Of blood
If your reply il that such Interpretation Of the fall
Of Man violates your religious instinct, Socialism, re-
tort, is of steiner and more hardy mold welcomes
the sharp struggle and the foot road when evil has
TO be wrestled with and good is the prize.
Again, passing on to your definition Of Society.
"society.' YOU cav "is neither nor less than
the fellowship on equality Of man with man-not by
any means the natural fellowship but the scientific
fellowship, the fellowship which is exclusively the
outgrowth of history instead OF Its starting point
Granted the fellowship, reply, but denied Una,
equality is its equivalent.
The Fellowship of man with man is fourfold There
are the Minor Fellow-hps of Ambition and Friend
ship, and the Major Fellowshps OF Love and Fam'
e ~ Ea ulU one - n fel l