The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-01-30
A New Social Revvlutaon-Mr. Bstsbsne on
frree Love.

A New Social Revvlution-Mr. Brisbane on
Free Love.
A long time ago, when we went to school and
had Latin verses hammered into us-sOmetimes
pr4o,i and sometimes a posteriori-we had smsh
respect for the pastoral poetry of Virgil; and
we remember that We had various and sundry
battles in endeavoring to construe properly
the following lines -
Ultima Cumei VENT jam carnims aetas;
Aa0nus ab inte0ro seciorum ndscstrr ordo.
Jam redu Virgo, redeunt Sdt,rnid regina;
jam nOtu progenies caao demItuur dUn
Our classical readers will remember that
these lines occur in the celebrated eclOgue
about which the scholars have had many dis
putes. 1t treats of a boy who is to be born
and, with his birth, a new order of things is to
commence. Now the Virgin returns-now the
Saturnian reign commences, &c. No one has
ever been able to decide as to the identity Of
this apostle of the golden age-some holding
that it was q son to be born to the Consul Pol
Ito; others that it referred to prophesy of
the Duncan sybil in relation to Caesar Angus
tus, and so on. We have been relieved of any
doubts upon the subject, however, by the very
extraordinary letter which we publish else
z,
Brisbane. the Fourierite apostle. Virgil pro-
phecied the golden age which is to be inaugu-
rated by the Free Lovers and Fourierites to
gether.
Mr. Brisbane was one of the original disci-
pies Of Fourier in this country. He went
to that philosopher several years ago, and
drank from his fOunt of wisdom which
flowed from garnet near the Paris Bourse
Returning, Mr. Brisbane, we believe organized
the first coterie upon the principles of social
ism or communism; he was the guide, philoso-
pher, friend counsellor, preceptor, instructor
of the clique that set up the Brook Farm Asso-
cistion-Dana, Ripley Il Co. Under his bene-
fcent teachings Massa Greeley became indu-
rated with those progressive, benevolent and
humanitarian ideas which have been so happi-
| ly identified in the disinterested advocacy of
| the interests of the Fort des Moines Improve
ment Company and kindred projects Mr.
Brisbane has ampli6ed his theory, and has be-
| come one of the leading apostles of the Free
Love movement He writes to us to say that he
did not found the 80 called Free Love Club in
| New York That honor he resigns in favor of
| S. P. Andrews, who, he says, desired to get up
| series of dancing assemblies. We presume
| that Mr.. Brisbane has seen the "dancing assem-.
| blies" in Paris and London, the Jardin Mabille.
| the ClOserie de Lilas, the Chateau des Flsurs,
| Argyll Rooms, and so forth. The police see
that no improperly is committed in those
places; bat every one knows the general cha
racter of the company and the purposes for
which it assembled As to the joke Of suppos-
| ing that the Free Love Club was organized for
bad purposes, all we can say is that it may ap-
pear very funny to MIR. Brisbane, bq we have
heard of some discarded wives and abandoned
husbands to whom it was not at all amusing.
In the second part of his letter Mr.. Brisbane,
like Joe Smith for the Mormons, as
sumes the mantle of the prophet and states
| his prediction that new order of things is
| about to commence ,ew method Of union for
the seze, mM be inSuguated - - at uiA be
considered proper only so long as The spiritual
union continues" They mean that the age
is coming when the marriage laws are to
b swept away altogether, that men
and women are to live together 50 long as both
are pleased, and that the connection may be
dissolved at a moments notice at the option of
one or both the parties. Mr.. BriSbane also says
something about the "materi km" of mar
riage, as if the household must not always be
material. Men and women are more material
than spiritual; bread and butter is material !;
scrubbing floors and stairs is material rear
ing, feeding and educating children, all very
material backing boots is material in fact
the happiness Of every one depends more upon
some apparently slight materials than all the
finespun theories in the world. Ones spirit wife
would be SO far above materalism that one
| would have no buttons to his shirts which are
important materials
The Free Love philosophers are in fact only
giving new Development Of the theories of
the Grahamites, the Fourierites the abolition
lists, the socialists, negro worshippers,
DC, &c. 1t is Of affinity also with
| Joe Smith and the Mormon civilization
The negro question has ceased to ex-
cite general attention Kansas is gene
rally voted bore and a humbug.
and 20 we have glittering and fascinating
| dogma brought forward under the banner of
social reform. We regret to say, however, that
Mr.. Brisbane's theory is not quite new. Joe Smith
and the Mormons are little ahead of him. Such
institutions as he favors have long existed here.
| The Saints in Utah have adopted them, pla-
giarising from Sodom and Gomorrah. But the
finest Development of his theories may be
found in Church and Mercer streets in this city,
where they arc carried out to their fullest extent
| Also at the establishment in Howard street,
where materialism was 80 far discarded that
the women appeared in puris nHturai1us, and
were materially shocked by a material police
man, who took them before material Judge
who sent them TO q vaH material institution on
Blackwel's Island.
There is one chance for Mr.. Brisbane, how