The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-07-15

this b IN American enterprise, and New York
tho centre offs operations, IL has such an In.
ternational character, and h ofso much interest
to all commercial nations. that the gro 1t Powers
unite in their efforts to mako Il successful It
will not be long, probably, before We have
news from day to day and hour to hour from
Shanghae, Canton, Pekln, Calcutta and Jeddo,
as we now have 1t from Europs. Nothing can
resist the wonds I'D progress Of the ago In com
nunicating intelligence. Like Airsbeau, we
inlay expungs the word Impossible from the
vocabulary Of the present time.
Social Scienoe-Aa Old Cssssasr Under .
Now Name.
Now that our civil war has resulted In the
abolition Of slavsry, thus settling definitely
the tremendous question which has been
underlying with It's volcanic fires all tho other
questions upheaved during the struggle Of the
last half century for supremacy between the
North and the South, state of things is
arising somewhat similar TO that which fol-
lowed the election Of General Jackson to the
Presidency. The Presidency Of John Quincy
Adams, his predecessor, was but an accident,
involving no great issue. The Missouri Com
promise had apparently settled the slavery
question, which was still, however, to be the
real root Of bitterness in ths subsequent
sectional conflicts on tho tariff question, nulli-
fcation, the annexation Of Texas, the Mexican
war. tho Kansas-N Nebraska troubles, and, finally,
the war Of secession. After the election of
President Jackson the public mind was
flooded by . variety OF sociAlistlc and agrarian
schemes, most of which had been imported by
Fanny Wright and by Robert Owen and his
son Robert Dale Owen. Fanny Wright, after
publishing in England an account Of her three
years. tour in the United States, returned to
this country in 1925, and after failing in her
attempt to found q colony Of emancipated
slaves in Tennessee, travelled throughout tho
land as q public lecturer. Her attacks on
negro slavery and other social institutions
attracted large audiences and led to the estab-
lishment of what were called Fanny Wright
societies" Robert Owen, Notwithstanding the
temporary success with which his communist
theories were practically applied at New
Lanark, In Scotland, had felt constrained by
his views provoked, particularly on the part
Of the religious press, to leave Great
Britain and try to found, at his own cost,
communist society ct Rapp's settlement Of New
Harmony, in Indiana. Although this attempt
proved an utter failure, and he returned In
1927 to England, yet his ideas became not only
the soul of tho labor leagues, out Of which
sprang the Chartist movement In that country,
but, together with the ideas of his son, (who re-
NAMED here and became successfully an editor
congressman, q charge dqfdires at Naples and
spiritualist), and the ideas Of Fanny Wright,
excited much discussion in America, and even
led to nominations by an agrarian party at
Tammany Hall, as well as to the formation Of
scores of communist societies, nearly all of
which speedily and wretchedly failed. Robert
Owen insisted on the absolute equality Of all
rights and duties and the abolition of all supe-
riority, even that Of capital and intelligence
But with him and his son, and with Fanny
Wright and their followers, social reorganiza-
ton was merely q sentiment, vague desire for
human amelioration. 1t was reserved for the
disciples of Charles Fourier to proclaim him as
the discoverer and demonstration Of "the
science of society, ths flower and consumma-
ton Of all other sciences" Fourier's glittering
CONGRATULATIONS, and his assumption Of the char
acter Of universal social philosopher and leyis-
lator, and his magnificent priori speculations
as to the formation and propagation OF worlds,
and the future destinies Of humanity, attracted
considerable attention in France, England and
the United States In this country few jealous
disciples hailed him as q new Messiah, with
the CRY, "Great ID Fourier, and Brisbane Is his
prophetic Greeley won his only claim to the
title of philosopher by yielding to Brisbane for
long while two columns Of the Tribune for the
PRONUNCIATION Of the modern gospel But when
Fourierism, complicated with free love, was
found TO interfere with the political intrigues Of
| Philosopher Greeley, the latter inhospitably
closed his door upon Brisbane, who has ever
| since been out Of sight, out Of mind. He
might even have hoped to be quietly for
gotten, II he had not Unexpectedly reappeared
on the Fourth Of July, at the Cooper Institute,
| with project for new association to rsvoiu-
tionize capital, labor, matrimony, education and
legislation. and to rcorganizs things generally,
| including the universe. HIS project bears the
high sounding title Of Social Science; but after
ell, IL II the same old customer under new
name. II seems % difficult - ever To make
out precisely what Brisbane is driving at
| Even he admits that after more than twenty
years. thought on the subject he can give no
other definition Of social sci nee than that II Ii
90 theory Of local progression" Nevertheless
| he eulogized old Ben Wade for his recent "jump