The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1883-11-15
LIFE AT BROOK FARM.

plan Experimenc.-Tha Fate ofa So.
ciai Organization With the Best In
tcntions But Without q Governing
Head.
The Atlantic Monthly for October has
a pest humous article, written 'by Ralph
Waldo Emerson, entitled "Historic
Notes of Life and Letters in Massachu.
sets" 1t gives the following sketch Of
the Brook farm experiment in Massa.
chusetts:
The West Roxbury association vas
formed in lS4l, by society of members
.nen and women, who bought farm in
West Roxbury, ofabout 20 acres, and
took possession of the place in April.
Mr.. George Ripley was the president
and think Mr.. Charles A. Dana was
the secretary. Many members took
shares by paying money; others held
shares by their labors. An old honse
on the place was enlarged, and three
new houses built. William Allen vas ut
nrst AMI for some time the head farmer.
and the work was distributed in ORDERLY
committees to men AMI women, There
were many emplovments, more or less
lucrative, found for or brought hither
by these menbers-shoemake ioin-
ers, seamStre ses. They had good
scholars among them, and so received
puplIs Tor their education. The parents
o. >he children In some instances wished
TO i've there, AMI were received as
6oarders. Many persons, attracted bv
me beauty OF the pla' Q, and the culture
ana ambition of the com nunity, join ed
them as boarders and lived there for
years; l think the numbers of this
mixed community SOON reached 80 or 80
souls.
1t was a noble and generous move.
ment IN the projectors to try an exper-
imeht OF better living. They had the
'eeIngs that our ways Of living were too
conventions! and expensive, nor allow
ing each TO do what ne had 4 talent FIR
aud not permitting men 10 combine cul.
tlvation Ut mind and heart with a rea-
sonabte amount Of daily labor. At The
same time it was an ATTEMPT to lit 9TH
ers with themselves. and to share the
advantages they should attain with OH
ers now deprived of them.
There was no doubt grea: variety Of
character and purpose in the members
OF the community. 1t consisted in the
main ofyoung people. few of middle
age and none old. Those who inspired
and organized it were persons imp+
tent of the routine, the uniformity, per-
haps, they would saw the squali,i content.
ment Of society around them, which
was so timid and sceptlcal of any pro-
gress. One would say. then, that i'm
Pulse WAS the rule Of the society, with
out centripetal balance; perhaps it
would not be severe to say intel
lectual sansculo tism, an impat'en 9 Of
the formal. r0utinary character
OF our educational, religious, social and
economical life in Massachusetts Yet
here was imnsense hope in these young
people. There was nohlentss; there
were self.sacrificing victims who com
peEsated tor the lenity and rashness of
their companions. The young people
lived a great deal in a short time, and
came forth. some of them, perhaps,
grave sanitary influences of character
were happily there, which, 1 was as.
sured were always fell.
.George w. Curtis of New York and
his brother of English Oxford were
members Of the family from the first.
Theodore Parker, the near neighbor Of
the arm and tbs most intimate friend of
Mr.. K nlev, was frequent visitor. Mr.,
1rhabob Morton of Plymouth, a plain
man, formerly engaged through many
years in the fisheries with eurcess-ec-
centric, with a preserving interest in ed.
ucation, and very democratic religion
came and bull house on the farm,
and he, or members of his family con-
tinued there to the end. Margaret Gull
er. with her jovial convers ,tion and
large sympathy. Was often guest. aud
was always i'll correspondence with her
trends. Many ladies, whom to name
were to praise, gave character and va
ried attraction to the place.
In and around Brook farm, whether
as members, boarders or visitors, were
many remarkable persons. for charac-
ter. intellect or plishmcnts. ! re-
ca one youth of the subtlest mind-I
believe l must say the subtlest server
and d!vluer Of character ever m t.
living, reading, writing, talking, there,
lerhaps. as loug as the colony held to-
gether; his mud fed and overteA by
whatever is exalted in genius, whether
!npoetry or art, IN drama or music. or
in social accomplishment and elegancv:
aman OF no employment or practical
aims; a student and philosoph r, who
found his daily enjoyment not with The
elders or his exact contemporaries so
much as with the fine bows who were
skating or playing ball or bird hunting:
forming 'hc closest friendship with such
and finding his delight in the petu!ent
heroism of boys; yet WIS he the chosen
counsellor, to whom the guardians
would repair on any hitch or difficulty
that occurred and drew from Ii m wise
counsel-a fine, subtle, inward genius,
puny in body and habit as girl, vet
with an aplo ND like general, never
disconnected. He lived and thought in
1912. such worlds Of life, all hinge
rg on the thought of being or
Reality as opposed to consciousness, la.
ting intellect with the feroclty ola Swed.
enberg. He was the able or spiritual
father, from his religious bias. His rea.i-
ing lay in Eschylus, Plato, Dante, Cal
deron, Shakespeare, and in modern
novels and ro,nances OF merit. There,
too, Was Hawthorne, with his .,old, yet
gentle gen; us, if he failed to DO Justice to
this temporary home. There was the
accomplished doctor Of music, who has
presided over its literature ever since
in our metropolis. Rev. William Henry
Charming, now Of London, was from the
first student OF socialism in France and
england. ana IN perfect syn..Dat with
this experiment. An English baronet,
Sir John Caldwell, was a frequent visitor
and more or less directly interested in
the leaders and the success.
Hawthorne drew some sketches, not
happily. as think-I should rather say
quite unworthy of his genius. No friend
VINO knew MsrynreL Fuller could recog-
nize her rich and brilliant genus un.l.r
the dismal mask which was meant for
her in that disakreeable story.
The founders of the Brook farm should
have this praise: That they made what
all people try to make-an agreeable
place u live in. All corners, even the
most fastid :ous, found it the pie asantest
Of residences. 1t is certain that
freedom from household routine, vari-
ETY. OF character and alcnt, variety OF
work, variety of means, OF thought and
ms ruction, art, music, poetry. reading.
masquerade, did not permit sluggshneSs
~ OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES up r,utine.
There is agreement il the testimony
that it was. to most Of the associates I'd .
ucation; to many, the most impcrtan.
Of their life. the birth of valued friend
shi"s, their first acquaintance with the
riches Of conversation. thei- trainia1, ir
tN..k - =