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

IN thai proportion 9yerse to labor, and
were changed by the heads Of depart.
inents with certain in lolence and selc.
ishness.
In practice 1t is always found that vir.
tue Is occasional, spotty and not linear
or cubic: Good people arc as bad q
rogues. il steady performance is claimed
the conscientious runs in veins; and the
most pnnctilious in some particulars are
latitudinarian in others. It was very
gently said that people on whom be-
forehand all persons would put the ut
most reliance were not responsible: They
saw the necessity that the work must be
done, and dld it not, and it Of course fell
to be done by the few religious workers.
No douot there was in many . certain
strength drawn from the fury of dissent.
THUS Mr. Ripley o4u Ineouore Parser:
There is your accomplished friend; he
would hoe corn all Sunday if would let
him, but all Massachusetts could not
make him do it on Monday"
Or course every visitor found that
there was a comic side to this paradise
| TT shepherds and shep!lerdes.es. There
was q stove in every chamber, and ev-
eryOne might burn as muc, wood as he
| or she would saw. The ladies' took cold
on washing-day, 80 it was ordained that
the gentleman shepherds should wiring
and hang out clothes, which they pune.
tuallv did. And it would sometimes &C.
| cur that when they danced in the eve
ming, c!othes-pins dropped plen,ifully
from their pockets. The country neigh.
bors naturally were surprised TO observe
that one man ploughed all day, and one
looked out OF the window all day, and .
perhaps drew his picture, and both re.
ceived at night the same wages. One
would meet also, some modest pride in
their advanced condition, signi'ied by q
frequent phrase: "Betore w came out
| OF clvilizatlon." The question which &C.
| ours to YOU had occurred much earlier
to Fourier: show in this charming
elysiuln, is the dirty work to be done?"
And long ago Fourier had exclaimed,
"Ah, / have it!' and jumped with Joy.
Don't yon eee." Re cried, that mo, hing
SO delights the young Caucasian child as
dirt? >ee the mud-pies that all the
children will make, if you xill let
them. See how E.uch more joy they
find in nouring their uuddln: on the Ia.
blec.oth than into their beautiful mouths.
TIE children from six,to eight o, ganize.l
into companies, with flags and uniforms,
shall do this junction of civilizatlun."
In Brook farm was this pecu' iaritv.
that there was no head. In every family
is the iather: in every factory a foreman:
in shop, 4 master; in boat, the skin.
per; but in this farm, no authority; each
was master Or mistress of their own az
tons; happy. hapIess anarchists. They
expressed, after much perilous exper-
len K, the conviction that PLAIN dealing
was the best defence OF manners and
morals between the sexes. People can
not live together i'll any bnt necessary
ways. The only candidates who will
present themselves will be those who
have tried the experiment of in.
dependence and ambition, and have
faile and none others will barter tor
the most comfortable equality the
chance Tor superiority. Then all COM
munities have quarrelte,i. Few people
can live together on their merits. There
must be kindred, or mutual economy, or
Il co'nnon interest in their business or
0Cner external Tie.
The society at Brook farm existed, I
think: abont six or seven years, and
then broke up; all the partners came
oui with pecuniary loss. Some of them
had spent on it the accumulation OF
years. suppose they all, at the mo.
ment, regarded it as Il failure, do not
think they can so regard it now. but
probably as an important chapter
In their experience which he's been OF
lifelong value. What knowledge of
themselves and Of each other, what vari.
Gus practical wisdom, what personal
power, what stuiies of character what
accumulated culture, many of the men,
0Wad hOt vvn,vf ,,n1
they took of each other! 1t was a close
union like that in ships cabin, mechan-
les, farmers sons and daughters, with
men and women of rare opportunities
and delicate culture, etassemb' bed there
bya sentiment " lich all shared, some
of them holly shared of the honesty of
life OF labor and Of the beauty OF life
OF humanity. The yoeman saw refined
manners in persons who were his
friends; and the lady or the romantic
scholar Saw the continuous strength and
faculty in people who would have dis
eusted them l,ut thai these powers were
not spent in the direction Of their own
theory OF life.
l recall these selected facts, none
of them Of much independent interest
but sympotamatic of times and contrary.
l please myself with the thought that
our American mind is not now eccentric
or rude in strength, hut is BEGINNING to
show quiet power. drawn from wide
and abundant sources. proper to COLI
stitution a..d to an educated people. If
] have owed much to the special influ-
ences l have indicated, I am not less
aware of that excellent and increasing
circle Of masters in art and song anu
in science, who cheer the intellect of
our cit es and this country to-day; whose.
genius is not a lucky accident, but nor
mai, with broad foundation Of culture,
and 30 inspires the hope of ready
strength advancing on itself, and day
without night.