The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-14
PASSING OF THE ICARIANS.
End of a Long lived and Cnce Fam
Gus Communistic Experiment.
(St. Louis Globe-Democrat.)

(St. Louis Globe-Democrat.)
The most long lived and Undoubtedly
the most near9 successful of all the
experiments ever made in the western
hemisphere with pure communism
came to an end when, late Yesterday
afternoon, Judge H. NJ. Towner, in the
district court at Corning, Ia, entered
an order discharging the receiver of
the New Icarian community and form
ally declaring the community and all
its affairs ended.
Etienne CADET, scholar, historian,
socialist and philanthropist, who two
generations ago was stirring all france
with his socialistic and communistic
writings, and who contributed much
toward melting the revolution Of 1913, Of
which he was afterward the historian;
Etienne CADET, contemporary CO.
worker of Proudhon in behalf of the
poor and oppressed of France-agitator
essayist historian, scientist and, fin
ally, exile from his native country
was founder of the community, which,
after an existence of almost half a
century, came to an end Yesterday. In
its palmy days, 20 years ago, American
students of sociology used to come
many hundreds of miles to study the
workings of what was said to be the
most successful communistic commun-
ity in the world.
CADET tried to found his first expert
mental colony in France, but the gov
eminent of Louis Philippe was bitterly
1 opposed to such experiments, and it's
opposition forced the Icarians, as the
adherents of the new communistic doc
! trines were called, to go to the new
world. The movement had become al
most a national one in France; Cadets
'Icaria" and Proudhon's Bank of the
People had set all France by the ears,
and the established order of things
was in serious danger Of being over
| turned. Driven from their own coun-
try for their first experiment in COM
munism, the fcarianS went first to
Texas, where they were offered an area
as large as a geod-siZed French de-
/ partment for their experiment. Their
enaissaries, after looking over the coun-
| try, decided against it, and went to
| New Orleans. Here they were joined
/ by others, and at last, when the Nor
mons left their seat at Nauvoo, Ills,
the Icarians, who had brought consid-
( cradle money, bought the old Mormon
/ holdings in Illinois and secured from
the legislature of Illinois q charter
granting them certain special privileges
/ and immuniues.
( About 1000 French enthusiasts joined
| them here, CADET at their head. He
! was pfactlcally UlclaICT 10 the COM
munity; for years no question was
raised as to his absolute authority in
/ all things relating to the conduct of
| the community. and so long as he was
! left in charge all went well. The COM
munity grew and prospered, aud there
was peace and plenty.
o @ 8
| But the country round about settled
up by people who saw no charm in the
communistic idea; shrewd Yankees,
who, instead of believing that the COM
munity ought to own everything, con-
sidered themselves called to secure in
/ dividual control of the largest possible
part of the community, pressed about
the little settlement Of communists
The new generation of Icarians was
brought up constantly confronted by
the striking contrasts between their
own simple, plain, frugal living and
the comparative luxury and independ-
ence of the better classes of people
around them. OF course, they always
made the comparison with the more
well-to-do of their neighbors; human
nature could not have been expected
to be more discriminating; and their
conclusion was too often to the disad-
| vantage Of their own style Of living.