The sun., 1898-02-20

ley Influenced tho moro educated class. and the
| Second Advent e1eitement equally prepared
| the way among the moro ignorant The anti
| slavery movement was the profoundest moral
| element, on tho whole, but q multitude Of spe-
cial enterprises played their part. People
hnbitually spoke IN those days OF tho sister
hood Of reforms. and 1t was in as bad taste
for poor man 10 have but one hobby in his
head as for . rich man TO keep but one horse In
his stable. Mesmorism was studied; gifted
persons gave private slttings for the reading OF
character through handwriting; phrenology
and physiology were ranked together; Alcott
preached what Carlyle called potato gospel
Graham denounced boltcd -four; Edward Palm
or wrote tracts against money. In paper
published In the Dial, for July. 1s42. on the
Convention Of tho Friends OF Universal Re-
form, In Boston. Emerson says OF the gather
ing: If the assembly was disorderly. IL was
picturesque. Mad mon mad women. Men with
boards, Dunkards, Mugglotonians, Comcoutcrs,
Groaners, ARrsrians. Seventh.Day Baptists,
Quakers, Abolitionists. Calvinists, Unitarians.
and Philosophers, all came successively to tho
top"
The author reminds us that the people gath
cred at Brook Farm represented the best spokcs-
men OF all these reformors. The experiment had
the sanction Of Emerson. Alcott, Theodore
Parker and Margaret Fuller. 1t is truo that
none OF tHebC WUb u ulcnOCT Ot inc community,
but all were frequent visitors 10 1t and remained
SO long as to become thoroughly identified with
1t. George Ripley was the protector and leading
spirit. In the company. either as members or
students, were included John 5. Dwight, for many
years after Boston's loading musical writer;
Christopher p. Cranch. artist, musician and poet;
Charles A. DANA then just out OF college, now
editor Of THE New YORK Sun and the Nestor of
American journalism; Nathaniel Hawthorne.
shy. retiring. yet observing. and fully ilustrat-
ing the Scottish bard's warning, a chiefs
amang ye takin' notes.. which were afterward
published in tho 'Blithedale Romance;' George
William Curtis, destined 30 soon after to take
his place as one Of the best representatives of
American thought in essay, editorial and ro-
mantle writing. These. with o. A. Brownson,
George p. Bradford and many Others formed
community that should have fully demonstrated
tho blessings of tho socialistic idea 1t was
proclaimed ct first to be "a glimpse at
Christ's idea of society 1t was not until
after 1t had been established some time that
the attempt to apply Fourier's ideas was made.
In time it was discovered that Nathaniel Haw-
thorno was designed for something better than
milking COWS. that Dana had o wider mission
than washing dishes. Though pleasant must.
Gales, pionics, Conversations and like interest
ing exercises varied tho monotony Of life. yet
the disposition to do the farming and domestic
duties by proxy caused expense well o
perverslon Of the vital part of the scheme, that,
with the destruction Of ono Of the community
houses by flre. eventually led to tho aban-
donment OF the experiment. Then Greeley.
who was in full sympathy with the
ideas Of Ripley, found n place on the
Tribune for the man who had hitherto
occupied Unitarian pulpit, and. as literary
editor of that journal. Ripley was able to utilize
the services Of Margaret Fuller in a way that
edited the public and greatly increased her
reputation. Work for Dana and Curtis was also
found on the Tribune, and SO the abandonment
Of tho experiment was tho means of wonder
fully enrching journalism. The literature of
Brook Farm has, in tho last decade. grown ex-
tensive. but Dana has. as yet. never furnished
the public his story Of an enterprise in which
he was very important figure. should like
to SEQ him give his version of 1t before his work
is DONE"