The times., 1899-07-06
. Vow so.;,,;stic Community.

A New SocinIistic Community.
Although the feeling of the public in re-
gard to the Bellamy Colony Association IS
likely to be somewhat skeptical at first,
there is a marked difference between the
way in which such experiments are now
regarded and the attitude maintained to-
ward them in the old Brook Farm days.
Several socialistic schemes were developed
in New England and New York during the
first half of the century, but none of them
succeeded The remembrance of these fail
ures creates certain prejudice against the
new socialistic community in Lancaster,
Massachusetts.
But 1t is by no means certain that this
new experiment will fail. 1t is entirely
possible that, with good management, it
may reach moderate success, which is all
that its founders really expect. At any
rate, it will have to some extent the sym
pathy of the public, and that is great
thing.
There were several influences at work
against the old-time Fourierism which
will not work against this new variety Of
communistic living. The transcendental
school was made up of powerful thinkers
and philosophical writer's, young people
eager to welcome almost any new doctrine,
a few rich men who were convinced of the
iniquity of existing conditions, and cranks.
and the latter class were the most con-
spicuous. The communal advocates of
today number many intelligent and able
men among them, men who. in ether
days, might have belonged to the
more liberal set of conservatives. but who
have been driven into radicalism by con-
dtions which did not exist seventy
five years ago. They are men who de-
sire independence of thought and life,
the right to help others in their own
way without endangering their means
of livelihood. the right to think and feel
as well as to work These natural rights
are gradually being withheld from ordi-
nary men by the incessant demands OF
modern business. II man is employed By
| certain corporation it owns him, body
and soul; he must not vote or use his in
fuence against it. II he is clergyman he
! cannot give all his time and thought to
the needy in body and soul; he must
preach attractive sermons, which will draw
4 large congregation; he must keep in mind
| the demands of church politics, or he viii
not be acceptable to those who support
the church. The professional man must
strain every nerve to outstrip his COM
petitors or he will be left behind in the
race; the writer of books must keep his
name before the public, must cater to the
demands of those who control his market,
or he, too, will be left behind, and his fam
| lily viii suffer. And all these things ere
ate a desire. not always outspoken. but
very real, for some Encouragement Of
things which will allow a man to live out
his own life in peaceful activity, which
will not NEEDLE with his thoughts and feel
body and soul. in few years, when his
work would be far more valuable did he
not exhaust himself at the start.
The class which is now being pinched by
the encroachments of the trust and the
corporation is one which has for some
generations, enjoyed comparative inde-
pendence. Time was when the small land
owner could do as he chose, when the pby-
sician or lawyer who did not care for riches
vote himself to researches more important
to himself and the world than any personal
gain. And now that the habit OF inde-
pendence has been formed, it is hard to re-
linquish it. This class once sided with the
| conservative, aristocratic element, because
, they felt that any upsetting of the estab-
| lished order would destroy their freedom;
now they are siding with the mechanic
and the workman, because they are feeling
as he feels. The result is a tendency to-
ward socialism. which makes such books
as Looking Backward" and THE Trav-
| eler From Altruria." !" and THE War of the
| Worlds" popular, and tends to create more
Of them; and this tendency may in time
bring about democracy in which all men
shall be free to work and think and vote
as they see ft-not free to be idle, but free
to spend their own money without involun-
tary taxation; not free TO be ignorant, but
free to acquire the knowledge which will
be most useful to them.