The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-01-03
n the pditor Of The Gate city:

10 the D0ltOr OF mo 6alo SlG.
At two different times. lately, the
last on December 26, you have pub
! iished some Interesting Information
concerning the French Icarian COM
munfty which was established at
Nauyoo some sixty-seven years ago
and lasted q few years. statement
was made, however, which Is incor-
rect, the assertion that my father,
Charles Dadant, was member OF
this organization The probable
cause Of the error Is that / married
daughter of one of the original
Icarians. We have thus been more
or less connected with ~the descend
ants OF the Icartans and with the aims
and purposes of this association,
which Is no longer in existence. any
where, as far as / know.
Etienne CADET was, rs reported,
distinguished jurist and savant, whose
sole error was to imagine that man
! kind Is better than it is and who tried
faithfully to inaugurate a society
based upon the principles taught by
Jesus Christ. In a little book, pub
lished in 1916. in French, and entitled
lie Vrai Christianisme" (True Chris
tianity) and which l now have under
my eyes. he proved, beyond any pos
sibility of dispute. that his doctrine
was Identical with that of the new
testament. His motto was quota
ton from the gospel of st. John
give unto you, that you love one an
other even as I have loved you"
CADET, following the Christ doc
trine, preached equality: And who
soever shall exalt himself shall be
humbled, and whatsoever shall humble
himself shall be exalted" He preach
ed equality Of salaries: parable of the
vineyard, where the last man re-
ceives as good a salary as the first
CHAT. Xxx, to- 49,, which seems hard
ly fair to some very good christians.
In short, CADET decided in his own
mind that 1t was possible and prac-
ticable to follow the beautiful teach
ings Of Christ, and his writings and
his speeches were SO convincing and
his doctrine SO beautiful that many
intelligent men gathered undeD his
banner. Another book by him: "voy-
age in Icaria," describing wonderful
hypothetical island, which he called
Icaria, after the Greek legend, and
which was evidently intended to rep
resent regenerated France, in
which every one worked for the com
mon good and every one accepted the
same food, the same clothes, and the
same amount OF leisure and pleas
uret A beautiful dream indeed. but
alas! only dream.
The followers of CADET were, in
large proportion, men of education
doctors. professors, lawyers, artists.
tradesmen. Among the latter those
whose occupations confined them to
the house, where they could read
much, were the most numerous, shoe
makers, taiiors, etc. The exodus OF
these enthusiastic Icarians from
France to new country, where they
could try their reforms in liberty,
was followed by great disappoint.
ments. Their first venture was a
settlement In the wilderness OF Tex
as, new country then a desert.
They had contracted for a million
acres OF land. near the present site
OF Sherman, near the Red river. Six
ty-nine OF their most able-bodied
members. but unused to pioneer life,
none Of them tillers OF the soil, ex-
cept one, gardener, left France, in
the winter Of 1S47 for that promised
land" Their trip was failure, and
nine of them succumbed to fever and
hardships. although they remained
there but few, months.
Upon the arrival at New Orleans
OF CADET with the additional immi-
grants, including the wives and chill