Fourier's English followers are not so cunning as those in France, or as their own master, in covering the cloven foot with a fair fitting boot. But as we shall have other opportunities of speaking of the tendency of the new theory, let us return to its inventor. His employments prevented his putting forth these new discoveries until the year 1808, when Fourier published his first work under the title of "Théorie des Quatre Mouvemens." This volume was intended merely as a prospectus to its successors, and a hint for subscriptions; but as the work fell still-born from the press, he manfully determined on withdrawing that from circulation which never had been in circulation, and once more returned to his studies and his business as “a courtier marron," an unlicensed commercial agent. After seven years preparation, he was once more going to press, when the return of Napoleon from Elba turned people's minds rather to politics and battle fields than to universal harmonies or attractive theories; so once more our philosopher returned to think again. One copy, however, of his book had found a reader, M. Just Muiron, a fellow citizen of the author. "Struck with its originality," says Fourier's biographer, "the sublime simplicity of the theory announced, the immense importance of the discovery, if it were practicable," he set about finding out the author. This, however, was no easy matter: the book had been printed at Leipsic, and subscribers were referred to a friend at Lyons. At last, in 1816, Muiron routed out our philosopher at his retreat at Belley, and commenced his connexion with the writer. Such was the first conversion to FOURIERISM. Three more years the master and pupil laboured; and when, in 1829, they were about to try the reading public once more, the master made a discovery in cosmogony, and so the affair was put off for two years. At last, in 1821, two volumes were printed at Besançon, which, in the year following, were published under the title of "A Treatise on Domestic and Agricultural Association." Again the work was unnoticed by the periodical caterers for the Parisian public. Nothing daunted, Fourier waited seven years, and then terrified the press with a shorter and more methodical work, entitled "Le Nouveau Monde Industriel et Sociétaire." Still the same unaccountable conduct on the part of the Reviewers-absolute silence. By dint of sending copies to every one likely to understand it, or take an interest in it, Fourier at last was brought into notice through the St. Simonians, in the year 1832.

"In the beginning of that year, the St. Simonians made a stir in Paris, by their preachings and writings. Fourier had sent his works to the teachers of these new doctrines as early as the year 1830, informing them of the possibility of realizing that social regeneration for which they appeared so anxious in their predications. Instead of listening to the simplicity of Fourier's advice, they deemed themselves vastly superior to every body else, and gave him to understand they were perfectly competent to the task which they had undertaken. They did not, however, neglect to read his works privately, adopting many of his principles, without acknowledging the source from which they had drawn them, until, at length, several of their proselytes

who were really serious in their convictions, abandoned the defective theories of St. Simonism, and publicly professed the principles of Fourier. It may not be improper to observe here, that these principles are directly opposed to all systems of community, and that it is quite erroneous to confound Fourier with Owen. Soon after the desertion of Transon, Le Chevalier, Paget, Lemoyne, and several other learned and influential men, the St. Simonians were dispersed, and a weekly journal was commenced for the diffusion of Fourier's principles of association and progressive policy. This journal, called 'La Reforme Industrielle,' was conducted with spirit, and obtained many adherents to its principles. A joint-stock company was formed to realise the new theory of association; and one gentleman, M. Baudet Dulary, member of parliament for the county of Seine and Oise, bought an estate which cost him five hundred thousand francs (twenty thousand pounds sterling,) for the express purpose of putting the theory into practice. Operations were actually commenced, but for want of sufficient capital to erect buildings and stock the farm, the whole operation was paralysed; and notwithstanding the natural cause of cessation, the simple fact of stopping short after having commenced operations, made a very unfavourable impression upon the public mind. Success is the only criterion with the indolent and indifferent, who do not take the trouble to reason on circumstances and accidental difficulties."

In the year 1830, Baron Capella, the then minister of public works, had a hankering after the theory; but the July revolution drove out the minister and the theory together: five years after he again published a book, entitled "La Fausse Industrie, morcelée, répugnante, mensongère," and was on the eve of putting forth the second part, when death overtook him. A serious fall brought him to the grave: on his tomb, in the Montmartre cemetery, are engraved the three fundamental doctrines of his theory. 1. "La Série distribue les Harmonies." 2. Les Attractions sont proportionnelles aux Destinées." 3. " Analogie Universelle:" and in order to more effectually puzzle the feast-day wanderers in the cemetry, the last discovery appears in mathematical symbols. Such was the career, and such the primary opinions of the man to whom the Phalansterians look as their guide, and whose views the Universalists of London are trying to propagate by the pen of Mr. Doherty-the writer of the note concerning the apples-and by the aid of the composing machine of Mr. Young. Before we pass on to a detailed account of their wild system, let us quote their own summary of the doctrine, policy, and aim of that periodical, in which alone their opinions are represented; a periodical daily increasing in circulation, and which boasts among its readers we speak on the authority of the chief distributor-very many clergymen of the Church of England. The following is their own summary of their views:

66 DOCTRINE, POLICY AND AIM OF THE LONDON PHALANX MAGAZINE. "The system of association, as discovered and explained by C. Fourier, is what we advocate, with a view to its adoption, practically as a means of

* We are very glad to hear so. Whether our readers will be of this opinion by the end of this article we cannot tell; we should rather think not. The work of Madame Gamond generally appears side by side with the "Moral World" and "Voltaire's Dictionary," in shops of the Socialist booksellers. Unfortunate accident!

progress in society, combining temporal with scriptural order in the unity of social life.

"Our policy is not to agitate discordantly, or to create schism, but to invite the attention of all parties to the principles of universal unity, that they may understand that change of order which must unavoidably result from discontent with old imperfect institutions in society, and act consist ently with truth and justice when the proper time arrives for innovation. The fear of change prevents the rich from welcoming new principles of order; and the fear of actual want prevents the poor from welcoming the slowness of organic progress; and the opposite pre-occupations of the human mind are hurrying nations into civil war, the end of which will be confusion; nor will either party lend a willing ear to principles of peace and unity, until they FEEL the want of them. It is to the reflecting few that we address ourselves, then, especially, until the reckless many are prepared, by disappointment, to attend to reason. To conserve whatever is established in the Church and the State, UNTIL IT BE IMPROVED UPON IN PRACTICE GRADUALLY BY ASSOCIATIVE UNITY, is also an essential feature of our policy.

"The Bible and the book of Nature are the standard of our faith; - the universal word and work of God, and universal unity in Christ, is our religious doctrine;-the spirit of interpretation in the universal Church, the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, the Spirit of eternal truth, is our instructor and our guide. Our enemies, apparently, are Ignorance, Indifference, and Infidelity. With these we war, and not with persons or with classes. Our aim is to locate the people on the land, in joint-stock freeholds, that machinery may labour for and not against the mass."

That the great and holy words placed in such strange juxtaposition in the concluding paragraph of this address, mean anything,-if, indeed, they do mean anything at all,-save a philosophical Deism, few can doubt; though of course the many words and dark phrases in which every allusion to religion is generally involved in the phalansterian writers, renders it no easy task distinctly to aver what these new lights do hold. This, however, is evident, that "these principles," we quote the first advertisement of the London Phalanx,

"these principles explain the mysteries of Scripture and of nature, and account for all diversities of doctrine in the human mind as various aspects of one universal truth, which may be reconciled without negation; and they show all sects and parties to be partly right and partly wrong in their respective views; right, in their assertions of particular truths, but wrong in their negations of all other aspects but their own." It is also evident that the Editor, the proprietor of the Phalanx, the human pivot of the sect in England, regards the forbidden fruit as an equal oddity with the apples of discord of Newton and of Fourier, and considers the fact of the cause of original sin to rest on the same foundation as the fable of Paris and the three competitors for the prize of beauty. According to tradition, says Mr. Doherty, the two first were the causes of original sin and the celebrated Trojan war. Of their notions on religion we have a clear proof in the equality of praise afforded by them, in the last Phalanx, to the Plenary Inspiration of the Scriptures, by the Rev. S. Noble, and the Swedenborgian New Church Advocate of the Rev. Thomas Goyder, and their quasi patronage of what they term Puseyism. It is clear that to them the Church is but a sect equally

with Unitarians and Mormonites; that the "theological education given by the clergy is no doubt very much calculated to make bigots of the children, if they do not altogether cast it off and become atheists in mature life;" or, as they express it," bigots of a negative sort;" and that in their eyes, Mr. Publicola Williams was not wrong in applying the word "humbug" to Church education, though the application of irreverent language to the teaching of theology or religion in the absolute, without distinguishing between a catholic or universal theology (Phalansterianism) and a particular sectarian creed, (the Church,) showed not only great ignorance on the part of Publicola, but a certain lowness of mind, which could not rise higher in its standard of educational excellence than the knowledge of isolated facts, such as Jack Cade's history, or the meaning of latitude and longitude. And lastly, mark how, with truly Satanical subtlety, they press the words of Scripture into the service of violence and robbery, and justify the poor thief, under the plea of David's abstraction of the shewbread. The following passage contains the Phalansterian creed as to crime, as represented by the omnipotent Hugh Doherty, in his translation of Abel Transom's Analysis of their master's Theory of Attractive Industry and the Moral Harmony of the Passions.

"It is often very difficult for poor people to find perfectly just modes of satisfying their natural wants; and the degree of crime in committing injustice depends upon the degree of facility with which the culpable person might have avoided it. So that, when it is impossible to find a just and moral mode of satisfying a natural desire, there is no absolute crime in having recourse to a subversive mode of satisfaction (i. e. robbery.) Christ has expressed himself to this effect, in the 12th chapter of St Matthew. When the Pharisees reproached him for permitting the disciples to break the sabbath, he replied thus:- 'Have ye not heard what David did, when he was hungred, and they that were with him; how he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them that were with him, but only for the priests?"-p. 49.*

Such, it is certain, are some few of the doctrines and opinions entertained and advocated by Fourier and his followers. Of their moral, religious, and political tendency it is needless to speak: they tell their own story far too plainly to need a commentary. For even in the advocacy of doctrines on which the stamp of falsehood has been placed by universal consent, the fair and open spirit of our nation is shown. That which among our neighbours is clothed in a flowing robe of fair speaking words, apt to deceive the unwary, or to mystify the uneducated, among us comes forth in all its nakedness and deformity, despite the careful following in the steps of their wary It is all very well for the Curate of Horbling to talk about

master.

* Can the trifling differences in the above quotation to that in our translation of the Bible arise from the translator making use of some other copy than that authorized by our Church? A straw will show which way the wind blows.

association upon Christian principles as the only remedy for our social evils, and to call upon us to construct a mighty and substantial edifice on these principles, as a shelter from the storms of antagonism and the wants of distress. It is all very well to preach submission to the poor; but when at the same time he recommends the theory of Fourier, and refers, and recommends his friends to refer, to the very books from which our extracts have been taken, he makes himself answerable for their contents, and can only be taken as holding the opinions therein advocated to the utmost, or as having recommended a theory before he was acquainted with its principles, or had perused the works of its advocates.

But to return to Madame Gatti de Gamond. Her work opens with a chapter on "the various systems concerning human destiny." The pagan religion is glanced at; the philosophical sects are condemned, except a slight modicum of praise to Lycurgus, "as apparently the legislator who best understood the human mind;" and Christianity is represented as teaching two doctrines alone,-universal charity and the immortality of the soul. Those doctrines, we are told, men have distorted; no one has taught them aright until Fourier arose. Side by side, Paganism, Lycurgism, Christianity, Benthamism, Republicanism, St. Simonianism, and Owenism, stand in this chapter. True it is, a divine character is allowed to Christianity, in that it taught universal charity; in no other respect does it seem to be taken out of the class of system with which it is here coupled. The St. Simonians, although not quite right, yet were "more advanced" than any previous sect "in social doctrines, and had understood that man should not despise any gifts of Providence, and that it was the duty of society to distribute them to all. Owenism, too, was partly right. The world has charged the Phalansterians with Owenism: read their own account of that arch deceiver, and then judge how far the world was wrong.

"Owen is one of those generous men, who, although among the number of the privileged, sympathise with the poor, sigh over the public misery, and before condemning the culpable, examine what could have impelled him to crime. Owen, seeing under his eyes, on the one side, wealth, and knowledge, and refinement; on the other, misery, ignorance, mendicity, too often accompanied by idleness, drunkenness, and theft, thought that vice was not the result of the nature of man, but of education, and of the circumstances that act on man, in the midst of which he finds himself from his birth, through life, until he leaves this world. He thought that by assuring labour to the poor, and giving them a suitable education, all the errors that now afflict their class might be eradicated, and that the reign of equality might be insensibly established. Enjoying the confidence of his countrymen, and possessing a large fortune, he, in some measure, attained the realization of his principles, which, truly, yielded astonishing results. He brought together, under his paternal management at New Lanark, beggars, drunkards, men come from prison, and succeeded in accustoming them to labour, and changing all this corrupted class into honest, expert, laborious workmen. The partisans of the doctrine of Baboeuf might think that Owen was going completely to realise their system of equality and of community; but the experiment at New Lanark was incomplete, and Mr. Owen has extended his views to a higher order of community, embracing agricultural as well as