During his lifetime the views of Saint-Simon had little influence, and
he left only a very few devoted disciples, who continued to advocate the
doctrines of their master, whom they revered as a prophet. An important
departure was made in 1828 by Bazard, who gave a ‘complete exposition of
the Saint-Simonian faith’ in a long course of lectures in the Rue
Taranne at Paris. In 1830 Bazard and Enfantin were acknowledged as the
heads of the school; and the fermentation caused by the revolution of
July of the same year brought the whole movement prominently before the
attention of France. Early next year the school obtained possession of
the _Globe_ through Pierre Leroux, who had joined the party, which now
numbered some of the ablest and most promising young men of France, many
of the pupils of the École Polytechnique having caught its enthusiasm.
The members formed themselves into an association arranged in three
grades, and constituting a society or family, which lived out of a
common purse in the Rue Monsigny.
Before long, however, dissensions began to arise in the sect. Bazard, a
man of logical and more solid temperament, could no longer work in
harmony with Enfantin, who desired to establish an arrogant and
fantastic sacerdotalism, with lax notions as to marriage and the
relations of the sexes. After a time Bazard seceded, and many of the
strongest supporters followed his example. A series of extravagant
entertainments given by the society during the winter of 1832 reduced
its financial resources and greatly discredited it in character. They
finally removed to Menilmontant, to a property of Enfantin, where they
lived in a communistic society, distinguished by a peculiar dress.
Shortly afterwards the chiefs were tried and condemned for proceedings
prejudicial to the social order; and the sect was entirely broken up in
1832. Many of its members became famous as engineers, economists, and
men of business. The idea of constructing the Suez Canal, as carried out
by Lesseps, proceeded from the school.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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