Brook Farm: Historic and Personal MemoirsCodman, John Thomas
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Brook Farm: Historic and Personal Memoirs
Codman, John Thomas
Brook Farm Phalanx (West Roxbury, Boston, Mass.)
I take it that this is the gist of the reason why the so-called social
equality is so repulsive to theorists who have not comprehended the
great difference between social _equality_ and social _rights_. Once
and for all, I do not believe, we do not believe, in social equality;
but we do believe that societies can be established in such a manner as
to secure in a large degree the rights of all, and be perfectly
practicable, and that in time they will develop into true harmony.
As ever your sincere
BROTHER CHARLIE.
_Religious Views._
BROOK FARM, MASS., June 9, 1845.
MY DEAR FRIEND:--In reply to your question as to what the religious
views of the Brook Farmers are, I might, if I wished to be curt, say
that they are such as you see by their lives. I am aware, however, that
such a reply will not exactly suit you, and that you really mean what
are their creeds, as, are they all Baptists, Trinitarians, Unitarians,
or what not? And I answer you that I find here those who were brought
up in every kind of belief; some who are from the Roman Catholic
Church; some from the Jewish; some Trinitarians; some Unitarians; some
from the Swedenborgian Church; some who are Liberals; some who are
called "Come-Outers," and Mr. P., who professes to be, and is more like
an infidel than any other man I ever saw.
They call some of the residents here "Transcendentalists." You may
judge from the name that they must be either very good or very bad
people, but they represent people of education who are a little "high
stilted" in their religious views, and do not take in all the wonderful
Mosaic traditions. At least, this is as near as I can explain it to
you. It is the fashion to call every one who has any independent
notions a Transcendentalist, but I do not know who invented the name or
first applied it.
The people here do not dispute on religious creeds; they are too busy.
They work together, dine and sup together year in and year out in
intimate social relation, and do not either have angry disputes, or
quarrels about creeds or anything else. On the contrary, I am much
surprised at the earnest inquiry that is often made into the beliefs of
others, or rather into the groundwork or foundation from which the
churches sprung which have different tenets from their own.
But the majority are Unitarian in their belief. Mr. Ripley, Mr. Dwight,
Mr. Dana and Mr. Cabot, with a majority of the ladies, lean that way.
Dr. Lazarus and his handsome sister are of or from the Jewish faith,
whilst Mr. Hastings leans towards Romanism and Jean Pallisse is
Catholic; and by the way, I never until I came here had any sympathy
with the symbols of that church, but the intelligent persons by whom I
have been surrounded have explained the great beauty of them to
me--persons who are not and never can be Romanists any more than
myself. Dr. Lazarus has posted me on the Jewish symbols, and Fanny M.
and her mother have brought forward the great beauty of the
Swedenborgian doctrines.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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