Brook Farm: Historic and Personal MemoirsCodman, John Thomas
History
Brook Farm: Historic and Personal Memoirs
Codman, John Thomas
Brook Farm Phalanx (West Roxbury, Boston, Mass.)
"We love you all, and shall be happy to see you go on and prosper,
though we fear the final issue. We are few and poor, and therefore you
can do without us better than we without you--your means and your
learning! But we shall try to do something in our humble way if God
favor us. We beseech you and your friends not to think us unkind or
unfriendly on account of our stiff notions, as they may seem, and to
regard us always as ready to rejoice in your good success. Let me hear
from you occasionally, and believe me and those for whom I speak,
sincerely your brethren in every good work.
"Affectionately yours,
"ADIN BALLOU."
I remember that the Association, through its leaders, urged upon all
the principal men who came within their sphere, with considerable zeal,
to unite in their movement. This is a matter of record that should be
placed to their credit.
A little later than this I find a letter from Mr. Brisbane, who showed
his characteristics so well in it, that I present all its important
parts for reading:--
"NEW YORK, the 9th December, 1845.
"MY DEAR RIPLEY:--Yours of the 3d just received, the 5th came to hand
yesterday. I note all its contents in relation to your views upon the
necessity of developing Brook Farm. The reason why I have spoken in
some of my last letters of the best means of bringing Brook Farm to a
close, and making preparations for a trial under more favorable
circumstances, is this. In the middle of November I received a letter
from Charles in which, in speaking of the varioloid, he stated the
difficulties you have to contend with, and expressed fears for the
future in such a way that I decided you had made up your minds to bring
things to a close. I feared that Morton might be foreclosing his
mortgage, which would be a most serious affair. This is the cause of my
adverting to a possible dissolution and the necessity of looking ahead
to meet in the best and most proper manner such a contingency.
"As to any opinion of what is to be done, it is easily explained.
"First, we must raise a sufficient amount of capital, and the amount
must not be small.
"Second, when that is secured we must prepare and work out a plan of
scientific organization sufficiently complete in its details to serve
as a guide in organizing an Association. For my own part, I feel no
capability whatever of directing an Association by discipline, by ideas
of duty, moral suasion and any other similar means. I want
organization; I want a mechanism suited and adapted to human nature, so
that human nature can follow its laws and attractions and go rightly,
and be its own guide. I might do something in directing such an
organization, but would be useless in any other way. As we all like to
be active, I would like exceedingly to take part in and help construct
a scientific organization.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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