History of American SocialismsNoyes, John Humphrey
History
History of American Socialisms
Noyes, John Humphrey
Communism -- United States; Socialism -- United States
This was too strong, and had to be repudiated the next spring by the
following editorial in the _Communitist_:
"CREEDS.--Our friends abroad require us to say a few words under
this head.
"We repudiate all creeds, sects, and parties, in whatever shape
or form they may present themselves. Our principles are as broad
as the universe, and as liberal as the elements that surround
us. They forbid the adoption and maintenance of any creed,
constitution, rules of faith, declarations of belief and
disbelief, touching any or all subjects; leaving each individual
free to think, believe and disbelieve, as he or she may be moved
by knowledge, habit, or spontaneous impulses. Belief and
disbelief are founded upon some kind of evidence, which may be
satisfactory to the individual to-day, but which other or better
evidence may change to-morrow. We estimate the man by his acts
rather than by his peculiar belief. We say to all, Believe what
you may, but act as well as you can.
"These principles do not deny to any one the right to draw out
his peculiar views--his belief and disbelief--on paper, and
present them for the consideration and adoption of others. Nor
do we deny the fact that such a thing has been done even with
us. But we are happy to inform all our friends and the world at
large, that such a document was not fully assented to and was
never adopted by the Community; and that the authors were among
the first to discover the error and retrace the step. The
document, with all proceedings under it, or relating thereto,
has long since been abolished and repudiated by unanimous
consent; and we now feel ourselves to be much wiser and better
than when we commenced."
It will be noticed that there was a party in the Community, headed by
Q.A. Johnson, who saw the error of the creed before Collins did, and
refused to sign it. This Johnson and his party made much trouble for
Collins; and the whole plot of the Community-drama turns on the
struggle between these two men, as the reader will see in the sequel.
Macdonald says, "A calamitous error was made in the deeding of the
property. It appears that Mr. Collins, who purchased the property, and
whose experiment it really was, permitted the name of another man
[Q.A.J.] to be inserted in the deed, as a trustee, in connection with
his own. He did this to avoid even the suspicion of selfishness. But
his confidence was misplaced; as the individual alluded to
subsequently acted both selfishly and dishonestly. Mr. Collins and his
friends had to contend with the opposition of this person and one or
two others during a great portion of the time."
Mr. Finch, an Owenite, writing to the _New Moral World_, August 16,
1845, says:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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