History of American SocialismsNoyes, John Humphrey
History
History of American Socialisms
Noyes, John Humphrey
Communism -- United States; Socialism -- United States
Fifteen years after the catastrophe Macdonald was at New Harmony,
among the remains of the old Community population, and he says: "I was
cautioned not to speak of Socialism, as the subject was unpopular. The
advice was good; Socialism was unpopular, and with good reason. The
people had been wearied and disappointed by it; had been filled full
with theories, until they were nauseated, and had made such miserable
attempts at practice, that they seemed ashamed of what they had been
doing. An enthusiastic socialist would soon be cooled down at New
Harmony."
The strength of the reaction against Communism caused by Owen's
failure, may be seen to this day in the sect devoted to "Individual
Sovereignty." Josiah Warren, the leader of that sect, was a member of
Owen's Community, and a witness of its confusions and downfall; from
which he swung off into the extreme of anti-Communism. The village of
"Modern Times," where all forms of social organization were scouted as
unscientific, was the electric negative of New Harmony.
Macdonald thus moralizes over his master's failure:
"Mr. Owen said he wanted honesty of purpose, and he got dishonesty. He
wanted temperance, and instead, he was continually troubled with the
intemperate. He wanted industry, and he found idleness. He wanted
cleanliness, and found dirt. He wanted carefulness, and found waste.
He wanted to find desire for knowledge, but he found apathy. He wanted
the principles of the formation of character understood, and he found
them misunderstood. He wanted these good qualities combined in one
and all the individuals of the Community, but he could not find them;
neither could he find those who were self-sacrificing and enduring
enough, to prepare and educate their children to possess these
qualities. Thus it was proved that his principles were either entirely
erroneous, or much in advance of the age in which he promulgated them.
He seems to have forgotten, that if one and all the thousand persons
assembled there, had possessed the qualities which he wished them to
possess, there would have been no necessity for his vain exertions to
form a Community; because there would of necessity be brotherly love,
charity, industry and plenty. We want no more than these; and if this
is the material to form Communities of, and we can not find it, we can
not form Communities; and if we can not find parents who are ready and
willing to educate their children, to give them these qualities for a
Community life, then what hope is there of Communism in the future?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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