II. Birds-Eye View of the Experiments

10 AMERICAN SOCIAL ISMS. CHAPTER II. BIRDS-EYE VIEW OF THE EXPERIMENTS. A GENERAL survey of the Socialistic field will be use ful, before entering on the memoirs of particular Associ ations; and for this purpose we will now spread before us the entire Index of Macdonald's collections, adding to it a schedule of the number of pages which he gave to the several Associations, and the dates of their beginning and ending, so far as we have been able to find them. Many of the transitory Associations, it will be seen, "made no sign" when they died. The continuous Communities, such as the Shakers, of course have no terminal date. INDEX OF MACDONALD'S COLLECTION. Associations, &c. Nc. of Pages. Dates. Alphadelphia Phalanx 7 Auxiliary Branch of the Association of All Classes of All Nations . 3 Blue Spring Community Brazilian Experiment 1 Brook Farm 20 Brooke's Experiment 5 Brotherhood of the Union Bureau Co. Phalanx 1836.

1826-7· 1841. 184:Z-7· 1844. 1850 -1. 1843.

BIRDS-EYE VIEW. Cincinnati Brotherhood 5 Clarkson Industrial Association II Clermont Phalanx 13 Colony of Bethel 1 1 Columbian Phalanx Commonwealth Society Communia Working Men's League Convention at Boston of the Friends of Association 2 Convention in New York for organizing an Industrial Congress Cooperating Society of Alleghany Co. Coxsackie Community 2 Davis' Harmonial Brotherhood 2 Dunkers 4 Ebenezer Conlmunity 5 Emigration Society, 2d Section 4 Forrestville COlTIlTIUnity Fourier, Life of 3 Franklin Con1munity Garden Grove Goose Pond COlTIlTIUnity Grand Prairie Community 2 Grand Prairie Harmonial Institute 8 Guatelnala Experiment Haverstraw COlTInlunity 3 Hopedale ComtTIunity 13 Hunt's ExperilTIent of Equality 12 Icaria 82 Integral Phalanx 5 Jefferson County Industrial Association 3 Kendal Community 4 Lagrange Phalanx 2 Leraysville Phalanx 5 Macluria 7 Marlboro Association 10 I I 1845-8.

1844. 1844-7. 1852 • 1845. 181 9. 185°· 1845. 1825. 1826-7· 1851. 17 2 4. 1843. 1843. 18.:5· 1826. 1848. 1843. 184--. 1853. 1843. 1826. 1842. 1843-7. 1849. 1845. 1843. 1826. 1843. 1844. 1826. 1841.

12 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS. McKean County Association Modern Times 3 Moorhouse Union 6 Moravians, or United Brethren 9 Murray, Orson S. 3 Nashoba 14 New Lanark 10 New Harmony 60 North Anlerican Phalanx 38 Northanlpton Association 7 Ohio Phalanx I I Oneida Community 27 Onementian ComInunity 6 Ontario Phalanx Owen, Robert 25 Prairie HOlne COInmunity 23 Raritan Bay UnioH 5 Sangalnon Phalanx Shakers 93 Skaneateles Community 18 Social Reform Unity 23 Sodus Bay Phalanx 3 Spiritual Community at Mountain Cove 3 Spring Fann Association 3 St. Louis Reform Association I Sylvania Association 2$ Trumbull Phalanx 13 United Germans 2 Venezuelan Experiment 25 vVarren, Josiah, Time Store &c. r I Washtenaw Phalanx Wisconsin Phalanx 21 Wright, Frances 9 Wilkinson, J emitna, and her COlnmunity 5 Yellow Springs Community Zoar 8 1843. 185 I. 1843. 1745· 182 5-8. 1799· 182 5-7. 1843-55. 1842 • 1844-5. 1847. 1843.

1844. 1844. 1853. 1845. 1776. 1843-6. 18.:p. 1844. 1853. 1846-9. 185 I. 1843-5 1844-7. 182 7. 1844-6. 1842 • 1843. 1844-5°. 1780. 182 5. 1819.

BIRDS-EYE VIEW. 13 On general survey of the matt~r contained in this index, we may begin to sort it in the following manner: First we will lay aside the antique religious Associ ations, such as the Dunkers, Moravians, Zoarites, &c. We count at least seven of these, which do not properly belong to the modern socialistic movement, or even to A merican life. Having their origin in the old world, and most of them in the ·last century, and remaining \vithout change, they exist only on the outskirt~ of general society. Next we put out of account the forezgn Associations, such as the Brazilian and Venezuelan experiments. With these may be classed those of the Icarians and some others, which, though within the United States, are, or were, really colonies of foreigners. We see six of this sort in the index. Thirdly, we dismiss two or three Spiritualistic at tempts that are named in the list; first, because they never attained to the dignity of Assoclations; and sec ondly, because they belonged to a later movement than that which Macdonald undertook to record. The social experiments of the Spiritualists should be treated by themselves, as the sequelce of the Fourier excitement of Macdonald's time.

The Associations that are left after these exclusions, naturally fall into two groups, viz. ; those of the OWEN MOVEMENT, and those of the FOURIER MOVEMENT. Robert Owen came to this country and commenced his experiments in Communism in 1824. This was the beginning of a national excitement, which had a course s01l1ewhat like that of a religious revival or a political campaign. This movement seems to have culminated in 1826; and, grouped around or near that year, we find 14 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS. in Macdonald's list, the names of eleven Communities. These were not all strictly Owenite Communities, but probably all owed their birth to the general excitement that followed Owen's labors, and may therefore, properly be classified as belonging to the Owen movement. Fourierism was introduced into this country by Albert Brisbane and Horace Greeley in 1842, and then com n1enced another great national movement similar to that of Owenism, but far 11l0re universal and enthusiastic.

We considet= the year 1843 the focal period of this social revival; and around that year or following it with in the forties, we find the main group of Macdonald's Associations. Thirty-four of the list may clearly be re ferred to this epoch. Many, and perhaps most of them, never undertook to carry into practice Fourier's theories in full; and some of them would disclaim all affiliation with Fourierism; but they all originated in a common excitement, and that excitement took its rise from the publications of Brisbane and Greeley. Confining ourselves, for the present, to these two groups of Associations, belonging respectively to the Owen movement of 1826 and the Fourier movement of 1843, we will now give a brief statistical account of each Association; i. e., all we can find in Macdonald's collec tion, on the follpwing points: I, Locality; 2, Number of members ; 3, Amount of land; 4, Amount of debt; 5, Duration. We give. the amount of land instead of any other measurement of capital, because all and more than all the capital of the Associations was generally invested in land, and because. it is difficult to distinguish, in most cases, between the cash capital that was actually paid in, and that which was only subscribed or talked about.

BIRDS-EYE VIEW. 15 As to the reliability of these statistics, we can only say that we have patiently picked them out, one by one, like scattered bones, from Macdonald's heap. Though they may be faulty in some details, we are confident that the general idea they give C?f the attempts and experien ces of American Socialists, will not be far from the truth. Experiments of the Owett Epoch. Blue Spring Community; Indiana; no particulars, except that it lasted" but a short time." Cooperative Society; Pennsylvania; no particulars. Coxsackie Community; New York; capital" small ;" " very much in debt;" duration between I and 2 years. Forrestville Community; Indiana; "over 60 men1 bers;" 325 acres of land; duration more than a year. Franklin Community; New York; no particulars. Haverstraw Community; New York; about 80 men1 bers; 120 acres ; debt $12,000; duration 5 months. Kendal Community; Ohio; 200 members; 200 acres; duration about 2 years.

Macluria; Indiana; 1200 acres; duration about 2 years. New Harmony; Indiana; 900 members; 30,000 acres, worth $150,000; duration nearly 3 years. Nashoba; Tennessee; .15 members; 2,000 acres; duration about 3 years. Yellow Spring Community; Ohio; 75 to 100 families ; duration 3 months. Experiments of the Fourier Epocll. Alphadelphia Phalanx; Michigan; 400 or 500 mem bers; 28 14 acres; duration 2 years and 9 months. Brook Farm; Massachusetts; 115 members; 200 acres; duration 5 years.

16 AMERICAN SOCIALJSMS. Brooke's experiment; Ohio; few members; no fur ther particulars. Bureau Co. Phalanx; Illinois; small; no particulars. Clarkson Industrial Association; New York; 420 members; 2000 acres; duration from 6 to 9 months. Clermont Phalanx; Ohio; 120 members; 9cO acres; debt $ I 9,000; duration 2 years or more. Columbian Phalanx; Ohio; no particulars. Garden Grove; Iowa; no particulars. Goose Pond Community; Pennsylvania; 60 members; duration a few months. Grand Prairie Community; Ohio; no particulars. Hopedale; Massachusetts; 200 members; 500 acres; duration not stated, but commonly reported to be 17 or 18 years. Integral Phalanx; Illinois; 30 families; 508 acres; duration 17 months. ] efferson Co. Industrial Association; New York; 400 n1embers; 1200 acres of land; duration a few months. Lagrange Phalanx; Indiana; 1000 acres; no further particulars. Leraysville Phalanx; Pennsylvania; 40 members; 300 acres; duration 8 months.

Marlboro Association; Ohio; 24 members; had "a load of debt;" duration nearly 4 years. McKean Co. Association; Pennsylvania; 3°,000 acres; no further particulars. Moorhouse Union; New York; 120 acres; duration " a few months." North American Phalanx; New Jersey; I 12 mem bel's; 673 acres; debt $ I 7,000; duration 12 years. Northampton Association; Massachusetts; 130 memBIRDS-EYE VIEW. 17 bers; 500 acres of land; debt $4°,000; duration 4 years. Ohio Phalanx; 100 members; 2,200 acres; deeply in debt; duration 10 months. Ii Onementian (meaning probably one-mind) Commu nity; Pennsylvania; 800 acres; duration one year. Ontario Phalanx; New York; brief duration. Prairie Home Community; Ohio; 500 acres; debt broke it up; duration one year. Raritan Bay Union; New Jersey; few members; 268 acres. Sangamon Phalanx; Illinois; no particulars. Skaneateles Comn1unity; New York; ISO members; 354 acres; debt $ 10,000; duration 2 1-2 years.

Social Reform Unity; Pennsylvania; 20 members; 2,000 acres; debt $2,400; duration about 10 months. Sodus Bay Phalanx; New York; 300 members; 1,400 acres; duration a "short time." Spring Farm Association; Wisconsin; 10 families; duration 3 years. Sylvania Association; Pennsylvania; 145 members; 2394 acres; debt $7,9°0; duration nearly 2 years. Trumbull Phalanx; Ohio; I 500 acres; duration 2 1-2 years. Washtenaw Pha~anx; Michigan;' no particulars. Wisconsin Phalanx; 32 families; 1,800 acres; dura tion 6 years. Recapitulation and Comments. I. Localities. The Owen group were distributed among the States as follows: in Indiana, 4; in New York, 3; in Ohio, 2; in Pennsylvania, I; in Ten nessee, I.

18 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS. The Fourier group were located as follows: in Ohio, 8; in New York, 6; in Pennsylvania, 6'; in Massachu setts, 3; in Illinois, 3; in New Jersey, 2; in Michi gan, 2; in Wisconsin, 2; in Indiana, I; in Iowa, I. Indiana had the greatest number in the first group, and the least in the second. New England was not represented in the Owen group; and only by three Associations in the Fourier group; and those three were all in Massachusetts. The southern states were represented by only one Association-that of Nashoba, in. the Owen group-and that was little more than an eleemosynary attempt of Frances Wright to civilize the negroes. The two groups combined were distributed as follows: in Ohio, 10; in New York, 9; in Pennsylvania, 7; in Indiana, 5 ; in Massachusetts, J; in Illinois, 3; in New Jersey, 2; in Michigan, 2; in Wisconsin, 2; in Tennes see, I ; in Iowa, I. 2. Number of 1nembers. The figures in our epitome (reckoning five persons to a family when fan1i1ies are mentioned), give an aggregate of 4,801 n1embers: but these belong to only twenty-five Associations. The numbers of the remaining twenty are not definitely reported. The average of those reported is about 192 to an Association. Extending this average to the rest, we have a total of 8,64 I.

The numbers belonging to single Associations vary from 15 to 900; but in a majority of cases they were between 100 and 200. 3. The a1nount of land reported is enormous. A ver aging it as we did in the case of the number of mem bers, we make a grand total of 136,586 acres, or about BIRDS-EYE VIEW. 3,000 acres to each Association! This is too much for any probable average. We will leave out as excep tional, the 60,000 acres reported as belonging to New Harmony and the McKean Co. Association. Then averaging as before, we have a grand total of 44,624 acres, or about 1,000 acres to each Association. ] udging by our own experience we incline to think that this fondness for land, which has been the habit of Socialists, had luuch to do with their failures. Farm ing is about the hardest and longest of all roads to for tune : and it is the kind of labor in which there is the most uncertainty as to l1lodes and theories, and· of course the largest chance for disputes and discords in such complex bodies as Associations. Moreover the lust for land leads off into the wilderness, "out west," or into by-places, far away from railroads and markets; whereas Socialism, if it is really ahead of civilization, ought to keep near the centers of business, and at the front of the general march of improvement. We should have advised the Phalanxes to limit their land-investn1ents to a minimum, and put their strength as soon as possible into some form of manufacture. Almost any kind of a factory would be better than a farm for a Community nursery. We find hardly a vestige of this policy in Macdonald's collections. The saw-mill is the only form of luechanism that figures much in his reports. It is really ludicrous to see how uniformly an old saw-mill turns up in connection with each Association, and how zealously the brethren made much of it; but that is about all they attempted in the line of manufacturing.

Land, land, land, was evidently regarded by them as the lTIother of all gain and comfort. Considering how n1uch they must have run in debt for land, and how little 20 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS. profit they got from· it, we may say of them almost literally, that they were" wre,cked by running aground." 4. Anlount of debt. Macdonald's reports on this point are few and indefinite. The sums owed are stated for only seven of the Associations. They vary from $ 1,000 to $40,000. Five other Associations are re ported as "very much in debt," "deeply in debt," &c. The exact indebtedness of these and of the remaining thirty-three, is probably beyond the reach of history. But we have reason to think that nearly all of them bought, to begin with, a great deal nlore land than they paid for. This was the fashion of the socialistic schools and of the times. 5. The duration of fourteen Associations is not re ported; twelve lasted less than I year; two I year; four between I and 2 years; three 2 years; four between 2 and 3 years; one between 3 ~nd 4 years; one 4 years; one 5 years; one 6 years; one 12 years, and one (it is said) 17 years. All died young, and most of them before they were two years old.