John Harrison Wilson, The life of Charles Henry Dana

[134] from the very nature of the case, be acquired also. It should here be noted, that with the settlement of the slavery question by the arbitrament of arms the people of both the Northern and Southern States speedily lost interest in annexation, and settled down to their own affairs, without paying particular attention to those of any neighboring country, except in compliance with the older and better-known doctrine first put forth by President Monroe.

It was at midsummer of this year that the Tribune announced the failure of the North American Phalanx, and the sale of its property in New Jersey. Dana doubtless wrote the article commenting upon this event, and as it refers to the socialistic movement, in which he had been greatly interested, through his connection in the previous decade with the Brook Farm Association, I quote as follows:

... The sale of this domain will be generally regarded as in some sort closing that social movement which commenced in this country some fifteen years ago, and which, in various phases of its progress, has certainly exhibited many noble instances of devotion to ideas the most lofty and purposes the most generous. In the public mind the movement has been connected with what is called Fourierism, but the truth is that while the inculcations of Fourier have had more or less influence on the opinions of those engaged in the various practical experiments, still we know of no individual among them who has adopted all of the doctrines, true or fantastic, high or low, which compose his theory, nor of any body of individuals who have attempted to put them, or any part of them, in practise to any considerable extent. As yet there has never been an experiment of Fourier's social system either in this country or elsewhere. The socialist movement was in a certain degree original with the parties in this country .... Most [of the associations] were organized on the principle of joint-stock and dividing profits, according to the time spent in labor, but some adopted the principle of communism.