Brook Farm | Page 2

very often after the arduous duties of
days of professional life, and with a desire only to present the subject
truthfully, faithfully and simply; and also, not wholly to gratify
curiosity, or to record the doings of the noble men and women who
were wise before their time, but to whisper courage to those who, like
their predecessors, are seeking some solution of the social problems
that involves neither the too sudden surrender of acquired rights, the
reckless abandon of old ideas to untried and crude radicalism, or the

more to-be-dreaded feuds between classes, that mean desperation on
one side and war on the other; but to aid, if possible, in inspiring a
belief that a peaceful adjustment of our surroundings will, in time,
bring order out of chaos and harmony out of discord.
The reader will have observed long before he lays down this book, that
the Brook Farm life and ideals were purely coöperative and
philosophical, that all the elements of true society were recognized, and
that the attempt was for the better adjustment of them to the changing
and changed relations of their fellow-men, brought about by the
pervading moral, scientific and social growth of the past and present
centuries.
The nation is older, richer and wiser, since the Brook Farm experiment
began. It is more tolerant of one another's opinions, more enterprising,
progressive and liberal, and surely a few weak trials made half a
century ago, are not enough to solve the majestic problem of right
living and how to shape the outward forms of society, so that within
their environments all interests may be harmonized, and the golden rule
begin to be, in a practical way, the measure of all human lives.
The author, in closing, will confide to his readers the wish of his heart,
that this sketch of his early days may inspire some who can command
influence and means with an interest to continue the experiments in
social science, along lines laid out with more or less clearness by the
Brook Farmers.
J. T. C.

CHAPTER I.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BROOK FARM MOVEMENT.
Early in the present century, New England was the centre of
progressive religious thought in America. A morbid theology had
reigned supreme, but its forms were too cold, harsh and forbidding to
attract or even retain the liberal-minded, educated and philosophic
students of the rising generation, or hold in check the ardent
humanitarian spirit, that embodied itself in ideals that were greater than
the existing creeds.

Yet nowhere prevailed a more religious spirit. It showed itself in tender
care of masses of the people, in public schools and seminaries, in
lectures, sermons, libraries and in acts of general benevolence.
From these conditions developed the idea of greater freedom from
social trammels; from African slavery, which had not then been
abolished; from domestic slavery, which still exists; from the
exploitations of trade and commerce; from the vicious round of unpaid
labor, vice and brutality. Protestations were heard against all of these
evils, not always coming from the poor and unlearned, but oftener from
the educated and refined, who had pride that the republic should stand
foremost among the nations for justice, culture and righteousness.
The old theology was crumbling. A new church was springing from its
vitals based on freer thought, in which the intellect and heart had more
share in determining righteousness. The fatherhood of God and the
brotherhood of man became the themes of discourse, oftener than those
of the vengeance of an offended Deity; and pity and forgiveness,
oftener than those on everlasting punishment.
In truth, the new departure which had begun, soon attracted to itself the
most cultivated persons of the time, some of whom, Sept. 19, 1836,
formed a club that met at one another's houses and discussed all the
important social and religious topics of the day. They were mostly
young people, college-bred, learned, artistic and thoughtful, and of high
ideals in intellectual acquirement, religion and social life. They were all
agreed that there were many evils to be eradicated from society; in
what way--individualistic, governmental or socialistic, or by a
combination of ways--few were agreed.
The problem was an open one. The theories proposed and the
discussions were extremely interesting, but no record of them is at hand,
except a few essays published in the Dial, a quarterly magazine which
was edited by members of the organization, which finally took the
name of "The Transcendental Club." One of the Dial editors, as well as
one of the founders of the Club, and at whose house it had its first
meeting, was Rev. George Ripley, a Unitarian minister who was born
at Greenfield, Mass., in the beautiful valley of the Connecticut River.

He was of good farmer stock and had a fine physical presence, though