XXVI. The Marlboro Association

CHAPTER XXVI. THE MARLBORO ASSOCIATION. As in New England, so in Ohio, the general socialistic excitement of 1841 and afterwards, gave rise to several experiments that had nothing to do with Fourier's peculiar philosophy. We begin with one of these in digenous productions. Mrs. Esther Ann Lukens, a member of the Marlboro Community, answered Macdonald's inquiries about its history. We copy the greater part of her story: Mrs. Lukens's Narrative. HThe Marlboro Community seems, as I think of it, to have had its existence so entirely in dreams of human advancement and the generous wish to promote it, and also in ignorance of all but the better part of human nature, that it is hard to speak of it as a bona fide portion of our plodding· work-a-day world. HIt was originated by a few ~nerous and ardent spirits, who were disgusted with the oppressive and antagonistic conditions of ordinary labor and commerce.

The only remedy they saw, was a return to the apostolic manner of living-that of 'having all things common.' HThe Association was first talked of and its principles 310 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS. generally discussed in Clinton County, some years before anything was done. Many in all parts of Ohio partici pated in this discussion, and warmly urged the scheme; but only a few were found who were hopeful and courageous enough to dare the final experiment. "The gathering commenced in I 84 I on the farm of Mr. E. Brooke, and consisted at first of his family and a few other persons. Gradually the number increased, and another farm was added by the free gift of Dr. A. Brooke, or rather by his resigning all right and title to it as an individual, and delivering it over to the joint own ership of the great fan1ily. "As may be supposed, the majority of those who gathered around this nucleus, were without property, and very slenderly gifted with the talent of acquiring it, but thoroughly honest, philanthropic, warmly social, and willing to perform what appeared to them the right amount of labor belonging to freemen in a right state of society. They forgot in a few instances, that this right state did not exist, but was only dreamed about, and had yet to be realized by more than common labor with the hands.

"'rhe Community had but little property of any value but land, and that was in an uncultivated, half-wild state. There were a few hundred dollars in hand; I can not say how many; but certainly not half the amount required for purchases that seemed immediately neces sary. There Was a good house and barn on each farm, each house capable of accommodating comfortably three families, besides three small tenan t houses of logs] capable of accommodating one family each. There were also on the premises four or five horses and a few cattle and sheep.

MARLBORO ASSOCIATION. 311 "It became necessary, as the numbers increased, to purchase the farm intervening between the one first owned by E. Brooke, and the one given by Dr. A. Brooke, both for convenience in passing and repassing, and for the reason that more land was needed to give employment to all. The owner asked an exorbitant price, knowing our necessities; but it was paid, or rather promised, and so a load of debt was contracted. "The members generally were eminently moral and intellectual. As to religious-belief, they were what people called, and perhaps justly, Free-thinkers. In our conferences for purposes of improvement and do mestic counsel, which were held on Sundays, religion, as a distinct obligation, was never mentioned. "Provisions were easily procured. One of the farms had a large orchard, and our living was confined to the plainest vegetable diet; so that much time was left for social and mental improvement. All will join with me in saying that love and good fellowship reigned para mount; so that all enjoyed good care during sickness, and kindly sympathy at all times.

"About a year and a-half after its foundation, the Communny sustained a great loss by the death of one of its most efficient and ardent supporters, Joseph Lukens. It was after this period that a constitution or form of Association was framed, and many persons were admitted who had different views of property and the basis of rights, from what were generally held at the be ginning. " The existence of the Community, from first to last, was nearly four years. If I should'say there was perfect unanimity of feeling to the last, it would not be true. Yet there were no quarrels, and all discussions among us 312 AMERICAN SOCIALISMS. were temperate and kind. As to our breaking up, there was no cause for it clear to nlY mind, except the compli cated state of the business concerns, the amount of debt contracted, and the feeling that each one would work with more energy, for a tinle at least, if thrown upon his own resources, with plenty of elbow-room and nothing to distract his attention.

tt Mr. Thomas Moore, also a member of this Com munity~ gave his opinion of the cause of its decease in a separate paper, as follows: Mr. Mooris Post Morte1n. "The failure of this experiment may be traced to the fact that the minds of its originators were not homoge neous. They all agreed that in a properly organized Community, there should be no buying and selling be tween the members, but that each should share the common products according to his necessity. But while Dr. A. Brooke held that this principle should govern our conduct in our interchange with the whole world, the others believed it right for any number of individuals to separate themselves from the surrounding world, and form themselves into· a distinct COlnnlunity; and while they had every thing free alTIOng themselves, continue to traffic in the common way with those outside. And again, while many believed they were prepared to enter into a Community of this kind, Mr. Edward Brooke had his doubts, fearing that the time had not yet arrived when any considerable number of individuals could live together on these principles; that though some might be prompted to enter into such relations through principles of hunlanity and pure benevolence, others would come in from nlotives altogether selfish; and that discord would MARLBORO ASSOCIATION.

be the result. Dr. A. Brooke, not being willing to be con fined in any Community that did not embrace the whole world, stepped out at the start, but left the Community in possession of his property during. his life; believing that to be as long as he had any right to dispose of it. But Edward Brooke yielded to the views of others, and went on with the Community. "For some time the members who came in from abroad added nothing of consequence to the common stock. Some manifested by their conduct that their objects were selfish, and being disappoin ted, left again. Others, who perhaps' entered from purer motives, also became dissatisfied for various reasons and left; and so the Comn1unity fluctuated for some time. At length three families were admitted as members, who had property invested in farms, and who were to sell the farms and devote the proceeds to the comn10n stock. Two of these, after having tried con1munity life a year, concluded to leave before they had sold their farms; and the third. not being able to sell, there was a lack of capital to profitably employ the men1bers; and the consequence was, there was not quite enough produced to support the Community. Discovering this to be the case, several of the persons who originally owned the property became dissatisfied; and although according to the principles of· the Community they had no greater interest in that property than any other members" yet it was no less a fact that they had donated it nearly all (excepting Dr. A. Brooke's lease), and that now they would like to have it back. This placed the true Socialists in delicate circumstances. Being without pecuniary means of their own, they could not exercise the power that had voluntarily been placed in their AMERICAN SOCIALISMS.

hands, to control these dissatisfied ones, so as to cause theIn, against their will, to leave their property in 4the hands of the Community. The property was freely yielded up, though with the utmost regret. My opinion -therefore is that the experiment failed at the time it did, through lack of. faith in those who had the fu~ds, and lack of funds in those who had the faith." Dr. A. Brooke, who devoted his land tQ the Marlboro Community, but stepped out him,self, because he would not be confined to anything less than Communism with the world, afterwards tried a little experiment of his own, which failed and left no history. Macdonald visited him in 1844, and reports some curious things about him, which may give the reader an idea of what was probably the most radical type of Communism that was developed in the Socialistic revival of 1841-3. " Dr. Brooke" says Macdonald, "was a tall, thin man, with gray hair, and beard quite unshaven. His face reminded me of the ancient Philosophers. His only cloth ing was a shirt and pantaloons; nothing else on either body, head, or feet. He invited us into his comfortable parlor, which was neatly furnished and had a good supply of books and papers. Our breakfast consisted of cold baked apples, cold corn bread, and I think potatoes.

"We questioned him much concerning his strange notions, and in the course of conversation I remarked, that such men as Robert Owen, Charles Fourier, Josiah Warren and others, had each a certain number of fundamental principles, upon which to base their theories, and I wished to understand definitely what fundamental principles he had, and how many of them. He replied that he had only one principle, and that was MARLBORO ASSOCIATION. 315 to do what he considered right. He said he attended the sick whenever he was called upon, for which he made no charge. When he wanted anything which he knew one of his neighbors could supply, he sent to that neighbor for it. He shewed me a brick out-building at the back of his cottage, which he said had been put up for him by masons in the vicinity. He made it known that he wanted such work done, and no less than five men came to do it for him. Macdonald adds the following story: "I remember when in Cincinnati, one Sundayafter noon at a Fourier meeting I heard Mr. Benjamin Urner read a letter from Dr. A. Brooke to some hardware merchants in Cincinnati (the Brothers Donaldson in Main street, I believe), telling them that his necessities required a variety of agricultural tools, such as a plow, harrow, axes, etc., and requesting that they might be sent on to him. He stated that he had given up the use of money, that he gave his professional services free of cost to those whose necessities demanded them, and for any thing his necessities required he applied to those whom he thought able to give. Mr..Urner stated that this strange individual had been the post-master of the place where he now lived, but that he had given up the office so that he might not have to use money. He also informed us that the hardware merchants very kindly sent on the articles to Dr. Brooke free of cost; which announcement gave great satisfaction to the meeting."