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90-574: The North American Phalanx was established in September 1843 and included the active participation of writer Albert Brisbane and newspaper publisher Horace Greeley , two of the leading figures of the Fourierist movement. The Association was disbanded in January 1856, following a catastrophic fire which destroyed a number of the community's productive enterprises. At the time of its termination it

180-483: A blacksmith shop and a machine shop powered by a steam engine were already operational. In addition, the community included stables, animal and wagon sheds, carpentry shops, a school and children's day care area, guest cottages, landscaped gardens and paths, and an artificial pond for bathing, boating and a supply of ice in the winter. Most of the household heads living in the North American Phalanx at

270-435: A book to expound the ideas of his late master. Brisbane's first and most famous book, Social Destiny of Man, would see print in 1840. Brisbane accepted Fourier's ideas as a matter of faith, believing that the "social destiny of man" was an immutable force of nature; once the laws of this development were identified and publicized, he believed, the regeneration and transformation of the world would be rapid and effective. On

360-528: A chamber, and eat a quince together." The hero Hercules is associated with golden apples ; these are thought by some scholars probably to have been quinces. When a baby is born in the Balkans, a quince tree is planted as a symbol of fertility, love and life. Edward Lear 's 1870 nonsense poem The Owl and the Pussycat contains the lines They dined on mince, and slices of quince Which they ate with

450-478: A chief, who served as general manager of the department and presiding officer at meetings of the council. These general managers each met daily as part of a body called the Industrial Council, which determined jobs needing to be done the following day. Domestic work was performed by women, with the organized subdivision of domestic tasks practiced in accordance with the model used for other series. At

540-697: A founding convention of the General Association for the Friends of Association in the United States held in New York City from April 4–6, 1844, attended by delegates from as far away as Maine and Virginia. The convention made a point of renouncing the fanciful, conjectural aspects of Fourier's writings, instead endorsing the concrete plan of association derived from his writings, in addition to its underlying philosophical framework. Work

630-455: A great deal of cider and perry is there made, The Quince-Drink most commonly purges." Quince is one of the most popular species for deciduous bonsai specimens, and is widely grown for its attractive flowers. Ancient Greek poets such as Ibycus and Aristophanes used quinces ( kydonia ) as a mildly ribald term for teenage breasts. In Plutarch 's Lives , Solon is said to have decreed that "bride and bridegroom shall be shut into

720-516: A group entitled to vote within that group without regard to gender. The North American Phalanx, like the Fourierist movement in general, was ultimately undermined by its utopian basis — a general creed which as one scholar observed "promised too much and required too little of its adherents." The disparity between promises of social transformation and economic abundance and the realities of primitive agriculture and crude living conditions ended with

810-454: A lesser extent. Cedar-quince rust, caused by Gymnosporangium clavipes , requires two hosts to complete its life cycle, one usually a juniper , and the other a member of the Rosaceae . Appearing as red excrescence on various parts of the plant, it may affect quinces grown near junipers. In 2021, world production of quinces was 697,563 tonnes, with Turkey and China accounting for 43% of

900-435: A miniature bonsai plant. In ancient Greece, the word for quince was used slightly ribaldly to signify teenage breasts. Quinces are shrubs or small trees up to 4 to 6 metres (13 to 20 feet) high and 3 to 4.5 metres (10 to 15 feet) wide. Young twigs are covered in a grey down. The leaves are oval, and are downy on the underside. The solitary flowers, produced in late spring after the leaves, are white or pink. The ripe fruit

990-496: A mixed orchard with several apples and other fruit trees. In the 18th-century New England colonies, for example, there was always a quince at the lower corner of the vegetable garden, Ann Leighton notes in records of Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Newburyport, Massachusetts . Charlemagne directed that quinces be planted in well-stocked orchards. Quinces in England are first recorded in about 1275, when Edward I had some planted at

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1080-715: A moderate amount of vitamin C (18% of the Daily Value ), with no other micronutrients in significant percentage of the Daily Value (table). Quinces are appreciated for their intense aroma, flavour, and tartness. However, most varieties are too hard and tart to be eaten raw. They may be cooked or roasted and used for jams, marmalade, jellies, or pudding. A few varieties, such as 'Aromatnaya' and 'Kuganskaya', can be eaten raw. High in pectin , they are used to make jam , jelly and quince pudding , or they may be peeled, then roasted, baked or stewed; pectin levels diminish as

1170-455: A premium and light and attractive jobs being docked a penalty. In addition bonuses were awarded or demerits assessed for the excellence or lack of skill of performance. Each group rated its own members for purposes of compensation, with labor performance rather than age or gender the determining factor in setting wage rates. While the community initially attempted to make payment to its members in cash, with money tied up in land and property and

1260-473: A president, vice-president, treasurer, and 12 directors, with the executive officers serving one year terms and the council members serving staggered two year terms. Originally, only stockholders voted in elections for the council, but all members were given a vote in an 1848 amendment. Heads of each series were granted ex officio status as members of the central council. Suffrage was universal both industrially and politically, with any regular working member of

1350-452: A quince figured in a lost poem of Callimachus that survives in a prose epitome: seeing his beloved in the courtyard of the temple of Aphrodite, Acontius plucks a quince from the "orchard of Aphrodite", inscribes its skin and furtively rolls it at the feet of her illiterate nurse, whose curiosity aroused, hands it to the girl to read aloud, and the girl finds herself saying "I swear by Aphrodite that I will marry Acontius ". A vow thus spoken in

1440-414: A reading room. A steady stream of visitors infused new ideas and earnest discussions into the small rural society. The atmosphere of the North American Phalanx and other Fourierist Associations which survived more than a year or two resembled that of a vibrant New England farming village, it was later reckoned. The phalanx's 1843 constitution provided for administration through a central council, composed of

1530-458: A scientific discoverer akin to Isaac Newton . In 1832 Brisbane left for Paris, where he would stay two years studying Fourier's system, including obtaining direct tutelage from the 60-year-old theorist himself He made the acquaintance of other devotees of Fourier's ideas during this initial phase of the Fourierist movement. He would return to the United States a committed believer and proselytizer of Fourier's idea of association and began work on

1620-486: A sympathetic consortium of merchants from New York City. Despite clearly inadequate resources, the Albany Branch, headed by Charles Sears and Nathan Starks, decided to persevere and a search began for suitable agricultural lands upon which a local phalanstery might be established. A domain of 673 acres (2.72 km) was located near the small town of Red Bank, New Jersey , priced at $ 14,000. Of this sum $ 5,000 of

1710-569: A vacuum, thereby allowing the baking of bread and pastry without the use of yeast. In 1889, the family returned to New York state, ostensibly so that Brisbane could build a prototype of the vacuum oven which he had been attempting to perfect. In 1833, Albert returned from Europe with Adele LeBrun, who was alleged to be a countess . LeBrun was Catholic, which reportedly bothered his parents, and five years later, she moved back to Italy with their two young children, who historians conclude were probably Albert's; however, no record of marriage between

1800-632: A week. After his return to the United States in 1889, Brisbane soon became ill and was forced to seek a change of climate to improve his health, traveling to North Carolina , before heading south to Florida , that winter. Together with Bates, Brisbane again moved north to Richmond, Virginia early in the spring of the following year. Good health did not return, however, and late in April Brisbane became bedridden and began to await his inevitable death. Albert Brisbane died in Richmond early in

1890-660: Is a firm, sticky, sweet reddish hard paste made by slowly cooking down the quince fruit with sugar, and originating from the Iberian peninsula. It is called dulce de membrillo in the Spanish-speaking world, where it is eaten with manchego cheese . Quince is used in the Levant , especially in Syria . It is added to either chicken or kibbeh to create an intense and unique taste such as with kibbeh safarjaliyeh . In

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1980-586: Is a volatile gas. The seeds are toxic only if eaten in large quantities. Quince is native to the Hyrcanian forests south of the Caspian Sea . From that centre of origin it was spread radially by Neolithic farmers, c. 5000 to 3000 BC, to secondary centres including Turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and Syria. In turn, landraces of quince were then distributed across Europe, Russia, China, India, and North Africa. It reached Britain in

2070-425: Is aromatic but remains hard; gritty stone cells are dispersed through the flesh. It is larger than many apples, weighing as much as 1 kilogram (2.2 lb), often pear-shaped but sometimes roughly spherical. The seeds contain nitriles , common in the seeds of the rose family . In the stomach, enzymes or stomach acid or both cause some of the nitriles to be hydrolysed and produce toxic hydrogen cyanide , which

2160-506: Is done by cuttings or layering ; the former method produces better plants, but they take longer to mature than by the latter. Named cultivars are propagated by cuttings or layers grafted on quince rootstock . Propagation by seed is not used commercially. Quince forms thick bushes, which must be pruned and reduced into a single stem to grow fruit-bearing trees for commercial use. The tree is self-pollinated , but it produces better yields when cross-pollinated . Fruits are typically left on

2250-460: Is housed in one archival box and includes biographical material, correspondence, microfilm of his diaries from the 1830s, and a 56-page autobiography dated London, 1881. Albert's great-grandson, Arthur S. Brisbane, was appointed Public Editor of The New York Times in June 2010. Quince C. vulgaris The quince ( / ˈ k w ɪ n s / ; Cydonia oblonga ) is the sole member of

2340-402: Is in the subfamily Amygdaloideae . The modern name originated in the 14th century as a plural of quoyn , via Old French cooin from Latin cotoneum malum / cydonium malum , ultimately from Greek κυδώνιον μῆλον, kydonion melon " Kydonian apple". Quince is a hardy, drought-tolerant shrub which adapts to many soils of low to medium pH . It tolerates both shade and sun, but sunlight

2430-402: Is open for use by researchers without restriction. c; 40°18′58″N 74°08′25″W  /  40.3161°N 74.1402°W  / 40.3161; -74.1402 Albert Brisbane Progressive Era Repression and persecution Anti-war and civil rights movements Contemporary Albert Brisbane (August 22, 1809 – May 1, 1890) was an American utopian socialist and

2520-526: Is remembered as the chief popularizer of the theories of Charles Fourier in the United States. Brisbane was the author of several books, notably Social Destiny of Man (1840), as well as the Fourierist periodical The Phalanx . He also founded the Fourierist Society in New York in 1839 and backed several other phalanx communes in the 1840s and 1850s. His son, Arthur Brisbane , became one of

2610-403: Is required to produce larger flowers and ensure fruit ripening. It is a hardy plant that does not require much maintenance, and tolerates years without pruning or major insect and disease problems. Quince is cultivated on all continents in warm-temperate and temperate climates. It requires a cooler period of the year, with temperatures under 7 °C (45 °F), to flower properly. Propagation

2700-496: The Albany Branch of the North American Phalanx. About 20 families participated in the official planning of the group, of which about a dozen families formally subscribed to the draft constitution, on August 12, 1843. It was believed by the first participants that considerable capital would be raised for establishment of an American cooperative association and that a number of other branch organizations would emerge throughout

2790-494: The Balkans , quince eau-de-vie ( rakija ) is made. Ripe fruits of sweeter varieties are washed and cleared of rot and seeds, then crushed or minced, mixed with cold or boiling sweetened water and yeast , and left for several weeks to ferment. The fermented mash is distilled once, obtaining a 20–30 ABV , or twice, producing an approximately 60% ABV liquor. The two distillates may be mixed or diluted with distilled water to obtain

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2880-767: The Holland Land Company from Robert Morris (1734–1806), one of the first Senators from Pennsylvania. They opened an office in Batavia to sell the land in parcels and establish settlements, which included the city that became Buffalo, New York . Brisbane's mother, Mary, was of English descent and his father James, a Scot , had abandoned the Scottish Presbyterian Church in protest over its regimented rituals. Brisbane developed an affection for knowledge at an early age and as an inquisitive youth he learned various mechanical skills in

2970-577: The US House of Representatives . Greeley would provide valuable service to the Fourierist movement by advancing its ideas in the pages of his newspaper of that day, The New Yorker, throughout 1840 and 1841, and offering Brisbane a column in his successor publication, the New York Tribune , from the time of its establishment in March 1842. A groundswell of enthusiasm resulted from coverage of

3060-538: The genus Cydonia in the Malinae subtribe (which contains apples, pears, and other fruits) of the Rosaceae family . It is a deciduous tree that bears hard, aromatic bright golden-yellow pome fruit, similar in appearance to a pear. Ripe quince fruits are hard, tart, and astringent. They are eaten raw or processed into jam, quince cheese , or alcoholic drinks. The quince tree is sometimes grown as an ornamental plant for its attractive pale pink blossoms, and as

3150-641: The 16th century. Settlers brought it to North America in the 17th century, and to Central and South America in the 18th century. The fruit was known in the Akkadian language as supurgillu ; "quinces" (collective plural ), which was borrowed into Aramaic as ספרגלין sparglin ; it was known in Judea during the Mishnaic Hebrew as פרישין prishin (a loanword from Jewish Palestinian Aramaic פרישין "the miraculous [fruit]"); quince flourished in

3240-533: The American phalanxes, however, required hard work and self-sacrifice. As their communities struggled through indebtedness, chronic shortages, and crop failures, Associationists found themselves undermined by their own propaganda. ... The phalanxes never solved the problem of what to do about those who did not assume their share of the work." Wage rates were another source of discord, with machine operators formally complaining in 1853 that their wages paid as members of

3330-536: The Fourierian scheme, labor was divided into general departments, called "series," of which there were six at the North American Phalanx: agriculture, livestock, manufacturing, domestic work, education, and "festal" (entertainment). Within each of these there were additional subdivisions called "groups," consisting of 3 to 7 people, who would work cooperatively on specific given tasks. For example,

3420-479: The Fourierist boom of the 1840s — was formally terminated. The North American Phalanx was the second most publicized association of the 1840s Fourierist movement, surpassed in general interest only by Brook Farm in West Roxbury, Massachusetts . The main edifice of the North American Phalanx stood until November 1972 when it was destroyed in another fire. At present, two structures – both private homes – from

3510-491: The New York region, inspired by the Albany group's activity and success. Neither of these expectations were realized, however, as it was only with great difficulty that a sum just under $ 7,000 was raised and no other local associations would immediately follow. Moreover, a majority of the phalanx's financing came from outside sources, as over time 61% of the association's stock would be held by outsiders, including 527 shares held by

3600-447: The North American Phalanx were so preoccupied with work allocation and scheduling that "our days were spent in labor and our nights in legislation" — a regimen which sapped the vitality of the community. The community's unity was also undermined by an inequality of workloads and compensation, as Carl Guarneri has observed: "For Fourier, the notion that some Harmonians would work less than others demonstrated true passional freedom; life in

3690-485: The Saint-Simondian movement altogether. Brisbane would later dismiss Saint-Simon's doctrines as "artificial and in some respects false." Searching for new ideas, Brisbane read a newly published short work by the philosopher Charles Fourier (1772–1837) entitled Treatise on Domestic and Agricultural Association and was immediately converted to the writer's ideas. Fourier, a French philosopher and writer, spent

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3780-536: The Tower of London. Quince is subject to a variety of pest insects including aphids , scale insects , mealybugs , and moth caterpillars such as leafrollers (Tortricidae) and codling moths . While quince is a hardy shrub, it may develop fungal diseases in hot weather, resulting in premature leaf fall. Quince leaf blight , caused by fungus Diplocarpon mespili , presents a threat in wet summers, causing severe leaf spotting and early defoliation, affecting fruit to

3870-463: The acquaintance of a number of prominent European intellectuals and political figures during the course of his studies. In Berlin, Brisbane became interested in the ideas of socialism , becoming an advocate of the ideas of Henri de Saint-Simon . Brisbane was very active with the promotion of Saint-Simon's ideas for a time, but became disaffected when the movement split between the followers of Barthélemy Enfantin and Amand Bazard and dropped out of

3960-444: The agricultural series included four groups: farming, market gardening, orchard, and experimental. Additional groups not associated with any series were formed for performance of special "repugnant" work and the care of visitors. Each of these groups elected a chief, who kept track of labor time and who represented it at meetings with other group chiefs at meetings of the department, called the "council." Council members in turn elected

4050-487: The best known American newspaper editors of the 20th century. Albert Brisbane was born on August 22, 1809, in Batavia, New York He was the son of Mary Stevens (died 1889) and James Brisbane (1776–1851), a wealthy landowner. In 1798, James Brisbane, along with Joseph Ellicott (1760–1826) and three others, had traveled to Western New York to survey the 4,000,000 acres (1,600,000 ha) that had been purchased by

4140-421: The colony's mill and all its contents. No insurance was recovered, and the community found itself facing $ 30,000 in accumulated debt with no ready means of repayment. Of this, some $ 9,000 remained unpaid on the original mortgage, with additional bills accumulated for a new engine and boiler for the mill. Additionally, at the time of the fire the mill had housed a large quantity of wheat purchased on credit, for which

4230-425: The common table. Brisbane cast the adoption of Fourier's system in millennial terms, asserting that "Association will establish Christianity practically upon Earth. It will make the love of God and the love of the neighbor the greatest desire, and the practice of all men. Temptation to wrong will be taken from the paths of men, and a thousand perverting and degrading circumstances and influences will be purged from

4320-568: The community until 1853, with the climate sharpening as the end of the institution approached. The phalanx maintained a nursery for younger children as well as a school for older children, the combination of which served to significantly reduce the domestic duties of female members. Efforts were made to build an appreciation for collectivist ideals in the minds of the community's 30 to 40 children, with children and youth encouraged to work cooperatively in organizing amusements, forest expeditions, camping trips, and craft projects. Community entertainment

4410-438: The community's funds were invested as a down payment , leaving a mortgage of $ 9,000 to be repaid over time. Barely $ 2,000 remained for the construction of buildings and the purchase of working animals, farm implements, and other necessary goods. Colonization began in September 1843, with six families crowded into two houses previously existing on the property. Temporary housing was rapidly constructed to provide accommodations for

4500-486: The cost of a sacrifice of life . The effect was disruptive, with the moderate and extreme vegetarians agitating against the slaughter of animals and the consumption of meat. The dietary dilemma was ultimately resolved by the replacement of the common table with a restaurant; board was provided on an à la carte basis rather than through a common menu. Another benefit was that food waste was reduced, according to North American Phalanx president Charles Sears. Just as there

4590-568: The death of Albert's son Charles, his children Howard Pascal Brisbane (1859-1922) and Adele Brisbane (b. 1861) lived with their grandfather Albert Brisbane and Lodoiska. In 1853, Albert married Sarah White and they had five children: In 1877, eleven years after Sarah's death, Brisbane married the 30 years younger Redelia Bates (1842–1943), who had been involved with the National Woman Suffrage Association . The United States Census of 1850 indicates that Albert

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4680-412: The disillusionment of starry-eyed communitarians and their inflated expectations. Work was hard, the process of development slow and difficult, and communal life in close quarters presented a whole host of social pressures which undermined community stability. The Fourierist model of labor division and wage calculation also proved inefficient in practice, with president Charles Sears noting that members of

4770-571: The elimination of the role of the capitalist, but rather the regulation of distribution of the product of labor between capitalist and worker on a more equitable basis. Paramount to increasing production, Brisbane believed, was a reorganization of society into various subdivisions called "groups," "series," and "sacred legions," based upon the natural affinities of their participants. This reorganization would boost production by building enthusiasm for labor, gathering individuals of like proclivities for common tasks. Following Fourier, Brisbane also sought

4860-418: The end of each year, proceeds of the year's production would be calculated and — in accordance with the Fourierian scheme — awards for capital, labor, and talent allocated. By way of example, rates of 5% on capital invested and $ 1 per ten-hour day for "ordinary" labor were in force at the end of the North American Phalanx's existence. Jobs were compensated at three levels, with exhausting or repugnant jobs earning

4950-577: The endeavor. The Monmouth County Historical Association in Freehold Borough, New Jersey houses a collection of records of the North American Archive which include legal and financial documents, meeting minutes, miscellaneous manuscripts, published material about the phalanx, photographs and illustrations, maps, drawings, and blueprints. The collection contains a total of 148 items and occupies 2 linear feet of shelf space and

5040-492: The fateful decision to depart for France to study Fourier's manuscripts there and to speak with French Associationists about their experiences. The 8-month trip effectively removed the commanding general of the Fourierist army from the campaign at its most critical juncture and is characterized by Carl J. Guarneri, a leading historian of the movement, as a reflection of Brisbane's "lifelong inability to cope with power and responsibility." With no energetic leader to replace Brisbane,

5130-599: The final product, containing 42–43% ABV. In the Alsace region of France and the Valais region of Switzerland, liqueur de coing made from quince is used as a digestif . In Carolina in 1709, John Lawson allowed that he was "not a fair judge of the different sorts of Quinces, which they call Brunswick, Portugal and Barbary", but he noted "of this fruit they make a wine or liquor which they call Quince-Drink, and which I approve of beyond any that their country affords, though

5220-505: The fruit ripens. Long cooking with sugar turns the flesh of the fruit red due to the presence of pigmented anthocyanins . The strong flavour means they can be added in small quantities to apple pies and jam. Adding a diced quince to apple sauce enhances the taste of the apple sauce. The term " marmalade ", originally meaning a quince jam, derives from marmelo , the Portuguese word for this fruit. Quince cheese or quince jelly

5310-509: The goddess's temenos cannot be broken. Pliny the Elder mentions "numerous varieties" of quince in his Natural History and describes four. Quinces are ripe on the tree only briefly: the Roman cookbook De re coquinaria of Apicius specifies in attempting to keep quinces, to select perfect unbruised fruits and keep stems and leaves intact, submerged in honey and reduced wine. Cydonia

5400-453: The greater part of his life attempting to uncover universal laws which he believed governed society so that productive enterprise could be reorganized on a rational basis, production expanded, and human needs more readily fulfilled. Fourier believed in a fundamental harmony of the universe and a preordained series of periods through which societies needed to necessarily travel from their primitive to their advanced state, and he considered himself

5490-552: The heat of the Mesopotamian plain, where apples did not. It was cultivated from an archaic period around the Mediterranean . Some ancients called the fruit " golden apples ". The Greeks associated it with Kydonia on Crete , as the "Cydonian pome ", and Theophrastus , in his Enquiry into Plants , noted that quince was one of many fruiting plants that do not come true from seed. As a sacred emblem of Aphrodite ,

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5580-513: The heels of his first successful book, in 1843 Brisbane published another adaptation of Fourier to American conditions, a book entitled Association: Or, A Concise Exposition of the Practical Part of Fourier's Social Science. Brisbane argued that the remedy to society's ills lay in the adoption of more efficient forms of production, based upon the principle of harmony of the owners of capital and those employed by them. He did not envision

5670-556: The idea of the phalanstère , a collectively dwelling and cooperatively working community of 1,620 people organized on the basis of a joint stock company . While never pursued in France during his lifetime, Fourier's ideas found practical realization in the United States in the 1840s and early 1850s as a result of the books and newspaper columns of Albert Brisbane (1809–1890). It was Brisbane who translated, distilled, and adapted Fourier's ideas for an American audience, largely through

5760-569: The ideas of Association in the New York Tribune, and from 1843 to 1845 more than 30 Fourierian "Phalanxes" were established in a number of northern and midwestern states. In 1844, Brook Farm , already an established Transcendentalist agrarian community in Massachusetts, formally declared itself a Fourierist community based on Brisbane's teachings. A national movement of "Associationists' began to take form in 1843 and 1844, with

5850-723: The morning on May 1, 1890. His body was transported home to Western New York and where he was buried in the Batavia Cemetery in Batavia, alongside his parents and previous wife Sarah. Brisbane's son, Arthur Brisbane , became one of the best-known American newspaper editors of the 20th century. The papers of father and son are held together as Brisbane Family Papers collection by the Special Collections Research Center of Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York . The Albert Brisbane material

5940-537: The movement's momentum quickly dissipated. In 1877, after his new marriage to Redelia Bates, they relocated to Europe with his children with a view towards the education of the latter. The family traveled the continent for two years before taking up resident in Paris. His health in decline and suffering from epilepsy , Brisbane pursued personal intellectual pursuits and tried his hand as an inventor, concentrating in particular on an effort to create an oven which cooked in

6030-464: The original Phalanx property survive. One of them, constructed around 1851, was the cottage of Marcus Spring, a merchant from Brooklyn, New York, who was a supporter of the Phalanx. He and his family used the cottage as their summer home. Although Mr. Spring was not a resident member of the Phalanx, he was one of its largest shareholders, having invested, with several New York colleagues, over $ 50,000 in

6120-523: The pages of Horace Greeley 's New York Tribune , stirring popular enthusiasm for the French intellectual's ideas for the formation of local associations, known as "phalanxes." Early in 1843 a general call was issued in New York City by Brisbane, Greeley, and others, seeking local organizations of Fourierist groups. This call inspired the formation in the summer of 1843 of a group calling itself

6210-403: The phalanx ran significantly behind wages paid for comparable work in competitive industry outside the association. Moreover, the wages paid to working members of the phalanx proved barely adequate to cover room, board, and clothing for families with children — causing the loss of many of the same and the undermining of hopes of passing the community to a new generation. The North American Phalanx

6300-417: The phalanx subsequently had housing sufficient for each family to be allotted a parlor and two bedrooms. A 70-foot long restaurant was also constructed at the same time. The North American Phalanx was moderately successful during its first seven years of operation, paying annual dividends ranging from 4.4% to 5.6% on capital invested, as well as hourly wages to all workers of the community. In accordance with

6390-430: The phalanx was financially responsible. While Horace Greeley offered to loan the association $ 12,000 for construction of a replacement facility, members of the phalanx ultimately decided not to take advantage of this offer, which would have boosted the debt load and necessitated another arduous reconstruction period. Instead, starting with the January 1855 stockholders' meeting, plans began to be made either to sell part of

6480-464: The phalanx's land to satisfy debt or to sell the community in whole. Efforts were made to sell the phalanx to a group organizing around Fourierist adherent Victor Considerant to act as a staging point for newcomers to his new colonization project in the state of Texas. No such agreement could be reached however. Instead in June 1855 the stockholders voted that the community should liquidate its assets and terminate its existence. In October community land

6570-421: The rest of the party that winter. Others arrived at the site in the spring of 1844, with a total of 100 people as part of 20 families in residence by the end of that year. At its peak the community would eventually count about 150 people in residence, including children, usually ranging between 120 and that number. After one year of existence a saw-mill had been constructed and was nearly ready for operation, and

6660-402: The revolutionization of the family unit, proclaiming the individual home to be possessed of "monotony," "anti-social spirit," and the "absence of emulation," through which, he felt, it "debilitates the energies of the soul, and produces apathy and intellectual death." In opposition to this "selfishness," Brisbane opposed the communal ideal of association, living in collective dwellings and sharing

6750-628: The small carpentry, blacksmith, and saddle shops of Batavia. Unsatisfied with the quality of education in Batavia and with visions of an illustrious future for his son, Brisbane's father sent him to a boarding school in Long Island, New York at the age of fifteen. He briefly stayed at the school before moving to New York City and studying with tutors, including Jean Manesca  [ Wikidata ] . His New York schooling would ultimately be followed by six years of education abroad, with Brisbane studying philosophy in Paris and Berlin. He made

6840-406: The social world." Brisbane's 1840 book was well-received and it enjoyed immediate success, gaining a broad readership among those concerned with the problems of society and helping to launch the Fourierist movement in the United States. Among those who read Brisbane's book and was thereby converted to the ideas of socialism was a young New York newspaper publisher, Horace Greeley , later elected to

6930-433: The supply of paper money erratic, a move to the issuance of scrip was soon made. This "house currency" was of the same general size and appearance as regular paper money of the day, but featured a central bust of Charles Fourier. Wages and assessments for room and board were made monthly, with scrip used as tender to settle the balances of all such accounts. Collective living and rational division of domestic responsibility

7020-419: The time of its formation had either passing or practical knowledge of agriculture. The land was deemed quite suitable for fruit farming and a good percentage of the available land was subsequently committed to fruit trees, including apples, peaches, pears, and quince . In addition grape vines were planted. In 1847 a new three-story addition was constructed, adding common area. Together with a pair of long halls,

7110-490: The tree to ripen fully. In warmer climates, it may become soft to the point of being edible, but additional ripening may be required in cooler climates. They are harvested in late autumn, before first frosts. Quince is used as rootstock for certain pear cultivars. In Europe, quinces are commonly grown in central and southern areas where the summers are sufficiently hot for the fruit to fully ripen. They are not grown in large amounts; typically one or two quince trees are grown in

7200-719: The two has been located. One of these children was Charles Fourier Brisbane (1834-1867) whom Albert brought back to the US from Europe in 1851. In 1847, Albert began a relationship with Lodoiska Durand (née Manesca), the daughter of Jean Manesca who had divorced her previous husband in 1844, who was later ruled a common-law wife with whom he had three children: a boy who died as an infant (1848-1849), Flora Manesca Brisbane (1857-1884) and Rosalia Brisbane, b. 1851. Later in life, Lodoiska, who never ceased to regard herself as Albert Brisbane's widow, referred to her five deceased children, in which she might have included Nina Durand b. 1837. After

7290-499: The world total (table). Quince cultivars include: The cultivars 'Vranja' Nenadovic and 'Serbian Gold' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society 's Award of Garden Merit . A raw quince is 84% water, 15% carbohydrates , and contains negligible fat and protein (table). In a 100-gram ( 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 -ounce) reference amount, the fruit provides 238 kilojoules (57 kilocalories) of food energy and

7380-423: Was a primary tenet of Fourierism. During its first two or three years of existence, extreme frugality was deemed necessary, and only "scanty" meals were served at the common table. The situation was further complicated by the presence of significant numbers of associationists with specific dietary beliefs, including contingents of vegetarians and Christian sectarians who foreswore the use of all products produced at

7470-409: Was also hard hit by the loss of its chief carpenter, a skilled horticulturalist, and other leading members in an 1853 succession to join the fledgling Raritan Bay Union . In short order Raritan Bay members and financial supporters owned fully one-sixth of the North American Phalanx's stock, further weakening the older phalanx's resolve to continue. Disaster came on September 10, 1854, when a fire swept

7560-443: Was difference in eating habits, a range of religious affiliations existed among the North American Phalanx's resident members. Included among the community's ranks were Unitarians , Presbyterians , Quakers , Baptists , Episcopalians , Jews , Shakers , as well as agnostics and atheists. While religious matters were frequently the object of discussion and debate, heated division over religious topics does not seem to have occurred in

7650-477: Was done to create a formal "Union of Associations" to help coordinate the efforts of the myriad of small phalanxes coming into existence, and a meeting of such a group was planned for the following October. At this critical juncture in the emergence of a practical movement, with 10 phalanxes already in existence and others at the planning stage, Albert Brisbane, the uncontested leader of Fourierism in America, made

7740-767: Was living in Bergen County, New Jersey with Lodoiska. However, the Census of 1860 reports Albert living in Westchester County, New York with Sarah. In the next Census of 1870, Albert was living in Union County, New Jersey , again with Lodoiska. Historians conclude that because of overlapping births of children in the two relationships and the corresponding census records, Albert was simultaneously maintaining two separate households with each woman. After his 1877 marriage to Bates, Albert's brother, George,

7830-400: Was more formally organized in 1849 with the formation of a "festal series" in charge of staging musical concerts, dramatic presentations, and dances. In addition, the community had a vibrant informal social atmosphere, with nightly walks in the woods, card games, and singing around the piano. Members read Greeley's New York Tribune and other newspapers, agricultural publications, and maintained

7920-450: Was so outraged that he wrote an angry letter, which later became public, accusing the couple of bigamy because Lodoiska was still alive and had never obtained a divorce dissolving their common-law marriage. In return, Redelia filed a libel suit against George, requesting $ 50,000 in damages. At the same time, Lodoiska filed her own lawsuit requesting a divorce and alimony payments from Albert, of which she eventually prevailed, receiving $ 25

8010-419: Was surveyed and divided into parcels ranging in size from 5 to 150 acres and sold at auction, together with all movable property. A total of $ 80,000 was raised from the sale of the North American Phalanx's land and property, with the proceeds divided and disbursed to the stockholders, who received 57.33 cents per dollar invested in the liquidation. In January 1856 the North American Phalanx — the sole survivor of

8100-632: Was the last of about 30 Fourierist Associations established during the 1840s still in existence and thus was the longest-lived. The main residential dwelling of the phalanx, a three-story wooden structure, stood vacant until it was itself destroyed by fire in November 1972. Charles Fourier (1772–1837) was a French philosopher who believed that the structure of modern civilization led to poverty, unemployment, isolation, and unhappiness and that people would be better off living in organized communal societies rather than individual family units. Fourier developed

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