From this he argues that the affections and de/sires of human nature for individual and social heppinese, are permanent impulsions destined to seek, and ultimately to find, the laws of their harmonious satisfaction.
He also argues that these innate aspirations are eternal, and that they cannot be eradicated from the soul, but that they may be, and too often are, corrupted by temptation, instead of being developed in harmonious discipline. Whence he concludes that the disciplines of life for every age and occupation, or the institutions of society in moral and religious and industrial education, government and progress, aro alone within the power of man to alter and improve, as a medium of duo development for those impulsions which God has implanted in human nature, mind over which man has no control but that of disci pline, which may be good or bad, general or partial, and which may influence the destiny of human souls for good or evil, though it cannot alter human nature.
Fourier's whole life was devoted to this problem of social disciplines in every sphere of life, but particularly in the sphere of social industry.
Whether his solution of the problem be complete or not, it. cau hardly be denied that he has thrown considerable light on many questions of the highest moment to the present and the future welfare of mankind.
The general tone of his mind may be gathered from his answer to an allegation of scepticism made in the' Gazette of France,' two years before his death. lie states that "there are two doctrines which he could not deny without denying his own : the doctrine of Christ in religion, that of Newton in science." Religious and political discussions are carefully avoided in all Fourier's writings. He professes not to meddle either with the throne or the altar. He establishes a 'School of Science,' but denies that he has any wish to form a new religion.
He proclaims himself a Christian. Theology as well as politics ho deems a proper subject for discussion, but not Revelation. He differs from philosophers and divines on many points of natural and scriptural interpretation, but he never doubts of Revelation in the Word and in the'worke of God. If we have understood him rightly in his views of
future unity in Christian faith, he believes the Roman Catholic religion will bo universally adopted, when its oecumenical councils have been reestablished, and the principles of love and charity regain as much ascendancy as will admit of private liberty and toleration of opinion in the Church. The unity of Roman Catholic devotion will then harmonise the liberty of Protestant opinion, as the solar light includes the various coloured rays without destroying them in one refulgently impartial colour, White. Doctrinal variety and pure devotional unity appear to be the Phalansterian view of Christian harmony.
After Fourier'e death, the progress of his theory was rapid in almost all parts of the civilised world, but more especially in France and North America. In both countries associations were formed for the purpose of carrying out Fourier's theory of domestic and agricultural association, and two men of great literary ability and mental energy, M. V. Consid6rant and Mr. Albert Brisbane, devoted themselves to the task of popularising his opinions. But in France Fourierism was beaten down with all other phases of socialism by the reactionary movements which followed the revo lution of 1843, and in America the doctrine appears to exhibit little more vitality. In Englaud, where Mr. Hugh Doherty has made himself the representative of Phalansterianism, the name is only known outside the small ' phalanx' to those who take a more than common interest in those mental manifestatious which, in a silent and unobserved way, appear to be acting upon public opinion. In Germany, Italy, and Spain, and also in Belgium and Holland, the Phalanaterians assert that their system has numerous converts, aud there appear to be reasons for believing that some such form of doctrine has a very large number of secret adherents in most, if not all of those countries, but how far it is Fourierism, or a ruder and coarser form of socialism, is by no means easy to say.