Greece before the age of Socrates. It was succeeded
by a critical epoch lasting to the barbarian invasions. Then came an
organic period in the homogeneous societies of Europe from Charlemagne
to the end of the fifteenth century, and a new critical period opened
with Luther and has lasted till to-day. Now it is time to prepare the
advent of the organic age which must necessarily follow.

The most salient fact observable in history is the continual extension
of the principle of association, in the series of family, city, nation,
supernational Church. The next term must be a still vaster association
comprehending the whole race.

In consequence of the incompleteness of association, the exploitation
of the weak by the strong has been a capital feature in human societies,
but its successive forms exhibit a gradual mitigation. Cannibalism is
followed by slavery, slavery by serfdom, and finally comes industrial
exploitation by the capitalist. This latest form of the oppression of
the weak depends on the right of property, and the remedy is to transfer
the right of inheriting the property of the individual from the family
to the state. The society of the future must be socialistic.

The new social doctrine must not only be diffused by education and
legislation, it must be sanctioned by a new religion. Christianity will
not serve, for Christianity is founded on a dualism between matter
and spirit, and has laid a curse on matter. The new religion must be
monistic, and its principles are, briefly: God is one, God is all that
is, all is God. He is universal love, revealing itself as mind and
matter. And to this triad correspond the three domains of religion,
science, and industry.

In combining their theory with a philosophical religion the
Saint-Simonian school was not only true to its master's teaching
but obeying an astute instinct. As a purely secular movement for the
transformation of society, their doctrine would not have reaped the same
success or inspired the same enthusiasm. They were probably influenced
too by the pamphlet of Lessing to which Madame de Stael had invited
attention, and which one of Saint-Simon's disciples translated.

The fortunes of the school, the life of the community at Menilmontant
under the direction of Enfantin, the persecution, the heresies,
the dispersion, the attempt to propagate the movement in Egypt, the
philosophical activity of Enfantin and Lemonnier under the Second
Empire, do not clai