FOURIER

(f6-ri-a), Franco is Marie Charles, a French Socialist and founder of the system named after him, was born 7th April, 1772; at Besancon, died 10th Oct., 1837. He studied in the college of his native town, and subsequently at Rouen and Lyons occupied subordinate situations in mercantile houses. In the laste mentioned town he entered into busine on his own account, but lost all his money owing to the outbreak of war, and was forced to enlist in the Revolutionary army. Discharged in 1795 on account of ill-health, he ree turned to commerce, filling quite subordinate situations, till he died. He wrote his books in his leisure hours, and published them out of his scanty savings. His first book, Théorie des quatre mouvements et des destinées générales, was published in 1808; the Traité de V A ociation Domestique Agricole, his most important work, in 1822; but it was not till the last years of his life that they attracted any notice. In his social system Fourier holdg that the operations of industry should be carried on by Phalansteries, or a ociations of 1,800 members combining their labour on a district of about a square league in extent, unde: the control of governors elected by each community. In the distribution a certain minimum is first a igned for the subsistence of every member of the society, whether capable or not of labour. The remainder of the produce is shared in certain proportions to be previously determined among the three elements, labour, capital and talent. The capital of the community may be owned in unequal shares by different members, who would in that case receive, as in any other joint-stock cone cern, proportional dividends. The claim of each person on the share of the produce apportioned to talent is estimated by the grade which the individual occupies in the several groups of labourers to which he or she belongs, these grades being in every case con ferred by the voice of his or her com» 535 FOURIER panions. The remuneration received would not of nece ity be expended in common. Separate rooms or sets of rooms would be set aside for those who applied for them, no other system of living together being contemplated than such as would effect a saving of labour in building and the proce es of domestic life, and reducing the enormous portion of the produce of industry at present carried off by middlemen and distributing traders to the narrowest po ible margin. See ComMUNISM; SOCIALISM; BROOK FARM.— BIBLIOGRAPHY: Ch. Pellarin, Ch. Fourier: sa vie et sa théorie; E. Fourniére, Les Théories social is tes au XI X2eme siecle; HUncyclopédie Social i ste; Sambuc, Le Social is me de Fourier; C. Gide, Charles Fourier (Petite Bibliothéque Economique).