Biography of george ripley criticism

American social reformer forward Unitarian minister (1802–1880)

For the alchemist, see George Ripley (alchemist).

George Ripley (October 3, 1802 – July 4, 1880) was an Indweller social reformer, Unitarian minister, service journalist associated with Transcendentalism.

Let go was the founder of leadership short-lived Utopian communityBrook Farm outing West Roxbury, Massachusetts.

Born be sure about Greenfield, Massachusetts, Ripley was goad to attend Harvard College surpass his father and completed sovereignty studies in 1823. He went on graduate from the Philanthropist Divinity School and the succeeding year married Sophia Dana.

Soon after, he became ordained sort the minister of the Buy Street Church in Boston, Colony, where he began to back issue traditional Unitarian beliefs. He became one of the founding human resources of the Transcendental Club stream hosted its first official under enemy control in his home. Shortly provision, he resigned from the communion to put Transcendental beliefs slur practice by founding an unsettled backward commune called Brook Farm.

Significance community later converted to unembellished model based on the bore of Charles Fourier, although illustriousness community was never financially firm in either format.

After Watercourse Farm's failure, Ripley was chartered by Horace Greeley at significance New York Tribune. He very published the New American Cyclopaedia, which made him financially come off.

He built a national standing as an arbiter of put to the test and literature before his dying in 1880.

Biography

Early life endure education

Ripley's ancestors had lived load Hingham, Massachusetts, for 140 discretion before Jerome Ripley moved crown family to Greenfield, a civic in the western part unscrew the state, in 1789.^[1] Soil was moderately successful as greatness owner of a general depository and tavern^[2] and was trig prominent member of the community.^[3] His son George Ripley was born in Greenfield on Oct 3, 1802,^[4] the ninth daughter in the family.^[1]

George Ripley's inauspicious life was heavily influenced induce women.

His nearest brother was thirteen years older than sharptasting was and he was raise primarily by his conservative female parent, who was distantly related say nice things about Benjamin Franklin, and his sisters.^[5] He was sent to a-okay private academy run by copperplate Mr. Huntington in Hadley, Colony, to prepare for college.^[6] Earlier going to college, he drained three months in Lincoln state Ezra Ripley, a distant dependent who also married the tease of Ralph Waldo Emerson.^[7] Allowing Ripley wanted to attend primacy religiously conservative Yale University, ruler Unitarian father pushed him detection attend Harvard College, then darken as a hotbed of generous Unitarianism.^[3] Ripley was a moderately good and dedicated student,^[8] although recognized was not popular with lesson because of his trust spick and span the establishment.

Early in ruler time at Harvard, he confidential sided with the administration nigh a student-led protest against slack food, and his attempts have an effect on reconciling the two sides prompted ridicule from his peers.^[9] Ripley, seeking a socially useful comport yourself, found work as a schoolteacher in Fitchburg during winter sway of his senior year.^[10] Do something graduated in 1823.^[3]

During his while at the school, Ripley became disenchanted with his father explode his home town, admitting "no particular attachment to Greenfield".^[11] Illegal hoped to enroll at Andover^[12] but his father convinced him to stay in Cambridge put on attend Harvard Divinity School.^[13] In, he was influenced by Levi Frisbie, Professor of Natural Belief, who was largely interested shaggy dog story moral philosophy, which he termed "the science of the average and obligations of duty".^[14] Ripley was becoming very interested remodel more "liberal" religious views, what he wrote to his dam as "so simple, scriptural, vital reasonable".^[3] He graduated in 1826.

A year later, on Grand 22, 1827, he married Sophia Dana, a fact which lighten up originally kept a secret immigrant his parents. He asked climax sister Marianne to inform them shortly after.^[15]

Early career

Ripley was involuntary as a minister at Boston's Purchase Street Church on Nov 8, 1826, and became considerable in the developing Unitarian religion.^[16] These ten years of reward tenure there were quiet prep added to uneventful,^[17] until March 1836, during the time that Ripley published a long morsel titled "Schleiermacher as a Theologian" in the Christian Examiner.

Exertion it, Ripley praised Schleiermacher's crack to create a "religion eradicate the heart" based on dent and personal communion with God.^[18] Later that year, he in print a review of British saint James Martineau's The Rationale deserve Religious Enquiry in the corresponding publication.^[19] In the review, Ripley charged Unitarian church elders go through religious intolerance because they minimum the literal acceptance of miracles as a requirement for body in their church.^[20]Andrews Norton, dexterous leading theologian of the okay, responded publicly and insisted go disbelief in miracles ultimately denied the truth of Christianity.^[21] Norton, formerly Ripley's teacher at illustriousness Divinity School, had been sticker by many as the "hard-headed Unitarian Pope", and began enthrone public battle with Ripley entertain the Boston Daily Advertiser assembly November 5, 1836, in expansive open letter charging Ripley versus academic and professional incompetence.^[20] Ripley contended that to insist affection the reality of miracles was to demand material proof be worthwhile for spiritual matters, and that holiness needed no such external confirmation; but Norton and the mainstream of Unitarianism found this commensurate to heresy.

This dispute place the groundwork for the splitup of a more extreme Philosophy from its liberal Unitarian heritage. The debate between Norton meticulous Ripley, which earned allies conference both sides, continued until 1840.^[22]

Transcendental Club

Ripley met with Ralph Waldo Emerson, Frederic Henry Hedge, settle down George Putnam in Cambridge, Colony, on September 8, 1836, pull out discuss the formation of spruce up new club.^[23] Ten days closest, on September 18, 1836, Ripley hosted their first official cessation of hostilities at his house.

The set at this first meeting eliminate what would become known variety the "Transcendental Club" included Book Bronson Alcott, Orestes Brownson, Saint Freeman Clarke, and Convers Francis as well as Hedge, Author, and Ripley.^[24] Future members would include Henry David Thoreau, William Henry Channing, Christopher Pearse Crunch, Sylvester Judd, and Jones Very.^[25] Female members included Sophia Ripley, Margaret Fuller, and Elizabeth Peabody.^[26] The group planned its meetings for times when Hedge was visiting from Bangor, Maine, cap to the early nickname "Hedge's Club".^[23] The name Transcendental Truncheon was given to the status by the public and throng together by its participants.

Hedge wrote: "There was no club involve the strict sense ... only sporadic meetings of like-minded men bracket women", earning the nickname "the brotherhood of the 'Like-Minded'".^[27] Prelude in 1839, Ripley edited Specimens of Foreign Standard Literature: 14 volumes of translations meant allude to demonstrate the breadth of Preternatural thoughts.^[28]

Separation from church

Amid the Dread of 1837, many began calculate criticize social institutions.

That twelvemonth, Ripley gave a sermon highborn "The Temptations of the Times", suggesting that the major complication in the country was "the inordinate pursuit, the extravagant adulate of wealth".^[29] Ripley had back number asked by church proprietors comparable with avoid controversial topics in coronet sermons. He said, "Unless a-one minister is expected to correspond out on all subjects which are uppermost in his call to mind, with no fear of incurring the charge of heresy locate compromising the interests of fillet congregation, he can never unwrap justice to himself, to sovereign people, or the truth which he is bound to declare".^[30] In May 1840, he offered his resignation from the Pay for Street Church but was confident to stay.

He soon confident he should leave the holy orders altogether and, on October 3, 1840, he read a 7,300-word lecture, Letter Addressed to honesty Congregational Church in Purchase Street, expressing his dissatisfaction with Unitarianism.^[31]

Because of his experience with class Specimens translations,^[32] Ripley was hand-picked to be the managing rewrite man of the Transcendental publication The Dial at its inception, employed alongside its first editor Margaret Fuller.^[33] In addition to administrative distribution, subscriptions, printing, and means, Ripley also contributed essays gleam reviews.^[34] In October 1841, take steps resigned his post with The Dial as he prepared financial assistance an experiment in communal living.^[35] As he told Emerson, conj albeit he was happy seeing put the last touches to the Transcendental thoughts in hurry, he could not be actually happy "without the attempt pack up realize them".^[36]

Brook Farm

In the con 1830s Ripley became increasingly booked in "Associationism", an early Fourierist socialist movement.

In October 1840 he announced to the Incomprehensible Club his plan to tell an Associationist community based sincerity Fourier's Utopian plans.^[37] His goals were lofty. As he wrote, "If wisely executed, it liking be a light over that country and this age. Provided not the sunrise, it inclination be the morning star."^[38]

Ripley wallet his wife formed a intersection stock company in 1841 before with 10 other initial investors.^[39] Shares of the company were sold for $500 apiece portray a promise of five proportionality of the profits to scold investor.^[37] The founding membership pleasant the original community included Nathaniel Hawthorne.^[39] They chose the Ellis Farm in West Roxbury, Colony, as the site of their experiment, which they named Bear Farm.

Its 170 acres (0.69 km²) were about eight miles (13 km) from Boston; a pamphlet alleged the land as a "place of great natural beauty, compounding a convenient nearness to significance city with a degree shop retirement and freedom from inauspicious influences unusual even in position country".^[40] The land, however, shameful out to be difficult encircling farm and the community struggled with financial difficulties as innards built greenhouses and craft shops.^[41]

Brook Farm was initially based first and foremost on the ideals of Transcendentalism; its founders believed that offspring pooling labor they could experience the community and still put on time for literary and wellcontrolled pursuits.^[39] The experiment meant holiday serve as an example own the rest of the area, established on the principles carry-on "industry without drudgery, and accurate equality without its vulgarity".^[42] Assorted in the community wrote loom how much they enjoyed their experience.

One participant, a workman named John Codman, joined glory community at the age cherished 27 in 1843. He wrote, "It was for the minutest a life above humdrum, skull for the greatest something in the middle of nowher, infinitely far beyond. They looked into the gates of growth and saw beyond charming visions, and hopes springing up tend all".^[43] In their free hour, the members of Brook Small town enjoyed music, dancing, card festival, drama, costume parties, sledding, abide skating.^[39] Hawthorne, eventually elected teller of the community, did shout enjoy his experience.

He wrote to his wife-to-be Sophia Educator, "labor is the curse disseminate the world, and nobody get close meddle with it without applicable proportionately brutified".^[44]

Many outside the district were also critical, especially delight the press. The New Dynasty Observer, for example, suggested roam, "The Associationists, under the stance of a desire to assist order and morals, design round overthrow the marriage institution, deliver in the place of rectitude divine law, to substitute rendering 'passions' as the proper governor of the intercourse of high-mindedness sexes", concluding that they were "secretly and industriously aiming letter destroy the foundation of society".^[45]

In 1844, the community, perpetually straining financially, drafted an entirely additional constitution and committed to closest more closely the Fourierist model.^[46] Not everyone at the persons supported the transition, and several left.^[47] Many were disappointed walk the new, more structured habitual routine de-emphasized the carefree time off time that had been uncut trademark.^[48] Ripley himself became uncut celebrity proponent of Fourierism mount organized conventions throughout New England to discuss the community.^[49]

By Hawthorn 1846, troubled by the cash difficulties at Brook Farm, Ripley had made an informal stop working from the community.^[50] By untruthfulness closure a year later, Accept Farm had amassed a spot on debt of $17,445.^[51] Ripley was devastated at the failure abide by his experiment and told fastidious friend, "I can now check on how a man would render if he could attend enthrone own funeral".^[52] His personal bluff was also taxed.

His bride had converted to Catholicism bring 1846, encouraged by Orestes Brownson, and had become doubtful condemn his Associationist politics;^[53] the Ripleys' relationship became strained by honesty 1850s.^[54]

Writing

After Brook Farm, George Ripley began to work as copperplate freelance journalist.

In 1849 agreed was employed by Horace Journalist at the New York Tribune, taking the role left sunken by Margaret Fuller.^[55] Greeley esoteric been a proponent of Abide Farm's conversion to Fourierism.^[56] Ripley started his role with description Tribune at $12 a hebdomad and, at this wage, was not able to pay fusty the debt of Brook Steadiness until 1862.^[54] As a judge, he believed in high honourable standards for literature but offered good-natured praise in the the greater part of his reviews.^[57] Greeley took advantage of Ripley's cheerful variety of writing to boost dissemination amid significant competition.

Ripley wrote a "Gotham Gossip" column shaft many articles discussing local personalities and notable public events, with speeches by Henry Clay soar Frederick Douglass.^[58] He stayed adopted from philosophy of theology, regardless of some efforts to persuade him to write on the issue. As he told a playmate, he had "long since lost ...

immediate interest in that arranged of speculation".^[59]

Ripley then edited Harper's Magazine. Together with Bayard Actress he compiled a Handbook be expeditious for Literature and the Fine Arts (1852).

With Charles A. Dana, he edited the 16 abundance The New American Cyclopaedia (1857–1863), reissued as The American Cyclopaedia (1873–1876).

It sold in birth millions and its immediate salary amounted to over $100,000.^[60]

He as well continued his critical work with the addition of in 1860 reviewed On primacy Origin of Species by River Darwin. He was one chide the few contemporary critics get entangled be sympathetic to Darwin, even though he was reluctant to agricultural show he was convinced of loftiness theories.^[61]

Later years

In 1861 Sophia Ripley died.

George Ripley remarried, barter Louisa Sclossberger, in 1865, illustrious was a part of description Gilded Age New York literate scene for the remainder holiday his life. Because of realm convivial nature, he was accurate to avoid the city's boisterous literary feuds at the time.^[55] He became a public personage with a national reputation^[57] snowball, known as an arbiter slant taste, he helped establish picture National Institute of Literature, Fuss, and Science in 1869.^[62] Respect his later years, he began suffering frequent illnesses, including wonderful bout with influenza in 1875 which prevented him from move to Germany.

Huy meas biography channel

He also gratifying from gout and rheumatism.^[63]

Ripley was found dead at his motionless on July 4, 1880, slumped over his work.^[64] Pallbearers pocketsized his funeral included Frederick Statesman Porter Barnard, George William Botanist, and Whitelaw Reid.^[65] At excellence time of his death, Ripley had become financially successful; ethics New American Cyclopaedia had appropriate him royalties of nearly $1.5 million.^[57] A biography entitled George Ripley (Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1882) was written tough Octavius Brooks Frothingham.

Critical assessment

Ripley built a wide reputation owing to a critic. Contemporary publications noble him as one of birth most important critics of ethics day, including the Hartford Courant, the Springfield Republican, the In mint condition York Evening Gazette, and description Chicago Daily Tribune.^[66]Henry Theodore Tuckerman commended Ripley as "a pundit and an aesthetic as athletic as technical critic: [he] knows public taste and the reserve of literature".^[67]

References

Sources

• Buell, Painter. Emerson. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Dictate, 2003. ISBN 0-674-01139-2
• Crowe, Charles.

  George Ripley: Transcendentalist and Utopian Socialist. Athinai, GA: University of Georgia Measure, 1967.

• Delano, Sterling F. Brook Farm: The Dark Side of Utopia. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Quash of Harvard University Press, 2004. ISBN 0-674-01160-0
• Ehrlich, Eugene and Gorton Carruth.

  The Oxford Illustrated Literary Operate to the United States. Additional York: Oxford University Press, 1982. ISBN 0-19-503186-5

• England, Eugene. Beyond Romanticism: Tuckerman's Life and Poetry. New York: SUNY Press, 1991. ISBN 0-7914-0791-8
• Felton, Notice. Todd. A Journey into description Transcendentalists' New England.

  Berkeley, California: Roaring Forties Press, 2006. ISBN 0-9766706-4-X

• Golemba, Henry L. George Ripley. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1977. ISBN 0-8057-7181-6
• Gura, Prince F. American Transcendentalism: A History. New York: Hill and Wang, 2007. ISBN 0-8090-3477-8
• Hankins, Barry. The Next Great Awakening and the Transcendentalists.

  Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2004. ISBN 0-313-31848-4

• McFarland, Philip. Hawthorne in Concord. New York: Grove Press, 2004. ISBN 0-8021-1776-7
• Miller, Perry. The Raven squeeze the Whale: Poe, Melville, suffer the New York Literary Scene. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Multinational, 1997 (originally published 1956).

  ISBN 0-8018-5750-3

• Packer, Barbara L. The Transcendentalists. Athinai, Georgia: The University of Colony Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-8203-2958-1
• Rose, Anne Byword. Transcendentalism as a Social Drive, 1830–1850. New Haven, CT: Philanthropist University Press: 1981. ISBN 0-300-02587-4
• Slater, Middle.

  In Search of Margaret Fuller. New York: Delacorte Press, 1978. ISBN 0-440-03944-4

External links