principle of Christianity, embraces all your system upon social organization—a system which is now supported at once upon philosophical considerations of the order of the sciences, the fine arts, and industry, and upon the religious feeling, the most universally diffused through the Christian world; that is, the Christian feeling.
Well, this system, the object of all your thoughts, why not present it at first in a religious point of view—a point of view the most elevated, and the most popular? Why address yourself to the working classes, to the learned, and to artists, instead of addressing yourself directly to the people, by religion? And at this very moment, why lose precious time in criticizing the Catholics and Protestants, instead of establishing, immediately, your religious doctrine? Would you have them say of you, what you say of Luther—his criticism is good, but his doctrine is bad?
The intellectual powers of man are very weak; it is in making them converge towards one unique design, it is in directing them towards the same point, that we are enabled to produce a grand effect, and obtain an important result. Why begin by employing your powers of criticism, instead of commencing with doctrine? Why not attack frankly, and at once, the question of New Christianity?
You have discovered the means of putting an end to religious indifference in the most numerous class; for the poor cannot be indifferent about a religion, whose avowed end is that of ameliorating, as speedily as possible, their moral and physical condition.
Since you are about to reproduce the fundamental principle of Christianity, with a character altogether new, ought not your first care to be, to propagate the knowledge of this regenerated principle amongst the class most interested in its adoption? And this class being itself alone infinitely more numerous than all the rest united, the success of your enterprise is infallible.
It was necessary to commence by making nume-
