The Paradise Within the Reach of All Men, Without Labour, by Powers of Nature and Machinery; An Address to All Intelligent Men

by John Adolphus Etzler

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1836. Excerpt: ... It will then depend from your masters, what blessings, or what curse the new means are to bring on you. What is stated before you, is a combination of all what is the most valuable of the human knowledges of our present advanced time, and cannot be disproved. It is a most serious appeal to the intelligent, self-reflecting part of all the civilized nations of the world; not for amusing triflers. The truths exposed will soon be diffused throughout Europe, and generally acknowledged, like so many other mathematical and physical truths of late are now acknowledged, i- spite of what ignorance and old prejudices would say against them. The truths now before you are infinitely more important and useful than any hitherto discovered. Their consequences will end in a total revolution of mankind as soon as they are understood. Whether your nation is to act a superior, or an inferior part, is depending on your present choice. Americans! it is now in your power to become within ten years a nation to rule the world. Your territory can contain, in all affluence imaginable, from 200 to 300 millions of human individuals, as many as the Chinese empire contains now. It will be filled to such a number from various parts of the world, if you make proper arrangements for their reception, which the new meansafford. You have it in your power to receive the most intelligent part out of all nations: this will be your greatest conquest; for intelligence, not mere physical wealth, is henceforth to be your only power and glory. You may cause a migration of nations, unparalleled in history. You may receive them without fear; for you will have the power on your side. Mighty engines are to be your future arms by land and sea. The government of the Union is to have the exclusive pos...

54 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1833

Reviews

[Osiris Oliphant]

From Wikipedia,

John Adolphus Etzler (1791–1846?) was a German engineer and inventor who immigrated to the United States in 1831 with a vision of creating a technological utopia. He was traveling with a group from Prussia, who included younger engineers John A. Roebling and his brother Carl.

Because of disagreements, the group broke up. Etzler and most of the group first settled near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In the early 1840s Etzler and several dozen of his followers moved to the tropics, to set up utopian communities to use his inventions in Venezuela and Trinidad. He believed his inventions could work off natural forces and avoid human labor. Their efforts failed and many people died. Etzler survived but disappeared from the record.

[Jon Anzalone · Rating 2 out of 5]

absolute madness

[Emma Burris]

Read this for my religion class. A whole load of BS…but I feel a bit bad for the guy. He had a vision. So much of this was just his mental math and ideas for things that he couldn’t even invent so it wasn’t really worth reading because it was just a lot of “10,000 tons of this will power enough xyz to feed 1,700,997 people” etc. I listened to most of it on audiobook so didn’t retain a lot anyways.