S.H. Morse & J.B. Marvin ed.:

8) The Radical. The American Magazine of Natural Religion. Subscribers page.

Boston / Mass., n.d.

This promotion leaflet in the possession of the late Linton indicates his close connection with the New England transcendentalism. Since its formation in 1836, the Transcendentalist Movement was centred in Boston / Mass. and it was there, where Linton also had published his preceding books. The chief editor of The Boston Radical Sidney H. Morse, a sculptor and lay preacher ,was a close friend of Walt Whitman. His cultural periodical, which ran from September 1865 to June 1872, had a strong Unitarian impact and consisted of the blend of religiousness, scepticism and political commitment that is characteristic of Linton’s views. The leaflet outlines the magazine’s intentions: “The Radical furnishes a medium for the freest expression of thought on the questions that interest earnest minds in every community (...). We are ambitious to fortify individuals in their trust of spiritual laws, and in an unwavering reliance on the protections of heroic character.” It featured articles on Confucius, Spinoza, Milton, Swedenbourg, and Blake as well as on Chartism, culture of the Afro-Americans and women’s liberation. The influence of the rampant spiritism-hype also shows through, but in contrast to the publications of the Theosophical Society, which was founded in New York in 1875, The Radical was more dedicated to the ideals of the Enlightenment. Linton contributed two essays, on American plutocracy and his vision of direct democracy in 1869 and on the reception of the proceedings of the Paris Commune by the American Press in 1871.