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Henri de St. Simon, the son of Le Comte de St. Simon, and the nearest relative of the Duc de St. Simon, was, by the Counts of Vermandois, lineally descended from Charlemagne. He was born on the 17th of April, 1760. His high birth, instead of filling him with idle dreams of worldly power, inspired him early with the lofty thought of increasing the splendour of his name, by becoming a man of science.

At the age of seventeen, the American war called him into military service under the banner of Washington. During his campaigns, his meditations were directed to the causes and effects of that remarkable revolution. His penetrating genius then foresaw and foretold that this war would be followed by a general commotion in Europe, which would shake to its base the structure of its old social system. Whilst investigating the causes of this anticipated political earthquake, he discovered that it was brought on by anarchy of opinions, resulting from the reformation of Luther. He gained the conviction that the philosophy of the 18th century was but a development of the principles of Protestantism. These convictions, together with the antipathy which sprung up in him from his experience of the inhuman ravages of war, impressed upon his mind the necessity of concentrating all his mental powers upon finding out the means of forming a general theory and praxis for harmonising the disjointed elements of human society. While the most eminent of his age were panting for destruction, his noble mind was preparing to produce a new science of association. This idea, though not fully expanded, occupied the mind of St. Simon as far back as 1786. On his return, after having visited Mexico, Spain, and Holland, the prophetic presentiments of St. Simon were realized by the breaking out of the French Revolution. During this memorable period, he remained an attentive observer, without taking part either with the king or the