JEAN

See also:

• BAPTISTE

BAPTISTE

See also:

• ANDRE, JOHN (1751-178o)

ANDRE

See also:

• JEAN BAPTISTE ANDRE GODIN (1817–1888)

GODIN (1817–1888)  , French socialist, was born on the 26th of January 1817 at Esqueheries (Aisne) . The son of an artisan, he entered an iron-works at an early age, and at seventeen made a tour of France as journeyman . Returning to Esqueheries in 1837, he started a small factory for the manufacture of castings for heating-stoves . The business increased rapidly, and for the purpose of railway facilities was transferred to Guise in 1846 . At the time of Godin's death in 1888 the annual output was over four millions of francs (£16o,000),and in 1908 the employees numbered over 2000 and the output was over £280,000 . An ardent disciple of Fourier, he advanced a considerable sum of money towards the disastrous Fourierist experiment of V . P . Considerant (q.v.) in Texas . He profited, however, by its failure, and in 1859 started the familistere or community settlement of Guise on more carefully laid plans . It comprises, in addition to the workshops, three large buildings, four storeys high, capable of housing all the work-people, each family having two or three rooms . Attached to each building is a vast central court, covered with a glass roof, under which the children can play in all weathers . There are also creches, nurseries, hospital, refreshment rooms and recreation rooms of various kinds, stores for the purchase of groceries, drapery and every necessity, and a large theatre for concerts and dramatic entertainments .

In r88o the whole was turned into a co-operative society, with

provision by which it eventually became the property of the workers . In 1871 Godin was elected deputy for Aisne, but retired in 1876 to devote himself to the management of the familistere . In 1882 he was created a knight of the legion of honour . Godin was the author of Solutions sociales (1871); Les Socialistes et les droits du travail (1874); Mutualite sociale (188o); La Republique du travail et la ref orme parlementaire (1889) . See Bernardot, Le Familistere de Guise et son fondateur (Paris, 1887) ; Fischer, Die Familistere Godin's (Berlin, 189o) ; Lestelle, Etude sur le familistere de Guise (Paris, 1904) ; D . F . P., Le Familistere illustre, resultats de vingt ens d'association, 1880–1900 (Eng. trans., Twenty-eight years of co-partnership at Guise, by A . Williams, 1908) .