The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1855-10-19

Free Love-.
OF. Victor, one of the editors o. tic
Sandusky Register, found his way into the
assemblage Of those men and women in
New York city who have embraced the
4" Harmonious Love" philosophy. We
publish his letter as matter of duty, show
ing as it does to what this new doctrine of
afinities is tending. Victor says:
On Broadway is room occupying the whole
fourth story of large building. where gather
the professors and the disciples of the Free
Lovers" These persons abrogate the mar
rage laws, and deny their binding force
They propose, as the only true marriage, that
persons Of both sexes shall come together from
afinities that is, they will live together a.
man and wife when their spiritual natures as
sure them they are fitted for one another, and
shall only live together so long as their natures
are harmonious when this harmony ceases,
the parties are at liberty to Goose other asso-
Citations, and bed and board with others Of the
opposite sex if it pleases. This is the sum
and substance Of the whole institution, regard
it as We may; and its fruits may be easily
guessed.
We entered the room at o'clock. At ono
end OF the large soloon was an ante-chamber,
carpeted nicely and fitted up with sofas, tables,
&c. A company Of men and women--includ-
ing several persons whose names would not
look we'll in print, but who ought to be known
nevertheless gathered around a table .
reciting French to Professor Bachelor. the
somewhat noted French Socialist, and coad.
jutor Of Albert Brisbane and Stephen Pearl
Andrews. After short time the lessons
were over, when commenced the usual hiarity
Of the evening. The attendance became con-
stantly greater-chiefy of young men and wo-
men. The exercises consisting of promenad-
ing-the men clasping the women around the
waist and talking apart in low tones. Thu
was in earnest OF the assimilation of SOUL"
so beautifully set forth by these impractical
abstractionists; and it also was in earnest OF
such sin as this pen cannot record without .
sense Of humiliation for poor, perverse human
nature.
The promenading and reasoning together
goes on for q while, when music strikes up and
the floor is filed with dancers. All, then,
looks we'll enough to the careless observer
bat let a watchtul eye be kept, and see the
pressing of hands that is going on, the leering
of eyes, the encircling of waists by the gentle
mems arms, and there is little room for doubt
OF the character Of the affinity which would
bring souls harmoniOusy together" We
looked on in utter astonishment, and could but
turn in indignation to the apostles of such q
gross deception, to protest against its enor-
nifty.
In lady present we found willing com.
municant, and facts enough were given US to
authorize the interposition of the strong hand
of the law to break up the gatherings. Young
women, beautiful and accomplished, were
pointed out to US as having given themselves
up to the embraces of certain young men, for
whom they had an affinity" while the whole
brotherhood looked on approvingly and seemed
to regard it as entirely proper! One beauti-
full Fren,h girl, present, looked worn and ex.
hausted; it was told US by our lady informant
that, s,r weeks ago, Madamoisele was as
blooming and loveable a creature Us ever
graced any parlor--that she had become so
thoroughly indoetrinated with the Free Love
principles is to become truthful disciple
and, as consequent, she had become the mis-
tress of four or five of the spiritual minded"
and was now but a wreck Of what was q pure
woman few weeks since! This, we were as
surcd, is but one one of many instances; and
yet the Club " was rapidly Increasing; draw
ing within it many people Of intelligence and
virtue, who thus blindly sold themselves to
the Devil, in the pursuit of an abstraction
which is but impurity itself in its reduction to
practice.
Now, it is fact that these things are well
known to Parke Goodwin, to Horace Greeley
and Mr.. Ottarson, of the n. Y. Tribune-tO
Madison, of the N. Y. Times--indeed, to
members of the New York press general "
and yet, not one note of condemnation have
they uttered They give, as an excuse, that
it is social experiment, and they wish to see
it worked out but, Heaven has it come to
this, that to "experiment," innocence and vir-
tue are to be inundated? New York has
many sins to answer for, but none more truly
reprehensible than this Free Love, infdel-
breathing aud souldepraving innovation, which
public conservators regard as an experiment
they wish to see tested, viz: whether human
creatures can associate together from afinital
relations, without falling into sin. Why men
or women Of sanity could, at all, have doubted
the results, is mystery to US; but now that
these results are visible, in the lost virtue OF
scores of males and females--in the home,
that has been brought to many happy blight
made desolate by the conduct Of the father or
mother, or by both-in the depraving tastes
and licenses it is engendering among young
persons of both sexes, it seems to US that the
press Of New York owes duty to humanity,
to expose the whole scheme, and give the au-
thors of it the benefit of full exposition of
the shocking Free Love principles. Humanity
purity, religion, demand it at their hands.