The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-10-17
free Love.

into the asSemblage OF those men ane
women. of New York City, who have
embraced the Harmonious Love nphy,
losophy. We publish his letter as {
matter of duty. showing as it does, t.
What this new doctrine Of afEiAities i
tending Victor says
On Broadway is a room occupying
the whole fourth story of a large build
ing, where gather the professors aud
deciples of the ;" Free Lovers" These
persons abrogate the marriage laws
and deny their binding force. They
propose as the only true marriage, that
persons of both sexes shall come togeth-
er from affinities THAT is, they viii
live together as man eand wife when
their spiritual natures assures them
they are fitted for one another, and shall
only live together as long as their ma
lures are T" harmonious when this
harmony ceases, the parties are at liber-
ty to choose other associations, and bed
and board with other of the opposite sex
if it pleases This is the sum and sub
stance of the whole Institution, regard
it as we may; andsits fruits may be eas
silly guessed.
We entered the room at sso'elock.-
At one end of the large saloon was an
ante-chamber. carpcted nicely and fitted
up with sofas, tables, sc. A company
of men and women-including several
parsons whose names would not look we'll
in print, but who ought to be known
uevcrtheless-were gathered around a
table, recitipg French to Professor
Batchelor, the somewhat noted French
Socialist, and coadjutorof Albert Bris-
bane aud Stephen Pearl Andse1s. AT
ter a short time the lessons. were over,
when commenced thesnsRal hilarity of
the evening The attendance became
constantly greates-cLiefy of young
men ana women. The exercises con
sisting of promenading-the men clasp
ing the women around the waist. aad
talking apart IN low tones. Tbs was
in earnest Of the assimilation of soul, +"
so beautifully set forth by these imprae-
teal abstraetionists; and it also was in
earnest of such a.sin as this pen cannot
record without sense of humiliatiof
for poor, rregerse human nature.
The promenading and g reasoning to-
gether goes on fora while when mu-
sic strikes up and the room is filed with
dancers All, then, looks well to the
careless observer bullet watchfal eye
be kept, and see the pressing of hands
that is going on, the lecring Of eyes, the
encireling of waists by the geatlenen's
arms, and there is little room for doubt
of the character of the affinity which
would bring souls harmoniously togcth-
er." sWeslooked on in utter astonish-
ment, and could but turn in igdignation
to the apostles of such a gross decep--
tion, to protest against It's enormity.
In lady present we found willing
cemmunicant, and facts enough were
given to US to authorize the interposi-
tion of the strong hand of the law to
break up the gatherings. Young wo-
men, beautiful and accomplished, were
pointed out to US as having given them.
selves up to the embraces Of certain
young men,sfor whom they had an af-
fnity," while the whole brotherhood
looked on approvingly and seemed to
regard it as entirely proper One
beautiful French girl, present, looked
worn and exhausted lit was told us by
our lady informant that, sir weeks ago
was as blooming and love.
cble a creature as ever graced any par
lor-that she had become so thoroughly
with the Free Love prin-
ciples as to become a truthful disciple
.ahd, as a consequent, she had become
the mistress of foul. or FIVE of the spir- |
itual minded" and was now but wreck
5f what WIS pure woman fegswecks
sincel This, we were assured, was but
one Of many instances and yet the
Club " was rapidly increasing, draw
ng within it many people of intelli-
,ence and virtue, and thus blindly sold
themselves to the Devil, in the pursuit
If an abstraction which is but impunity
tself in its reduction to practice.
Now, it is fact that these things are
veil known to Parke Goodwin, to Horace
Greeley and to Ottarson, of the n. Y.
zfi6asac--to Mattison, of the N. Y.
Times indeed, to members of the AeN
York press generally-and yet, not one
lote ofcondemnation have they utter
d They give, as ansexcase, that it is
social experiment, and they wish to
ee it worked out; but, Heavenl has
t come to this, that, to- q experiment
innocence aud virtue are to be immola-
ed New York hassmauy sins to an.
wer for, butnoae more truly reprehen-
ibIc than this FREQ Lore, iuGdelbreath-
NC and soul-depraEing innovation, which
ublic consarvators regard as an experi-
nent they wish to see tested, viz: wheth
r human creatures can associate so-
ether froa aHinital relations, without
alling into sin. Wig men or women
f sAnctity could, at all, bare doubted
he results, is mystery to US but now
hat these results are yisable, in the lost