The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1862-05-27

among the BueStS at s1no INV "OeN
House to-day is Mr.. R. S. Baker, Of Econ.
omy, Penn He arrived on Saturday. and
will leave on the Grey Eagle to-day fol
home.
Mr.. Baker is now the Principal of the
Harmony Society,"" located at Economy
1t will be recollected by many of our citi-
zens in this region, especially the Oldest
inhabitants, that this society once resided
at New Harmony in this State; the origin,
progress, condition, past and present. of the
people united under the above name, would
who had an opportunity of knowing every
thing appertaining to them from the begin
ming of their association to this time. I've
have learned generally from Mr.. Baker that
Mr.. George Rapp, founder of the Society,
was Pastor of male congregation in Wir-
temberg, Germany He and his congrega-
ton d ffered in some of their religious ten
cts with the established church in that
Kingdom. They were quiet peaceable and
Industrious; were not obtrusiVe; paid,
without complaining, their taxes and tithes
to government. But as early as 1903, and
perhaps before, the clergy of the established
church began to persecute them, and
caused them to be imprisoned and fined
Mr. RapP took journey to America to see
if an asylum could not be found for his hum
BILE flock, and from what be saw be thought
their condition would be improved by their
removal here. Accordingly they emigrat-
ed (; and in February, 1905, they settled in
miles north of Pittsburgh, Pa. Here they
drew up articles of association and formed
themselves into Society, the principle of
which was that OF the early Christian ito
hold las it relates to property all things in
common" By their united labor they
flourished rapidly; some were farmers,
some were mechanics, others were mann-
facturers in every branch they excelled.
The perfect manner in which every thing
they undertook was done, and the real
harmony in which, as society, they lived,
excited the admiration of every one who
had any intercourse with them. Many
vent great distances to see them, and de-
scription of their place, aud in praise of it,
often found its way from tourists in the
papers of the day.
The cause of heir removal to New Har-
mony, or, according to German SPELL
ing, Harmenie-wss, besides a desire to
live in a more genial climate than their
new location enabled them to enjoy,
to go to a country where they
could cultivate a vineyard. Wittenberg,
whence they came, was a country where
wine was an important product, and many
of their society were vine dressers by oc-
cupation. IL 1924 they removed to New
Harmony, Indiana. As the last of our peo-
pie on the way to the latter place down the
Ohio river, it happened that the boat con-
tanning them stopped one night at the
mouth of Pigeon creek; then, says Mr.
Baker, there was not one house at the now
fourishing city of Evansville When we
settled at our Neu0 Harmony, there was one
log cabin, owned by Mr.. Rogers, of whom
We bought part of the site of that town.
A greater part of that place and the sur
rounding country was forest They left
it in 1885, having sold it ont at that time
to Mr.. Robert Owen. 1t is wonderful what
they accomplished during the ten years of
fruitful feds OF tIiousaH Gf a 40%n9 II
village contained a hundred Deat houses
and to every house garden. The house in
which Mr.. George Rapp lived was palatial
in respect to size and convenience. They
had two large grauaries which now stand,
the like of which as it regards size aud So
hdity, no town or city in Indiana can boast
of. They built spacious brick church,
larger. certainly, than any in Southwestern
Indiana. They had orchards W hich bore
the best of fut of all kinds They had a
vineyard of several acres, from which they
made for several years before they left
many hundred gallons of wine. Mr.. Ba-
ker promises US that if we will visit him
at Economy, he will give us glass of wine
made at New Harmony nearly 40 years ago.
| We have accepted the invitation
We are happy to hear that the society at
Economy is prosperous. Of course, they
have greatly increased in wealth. Their
manufactures of cotton and wool are v-ry
extensive. For a long time they manufac-
| tured silk from the worm, but the lower
ing the tariff on foreign importstions oil
this article, rendered it impossible to con-
tinue it. Agricultural and mechanical
| operations bear a due proportion TO the
| other industrial pursuits. As an evidence Of
/ their wealth as well as PATRIOTISM, we men
/ ton that last winter they gave for the sup
| port of the families of those whose sons,
| brothers and husbands had gone into the
army, $4,000; aud to the home guards oil
| Pittsbur g$5, 900, besides many other dona-
| lions to Sanitary Commissions. What will
not united labor in a community living fn
| christian brotherhood accomplish
Evansville, May %.