Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1867-05-08
A CURIOUS SECT.
THE ONEIDA COMMUNITY.
Free Love, Free Lovers. Per.
fecfiO2.

= On Ida COM III UNITY
Free Love, FREQ Lovers, FER.
fection.
Correspondence Of the New York Tribune.
Four miles from Oneida, Madison county.
New York, . class calling themselves Chris>
tian Psrfscsionis,s twenty years ago organ
izsd community. The leader was j. II.
Noyss. Others have held similar views
These are the originators. From n long
visit to this community, and from a macs
Of publications, ! have condensed full ao-
count. Some will bs entertained, sone
startled; others will he appalled,.
The number is about Two hundred and
City; twenty five are under fourteen years
Of age. Property and persons are held in
som0on. No one Of himself owns any.
thing. They eommsnced poor now they
are rich. The location 10 the most beautiful
in the laad. Il embraces six hundred acres
10 the choice Oneida Valley. The principal
residenee 10 brick, three stories ish. ard %
extensive, - neat, and IS elegan, - are
bu'ldings erected BY the State ''r nene,o.
lent purposes. The gsouod. sss ~. .a.a eus
bv scientific rural srsn.'ecs. i"ess ~
svergresns, hedges. comps .. ,Iees' sn.aso
winding walks, oowsrs, summer houses,
nd barriers snd gardens Of flowers The
-o., ,.sned taste 10 gratifsd. Las, sum-
msr hey had six thousand visitors.
Beside the central mansion are five large
buildings, one for doing baking and wash
ing by machinery, and for canning fruits,
and others for various industries. Most Of
their cooking is done by steam. Large
quantities of seasoned wood are at hand
In short Whatever is required by cemforta-
bic livers. and to meet present and future
wants, are in abundance.
They have vineyards by the acre. rasp>
berries, straw berries and other small fruits
by ten or twenty acres, and large pear aud
apple orchards. Their barns are as extens-
i've and complete - any in the land. There
10 stabling for hundreds Of horses and cats
| tie.
They have various manufacturing estsbs
lishneuss. One 10 saw and planning mill.
Ons whore travelling sachsls are made. en-
ploying thirty hands and yearly producing
$50, 900 worth Of goods, the foreman Of
which 10 . lsdy. The building. wisheu,
machinssy, eost $4,000. The value annu
ally produced 10 absut e80, 900. During ten
years, they made half . millien Of steel
traps. They have Invested machines fos
cutting Of stamping the vasisus parts, which
| Ia moment Dc the hand Wosk Of ten or az.
teen men. Hence the wssk 10 good and they
ass ensoled - msaspsliss the businsss.-
Formerly. traps were imported from Ger
mAny. Thsis Government tai 10 Sc, 000;-
State end eeusty. $4,000.
Bssides, they have furnace where they
cast for themselves and othsss, and thsy
have silk machinery Of their own coustsuc
ton, on which they largely manufactus,
sewing silk. These machines are costly
and they ere making them for sale. They
can oil kinds Of fruit, and prepare jelliss I,
70 the value OF go, 900 year; the foreman
is . lady. All their productions are IN goot
repute.
They have improved Ayrshire and o,he
stock. I noticed complete hedge Of tn,
bA,bsrsy. II 10 ~ good - the Usage, but i
wants more time; Il is far more hardy, It il
beautiful ia winter.
At Wsllingfosd, Connecticut, is brsncl
Of this community, not quite so large, an,
where education is chief feature. Anoth
e. branch 10 in broadway, IN the MoiFa
building, which Is n business house A
Wallingtord they print weekly nowspa-
Per.
All lin one large hall, at many tables
They provide neither tea nor coffee, and sci
dom meat. Vegetables. fruit. milk, butter
cheese. cakes, buildings and pies are abund
ant. Rarely have eaten meals so We!
cooked. so neat aud ~ good. Tncy equal
10 my taste they exccl--,hose Of the hes
hotels.
they have a fine library aud they TAX,
the leading daily aud weekly newspapers -
They publish n minute daily paper, which
none but themselves see. A handsome hal
furnished with chairs and small tables, i
occupied by the members in the evening, il
the same manner that family gather nroun,
Che hearth. All rooms arc heated through
registers and pipes. At cscli table are lamps
The women knit and sew, and saw ne,
knitting. Meanwhile, one will read dali,
paper or letters from friends, OF short al
dresses. Then they talk over their aSTairs
In this way their evenings are spent till bee
time
They employ no ply sician Tor they nest
mono; no lawyers, Tor they arc pescsabls
aud no preacher. for they are perfect They
never pray. Musical instruments sount
Through tho halls. They do not work OF
Sunday, but they do not call the day sacrc,
They neither baptize or partake of the sac
rament Their lives arc continued wor
ship.
| Tho accept the whole Of tho Bible The,
came ont Of orthodox New England church
es. All ore well informed Their materia
success is complete. The killful and tn
ablest arc permitted, without hindrnnce. I,
. - thu.
| and skill are harmoniously united. the onl,
result must be riches, adornmen., and ever,
comfort. Hitherto, religious pecuiaritie,
seemed to be tie bond that bound. Surely
reason aud plain common sense should Sc
cure result so desirable, first, the WORLD
mus, DO richer.
Now will speak Of their religious views
and Of their family relation. How smooth
ana beautiful is the story Of their material
prosperity. BY degrees, the scene will be
changed. The reader will seem to hurry
Along the edge Of the frightful precipice
the cir will be thick with vapor Of an un>
known perfume, aud he will wonder whsth-
er his senses remain. Not till his last
days will these things depart from his mem.
Org.
The Oneida Communist claim 10 be the
successors Of the Apostles, to whom was
promised the speedy second advent ol
Christ. They cay that Christ did rssppesr
aftss tho destruction Of Jsrusalsu, when
thsse was . judgsnsnt in the spiritual
world, and the final kingdom in the heavens
hagen. They believe that their community
70 On outgrowtA Of faith in, and Q confession
Of, Christ - On iadwelling Savior from Gin,
which 10 IN inspired aod vital relation with
Christ On earth, and that they are in. direct
communication With the Heavenly Church.
Their idea 10 best expressed In Romans.
chap. Z, verses to 10: "For Christ il the
end Of the law for righteousness to every
one that believeth." etc. They are tbe du :
plicate representation Of the Heavenly
Church. aad their element Of comwunica.
ton is . perfectly holy Inspiration with
God and Heaven. which 10 the power by
which Code Kisgdoa 10 10 rsigs. In shor.
they are in direct communication With
Christ and the Kssusssssisn Church in the
angelic world These things they cav in !
literal, not in figusativs sense.
Further. they say, God consists Of two
persons-one male aud the other female
and that what has been called third, is an
emanstion from these two. They quote !.
"God said, let Us create maa in our own
image etc. They believe in a personal.