The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1874-09-17
From the -Adcaace.1
THE ONEIDA COMMUNITY.
BY j. 3. DURFEE.

PiohllSeu III our heAG 10 give something OF
an account of the Oneida Community. AS
we sit down to write we can only think of
the woman & won't say LADY, who was
coaxed into a class meeting against her
wishes, and being somewhat out of humor
when the class leader came and asked the
usual question, as to how she felt, she said.
Feel and see if you want to know" IF
people would know all about them they
must go and see.
On arriving at the Oneida station, on
the n. Y. Central RR., at the crossing of
the Midland RR., we had to wait thirty
minutes for the train to take us to the Com
munity, four miles south. While waiting
We made sure of our dinner. On arriving
| there, about Il o'clock, noon, we found
| them located on the fertile lands of the
Oneida Valley, which had once set apart
by the State of New York as an Indian
Reservation, and there is remnant of the
Oneida tribe still living on the outskirts
Near the center of these reservations stands
the community buildings, surrounded by
domain of $40 acres of orchards, VINEYARDS.
meadows, pasturage, woodland &c. The
| railroad passes a mile through their lands
| From the Midland RR station it is but a
few rods to their buildings, where guides
| are furnished if desired for making the
/ tour of the place The central building is
of brick, with stone trimmings, and CON
| sists Of center and two wings. with tow
/ er at each end 1t is 1873 feet long by 40
/ broad and has an extension of 100 feet in
I the rear, with Mansard roof; has three
/ cto obOy-o ba Tho tnr-aro
are four stories in height. The entire
building is heated by steam, and hot and
cold water Is conveyed to all parts of it,
with bath rooms to each story. In this
! building we were directed to the office, and
feeling quite at home as if in a hotel, we
/ told the incumbent of our intention of stop
ping with them two or three days. He
said,-We can keep you through the day,
but not over night but, " said I, 'what
shall we do "You can get lodgings at
| Oneida Crossing, four miles away" said he.
We then resolved to make the best of the
seven or eight hours we had, and then take
the train to Oswego. The gentleman
seemed very willing to answer readily all
| questions but on that of their marriage re-
lation. and that, he said, was complex
marriage. \ doctor, who had been to get
his dinner, Joined us here, and afterward
said, what the ID complex marriage was
he couldn't imagine. We told him 1t was
marrying the whole community. Going
up a broad stair way we came into rOomy
and elegant corridor, in which is a species
of museum or cabinet Of curiosities, com
prising Russian pottery, variety OF shells,
| specimens Of silk Of their own manufacture,
specimens Of rare coins, medals, autographs,
&c. From here we passed up into their
large room, which they occupy as a sort OF
chapel. 1t is capable of seating several
hundred people, with a raised platform. 1t
is finely frescocd, and furnished with a
large number of chairs. There are also a
number of tables with neat cloth, around
which both sexes gather in groups to pass
away their time as best pleases them. Their
library has some $500 volumes OF bond
books. We asked our guide if they had
meetings there every Sabbath, and were
told that they had no more than on other
days that they met there every evening,
but that outsiders were not allowed to at
tend. Here our guide directed us up to
the tower and left us. Here we had fine
view of the community grounds and sur
rounding country. Alandscape Of uncom-
mon beauty lay spread out before US. At
one view we see the lawns with their neat
" trimmed paths, the flower gardens with
their thousand brilliant colors. The dozens
of rustic seats and arbors half hid IN shady
hooks. and beyond are the orchards, the
VINEYARDS. meadows and winding stream.
Directly west of the main building Is an
other one connected by an underground
passage, built of brick and 20 feet long by
So feet wide. which is used as a kitchen.
The most of the cooking is done by steam
and labor-saving appliances. Directly above
is the community dining room, with twelve
tables affording seats for 10 persons, pro
vided with dumb waiter. The bakery Is
in an adjoining building connected by an
underground passage. A little way east Is
store building where an assortment OF
goods had been formerly kept for them
selves. their employees, and the people
around there. a few rods south IS an
academy building, two stories high, with a
tower. Here is the recitation and child
ren's school-room also chemical labra-
-. = yfgtIT a
tory, ~here COURSES VI iii''i uN'io'1 -
There are in this building about eighty un-
der instruction Ia another direction Is
the laundry, which has steam boiler
washing and wringing machines, drying
room. &c. where the weekly washing is
done amounting to some 400 pieces. We
are now left to go about the premises as
our fancy leads, and we made our way to
building some 200 or 300 feet long, where
we were met by an oldish gentleman who
expressed some surprise that we had no at
tendant. He then took us into the can
ming department, where fruits OF all kinds
were put in cans for shipment. and told us
how many car loads they then had orders
for. They were then canning peas, great
many of which they purchase Of the coqn an