The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-09-29
The Oneida Community.

II
large branch colony wholly of persons born in
the society, and proposes TO grow only by propa-
acknowledgements Enquirer.
The principles OF the Oneida Community
no decent newspaper can discuss, but the
false representation that is continually made
as to the material prosperity of the concern
ought to be met and destroyed, as it leads to
dangerous misapprehensions. The Oneida
Community was founded years ago, on fair
capital, which has increased at a merely
moderate rate. Its farm is in a beautiful
valley, near prosperous town, and would
constitute happy home for virtue, although
is by no means an enchanted garden for
sin. The members of the community live iu
large brick house in which, notwithstand-
ing their cooperative system. there are not
as many home comforts as single families of
moderate means are able to enjoy. Those
rooms that are open to visitors are but
poorly furnished, and look more like
parlors in country hotels than anything
else. The large concert hall, where the
members of the community meet in the
evening for family conversation, is the on'y
fine and tasteful apartment about the es-
Enlistment. The grounds around the
house are well laid out, but are not by any
means remarkable for elegance or excellence
of design. There is mean, catch-penny
sort of spirit manifested by the members
of the community. which renders their resi-
dence more like a tavern than a private
house. They have band, and give con-
certs and furnish music for dances, so that
parties from Oneida and the surround
ing country, make their place
a terminus for winter sleigh
rides. They are willing to take in
boarders, and furnish meals to
visitors. They have library,
cabinet aud one ortwo public rooms to ex-
hibit, and then the innocent traveller has an
afforded him to look over
of the grounds, and books
of the society and its theories
and practices. He is not asked to purchase,
but he is expected to do so, and generally
departs after paying more than
he would for viewing any author
lied exhibition of curiosities in a
city. To a stranger the whole establishment
has cherries, homeless look, and the few
men and women that are to be seen by no
means kindle any desires for closer &C
quaintance. The community is prosperous
in a worldly point OF view, since the settle
ment on beautiful farm of more than six
hundred acres in the lap of the hills of
Oneida, could not be an improbable one.
II does well out of its trade in canned
fruits. 1t also makes considerable money
by the manufacture of rat-traps, in which
elegant occupation the society is said to have
of the community is a fair-sized build
ing doing good business, and its manufac
ture of silk thread gives employment to a
couple OF hundred girls from the neighbor-
ing village. The community school
and academy are apparently as good as those
of any ordinary New York or New England
village. The truth of the matter is that the
whole thing is made romantic by the exag-
Grafton with which its very common place
and moderate business success is related.
While this association has been increasing
slowly and selfishly within its narrow limits
Men like Vanderbilt and Stewart, out of less
ca pital, have accumulated fortunes out of
which the possessions of the Oneida commu-
nifty might be stolen an d never missed
While these few paltry manufactures
have been timidly rising in Oneida
Valley, great cities like Chicago,
with thousands of diversified inter-
ests have sprung up throughout the country
While they have been building their little
roads and by-paths about their farm. the
country has been girdled with iron
tracks on which the commerce of millions is
carried. While they have been building
their pretty country academy tn whose
belfry they point SO proudly, individual
men like vassar and Cornell have founded
great colleges. In fact, the lesson of the
the Oneida Community. considered merely
in a business point of view. is this: That
selfish isolation is poor policy, and that the
true road to worthy success lies among the
masses of men-in open competition for
broad, generous purposes. The time may
come, moreover. when the miserable gains
of the Oneida socialists Will be swept from
them at stroke. Their property has been |
held in trust by the venerable founder of The |
order in whom the members have implicit
faith, and when he dies, strife and disaster
may be expected to rise from his ashes. |
Neither in the past nor in the future is there
anything about the financial success of the
worthy of consideration. AS for
the brutal philosophy which it breaches and
practices much could be said of it. if the |
English language afforded enough of clean |
words wherewith to treat so foul subject. |
The Attica Ledger relates a sad case On
last two sons of Morgan Jones. of
Warren county, were out hunting, when one |
IF them was fatally shot. They were as
sending hill, when one of the brothers |
reached his gun to, the other, muzzle first,
20 help him pull up. The hammer caught in
some way, and the piece was discharged,
he ball entering the abdomen of the one /
who caught hold of 1t to be helped up the
hill. He fingered till midnight, when death
,.,rod hia CT, ffari,nns This hoxs were twins L