Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-09-27


dances, during which they continually
hold out their hands as if to receive
something The Shakers are indus
trious, hard working, economical and
Clearly. They dress uniformly.
Their houses are all alike. They cay
"yea" and 'snay," although not"thee
and "thou," and call people by their
| first names They confine themselves
chiefly to the useful and use no orn-
aments. There are at present eigh-
teen socties of Shakers in the Uni.
ted States, scattered throughout sew
en- states. They number in all two
thousand four hundred and fifteen
persons, and own one hundred thou
sand acres of land Their industries
are similar to those of the Rappists
and True Inspirationists, and are
somewhat famed for the excellence of
their products. The Shakers are
nearly all Americans, like the Onel-
dams, next mentioned, and unlike all
| all other communistic societies in the
| United States.
The Perfectionists of Oneida and
Wallingford are perhaps the most
singular of all communists. They were
founded by John Humphrey Noyes,
who organized a community at Put
ney, Vermont, in 1916. In l84S this
was consolidated with others at Onel-
da in Madison county, New York. In
1849 branch community was started
at Brooklyn, New York, and In 1850
one at Wallingford, Connecticut, all
of which have since broken up or
been merged in the two communists
of Oneida and Wallingford. Their
principles are perfectionism, commun-
ism and free love. BY perfection"
they mean freedom from sin, which
they all claim to have, or to seek as
practically attainable. They claim.
in explaining their sense of this term,
that as man who does not drink is
free from intemperance, and one who
does not swear is free from profanity,
so one who does not sin at all is free
from sin. or morally perfect. Their
communism is like that of the lea
rians, so far as property is concerned,
this being owned equally by all for
the benefit of all as they severally
have need (; which state they claim is
the state of mar after the resurrec-
ton. But they have community
not only of goods, but also of wives |;
or, rather, they have no wives at all,
but all women belong to all men, and
all men to all women; which they assert
to be the state of Nature, and there.
fore the most perfect state. They
call it complex marriage instead of
simple, and it is both polygamy and
polyandry at the same time. They
| are enemies of all exclusiveness or
selfishness, and hold that there should
be no exclusiveness in money or in
women or children. Their idea is to
be in the most literal sense no re-
specters of persons. All women and
| children are the same to all men, and
vice versa. A man never knows his
own children, and the mothers, IN
stead of raising their children them
selves, give them over to a common
nursery, somewhat after the suggest
ion of Plato in his Republic If any
two persons are suspected of forming
special attachments, and so Of violat-
ing the principle of equal and univer-
sal love, or of using their sexual free
dom too literally, they are put under
| discipline. They are very religious,
their religion, however, consisting
only in keeping free from sin. They
have no sermons, ceremonies, sacra.
ments or religious manifestations
whatever. There are no public pray
ers, and no loud prayers at all. Their
method of discipline is called "crti-
cism," and consists in bringing the
offender into the presence of COM
mittee of men and women, who each
pass their criticisms on him and allow
him to confess or criticse himself.
The least sign of worldiness or evil
dence of improperly is enough to
subject one TO this ordeal. They are
very careful about whom they admit
to their community, as there are nu-
merous rakes and idlers who make
application on the supposition that. it
is harem or Turkish paradise. None
are admitted who are not imbued
with their doctrine of perfection, and
who do not show evidences OF it in
their lives. In a business point OF
view, they are comparatively success
ful, the original members having con-
tributed over one hundred thousand
dollars worth of property, which has
not deprecated. They engage in
farming, wine-raising and various in
dustries, and are known in the general
markets for their products.
The Separatists at Zoar, Ohio,
about half way between Cleveland
and Pittsburgh, are a body of Ger
mans who fed from Wurtemburg In
1917 to escape religious persecution.
They are mystics, followers Of Jacob
Bohm, Gerhard, Tersteges, Jung Still,
ling and others of that class, and con-
siderably above the average of com.
munists in intellect and culture. They
were aided to emigrate to this coun.
try by some English Quakers, with
whom there is a resemblance in some
of their tenets. They purchased fifty
six hundred acres of land in Ohio,
but did not at first intend to
form a community, having been
driven to that resort subsequently
in order to the better realization of
their religious principles. They
now own over seven thousand acres
of land in Ohio besides some in Iowa
They have woollen-factory, two
-four mills, a saw mill, planning mill,
a machine-shop, q tannery and dye
house also a hotel and store for the
accommodation of their neighbors.
They are industrious, simple in their
dress and food, and very economical.
They use neither tobacco nor pork,
and are hommopathists in medicine.
In religion they are othodox, with
the usual latitude of mystics. They
have no ceremonies, say 'thou" and
ssthee" take off their hats and bow
to nobody except God, refuse to fight
| or 90 to law, and settle their disputes