New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-03-24
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
THE ONEIDA COMMUNITY
A LETTER FROM PROFESSOR MEARs, or HAMILTON

TO the Editor or The Tribune.

To the Editor or The tribune.
SIR: II is now little more than thirty years
since John Humphrey Noyes aud few OF his assocaeS
founded the Oneida Community IN the valley OF the
creek OF the same which separates tho Vi
Oneida and Madison They brought TO the heart OF our
STATE customs and practices which had been expelled
from the nurer soil under the sounder laws or inc hegn-
boring state of Vermont. What has been quiety toi-
Grated here than thirty years was NOT ao"eu
| n Temporary foothold IN its native State. IL was
scheme which began in deliberate adultery there anu
which has been perpetuatcd by adultery aud shameless
| concuDinage here.
The Oneida Community is professedy an attempt 10
regenerate society upon Bible principles. IL is pre-
sented as specimen OF the highest ana Dest form Oh
living to which humanity can attain III is Dehe'eu 10
be an emanaon the same Holy spirit whch cdIo
down mon the world upon the day OF Pentecost, anu
which induced the disciples TO surrender ther property
and 10 hold all their goods and possessions III common
fSee Acts H. A. 45D Should similar divine afiiatus
breathe upon the Church aud the world noW IL "ou
lead to the same self-abnegaOn tho same actS VI u
sye charity such an afl tus Noyes believes that he
and his associates are enjoying
Rnt while the fact of such community OF goodS IN inc
carly Christian Church il admitted, there Is nothlng
rbatovar IN show that II was universal. that II was
regarded i'm any sense compulsory II was clearly noun
tng bu temporary expcdent 10 relieve pressing out
transient necessity.
Moves and ms associates might fanatcay insist upon
such a community of goods religious duty to-idy
and might carry ont their principles among themselves
without fear of mocstaton; put when they claim tu"'
this nrincipe must and ought to include community
OF persona no less than of things, they get OeyOhh q"
ecripural warrant, and necessarily expose themselves
10 the criticisms and Inference OF christian pnoHc
Jealous OF human rights and concerned Tor the purify o
its moral atmosphere.
Tho Community holds that marriage IL n properly
relation that at all events it's exclusive. and that as
nronerv I'm things is wrong also Is property, or ex
cuslycuess in personal relatiOnsin the relation ne
tween husband and wife. Marriage, in fact according
to people is II IL sinful; II belongs 10 an
obsolete order OF things The choice or preference o
one man for woman, and, III iact' al anu every
sign of mutual attachment between two individuals OF
scyos are rcbuked a. upnoy. and utterly
forbidden by the Community, as contradictory to the
essential principles OF their organization.
such opinions have led the Shakers To separate the
tvo sexes entirely Not so with the Oneida Community.
Aboishns marriage, they have put in NJ rlace GUS
toms and practices which cannot b. described for vlc-
ness and which are ;he shocking from the sanity
phrases with which they concealed and recon-
mcpord Their language in describing these reDulsive
relations has varied. At time they were called
complex marriage" Every man was considered as
married to every woman, and every woman 10 every
man in tho Community Evidently however, their
apologsts have clt the rn'ongrny OF me ciIh mar
riagc" applied % Sucn gross ana bs'Ai LolS % u,
lug. How that be called marriage WhIcu Is az
tended BY no vows, 10 rites, no cNli q. sun
tons. and Wnich FORMS no tIts ""'H No,i -"
II zcd hndng bv any other community M yer NJ tI'
At prescbt they are using q different Phrhseology.
Defending themselves against l,chuutaIiuh WIN
the MorInpns they say that Moilhohlsh means
many wives %me t@s oN[ apmoDi. Ta;s "oms
measure Of respect T. tne demands OF Ch ilf,
tiau civilization. The Oneida Community mas put
itself entirely without the pale. is neither more nor
lees than an OrganIZcd System ot crncaOhdE0' roy
galny Is bad enough, and has b'cn tolerated lOHs
enough nv the Government. 10 impcll our clam e
place tine front ranks % the nations OF inc cai' ~
u true however thai are not without suitable laws
against poly grmy although they have thus r IAN as
q, ad ,cer upon tIo stiue-bo0@ Ihe Cliehd Is nave
been So remote nom The centre OF government thaJ
there has been some show OF excuse oi "ihhs 81 ''
crimes g., 49,, .,.,,.. - w. v,r,,
State t. the grOsser mmOralltlcs Of community 10
ca.ei at 1t, very centre Whether from d.iectvo aw'.
from indifference a. to men execution, II hs peen
possible for the pOygamOus pOlydndry Oi Oneida Cou-
mum ty to flourish It's soil for over thirty years
Lake the noSOme animal that infess orr Darl-yalds,
ana thai wards of attack by its very Loaf nsom ness
the practices OF the Oneida Community are sheltered
from public by their own vlrneHs, when honest
When appears in all the published proceedings and
discussions OF moral and Christian men seeking 10
abtts the Nuisance Everything that can 10 sliu III
favor Community Is freely uttered and reported,
Int The evils at which the blow Il aimed are named with
bated breath evil to be freely discussed by men
of ordinary purity Of thought ana IdhEulEe ana gre
Therefore but scantiy II all reported to the pubc
Hence 20 those who We the matter Out passing atl
tiOu the effort OF the rciorIpcfs seems 10 DO uiroct
against comparatively trivial offences Inc community
actually assumes the appearance OF injured innocence.
Ii is the object OF persecution qmel anu pedcaO99
set of men mindng Their own bnslnIss ana
interfering with one, are mOeslcd ny Outsders'
and made the objects Oi u Wanton crusade: .,..
1t astonishing how much dust OF this KIND is thrown
or ATTEMPTED be thrown. INTO the eyes OF the pubic
and yet the little that Is known OF the HDOmnapc re-
aty has made such impression upon the pubic Inu
thai no amount of dust altogether pcryert Their
Judgment upon the subject. Any more llght or niOf-
NATION would result only in confirming ana Jlsllfyng
the suspicious Of foul wrong which they now cannot Dcp
but entertain.
Scanty information upon this part OF the subject does
not result from any real difficulty IN getting al the
facts Loathsone they are they have been published
with rhetorical Ourishes, with pretcnces 10 science,
and with cOmpacent references 10 the most ODtctoh-
able parts Of Plato, at tho prntlnghUusc OF the Com
munity Itself aid have long been for sale over hclf co-
tcrs In those pamphlets may be found Their methods
OF re guatmg tue relations of the sexes ana OF securing
what they claim is the best breed OF men, IN all their
nausea ting details Heaven forbid that should under
take any analysis quotation from these productions.
would as soon make The TRIBUNE channel for CON
veylng the OF the plague or the Ycliow-fcycr
But who needs know more than the Whole puDllc
knows now, that about 300 men anu women are living
under the same rOOf occupying the Same apartments.
and rearing cGdren without anN other tie than that OF
membership the Community no needs 10 hear the
histories darker than those printed ia these vile
pamphlets that from time 10 time gam currency III re-
gard to the Community, through sources that can
scarcely he que tiOnedf WHO Will allow himself To be
deceived by the external snow OF order OF neaness OF
industry which whole affair manages 10 assume IN
the hours OF daylight and under the public eye WnO
prepared the pretended Interest o silence TO allow
experiments be tried involving the overthrow OF tDc
sacred primal relations between man aud man, the
bringing into world of children Ignorant oil the
rental relation any proper sense. ana the establish
mcnt institutions I'm Their nature utterly snbyrrsiTe
of the foundations of the STATE and Of civilized soc
etyl JOHN W. MEAR'.
THE MAINE LAW IN MAINE.