Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-09-05
The Oneida Community Give Up Com
nIpN MarrIare."

The Oneida Community Give Up Com
pIcN Marriage"
The Oneida Socialists have yielded to the
pressure of public opinion and agreed to give
up the practice of complex marriage The
American Socialist, the organ of the Com
munity, in its issue of August 2s contains
the message of Mr.. John II. Noyes TO the
community under his administration, and the
announcement of its acceptance. The ines
sage is dated Aug. 20. In it Mr.. Noyes re-
minds the community that they have always
claimed freedom of conscience to change
their social practices, and have repeatedly
offered to abandon the offensive part of their
system of Communism if required by public
opinion. Lately they have pledged them
selves to Loyalty obey any new legislation
which might be instituted against them, and
Mr. Noyes has frequently told them that he
did not consider their present social arrange
ments essential parts of their profession as
Christian Communists, and that they would
probably have to recede from them sooner or
later. He considers that the time has come to
make the change and therefore proposes the
following modification of the Oneida plat
form
/. That we give up the practice of Com
pick Marriage, not as renomcing belief in
the principles and prospective iinality of that
institution, but in Difference to the public
sentiment which is evidently rising against
it.
,. That we place ourselves, not on the
platform of the Shakers, on the one hand,
nor of the world on the other, but on Pauls
PLATFORM which allows marriage but prefers
celibacy.
As throwing light upon their duties in these
changed relationships lac suggests a new and
earnest study Of the 9TH chapter of ! Corn-
thians, and of the teachings of Christ with
reference to social relations. On the accept
ance of these notifications, the community
will consist of two classes, the married and
the celibate-both Legitimate but the last pre-
ferred. As to the features of communism
that will remain Mr.. Noyes says
/. We shall hold our property and bust
nesses in common as now.
?. We shall live together in Il common
house hold and eat at common table, as
now
.. We shall have our daily evening meet
ings, and all of our present means of moral
and spiritual improvement.
And of the relations of the community to
the authorities and the neighboring people
he says, with evident friendncss
For my part, | think we have great rea-
son to be thankful for the liberation which
has SO long been accorded to our audacous
experiment Especially are we indebted to
the authorities and people of our imm, diate
neighborhood for kindness and protection.
1t " i'll be good and graceful thing for us to
relieve them at last of the burden of our I'M
popularity, and show the world that Chris
tiau Communism has self-control and Hexi-
bility enough to live and flourish without
complex marriage
A memorandum is appended stating that on
the 10th Of August the message from Mr.
Noyes was considered in fun assembly and
accepted and that from that date the com
munity will consist of celibatrs, and of the
married, who practice only the sexual free
dom which strict monogamy allows.
The communists at Walln gford, Ct.
branch of the Oneida community, have, like
the parent organization, abandoned polygamy,
in Difference to public opinion.