The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1879-03-05
FREE LOVERS.
Soma Facts About the Origin and
Mode of Living of the
Oneida Community.
What the Members Have 90 Say I'm Their
own Defense.


the New York Central railroad, almost mid
way between Utica and Syracuse. The Com
muuity occupies an area of fertile land a
trIfie over mile square. The depot on the
railroad is built for the especial accommo-
dation of the Community, and is located al
most in the center OF their domain. Their
building, mostly brick, are handsome, very
substantial. and are but a few yards from
their depot. The main hall, or family build
ings. is three story brick $50 feet long by 20
wide, surrounded by beautiful lawns and
shrubbery. tits trimmed after modern pat
tern, and contains the sleeping eating, read
ing and worshiping rooms OF the institution.
The membership amounts to about go men,
women and children.
The Oneida Community, commonly known
as the "Free-Lovers," but by the members
themselves called ''Perfectionists, had an
origin in 1884 in Patney, VT, the home of
the originator. John Humphrey Noyes,
graduate of Dartmouth college, and subse-
quently student at the Yale Divinity school.
The existence at Putney was sickly one,
and prosperity only began in 1s4S, when the
Community was moved to its present loca-
ton. Here it grew IN strength and num-
bers until q branch was found necessary and
established at Walhngford, Conn., branch
which now numbers trife over half q hun
dred members The founder, J. Humphrey
Moves, who still stands at the head of the
institution, and constitutes the essential ele-
ment of its cohesiveness, is now an old man
bowed down from a stature once over six
feet in height. He was once of giants
strength, but as he grows full OF years his
fullness of strength is naturally emptied
lie hno re lor0 nna nd nrad xx-ffl Il,
good deal of light hair. His face looks
sensual only to those who know J. II. Noyes,
history. He is seclusive, and rarely sees
visitor. His time is principally devoted to
writing, and to the giving of counsel. His
writings-many of them-are able, and
many more are bold and pernicious Among
his writings are pamphlet on male Conu-
nence," ana one on Breeding Ia and In"
both of them alleged to be contributions to
science, but both of them OF a character that
the law proscrIbes. They are singularly ap-
propriate in the community where they have
their origin.
The Perfectionists ara very Industrious.
and their industry In the manufacturing of
silk thread, traps, and the raising and can
ming of fruit yields taem an iacome of up
wards of 5000, 600 annually.
The older members of the institution were
all converts; the younger were mostly born
in the Community. Every male member of
the Community, after he is once father,
is Gather" to al the children; and the
female members, after maturity, are called
mother"
The male members are, for the most part,
full bearded, well dressed and fine looking
men, while the mothers wear the disgusting
bloomer costume, cut their hair by a square
and compass in the neck, and look as ugly
as bald-haaded chimpanzee. / searched
through and over the premises the other day
on my visit to the grounds. vainly hoping
to discover one female Perfectioaist who
was not as imperfect in her features as
Egy ptian sculpture. l sought in vain.
saw pig-no5es, big mouths aud big theeth,
ghasEly wrinkles cadaverous skins, small
eyes, or eyes as big as door-knobs, but moth
ing whatever in the line of female beauty.
The men were Apollos the women Gorgons
and their children pleasantfeatured enough,
but awkward and unnatural. / visited the
nurseries. There are two of them, the first
for the babies after their mothers have done
nursing them. Here they are kept until
three or four years OF age, when they are
promoted to the nursery for children be-
tween three or four years old, and an age
when they do not need the immediate care
of nurses. The nurses are usually the old
ladies of the institution, who relieve each
other from duty at appointed hours. The
children are fed in the nursery. and in the
nursery for babies they are fed as chickens
are in big poultry shows-by measure.
When on visit to the institution one sum-
mer, few years ago, saw an old nurse
feeding Strawberries to her bibies-a score
or more of them. She first had the babies
arranged in row on bench. Then she
took her dish of large, ripe, uusugard berries
and passed down the line, dropping a single
berry into each upturned mouth of the little
featherless robins. This constituted the
dessert, after meal on oatmeal mush, fed
passing down the line, as she had done with
the strawberries.
The Perfectionists attem pt to keep record
OF the maternity and paternity of eachchild,
but, as will be seen by the following, the at
tempt can not help but often be failure,
while the inevitable consequences of incest
| follow. When one OF the "Abrahams' OF
the community sees that cartain "Hagar''
is fair to look upon ne negotiates with her
through some third party, male or female
member of the organization. If Hagar likes
| Abraham-the lovers all laugh at the ides
| of loving one member of the community
more than another-she so signifies, and
/ Abraham and Hagar may live together as
man aud wife for IL hours, or for fortnight
! Ii they mutually agree to SO live, A5raham
however, must not subject Hagar to the
| psrils of child birth without the Community
medium of negotiations they amount tc
| little less than a common herd, and it is OBJ
served by many that their children show un
mistakable signs that the revolving crime o
| incest has been committed.
Their religion is in accordance with thej,
/ lives. They maintain that the Creator is o
q dual nature, male and female, made in tn,
image of God. The relation between Jesu
and Mary they claim was that OF lovers
Heaven. like the heaven of the followers Of
the prophet, is to abound IN black eyet
houri-dressed up, no doubt in bloome
costume Sunday as day of worship i
ridiculed by them, and SO is the relation o
marriage, claiming that both are relics o
barbarism.
The recent movement in Syracuse, n. Y.
against the Free lovers, and the charge o
Mormontsm, have provoked the following
published In the of6cia! paper OF the organ
ization, entitled the American Socialist
The article reads:
1. The Oneida Communists are and Away
have bsen peaceable subjects of civil author
ity. No seditious acts have ever been charged
upon them. They have never had a though
OF carrying out their Communistic principle
a.