The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1885-03-04
THE ONEIDA COMMUNITY.
WHAT Is LEFT OF A REMARKABLE A:
ISOLATION.


I A correspondent of Utica IN. "
Herald thus writes about the cele-
brated Oneida community OF the
2S5 persons belonging to the old
community at the time OF division
and reorganization, four live IN Bos-
ton, eight in New York city, one in
New Jersey, ten in the town OF
Oneida, four IN the village OF Oneida
Castle, twenty-five live In houses OF
of their own near the community,
and are employed more or less IN
the business of the Oneida commu-
nifty, limited q, including ac-
i cessions by birth; gathered around
a Christmas tree In a small house in
southern California, the house stand
I ing on q great plain, stretching ten
miles to the Pacific ocean one way
and ten miles the other way to the
incurving foot hills, a mountains
peak sixty miles away emphasizing
the whole; three in Loekport, fifty
at Niagara Fails, attracted thither
partly by the presence Of J. 81. Noyes
and partly by the table ware buiness
which pays out $1,000 a month in
wages and the best of them live
here In what are called the home
buildings" and enjoy many of the
old comforts and advantages, steam
heated rooms, hot and cold baths,
Turkish bath, library and reading
room, lawns and flower gardens.
The larger part of those living in
these buildings board in a common
dining-room, conducted by private
parties in much the same spirit that
prevailed in the old communi-
".
There are seven or eight families
that keep houses separately, besides
few solitary individuals, who
board themselves without any very
visible connection with q cooking
stove. The restaurant plan was
tried and abandoned in 1881. II
was not without Its merits, but old
habit and feeling were against 1t. |
should add that FIVE old communists
live on the seashore in Connecticut !;
that two are printers in Cincinnati,
and that one is at Walllngford, Conn,
taking care of the company's proper
" at that place. Nearly ali the peo-
pie who have gone out are living
in homes bought or built by them
selves. The money that is made in
the company business and distribu-
ted as dividends, is now spent in di-
vers places. 1t was formerly spent
here. In this respect, the change
from community to joint stock has
not been good for this region. Two
thirds of the stock of the Oneida
community, limited. is more or less
under the influence of ]. III. Noyes
and his sympathizers. Thirty or
more of his most religious friends
hold semi-daily meetings here to
keep in communication with one
another and with him. He has a
weekly gathering at his own house
in Canada, Sundays. Some of the
long headed ones are predicting that
the dispersion will spend itself. and
we will soon see a wave of returning
adventures. Some may think Zion
is going to be restored" Some may
think it is going to be an era of art
and music and good feeling, without
this plague of discipline. We have
not the standing place OF the proph-
cts. These former communists are
certainly more or less held together
and kept separate by their common
history and association, and per
haps too, by the fact that there are
among them between 80 and 40 per-
sons who have a common blood,
and are variously related TO most OF
the Others. Something may come of
this fact-perbaps nothing but inter-
marriages--perhaps more.