Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-03-07
THE ONEIDA COMMUNITY.
What il Left Or . Remarkable
Association.
How she Members Have Gradually BEEN
Scattered al Over the Country.

a correspondent of the Utica n.
r. Herald thus writes about the cele-
DRAFTED Oneida community: OF the 2S9
persons belonging to the old commune
~ at the time Of division and reor-
ganization." four live in Boston, 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 their own near the
community, and are employed more or
less in the business Of the Oneida COM
munity. limited; twenty-seven, includ-
accessions by birth, gathered around a
Christmas tree in small house in
southern California, the house stand
Ing on great plain, stretching ten
miles to the Pacific ocean one way and
ten miles the other way to the incurv-
ing "foOt hills mountain peak sixty
miles away emphasizing the whole;
three in Lockport, fifty at Niagara
Falls, attracted thither partly by the
presence Of J. H Noyes and partly BY
the tableware business, which pays
out $4,000 a month, in wages; and the
best OF them live here in what are call
ed the "home buildings" and enjoy
many of thesold comforts and advan-
tages, steam-heated rooms, hot and
cold baths. Turkish bath, library and
reading-roOm, lawns and flower gar
dens. The larger part of those living
in these buildings board in common
dining-room, conducted by private
parties in much the same spirit that
prevailed in the old community.
There are seven or eight families that.
keep house separately. besides a few
solitary individuals, who board them
selves without any very visible con-
nection with cooking stove The
restaurant plan" was tried and
abandoned in 1881. It was not with
out its merits, but old habit and feel
Ing were against it. Ishould add that
FIVE old communists live on the sea-
shore in Connecticut; that two are
printers in Cincinnati, and that one is
at Wallingford, Conn. taking care of
the company's property at that place.
Nearly all the people who have 'gone
out are living in homes bought or
built by themselves. The money that
is made in the company business and
distributed as dividends is now spent
In divers places It 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 in
tluence Of ,. Fl. Noyes and his sympa-
thizers. Thirty or more of his most
religious friends hold semi-daily meet
ings here to keep in communication
with one another and with him. He
has weekly gathering at his own
house in Canada. Sundays. Some of
the long-headed ones are predicting
that the dispersion win spend itself.
and we shall soon see wave Of re-
turning adventures. Some may
think aZion 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
prophets. These former communists
are certainly more or less held together
and kept separate BY their common
history and association. and perhaps,
too. By the fact that there are among
them between thirty and forty persons
who have ) common blood, and are
variOusly related to most Of the others
Something may come Of this fact
perhaps nothing but intermarriages
perhaps more
NTfi1Y4lnw Dead Horses.