Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-01-12
CIVILIZATION WON'T Do.
An Apostle Who breaches Anti-Marrisg sc
and nti Most Everything.

and nti Most Everything.
Alfred NJ Smith, who sailed short time
ago from New York on the steamer Ad-
vance for Para, Brazil, is one Of those orig
inal and interesting characters who stand
on the thin line that divides the genius
from the crank.
Although Alfred sometimes displayed
the qualities of crank, yet he was in
many ways genius. He has gone to Bra
I'll because he thinks civilization is fail
ure, and because, being vegetarian, he
can 1--we on nuts and berries without being
obliged to work.
Alfred Smith has been living for the
last two years down at Pondville, thriv-
ing and beautiful hamlet composed of a
blacksmith shop, school-house and five
dwelling houses lying between two hills
in the extreme southeastern corner of the
town of Norfolk
1t is called Pondville because there is no
pond anywhere in the vicinity Alfred
came here in 1886 on foot, with no bag
bage, but with sos 10 in his pocket. No
one knew whence he came, and Alfred
kept his past life secret until Just before
his departure last week, when he unbos-
omed himself to Wrentham lady.
Alfred had advanced ideas on diet. His
cornmeal he took uncooked, because he ar
gued man in his primitive state never ate
cooked food, and the more nearly we live
in conformity to nature the more natural
we are, of course, and the more healthy
Two hours after eating the raw meal al.
fred always drank teacupful of cold wa
ter. 1t helped digestion and Stacked his
thirst at the same time.
1t has been fifteen years since he tasted
meat or animal food in any form. He did
not go out very much in Pondville society
but he possessed qualities of mind that
would have enabled him to shine in the
literary coterie of Pondville, or of any
other place.
His language was almost painfully gram
NAUTICAL, and his pronunciation was as cor
rect as that of any Harvard Professor
He often demonstrated with the Pondville
children for saying, "Was you," or "Ain't,
or Hoss and team" or "Pd ruther," anc
he was an uncompromising enemy of al
slang.
Alfred's best hold, however, was il
wrestling with the problems of our socia
life. He had little scheme of his owl
for doing away with all social life. 1t wa
to found an anti-marriage community dow
in Texas, where all the members should
have everything in common and live to
gether in peace and love-especially love
He tried to enlist the sympathies of til,
Pondville citizens in the cause, but me
! with no success in his persistent efforts.
| \ few of the representative citizens GO
together one afternoon in the blacksmith
shop to see what could be done to proven
the foundations of society from being over
turned by Alfreds dangerous doctrines
They deliberated a while, and finally con
cluded to get rid of Alfred if possible. On
OF them hustled around and found wealth,
resident who would take Alfred's cottage
and then went and offered the reforme
$50 for it.
Alfred accepted the offer because he say
how impossible it was to convert Pondvill
tc his ideas, and because he thought h
] could pick up nuts with the squirrels il
Brazil and not have the trouble of garden
ing.
Alfred is ~ years old, and was born i
Wisconsin, where his parents, who ar
quite wealthy, still reside.
One of his brothers is well-to-do mel
chant in a town of Western Massachusetts
Alfred went to Beloit College, in Wiscou
sin, four years, where he graduated wit
honors.-Ne17 York World