The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1893-03-24
TWO "RELIGIONs" AND THEIR
AUTHOK'S.

Ancestry and Family His Experience 9
Putnev.-An Account of His Religion an
System.
This county has produced two Vermonter
OF whom we don't brag much. One wa
Brigham Young who was born in Whiting
ham, less than half mile north OF the villag
and little beyond Judge Ballou's place. Onl
a cellar hole now remainc to mark the place
The REFoRMER will some time put into per
manent form what can be gathered up o
local facts about the great Norman whcl
Is very little rs the family, which was YER
poor. left there when Brigham was six year
old. he riding out OF town on an inverted tub
1t might be mentioned. parenthetlcaly, her
that joseph Smith, the founder of MOrmansm
was a native of Windsor county } The secon,
| OF this county's contributions to remarkable
religious srcts was BrattIeboro's In Johr
Humphrey Noyes, the founder of the Oneids
community, which also had its beginning II
Putney. The New York Press OF Sunday
which by the way IS about the best of Sun
day papers has long and interesting &C
count Of the Oneida business.
The Oneida Community, which John Hum.
phrey Moves founded as a religious body no "
exists as business organization. incorpora-
ted under the charter laws of New York state
| the very last uses to which Moves woui0 have
dreamed his sect of Perfectionists won Id have
been resolved into. Excellent man of aff,irs
as he proved himself to be as head of the
community, John Ii. Noyes was at heart a
religious dreamer. Believing In the celestial
bliss beyond the grave, he had formulated a
theory which should insure terrestrial happi-
ness on this side of IL. One of the chief bar.
riers to that boon he considered the marriage
estate TO be. A chief requisite 10 its attain.
ment and holding was the surrender and
avoidance of private property. He persuaded
Congregation tIsts, Presbyterians, Episcopa-
Hans, Methodists and Baptists (but never a
Roman CathoIic) to accept bis peculiar relIg-
ious tenets aud cast In their lot with that of
himself and his followers.
Moves had good ancestry and family
pride. His father was Congressm IN John
NOyes, native of -insop, N. H., a gradu-
ate OF Dartmouth, where he was later tutor.
instrucnng Daniel Webster's class, and to
whom the great Daniel afterward owned his
obligation, and who came to Brattleboro In
$500, after having prepared himself for the
ministry, and taught the Chesterfield, N. H.,
Academy for some years. He engaged here
or rather at the West village, In an extensive
mercantile business, with Gen Mann (the
grandfather Of Mrs Geo B McClellan)
served several terms In the leglsla-
ture, was In 1915 elected to congress
to represent the southern district of the state
and spent the later years of his life In retire
ment as farmer In Dummerstou and Put
ney. His wife was Polly. daughter of the |
first Rutherford Hayes. so that the late Gen
r. B. Hayes was the cousin of the Oneida |
John Humphrey was the Oldest |
son OF the congressman, and the oldest daugh-
er married Larkin Il. Mead, so that besides
being cousin of the president he was uncle of
he great sculptor.
John IL. Noyes was born In 1911 at Brat
leboro. bis parents being able to pay
he expenses of a collegiate education
or him. When, after graduating from
Dartmouth, he turned from the study OF the
d al n hAn l. nrrIn
becoming foreign missionary. While TAX
ng finishing course In the Yale Theological
chool, after having been at Anduver, be came
nder the influence of jealous revival
reacher, from whom he imbIbed new views
4 the way of salvation, which took the name
t Perfectionlsm. In 1884, upon leaving
,ale, he went to the home of his father, who
ad moved to Putney. and engaged In bank
ng. Here he began preaching and printing
D draw adherents to bis doctrines, and while
$ late as 1S47 bis local congregation mum.
cred only about 40 souls, he had by his pub
shed writings impressed considerable num-
err OF persons In other localities, whom he
ad further drawn to him by correspondence
Driven from Vermont.
1t was not until 1916 that his followers at
utney undertook, cautiously, the experiment
communal living. In very short time
he Vermonters who had not become converts
} the new doctrines resOrted TO methods de-
dedly forcible for Kidding the state of Noyes
nd his followers. They mobbed them out of
utney aud out OF Vermont. Upon leaving
he communists went to Oneida. in Madison
ounty. N. T., where, associated with others
like faith, they began community life
lew. From the outset Noyes was the rul-
g spirit in spiritual and essentially so In
mporal affairs of the community, and up to
Q owe turning of the social Irregularities by
ate legislation In 1879 he continued his
way. He wrote the leading articles that ap-
Jared In the Circular, their paper, which
as sent free to any who asked 10 receive 1t.
hat be taught. among other things, was
at 1.-THE second advent of Christ took place
the period of the destruction of jerusalem
at sat that time there was a primary res
rection and judgment In the spirit world'
at "the second and final resurrection and
dgment are near at hand" and that the
constituted "a church on earth
Sing to meet the approaching kingdom IN
e heavens, aud to become Its duplicate aid
Communism Even In Marriage.
Noyes held that the obligation to observe
e Sabbath passed away with the Jewish dis
nsatlon and that its observance is adverse
the advance Of man into new and true ar
He and his followers believed
"faith cure" for both physical and spiritual
ments. He taught that community OF goods
d of persons was commanded by Jesus
rlst. and that Jesus always stated it as q
cessary condition of men accepting his help
1t they should forsake all Others, and, par
ularly. that they should get rid Of their pri.
te property.
lie held communism to be 'Ethe social state
the resurrection and that the community
ITEM was by divine command extended to
rsons "a well as property. which to Noyes'
nd justified the extraordinary social system
fbs,h pnf ~ .f.y,a
marriage, or as he put it. complex mar
sc took the place of simple Reading the
lie, which he and his adberents termed the
,xt book of the spirit of truth" and given
much quoting from 1t, they yet had DO
aching, nor baptism, nor Lords supper.
r Sabbath observance, They did not pray
I'D and had no set forms of worship. Their a.,
siness meetings and chief entertainments w
re held on the Sabbath.
aging aside objections to bis social teach. cI,
=. II must be admitted that he led his CON- -
nifty up to temporal prosperity. better Ill
lned populace 10 the pursuits they followed pr
more honest and peaceabe one. has of
yer Inhabited any spot on earth. They on
re contented people, too, both sexes and "
ages. The sorry farm Of forty acres pur- an
sed by the Communists 10 1S4S grew, be. tel
e 1879, into property of about 700 acres. ,r,
III reference here to the Oneida Community
ties to the period when John II Noyes was SUI
NC and It's leader; when he was making a fc'
or for the community he founded and for f.,
lself. 1t was he who had Instituted the :,
tenn "Critic!sm" as one of the measures OF OIL
ernment and an ingenious measure 1t was. br
The Noyes System of Criticism. pa
Ir. Noyes himself wrote an account OF II ao
ch fully elreidates 1t. 1.-The measures" he 'st
3, "reled upon for good government In of
'e community families are first daily ev e. vic
meetings. which are expected to attend. ~
these meetings. religious, social and bus sta
. matters ar. freely dscus sed, and oppor- we