The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-07-17
UTOPIAN EXPERIMENTS.

For a time the public heard a good deal
about the formation of Bellamy societies
and Bellamy settlements in various parts
of the country. mostly in the far West,
where climatic conditions simplify living to
some extent A company of people, fired
with enthusiasm by the pleasing pictures
in Looking Backward would decide to
join their fortunes and undertake to live
the ideal community life in which individual
effort and progress were subordinated to the
common welfare. Such societies started
out with considerable flourish of trumpets,
but when they disbanded, as most of them
seem to have DONE one after another, il
has been in a quiet way as if the members
shrank from advertising the failure of
their schemes. But these failures do not
deter others from following in similar lines
There have always been, and always will
be. people who are ready to try social ex-
periments with the hope of improving the
conditions which have been brought about by
the natural development of civilization. His
tory is full of attempts to establish utopias.
So far they have been failures. but this
circumstance does not deter other visionar-
les from trying to hasten the general mill
lennium by organizing what they hope will
be earthly paradises on a small scale. The
Bellamy ventures proved unsatisfactory,
but the Howells "Altrurian idea, being
newer and somewhat different, is taken up
by a new set of dreamers, and an altrurian
colony organized. This colony, too. will es-
tablsh itself in California, and elaborate
plans are laid down for it's management
Like those of the Bellamyites, these plans
are based on the nationalist system.
Summed up, the regulations are as fol-
lows:
The Grand Council will manage the COM
munity, in which there will be no private
ownership of land. The government will
for the, people: There win be an equal
more than ten hours day. The Grand
Council will also grade the work as it
may think best. For instance, two hours
to ten hours of light work. If member
does not obey the rules he will be regular
victed he will be dismissed from the COM
munity. No one will be allowed to hire
labor, and money will not be used. Ger
work, and these will be exchangeable at
the community store for what the indi-
vidual needs. If the store has not what
he wants gold will be given for the certif-
Gates, and he may purchase 1t outside.
All other outside business will be trans
acted by the community itself. Money re-
ceived from the outside apr goods sold will
be used to purchase machinery for manu-
featuring purposes and stock for the store.
Everything will be supplied to consumers
at actual cost price ;
The leaders in this enterprise, who are
represented as intelligent, and are I'M
doubtedly earnest, wel-meaning people,
will perhaps enjoy a conscientious pleasure
in practicing the altrurian idea after this
method. Their colony will in time go the
way of all the Others but perhaps it is
wrong to say that these undertakings are
wholly failures. Human nature is not
quite equal to the strain of an
enforced and continuous living for
others. but though the community
system falls to pieces, each effort to carry
out the divine injunction that every man
shall love his neighbor as himself adds an
impetus to the general tendency to good.
and may, therefore. be a benefit to the
world one way If not in another. AL
trurianism as practiced on the colony plan
may excite a smile. but as a principle of
action is not a theme for laughter: