The herald., 1895-07-16
THE PHILOSOPHER 1HALES
Expounds the Gospel OF
the Faithists
EVAP0RATED PEACHES rs A DIET
The Fountain Head of Spiritual
Life
IT CENTERS IN THE COLONY
And Is Destined to Overflow the
World
According to the ideas Of the Great aud
Wise Leader
A Story That Reveals the Avowed Purposes
~ tha palftists Tho Renotter's
The Fountain Head Of Spiritual
Life
IT CENTERS IN THE COLONY
And Is Destined to Overt flow the
World
According to the ideas Of the Great aud
Wise Leader
Story That Reveals the Avowed Purposes
Of the FAlthlsts The Reporters
Adventure at Midnight.
Continued Story

(The story following is a continuation
OF Herald reporters experience among
the members of a sect called tho Faithists,
located in the Santa Ana valley. The clan
is somewhat questionable in its mode Of
living. and The Herald man was sent to
root out and expose the vice that per-
meates the colony. according to the i'm
mediate neighoors. The success OF the
undertaking may best be judged after
reading the entire narrative.
1t was commenced In the Sunday
edition of The Herald and has bsen con-
tinued through two issues. Today's story
is an account Of an interview with lead
ing Faithist by Harry A. Warren. As an
expose of a peculiar people it will prove
interesting to the reader, be he hnoralist
or phiIosopher.)
Locwkood, or "Philosopher Thales, I"
ss he is designated by the initiated. was
found by myself ana Hinde in a shed ad-
joining the house and was engaged in
packing evaporated peaches for tthe mar
ket. He was a tail, thin man, whose
apparel fitted him soomwhat after the
manner Of a blanket on a clothes horse.
He wore a peculiarly shaped white hat
and little bunch OF whiskers on his
chin. He also was very plessed to see me.
half dollars and few keys 1 had in my
pocket, proceeded to make q convert of
me.
"You have been led here by your guar
dian spirit my young friend. he said,
ignoring the -Glain~-for recognition pos.
sessed by The Herald office. "and 1 shall
be very glad to afford yOu any help
within my power" [ promptly evinced
my thirst for knowledge of a communis-
tic nature. and wound up with an is
there still a balm in Gilead sort OF query
regarding the spirit world.
eyes," said he. 'it is possible to de-
liver you from the carnal world. Every
body is possessed of three natures or
spheres. The spiritual OF soul.sphere,
the carnal sphere ana the true self-sphere
or indwelling spark of the great spirit.
Each Of these is strong with you mo-
mentarily, and every action is the evil
dence of the supremacy Of one or the
other OF these spheres. Poor man, see
how it is with you, you are not at all
satisfied with yourself Wasn't l
though? Could he have only seer, the
large smile Of satisfaction that played up
and down the interior of my coat sleeve.
he would, perhaps, have been a little less
sure OF this statement.
''But you have come to the right place
to secure a correct starting point" he
continued. land if you can only adapt
yourself to the right conditions all will yet
be WE'LL" He then went on in RAM
bling way about spirits and demons, who.
be claimed, filled the atmosphere about
me. None of them were bottled, how
ever, and felt reason ably safe in the pre-.
sumption that he was not suffering from
an attack OF delirium tremens. "Philo-
sopher" Thales then spoke of the diet
partaken of by those residing in the col
ony. II eat nothing but FRUIT he said,
"and that must be fresh from tho tree.
We do not pluck it save when we desire
to eat of it, because after it has been off
the tree for some time it becomes dead
and unfit for food. This you may think
strange but it is our mode of living. and
there are many who would be glad to
adopt it ii we would permit them to join
US.
Why, we have requests from numbers
Of people who desire to lead communal
life, but have to deny them. II we per-
mitted everyone to come to us they would
eat us all up" Thales scarcely looked like
spring chicken, though. and it would
probably be a large contract for anyone
desirous OF making luncheon OF him.
"We are all equal here, was one of his
most recurrent remarks. and was forced
to accept it as a truthful one, although
could discern no bloomers and the pre-
cepts of the New Woman were not heard
n the land. He delivered hi mseIf of a
adapted from the works of Henry George
or some of the disciples Of the W. T.
Stead school. Intellectually lie appeared
to be smart man--a very smart man
but when he reads this edition of The
Herald he will be just that much wiser
froam the experience.
On leaving the colony / was allowed,
after some discussion. to take with me a
nicely bound volume cont aiming many of
the precepts adhered to by the Faithists.
1t was called Oahspe, and is certainly one
uf the strangest aggregation OF words and
phrases eyer accumulated by. Q, religious
fanatic. Some of its more striking pas
sAges will appear in q later article.
Bidding the colonsts an affectionate
farewell parted with them and set off
with the intention OF telsphoning to Los
Angeles foi further instructions from my
Chief. But after dusty walk to the
rlaoentia postotfice l discovered that
there was no nearer medium OF commu-
nication. than the Fullerton telegraph
office. Several maidens were congregated
on the back porch of the office. and in
quired OF them if there was any way of
getting to Fullerton except by walking.
lhev smilingly assured me that there was
none, and ons of them, with coquettish
air; volunteered the information that
waking In the sun was good for people.
! failed to see the point that must have
existed in this trsnchant remark, and
5tnIteu aIoot I0r the promised land OF
Fullerton. After some minutes walk
was invited to ride by gentleman going
in the same direction, and soon arrived
at my destination.
At Fullerton regretted that had not
been unable to get an inside view of the
Faithists sleeping quarters, as I thought
that might throw some light on their
moral status. Finally resolved to re-
snrn 70 fiacentla after nightfoll and on
eoavor TO supply the missing link in the