St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-02-01

are the government OIL the COIlului-
| ity. One member of each body is
elected each year. The committee
is court Of appeal and last resort.
In these elections the women vote
on an equality with the men. The
trustees adjust all disputes, and the
aggrieved party can carry his case
to the committee if he feels that he
has not received justice. This has
been the form of government since
the death of the founder, in 1853.
Prior to that date he was almost an
autrocat, both in religious and sec
ular matters.
The society, as has been said, did
not start from Germany with the
intention of forming a commune, but
in the first few years of the col
ony in the valley there was so much
distress that individualism was
dropped and everything was held
in common. This grew into a GUS
tom, and the solidity of the peo-
pie prevented any return to the old
methods of living.It is now extreme
ly doubtful whether they ever Will
become individualists again. They
are content, and nothing is more
distasteful to the great majority or
the members of the society than
something bordering upon an in
novation. Besides, many of the mem
berS have had so little experience
in looking out for themselves that
they would probably suffer IL
thrown on their own resources, al
though the distribution of the prop
erty Of the society would give all
members a modest competency If
they were able to care for it prop
erly.
The religious doctrines Of these pc
culiar people, who have thus di-
vorced themselves from the thought
and progress of the age, and been
content to become a narrowing eddy
in the river of time, are not elabor-
ate. They were apparently formu-
lated in Germany, and the most that
the present members of the So
ciety know of them is that they
were defended by Baumeler. and are
to be found in his discourses, which,
next to the Bible, and in some
things above that Book Of books,
are the foundation and superstruct-
ure alike of the religion OF these
Separatists. Briefly stated, they
believe in the Trinity, the fall of
/ Adam and original sin through him,
the salvation through Christ, the in
SEPARATION of the Scriptures as the
rule of life and the measure of
truth, the abolition of all ceremony,
the abolition of all SectiOnaliSm and
forms in religion, marriage by con-
sent before witnesses, without the
intervention of preacher or priest;
complete Virginity more commenda-
complete virginity more commend
able than the marriage state,
separate schools than those main
tanned by the public, the abolition
of war and the employment of afbi-
tration. In addition to this, they
hold themselves faithful to the
state, and thoroughly respectful to
acknowledged authority.
Joseph Baumeler, when the So
ciety first started here, formulated
rules which prohibited marriag e, but
this view was repudiated about ten
years later,or between 1928 and 1880,
when Baumeler himself took a wife.
Since then marriage has been by
contract under the laws of the state.
The sexes are separated as much as
possible in the life of the society.
They sit on separate sides of the
church when the trustees hold
services, or read from the dis
courses of Baumeler, who is the
prophet of the society. They live,
in the main, each sex by itself, and
the social relations, as the rest of
the world knows them, are terra in
cOgnita to these supplemented folk.
This plan of life, for the most part,
has resulted well from the physical
point of view. Health and strength
are evident among all the members
of the society. But it has not pro-
duced any Of the finer feeling which
was in the main lacking when the
colony Of German peasants was
founded. In a word, the existence
, of these people is that of good,
healthy animals, with almost a
minimum of all that we prize as
civilization.
Every child born in the ccmmun-
ity is under the absolute control of
the society until it's majority is
reached, when it is given the choice
of becoming a member Of the society
or not, as it prefers. The stranger
who seeks admission is made to
serve a novitiate of a year, and in
doubtful cases a longer period, and
must then sign the constitution, in
which is embodied the religious
principle. The convert must also
sign a covenant to give to the So
ciety all his property and all he
may inherit Very few members
join, however, and they for the most
part have little or no property.