The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1897-04-30
LABOR PkubLEM bULV Lu.
A Socialist Community That Dwells
in Harmony.
Success of an Interesting Colony In
Central Tennesscc-Each Mem
bcr Receives the Same
Wages, Sick or Well.

About so miles, due west of Nashville,
where the mountains which make the
eastern part of Tennessee. so wild have
not yet subsidized into the wide, fertile
valley of the Mississippi, but where the
land is still varied by hills and fertile
valleys, and cut by many streams, lies
the forlorn little town of Tennessee
City. It is legally a city, having been
properly incorporated while under the
influence of a boom which was assidu-
ously blown up by a Chicago syndicate,
but which has now completely fattened
out.
Five miles due north from this
pompously named absurdity lies Rus
kin, thriving community of some 200
souls.
Of these two places it is the village
that is the prosperous community.
Ruskin is a successful socialistic colony,
and probably the most interesting on
the continent. Its people are persons
of high ideals, who seek to carry out in
actual life the dreams of their philos-
ophy. They could be more prosperous.
They are happy and contented.
Every member of this association
shall surrender his natural freedom
which leads him to disregard the rights
of others, for the sake of civil or social
freedom which, being based upon the
principles of right and justice, has re-
gard for his rights and the rights of all."
That is the corner stone of the COM
munity. Each member is an equal
stockholder in the association. and all
share exactly alike. Every member is
guaranteed employment by all. A days
labor is fixed at nine hours. Every
member receives exactly the same
compensation for his work, no matter
what it is; if sick, his pay goes on just
the same.
There is no interference with indi-
vidual tastes or private, religious or do
mestic affairs. The association owns all
,and and means of production and dis
tribution, and owns all buildings, but
each member owns his own household
furniture and clothing. Members have
scperate houses, but there is a common
kitchen and dining hall. Some of the
best laundry machinery has been put
in, and will soon be put into operation.
Schooling, medicine. and medical at
tendance are furnished free, and there
is good school and kindergarten going,
with 25 or so children.
The people in this little ideal world
are nearly all Americans. There are
few Germans. They come from all over
the union, but there are few if anv from
the south. Ohio and PENNSYLVANIA fur
nlsh the largest quota. Very few come
from farms and those who do have lived
at least for a few years in cities, so that
it can be said to be wholly a city com
munity.
There is no church or minister in the
place and no official religious services.
Ii anyone wished to start el;gious serv-
ices there would be no objection, but I
doubt it it would be possible to getthem
officially recognized by the association.
Some OF the members are pronounced
free thinkers. Almost all of them are
bitter against church organizations as
not doing their duty, but all of them ad-
mlre Jesus Christ and many are deeply
religious. The animating spirit of the
coiony is distinctively altruistic.
Imagine community without police
or sheriffs. Such place is Ruskin.
There are no officials save that onemem-
ber is notary public and another post
master. There is no immortality. no
thieving, no drunkenness. They do not
keep or sell liquors.
The principal business of the com
munity is the publishing of a socialistic
weekly paper. This paper accepts no
advertisements and prints no news. but
1t has an outside circulation of $4,000
copies, and on one occasion sold an edi-
ton of 100000. They also publish te-
legraphers' journal that has consider
able circulation, and issue yearly a
number of books, chiefly on socialistic
topics. The authors and editors are all
members OF the community, and receive
for their literary labor precisely the
same wages as woodchoppers and farm
ers and stablemen
There are four known caves on their
lands, and probably more, as this is the
cave region. The one in the bluff back
of the mill has very imposing entrance.
. 1t is As feet high, 60 feet wide and ex-
tends back 200 feet or more. At oro
side of it a spring, or, ia her, subterra-
mean stream, comes out of the rock at
the rate of 70 gallons r. ute
Half mile down tho valley is the
stalactite cave. IT, IS has been