The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-04-21
LABOR PROBLEM SOLVED.
A Socialist Community That Dweus
in harmony.
Success of an Interesting Colony IA
Central Tennessee-Each Menu
Der Receives the Same
Wages, Sick or Well.


| 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 hsttened
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 e 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 al equal
stakeholder 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
nestle affairs. The association owns al
land and means Of production and dis
tribution, and owns all buildings, but
each member owns his own household
furniture and clothing. Members have
seperate houses, but there is 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 IS or 80 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 any from
the south. Ohio and Pennsylvania fur.
rish the largest quota. Very few come
from farms and those who do have lived
at least for few years in cities, SO that
it can be said to be wholly city COM
munity.
There Is no church or minister in the
place and no official religious services.
II anyone wished to start religious serv-
ices there would be no objection, but
doubt if 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 adj
miro Jesus Christ and many are deeply
religious. The animating spirit of the
colony is distinctively altruistic.
Imagine a community without police
or sheriffs. Such a place is Ruskin
There are no officials save that onemem.
Der is notary public and another post |
master. There is no immortality, nc
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 nc
advertisements and prints no news, but |
1t has an outside circula ton Of $4,000 |
copies, and on one occasion sold an edi. |
ton of 100000. They also publish a te- |
legraphers' journal that has consider.
able circulation, and issue yearly a |
number of books. chiefly on soclalistic
topics. The authors and editors are all |
members OF the community. and receive
for their literary labor precisely the |
same wages as w6odchoppers and farm
ers and stablemen.
There are four known caves on theiI
lands, and probably more, as this is the
cave region. The one in the bluff back |
of the mill has a very imposing entrance
It is Is feet high, GO feet wide and ex.
tends back 200 feet or more. At one
side of it spring, or, rather, subterTa.
mean stream, comes out of the rock at
the rate OF 70 gallons minute
Half a mile down the valley Is the
stalactite cave. This. as far as has beer
explored, has no hall as largo as the
one in the other. but il has a number of
winding passages. widening out into
spacious apartments. and these are
lined and festooned and punctuated
with stalactites and stalagmites of all
shapes and forms and some very beau
tful crystalline formations. Il also has
a stream of water flowing through IL
and many unexplored passages, but il
the known part there are more stalac-
tites than in the whole Mammoth cave
Applicants for admission TO the asso-
citation are required to pass a stiff ex-
animation II socialism. None but adj
vanced socialists are permitted to Join
and the admission standard ie s-AaTi1v