The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-10-02

New York where as she says, there will
90 horses, but no side saddles My girls
VIII ride astride."
sex, of course, has played prominent
part In the spread anu character Of 5he
MORMON settlement. and it figures fire.
quently IN the career Of 'snort-lived
villages where unpleasantly whimsical
ldea as 10 the institution of marriage
have been entertained. Chincoteague
Island. which lies in the jurisdiction OF
Virginia, and Cocavit, Mexico, have been
the theatre Tor experiment. with this
Institution, while the ancient custom of
tribal rather than individual marriage
was Dracticed in the Oneida community
until less than score CT years ago.
or among some 20 Americans com.
munities of seotarian or socialistic origin
which have come into view, the first place
must be warded TO the Society of the
Sbarkers. because they were both the
pioneers ana the best stayers: because
tne'r success was largely the incentive
To future immigrant colonies from tho
continental countries, ana because they
have achieved perlnanenoy, prosperity and
respect II little admiration. Originating
in a "sport," as the botanists would
say. of the Quaker society in England.
they came 20 this country in l17i and
their first settlement was at Watervilet,
where their " semi-gyrations" won GER
Scin following among. the ignorant and
gloomily ascetic. For the Scriptural
warrant for the bodily exercise ana
shuttle dances, which they affected, they
had the passage: II will shake all ma
tions," Hence. the name. Today they
have nearly score of communities in
New England, New York and tho West
with about 2000 members, and 81. 600
acres Of lard. They are ceiibnte, spirit
ualistic, consistently cominunlstic. main
tanning their mum beIs by adoption, and
interesting only in their solemn dancefs
Their life is an echo, but very faint
one. OF the life of the early Christian
Church.
GERMAN IDEALISTS
Nearly all the other religious settle
ments have been planted Dy Germans.
The Harmonists followed Father Rapp out
of the kingdom Of Wurtein burg in lS0,
and founded the town of Economy in
1926, With possessions Of tetween
s., 0O0 600 and So, 600. 0C0 divided among
little over one hundred people, they are
contentedly awaiting the second comma
of Christ. The Separatists from the
settled in the Tuscarawas valley in 1916,
ana founded the Ohio community
of Xoar
They own Z, 900 acres with other prop
erty to the amonnt of more than a mil
lion of dollars, the nucleus of which was
contributed bv the English Quakers and
swel,ed by The labor of the young meu on
neigh boring canal. The earliest re
ligious settlement at Ephrate, Pa. was
of German origin. The AmUnl COM
munijy OF Iowa, which was known rs tho
Ebenezer Colony before IL followed
Christian Metz To that State had already
psen in existence in Germany TOR "A cen
tury. The Oneida community was an
outgrowth of tho Finney revivals ana
came to New York from Vermont about
fifty years ago. Its mem bershiD is be-
tween 800 aud 400, and its property
amounts to the better part of a million.
Tho women formerly wore short hair,
jackets and trousers.
Robert Owen, the EuglishmaD, was
the pioneer II the socialistic colony in
this country. The movement which he
started eliminated in 1896 with the
formation OF eleven communities in tire
middle West. They disappeared rs
quickly as they came, and 10 was twenty
years later before the teachings of Four
Ter and the urenchngs Of Greeley ana
Brisbane started second and larger. but
no less transient imDulse among Amer
lean populations. Vrero have boon occa-
sonal efforts to iuaugunte another gen
eral movement. but little has come of
them. A colony of Australians in Para
quay has abandoned communal effort
and disbanded after three years CT trial.
Two wears ago party OF Kansas popu-
lists. located in the San NJ guel Valley,
In the arid region OF Colorado. The prob
lem of irrigation practically cleaned tncm
ont There is ~ modern Brook Farm Of
Christian Socialists Mt SummcrbrOok,
among the Adlrondacks, but is il rather
summer colony of well do people
than "a serious effort NJ putting n theory
into practice. Tho cooperative settlement
at Handsboro. Miss, has not had a pros
purous cnreer That tho time is past i'm
this country for ary large social expert
mont il evident from the Indifferent pub
lilo reception TO the announcom ants of "A
projected labor Utopia inado 10y trades
union leader and sectarian farmsteads by
a national sium worker.
&. B. FIRESIONE.