The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-14

rectorate. After experience with this |
plan he found it a failure; individual
ism was everywhere creeping in. He |
demanded that the elected directorate |
be abolished and that he be vested with |
power to appoint directors. But he |
was defeated, the rising tide of indi- |
vidualistlc ideas beat ever harder and |
more fiercely upon the little islet OF
communism; every year the instinct OF
human selfishness more and more over
came the sentiment of devotion to pure |
principle that had characterized the pa
triarchs of Icaria At last a schism
came; CADET and his minority of fol- |
lowers withdrew and established an /
other colony at Cheltenham, Mo-, few
miles from st. Louis. 1t lasted only a |
few years and dissolved.
Two or three years before this schism, /
CADET, realizing that his social order
could never be maintained in the midst |
of great community, inspired by what
he considered the selfshneSS of indi- /
vidualism, had concluded that he must
transplant his cnmmunistic seed to
some new region far beyond the con-
fines of civilization; and, fondly believ-
ing that civilization would not pene-
trate far beyond the Mississippi for
generations to come, he sent agents
to western Iowa seeking a location.
They came to Adams county, and
three miles east of what is now the
town of Corning found the ideal tract,
1900 acres of rich land in county al
most utterly uninhabited. CADET came
out, examined the situation, and or
dered the land pre-empted and pur-
chased. This was in 1853 The first
case on the court docket of Adams
county is record of matters concern
ing this community made in 1853. The
new community grew fast and pros
pered; after the division of the Nauvoo
community, 1t grew still more rapidly,
But the troubles of the Nauvoo society
involved the Iowa branch. A mortgage
was given on the 1000 acres in Adams
county to William Shepherd of st.
Louis. In time it was foreclosed.
Shepherd was friendly to the colony,
and suffered it to occupy the land. In
1859 an arrangement was made where
by the community bought back 1000
acres from him. Before doing this,
there had been a strong movement in
favor of removal to California. The
wise old men viewed with despair the
advance of American civilization, with
its distracting individualistic notions,
and foresaw that the experience of
Nauvoo would be repeated. They want
ed to remove to the heart of the I'M
known west, as the Mormons had done.
But already the younger element was
IN control. By a majority of one vote
in the great council of the colony the
proposition to remove to California was
rejected. The community enjoyed sew
eraI years of comparative prosperity
and growth after this decision. The
people were devoted to agriculture.
They introduced the French methods
of grape culture, and the wonderful
success in grape growing on southwest
Iowa to this day is traced in large
part TO their influence They lived in
M ,fc.fi,a e,+-,
tans of old, they dined from a common
( table; the community was charged to
a large extent with the proper raising
+. and education of the children. All
property was owned by the community
and partitioned in accordance with the
requirements of the individual, the
community always reserving store for
the common safety. At this period in
its history the colony seemed destined
to success; indeed. it may be fairly said
that it was a success, if not in a ma
terlal way, at least in the respect of
promoting the happiness of it's people,
safeguarding them against poverty, as
surfing fair education to the young, and
removing much of the temptation of
selfishness and injustice. DO unto
others as We would that others should
do unto you the golden rule of the
Savior was the fundarnent of Etienne
Cadets theory of life, and he applied it
so far as possible in the rule of his
communities. i.-
But once more the delicate plant that
must draw its nourishment from such
| intangible sources as belief in the alb
/ straction Of human equality, or deep
| seated conviction that ones neighbor
/ is as good as ones self found its roots
/ crowded and starved in the soil of
I selhshness and ambition and individu-
! alism. The younger IcarianS looked
| around them and saw that while they
! had but an indefinite and indiVisible
stake in their community, there were
| men among their neighbors who, with
seemingly less work and toll and effort
than they were required to put forth.
in few years came1 to own lands as
extensive as all the estate of Icaria.
! They longed for the freedom of compe-
/ tition and individual effort and indi-
! vidual merit. Each was jealous of the
| other, for each felt that he was con-
! tributing a larger share of labor than
was compensated by fthe proportion of
! the whole product which came to him.
And so, in 1885. there was another di-
/ vision; the lands were divided and the
community partitioned off. After this
| there was the Old Icarian community
! and the New 1carian community The
| members of the new community had
! desired to admit all who might apply
to the advantages of membership in the
community Failing to carry their
| point, they brought action at law to
set aside and invalidate the charter of
the settlement. In this they succeeded
and then came the division. The new
! community did not incorporate for the
! experiences with charters had not been
satisfactory. After a year or two the
old community disbanded and divided
the property among the surviving
members; the New Icaria flourished for
a number of years yet. But it could not
Withstand the disintegrating influences
from without. Trouble arose disagree
ments which could not be settled; the
younger and more capable members
withdrew, and at last, on Feb. 16 1895.
application was made for the appoint
ment of a receiver. Eugene f. Bettan-
nier was named, and to him was turned
/ over about 1000 acres of land and
other property, aggregating about $780,
000 in value.
Since that time Mr. Bettannier has
disposed of the property divided the
proceeds in accordance with the orders
4 of the court and, finally, month ago,
! filed his statement showing the dispo-
sition of everything. Mr.. Bettannier
was himself member of the communi-
ty Still comparatively young man,
he remembers seeing Etiennne CADET,
and still regards him with a sentiment
of reverential affection. ut was not
a failure" declares Mr.. Bettannier; cit
is right in principle, and it will be rec
ognized some day as the only right
social order
In Chrysanthemumiam.
CIV. j. Hampton in New York Sum-
Say there,
! You rosybuds
And lilypods
/ And sweet peaSe