Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-01-29
THE SHALEM COLONY
One Of the Strangest Sights to
Be Seen in Southern New
Mexico.
LOCATED NEAR LAS CRUCES
Interesting Account of the Founding Of
the Colony Religious Beliefs, Aspira-
tions and Peculiarities Of the
Colonists.


| Permit me to say to the readers OF the
New MEXICAN that one of the strangest
sights to be seen in southern New Mex
leo is the Shalem colony at Dona Ana.
six miles north of Las Cruces. 1t is a
spritualist and vegetarian colony,
founded about 1884 by Dr.. J. B. New
brough, New York dentist. He was
an ardent spiritualist and medium and
esta blished the colony in obedience to
supposed directions from the spirits.
The sacred book of the Shalemtes is
called Oahspe, a new bible. 1t is an i'm
mense volume of about 900 pages and
contains many strange things. 1t is
claimed to have been written by DR..
Newbrough on typewriter, while di-
rected by spiritual influence and without
his knowledge of what hewrote. He was
nearly a year employed in the work and
was forbidden to read it until completed
1t purports to be a history of the crea-
| tion and of the heavens and the earth
down to the present time.
According to it the earth is 10000
years old and it is 24000 years since the
delugc, which submerged the continent
of Pan. where the Pacific ocean now
lies. They believe in supreme being.
called Jehovah. creator of the universe,
and a multitude of inferior spirits called
lords and lordgods and number of
false gods. Meat and fish are strictly
forbidden. The name, Oahspe, they
claim, means earth, air and sky, and
comes from a language spoken before the
flood
The location of the colony in New
Mexico was the result of instructions
received from the spirit world. The OBJ
ject is to gather in homeless children
and raise them in their way and thus re-
generate the world At present there
are 25, including negro boy. They re-
ceive but two meals day and no meat.
Since the death of DR.. Newbrough, in
1890, the colony has been managed by
Mr.. A. M. Rowland. He is very pleas
ant old gentleman about 60 years old.
His costume is quite unique, consisting
in summer of nothing but pair Of loose
white linen trousers and sleeveless
jacket of the same material, with blue
sash around the waist. In winter he
sometimes adds shoes and thick blue
blouse. but, in spite of the great heat
of the New Mexican simmer sun or the
chilly blasts of winter, he never wears a
hat of any kind except when coming to
town.
The colony is situated on tract of
about 200 acres of the best farming
land lying in a bend of the Rio Grande.
This is to be given to the children when
they become old enough and to be run
on the cooperative plan. as the colon
lists are sOcialistic and oppose the COM
pettive system now in vogue.
There are a number of buildings on
the place, the chief Of which are the
Fraternum and the Children's building.
The latter is of red brick and contains a
large hall, kitchen, dining rooms and
bedrooms for the children. A kinder
garten is conducted for the youngest
ones while the elders are Taught various
trades
Another building is devoted to shops
for repairing the wagons and farm Inn
plements.
The Fraternum building is for the |
adults, but is now unoccupied as there are |
very few of these at the colony. 1t is an
adobe building built around a patio. In
this house is the parlor. Here are a num-
Der of pictures by DR.. Newbrough. Most
of them represent historical characters
such as Socrates, Xerxes, and Pharaoh,
while others show types of different
races, and one is the Happy Hunting
Ground.
Mr. Rowland is certainly man OF
sound business judgment and an en-
thusiast in his work Of providing home
for the children. He has spent goodly
fortune in improvements and buildings.
A great deal of land is cultivated and Is
yielding WELL Unlike the other Mesilla
valley farmers, Mr.. Rowland does not
use the river water for irrigation, but
depends entirely upon system of wells
with windmills. In this way he is en-
abled to carry on his work regardless of
the condition OF the river.
Seven windmills are erected near the
houses to supply water for domestic use.
Mr.. Rowland has also number of
fine milch cows and cattle.
At Levtica, just north of Shalem, Is
large reservoir supplied by we'll with
windmill attached for irrigation pur-
poses.
Levitica is colony laid out for fami-
lies desiring to join the community.
Here are number Of small adobe ,
houses with "a small patch of land around
each for cultivation. They are ranged
on either side Of single street. A few
families have located there from time to
time, but usually have remained but a
short time. An excellent store is kept
here.
The colony employs number Of
laborers, thus proving itself great bless
ing to the native laborers of Dona Ana.
BY his system of irrigation wells. Mr..
Rowland has set an example that might
possibly be followed with profit by 9th
ers The colony is we'll worth visit
from tourists. Mr.. Rowland is always
pleasant, courteous and obliging to all.