The Washington times., 1901-07-29


In the last bi-monthly bulletin pub
iished by the Department of Labor Go
operative Communities in the Unite
States is the subject OF very interest
ing and instructive paper written by tn
Rev. Alexander Kent. Of this city. Tn
Oldest Of all these societies or organiza
tions. he writes, is the shakers. from
which numerous others have grown, hav
ing diversified opinions, varieties of aims
and different methods of striving to ac
complish their ends.
The cooperative communities in tn,
United States, SAYS DR.. Kent may b.
classified according to their aims rather
than their achievements. They are OF
three kinds: Communistic, sociaiistic
and partially cooperative The socialists
are these which aim at collective owner
ship of all the means of production, and
at equitable rather than equal dstribu-
ton They are averse to private capital
they are not averse to private property
opposed to all exploitation, they are not
opposed to private thrift. They would en-
courage industry and skill and discourage
laziness and inefiiciency
The communistic,' says DR.. Kent, ARE
those which aim at the widest possible
community of goods and which seek to
have both labor and income equally dis
tributed among the members. The par
TALLY cooperative communities are those
which favor collective ownership and ac-
tion in some things and individual owner
ship and action in others. but wish for
a larger degree of cooperation than is
yet enjoyed by the community at large.
In the practical workings of these com
munities however, the differences are
less pronounced. Sometimes the commu-
nistic in purpose are impelled, in the mat
ter OF distribution, to become socialistic
in practice, while economic considerations
often lead those socialistically inclined to
more and more of communistic living.
Thus the Zoarites, who at first were
not even socialistic in their aims. but
merely desired more Christianized in
dividualism. found themselves unable to
make any adequate ision for the
older and weaker aKaCI.s them, except by
turning all private possessions into a
common fund for the equal benefit of all.
On the other hand, the Shakers, who
started out as communists, in the
widest sense of the word, so far as prop
erty is concerned, soon restricted the ap-
plication of the community principle with
in the limits of the family life Thus the
New Lebanon society has four families,
or communes dt formerly had seven).
each of which has its independent COM
munity or family life. Some of the more
recent communities have considerably
changed their original plans, so that we
have in the same community different
aims at different times. These and other
considerations render any exact classi-
fcation out Of the question.
When the work of Nordhoff was pub
lished in 1875 the total number of COM
munistic societies was eleven, counting of |
course, the eighteen Shaker societies,
which included fifty-eight communes, as
one. Three of these. however. Mr.. Nord- !
hon did not rank as entitled TO a place |
among the successful communities, so |
that he counted only eight societies, COM |
prising not less than seventy-two COM |
munes These contained about 5000 per- |
sons, including children. They held some |
10000 acres of land. and their wealth,
Mr.. Nordhof estimated was not less /
than $40 .0o0. This would have given
If equally divided, more than s2,O0O to
each man, woman, and child. When Mr.
Kinds wrote in 1873. three of the COM
munities mentioned by Mr.. Nordhoff had
already lapsed, viz. the Bishop Hill Colony,
the Cedar Vale Community, and the
naming were Economy Zoar, Bethel,
Aurora, Amana, Icaria, Oneida, and Wal
ingford, the Shakers, and the Brother
hood of the New Life. The last named.
however. was not included in Mr. Nord-
aof's list and cannot properly be classed
Is even cooperative. OF all these, only
he Shakers. the AInana Society. and a
mere fragment of the Economists remain
Three of the Shaker societies and twenty
wo of the families or communes, have
llso passed away.
OF all societies in this country ranked |
Is communistic, Shaker societies are the
'ldest, best organized, and, financially
speaking. the most prosperous. Shakers
'eport at present seventeen societies,
cattered through nine States Two. !
Mount Lebanon and Watervliet, are in |
lew York; three, Hancock, Harvard, and
Shirley. In Massachusetts: one, Enfield, +,
n Connecticut; two, Canterbury and En- 1
leld. in New Hampshire; two. Alfred and {
Sew Gloucester. in Maine: three, Union |
Village, Whitewater, and Watervliet, IN
jhio; two Pleasanthill and South Union. ,
n Kentucky; one. Whiteoak. in Georgia:
nd one. Narcoossee, in Florida 1t is
ardly. proper, however. to count the two ;
asst mentioned, as they have recently j
een organized by members of Northern !
ocieties with view OF transferring the !
'hole body TO a more congenlal cline,
There they hope to be able to live more c
heaply and support themselves without (
he employment of hired labor They )
esire TO sell their property in Mount Leb- r
non, y. Y, or much of it, at least. and +
uild up their home in the South with the !
roceeds. Two OF the old societies, Grove
! M and Canaan in Neuy Xnrl. l,a,,. alta /
ut h
.'The Shakers trace their origin to the I
amisards, or French prophets. who fig
red in the early part of the eighteenth | !
entury. The movement Of which these il
eople were the centre spread rapidly to }
ther countries. and notably in England. ?
ONE Friends. or Quakers. came under +
heir influence and organized a society of +
hich James and Jane Wardley, very L
evout couple, were the leaders So vio- ,
mt were the agitations and tremblings \
hich seized these people during their h
eetings that they came to be called the | s
shaking Quakers,' and later Shakers
Ann Lee and her parents were among | I.
nose who were drawn into the society | \
er father was blacksmith, as was the IL
an Stanley, whom she subsequently mar ~
ed. and 10 whom she bore four children q
u Of whom died In infancy. II is worth S
hiie to note here as having some bear IL
*. perhaps. on the loss of the children ! =
nd on the view OF marriage, which she ..
fterward made central In her religious
Tstem, that she is said to have | el
I'd from childhood a strong repugnance =
the married state, and only consented | +
enter into II at the urgent and per- o
stent solicitation of her friends. Il