The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-08-03

In lSiS John Humphrey Noycs, ac-
,ompanicd by about forty New Eng
land farmers and mechanics, with their
families. founded the community, hav-
ing been influenced to do so by rclig-
iuus motives Their reading of the
Bible had led them tn believe that the
true basis of social life was COM
munty Of interests and property.
They put their purses together. formed
one large family. ate at ON" table,
worked for the common welfare ana
rrospcred at least physically ANA spr-
ituaily If not always financially for 80
years
Their first work was agricultural
Wh"ir location was we'll suited to the
cultivation Of fruit and they brought
forth many new varieties that added
materially 10 the range aud profitable
ness of horticulture in general; nut in
thus" carly days markets were far off
and they lost $4,000 before they de-
cil"d "a go into enterprises whose
rIoducts could withstand the delays of
transportation or be held in stock to
III tn" requirements of commerce. How
this chang" in the trend of tn" COM
munity's activities came about is thus
told in TIA" pamphlet aforementioned:
"Thrrr happened To be rude black
! smiths forge on the community lana,
! ANA SrWall NrWhouSo. one of its menu
bCrs. a trapper and hunter by instinct
! ANA Il man of fine mechanical skill. was
! accustomed To hammer out rude steel
| traps at this forge for catching the
| wild game which was plenty in the
| surrounding woods and streams. These
| traps, ii was soon noticed, had a re-
| lcntless grip ANA held whatever came
| into their jaws. 81 that the ncighbOring
| Indians and farmers boys began to beg
ur barter with Mr.. NrWhouse to fur
| miSh them with the products of his
| skill From this small beginning the
| fame of the Ncwhouse trap spread to
| the sturrkeepcrs i'm the nearby villages,
and at last. after much experience Of
| hardship ana poverty, the community
| perceived that ii possessed, in trap
making. the seed Of u great manufac-
| turing industry. More forGes were
made, the young men of the commun-
ity w"r" taught trap-making by Mr.
| N"whuus". ana, finally, IT was decided
| I" send an agent To Detroit with n
| trunk fun of traps. This was Il grea I
! Undertaking fifty years ago. and the
| man who took them started off with
| many misgivngs. l|ut the traps sold
as soon as shown. SO that the agent
| returned with an empty trunk and q
pocket fun of orders This was fol-
| lowed by AN unexpected letter from
| th" Hudson Bay company. containing
AN order the size of which gave the
| community a long remembered thrill
| IN the SpaC" of a few years the COM
munty. from laboriOusly hammering
ont few traps of single size by
! mana at IA forge, was making seven
sizes of machinery. by the thousand
dozen. ana shipping them to all the
frontiers of America"
| During the first fifteen years of th,
rummunity's existence no outside heIp.
| "rS Wrr, hired, tn" members perform.
ing all their own work. Thcre was ar
elective board which every srrlng as.
signed each member to his years task
one man working at fruit growing one
year and perhaps at trar-making, q,
some uther' vacation the next, the
tastes of each being, so far as possible
consulted ana respected. "Thcse Years
in which the men and women of Tho
community did all their work We're.
says the pamphlet, "the most interest.
ng, as they were also the happest, IN
their history. Amid their toll, they
cultivated music, both vocal and in.
sumn"ntal, with astonishing enthuSi.
assn, and "A fine Stringcd orchestra OF
Twenty-Five members, which PLAYED
classical music, and sweet singers. both
male ami female, did much to lighter
the life of labor. The orchestra always
played for half an hour at noon, an,
these entertainments, with the dali,
evening meetings in which the papers
and correspondence were read aloud bN
a good reader and every occurrence
which was OF general family interest
reported, made "a day of far more thar
common interest" Another interestinl
! communal feature was the periodica
coming together for mutual criticism
when each member would be told bN
the others with perfect Candor and hea,
in silence OF faults or shortcomings OBJ
served in him by them, furnishing a.
1t were, a school of character training
This criticism was uttered mostly IN
kindness and taken in good part.
But as the demand for the Commun
itys products grew, labor was EN-
ployed in continually increasing mum
bers, products We're diversified anC
gradually the communstic features
gave place to an industrial basis Will
the original members more nearly rep
resenting stockholders in a great cor
poration. In 1850 the community was
in fact, incorporated as a Joint stool
company, with capital of 100000
which was divided among its numbers
men and women alike. in the proper
! tion Of the number Of years servic,