The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-13
IN The HOME COLONY
ro ,OyE BiREFOOT no DINNER
IyU TOOT 4 HORN ALL NIGHT,

sinclair OIHtssVutttb wv
some OF Their Troubles In Advance.
Gould an individual In the enjoyment OF
hs God given freedom Of initiative and the
added liberty conferred by membership in
A.. linton Sinclair's New York Home
~.lonv Association walk into the communal
,,ntng room in his hare feet? Would IL he
n,isance for such a one to fry onions In
,ha colony on a close night? Would he DO
,nhihited from turning loose Waiting at
,%s Church" on a gramophone at midnight?
Thsse were some OF the sands upon which
disc,,ssion stranded at a nice ing OF twenty
n.s member OF the colony held In the
west Flftv-seventh street T.. NJ. {. A. audi
,orium Yesterday afternoon.
The ,wenty-one gathered In q family
,;,cls in front OF the rostrum, with fifteen
sark outsiders and the reporters In the
lar IL was specifically announced by
VI Sinclair that the discussion was merely
rntormal, because 30 many Of the colony's
",ar,hers had gone on on Sunday bicycle
rides. ~
=. chairman. Mr.. Noyes announced h =
the brethren would proceed TO discuss.
o,,use nv clause, the tentative reports OF
tho committees on organization, labor n
,hs care of children. Rule No. 1. which
s,ates that the object OF the colony is to
simplify the domestic problem n that
srnon the physical side its ideal should be
,hs utmost economy consistent with beauty,
cleanliness and efficiency" passed without
discussion. Its obviousness was evident
even 70 the rank outsiders.
, r1.,pol r,,la No Q and Ira O0F0llarY
r,le No. :. The second commandment
debates that -in their intellectual. social
and spiritual life the members desire to be
let alone, " and the succeeding rule clamps
down the seal on individual liberty In these
s,ern words: while claiming absolute
liberty themselves, the members recognize
their obligations not to interfere with
others. The board of directors should have
power to prohibit nuisances.'
Mr.. Sinclair arose to elucidste the phi
losophv in The first Of the W foundation
stones Of the future colony. He said
NV idea is that our colony should be a
little town, not a group Of friends wherein
eyery one would feel it incumbent upon
himself to help entertain every n else.
There NAV be busy men. like myself, with
shrinking s~ensihilities who would want to
be left alone. They should be. Nobody
need attend card parties II he does not
want to-
But il we all meet In a common dining
room," suggested one Of the chosen. how
can We avoid cloae intimaoyf And sup.
posing one man didn't want to 60 TO the
dining room on a certain occasion. would
he have to skip that meal or oonld he have
1t sent to him?'
The doyen' OF the colony adjusted his
glasses and replied Ruardedly:
Well, of course We would meet Zach
other at table and We would have to AJAX
each other to pass the salt. And az to the
man who wants his meal In his home, that
question was raised in committee by ono
Of the members who wants his breakfast
at 10 o'clock in the morning. We decided
that he would have to pay the extra ex-
time, and he believed that be had better
ake his breakfast out of q chatting DISH
4 tall colonial, with high brow and square
chin, then opened the vexed question OF
PERSONAL privilege. upon which hung the
fundamental rights OF q member OF the
association. -.
This third rule says that thu. board OF
directors should be empowered 70 pass
upon what Is a nuisance and TO prohioit
tie m Surprising I feel it far more
sanitary to go about with my shoes n
stockings on, and ! u enter the d eihins ,S hSe% Z
am committing q n~uisancef ls II to Do felt
In tho hands Of five menf'
Instantly there wa confusion and the
buzz Of voices.
unsightly,' said one Of the brethren, leap
Inc 70 his feet exoitsdly, 4 for n believe
that you are not committing q n~uisance and
that you may como to the communal din
Ing room barefooted as much rs you like.
An individual with q heavy herman
accent swung his arms. Il believe said
be, that to have what Is a nuisance and
what Is not left in the hands Of q board
Of Eve men is arbitrary and tyrranous.
What il l want TO play o gramophone on
my front porch from oo'clock to midnight,
and maybe play the same tune all those
hours. can these i've men come around
because they don't like g~ramophonss'
A lady colonist who had been growing
more and more restless during the dis
eussion turned to q friend. MY Freddie.
she said, wakes up svery night at II
would let any horrid directors say. my
freddie was a nuisance? I don't think
this colony is very practical
A horrid thought ruehed on Mr.. Sinclair
Just at this moment. He waved bin hand
tVt blltnCe.
Gentlemen, gentlemen and ladies, listen
q minute, please. Surprising we should
al determine by a ms jority vote what Is
Q nuisance and what 70 not and have the
~community's nuisanoee all tabulated- Then
supposing Mrs Jones's parrot SOU wks ell
day. We would have to &C TO the table
Of nuisances and see whether to prosecute
Mrs. Jones's parrot for making a bad noise
or for making bad music. That would
never do"
second lady ~colonist, in o picture hat,
arose to a point Of order. Surprising that
the whole society should be left to deter
mine what was o nuisance and what was
not and supposing ones personal liberty
was to be governed by q vote Of the whole
colony whenever that persons actions
came under suspioionl Now, she might
10 hanging out clothes on Monday, just
- all the other women without servants
would be hanging out clothes. Surprising
she should prefer to hang out her wash In
Der front yard instead Of her back yard,
would every other woman have to stop
hanging out her wash and ring the town
oeil and summon every colonist to q meet
ing to determine whether hanging ones
wash in ones front yard constituted a
nuisance? What would become Of the
communal cooks and the communal baby
tseaers and tho communal coal passers
they had to stop work every once In o
while, rush into q meeting Of the colony
ana decide upon a point Of personal privi-
NAL Tho l,l., --l--t- -. IL -. L.A