New-York tribune., 1907-11-27
CARAVAN FOR SINCLAIR
TENT DWELLERS' COLONY.
Plans Willy NHly Ramblc a Ia
Gypsy 5cith Band of Faithful.
IRy Telegraph to The Tribune,l


Battle Creek. Mich. Nov. 26.-Upton Sinclair.
who is at a sanatorium here with his family.
has revived his cooperative colony scheme, with
many new ard even more unconventional feat
ures than those which characterized Helicon
Hall. at Englewood. N ]. Under the new plan
Sinclair will head q caravan. composed of his
followers. some of them former dweers at
Helicon Hall, in a wagon tour that will last. 1t
is declared, for several years
The families Of the disciples of Sinclair will
have maids and governesses. and will be pro
vided with stenographer They will have tents
galore, and expect to escape landlords. flats
cramped cities and all the Inconvenience of
civilization. and go back to nature, taking with
them. however. all the good things of civiliza-
ton. Battle Creek has been selected as the
rendezvous.
This will be Helcon Hall on the hoof-Uto-
plans on trek" said Upton Sinclair when
asked about his latest venture I'VE will start
the first of January in Southern California, and
work our way up the coast probably far as
Oregon taking the whole summer or the whole
year. if necessary TO the job. Then will
cross over into England. and then to the Con-
tinent seeing France Italy. Belgium. Germany
going anywhere and everywhere, in fact, as our
fancies dictate
Why do you not rebuild Helicon Hall? Do
you count that failure?"
On the contrary, have always counted Hell
icon Hall success" said MT Sinclair. "even
though we did not have time enough to prove it
to the world That do not rebuild is not be
cause all the people would not be glad to return,
but because there is no who has the time TO
superintend the work 1 found that a co-opera-
tive home OF that size required the entire time
and attention of some one. / cannot give my
time. because I want to write. Besides 1t would
r1ea or tyTO fO get n where
we were at the time of the fire. STILL 1 could
not get over the need of some kind of co-opera-
tion. There was the old problem of the isolated
child. and the unsatisfactoriness of either a
country home in the city. What we are
planning now is a small group of intimate
friends We expect to be free of most of the
problems that perpIexed us at Helcon Hall
from plumbers and carpenters, steam heat ana
taxes. 1t will be practical protest against
landlords, and also needless to say 1t VIII be
freproof'
Your children will be cared Tor cooperative
Iy?" Mr. Sinclair was asked.
Most certainlyr' he said THAT one
thing at Helicon Hall which every one agreed
was an overwhelming success. The children
decided that for themselves It will be an ideal
life for the children. for shall be out OF doors
all the time, and they will have sort or per
petual panorama. with something new TO see
every day. Whenever come 70 place that
like shall camp as long as we wish We
can have great deal more freedom Of ever
sort than could have at Helicon Han. we
shall never trouble ourselves about what other
persons will thiak If the women OF our party
wear sensible costumes. That is of the
reasons why I am never happy in the cIty-be-
cause of starched shirts and collars The last
time ! tried to a flannel shirt in New
York the hall boy of my mothers apartment
house refused to let me on the elevator: and
Jack London told me that one of the conse-
quences of his protest against starched linen
was that he had to knock down the Pullman
porter about once a month. 1 cannot knock
down porters, so prefer to live in tent"