The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-02-03
MOSES HARMON BEGAN HIS PROP
AGANOA IN VALLEY FALLS.
KAN, THIRTY YEARS AGO.
BODY IS TO Be CREMATED
Published Paper to Advocate His
Method Of Emaneipa,ing Woman,
and Twice His Writings Got Him
Into Prison.

Chicago. Feb. 2-MOscs Harmon,
the Kansas apostle of free love. who
published his paper Lucifcr, in Chi
c1go for several years after it became
tco hot for him in Kansas. died Sun
day night In Los 4 gclos, cal He cs.
taSlished his free owe paper in Valley
Falls. Kan. thirty years ago
Harmon was persistent advocate
of the abolition OF institutional mar
riagc. which. he coutcndcd. made
slaves of women. His ndolity to what
he regarded as the sacred right Of
free expression caused him to be sent
10 the federal penitentiary twice on
conviction OF sending improper litera-
turc through the mails He was so
years old.
In his will Harmon requested that
his body be kept at least three days
after death and that a dagger should
then be driven through his heart to
prcyc9t the possibility of his being
buried alive, will not be carried out.
IF father made any such request in
his viii ] know nothing of IT," said
his daughter. Lillian Harmon. yester.
day az her residence here AT any
rate have telegraphed to Los Ange-
les to have the body ombalmed and
will start for that city tonight"
VIII he be buriel without a coffin.
as he requested?" she was asked.
Il believe the body will be crematcd.
His only opposition to a coffin was his
desire to have his body return to its
original elements as soon as possible
He believed in cremation and his will
was written long before cremation he.
came common"
And the dagger
"Oh, am sure father had too much
regard for the feelings of others to
make such a request"
Moses Harmon's free love ideas
were shared in by his daughter. Lii.
lian, who was married to +. G. Walker
of New York according to the ideas
advocated by her father. The cere.
mony advocated by Harmon consisted
simply Of the man and woman joining
hands and repeating TO each other:
! agree to live with you in the
holy bonds OF matrimony so long
as love doth last, but no longer.
iIarmoa was first sent to prison in
/ 1895 for ten months. Ten years later
he was again arrested and convicted
for sending Objectionable matter
through the mail After his release he
came TO Kansas city and was given a
reception at the home OF Dr. L. NJ
Hammond ~ College Avenue. Rose
dale Harmon tight in life, was as
he believed, 70. yhe exaltation and
the emancipation of woman. In an
interview given recently, he said:
I was an abolitioaist and advocated
the freeing of the negroes. | am still
an aboltionist with the difference that
am now fighting for the cmancipa
tion of women. ! believe in a woman
owning her own soul regard tn,
marriage VOW that is now required by
law an immoral promise.
Il do not object to formal marriage!
but | do say that when a man anC
woman cease 10 love each other they
should not be- raquired to live with
each other for the mere sake OF ap
pearance. The marriage vow which
advocate puts people on their SooC
behavior and dos not compel a won
an to suffer al kinds of indignitie.
from an oycrboarng man.
Under my teachings woman is
exalted and is permitted to regarC
herseli as a human individual and no
merely as the annex OF some man. Sh,
is not given away IN marriage as un
der the Oh law and man Is not tn,
peer of woman according TO the new