The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-12-27
QUEER COLONY
IS FOUND IN
ENGLAND.
Live in Secluded Section and
Pay No Attention to Law
or Conventions
By F. A. WRAY.
international News Service.

By f. A. WRAY,
international News Service.
LONDON, Dec. 27.-Britain pos
esses tiny colony or some seventy
people of all nationalities who try
to lead the simplest Of lives on the
top of a wind-swept hill in the
Catswold country--one Of the most
rural, secluded districts of England.
These people live their lives
without laws; they tend their sick
with their own medical men, and
educate the children of free mar
riage" on totally unconventional
lines.
Old and young alike entirely
despise convention. Tiny boys and
girls call grown-ups by their first
names; father" and mother" are
practically unknown words, and
parents answer as a matter of
course, when five-year.old George,
or Mary, addresses them as, say,
William" or Margaret" Every
man and every woman is '''uncle"
or AUNT" to every child.
Doors Unlocked.
Locks, bolts and bars, like mar.
riage, have no place in the scheme
of things at this hamlet of White
way. If one inhabitant calls on a
neighbor there is no knocking, or
ringing Of bells. He just walks
straight in and, If his friend is out,
takes possession until the owner
returns.
Everything is held in common
except personal views. Moslems,
atheists, Tolstoians are all repre-
sented in this gathering.
I'VE know no nationally here,
and no class or distinction of any
sort" says the chief, a bearded
giant. wearing sandals and light
homespun clothes, wide open at
the neck.
Bound By No Laws.
I'VE recognize no outside au-
thority. Everything is settled by
mutual agreement, and trust, and il
anyone does not agree, it is left
for him simply to please himself.
"Of the people at Whiteway, two
or three couples are what you
would call legally married; that g,
they went through the ceremony
of marriage before they came here.
But we do not attach any impor-
lance to this.
Others who wish to begin home.
keeping together simply contract
what you would call free mar
raige; sometimes they announce
their intentions at one of our
social gatherings, but others prefer
to make no statement and, without
any preliminaries at all, just begin
life together. Each individual does
as he or she likes.
These free marriages are not
always successful. The result is
much the same as in the outside
word. 1t is much better for the
unsuited to separate than to lead
an unhappy life."
Liberty for Children.
There is a schoolmistress who
teaches the children to read and
write, but not if they do not wish
to learn. Members of the COLONY
teach what they feel themselves
best able to impart. AS far as
possible, children are educated by
the medium OF games.
There are several workshops. In
some cloth Is woven and made up,
In others furniture is made and al
most every kind of handicraft
practiced. The dairy makes a
special cheese, which Is eagerly
sought after; and the cakes Of the
bakery go to some Of the most ia.
nous hotels in Britain.
Want is unknown. If anyone
falls sick, all the colonists helm.
The three doctors give their serv.
ices Tree. One Of these went
through a. five-year course of medi.
cal study, but then refused to an
pear for final examination because
ne did not believe IN competitive
results
All Keep Busy.
Life seems to possess no dull mo-
ment at Whiteway. If the road
wants repairing the men turn to
and mend it. If a shack needs
building they build it. The swim
ming pool needs cement, but thew
cannot afford to buy it at present,
Inc colonists try to live as near
TO Tolstoian communism as pos
slole. They trade in their own han
olcraIt, each one being responsible
Tor his own basic material welfare.
Iney turn out excellent work. and
what they produce pays the de.
mands OF sordid outside world
and keeps them going.
All the same, they have s,,c-
cumned to the telephone and to cen.
tral heating. Recently the Simple
Iliers tried Grecian dtess-a sim
pie one-piece garment. But cold
winds sweep the Cotswold hills. and
the colonists, en- masse, decided that
Grecian dress might be all very
Wen IN Greece, but it was totally
unSuited to England AJ