Volume 6, No. 2, June, 1918

Page eight The Internationalist
to select a retired community for the reception of the 144,-
000 saints during the last days of trial. Accordingly, he arranged
to buy 2500 acres of land in the Allehenies, in Pennsylvania.
The land was solemnly deeded to Almighty God.
The Armstrong family renounced allegiance to all earthly
govemmenis, and then for nine years he, his wife and seven
children iabored in preparing the land for the future work.
Finally they were jcmed by fouj others. He published :i
paper at the h. !-.;e, which he called "Celesi:>," termed the
Day Star of Zion, which attained a moderate cirrula'.jO.i and
awakened much enthusiasm. It appeared that hundred; were
ready to join the colony, when, being unable to make a
living, Armstrong abandoned the land and moved to Philadelphia.
During the Millerite excitement in 1843, Frederick T. Howland
founded a colony on the farm of Leonard Fuller in the
neighborhood of Boston, called Adonai-Shomo. Some of
the colonists introduced revolting practices and made extravagant
claims that resulted in the breaking up of the colony.
The Mennonites, Germans who lived in Russia, fled from
Europe to avoid going to war, and established numerous communities
in various portions of the United States. Each of
these communities bought about 30,000 acres of land and
contained some 125 members. They farmed, raised stock,
and prospered. Many of the communities still exist, the colonists
commanding high esteem from their neighbors, and
being financially well fixed.
Thomas L. Harris, after a successful ministry in other
churches, became a spiritist and founded, in 1 85 1 , the Mountain
Cove community of spiritists. The experiment was short
lived. Afterward he founded the Brockton community in
New York. It attracted men and women of culture. This
failed, and he later established a colony in California, at
Santa Rosa. Here he started what he called The Brotherhood
of the New Life.
Cyrus W. Teed, who called himself Koresh, devised a
new
system of cosmogony and religion, and attracted followers,
leading them to the establishment of a colony at Eastero,
Floriad. The colony is still in existence, although its founder
has passed on. He claimed to be under supernatural control.
At Benton Harbor, Michigan, "Benjamin and Mary" have
a community which they call The House of David. There are
colonies with similar religious tenets at other points. They
prosper and have many conveniences and beautiful surroundings
in their communistic homes.
Dr. J. B. Newbrough, of New York City, about 1882 published
a large and striking volume, called "Oahspe," purporting
to have been received from the spirit world by automatic
writing. One of its instructions was to take New York waifs
and raise them into good citizens in a community far re-
,
moved from contaminating influences. Accordingly, a community
was established later on in New Mexico , called
Shalem, and referred to as the Children's land. Inhabitants
of the community were allowed to live much as they
pleased, except that they were not allowed to own houses or
lands that they did not actually use, and had to contribute
a tenth of their income to the support of the orphans that
were brought in from the slums of the cities. Many children
were raised into good citizenship. But the community fell
into disuse when the children who were adopted at its inception
grew up. The cult based on Oaspe, however, is a
growing force to this day.
o o o
III.
SOCIALIST COMMUNITIES
Robert Owen had dreamed of a colony in Mexico. In
1 870 Albert K. Owen, a civil engineer, no relation of Robert,
came upon an inland sea in Mexico, which the Indians called
lopolombampo. The site charmed him, and he interested
others in the project that came to him, of starting a communistic
colony there. They obtained a grant of 30,000
acres from the Mexican government. The land was laid out,
a third being devoted to public grounds, parks and sites for
founders were not prepared for such a contingency, and
public buildings. Then advertisements were inserted in many
papers for colonists. Hundreds without means, and sometimes
without health, appeared at the colony site. The
appeal had to be made for funds to support the colonists
until buildings could be erected and land brought under cultivation.
The ground was poor and far from markets.
The colony finally was moved to the coast. Here a system
of irrigation was land out and begun. But dissentions entered
into this purely socialistic colony, many deserted, and
finally the Mexican government cancelled the grant, and the
enterprise collapsed. The widespread interest it had awakened
is shown in that seventeen states of the United Stats,
besides Canada and Mexico, were represented among the
colonistts.
After J. A. Wayland made a success of the "Coming Nation"
at Greensburg, Indiana, he projected the Ruskin colony
at Ruskin, Tenn. Everyone who contributed $100 or
secured 200 subscribers to the paper was reckoned a member.
The land was bought without being seen and was of
poor quality. The colonists went on this land, and had to
cut timber and build huts in which to live. The newspaper
moved to this primitive camp. Conditions were so bad
during the first winter that the suffering colonists were moved
to seek a new location. They now selected land with a fine
cave and spring on it, still in Tennessee. Here they planned
big things. They had a rousing Fourth of July celebration
in the cave. The colony grew, and built, beside many residences,
a large printing office, a public hall and other improvements.
A college was started, and the paper boomed.
But dissentions entered. Wayland finally withdrew from the
colony. The land and personal property was disposed of at
public sale, and the colony removed to Duke, Ga. Here over
fifty houses were built, a store, repair shop and public hall
erected; manufacture of a cereal coffee, of leather suspenders
and of brooms were started; a library of 1500 volumes
was founded and woman's clubs were organized. But dissatisfaction
entered again. Some of the colonists deserted.
Others wanted to move back to Tennessee. A few months
later the property of the colony was sold at public auction
and the proceeds divided among the members. The "Coming
Nation" was discontinued. It was afterwards revived by the
Warren brothers, E. N. Richardson and the writer of this,
at Rich Hill, Mo., and then again fell into the hands of J. A.
Wayland by purchase.
The Colorado Co-operative Company was established by
socialists. It claimed to have attained a membership of 300.
It was short lived.
The Brotherhood Co-operative Commonwealth of Equality
was established by socialists at Equality, Washington, in
1895. The colony existed until 1904 when it went to pieces
over internal dissentions.
A Co-operative Brotherhood was started at Burley, Washington,
by socialists, in 1898. It gained members from many
states and started apparently under favorable conditions. A
reorganization later on eliminated many of the co-operative
features, and the membership rapidly disintegrated.
The Mutual Home Association was a socialistic community
founded at Home, Washington, in 1898. It attained a membership
of 155, and then went out of existence.