Part 24 (1/2)

The Wabash, a very beautiful river, rises not far froh one of the most fertile districts of the west At its mouth, it is about two hundred and fifty yards broad, and is navigable about four hundred miles The Wabash forms the boundary between the states of Illinois and Indiana, the right bank belongs to the for, the steaht bank at Mount Vernon, a place established about two years ago, whence we proposed to go by land to New Hare in the steam-boat; I parted very reluctantly froood qualities, above all others, one seldoreat h bank, one hundred and twenty-six ht hundred and three froh It is a favourable situation for trade, laid out on an extensive plan, but has only frame houses, and at most three hundred inhabitants It is the new capital of Posey county A prison was finished for the use of the county; a court-house was about to be built We formed an acquaintance with a physician established here, and a travelling merchant The roots of the felled trees rean close behind the houses; nay, the latest built were encircled by the, 15th of April, we hired a two-horse wagon, to carry us to the village of New Harmony, which is sixteen miles distant from Mount Vernon, and lies on the left shore of the Wabash The road passed through a hilly country, thickly groith green-leaved trees

The as made very bad by fors, forrievous causeway;[II-15] over a little streae About half way is Springfield, at first made the capital of Posey county, which, however, afterwards was changed to Mount Vernon, as I have aol still remains, also a brick court-house, and about ten wooden houses, two of them are taverns

As the road was very bad, and the horses went very sloalked at least ten e As soon as you clear the woods, you have a very handsome view of the place

It lies in a valley, not far from the Wabash The woody and low banks of this river, were at present, in the neighbourhood of New Har, it was visible, that this country had been covered ood but a short ti turnpikes are better known by the name of ”corduroy roads”]--TRANS]

In fact, it is but eleven years since Mr Rapp with his society, after they had disposed of Harmony in Pennsylvania, moved here, and felled the first tree to found New Harmony in a country inhabited only by wolves, Indians, bears, rattlesnakes, &c The hills immediately next to the place, are already cleared of tier kind; they are converted into vineyards, and partly into orchards Farther off are etable gardens, carefully enclosed by palisades New Harood brick houses appear alternately, with fra at right angles We took up our quarters in the only tavern there, belonging to the community; it was passable

Rapp's society, called from their forers Their early history is known, and perhaps, when I visit this society froh in their new establishment, ”Econo thelishman, Robert Owen, and left there with his people on the 5th of May, to go up the Ohio to Econoed in e cotton factory at New Lanark, on the Falls of Clyde, ten ow in Scotland, where he had, by the adoption of a new systeed a collection of one thousand rude labourers into a cos His system, and his ideas upon the situation of human society, as well as the ied in a series of essays, which are collected, and appear in print under the name of a ne of society They conclude with the project of a constitution for a community formed on his system

Mr Owen is an eneenerated so ion He allows each person liberty to believe in what he ood; so that a pure Deision of his adherents On this account he was very obnoxious to the prevailing sects in Great Britain, and accordingly his system could not extend itself there He was therefore induced to turn his attention to the United States, and particularly to the western part of the Union, where, as he says, there is less hypocrisy of religion prevailing than to the east He then purchased New Harmony from Mr Rapp, and commenced his establishment in the month of May last As he laid the foundation of it entirely on perfect equality and community of property, many enthusiasts in these principles from various parts of the Union joined theabonds and lazy worthless persons, froly live well at the public expense, who had drank away the little ht any at all, at the tavern, and ould not work, but desired to say a great deal Mr Owen had gone to England on account of business in thehis absence, a complete anarchy had been introduced into the new coland at New York on his return, gave lectures there, in Philadelphia, and in Washi+ngton, upon his system, made some proselytes in Philadelphia, and caht the situation of anarchy in which they had fallen before their eyes so plainly, with the consequences resulting therefrom, that they invested him with dictatorial authority for one year

In the eastern states there is a general dislike to hiht unadvised that he issued a proclamation to the Americans on his last arrival in New York, in which he told the which he alluded to an ill-directed propensity to religious feelings, and proposed himself as their reformer in this respect I heard at that tihest public offices against hiave Mr Owen to understand very plainly, that he considered his intellects rather deranged[II-16] In one fae, did I hear conversation turn to his advantage

[Footnote II-16: [This is, perhaps, the most charitable idea that can be formed of the actions of such reformers, as well as of a ”lady” heretofore mentioned, who has unsexed herself, and become so intoxicated with vanity, as enthusiastically to preach up a ”reformation” in favour of the promiscuous intercourse of sexes and colours, the downfall of all religion, and the removal of all restraints imposed by virtue and morality!]--TRANS]

After all this, I came with the utmost expectation to New Harmony, curious to become acquainted with a man of such extraordinary sentiments In the tavern, I accosted a e, rather of low stature, who entered into a conversation withthe situation of the place, and the disordered state in which I would find every thing, where all was newly established, &c When I asked thisbefore Mr Oould be there, he announced hilad at , and explain to ement calculated for Rapp's society was not adapted to his, of coursehouses still standing in the place, he intended to remove, and only brick and framed edifices should be perardens, as well as all the enclosures within the place itself, he would take away, and only allow the public highways leading through the settlement to be enclosed The whole should bear a resemblance to a park, in which the separate houses should be scattered about

In the first place, Mr Owen carried me to the quonda, with a steeple of the same materials, provided with a clock This church was at present appropriated to joiner's and shoemaker's shops, in which the boys are instructed in these e brick edifice, built in the form of a cross, and furnished with a species of cupola, the purpose of which is unknown Rapp, they say, had drea should be erected, and therefore he had it done; but it is thought, and I believe correctly, that he only did this to keep his society in constant employment, so that they could have no leisure to reflect upon their situation, and dependence upon him His power over them actually extended so far, that to prevent his society froreat an increase, he forbid the husbands fro with their wives I also heard here a report which I had already been apprised of in Gerressed this law, for the sake of example, and that the son had died under the operation Over one of the entrances of this problematical edifice, stands the date of the year 1822, hewed in stone; under it is a gilt rose, and under this is placed the inscription Micah 4 v 8 The interior of the house for is supported by wooden pillars

Mr Owen has devoted the hall to the purposes of dancing, s for philosophical discussions He told me that he intended to have the ends of the cross, both of the grand saloon as well as those of the hall under the roof, divided off by partitions, so as to use them for school-rooms, for a library, for a cabinet of natural history, of physical objects, &c

Mr Owen then conducted e, well-built brick house, with two lightning rods The ood care of himself; his house was by far the best in the place, surrounded by a garden, with a flight of stone steps, and the only one furnished with lightning rods Mr Owen, on the contrary, contented hied At present, the offices, and the residence of Mr

M'Clure, the associate of Mr Owen, are in Rapp's house[II-17]

[Footnote II-17: [It is understood that Mr M'Clure has long since given up all connexion with the New Haruished for learning, who has published a geological chart of the United States He told me that he was in Germany in the year 1802, and also at Wei there: I was introduced by hied man, who had the superintendence of the boys Mr Owen's two eldest sons were also here shown to reatly respected Afterwards Mr Owen made me acquainted with Mr Lewis, secretary of the society, froton He was already pretty far advanced in years, and appeared to have united himself to the society froe from our short conversation Another acquaintance that Iyman, but had quitted that profession to follow this course of life, and had united himself to Mr Owen He intended, nevertheless, to leave this place again, and return back to Philadelphia Many other n, and I can hardly believe that this society will have a long duration[II-18] Enthusiasm, which abandons its subjects but too soon, as well as the itch for novelty, had contributed much to the formation of this society In spite of the principles of equality which they recognise, it shocks the feelings of people of education, to live on the sa with every one indiscriminately, and eat with them at the same table

[Footnote II-18: By late newspapers it appears, that the society actually dissolved itself, in the beginning of the year 1827]

The society consisted, as I was informed, of about one thousand members; at a distance of two eneral table shall be instituted, according to the fundamental constitution of the society, the -houses, where they ally Several of thebeard, at their head, wished to leave the society io to Mexico, there to settle themselves, but where their subsistence will be procured with asMr Owen conductedMost of the members of the society were present The orchestra was not numerous, it consisted at first only of one violin, one violoncello, one clarionet and two flutes Nevertheless the concert was surprisingly good, especially as the ether a year The clarionet player performed particularly well, and afterwards let us hear hioodother things a trio accompanied by the clarionet only Decla the musical performances, Lord Byron's stanzas to his wife after their separation were extremely well recited Between the two parts of the concert the ave a lady his ar a Polonaise with pretty figures, sometimes in two couples, soentleether The concert closed with a lively cotillion I was, on the whole, ens took an active share in the dancing This general evening amusement takes place often in the week; besides, on Tuesday, there is a general ball There is a particular costume adopted for the society That for the men consists of wide pantaloons buttoned over a boy's jacket, ht material, without a collar; that of the wo to the knee and pantaloons, such as little girls wear a us These dresses are not universally adopted, but they have a good appearance An elderly French lady, who presides over the depart of all the very se portion of the evening, and tormented me with her philosophical views All the men did not take a share in the dance, i e the lower class, but read newspapers, which were scattered over the side-tables

The public house in which we lived was conducted on account of the society General Evans was looked for, as to keep the house; in the mean time it was directed by the physician of the society, Dr M'Nas I rely built with rough stone, and provided with loop-holes The larger of these was the granary, and it was reasonably thought that Rapp had this built as a defensive redoubt for his own people At the first period of his establishment in this country he not only had the Indians, but also the rude people known under the general title of backwoodsmen, who not only saw the establishment of such a society with jealous eyes, which they kneould be wealthy in a short tiainst Rapp's unnatural rules of chastity

On theof the 14th of April, I strolled about the place to look round me I visited Mr Neef, but found his wife only at hoen, in Swabia Her husband was in the act of leading the boys out to labour Military exercises form a part of the instruction of the children I saw the boys divided into two ranks, and parted into detach to labour, and on the way they perforirls have a very healthy look, are cheerful and lively, and by no arden, and were now occupied with new fencing The girls learn female employments; they were as little oppressed as the boys with labour and teaching; these happy and interesting children weretheir youth pass as pleasantly as possible

Madam Neef showed the school-house, in which she dwelt, and in which the places for sleeping were arranged for the boys Each boy slept on a cot frame, upon a straw bed

We went next to Rapp's distillery: it will be re also, as well as the use of ardent spirits Notwithstanding this, the Irish themselves from the flat boats that stop here, &c We saw also a dye-house and a ine of ten horse-power The engine was old and not in good order, Mr Owen said however, he hoped to introduce stealand From the mills ent to the vineyard, which was enclosed and kept in very good order I spoke to an old French vine-dresser here He assuredwine; that he would in time make more and much better wine, than had been done heretofore The wine stocks are imported froular and strange taste, which reain to the quondam church, or workshop for the boys, who are intended for joiners and shoemakers These boys sleep upon the floor above the church in cribs, three in a row, and thus have their sleeping place and place of instruction close together We also saw the shops of the shoemakers, tailors and saddlers, also the smiths, of which six were under one roof, and the pottery, in which were two rather large furnaces A porcelain earth has been discovered on the banks of the Mississippi, in the state of Illinois, not far from St Louis Two experiencedsoreater part of the young girls, e chanced tostraw hats I beca She married an American merchant, settled there, and had the e She then joined her husband's family at Philadelphia, and as she was somewhat eccentric and sentimental, quickly became enthusiastically attached to Mr Owen's systeregiously deceived; that the highly vaunted equality was not altogether to her taste; that some of the society were too low, and the table was below all criticisood lady appeared to be about to run from one extreme to the other; for she added, that in the summer, she would enter a Shaker establish to the report of some females, ere induced to visit New Harmony, and remained there for some time, any situation much above abject wretchedness, was preferable to this vaunted terrestrial paradise]--TRANS]

I renewed acquaintance here with Mr Say, a distinguished naturalist from Philadelphia, whom I had been introduced to, at the Wistar Party there; unfortunately he had found hied to coentleman appeared quite comical in the costume of the society, before described, with his hands full of hard lumps and blisters, occasioned by the unusual labour he was obliged to undertake in the garden

In the evening I went to walk in the streets, and met with several of the ladies of the society, who rested fro them, whose complaints of disappointed expectations I had listened to I feared still more from all that I saw and heard, that the society would have but a brief existence I acco asse-houses I observed that this was only an hour of instruction to the unpractised in dancing, and that there was some restraint on account of my presence, from politeness I went away, and re About ten o'clock, an alar used as a wash-house was in flaine kept in a distinct house, was brought and served by persons appointed to that duty They threw the strea-house, and quickly put a stop to the fire In a quarter of an hour, all was over Since the houses in the place all stand separately, there is nothing to fear fro wind The houses, however, are all covered with shi+ngles

On the 15th of April, I went into the garden back of Rapp's house to see a plate or block of stone, which is remarkable as it bears the impression of two human feet This piece of stone was hewed out of a rock near St Louis, and sold to Mr Rapp Schoolcraft speaks of it in his travels, and I insert his remarks, as I have found them correct