Person, L.S. (1998). Book Review: Alfred Habegger. The Father: A Life of Henry James, Sr. New York, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1994, 559 pp. In The Henry James Review 19(1): 94-97, 1998.
Alfred Habbegar, long a professor of English at the University of Kansas, had a prolonged interest in the father of Henry, Jr. and William James. Following the 1988 piece distributed by Prof. Stretch, “The Bostonians and Henry James Sr.’s crusade against feminism and free love” (Women’s Studies 15: 323-342, 1988), Habbegar published a small essay in 1989 “In Darkest Henry James, Sr.” (The Henry James Review 10(2), Spring 1989). He continued his concern that Henry, Sr. was a highly ambiguous and hypocritical figure who had been insufficiently studied. In that piece he commented that “…his many papers stored at the Houghton Library [Harvard Univ.] have still not been properly catalogued, arranged and studied.”
Five years later Habbegar apparently remedied that lack when he published The Father: A Life of Henry James, Sr. As the reviewer, Leland Person, put it, “….Habbegar inspires confidence that he has exhausted available resources.” Habbegar remained intensely skeptical of Henry, Sr., using such terms as scandalous, monomaniacal, reckless, genius and sinister, among others, to characterize the senior James. Still, it is a fascinating life, in which he was openly rebellious in the family, in schools and of cultural norms. In successfully challenging his father’s will he obtained independent wealth and was able to lead a life free to explore as he wished, “Zigzagging around Europe” and to and from the US. Three events stand out from the review as seminal in Henry Sr.’s life: a leg amputation at 16 and its guilt ridden three year confinement; his psychic breakdown in England in 1844; and the passing of his wife, termed by Habbegar “the ultimate Catastrophe”. It is of note that one of Henry Sr.’s many earlier indiscretions was a complaint, made public by others, that his wife did not satisfy him sexually. In the context of ENG 567 the reviewer noted that “…James was a consistent anti-feminist who believed that, in their subservient positions, women had the power to redeem and reform men….to pass ‘from the selfish to the social’”. This appeared to be an attempt to redeem his position on social stability, having earlier been a proponent of free love.
The reviewer compliments Habbegar, writing that he executed the book “with the Master’s touch”. Yet this reader, at least, is drawn back to two comments in Habbegar’s 1989 essay on Henry Sr., “…that he basically bores us”; and in speaking of Henry Jr.’s fiction “we must also read the author’s monstrous father” (italics added). (JB)
Higgins, Lisa Cochran. "Adulterous Individualism, Socialism, and Free Love in Nineteenth-Century Anti-Suffrage Writing". Legacy, Vol. 21, No. 2 (2004) , pp. 193-209. JSTOR. Web.
In this essay, Higgins analyzes the ways that anti-suffragist literature illumined the fears of late Victorians in the wake of surmounting women’s concerns. The idea of a new definition of female individuality concerned conservatives about the future of women’s roles and the preservation of American society and culture. Due to these anxieties, anti-suffragist writers associated women’s suffrage to promiscuity, based on the idea that women entering the public sphere would constantly be “mingling” with male “bodies”. This seems rather extreme, but other issues that were equally alarming to them, such as free love and socialism, were also negatively associated with women’s suffrage to deter women from participating. Due to this, Higgins contends that anti-suffrage literature offers valuable insight into many of the other issues affecting women at the time, and the complexity of the many debates contained therein. [RJ]
In this essay, Higgins analyzes the ways that anti-suffragist literature illumined the fears of late Victorians in the wake of surmounting women’s concerns. The idea of a new definition of female individuality concerned conservatives about the future of women’s roles and the preservation of American society and culture. Due to these anxieties, anti-suffragist writers associated women’s suffrage to promiscuity, based on the idea that women entering the public sphere would constantly be “mingling” with male “bodies”. This seems rather extreme, but other issues that were equally alarming to them, such as free love and socialism, were also negatively associated with women’s suffrage to deter women from participating. Due to this, Higgins contends that anti-suffrage literature offers valuable insight into many of the other issues affecting women at the time, and the complexity of the many debates contained therein. [RJ]
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Higgins, Lisa Cochran. “Adulterous Individualism, Socialism, and Free Love in Nineteenth Century Anti-Suffrage Writing”. Legacy 21.2. 2004. 193-209. Project Muse. Web.
Cochran, in this wonderfully researched article, details the connections that anti-suffragists would use to disparage their political opponents during the 19th century. The main point of the anti-suffragists, Cochran asserts, is that granting women the right to vote would lead to an improper mingling of the sexes in the body politic, and this would lead to the erosion of women’s preeminent place in the domestic sphere. The individualism associated with the vote would also create more women not inhibited by social conventions, and make them adulterous. Cochran goes on to document the three perspectives of the debate: Traditionalism, Domestic Feminism, and Public Feminism. Cochran shows, through her research, how the anti-suffragists unfairly situated Fouierism as integral to the philosophy of suffragists, and casts light on how the vote, as well as free love, would eliminate the social foundation of the United States. This article in an excellent primer of how free love intersects with feminism and the suffrage movement. (EB)
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FREE LOVE’S FATAL TENETS: THE CAUSE OF THE REV. MR. PAIGE’S FALL. The New York Times January 24 1880. ProQuest New York Times Database 1851-2009. Web.
This article described a particularly scandalous affair in Connecticut; specifically Glastonbury and East Hampton. Reverend Paige, 60 years old, engaged in an extra-marital affair with Miss Susan Gates, a 35 year old “girl”. What made this case so appalling, at least to the reported from the Times, was that Miss Gates and the Reverend believed in the tenets of Free Love, as espoused by John Noyes. At first, it was thought the Reverend had seduced the girl, but once the Reverend’s wife found Miss Gates’ letters to him, she promptly let the authorities know. This revelation led to Miss Gates being swiftly brought to the State Insane Hospital, because she was obviously crazy. The Reverend, meanwhile, faced federal charges for sending obscene material (his letters to Gates) through the mail. This article is particularly interesting, because it shows the danger that laypersons faced if they fully accepted the Free Love lifestyle outside on the Oneida-type communities. It also shows the deep prejudice (the article describes free love as “abominable”) that the philosophy faced among the general public. (EB)
This article described a particularly scandalous affair in Connecticut; specifically Glastonbury and East Hampton. Reverend Paige, 60 years old, engaged in an extra-marital affair with Miss Susan Gates, a 35 year old “girl”. What made this case so appalling, at least to the reported from the Times, was that Miss Gates and the Reverend believed in the tenets of Free Love, as espoused by John Noyes. At first, it was thought the Reverend had seduced the girl, but once the Reverend’s wife found Miss Gates’ letters to him, she promptly let the authorities know. This revelation led to Miss Gates being swiftly brought to the State Insane Hospital, because she was obviously crazy. The Reverend, meanwhile, faced federal charges for sending obscene material (his letters to Gates) through the mail. This article is particularly interesting, because it shows the danger that laypersons faced if they fully accepted the Free Love lifestyle outside on the Oneida-type communities. It also shows the deep prejudice (the article describes free love as “abominable”) that the philosophy faced among the general public. (EB)
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Oneida Community
Spurlock, John. "THE FREE LOVE NETWORK IN AMERICA, 1850 To 1860." Journal Of Social History 21.4 (1988):Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.
In his work, “The Free Love Network in America, 1850 to 1860”, John Spurlock discusses different kinds of radical movements that happened in a ten year duration. Spurlock list various publications by different radical groups that published their beliefs in private newspapers and pamphlets. Spurlock notes that these radicals had different ideas about what free love meant. Spurlock writes “ Advocates of this vision often perceived different details — some, for instance, favored Utopian communities while others refused to compromise their individual freedom in any group” (776). He also comments that these groups were widely unaccepted by society, and that the reformers had many challenges starting up their communities. (Lawless)
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Ellis, John B. “Free Love and its Votaries; or, American Socialism Unmasked”. New York: United States Publishing. 1870. P. 174-78, 180-81, 187-88. (Were Women in the Oneida Community Liberated or Oppressed by Bible Communism, 1848-1880?, by Jennifer Cubic and Heather Rogan under the direction of Kathryn Kish Sklar)
Ellis, in this parsed selection from his text, casts a critical eye on the concept of “free love” in the Oneida Community and its founder, John Noyes. He takes particular offense at the concept of “conferring happiness”, which, in Ellis’ impression of the Community, means for a person to submit to sexual relations with another that he or she has no attraction to. Although Ellis mentions that, technically, no member of the Community is obliged to engage in sexual relations with another if there is no attraction, he documents that to do deny another was considered in bad taste. Of particular revulsion to Ellis is the fact that this “conferring of happiness” can occur between siblings, parents and children, and even grandparents and grandchildren, and still be sanctioned by the moors of the community. This selection is rather cursory, and the clear bias of Ellis against the community means that this piece can be of use as an example of discrimination against the concept of Free Love. (EB)
Ellis, in this parsed selection from his text, casts a critical eye on the concept of “free love” in the Oneida Community and its founder, John Noyes. He takes particular offense at the concept of “conferring happiness”, which, in Ellis’ impression of the Community, means for a person to submit to sexual relations with another that he or she has no attraction to. Although Ellis mentions that, technically, no member of the Community is obliged to engage in sexual relations with another if there is no attraction, he documents that to do deny another was considered in bad taste. Of particular revulsion to Ellis is the fact that this “conferring of happiness” can occur between siblings, parents and children, and even grandparents and grandchildren, and still be sanctioned by the moors of the community. This selection is rather cursory, and the clear bias of Ellis against the community means that this piece can be of use as an example of discrimination against the concept of Free Love. (EB)
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Dublin, Thomas and Sklar, Kathryn Kish. “Excerpts from ‘Free Love,’ Handbook of the Oneida Community -1875.” Oneida. Wallingford Printing. 1875. Alexander Street Publishing. Web.
This short excerpt from the handbook of the Oneida Free Love community addresses some of the accusations that various critics had hurled against it. The writer (Noyes?) marks a clear distinction between marriage and licentiousness, in which marriage is portrayed favorably and licentiousness not. The central theme of the distinctions is that marriage is a responsible arrangement that benefits men, women, children, and society as a whole; mainly by binding them together for the common good. Licentiousness, however, leaves society to chance, and serves only fleeting desires. The handbook makes it clear that the Oneida community, in these respects, stands with marriage, and makes it clear that their community is also a family, as averse to licentiousness as any other. This piece is an interesting primary source, and serves as an example of the need the Oneida community, and other free love groups, went through to protect their reputations.(EB)
This short excerpt from the handbook of the Oneida Free Love community addresses some of the accusations that various critics had hurled against it. The writer (Noyes?) marks a clear distinction between marriage and licentiousness, in which marriage is portrayed favorably and licentiousness not. The central theme of the distinctions is that marriage is a responsible arrangement that benefits men, women, children, and society as a whole; mainly by binding them together for the common good. Licentiousness, however, leaves society to chance, and serves only fleeting desires. The handbook makes it clear that the Oneida community, in these respects, stands with marriage, and makes it clear that their community is also a family, as averse to licentiousness as any other. This piece is an interesting primary source, and serves as an example of the need the Oneida community, and other free love groups, went through to protect their reputations.(EB)
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Foster, Lawrence. "Free Love And Feminism: John Humphrey Noyes And The Oneida Community." Journal Of The Early Republic 1.2 (1981): 165-183. America: History & Life. Web. 7 Feb. 2014. (Lawless)
free_love_and_feminism_john_humphrey_noyes_and_the_oneida_community.pdf | |
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In his literary work, “Free Love And Feminism: John Humphrey Noyes And The Oneida Community.", Lawrence Foster focuses on the story of John Humphrey Noyes and how feminist view his ideas today. Forester claims that “[. . .] Noyes was concerned to improve relations between the sexes, [however] he certainly was no feminist. On numerous occasions, he bluntly and unambiguously stated that he believed men were superior to women” (Forester 167). Foster believes that Noyes wanted to see change for both sexes and that his followers would listen to him. Foster states “[. . .] Noyes's primary concern was not with male and female authority patterns per se, but rather with establishing his own personal authority over all his followers, both men and women” (175). According to Foster, the more religious a person was, the more powerful they were in the Oneida Community; however “[. . .] those who were seen as more spiritual generally were older than the less spiritual, there was an implicit age factor operating in determining community status” (177). Those in power had more sexual freedom than other members. Foster’s article is full of contradictions about the Oneida Community; it is difficult to say where exactly he stands on Noyes ideals. (Lawless)
Foster, Lawrence. "Sex And Conflict In New Religious Movements: A Comparison Of The Oneida Community Under John Humphrey Noyes And The Early Mormons Under Joseph Smith And His Would-Be Successors." Nova Religio: The Journal Of Alternative & Emergent Religion 13.3 (2010): 34-58. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. (Lawless)
sex_and_conflict_in_new_religious_movements_a_comparison_of_the_oneida_community_under_john_humphrey_noyes_and_the_early_morons_under__joseph_smith_and_his_would_be_successors.pdf | |
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Lawrence Foster’s work "Sex And Conflict In New Religious Movements: A Comparison Of The Oneida Community Under John Humphrey Noyes And The Early Mormons Under Joseph Smith And His Would-Be Successors" compares and contrast “[. . .] how the introduction of unorthodox sexual and marital systems provoked controversy in two contemporaneous "masculine products of the great revivals" 4 active during the 1840s—the Oneida Perfectionists and the Mormons (officially, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or LDS Church)” (35). Foster goes into great detail about how the different kinds of free love communities worked as well as issues that arose from their beliefs. He includes groups members comments who have left the community and discusses free love and religious leaders conflicts with larger societies judgments. Foster focuses on the issues that many of the leaders of these movements experienced and concludes that "Even if they can be sustained temporarily, controversial sexual practices are inherently self-limiting in the long run and are likely to interfere with the ability of new religious movements to achieve their larger religious and social goals" (51). He believes that although these movements have great goals, their sexual practices and beliefs will hold their movements back. (Lawless)
Toth, Emily. "The Independent Woman and Free Love". The Massachusetts Review, Vol. 16, No. 4 (Autumn, 1975) , pp. 647-66. JSTOR. Web.
In this article, Emily Toth describes the dilemma of the independent woman; to choose liberty, or to choose love. Love would confine a woman to marriage and submission, where liberty would force her to forsake love. Mixing the two or choosing none would be disastrous. Toth uses many examples from literature describing this dilemma, such as from Charlotte Bronte and George Eliot. It is not until she comes to the example of Kate Chopin (The Awakening) where we can see that love and freedom can be merged, and the only consequence her characters face is self-fulfillment. This offers a rather radical solution to the dichotomous choice of either wife/mother or independent woman. [RJ]
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Guarneri, Carl J., “Reconstructing the antebellum
communitarian movement: Oneida and Fourierism.” Journal of the Early Republic.
16.3 (Fall96, Vol. 16) 463-488.
http://0-www.jstor.org.www.consuls.org/sici?sici=0275-1275(1996)16%3a3%3c463%3aJournal+of+the+Early+Republic%3e2.0.TX%3b2-2&origin=EBSCO
This article examines the Oneida Community and its founder, John Humphrey Noyes, and reviews its basis in Judeo-Christian thought, the influence of Fourierism, and the development of “complex marriage.” WPL
http://0-www.jstor.org.www.consuls.org/sici?sici=0275-1275(1996)16%3a3%3c463%3aJournal+of+the+Early+Republic%3e2.0.TX%3b2-2&origin=EBSCO
This article examines the Oneida Community and its founder, John Humphrey Noyes, and reviews its basis in Judeo-Christian thought, the influence of Fourierism, and the development of “complex marriage.” WPL
McGee, Anita Newcomb. “An Experiment in Human Stirpiculture.” American Anthropologist.
4.4 (Oct 1891): 319-26. JSTOR. Web. 8 Mar. 2014.
McGee writes of the practice of stirpiculture as it pertains to John Humphrey Noyes and his Oneida Community. The short article devotes a significant amount of discussion to Noyes’ background—almost half of the allotted pages—and that of his son, Dr. Theodore R. Noyes. No aspects of Noyes’ vision of stirpiculture is explored in depth, but what analysis exists as written by McGee is broken down into distinct categories: “complex marriage”, the side-effects of selective inbreeding, and the methodology Noyes incorporated when selecting those couples who were granted permission to bear children, all of which will provide useful starting points for a novice researcher. The article’s main value stems from a brief study of the children born into the community with a “where are they now” segment that reveals insights into what McGee deems the ultimate failure of Noyes’ desire to propagate his religious beliefs through future generations. There is an overall non-academic feel to McGee’s writing, especially when she crows about the shortcomings of Noyes and his attempts to quell the “natural instinct of monogamy.” (DC)
4.4 (Oct 1891): 319-26. JSTOR. Web. 8 Mar. 2014.
McGee writes of the practice of stirpiculture as it pertains to John Humphrey Noyes and his Oneida Community. The short article devotes a significant amount of discussion to Noyes’ background—almost half of the allotted pages—and that of his son, Dr. Theodore R. Noyes. No aspects of Noyes’ vision of stirpiculture is explored in depth, but what analysis exists as written by McGee is broken down into distinct categories: “complex marriage”, the side-effects of selective inbreeding, and the methodology Noyes incorporated when selecting those couples who were granted permission to bear children, all of which will provide useful starting points for a novice researcher. The article’s main value stems from a brief study of the children born into the community with a “where are they now” segment that reveals insights into what McGee deems the ultimate failure of Noyes’ desire to propagate his religious beliefs through future generations. There is an overall non-academic feel to McGee’s writing, especially when she crows about the shortcomings of Noyes and his attempts to quell the “natural instinct of monogamy.” (DC)
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“The Free Love System: Origins, Progress, and Position of the Anti-Marriage Movement.”
Editorial. The New York Times. 8 Sept. 1855. ProQuest Historical Newspaper: The
New York Times (1851-2009). 1 Mar. 2014.
The unknown writer of this lengthy editorial makes his/her stance on the idea of free love perfectly clear, describing it early on in the article as a “libertine philosophy” and wastes little time in assuring the reader that simply because a few of the communist societies have failed, others which have sprung up around the nation will do the same. The editorial traces the history of the Spiritualism movement back to the writers of the Romantic era—Byron and Shelley are specifically named—and blames their writing, in conjunction with radical European ideals brought over by immigrants, as the main reasons why the free love movement continues to gain traction across the nation. Many important names in the communistic movement are examined in great detail: Albert Brisbane, Horace Greeley, Margaret Fuller, Emanuel Swedenborg, and J. H. Noyes, to name a few. Some of the most revealing insights occur when the writer openly professes to fear the organization of the various movements and ties their mission to the destruction of marriage, as witnessed by their influence on liberal divorce laws of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. This article is an excellent example of the zeitgeist circa the mid-nineteenth century. (DC)
Editorial. The New York Times. 8 Sept. 1855. ProQuest Historical Newspaper: The
New York Times (1851-2009). 1 Mar. 2014.
The unknown writer of this lengthy editorial makes his/her stance on the idea of free love perfectly clear, describing it early on in the article as a “libertine philosophy” and wastes little time in assuring the reader that simply because a few of the communist societies have failed, others which have sprung up around the nation will do the same. The editorial traces the history of the Spiritualism movement back to the writers of the Romantic era—Byron and Shelley are specifically named—and blames their writing, in conjunction with radical European ideals brought over by immigrants, as the main reasons why the free love movement continues to gain traction across the nation. Many important names in the communistic movement are examined in great detail: Albert Brisbane, Horace Greeley, Margaret Fuller, Emanuel Swedenborg, and J. H. Noyes, to name a few. Some of the most revealing insights occur when the writer openly professes to fear the organization of the various movements and ties their mission to the destruction of marriage, as witnessed by their influence on liberal divorce laws of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. This article is an excellent example of the zeitgeist circa the mid-nineteenth century. (DC)
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“THE FREE LOVE SYSTEM: Origin, Progres, and Position of the Anti-Marriage Movement”. The New York Daily Times. September 8th, 1855. ProQuest New York Times Database. Web.
This broadsheet details the rise and progress of the Fourierist movement in the United States up to 1855. The article is remarkably biased, and wastes no time in identifying, by name, anyone who had a hand in introducing such a nefarious philosophy to the American public. John Noyes, Horace Greeley, and Albert Brisbane are all indicted, and their crimes well documented. This article is a great example of the type of journalism that chronicled the Free Love movement, and shows how difficult it was for Fourierists to control the public’s perception of them. As a primary source, this article is highlicle is a great example of the type of journalism that chronicled the Free Love movement, and shows how difficult it was for Fourierists to control the public’s perception of them. As a primary source, this article is highly valuable. (EB)
This broadsheet details the rise and progress of the Fourierist movement in the United States up to 1855. The article is remarkably biased, and wastes no time in identifying, by name, anyone who had a hand in introducing such a nefarious philosophy to the American public. John Noyes, Horace Greeley, and Albert Brisbane are all indicted, and their crimes well documented. This article is a great example of the type of journalism that chronicled the Free Love movement, and shows how difficult it was for Fourierists to control the public’s perception of them. As a primary source, this article is highlicle is a great example of the type of journalism that chronicled the Free Love movement, and shows how difficult it was for Fourierists to control the public’s perception of them. As a primary source, this article is highly valuable. (EB)
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Fogarty, Robert S. “Religious Movements in America: New Religious Movements.” OAH
Magazine of History 22.1 (Jan. 2008): 19-23. JSTOR. Web. 8 Mar. 2014.
Editor of The Antioch Review, Robert S. Fogarty’s very short article begins with an interesting observation: In 1893, Frederick Jackson Turner declared the American frontier closed, after the 1890 census ‘demonstrated’ Americans could not expand any further west. Fogarty goes on to note, “the same 1890 census produced a comprehensive survey of religion in America,” (19) and the article briefly explores the various forms of Christianity which sprouted in many regions of the country by the late nineteenth century. Fogarty also briefly explores Asian influences at the turn of the twentieth century and traces their influences throughout the century to the present, demonstrating how various niche religions emerge and grow in America. Scholars interested in a starting point for future research will benefit from Fogarty’s examination of the Shakers, the Oneida Community, the Mormons, Christian Scientists, and Mystical Organizers (Mesmer et.al.), many of whom had liberal views regarding marriage, property ownership, the rights of women, science, and human sexuality. (DC)
Magazine of History 22.1 (Jan. 2008): 19-23. JSTOR. Web. 8 Mar. 2014.
Editor of The Antioch Review, Robert S. Fogarty’s very short article begins with an interesting observation: In 1893, Frederick Jackson Turner declared the American frontier closed, after the 1890 census ‘demonstrated’ Americans could not expand any further west. Fogarty goes on to note, “the same 1890 census produced a comprehensive survey of religion in America,” (19) and the article briefly explores the various forms of Christianity which sprouted in many regions of the country by the late nineteenth century. Fogarty also briefly explores Asian influences at the turn of the twentieth century and traces their influences throughout the century to the present, demonstrating how various niche religions emerge and grow in America. Scholars interested in a starting point for future research will benefit from Fogarty’s examination of the Shakers, the Oneida Community, the Mormons, Christian Scientists, and Mystical Organizers (Mesmer et.al.), many of whom had liberal views regarding marriage, property ownership, the rights of women, science, and human sexuality. (DC)
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Koenig, Brigitte. "Law and Disorder at Home: Free Love, Free Speech, and the Search for an Anarchist Utopia." Labor History. 45.2 (May 2004): 199-223. Ebsco. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.
With an emphasis on the differences between the free love communities that abounded in the United States at the end of the nineteenth century, this article chronicles the rise and fall of Home, which is thought to be one of the most successful communitarian experiments of the century. Founded near Pudgett Sound in Washington State as an attempt to find a “New Eden”, Home was said to be an enclave for freelovers, anarchists, and other liberal thinkers of the time. This community was founded on the principles that personal liberty superseded all other rights and that the existing state should be replaced by a new form of social organization based on voluntary cooperation. Above all, Home was based on the anarchist belief that no institution or person could claim authority over the individual. While the appeal of this community was spread far and wide throughout the U.S., the Home freelovers were often arrested, their presses shut down, and even executed. Although the community ultimately failed, it was not, in fact, the philosophy and practice of free love that led to its demise, rather, it was the issue of nude bathing. The Great Nude Bathing Case of 1911, became a sensational court trial. Ultimately, fragmentation within the community coincided with the decline of communitarianism at large in the United States. An emphasis on realism fueled the political, literary, and journalistic movements in the early- to mid-parts of the century, thus annihilating the fantasy of Utopia on which Home was founded. (jvg)
With an emphasis on the differences between the free love communities that abounded in the United States at the end of the nineteenth century, this article chronicles the rise and fall of Home, which is thought to be one of the most successful communitarian experiments of the century. Founded near Pudgett Sound in Washington State as an attempt to find a “New Eden”, Home was said to be an enclave for freelovers, anarchists, and other liberal thinkers of the time. This community was founded on the principles that personal liberty superseded all other rights and that the existing state should be replaced by a new form of social organization based on voluntary cooperation. Above all, Home was based on the anarchist belief that no institution or person could claim authority over the individual. While the appeal of this community was spread far and wide throughout the U.S., the Home freelovers were often arrested, their presses shut down, and even executed. Although the community ultimately failed, it was not, in fact, the philosophy and practice of free love that led to its demise, rather, it was the issue of nude bathing. The Great Nude Bathing Case of 1911, became a sensational court trial. Ultimately, fragmentation within the community coincided with the decline of communitarianism at large in the United States. An emphasis on realism fueled the political, literary, and journalistic movements in the early- to mid-parts of the century, thus annihilating the fantasy of Utopia on which Home was founded. (jvg)
“Oneida Perfectionists: The Woman’s Place in the Community.” Article. The New York Times.
10 Aug. 1878. ProQuest Historical Newspaper: The New York Times (1851-2009). 1
Mar. 2014.
This lengthy article was printed only a year before the demise of the Oneida Community in 1879 and offers deep insights into the everyday lives of individuals living in the commune. The correspondent maintains a neutral tone throughout the article, devoting a significant portion of the column inches to the Community’s internal strife, relating how many members were displeased when John Humphrey Noyes retired and his son took up a leadership position without the benefit of a vote. The remainder of the article examines various aspects of community life: meal preparation, child rearing, the overall health of the children—complete with height, ages, and weights—and additional discussion of the political dynamics within the community. After a brief sketch in the article’s beginning, describing various women the reporter encountered, the role of women is largely absent, an aspect which belies the column’s title. For researchers interested in an objective exploration in the Oneida Community, this article will provide valuable insights. (DC)
10 Aug. 1878. ProQuest Historical Newspaper: The New York Times (1851-2009). 1
Mar. 2014.
This lengthy article was printed only a year before the demise of the Oneida Community in 1879 and offers deep insights into the everyday lives of individuals living in the commune. The correspondent maintains a neutral tone throughout the article, devoting a significant portion of the column inches to the Community’s internal strife, relating how many members were displeased when John Humphrey Noyes retired and his son took up a leadership position without the benefit of a vote. The remainder of the article examines various aspects of community life: meal preparation, child rearing, the overall health of the children—complete with height, ages, and weights—and additional discussion of the political dynamics within the community. After a brief sketch in the article’s beginning, describing various women the reporter encountered, the role of women is largely absent, an aspect which belies the column’s title. For researchers interested in an objective exploration in the Oneida Community, this article will provide valuable insights. (DC)
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Habegger, Alfred. “The Bostonians and Henry James Sr.’s crusade against feminism and free love.” Women’s Studies. 15.4 (1988): 323-343. MLA Database. Web. 5 March 2014.
In his article, “The Bostonians and Henry James Sr’ Crusade Against Feminism and Free Love, Alfred Habegger takes an historical approach to looking at the novel. He begins the essay in speaking about how The Bostonians was not well received until 1956 with Irving Howe’s introduction to the modern library edition. Habegger looks at James, his relationship with his father, his father’s death, and a real portrait of feminism, along with “self-betrayals” and “cover-ups” of an ex-reformer. He ultimately describes the two James' men struggle against the reformations in feminism and free-love. AG
In his article, “The Bostonians and Henry James Sr’ Crusade Against Feminism and Free Love, Alfred Habegger takes an historical approach to looking at the novel. He begins the essay in speaking about how The Bostonians was not well received until 1956 with Irving Howe’s introduction to the modern library edition. Habegger looks at James, his relationship with his father, his father’s death, and a real portrait of feminism, along with “self-betrayals” and “cover-ups” of an ex-reformer. He ultimately describes the two James' men struggle against the reformations in feminism and free-love. AG
Schwartz, Laura. “Freethought, Free Love, and Feminism: secularist debates on marriage and sexual morality, England c. 1850-1885”. Women’s History Review 19.5, November 2010. Web.
This painstakingly researched article details the conflict between secularists (aka Freethinkers, those that eschew all religion) and the Women’s Movement in England. Of interest is the debate the secularists had amongst themselves, especially after their preference for Free Unions (as they were based on the fundamentals of their philosophy), became widely known. The suffragists, eager to control their public image, often scorned female secularists for their perceived association with sexual mores averse to the standards of the day. Irreligion, in their eyes, meant sexual license, and this perception would limit the Women’s Movement’s ability to change the landscape of public opinion. This article communicates well with other pieces about free love and feminism of the period, and it also offers an interesting perspective into the debates raging among British society. (EB)
This painstakingly researched article details the conflict between secularists (aka Freethinkers, those that eschew all religion) and the Women’s Movement in England. Of interest is the debate the secularists had amongst themselves, especially after their preference for Free Unions (as they were based on the fundamentals of their philosophy), became widely known. The suffragists, eager to control their public image, often scorned female secularists for their perceived association with sexual mores averse to the standards of the day. Irreligion, in their eyes, meant sexual license, and this perception would limit the Women’s Movement’s ability to change the landscape of public opinion. This article communicates well with other pieces about free love and feminism of the period, and it also offers an interesting perspective into the debates raging among British society. (EB)
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“The Character of Our City.” The New York Times. New York (November 23, 1855). Web. 5 March 2014.
“Spiritualism Repadiates Free Love.” The New York Times. New York (October 25, 1855). Web. 5 March 2014.
“The Free Lovers. No Disturbance Last Night.” The New York Times. New York (October 20, 1855). Web. 5 March 2014.
All three of these short columns look to save their city and their children from the ill-effects of free love. In, “The Character of Our City,” the author insists that free love is an abomination, yet that it is not prevalent in New York City. They claim that free love had one institute, and that was broken up. The focus of the article is on the greatness of the city, and therefore also its inhabitants. In, “Spiritualism Repudiates Free Love,” the author again protests against the philosophy of free love, he also agrees with the disciples of Free love in legalizing prostitution. The third article, “The Free Lovers. No Disturbance Last Night,” is a bland article citing the actions of a group of previously arrested free lovers. The article seems to have an omniscient writer, as it describes both the police’s actions as well as the free lover’s discussion in their meeting. It demonstrates the nervousness and anxiety around those involved in the free love movement. AG
“Spiritualism Repadiates Free Love.” The New York Times. New York (October 25, 1855). Web. 5 March 2014.
“The Free Lovers. No Disturbance Last Night.” The New York Times. New York (October 20, 1855). Web. 5 March 2014.
All three of these short columns look to save their city and their children from the ill-effects of free love. In, “The Character of Our City,” the author insists that free love is an abomination, yet that it is not prevalent in New York City. They claim that free love had one institute, and that was broken up. The focus of the article is on the greatness of the city, and therefore also its inhabitants. In, “Spiritualism Repudiates Free Love,” the author again protests against the philosophy of free love, he also agrees with the disciples of Free love in legalizing prostitution. The third article, “The Free Lovers. No Disturbance Last Night,” is a bland article citing the actions of a group of previously arrested free lovers. The article seems to have an omniscient writer, as it describes both the police’s actions as well as the free lover’s discussion in their meeting. It demonstrates the nervousness and anxiety around those involved in the free love movement. AG
Gutierrez, Cathy. “Sex in the City of God: Free Love and American Millenium”. Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation. 15.2, Summer 2005. 187-208. JSTOR. Web. 11 Mar. 2014
This article chronicles the contributions of Victoria Woodhull to the feminist movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Woodhull was an advocate for free love and spiritualism, and suggested in her 1873 lecture “The Elixir of Life” that the separation of body and soul would be remedied through the intersection of sex. She argued that it was only by maintaining the union of the body and the soul that the union of heaven and earth could be accomplished.
Like her feminist contemporaries, Woodhull saw marriage as confining, and akin to prostitution. Like her anarchist companions, Woodhull was a proponent of free love. She desired an earthly Utopia, where sexuality was based on love and desire only, where there was an equal and free distribution of land and wealth, where women were completely equal to men politically, sexually, and economically, where every citizen maintained freedom of speech and religion, and where the body was perfected against disease and incapacity.
While Spiritualism, Mesmerism and other forms of healing the mind and body gained popularity at the end of the nineteenth century, Woodhull differed from her Spiritualist followers in regards to her view of sex and disease. Death, for her, was caused by disease, which was ultimately caused by bad sex. Her solution, then, to eradicating death and disease was to eliminate bad sex. Once disease, and therefore death, was eliminated, the spirits of the dead would return to earth where everyone would live in utopia. While the details of her views differed from her contemporaries, the foundations of her politics—free love and equality—helped change the concept of progress from being centered on the soul to being centered on the body. (jvg)
This article chronicles the contributions of Victoria Woodhull to the feminist movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Woodhull was an advocate for free love and spiritualism, and suggested in her 1873 lecture “The Elixir of Life” that the separation of body and soul would be remedied through the intersection of sex. She argued that it was only by maintaining the union of the body and the soul that the union of heaven and earth could be accomplished.
Like her feminist contemporaries, Woodhull saw marriage as confining, and akin to prostitution. Like her anarchist companions, Woodhull was a proponent of free love. She desired an earthly Utopia, where sexuality was based on love and desire only, where there was an equal and free distribution of land and wealth, where women were completely equal to men politically, sexually, and economically, where every citizen maintained freedom of speech and religion, and where the body was perfected against disease and incapacity.
While Spiritualism, Mesmerism and other forms of healing the mind and body gained popularity at the end of the nineteenth century, Woodhull differed from her Spiritualist followers in regards to her view of sex and disease. Death, for her, was caused by disease, which was ultimately caused by bad sex. Her solution, then, to eradicating death and disease was to eliminate bad sex. Once disease, and therefore death, was eliminated, the spirits of the dead would return to earth where everyone would live in utopia. While the details of her views differed from her contemporaries, the foundations of her politics—free love and equality—helped change the concept of progress from being centered on the soul to being centered on the body. (jvg)
“The Berlin Free-Love Case - A Wife Rescued”. The New York Times, July 1st, 1858. ProQuest New York Times Database. Web.
This brief article for the New York Times highlights an instance in 1858, where a Detroit man, upon realizing that his wife was missing, goes in search for her at a Free Love commune in Ohio. Luckily, he finds her there unharmed, and claims that she the acts she witnessed at the commune were distasteful to her. The man believes her, and “[takes] her again to his heart, a shame stricken, but much wiser wife and mother.” Beyond the dubiousness of everyone’s motives involved in this story, this article is interesting to show the likelihood that an average woman could be compelled to check out one of these communes, and also the need for the husband - and media - to fold her back into the traditional norms. This article highlights the power of society to enforce conventions, and can be of use as a “case-in-point.” (EB)
This brief article for the New York Times highlights an instance in 1858, where a Detroit man, upon realizing that his wife was missing, goes in search for her at a Free Love commune in Ohio. Luckily, he finds her there unharmed, and claims that she the acts she witnessed at the commune were distasteful to her. The man believes her, and “[takes] her again to his heart, a shame stricken, but much wiser wife and mother.” Beyond the dubiousness of everyone’s motives involved in this story, this article is interesting to show the likelihood that an average woman could be compelled to check out one of these communes, and also the need for the husband - and media - to fold her back into the traditional norms. This article highlights the power of society to enforce conventions, and can be of use as a “case-in-point.” (EB)
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Gutierrez, Cathy. “Sex in the City of God: Free Love and American Millenium”. Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation. 15.2, Summer 2005. 187-208. JSTOR. Web.
This highly enjoyable article focuses on Victoria Woodhull, the famous women’s rights activist that, among many other things, ran for president in 1872 with Frederick Douglas as her running mate. Gutierrez details Woodhull’s early history, and her experience with marriage, as the impetus for her later railing against that institution and its shortcomings. Woodhull blends the tenets of Free Love with Spirituality to create a philosophy where good sexual relations will eliminate disease, and therefore death itself. Woodhull’s viewpoints also utilize several different pseudoscientific approaches common to her day, among them Mesmerism, Phrenology, and Hydropathy. Gutierrez’s article is well researched, well written, and sheds an interesting light on the social background of some of the fringe elements of both 19th century society and the Women’s Movement. (EB)
This highly enjoyable article focuses on Victoria Woodhull, the famous women’s rights activist that, among many other things, ran for president in 1872 with Frederick Douglas as her running mate. Gutierrez details Woodhull’s early history, and her experience with marriage, as the impetus for her later railing against that institution and its shortcomings. Woodhull blends the tenets of Free Love with Spirituality to create a philosophy where good sexual relations will eliminate disease, and therefore death itself. Woodhull’s viewpoints also utilize several different pseudoscientific approaches common to her day, among them Mesmerism, Phrenology, and Hydropathy. Gutierrez’s article is well researched, well written, and sheds an interesting light on the social background of some of the fringe elements of both 19th century society and the Women’s Movement. (EB)
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Toth, Emily. “The Independent Woman and ‘Free’ Love”. The Massachusetts Review 16.4 Autumn 1975. 647-664. JSTOR. Web.
Emily Toth painstakingly examines the works of George Sand, Kate Chopin, and Alexandra Kollontai in an attempt to uncover their female character’s struggles with Love (romantic and sexual) and Freedom (social and financial). Love and Freedom, to Toth and her subjects, are mutually exclusive. The women in the works Toth focuses on have a limited set of options: confinement in traditional marriage, renounce sex in favor freedom, or engage in an uneasy marital compromise with a deficient husband. Toth does an excellent job in connecting these different others, each from a different country and different political climates, and links them to a struggle common amongst women of the era. Toth, however, focuses so intently on her subjects that connections to other themes or works are tenuous, but can be made. (EB)
Emily Toth painstakingly examines the works of George Sand, Kate Chopin, and Alexandra Kollontai in an attempt to uncover their female character’s struggles with Love (romantic and sexual) and Freedom (social and financial). Love and Freedom, to Toth and her subjects, are mutually exclusive. The women in the works Toth focuses on have a limited set of options: confinement in traditional marriage, renounce sex in favor freedom, or engage in an uneasy marital compromise with a deficient husband. Toth does an excellent job in connecting these different others, each from a different country and different political climates, and links them to a struggle common amongst women of the era. Toth, however, focuses so intently on her subjects that connections to other themes or works are tenuous, but can be made. (EB)
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Price, Kenneth M. “Walt Whitman, Free Love, and ‘The Social Revolutionist’”. American Periodicals 1.1 Fall 1991. 70-82. JSTOR. Web.
In this concise, well written article, Kenneth Price articulates the intersection that Walt Whitman had with the Free Love movement, and how it influenced his poetic and journalistic careers. His main point is that Whitman the Poet was a Free Lover, eager and willing to incorporate some of the moral codes of the movement into his writing. Whitman the Journalist, however, was beholden to the owner of the publication as well as the dominant views of the public as a whole. Price brings interesting information forth in this article, particular as it concerns the periodical The Social Revolutionist, edited by John Patterson. To Patterson, marriage was “incompatible with the sovereignty of woman”, and he utilized his periodical to champion the ideals of Free Love. This article is a wonderful entry point into the interaction between Free Love, Journalism, and Poetry in 1850’s America. (EB)
In this concise, well written article, Kenneth Price articulates the intersection that Walt Whitman had with the Free Love movement, and how it influenced his poetic and journalistic careers. His main point is that Whitman the Poet was a Free Lover, eager and willing to incorporate some of the moral codes of the movement into his writing. Whitman the Journalist, however, was beholden to the owner of the publication as well as the dominant views of the public as a whole. Price brings interesting information forth in this article, particular as it concerns the periodical The Social Revolutionist, edited by John Patterson. To Patterson, marriage was “incompatible with the sovereignty of woman”, and he utilized his periodical to champion the ideals of Free Love. This article is a wonderful entry point into the interaction between Free Love, Journalism, and Poetry in 1850’s America. (EB)
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Battan, Jesse F. ""You Cannot Fix the Scarlet Letter on My Breast!": Women Reading, Writing, and Reshaping the Sexual Culture of Victorian America ." Journal of Social History . 37.3 (2004): 601-624. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3790155
Battan’s essay focuses on the Free Love movement of the nineteenth century, which encouraged women to not feel ashamed of their sexuality and to pursue sexual autonomy. Particularly, the essay examines the roles of Free Lovers in helping to create an open and public dialogue about emotional and erotic experiences and about sexual identity. The essay discusses the way that women attempted to deny the confines of repressed sexuality and also being subjected to unwanted and cruel sexual behaviors, particularly the unwanted advances of their own husbands. The Free Love movement gained some momentum in print, allowing the movement to reach a broader audience. The Free Love movement allowed women to begin to think of themselves as sexual beings without being ashamed, and allowed women to move to take some control and say in their sex lives. [Lovell]
Battan’s essay focuses on the Free Love movement of the nineteenth century, which encouraged women to not feel ashamed of their sexuality and to pursue sexual autonomy. Particularly, the essay examines the roles of Free Lovers in helping to create an open and public dialogue about emotional and erotic experiences and about sexual identity. The essay discusses the way that women attempted to deny the confines of repressed sexuality and also being subjected to unwanted and cruel sexual behaviors, particularly the unwanted advances of their own husbands. The Free Love movement gained some momentum in print, allowing the movement to reach a broader audience. The Free Love movement allowed women to begin to think of themselves as sexual beings without being ashamed, and allowed women to move to take some control and say in their sex lives. [Lovell]
Kephart, William M. “Experimental Family Organization: An Historical-Cultural Report on the Oneida Community.” Marriage and Family Living. 25.3 (Aug. 1963): 261-71. JSTOR. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
Even though Kephart published his article in 1963, he managed to interview over a dozen surviving members of the Oneida Community, including a daughter of John Humphrey Noyes, founder of the colony. Readers of this article will benefit from Kephart’s unbiased reporting, which details keys aspects of daily life inside the Community in easy-to-understand sections. After a brief sketch of Noyes’ personal history and his struggles to found a place congruent with his religious/scientific/social beliefs, Kephart discusses in great detail the sexual-marriage policies within the community and how members dealt with strife and insecurities as sexual partnerships were usually open, but very structured. One fascinating aspect of the article focused on stirpiculture, noting that Noyes’ experiment yielded so few children over the course of a decade while, simultaneously, America had a baby boom. Additionally, Kephart’s interviews produce keen insights into Noyes’ leadership style, and goes on to relate the former members’ personal opinions as to why Oneida failed. Scholars interested in marriage and family relations of communistic societies will greatly benefit from this very effective investigation into specific aspects of life within the Oneida Community. (DC)
Even though Kephart published his article in 1963, he managed to interview over a dozen surviving members of the Oneida Community, including a daughter of John Humphrey Noyes, founder of the colony. Readers of this article will benefit from Kephart’s unbiased reporting, which details keys aspects of daily life inside the Community in easy-to-understand sections. After a brief sketch of Noyes’ personal history and his struggles to found a place congruent with his religious/scientific/social beliefs, Kephart discusses in great detail the sexual-marriage policies within the community and how members dealt with strife and insecurities as sexual partnerships were usually open, but very structured. One fascinating aspect of the article focused on stirpiculture, noting that Noyes’ experiment yielded so few children over the course of a decade while, simultaneously, America had a baby boom. Additionally, Kephart’s interviews produce keen insights into Noyes’ leadership style, and goes on to relate the former members’ personal opinions as to why Oneida failed. Scholars interested in marriage and family relations of communistic societies will greatly benefit from this very effective investigation into specific aspects of life within the Oneida Community. (DC)
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Matthewes-Green, Frederica. "Free Love Didn't Come Cheap." Christianity Today 6 Oct. 1997: 68. Biography Reference Bank. Web. 8 Mar. 2014.
The immediate appeal of Matthewes-Green’s article when compare to academic journals is the narrative hook which begins in media res. The article begins by describing a rustic, perhaps utopian image of children holding dolls gathered around a wood burning stove, but is quick to inform, “The girls were not happy” (68). Under the doctrine of “Bible Communism” (68) set forth by Oneida community founder John Humphrey Noyes, people were not allowed to form sentimental attachments; the girls were throwing their dolls into an “angry fire” (68) as a self-purification ritual. This same practice of resisting sentimental bonds were a seminal tenet of Oneida’s free love movement in which men and women gave themselves freely to each other as sexual partners with no bonds of love, or kind of attachment (e.g. to dolls) to hinder their spirituality.
In an interesting, yet not too surprising biased historical connection, Green characterizes another free love movement, that of the 1960’s counter culture movement, as an “illogical” one that did not have the same lasting impact as the Oneida movement. Citing studies by the Center for Disease Control, a Roper Starch-SIECUS, and UCLA from the late 1980s to the mid 1990s,
Green cites evidence of declining numbers of teenagers and college students who had had intercourse and an increasing percentage of those who had wishing they had reconsidered. Green connects this more modern decline in free love to what happened at Oneida. Exiled into hiding after being charged with statutory rape, remaining women in Oneida began seeking affectionate bonds with men. Virgins began to choose remaining chaste until marriage.
It is not surprising given the conservative nature of the magazine’s publishers that Green’s article would highlight the triumph of traditional marriage and sexuality norms that promote monogamy and rail against out-of-marriage wedlock and infidelity. That being said, the ending metaphor, “Free love is like free ice cream--it looks attractive, but sooner or later too much indulgence makes you sick. The body has an impulse to health and can't live on ice cream alone. Pretty soon people start looking around for healthier fare. In the process they are apt to find each other, settle down, and form families once again. And at the heart of many a healthy family is a little girl holding a doll” rings trite and thus hollow, even if the author was attempting a more cordial, narrative tone as she likely spoke to Christians who already embraced her views.
http://www.oneidacommunity.org/
The immediate appeal of Matthewes-Green’s article when compare to academic journals is the narrative hook which begins in media res. The article begins by describing a rustic, perhaps utopian image of children holding dolls gathered around a wood burning stove, but is quick to inform, “The girls were not happy” (68). Under the doctrine of “Bible Communism” (68) set forth by Oneida community founder John Humphrey Noyes, people were not allowed to form sentimental attachments; the girls were throwing their dolls into an “angry fire” (68) as a self-purification ritual. This same practice of resisting sentimental bonds were a seminal tenet of Oneida’s free love movement in which men and women gave themselves freely to each other as sexual partners with no bonds of love, or kind of attachment (e.g. to dolls) to hinder their spirituality.
In an interesting, yet not too surprising biased historical connection, Green characterizes another free love movement, that of the 1960’s counter culture movement, as an “illogical” one that did not have the same lasting impact as the Oneida movement. Citing studies by the Center for Disease Control, a Roper Starch-SIECUS, and UCLA from the late 1980s to the mid 1990s,
Green cites evidence of declining numbers of teenagers and college students who had had intercourse and an increasing percentage of those who had wishing they had reconsidered. Green connects this more modern decline in free love to what happened at Oneida. Exiled into hiding after being charged with statutory rape, remaining women in Oneida began seeking affectionate bonds with men. Virgins began to choose remaining chaste until marriage.
It is not surprising given the conservative nature of the magazine’s publishers that Green’s article would highlight the triumph of traditional marriage and sexuality norms that promote monogamy and rail against out-of-marriage wedlock and infidelity. That being said, the ending metaphor, “Free love is like free ice cream--it looks attractive, but sooner or later too much indulgence makes you sick. The body has an impulse to health and can't live on ice cream alone. Pretty soon people start looking around for healthier fare. In the process they are apt to find each other, settle down, and form families once again. And at the heart of many a healthy family is a little girl holding a doll” rings trite and thus hollow, even if the author was attempting a more cordial, narrative tone as she likely spoke to Christians who already embraced her views.
http://www.oneidacommunity.org/
“Advertising the Oneida Community.” 4 Aug. 1873. ProQuest Historical Newspaper: The New York Times (1851-2009). 1 Mar. 2014.
This short letter to the editor, penned by “H,” calls attention to the Oneida Community when its writer asks the newly completed New York and Oswego Midland Railroad Company, regarding a recent advertising circular the company printed, bringing attention to interesting social aspects of the commune: “do the directors of this great enterprise know what they are commending to notice and patronage of the public?” The letter serves as an excellent example of a primary source, one which expounds on the value of the railroad industry and simultaneously ignores the successful enterprises of the Oneida Community, thus allowing readers to discern the local zeitgeist. (DC)
“Oneida’s Queer People.” 8 Aug. 1878. ProQuest Historical Newspaper: The New York Times (1851-2009). 1 Mar. 2014.
The correspondent for this article reports on the immanent dissolution of the Oneida Community and states the Connecticut branch had already been abandoned. According to the writer, the failure of these communist societies stems from difficult financial times across the nation, but also because of dissension within the ranks, with long-time supporters cashing out and leaving. A significant portion of the article how many of the members had become disillusioned with religious life at Oneida, coupled with growing doubts that Noyes’ son could fulfill a leadership role within the Community. This primary source offers interesting insights into the last years of the Oneida Community. (DC)
“The Oneida Community—Statics for the Year 1866.” 4 Feb. 1867. ProQuest Historical Newspaper: The New York Times (1851-2009). 1 Mar. 2014.
This very short article—only a couple of column inches—relates the significant industry that occurred at Oneida, detailing items produced, surpluses, amounts of money borrowed to facilitate additional manufacturing, and capital gains for the year. Scholars can utilize this primary source as a starting point for future research into the productivity of the Community in the years before the colony ceased to exist in 1880 and the incorporation of the Oneida Silverware Company began in 1881. There are interesting parallels between this article and the “Advertising the Oneida Community” letter to the editor, in which the author commends the railroad industry while ignoring the manufacturing which occurred at Oneida. (DC)
This short letter to the editor, penned by “H,” calls attention to the Oneida Community when its writer asks the newly completed New York and Oswego Midland Railroad Company, regarding a recent advertising circular the company printed, bringing attention to interesting social aspects of the commune: “do the directors of this great enterprise know what they are commending to notice and patronage of the public?” The letter serves as an excellent example of a primary source, one which expounds on the value of the railroad industry and simultaneously ignores the successful enterprises of the Oneida Community, thus allowing readers to discern the local zeitgeist. (DC)
“Oneida’s Queer People.” 8 Aug. 1878. ProQuest Historical Newspaper: The New York Times (1851-2009). 1 Mar. 2014.
The correspondent for this article reports on the immanent dissolution of the Oneida Community and states the Connecticut branch had already been abandoned. According to the writer, the failure of these communist societies stems from difficult financial times across the nation, but also because of dissension within the ranks, with long-time supporters cashing out and leaving. A significant portion of the article how many of the members had become disillusioned with religious life at Oneida, coupled with growing doubts that Noyes’ son could fulfill a leadership role within the Community. This primary source offers interesting insights into the last years of the Oneida Community. (DC)
“The Oneida Community—Statics for the Year 1866.” 4 Feb. 1867. ProQuest Historical Newspaper: The New York Times (1851-2009). 1 Mar. 2014.
This very short article—only a couple of column inches—relates the significant industry that occurred at Oneida, detailing items produced, surpluses, amounts of money borrowed to facilitate additional manufacturing, and capital gains for the year. Scholars can utilize this primary source as a starting point for future research into the productivity of the Community in the years before the colony ceased to exist in 1880 and the incorporation of the Oneida Silverware Company began in 1881. There are interesting parallels between this article and the “Advertising the Oneida Community” letter to the editor, in which the author commends the railroad industry while ignoring the manufacturing which occurred at Oneida. (DC)
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