History of American SocialismsNoyes, John Humphrey
History
History of American Socialisms
Noyes, John Humphrey
Communism -- United States; Socialism -- United States
Thus in all these Societies Communism evidently is stronger than
marriage familism. The control over the sexual relation varies in
stringency. The Shakers and perhaps the Ephratists exclude familism
with religious horror; the Rappites give it no place, but their
repugnance is less conspicuous; the Zoarites have no conscience
against it, but exclude it from motives of economy; the Ebenezers
excluded it only in the early stages of their growth, but long enough
to show that they held it in subjection to Communism. The Jansonists
favor celibacy; but do not prohibit marriage. The decreasing ratio of
control corresponds very nearly to the series of dates at which these
Communities commenced. The Ephratists settled in this country in 1713;
the Shakers in 1774; the Rappites in 1804; the Zoarites in 1816; the
Ebenezers in 1846; and the Jansonists in 1846. Thus there seems to be
a tendency to departure from the stringent anti-familism of the
Shakers, as one type of Communism after another is sent here from the
Old World. Whether there is a complete correspondence of the fortunes
of these several Communities to the strength of their anti-familism,
is an interesting question which we are not prepared to answer. Only
it is manifest that the Shakers, who discard the radix of old society
with the greatest vehemence, and are most jealous for Communism as the
prime unit of organization, have prospered most, and are making the
longest and strongest mark on the history of Socialism. And in
general it seems probable from the fact of success attending these
forms of Communism to the exclusion of all others, that there is some
rational connection between their control of the sexual relation and
their prosperity.
The only case that we have heard of as bearing against the hypothesis
of such a connection, is that of the French colony of Icarians. We
have seen their example appealed to as proof that Communism may exist
without religion, and _with_ marriage. Our accounts, however, of this
Society in its present state are very meager. The original Icarian
Community, founded by Cabet at Nauvoo, not only tolerated but required
marriage; and as it soon came to an end, its fate helps the
anti-marriage theory. The present Society of Icarians is only a
fragment of that Community--about sixty persons out of three hundred
and sixty-five. Whether it retained its original constitution after
separating from its founder, and how far it can fairly claim to be a
success, we know not. All our other facts would lead us to expect that
it will either subordinate the sexual relation to the Communistic, or
that it will not long keep its Communism.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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