E-text prepared by Eric Eldred, Marvin A. Hodges, Charles Franks, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team THE COMMUNISTIC SOCIETIES OF THE UNITED STATES _FROM PERSONAL VISIT AND OBSERVATION_ BY CHARLES NORDHOFF TO MY FRIENDS, DOCTOR AND MRS. JOHN DAVIS, OF CINCINNATI. [Illustration: VIEWS IN ZOAR.] TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION SUBJECTS OF THE INQUIRY THE CONDITION AND NECESSITIES OF LABOR MISTAKE OF THE TRADES-UNIONS REASONS FOR IT LABOR SOCIETIES, AS AT PRESENT MANAGED, MISCHIEVOUS THE AMANA SOCIETY ITS HISTORY AND ORIGIN AMANA IN 1874 SOCIAL HABITS AND CUSTOMS RELIGION AND LITERATURE THE HARMONISTS AT ECONOMY ECONOMY IN 1874 HISTORY OF THE HARMONY SOCIETY ITS RELIGIOUS CREED PRACTICAL LIFE SOME PARTICULARS OF "FATHER RAPP" THE SEPARATISTS OF ZOAR ORIGIN AND HISTORY THEIR RELIGIOUS FAITH PRACTICAL LIFE AND PRESENT CONDITION THE SHAKERS "MOTHER ANN" THE ORDER OF LIFE AMONG THE SHAKERS A VISIT TO MOUNT LEBANON DETAILS OF ALL THE SHAKER SOCIETIES SHAKER LITERATURE "SPIRITUAL MANIFESTATIONS" THE ONEIDA AND WALLINGFORD PERFECTIONISTS ORIGIN AND HISTORY THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEF DAILY LIFE AND BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION SUNDAY AT ONEIDA "CRITICISM" AND "PRAYER-CURES" THE AURORA AND BETHEL COMMUNES AURORA IN OREGON BETHEL IN MISSOURI THEIR HISTORY AND RELIGIOUS FAITH THE ICARIANS THE BISHOP HILL COLONY ITS ORIGIN AND HISTORY CAUSES OF ITS FAILURE THE CEDAR VALE COMMUNE THE SOCIAL FREEDOM COMMUNITY THREE COLONIES--NOT COMMUNISTIC ANAHEIM, IN CALIFORNIA VINELAND, IN NEW JERSEY SILKVILLE PRAIRIE HOME, IN KANSAS COMPARATIVE VIEW AND REVIEW STATISTICAL COMMUNAL POLITICS AND POLITICAL ECONOMY CHARACTER OF THE PEOPLE INFLUENCES OF COMMUNISTIC LIFE CONDITIONS AND POSSIBILITIES OF COMMUNISTIC LIVING BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS VIEWS IN ZOAR MAP SHOWING LOCATION OF COMMUNISTIC SOCIETIES GRACE BEFORE MEAT--AMANA SCHOOL-HOUSE--AMANA AMANA, A GENERAL VIEW CHURCH AT AMANA INTERIOR VIEW OF CHURCH PLAN OF THE INSPIRATIONIST VILLAGES ASSEMBLY HALL--ECONOMY CHURCH AT ECONOMY A STREET VIEW IN ECONOMY FATHER RAPP'S HOUSE--ECONOMY CHURCH AT ZOAR SCHOOL-HOUSE AT ZOAR A GROUP OF SHAKERS THE FIRST SHAKER CHURCH, AT MOUNT LEBANON SHAKER ARCHITECTURE--MOUNT LEBANON SHAKER ARCHITECTURE--ENFIELD, N. H. SHAKER WOMEN AT WORK SHAKER COSTUMES SHAKER WORSHIP.--THE DANCE SISTERS IN EVERY-DAY COSTUME ELDER FREDERICK W. EVANS VIEW OF A SHAKER VILLAGE THE HERB-HOUSE--MOUNT LEBANON MEETING-HOUSE AT MOUNT LEBANON INTERIOR OF MEETING-HOUSE AT MOUNT LEBANON SHAKER TANNERY--MOUNT LEBANON SHAKER OFFICE AND STORE AT MOUNT LEBANON A SHAKER ELDER A GROUP OF SHAKER CHILDREN SHAKER DINING-HALL A SHAKER SCHOOL SHAKER MUSIC-HALL J. H. NOYES, FOUNDER OF THE PERFECTIONISTS COSTUMES AT ONEIDA THE BETHEL COMMUNE, MISSOURI CHURCH AT BETHEL, MISSOURI