The Communistic Societies of the United States: From Personal Visit and ObservationNordhoff, Charles
History
The Communistic Societies of the United States: From Personal Visit and Observation
Nordhoff, Charles
Collective settlements -- United States
The body of the book is a mixture of Scripture texts and "revelations of
spirits;" and the absurdity of it appears to have struck even the
so-called "holy angel" who was supposed to have superintended the
writing, as appears from the following passage:
"We are four of the holy and mighty angels of God, sent from before
his throne, to pass and repass through the four quarters of the
earth; and many are the holy angels that bear us company. And thus
we shall visit the earth in partial silence, as this Roll goes
forth, until we have marked the door-posts of all, as our God hath
commanded, who shall humble themselves and repent at his word, by
proclaiming a solemn fast, and cease from their awful crimes of
wickedness, and turn to him in righteousness.
"My name, says the angel whose quarter is eastward, and stands as
first, is HOLY ASSAN' DE LA JAH'. The second, whose part is second,
and quarter westward, is MI'CHAEL VAN' CE VA' NE. The third, whose
part is third, and quarter northward, is GA' BRY VEN' DO VAS' TER
REEN'. The fourth, whose part is fourth, and quarter southward, is
VEN DEN' DE PA' ROL JEW' LE JAH'.
"These are our names in our own tongues, and we are sent on earth to
prepare the way for the Most High; and the whole human family will be
convinced of this before the final event of our mission shall arrive.
"And although we know that the words of this book will be considered by
many as being produced in the wildest of enthusiasm, madness, blasphemy,
and fanaticism, and by others as solemn, sacred, and awful truths; yet
do we declare unto all flesh that this Roll and Book contains the word
of the God of heaven, your Almighty Creator, sent forth direct from his
eternal throne now in this your day.
"And by this word shall every soul on earth be judged, in mercy or in
judgment, whether they believe or disbelieve. We are not sent forth by
our God to argue with mortals, but to declare his word and his work. And
we furthermore declare unto all the inhabitants of earth that they have
no time to lose in preparing for their God.
"If there be any who cannot understand to their souls' satisfaction
(though the requirements are plain), yet they may apply wheresoever they
believe they can be correctly informed."
As a sample of the book, here is an account by one of the mediums of her
"interview with a holy angel:"
"It was in the evening of the twenty-second of January, eighteen hundred
and forty-two, while I was busily employed putting all things in
readiness for the close of the week, that I distinctly heard my name
called very loudly, and with much earnestness. I could not go so well at
that moment, and I answered, 'I will come soon,' for I supposed it to be
some one in the adjoining room that wished to see me; but the word was
repeated three times, and I hastened to the place from whence the sound
seemed to come, but there was no one present.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account