Newspaper Page Text
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Vol. LI.
MILLEDGEVILLE, GEORGIA, TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 1870. No. 9
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Application for leave to sell Land
Notice to Dsbtora and Creditors
Sale* of Land, per square of ten lines
Sale of personal, per sq., ten days
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Mortgage sales of ten linet or lest
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Citetioni for letters of Administration. Guar
dianship, Ac..must be published 30days—for dis
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no chattos or ca&s bb-
TWBBN SAVANNAH, AU
GUSTA AND MONTOOM
BRY, ALABAMA
TRANSPORTATION OFFICE, CET. R. R. )
Savannah, August 14, J868. J
O N AND AFTER SUNDAY, 16th inst., Pas
senger Trains on the Georgia Central R. R
will run as follows :
UP DAY TRAIN.
L£AVK AKRIVK.
Savannah 8:00 A M
Macon 5:38 p M
Augusta 5:38 P M
Miliedgeville 8:58 P M
Eatonton 11.00 P M
Connecting with trains that leaves
Augusta 8:45 A M
DOWN DAY TRAIN.
Macon 7 : 00
Savannah . 5:30 P M
Augusta 5:38 P M
Connecting with train that leaves
Augusta 8:45 A M
UP NIGHT TRAIN
Savannah 7:20 P M
Macon 6:55 A M
Augusta 8:13 A M
Connecting with trains that leaves
Augusta... 9:33 P M
DOWN NIGHT TRAIN.
Macon : 6:25 P M
Savannah 5:10 A
9:13 A
Augusta
Miliedgeville...". 4:30 P M
Eatonton 2:40 P M
Connecting with train that leaves
Augusta 9:53 P M
A M Trains Irom Savannah aud Augusta, a
P M Train from Macon connect with Milledge
ville Train at Gordon daily, Sundays excepted.
P M. Train from Savannah connects with thro’
mail train on South Caroline W«ilroad, and P. M
train from Savannah and Augusta with trains on
South-Western aud Muscogee Railroads.
WM. ROGERS,
Act’g Master of Transportation.
February 1, 1870 5 tf
CHANGE OF SCHEDULE.
GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE,
ATLANTIC A GtLF, R. R. COMPANY,
Savannah, January 7, 1870.
O N AND AFTER SUNDAY, the 9th instant,
Passenger Trains on this Road will run as
follows:
NIGHT EPXPRESS TRAIN.
Leave Savannah every day at 4.30 P M
Arrive at Jesup junction. M & B
R R at 7.30 P M
Arrive at Live Oak every day 2.20 A M
Arrive at Jacksonville every day 7.02 A M
Arrive at Tallahassee every day 7.07 A M
Arrive at Quincy every day 9-13 A M
Arrive at Bainbridge Slondays ex
cepted 6.15 A M
Leave Bainbridge, Sundays excepted.9 30 P M
Leave Quincy every day 6 25 P M
Leave 'Tallahassee every day 8 25 P M
Leave Jacksonville every day 8.3<) P M
Leave Live Oak every day 1 28 A M
I,save Jesup every day 7.50 A M
Arrive at Savannah every day 10.50 A M
MACON & BRUNSWICK ACCOMMODATION
TRAIN.
Leave Savannah, Sundays except
ed, at 2.10 P M
Arrive at Jesups Sundays except
ed at - ■'>•90 P M
Arrive at Brunswick daily at 8.20 P M
Leave Macon daily at 8.30 A M
Leave Jesup daily at * 6.00 P M
Arrive at Savannah daily at 9.30 P M
On Sunday this Train will leave Savannah at
T15 A. M., connecting with Trains for Macon A
Brunswick, and connecting with trains from Ma
son and Brunswick will arrive at Savannah at
».30 P M.
DAY TRAIN.
NOTICE.
Atlantic * Gulf Railroad Co.,
Savannah, December 15, 1869.
O N AND AFTER THIS DATE, BY AGREE
MENT, the rate of Freight between Savan-
nan and Macon, by the Atlantic and Gulf aud Ma
con aud Brunswick Railroads, will be as follows :
First class per pound ..... $2 30
Second class per 100 pounds ... i 40
Third class per 100 pounds 1 00
Fourth class per 100 pounds 80
Fifth class per 100 pounds 70
Sixth class per 100 pounds ...... 50
Seventh class per 100 pounds 45
Eighth class per 100 pounds 35
Ninth class per 100 pounds.. 30
Cotton per 100 pounds 50
Salt per sack 30
Guano per 100 pounds - 15
Freight received for all Stations on Macon and
Western Railroad, Atlanta and points beyond.
H. S. HAINES,
General Superintendent.
February I, 1879 5 tt
Schedule of the Georgia Railroad.
SUPERINTENDENT’S OFFICE
Georgia Railroad Compan
Augusta, Ga., December 21
\
3, ’69. )
' THE CELESTIAL UTOPIA.
Richmond County. Ga-. )
February 20, 1870. j
Editor Recorder ■:
Dear Sill:—I offer you for republication, an
article from the New York Daily Sun of April 30th,
1869, asking for a place in your paper as a chron
icler of passing events in the midst of the incom
prehensible times through which our beloved South
is passing. For it is eminently proper, ocasionally,
to elevate our minds above these low grounds—of
sorrow of earthly things so sadly distorted from
proper direction—to the contemplation of soul-
welfare, and efforts towards holier life in sweet
accord with heavenly affection. My object is, to
abstract the minds of those who may be able to
appreciate, even faintly, the magnitude and grand-
ure of the work commenced on the shores of Lake
Erie. The “Sun’s” very intelligent correspon
dent, catches a glimpse “from afar off,” through
the fog of his mentality. But only enough to
awaken puzzled thought. We live in a wonder
ful age ; in which wickedness seems almost tri
umphant over good and truth ; are almost in
despair, yet conscious that God hath not left his
children comfortless. Here and there scattered
over the wide earth, are the followers of King
Emanuel battling under countless names aud or
ganizations, according to various conceptions of
His Will! Alas, can this under Divine Provi
dence always prevail ? Everywhere throughout
groaning earth, goeth up the cry, “How long oh
Lord !" While man’s inhumanity to man contin
ues to make countless millions mourn Yet ’tis
eighteen hundred years since the voice of the
Lord of Life resounded throughout Palestine.—
Behold our civilization ! What progress ? Watch-
mau what of the night ? Steeped in sin and corrup
tion. Christendom universally looking for relief,
and the good everywhere with groans unutterable
crying out in agony, “How long oh Lord.” Hence,
all good men will dispassionately observe the
“signs of the times,” and examine anxiously ev
ery token given to bring “Divine Order” into the
counsels of men, and not only into their counsels
but in their lives. • “ENQUIRER."
O N AND AFTBR SUNDAY, 26th inst., the
Passenger Trains ou the Georgia Railroad
willruu as follows:
DAY PASSENGER TRAIN.
Leave Augusta at 7.00 A M.
“ Atlanta at 5.00 AM.
Arrive at August at.. 3.45 PM.
“ at Atlauta 5.30 PM.,
NIGHT PASSENGER TRAIN.
Leave Augusta at.... 10.00 P M.
“ Atlanta at 5.45 PM.
Arrive at Augusta 3-45 A M.
“ Atlanta 8.00 A.M.
S K. JOHNSON,
Superintendent.
January, 18 1870 3 tf
Leave Savannah, Sundays except
ed at. — ----- 7.15 A M
Arrive at Jesups, Sundays except
ed at... ......10 45 A M
Arrive at Live Oak, Sundays ex
cepted at 7.00 P M
Arrive at Macon duly at 7 50 P M
Leave Live Oak, Sundays except
ed 6.00 A M
Leave Jesups, Sundays except
ed at... - 2.16 PM
Arrive at Savannah .Sundays ex
cepted at 5.3,» P M
Passengers for Macon take 7.15 A M train
from Savannah, leaving daily.
Passengers for Brunswick take 2.10 P M. train
from Savannah. . j Sunday, the 9th inst.., as follows :
Passengers leaving Macon at 8.30 A M connect , r . aqo » \j
J«»P express t r.,» tor Florid, end West- | f
era Division, ana with train for Savaunah, arriv- i
ing at 9.30 P M. ’ I
Passengers from Brunswick connect at Jesup witli
train for Savaunah, arriving at 5.35 P M except ,
on Sundays, when it arrives at 9 30 P. M at Jesup
with Express Train for Savannah, arriving at j
Schedule Macon & Brunswick R. R-
R
January, 7th, 1870
EGULAK THRO’ PASSENGER TRAINS
10 50 AM.
Connect at Macon with Train for Atlanta, leav
ing at 9.00 P M.
SOUTH GEORGIA A FLORIDA R. R. TRAIM.
Leave Tbomasville Tuesdays, Thursdays and
Saturdays at .....8.00 A M
Arrive at Pelham, Tuesdays Thursdays and Sat- ]
ordavs at - - - -— ..9.55 A M
Leave Pelham, Tuesdays, Thursdays snd Satur
day* at ...,3 45P M
Arrive at Thomasville, Tuesdays, Thursdays and
Saturdays at 6.00 P M
H. S. HAINES,
General Superintendent.
Jannuary 18, 1870 3 ^
CHANGE OF SCHEDULE,
Soutm-Wzstzrn Railroad Company^ {
Office, Macon, Ga., Jau. 15th, 18/0. \
Eufaula day Passenger and Mail 1 rain.
Leave Macon 8.00 A.M.
Arrive atEufaula 6.30 PM.
Leave Eufaula 7,20 £"w
Arrive at Macon 4.50 P. M.
Night Freight S( Accommodation Train.
Leave Macon „ 8:25 P M
Arrive at Eufaula. 11:00
Leave Eufaula -- 7:18 P M
Arrive at Macon - 9:10 A M
Col ambus Mail Tra in.
Leave Maeou............... 7:25 A M
Arrive at Columbus 1.22 A M
Leave Columbus....... ....12:25 P M
Arrive at Macon......6:05 P M
Columbus Night Freight Ac'om'n Train
Leave Macon...7:40 P M
Arrive at Columbus................ 5:05 A M
Leave Columbus 7:00 P M
Arrive at Macon 4:43 A M
"Albany Train” connects at Smithville with
Eufaula Trains and Arrive at Albany at 3:11 P M
and Leaves Albany at 9:35 A M—Regular Mail
Train.
Aacemmodation Train connects three times a
weak.
“Port Gaines Train,” connects at Cuthbert.
Leave Fort Gaines at 7:05 A M and Arrive at
Fort Gaines 3:40 P M.
Aeeommodation Train connects twice a week,
Tuesdays and Thursdays.
M W. S. HRANTLY, Aud.
February I, 1870 5 tf,.
Arrive at Brunswick at 8.20 PM.
Arrive at Savannah at 9.00 P M.
RETURNING :
Leave Brunswick at 8-00 A M.
Leave Savannah at—- 7.15 A M.
Arrive at Macon at...... .....7.50 P M.
Trains make direct connections at Jesap,
both ways, with trains for Bainbridge. Thomas-
the crossing of the Atlantic and Gulf Road,
ville, and all points on that Road, as well.as with
those for Jacksonville, Tallahassee, and all sta
tions on the Florida Roads.
Fare to Savaunah and Brunswick $ 8 00
Fare to Jacksonville 12 00
Fare to Tallahassee 17 00
Fare to Bainbridge 15 00
Fare to New York, Philadelphia or
Baltimore, by steamers *■** 27 00
Under recent arrangements made with the At
lantic & Gulf Road, freights to and from Savan
nah and New York have increased dispatch.
The Southern Express Company will operate on
this line to Brunswick, points in Southern Geor
gia and in Florida, commencing on'Mouday, the
10th instant. _
ROBERT SCHMIDT.
Master transportation^
& Celestial Utopia—Proposed Paradise on the
Shore of Lake Erie—1,GOO Acres of Land
and 80 Acres of Grapes—A Host Unusual
Community.
A British Diplomatist and Member of Parliament
among them—Also Japanese Notables—Also Five
Orthodox Clergymen—Likewise Elegant Ladies—
Abd-el-Kader Looking into the Matter—Likewise
other Mahometan Magnates—A New System of
Religion—Lofty and Strenuous Views of Marriage
—Hard Work in the Name of the Lord, and no
Chance for Vagabonds.
Nine miles beyond Dunkirk, on the southerly
shore of Lake Erie, in the village of Broeton,
township of Pomfret, and county of Chautanqua,
in the State of New York, is a community which,
in some respects, aud especially as to the central
idea around which the members gather by attrac
tion, as particles gather around a magnet, is prob
ably without a parallel in the annals of mankind.
The Founder of the Community.
The founder of this community, is the Rev.
Thomas Lake Harris, an Englishman by birth,
but whose parents came to this country about the
year 1827, when he was only three years old ; so
that he has had American characteristics ineradi-
caliy stamped upon his nature, and woven into
the very fibre of his being.
Mr. Harris was for several years a noted preach
er of the Universalist denomination in thia city, to
a congregation of able and radical thinkers. The
Hon. Horace Greely was one of the trustees of the
society, and other gentlemen of eminent ability
were habitual attendants upon Mr. Harris’s preach
ing, which, by his friends, was considered very
remarkable.
Mr. Harris subsequently went to England,
where he had a noticeable career as a preacher of
strange and new doctrines. Between five and
six years ago, he returned to this country, and
settled in Amenia, Dutches county, where he
prospered as a banker and agriculturist, until
October. 1867, he (as he claims,) in obedience to
the direct leadings of God’s Spirit, under which
he has always sought to act, took up his abode at
his present residence, in Chautauqua county, on
the southerly shore of Lake Erie, and founded
the community of which it is our purpose to give
an account.
January 18,1670
T. W. WHITE,
jlttoSnei^-at-^auL,
MILLEDGEVILLE, GA.,
Will practice in this and the adjoining counties.
Applications for Homestead Exemptions
under the new law, and other business before the
Court of Ordinary, will receive proper attention.
October 13.1868 41 tf
Furniture ]R,epairecL
for Stle fi this tyttiw-
>Y
1901
1 1HE SUBSCRIBER would respectfully an
nounce to the citizens of Miliedgeville and
Baldwin county, that he is prepared to do all kind
of work in his line, warranted to give satisfaction.
Those, who have favored him in days past, have
his kindest acknowledgments. Orders solicited.
ry He can fix up all kind of Chairs, Cane bot
tom or otherwise. K. N. ADAMS.
October 12, 1869 41 3 “
W ANTED.—A Northern man—friendly to the
South, and a believer in the old Jefferso
nian idea of government—& College graduate, de
sires a situation as Teacher in some Southern
State. Satisfactory reference* furnished if desired-
Address, stating terms, “CLASSICS,”
Publishers’ Box No 7, DsVTOH, OHIO
•or.Reorder Office.
OntobM- hi/. 1609 * *
Mr. Harris is a tough, wiry, compact man: some
forty-five years old, of medium height and much
muscular activity. His eye is keen, clear, and
firm, and his intellect strong and practical. We
were surprised, pbrenologicallv speaking, to find
his intellect and common sense so predominent
over hi* imaginative and spiritual taculties.—
Judging from his personal presentation, not even
Gradgrind himself had a better appreciation of
“hard facta,” nor lesa a dreamer, than thia form
er ot a Community which it would probably lie
impossible to persuade the world to believe does
not wrest upon mental chimeras and spiritual hal
lucinations.
The Real Estate a Shrewd Precaution.
The tract of land owned and occupied by thrf
Community comprises a title over 1,600 acres, and
is about two and a half miles long by one mile in
breadth. One-half of this tract was purchased by
Mr. Harris with his own money ; the residue was
purchased with the money of his associates, and
at their request is held by him in trust for the
Community.
The main building on the premise*, (for there
are several residences,) is an ordinary frame
mansion, such as well-to-do country gentlemen
who have plenty of land usually build, it be
ing a low, two-story edifice, straggling over much
ground. It can be seen trom the depot at Broc-
ton, and seems nigh to the beholder, bnt access
to it is by a circuitous road, three miles iu extent.
One can take a short cut of a mile across logs,
however, if he feels so disposed, and is willing to
run whatever risks may lie in his path.
Broeton is the point of junction of the Lake
Shore and the Buffalo, Corny, and Pittsburgh
Railroads. All the depot buildings, and also the
only hotel in the vicinity, stand on the land of
the Community, Mr. Harris having taken the pre
caution so to order matters that the Community
might control the nuclens, and to a sufficient ex
tent, the destiny of the village which is rising on
their borders.
The Law of the Land.
icompetent guiding hand, yet. take it all in &U,and
notwithstanding that the native beauties of the
situation and the great natural advantages of the
place suggest enchanting and opulent possibili
ties inthefntnre, the entire domain is now in a
raw. crowded, transitional, undress state, not on
ly wholly unprepared for company, but also with
out the means ot making the members themselves
physically or domestically comfortable.
This is not considered a disadvantage by the
Community, however, but rather an advantage
tor they do not want to be troubled with visitors
nor do they want any members who seek their
own personal ease and comfort, or who enter the
.Society for any purpose except that of doing
God’s will as the Community understand it. And
what they understand God’s will to be, and how
they think it is to be done, we shall try to show
hereafter.
The People who are there.
There are about sixty adult members of the
Community besides a number of children. There
is also a corps of hired laborers, mostly Swedes
who are employed because the regular home force
is not-sufficient to push on the necessary work
fast enough.
The membership, take it all in all, presents
most remarkable aggregation of persons and a
singular coalescence of characters.
The personage whose presence in such a Com
munity will probably excite most surprise in the
fashionable world is an English gentlewoman
Lady Oliphant. by name, the widow of Sir Antho
uy Oliphant, C. B., formerly Chief Justice of Cey
Ion. But the most romantic case not only in this
particular movement, but so far as we know in
any similar movement, is that furnished by Mr,
Laurence Oliphant, the son of Lady Oliphant, to
whom special attention will hereinafter be given.
The exigencies of time and space forbid the
special mention of every singular or important
individuality of this extraordinary Community
There are five orthodox clergymen there ; and
representatives from Japan; and American ladies
of high social position aud exquisite culture and
a great variety of persons who, as things go in
the outside world, r,.nge from the highest to the
lowest ranks of social life.
Lady Oliphant and her Maid.
But in the Community there is no difference of
social rank. They are all equal before God, and
in the estimation of one another. Lady Oliphant
and her former servant maid live on terms of per
feet equality, without condescension on the part of
the lady, without servility on the part of the maid
—children of the same father, sisters iu the same
Saviour, heirs of the same heritage.
A British Gentleman’s Religion.
And Mr. Oliphant, a pet of the British Govern
ment ; an accomplished scholar and successful
author; a young man whose extraordinary ca
pacity caused him to be put in training, while yet
a boy, for the highest duties of diplomacy ; who
was Lord Elgin’s private secretary during that
nobleman's remarkable mission to China: who
was subsequently sent,while less than thirty years
of age, as British Ambassador to Japan, whence
he returned on account of having been severely
wounded during the memorable attack on the for
eign Ministers, which was instigated by the Dai-
mois iu opposition to the Tycoon ; who was then
elected to Parliament for the borough of Stirling
by a Liberal constituency, where his ability his,
eloquence, and his character gave him an influ
ential position ; this high-bred gentleman, to
whom the most alluring worldly honors were and
still are proffered in bounteous measure, work*
side by side, and on terms of perfect equality,
with fellow laborers who are without culture, or
wealth, or anything except a love for God mani
fested after a fashion which makes the aristocrat
ic young Englishman feel in his heart of hearts
that they are in very truth children of the same
Heavenly Father, and brothers in the Lord Je
sus Christ.
These are strange matters. They are facts
which it is vain to question. What do they sig
nify? We shall come to tiiat—or at least we
shall corns to what the actors in this unparalleled
drama say is that—by and by.
Japanese Christians.
There are other facts no less surprising and
significant, which are in truth far more surprising
and significant than the foregoing, although per
haps they are not so romantic. Take those pre
viously idolatrous Japanese, for example, who
by this same religious presentation and influence
have been brought, as our Methodist brethren
would say, into the same state of Gospel freedom.
We made r short call on one of them, who was
engaged in his study (to wit, the corner of a work
shop.) after his day’s work had been done, study
ing the Scriptures. The tawny pagan actually
seemed to have been born again physically as
well as spiritually. How happy he was ! His
face shone as though it were reflecting rays from
the Sun of Righteousness. We will make a clean
breast of it, and say that we went into that rough
room with a sneer on our lip, and cynical emo
tion* in our bosom, and that we came out of it
with tears in our eyes, and with profitable humil
ity of heart.
One of the most influential of the Japanese mem
bers (we forget, the name) has gone home, having
been appointed, as we were told, one of the com
missioners to revise and settle the national affairs
of his native island. A letter had recently been
received from him, stating that a large number of
Japanese, who through him had become interest
ed in the religious doctrines and life of the Com
munity, were preparing to emigrate to the shore
ot Lake Erie, theie to learn of Christ, and to sub
ordinate their daily lives to Hi* teachings.
Abd el Under and Mahometan Pilgrims.
A few days before our visit, a letter had been
received trom Abd el-Kader, who is now living at
Port Saide, in Egypt, and who has become inter
ested in the new doctrines. A letter had also
been recently received from one of the members
of the Community now traveling in the East, who
bad been requested to explain the doctrine* to a
band of Mahometan pilgrims, whom he aecompa
nied some distance on their way to Mecca —
This letter interested Mr. Oliphant exceedingly,
even more than Abd-el-Kader’s did- He said he
knew so well the virulent superstition of those pil-
prims, and their bitter hatred of the Nazarenes, as
they call all Christians, that he regarded the in
terest manifested by them in the doctrine as a fact
of unusual significance. Hitherto, he said, any
Christian who should have ventured to address
them on religious topics would have been put to
death. Mr. Oliphaai seems to be familiar with
the languages of Asia, and has no troubfe in com
municating by letter with Turks, Chinese, Japan
ese or Arabs. Being also personally and officially
known in the East, his name doubtless helps to
gain a respectful hearing in those regions for any
cause with which he is known to be identified.
The Toughest Case of All.
Bnt what struck ns as being one of the mo*t.
surprising facts in the whole ’business, was the
resolution into Christian harmony of some of the
teughest theological discords. Take the five ortho-
A deeD valley runs through the estate, and dox clergymen, for example, and a number ot
along the bed of the valley runs a copious creek, »n-«l infill. ,
on the northerly bank of which, at a well select
ed site, stands a saw-mill, which seems to have
constant use for all its teeth. Along the northern
boundary of the estate Lake Erie, stretches like
a broad‘ ribband of blue” (see Numbers xv. 38,
39) on the fringe of the border of the garment of
their domain, typical of their alleged efforts to in
corporate religion into the minutest duties and en
joyments of their daily lives, and to bind the
whole around with the zone or absolute truth,
temperance and mellowed with Divine love.
The land for the most part lies warm to the sun,
and its quality and position are such that it does
not require under-draining, which is a great ad
vantage. It is bountifully supplied with wood
and water, and is variegated in surface and in soil.
A large portion of it is shale and clay, and the
residue sandy loam. Portions of the soil are im
pregnated with gasoline to such an extent that it
is thought the gas may be utilized for light aud
fuel.
Grapes, Dairy and Chaos.
Abont eighty acres are in grapes, of several va
rieties, among which are the Concord, Isabella,
Salem, Iona. Rogers’s Hybrid, and others. They
expect much from their grapes. The intention is
to strive for quality rather than quantity, and to
run principally to table fruit of an excellence
which will command the highest prices.
It is the intention of the .Community to go ex
tensively into the dairy business, * n J> considera
ble progress has already been made in that direc
tion. Other industrial matters are also being driv
en ahead with skill aud vigor ; but a large por
tion of the estate has yet to be brought under cul
tivation, aud there is a deal of hard work yet to
be done to make the 1,600 acres presentable, and
to secure comfortable homes for the workers. Al
though the general movement of things which is
visible tt> the naked eye, gives tokei* of • firm and
persons who not long ago were avowed infidels :
their hearts and faith and non-faith have all been
melted into one; and one of them was formerly a
Virginia, slaveholding, orthodox, clergyman ; he
was rich, too. and owned thirty slaves. Just think
what a combination was there' It beats even
that presented by our friend Mark Lanigan, the
Fourth Ward, Irish Catholic, Black Republican
rnmseller. And yet that man who spent years in
preaching that the Bible not only justifies slavery,
but that Christianity requires its devotees to en
slave Pagans, is now a tender hearted worker in
this community, with no taint of snobbery left in
lnm. He now believes in the universal brother
hood of the race, negroes not excluded, and that
religion is a matter of daily life, and that the life
of religion is to do good.
What is the Secret f
And now, what is the secret soul which animates
this wide spreading body ? What is the hidden
magnet which rests on that lake shore domain,
whose attractive powers are felt in remotest lands,
and run from top to bottom of the social gammut
in both hemispheres ?
We put these questions and many others bear
ing on thesanie focal point, to Mr. Harris, to Mr.
Oliphant, and to some of the ladies; and they an
swered them with all frankness; and we under
stood them ; and if we shall not be able to set the
truth of the matter forth, it will be our fault, snd
not theirs. We are afraid it is going to be a heavy
piece of work—but not so heavy for the reader, we
hope, as for the writer.
The Religious Status.
We will first state, generally, that Swedenborg
furnishes the original doctrinal and philosophical
bases of the whole fabric, to which Mr. Harris, as
he conceives, has been led by Providence to add
other and vital matters, which were unknown un
til they were rewealed through him. They rever-
enc# tbe Scriptures as the very Word of God.
The fundamental religious belief of the Community
may be summed up in the dogma, that there is ot e
God, and only one, and that he is the Lord Jesus
Christ.
The religion of the Community is intensely
practical, and may be stated as Faith in Christ,
and a life in accordance with his commandments.
And here comes in the question, Wbat is a life
in accordance with Christ’s commandments?
Mr. Harris and his fellow believers hold, that
when a man is “ born of the Spirit.” he becomes
a child of the Infinite Parent, ana, by virtue ot
such divine adoption, is affiliated to tLe niversai
brotherhood, and consequently begins to loose his
desire for individual, selfish prosperity, and yearns
to be conjoined, not only with his Heavenly Fa
ther, but also with all the other members of the
divine human house hold, for the purpose of co
operating in the promotion of the common spiritual
domestic happiness thereof, and so is inevitably
drawn into communal relations with his brethren,
in accordance with the declaration that “ the dis
ciples were of one heart and one mind and, had all
things in common.”
These doctrines have been held by myriads, and
repeated attempts have been made, but made in
vain, to embody them in actual life. It is natural
therefore, to distrust any new attempt in the same
direction. Mr. Hai ris is aware of this general
distrust, and of the reasons for it; but he claims
that he has something which places his attempt
btyond the vicisitudes of chance, and bases it
upon immutable certainty ; that hitherto there has
been no palpable criterion whereby the existence
of God could be tested—no tangible test whereby
the indication of His will could be deterasined :
but that such criterion and test have now been
vouchedsafe, and that on such criterion and test
to him communicated, his Community is founded,
The Grand Secret.
We have now led up to, and prepared to consid
er the pivot on which this movement on the shore
of Lake Erie turns, the foundation on which it
rests, the grand secret of the whole matter.
This secret is known to the Community as
“ open respiration.” also as “ divine respiration
aud the starting point of the theory is, that God
created man iu his own image and likeness, and
breathed into him the breath of life. That the
breathing into man of the breath of life, was the
sensible point of contact between the divine and
human, between God and man. That man in hi*
holy state was, so to speak, directly connected
with God, by means of what might be likened to a
spiritual respiratory umbilical cord, which ran
from God to man’s inmost or celestial nature, and
constantly suffused him with airs from heaven,
whereby his spiritual respiration or life was sup
ported, and his entire nature, physical as well as
spiritual, kept in a state of Godlike purity and
innocence, without, however, infringment of man’s
freedom,
That after the fall of man, this spiritual respira
tory connection between God and man was sever
ed, and the spiritual intercourse between the
Creator and the creature brought to an end. and
hence spiritual death. That the great point is to
have this respiratory connection with God restor
ed. That Mr. Harris and those who are co-oper
ating with him have had it restored, and are in the
constant enjoyment thereof. That it is by this
divine respiration, aud by no other means, that a
human being can get irrefangible, tangible, satis
factory evidence that God is God, and that man
has or can have conjunction with God.
What this New Respiration Does.
This divine respiration, (we give Mr. Harris’s
own language as nearly as possible ) retains all
that is of the natural respiration as it* base and
fulcrum, and builds upon and enjoys it for its
services. Take an illustration: The good man,
for example, who possesses mere natural respira.
tion, seeks God in prayer ; but when he rises to
heights of communion, where language is drawn
up to thought, then thought stilled in the quie
tude of love there is hardly a breath left in the
body. He comes down from his altitude from
lack oflungs in which fo breath. The step be
yond is respiration’s end, and the exit of the spirit
from the abandoned frame.
But with the new respiration which God gives
to Mr. Harris aud his fellow worshippers, it is
claimed that the phenomena is diametrically re
versed. Highest prayer with them, is not attend
ed with breathlessness, but with breathfulness ; and
the nearer one approaches the Omnipotent object
of his worship, the more copious becomes the
river of that diviner atmosphere, which, pnlsing
through the spirit, expands and invigorates the
breath. There is in every act of true worship a
wedding in the breast, the heavenly atmosphere
sliding down in the bosome of the earthly atmos
phere, and impregnating it with its own eternal
qualities.
In the new respiration, God gives an atmos
phere that is as sensitive to moral quality, as the
physical respiration is to natural quality: and
this higher breath, whose essence is virtue, builds
up the bodies of the virtuous, wars against disease,
expells the virus of hereditary maladies, renews
health from its foundations and stands in the body
as a sentinel against every plague. When this spir
itual respiration descends and takes possession of
the frame, there is henceforth a guiding power, a
positive inspiration winch selects the recipient’s
calling, which trains im for it, which leads him to
favorable localities, and which cocrdinates affairs
on a large scale.
It will deal with groups as with individuals ; it
will redistribute mankind; it will reorganize the
village, the town, the workshop, the manufactory,
the agricultural district, the pastoral region,
gathering human atoms from their degradation,
and crystalizing them in resplendent unities.
Man whose breath is in his nostrils, is as the
flower of the field, to-day brilliant in the summer
shine, to-morrow withared in the autnmnal blight.
He labors, and an uukown race enters into his
inheritance. He is the srchitect of an abortive
fortune, gathering possessions from the universal
waste and anarchy of man. The fortunes ofindi-
vidnals, of families, and of nations are houses
built upon the sand ; they fall, they are swallowed
up iu ruin. But in the divine respiration, all is
different. Men, families, peopJes, who shall
breathe to God, will by Him labor, endure,
achieve, obtain prosperity, diffuse the riches of
art, letters, religion and civilisation; executing as
He plans, their work being permanent on the
foundation of His decree.
This is a fair statement of the doctrine of “open
respiration,” as it is held by Mr. Harris and his
associates.
;ect can not be passed over, for out of it come all
he issues of renovated life.
By questioning, we learned that there are ladies
and gentlemen in the Community who claim to
have already attained this “ sense of chastity” to
-uch a degree that they instautly detect the pres
ence of an impure person- With them, marriage
is the holy of holies on earth, and family relations
>re held to be absolutely sacred and inviolate.
Who Won t and Who Will Attain the New Rtspi
ration. , .
Mr. Harris says there are five classes who will
be moved to seek the spiritual or open respiration.
First, men and women of a diseased religious
imagination, whowonld seek in it at once a spirit
ual soothing and exhilaration, who would make
ttie Lord’s breast a dram shop, and resort to it for
purposes of spiritual intoxication.
Secoudly,individuals who live upon the sympa
thy which they extract from others ; evaders of re
sponsibilities. shufflers and shirkers of duty, who
would make the Lord’s breath a spunge, and live
upon it in indolent absorption.
Ihirdly, those who without having been faith-
mi over a few things, are asking to be made lords
over many things.
Fourthly, those who will seek it under a mista
ken sense of their advanced conditions in the re
generate life—unconscious Pharisees of doctrine,
who will desire to possess it as a visible crown aud
emblem of righteousness.
Fifthly, those who will crave it with the poor
publican, crying “ God be merciful to me a sinner.”
And such will get. it, and thrive upon it, aud be
come fit temples for the indwelling of the Holy
Ghost.
Those to whom Mr. Harris says this respiration
will readily come are such, in the churched as
mistrust aud at heart reject the doctrine that there
is any malignity in the Divine Nature; whose
hearts in whatever creed they are, have outgrown
their theology ; who believe more than they know
and love more than they can express; who without
ability to evolve a divine faith, possesses that im
meuse force of a consecrated affection.
Questions Asked and Answered.
Such, in substance, are the facts of this Com
munity, and the theories of its members. That
they believe iu them, and that they believe they
possess the divine respiration, and thereby live
and move, and have their being directly and sen
sibly in and through aud of God, there can be no
doubt.
We put the question directly to Mr. Oliphant
and to others, and they replied frankly and fully
in the affirmative. One sees at a glance that Mr.
Oliphant is a thoroughbred, and the incarnation
of courage and of truth. He is certainly in pur
suit of no worldly advantage. He gets up and
goes to work at 4 o'clock in the morning, and is
never so happy as when helping some less gifted
worker through iiis labors. He has a fine mind.
He is robust. There is no dyspepsia or morbid
ness in him. He is cheerful and fond of jokes.—
We know he is, for we tried several on him.—
With all his understanding and appreciation of
eternal matters, he is as blithe aud jocund as a
boy. When such a man, who, as our lamented
friend, Joseph L. White would have said, “eXbib
its the romance of religion and the poetry of
righteousness,” tells you that he knows there is
such a thing as this "open respiration,” that he
has felt it, that he feels it constantly, that he lives
by it, what are you going to do about it?
We leave every one to decide the matter for
himself. For our part, we are so miserably skep
tical that we have never yet been able to believe
that anybody on this earth ever saw what is called
a “spiritual manifestation and we suppose that
we shall never be able to believe in Divine Res
piration until we experience it for ourselves—if,
happily, such a thing stall ever be.
How the Respiration Operates.
The members of the Community strive to be
led by the Spirit of the Lord in all things, aud
this new respiration is their means of testing what
is or is not, from the Lord. Under its informing
influences their whole being (we are now giving
their statements) becomes pervaded, as it were,
with the divine elements, aud they feel, unmis
takably, what is God’s will and what is not His
will. If one of their number is unhappy, they ali
feel the influence immediately, and can at once
trace out the unhappy one and see what is the
matter, and administer needed consolation or re
lief. Even the children of the Community seem
to experience the regenerating effects of this new
respiration. They are always glad to get back
home when they go to the village or elsewhere,
because, as some of them said, there seems to be
such an ugly spirit among strangers. Not even a
circus, usually so irresistible to the young, can
attract them from their home studies and amuse
ments.
No Sympathy with Spirit Rappings.
It may surprise the reader to hear that what is
llo/l ••Sirnrifiinlism” finds nn favor in this mm.
^raises the fruits of the earth by his own labor, and
imparts thereof to his neighbors, he in a sense
munity. All phases of the spirit-rapping business
are abhorred. Tennyson’s lines—
“How whole of heart., how sound of head,
With what divine affections bold,
Should he the man whose thought would hold
An hour’s commuuion with the dead !”—
gives them of himself. Then the bread is blessed
snd broken, and the conjoining principle of spir.
itua! brotherhood is revealed.”
“Are you happy here ?” we abruptly asked.—
“Are you content? Is your highest and inmost
nature satisfied with this life ?"
“Yes," he answered, “I feel—I know that I am
doing what is best for my soul’s welfare ; and that
is the sum of the whole matter.” ' •
Horace Greeley on Vagabonds of Reform.
It may save many people from disappointment
and the mortification of rejected applications, if
we state that there is no chance in this iake-shore
Community for any of those persons whom Mr.
Greeley so happily characterized in his article to
the New York Ledger ou “Efforts at Social Re
form,” and which is reproduced in his Autobiogra
phy, as "the conceited, the crotchetty, the selfish,
the headstrong,the pugnacious, the unappreciat
ed, the playOd-out, the idle, the good for-nothing
generally ; who, finding themselves utterly out of
place aud at a discount iu the world as it is, rashly
conclude that they are exactly fitted for the world
as it ought to be.”
Hard Work and Small Pay. ' ‘
A mau probably has to do Store downright, honest
work fdr a dime, on the domain of this Community,
if he be a member thereof, than iu any other spot on
earth As yet, the rewards are wholly moral and
spiritual, while the work is pre-eminently bodily
and material- Besides, the culture, rtffiaement
and purity of the social atmosphere are such as
would be apt speedily to impede even the natural
respiration of any vulgar minded or base-hearted
experimenter iu social and spiritual problems.
General Summary of the Situation.
The fact is. the members of the Community
for the most part well off as to the riches of t
world. They are people who have been success
in life, wtio have shown themselves competent
contend with the ungodly for the prizes of cit
zation. Mr. Harris, as we have already stai
was a prosperous banker, and was able to buy
acres of the domain with his own money. Th
is no nonsense about him, so far as the thing-
this world are concerned. The same may be i
of Mr. and of Lady Oliphant. And so far as
could judge, the Community is composed of h
headed, sound-hearted men and women. Sc
of them did not bring much worldly property v
them into the Community, but every one is s
posed to have had euuugh.
i he particulars of their financial arrangeme
were not communicated to us. Whenever t
subject was approached, we were given to unaer-
stand that money was not considered a matter of
importance with them, so long as an applicant for
admission to the Community came up to the requi
site spiritnal and religious standard. They have
got money enough. The spiritual is the dominant
thing with them. All that a man wants even a
body for is that his soul may have a local habitation
in which to germinate and grow, and work itself
free from sinful predilections—through which the
caterpillar can grub its way to the butterfly. The
body must of course be fed and clothed, aud there-
tore means must be sought for that end; but
are to be everlastingly sought nnder the aceepted
consciousness of the higher use and end to which
they are subordinate.
This principle runs through everything, from
the kitchen to the college. Their ideas of educa
tion are broad and high. Painting, sculpture,
music, and all the accomplishments are to have
fitting development. There is no Quakerism or
Puritanism in them. Man (including woman)
is to be developed liberally, thoroughly, grandly,
but all in the name of the Lord, and with an eye
single to God’s glory. Science, art, literature,
languages, philosophy, whatever wiil help to give
back to man his lost mastership of the universe,
is to be subordinated for that purpose. They
have a school on the premises, and do their own
teaching. They do not as yet propose to take
pupils from abroad, but may yield to solicitations
on that point.
Their domestic affairs, including cooking and
washing, are carried ou much as in the outside
world. 'They live in many mansions, aud have no
unitary household. But they are alive to all the
teachings of science aud sociology on these topics,
and intend to make machinery and organization
do as much of the drudgery of the Community as
possible, i hey look sharply into things, and avail
themselves of the Lest intelligence. They have
had a German bafeef, of great reputation, op there
to discuss bakeries with them, and they think
good bread will come of it.
They have no peculiar costume or customs.—
They eat, drink, dress, converse, and worship God
just like cultivated Christians elsewhere. They
have no regular preaching at present, nor literary
entertainments, hut all these are to come in due
season. They intend, as their numbers increase,
and as the organization solidifies, to inaugurate
whatever institutions may be necessary to promote
their intellectual and spiritual welfare, aud also to
establish such industries and manufactures on the
domain as sound, economical discretion, vivified
and guided by the new respiration, shall dictate.
It is thus seen that as a human organization the
. , central wheel of this Community turns on the
were quoted as expressing the thought and feel- I spiritual or religious pivot, and that the power
ings of such of the members as admit that com- 1 which turns it is the stream of divine respiration,
munication with the departed could be tolerated When a person is sound on that point, he is safe ;
The Community’s Vitus of Love and Marriage.
Out of this fundamental doctrine there flowers
forth another principle which is dear to the Com
munity, and which we will try to state in Mr.
Harris’s own language. It is this:
In heaven the basis of social order is marital
order, and so it must be in this world. There all the
the senses are completed and included in the
sense of chastity, and so it must be in this world
That sense of chastity is the body for the soul of
conjugal desire, and so it must be in this world.—
There the corporeal element of passion is excluded
from the nuptial senses, and so it must be in this
w orld. There the utterly pure alone are permitted
to enter into the divine state involved in nuprial
union, aDd so it must be here below. The “sense
of chastity” is the touchstone of conjugal fitness,
and is bestowed in this wise:
When the divine breaths have so pervaded the
nervous structure that the higher attributes of
sensation begin to awaken from their immemorial
torpor, and to react against disease, a sixth sens*
is as evident as hearing is to the ear, or sight to
vision. It is distributed through the-entire frame
So exqusitely does it pervade the hahds, that the
slightest touch declares who are chaste and who
are unchaste. Aud this sixth sense is th* sense of
chastity. It comes from God, who is Infinite
Chastity.
Within this sense of chastity, nuptial love has
its dwelling place. So utterly hostile is it by ns
ture to what the world understands by desire and
passion, that the wafting* of an atmosphere bear
ing these elements in its bosom effects it with
loathing. This sense of chastity- clothes every
nerye. A living, sensitive garment, without spot
or seam, it invests the the frame of the universal
sensations, and gives instant warning of the ap
proach of impurity even in thought.
In trus nuptial love, which it born of love to
God. the nuptial pair, from the inmost oneness of
the Divine Being, are embosomed each in each, as
loveliness in loveliness, innocence in innocence,
blessedness in blessedness. In possessing etch
other they possess the Lord, who prepares the two
to become one heart, one mind, one soul, one lova.
one wisdom, one felicity. “ I shrink,” sai-1 Mr
Harris, “ from repeating these doctrines. To cast
them upon the world's thought is like throwing a
wreath of white lilies upon the black current of
a sewer. Iu nothing is man’s depravity so evident
as in the coarseness of his thought concerning
sexual love. This vein of his ordinary sensation is
obviously a jet of the infernal fire; jet this sub-
uuder any circumstances whatever.
Absolute Spiritual Democracy.
A cardinal principle of government, as to their
own affairs in the Community, is unity of convic
tion. The Council of Direction consists of nine
teen members ; and if any one of them fails to
perceive the propriety of a course or plan agreed
upon by the other eighteen, it is accepted as an
indication of Providence that the time for carry
ing out the course or plan has not yet come ; and
they patiently wait until the entire Council be
comes "of one heart aud one mind” as to the
matter proposed.
No Proselyting—llhy the Asiatics Like It.
They do not hunger for proselytes, nor seek
public recognition. They know that, the spirit is
the great matter; and that an enterprise, as well
as a human being, or a tree, must grow from the
internal, vital principle, and not from external ag-
glommerations. Whosoever, therefore, applies
fyr admission to their circle is subjected to crucial
spiritual tests and a revealing probation. Uncon
ditional surrender to God’s will, absolute chastity
not only in act but in spirit, complete self-abnega
tion, a full acceptance of Christ as the only and
true God, are fundamental conditions even to a
probationship. It is this last point—the oneness
aud personality of God iu Christ—which, as Mr.
Oliphant told us, so readily enlists the interest of
the Japanese and the Mahometans. He says the
Asiatics consider the doctriue of a trinity of Gods
as idolatrous, and that ihej cannot understand it,
and are indisposed to tolerate it in the least de
gree.
A Pointed Dialogue with Mr Oliphant.
As we were about to take leave ot the Commu
nity, we said to Mr. Oliphant, our case interests
us exceedingly. Will you permit us to ask if you
do not sometimes long for the flesh-pots of Par
liament and the allurements of aristocratic life?”
“Not in the least,” he replied. I was saying
only the other day, that it seemed to me as though
I had died as to my old state and risen to an en
tirely new and different life. I take no interest
in Parliamentary discussions or European affairs.
1 received a package of papers from London a few
days ago, but have not had the heart to look at
them.”
“Do you consider such a state of mind a desira
ble one J” we asked- “Is it not the best for us to
take an interest in the affairs ot mankind, and to
play our several parts on the stage of life ? We
could do this in the name of the Lord, and perhaps
thereby accomplish some good.”
“Very true,” responded Mr. Oliphant; “but my
present work is an internal and spiritual one. i
have all that I can do to combat and eradicate the
evils of my nature. When I shall have accom
plished that work, and become so spiritually pure
that I can touch pitch and not be defiled, I may
reiurn to public life. I should then be iu a con
dition really to benefit mankind, and to do God’s
service in the prosecution of woildly affairs.”
“Another thing we wish to ask,” we said.—
“Why is it that you all seem to think that iu £rder
O become regenerate ydu must take to digging Io
the ground—to agricultural pursuits?”
“I do not kuow that such a course is necessary
to such au end,” replied Mr. Oliphant; “hot I do
kn jw that it is helpful thereto. It seems to be
tbe natural way for a man to measure himself with
bis mother earth, and to extend himself into the
universe. There is something got by digging
one’s bread out of the ground, which can be got
in no other way. Although the hearts of the dis
ciples burned within them as the Saviour walked
and talked by their side, they did not recognize
him ^ntil ‘He blessed the bread and brake it.'—
Then, recognition <;*me. So, too, when * wan
he.is then certain to act from right motives, and
to do the right thing. He is more and more
drawn toward God and his fellows, loses sight of
self, and becomes swallowed up in the Divine
Brotherhood, lhe new respiration is both motor
and regulator; it is both master and servant; it
is, in short. United Omniscience, and can be trust
ed in all the issue aud affairs of life with absolute
confidence.
By means of this new respiration they think
that, in the lapse of time, mankind will become
regenerate, aud society be reconstructed, and
physical disease banished from the earth, and a
mi denial reign inaugurated under the domination
of Divine Order. They especially expect great
things in the East, and that the Doctrine of the
Lord, as set forth by Swedenborg and Mr. Harris,
and reinforced by the new respiration, will by and
by sweep over Asia, where the people are already
beginning to be tossed on the waves of spiritual
unrest, and are longing for a higher religious de
velopment than they have yet known.
Conclusion and Farewell.
In conclusion, a sense of justice impels us to
say, that while we cannot yield belief to the doc
trine which distinguishes this Community from
all others of which we bare any knowledge, we
respect the efforts which the accomplished ladies
and gentlemen whom we saw there are making to
live absolutely religious lives, and to reab'ze the
highest spiritual ideal to which their conceptions
have led them.
DiiATH OF A FAMOUS LANDLORD
and Well known Georgian.—The
Montgomery Advertiser of the 1st inst.
contains the following noiice of the
death of a genlleraan who was once
well known in this State and most
highly esteemed by all :
Death of Mr. Lanier—Mr. Ster
ling Lanier, a gentleman well known in
the South died at his old home, the Ex*?
change Hotel, in this city, on yester-.
day. Mr. Lanier was for many years
a resident of Macon, Georgia, and kept
there the well known “Lanier House.’*
In 1S50 he moved to New York, and
took charge of the “La Farge House,’*
which became well known and popu
lar. Ithurned down just as he was
beginning to make for it a national rep
utation. In 1S53 he took charge of the
“Montgomery Hall” and afterwards of
the “Exchange Hotel.” About the
beginning of the war he retired from
active business, and since the war has
been living at Robioson Springs. He
has bepr. in bad health for some time
anti died yesterday at the “Exchange
Hotel” with many of his family and
friends around him. He was a good
min, full of charity, and will be sincere
ly regretted by all who ever knew him.
For over forty years he was a consist
tent member of the M. {J. Qhurch.