UTOPIA; ^3^^ OB, 8T0BT OF k A TOWN AS IT SHOULD ■%**. ▲IfD ->•' ^ .^v.,. ....^^ >' PROBABLY WlIJi BE, ■..■ .>f; : *>;.t .;^r*;^i»'- .«\ ••>■■-'•■■ WHEN THS *• ; '",''^^'--- CONDITIONS ARE ALL RIGHTED. tnd IM wiB do right M eertftinly M toy olk« «r Qodii L-i* V Pt **^ -xfc-. ' .BY 4if 01© KEF0f4MKit H i i PRICE TEN CENT8. r I SPRINGFISLD : 1869. ft » r*"^ ^ 0>^ \ f PREFACE. t I thank God most heartily, that by his kiud providence and the bless- inir of health, I have been enabled to earn money enough (by making brooms,) to get this little pamphlet printed so that I can offer it to the public. It is rather hard to believe that we are doomed to meet so much oppo- sition, and overcome so many difficulties, when we attempt to do good to our fellow creatures by proposing a new way of living, that is as much better than our present way as good improved apples are better than crabs. 3Iy book is small, bnt it contains the wisdom of a life of 59 years, obtaiiie'l by careful study and calm and sober reflection. If it shcmid 1)C eoiiic f ojtular, I may extend a second edition to sixteen pages. All good folks are reijuested to buy this little offering and read it, and reflect upon its contents. WM. GOULD, • Bates, Sept., 18, 1869. / .v^- -'-WPKB. ^ " The Kingdom of Heavhn is at hatid." That is, a state of happiness is at hand — so near by that we can get a glimpse of it now and then. Now, a happy state or condition is what we all desire ; in fact, happiness is the chief end of man. Aye, it seems to be the end and aim of all existence whatev er. And this, if nothing else, makes us all brethren, and possessed — endowed by our Heavenly Father — with equal rights. And these rights are inalienable — can never be taken away Happiness seems to be within our reach, but when we put forth our liand to take it, it eludes our grasp. Mankind are never happy, or if they are, they are loth to own it. But we are all looking, hoping for comfort hereafter,* some in this world and some in the world to come. When we take a bioad view of society as it is, we see many things wrong that might easily be righted ; but one condition is wrong because another is wrong, and another is wrong because yet another is wrong. And so society is out of Hx like a clock, and social reformers generally, I believe, wish it taken apart and put together again in a different way, just as a clock tinker does a clock, and, if necessary, repeat the experiment, until all the parts shall work together harmor>iously. We find some of our institutions are wrong : for example, the peculiar one of slavery, that was the principal cause of our dreadful civil war. Now as we have our Congress and our State Legislatures, with a great plenty of, iv books and papers to model and re-model, construct and re-^nstmct, oar iikiti- tutioDs i« it not a more feasible project to alter them, than to change our hc4irts, or to try to get God to do it ? If then, the fault in in our la^s, cus toms and habits, let us try to remedy our ctIIs, by re-modeling them^ instead of trying to get God to make us over, as if He had made us wrong I Let us uniti and organize an industrial company^ and build up a model town^ wherein overy one condition is right, because the othex conditions are right, and V. here all the conditions being righ^ the result will be harmony and b}ii»})in('ss. But wc must have a plan. This vast improvement muft exist in tbt'ory or imagination before it can exist in fact -- *Give to the mind worthy objects on which to spend its strength, and it will not riot in wantonness.'* — F. Wbioht. MMB .;i'f''ri r UTOPIA. Utopia is a word inrented by Sir Thomas 3Ioore, and is the name of happy community that never existed only in theory (that we know «.>f.| Christ taught us to pray for a kingdom of heaven, state of happiness, oi earth and all good people do pray and hope for such a good tiiiic ccmiug. Do we not all hold these fact* to be self-evident : that all men, ihat is every man and woman, are endowed by their creator with an iralioDabl] right to life and liberty in the pursuit of happiness ? Then, J' course, is really right for us to be happy in this world. Well, what hiLae^^ "Will anybody doubt that we should be happy if the conditions were alj favorable ? Now I will assume it to be self-evident that we tin have ant do have some of the conditions right. We have a good soil and cliuiut< we have railroads with locomotives, machinery for spinning and wravin* knitting and sewing, reaping and mowing. We have galvanic batteries pianos, organs, velocipedes and planchettes. If, then we can by our industrj and invention, have some of the conditioiis right, why not r, 7 of theiu ? I venture to prophecy that the world is coming to a better order. An< why ? Because, it only requires that there should be a proper place foj every person and thing, and every person and thing in tuut proper placel But to my story. I I will speak of Utopia as if it were, in reality now, what I 1. »pc it will be some years hence. I Suppose it located in a central part of the State of Illinois, aUo a ccnj tral part of the United States, 13 miles west of the city of Sprinii^ielifl Here are four sections of land, four square miles, surrounded by a strond hedge of Osage Orange; the Toledo Wabash & Western Railroad, goind west, passing through its centre. A horse railroad crossing this, cuts ij into other equal parts. Outside of the hedge is a belt of timber or foresj half a mile in width. This forest is carefully kept, for it breaks the wind] modifies the atmosphere, shelters the cattle and beautifies the landscape] besides fomiBhing timber for hundreds of purposes. Half a mile insidJ of the hedge that skirts the forest, is another strong hedge. Betwoeil 6 :hese two are the pastures, meadows and barns for the use of the stool:. V\"ithin the inner hedge are the orchards, vineyards, cornfields and gardens, [n the centre of the domain are the buildings for dwellings, factories, mills, rhops. etc. They have no steeples there, but instead of six or seven churches with spires, they have a large edifice with a tower and observa- 'ory with u chime of bells and a steam whistle. This edifice is a hall of ndu^try as well as pleasure and worship and may be properly called a '*mjjfr^ and is ten times more useful than King Solomon's temple that we * -ead of, thou^'h his was Hr.ed with prold. The b;isement is S feet deep ; 3 below and 5 above the natural surface >{' the "round. In there is a steam engine that warms the whole buildinjr 3y stcoiii and hot air, besides propelling several kinds of machinery. There are also rooms lor coal, wood, vegetables, etc., and a water tank or :wr., and a wash room The ground is thoroughly drained about here and lii'lilv eultivatcdfor choice fruits and flowers. On tlie first floor above the basement are store rooms, oflBces, parlor, lininL' room, kitchen, br.th rooms and passages to the private closets, in he back ground that are embowered with climbing vines. TI)ore arc no fences about this building and none in the village, except I few } :!ry the power of steam. The clothes are put into a large wheel like a juirrel cage, that revolves ic water mixed with soap and borax, and they re cleaned without being torn. Then they are dried on a revolying , Dncern. , They have no reaping machines, for the grain is threshed with a one- orse machine, from the straw without cutting it, and dried by hot air •om the enirinc of the mill. ,, ^ They u:sc the Jerusalem wagons. The hubs are of cast iron, axles of ^^.ecl and have friction rollers. The tire is 5 inches wide, so they do not >lt much, nor sink in the mud. Xo bad roads there. ^' They use wood, coal and some fluids for fuel and light, and hope soon »i» be able to use the newly discovered electric light that is said to outshine ic noon Jay sun. li They have no hogs there, either animal or human, and not more than Krec or four dogs. No wolves in sheep's clothing. No bulls or bears iside of the hedLre. No lawyers; for disputes are settled by arbitration I ojpriest.s; but all are allowed to worship God every day by doing some s?eful work. No doctors by profession, whose profit depends on the sick- 2SS of the people. No sickness there, to speak of, for the people are jjmpcrate. No slaughter houses, flowing with blood and cruelty. No •^.^ieds Of worms are sufi'ered to go to seed. Noxious insects are very scarce id bedbugs, fleas and lice are unknown. No night soil stenches, such as e common in cities ; they use the dry earth for deodorizing, and all putri. in;^ substances are burned or buried in the soil in season. The rieh »p '^ •airie soil is dug two feet deep, and finely pulverized by steam, for the ^I'owing of grapes, pear.s, pic-plant, asparagus, apples, berries, etc., etc. •^.,0 beggars there, for all have profitable employment. No pawnbrokers, ^^) extortioners, taking twenty per cent, for the use of money. No land j^'ccuhitorsj no nabobs; no murderers; no lunatics; no seduction and •sertion of innocent females ; no prostitution ; no infanticide ; no suicides ; ^) drones. Instead of such nuisances, there are beautiful groves of fruit treeS) iwers of grape vines, gravel walks with flowery borders, perfumed breezes, om odoriferous strawberry beds, apple blossoms, and roses and sweet iar, with music of birds and flowing brooks. Now, about the manners and customs of the Utopians. "As a man mketh, so is he/' They believe that God and Nature are the fiUher and Lnr 1 ^ mother of all mankind and consequently that all men are brethren, having equal and inalienable rights to life and liberty in the pursuit of happiness.] They believe the Sabbath was made for man, and this and all other institu. tions should be adapted to his nature, to hisTaculties and instincts. Theyl believ e that oar ori ginal nat ure is goodj that we were designed for some! good purpose, and that we shall answer that purpose. Their faith is anchored in the immutable laws of the universe, which are sure and| steadfast. ^^ So life in Utopia is a continual Sabbath ; and their work is a continua ] worship. Their religion is in every day practice, and their practice is al constant tribute of gratitude to the Great Spirit, the spring of all our joys.] They use no arbitrary physical force to compel any grown person to believe or to do, or not to do, what seems right or wrong, to some other one, but leave all blaming and punishing to God, who made us and in whom we I live and move and have our being. Instead of scolding, there is singing! and whistling. Girls can whistle as well as boys, and they sometimes all] join in a dance after whistling music. Whenever an election is necessary, all men and women over the age ol twenty, who can read and write, have a voice in choosing the leaders of I companies in this great industrial army. When any great work is to be done, there is a call for volunteers, as in the case of our civil war; and! thus the work is done by those who like to do it, and useful work is a| blessing and not a curse. They do not follow the Paris fashions in dress, but wear whatever theyl find to he most convenient, comfortable and economical. The females sometimes wear hats, coats, pants or boots, and are not ashamed, any morel than Adam and Eve were when they wore nothing. The cost of living there is much reduced, on account of the economy in food, clothing and every thing else. Consequently, the members of this harmonious family are not overworked. One stereoscope with one hun- dred pictures does nearly as well for the whole town, as it would for a family of seven souls, and so of other things. They sleep on spring beds, with matrasses and blankets ; no need of feathers, for the rooms are kept at a proper temperature all the time. Women there have their freedom and their rights. So they have con- trol of sexual commerce. Children are begotten in love and made wel.^ come into the world in a scientific manner — healthy and strong. The parents do not own each other as exclusive property, by civil law, but they are one in purpose, according to Nature's law — God's la^ — of lov e. " My beloved is mine and I am his." Consequently there is perpetual court- ^ hip. Men and women as well a* ^rirls and boys, ever trying to please and . lerit each other's esteem. n The land and all other property helonas to the great family, so there is jo use for money, only by the traders; but instead of money, the love of hlod and liis creaturoHi is the prevailing eurreney ; of this, every one gets yist what he or slie de>erves and no more. I Xo selfishness there : they hardly know the difference between mine "nnd fJi'/i' ; so there is no vexation in borrowing or lending. All are tauhe careful use of all thinirs. Instead of selfishness and bijrotrv, there is J oleration and charity, and why? because every thing is in its place — a olace for every person and thing, and every person and thing in its place, •(tiakes a heaven on earth. A clock will tell truth when every part is in ^ ts place, or in otlier words when the conditions are right ; and is not man ^;(is good a machine as a clock? 3Ian is the noblest work of God, and it tllesigned for good purposes. God has made the bees and birds, and . 'ndowed them with instincts to guide them to a proper destiny; has man k 10 such instinct i* My conclusum is, that/inan is endowed with such an i,nstinet; then I must further conclude that all would do right, if they 1 vere in rii;ht conditions. In Utopia the conditions are right ; one condi- \xion is right because other conditions are right, and other conditions are sight because yet others are so. Who will steal if his wants are all sup- ^(plied? Who will deceive another if there is nothing to be gained by it? j^(^Vhere love is free there will be no seduction and desertion ; there is no ^prostitution where there is no cau.se for it. In Utopia each person owns niimself. is constantlv in the love market, bat is never sold or bouo:ht in ,3(:he barbarous, civil < ') matrimonial market. I," The children are under the tuition of their mothers until ten years of ■Qige, and in some cases do not know their own father, but they do know ijill those who treat them with parental kindness. Was not Jesus an ille. •a^itimate child, and was he not one of the greatest and best men that ever .^jlived, though he said -who a/-' nn' mother and my brethren ? .Q There in the happy Eden of Utopia, Love is J re:. Holy and divine ) iittributi of the Lrreat -I am.'* Righteous, heavenlv, sweet attraction! .(,/evcr exalting the sensibility, ever predisposing to all that is good, invigo- .axatiuir and fortifvinL' the soul of man airainst all low desires and base lusts ) pf the flesh; purifying the heart, correcting the disposition, and stimu- ^ ylating useful ambition: regulating, refining, ennobling, pervading, warm- \^ng, inspiring, enlivening, uniting, producing, happifying love is free. 'yiGlory to God ia the highest ! Peace on earth and good will to man — woman ^'iaincluded '. * ^ ^TT Education forms the mind and makes the man. Eutopia is like a well disciplined army. The children are well cared for, and are trained to use- ful work that is suitable to their tastes and abilities; they work in compa- nies, and being in the constant care of their captains, there is but little chance for them to do any mischief; profanity and vulgarity are unknown. Ten boys fifteen years old, can plow forty acres in two days, and the next two days another set of hands can plant it before the ground gets too dry. Thus they have the advantage of union. Twenty boys and girls of ten or fifteen years can glean a corn field of eighty acres in three hours, ant^get forty ^bushels of corn. And such useful work is pleasure instead of its being a punishment or eurse. The government of Utopia is a small affair and very simple, so that all ottk vnderstaod the rolen and govern themselves accordingly. Contention i^iiot carried on by lawsuits — t) fatten lawyers — but disputes are settled on the spot, by arbitration, u:iuer the management of the captains, who are generally persons over fifty yours of age ; but being ail destitute of separate property, there is very little to contend about; and being habitu- ally friendly, they tell each other his failings without giving offense. No one has any claim to any jnore esteem, friendship or love than he or she deserves. This they all 1:0 1 so there is no occasion for deception. They do not have to pretend i<> love when they do not. so that fountain of, lies is dried up. The principle of love or sympathetic attraction being ever current and free, a man or woman is valued accordino: to the love he or she is worth or worthy of, instead of their money or property. They have a phonotypographic alphabet of 40 characters. Every letter has its own sound and no others ; so when a child gets the use of these letters he can spell correctly any word he hears, and can pronounce cor- rectly any word he «ees ; and thus the vast labor of learning to read and write and spell correctly is reduced about three fourths. Oh, how very beautiful is truth when seen in its simple nudity I They have a large library, so they can revel in the inexhaustible treasures of intellectual riches. They have all kinds of music ; sometimes a thou- sand voices with 500 instruments make the evening air resound. They dance at proper times, but not all night. They ride in several kinds carriages. One^ kind goes by steam, on their smooth roads; another is propelled by the human strength within, applied to levers and cranks Again, for amusement they run foot races or ride the velocipede, or marc in processions. When a person dies the body is burned, (not buried) and the vapor thereof ascend into the heavens. The cost is less and then there is n danger of being buried alive. They do not dread death as somethin ■-■'- 13 -- • ^ - ..-TV . ««-* h very bad. for they generally die of ripeness or full maturity, and th< .1 depart from this world like a tired person going to sleep. Blessed aB»1 ' dead, for they rest from the toils and cares of this world and go to a new A home of proirress where their souls can expand with new ideas forever. [r' So mote it be. Amen. « .^^ ;; >,a^ \u Header, you have a rough sketch of my Utopia. Have you a prayer, \ a hope, or even an ardent wish for any improvement in the machinery of \r\ society, and will you not make some effort to bring it about ? If my ^~h theory is faulty, why, improve it, or get up a better one. It seems to me that this plan so simplifies the matter that it will answer instead of a yl church, a university, a college, a common school, an insurance compaUT, .a a manufacturing company, etc., etc., all tliese being consolidated into. U! The ingenuity of man is accomplishiui. wonders in our time and.-; iishave precedents for many details of a Unirury home, such as the world at .Ularj'e has never yet seen. a. T The Shakers live in large families, bur marriage is abolished. The ^i( Oneida Community is in a flourishing condition. Co-operation is fast jH becoming fashionable in England. Why not unite all the improvements ]vin one 't I According to the old fashion, a man shall leave father and mother and i leave to his^wife, and go ftimilies arc to be broken up. A unitary home )lu£ Utopia, is a permanent family -, a honn, that the young folks need not \Meave until there is another one prepared for them. This consideration ^ojalone seems suflicient to convince any reasonable person of the utility of, la reconstruction of society on the unitary plan. ^ 1 Though our State of Illinois has a law for the benefit of such "bodies corporate and politic," those who would embark in them may expect ippposition, as all improvements have been opposed, and that from those ^alB^ho shotild be foremost to help them on.. Gracious God hasten the timcj ,^. ' -When music rolls divinest floods, li »\ O'er earth, an Eden clime, .( ,-. O'er fragrant fields and balmy woods >^' An earth without a crime." ^e' •( ,» 'r, • . )^ ) \i 1 ii FINIS. :.:.^-v^ . , • rr."^'V-. ?^ ^''1^'^i-:y.:: u'- ,:.;3|^^%#-'- ^>l 1 Copied ft&d rctiaed June Btli, 1W9, by Wbb. Ckmld, B«t«t, StBguooa Couaty, XlUnoiik luvired ^] 7 tiM good qpixtt dl progrwi. •, ■', , *' , ■, ... 4 ■■! iiiiitiiriri - ■*" p. e :i • • I