ONEIDA COMMUNITY, an American communistic soci ety at Oneida, New York. It was founded at Putney, Vt., in 1842, by John Humphrey Noyes (1811-86), a graduate of Dartmouth college. "Converted" at a revival, he entered Yale Theological seminary. Bible studies convinced him that Christ came a second time in 7o A.D. and absolved Christians from necessity of sin. Called a "Perfectionist," he barely escaped expulsion from the seminary before graduation, and later was deprived of his licence as a Congregational minister. He and his followers established a commune, eventually pooling all property, renouncing all reli gious observances, and instituting "complex marriage." Monog amy was antagonistic to their ideals. In 1847, dissension having brought them before the courts and their theories and practices before the public, they were forced to leave Putney. They pur chased, near Oneida, N.Y., 600ac. of forest-land which proved extremely productive. They planted orchards, lumbered, black smithed, farmed and made steel traps—their most profitable industry. In Jan., 1847, their first annual inventory revealed them to be worth about $67,000.
They were mostly New England farmers and mechanics. They had the reputation of being excellent citizens only remarkable for their earnest interest in eugenics. They sought to make practical application of what scientific information they possessed en deavouring by change and experiment to produce the best possible offspring.
Owing to increasing pressure of public sentiment, which had been anticipated though for 25 years it was unexpressed, Noyes, with a few adherents, removed to Canada in 188o and the com munity at Oneida voluntarily dissolved as a communistic experi ment and formed a stock company known as the Oneida Corn munity, Limited. At that time it manufactured sewing and em broidery silk, steel traps and silverware, and canned large quan tities of fruits and vegetables, but has gradually confined itself to the manufacturing of silverware. The present company has "no connection with the old beyond the personnel and traditions which it inherited from its 4o years' experience as a community." Among the chief writings of J. H. Noyes dealing with the origin, principles and history of the Oneida Community are The Berean (1847), a manual for the use of members; Salvation from Sin the End of Christian Faith (1869) ; History of American Socialisms (1870) ; Home-Talks (1875) ; Essay on Scientific Propagation (c. 1875). See also Bible Communism (1853), a compilation of the com munity's theories; George Noyes, comp. and ed., Religious Experiences of John Humphrey Noyes (1923) ; Robert A. Parker, A Yankee Saint (1935) ; Pierrepont B. Noyes, My Father's House (1937). (P. B. N.)