Ilis early efforts at establishing a church, made at New Haven, were very discourag ing; lie made converts to his views, and they became only too deeply imbued with has theory. Each being is law unto himself, they had conflicting desires, and this led to quarreling, and eventually to schism. Among the men, there were some who contested wilt Noyes the leadership fpternity; and among the women, one or two who, in spite of his theory, expected him to marry them. At the end of four years, he found, that though he had co-believers, he had no followers; and he retired to Putney, disap pointed, hut resolved to make a new experiment. He determined to make trial of the principle of association—of association under conditions which lie deduced from them New Testament; to establish a 13ible family"—a society disavowing all law and all connection with the world, in which all shoulJ be brethren, perfectly equal; in which, therefore, worldly goods should be held in common; in which there should be no appro priation of men ana women to one another. The connection of the sexes was, upon his view, as free from law, as completely subject to the dettres of individuals, as every other 'human relation; and besides, he seems to have thought a community of women is logical sequence from a community of goods. He saw that the members of such a must be selected and educated for it; and he set up a Bible class, by means of which he gained a sufficient number of proselytes, and educated them for Bible association. gained long, there was nothing wanting for a trial of his scheme but money to buy a house and a piece of land; and this he got by marrying one of his converts, a young lady muted Harriet Holton, to whom it is but fair to say, he candidly explained that with his principles marriage could be nothing but a form. Then he and his associates formally renounced their allegiance to the United States, and set up house in "celestial order" at Putney. his wife, mother, sister, and brother were among the members of the new society; the others were all of some means and position—preachers, farmers, doctors, with their wives and children. Their property was thrown into a common stock; they gave up the use of prayer, all religious service, and the observance of the Sabbath; those who were married renounced their marriage ties, and a " complex marriage" was established between all the males and all the females of the " family." To get rid of time inconveniences which had been found attendant upon the exercise of Christian liberty, Noyes had set up a new principle, viz., sympathy, by which the indi vidual will was to. be corrected, which practically imposed upon individnals the duty of deferring to the feelings and opinions of the brethren. He now taught that the family was wiser them the individual, who might stray from the path of grace; that the individ ual was erring when he differed from the faintly; and that the inclinations of individuals must be submitted to the opinion of the family. Having dispensed with law, he set up public opinion as a controlling power in its stead; and free criticism of one another by the members of the society became an important feature of his system. Quarreling, however, broke out among the members; their differences were brought before the law courts: and when the details of the family system became known, the people of Putney made the place too hot for the Perfectionists. Their establishment was lIroken up; but a portion of the Putney family—about fifty men, as many women, and about the same number of children—soon established themselves in a new home, in the sequestered dis trict of Oneida, in the state of New York. • Among the timings which first drew attention to the Putney family controversy which Noyes with the leaders of another society of Perfectionists established at Oberlin. The Perfectionists were divided upon the question, whether of the two leading features of their system, the profession of holiness and the right of Christian liberty, the One or the other was the more impor tant—some were " liberty-men," others " holiness-men." Noyes took up the controversy on behalf of the latter.
At Oneida creek, the new "family" purchased about 600 acres of forest-land, and proceeded to bring it under cultivation. They have made it one of the utmost productive estates in the minion; they have also established manufactures of various kinds; and in the course of 30 years, they have become a prosperous, and even a wealthy community. Their wealth they owe in a great measure to the inventive talent of one of the " family," an old Canadian trapper. named Sewell Newhouse, who invented an improved form of trap—the ''Oneida trap"—whieh is now almost universally used by trappers throughout America. In other respects, the "family" has been very prosperous: it consisted in the year 1874 of in a11 238 persons, who live together in a state of great harmony and content edness; and being already sufficiently numerous, it has to reject frequent applications which are made for admission to membership. A similar society has been established at
Wallingford, which numbered, in 1874, 45 members. Their neighbors have become accustomed to the Perfectionists and their ways, and let, them live in peace; Aroves is even become popular. Ou settling at Oneida, guided by his experience, he modified litany of the details of his arrangements. Between study and labor, the life of the • " family" at Putney had been rather a hard one—he told his followers that in future they should enjoy life as became men to whom all things were pure and permitted. The • society chose no chiefs, believing that, without duefship, the management of their affairs must fall to the fittest persons; and their affairs have been ably managed. The function of criticism was strengthened by being mad:: ,nore syVentatic; and a regard for the common good, grown strong through habit, has made persons who dis avow all laws perfectly submissive to the unwritten laws of public opinion. In the smallest, as well as in important affairs, the Perfectionist practices submission to the opinion of his brethren: in small matters, he usually gathers it by consultation with some of the older members of the body; important ones are submitted to the "family" at their evening meetings. All are busy; and they work as hard for the genera] interest as men do in the hope of enriching themselves. The men wear no particular garb, but usually dress like the country-people around them; the women have their hair cut short, and parted down the center; abjure stays and crinoline; wear a tunic, falling to the knee, and trousers of the same material; a vest, buttoning high toward the throat; and 'a straw bat. In this costume, to Mr. Hepworth Dixon, plain women escape notice, and pretty girls look winsome; but, as may be inferred from the treatment of their hair, it has been no part of the Perfectionist system to make the women look bewitching. The " family" has breakfast at six o'clock, dinner at twelve, and the even ing-meal at six in the afternoon; the more advanced of its members abstain from animal food; they drink no beer, and only a weak home-made wine; and like most of the new American sects, they will have nothing to do with doctors. The women are allowed a good deal of influence.
While all the males and females of the " family" are united by a "complex marriage," their intercourse—which, in theory, is unfettered by any law—is, in practice, subject to a good deal of regulation. Like everything else, it is subject to the opinion of the society, and certain principles have been so steadily applied to it that they have gained the force of laws. First, there is the principle of the ascending fellowship. There should be contrast, the Perfectionists say, between those who become united in love. That there should be difference of temperament and of complexion has, they say, been well ascertained by physiologists. They hold that there sllould be a difference in age also, so that the and passionate may be united to those who have, by experience, gained self-control. In virtue of this principle, the younger women fall to the older men, and Om younger men to the older women. A second principle is that there should be no exclusive attachment between individuals; a third, that persons should.not be obliged to receive the attentions of those whom they do not like; and ,lastly, it is held indispensable that connections should be formed through the agency of a third party—because, witholit this, the question of their propriety might be withdrawn from criticism, and also because this affords a lady an easy opportunity of declining. The human heart, the Perfectionists say, is capable of loving any number of times, and any number of persons at the same time, and the more it loves the more it can love. The system of the "complex marriage" is therefore suitable to, while monogamy imposes a restriction upon, human nature; and they believe that marriage will be spurned by the churches as soon as they get, rid of the false notion of the essential sinfulness of love. They are confident that, when they have worked out a few details still incomplete, their system will be perfect, and that it will, before long, be imitated throughout the length and breadth of America. There are four things, according to Noyes, necessary to the organization of a true family: (1) The recon ciliation of its members with God: (2) their salvation from sin; (3) recognition of the brotherhood and equality of man and woman; (4) community of labor and its fruits; and communism can only prosper when the previous conditions exist. The Perfectionists hold that for reconciliation to God and salvation from sin nothing is necessary but faith; let a man believe that he is reconciled to God, and his sins are immediately washed away.