gain to their present locality in Pennsylvania. In 1831 a
dissension arose among them, and a division was effected by one Bernard
Mueller--or "Count Maximilian" as he called himself--who went off with
one-third of the members and a large share of the property, and founded a
new community at Phillips, ten miles off, on eight hundred acres of land,
which, however, soon disbanded on account of internal quarrels.

The peculiarity of this community is that there is no intercourse between
the sexes of any kind. In 1807 they gave up marriage. The husbands parted
from their wives, and have henceforth lived with them only as sisters. They
claim to have authority for this in the words of the apostle: "This I say,
brethren, the time is short; it remaineth that both they that have wives be
as though they had none," etc. They teach that Adam in his perfect state
was bi-sexual and had no need of a female, being in this respect like God;
that subsequently, when he fell, the female part (rib, etc.) was separated
from him and made into another person, and that when they become perfect
through their religion the bi-sexual nature of the soul is restored.
Christ, they claim, was also of this dual nature, and therefore never
married. They believe that the world will soon come to an end, and that it
is their duty to help it along by having no children, and so putting an end
to the race as well as the planet.

Their property is all held in common and managed by a council of seven,
from whom the trustees are chosen. From four to eight live in each house,
men and women together, who regard each other as of the same sex, and are
never watched. Each household cooks for itself, although there is a general
bakery, from which bread is taken around to the houses as they have need.
The members are fond of music and flowers, but they discard dancing. Though
Germans, they have ceased to use tobacco; which loss, it is said, the men
feel more heavily than that of the wives. They make considerable wine and
beer, which they drink in moderation. They are said to be worth from two
millions to three millions of dollars, and speculate in mines, oil-wells,
saw-mills, etc., doing very little hard work, and hiring laborers from
without to take their places in all drudgery. They are engaged principally
in farming and the common trades, and supply nearly everything for
themselves. They are nearly all aged, none of them being under forty except
some adopted children.