ren,
and the mothers, instead of raising their children themselves, give them
over to a common nursery, somewhat after the suggestion of Plato in his
_Republic_. If any two persons are suspected of forming special
attachments, and so of violating the principle of equal and universal love,
or of using their sexual freedom too liberally, they are put under
discipline. They are very religious, their religion, however, consisting
only in keeping free from sin. They have no sermons, ceremonies, sacraments
or religious manifestations whatever. There are no public prayers, and no
loud prayers at all. Their method of discipline is called "criticism," and
consists in bringing the offender into the presence of a committee of men
and women, who each pass their criticisms on him and allow him to confess
or criticise himself. The least sign of worldliness or evidence of
impropriety is enough to subject one to this ordeal. They are very careful
about whom they admit to their community, as there are numerous rakes and
idlers who make application on the supposition that it is a harem or
Turkish paradise. None are admitted who are not imbued with their doctrine
of perfection, and who do not show evidences of it in their lives. In a
business point of view, they are comparatively successful, the original
members having contributed over one hundred thousand dollars' worth of
property, which has not depreciated. They engage in farming, wine-raising
and various industries, and are known in the general markets for their
products.

The Separatists at Zoar, Ohio, about halfway between Cleveland and
Pittsburg, are a body of Germans who fled from Wuertemberg in 1817 to escape
religious persecution. They are mystics, followers of Jacob Boehm, Gerhard,
Terstegen, Jung Stilling and others of that class, and considerably above
the average of communists in intellect and culture. They were aided to
emigrate to this country by some English Quakers, with whom there is a
resemblance in some of their tenets. They purchased fifty-six hundred acres
of land in Ohio, but did not at first intend to form a community, having
been driven to that resort subsequently in order to the better realization
of their religious principles. They now own over seven thousand acres of
land in Ohio, besides some in Iowa. They have a woollen-factory, two
flour-mills, a saw-mill, a planing-mill, a machine-shop, a tannery and a
dye-house; also a hotel and store for the accommodation