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C_ontenr.s

25. Milo Adams Townsend

Mile s involvement in the antislavery movement, education, community experiments adapted

from the theories ofCharles Fourier (Association), and the needs of the laboring class are

reflected in the information that follows, the source in most instances being his scrapbooks and

letters. All that is known

of

his relationship to the women smovementhas beencoveredin

chapter 23.

That reformers who came to lecture in New Brighton were welcomedas guests in the home

of

Milo and Elizabeth Townsend is attested to in an article by an unknown writer, possibly A.E.

Newton

a Spiritualist of Philadelphia

who

frequently corresponded with Milo. Thearticle is

signed A.E.N. and dated November 10, 1858:

Here

I wasgreeted warmly byone

whom

I have long known andesteemed buthadnever before

seen,--Milo

A.

Townsend...whosehouse has for years been a shelter and home for unpopular

reformers. Notless

genial

was thewelcome ofhisworthy companion and I was

soon

made

to

regret that I could not stay longer to enjoy their hearty hospitality. Gave one lecture atNew

Brighton ona most

unpromising evening

but to a

large

and

attentive audience {Scrapbook VI

22).

Emancipation of

the

Slaves

In 1862Milo Townsendwrote a letter to accompany a petition to Abraham Lincoln urging the

Presidentto emancipate the slaves. The accompanying petitionhad been signedby 111 people.

The letter,

which

follows appears as a newspaper clipping in oneofMilo s scrapbooks.

Pres iden t

Lincoln

Respected Friend On behalf ofone hundred and elevensigners ofan accompanying

petition, I would respectfully ask to submit a few brief reflections for your consideration.

From the moral stand-point which we occupy, it does seem to us that this terrible

war

might

be brought to a speedy and righteous termination were all the instrumentalities brought to

bear upon it which lie within your reach under the war power as President of the United

Sta tes

Though now occupying, as you do, one

of

the

high places of the earth we have

nevertheless been led to regard you as one possessing feelings and sympathies in common

with the peopleand who conscientiously does his part in accordance with his convictionsof

duty. Yet,whilewe thus regard you, we cannot see clearlywhy you shrink from grappling

with the active and vital cause of

our

present national troubles.

Slavery seeks to extend its dominions seeks to rule

or

to be let alone. Its intrinsic nature

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is to tyrannize over humanity and to rule as with a rod of iron. Slavery is itselfessentially

and in its

most

quiet condition a rehellion a rebellion against the law of this universe a

guilty defiance ofGod

and man.

It asks

notwhether

its subjects he white or

black

only

that it s insatiable demands

be

heeded

and its

empire

extended. For this sole

purpose

is the

South

now atwar,

and

in slavery lies her strength as well

as

herweakness. Strike the blow

at

slavery,

and the

rehellion ends.

Treat

it as

something

too

sacred

or

time-honored

to be

handled

roughly

or

irreverently,

and it

sits in demoniacal power

and

dignify, to baffle

and

foil

every effort

to conquer

the

rehellion.

While the South is radically in thewrong, the North is not radically in the right. The one is

fighting for slavery

per se,

while the other is

not

fighting

for

Liberty as a principle,

but

for

the

Union and

the

Constitution,which are only a shadow or a sham if diey do

not

represent

the Genius

of

Liberty and are not vitalized by the

spirit

of

Justice.

If

we plant ourselves upon the

rock of

principle,

contending

inflexihly for

freedom and

justice, on the

side

ofwhich are arrayed the Lord and

his

angel hosts,we

shall

conquer

gloriously. Otherwise new difficulties, new entanglements, and new complications will

arise

to

educate

us ,

as

it

were,

in

the

school

of

calamity

and

to

purify us

by

the

fires

of

suffering until we are

humbled

and made wUling to do the will

of

heaven

Be

assured. President Lincoln, there

is

no more

peace

or rest

to this nation

until

it is willing

to do

simple

justice. For long years

tilings

have been culminating for

the great

issue now

at

hand

Let t ruth and falsehood grapple

let

there

he

a

distinct

issue between Liberty and

Slavery

between

God and Baal, and the

result is

not doubtful. It

is

only

by a

temporizing,

compromising

policy and a disposition to make

friends

with the mammon

of

unrighteousness

that

the

reign

of

Evil

has been

so

long perpetuated on the

earth. There

is

safety only

in

the Right

on the

side

of

God and Justice. There are perils

and woes

unspeakable

in the wrong

for

sorrow and

suffering must

follow

wrongdoing as surely

as

God*s laws

are

unrepealahle and

His

truth everlasting. For the

slaveholder as

well

as the

slave.

Justice and Truth have

blessings to the

realization

of

which Slavery rears forever

an

impassable barrier. Let

this

dark

barrier be

thrown down

that a delivered nation's

Jubilee

may

come

amid

gratulations of

brotherhood and hasannas [sic.] of rejoicing

The

work

of

righteousness is

peace,

and the

effect of

righteousness quietness and assurance

forever

With

cordial

good wishes and

with every consideration of esteem,

I

am truly yours,

Milo

A.

Townsend

New Brighton,

Pa.

(Scrapbook 12).

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Lincoln issued a preliminaryEmancipationProclamation in September, 1862,warning the South

to return to the Union or he would on January 1, 1863, declare all slaves held within the

Confederacyto be

free

There being no forthcoming capitulationfrom the South before the

effectivedate,the proclamation becamemandatory with the addedofficial authorization for the

Union to enroll black troops (Bailyn 709).

TheEmancipation, however,had somerather serious feults: it appliedonly to the areaswhich the

Confederacycontrolled(and where it could not be enforced),not to the border states still loyal to

the Union. By the proclamationno slaveswere physically freed at that time. Many abolitionists

found in the document little or nodiing over which to rejoice; its sole purpose was to save the

Union, not to save the slaves. To Abby Kelley Foster it seemed certain that emancipating the

slaves for military reasons would leave their race still hated. She believed that the poisonof this

wickedness woiildeventually destroy this guiltynation. CharlesRemond stated that hatred for

the black people was at its height at that time. Parker Pillsbury remarked ofLincoln's

proclamation, A little glad I was (Sterling 335).

Then, slightlymore than a month before the end

of

the Civil War, the North was shockedby the

assassination

of

Abraham Lincoln, who was shot by John Wilkes Booth in Ford's Theater in

Washington,D.C. on April 14, 1865, and died the next morning at 7:22 a.m. (Kull 227). As is

usual in an event so traumatic as the assassination

of

the head

of

state, many

of

those

who had

found the President weak and ineffectual in his treatment

of

the slavery issue now praised the

man and the work he had accomplished.

Milo, reflecting the shock and sorrow of the nation, wrote the following accoimt,which is dated

April 15, 1865, 11 a.m.

h e ssassination

The nation has been stunned this morning as by the sudden shock of an earthquake or a

peal of

thunder

from a clear slsy by the startling announcement of the assassination

of

president

Lincoln

and Secretary

Seward 1 People

are amazed

-

struck dumb

by

the

appalling intelligence

that there

should still live on

the

earth a single

wretch

so infamous, so

dastardly as to

seek and take the

lives

of

men whose only

crime

is

their

fidelity to Liberty

and Duty

in

the

hour of

their nation's

peril

- men who have stood firmly

at

the helm and

have

so

bravely

and faithfully piloted the

ship

of

State

through the

angry

storms

that

have

threatened

to

engulf

it

for the last four

eventfiil

and

troubling

years

But

alas

there

are

such infamous beings yet incarnated in the flesh, as there

are

in the dark abodes of the spirit

world.

But their

time

is

short

- the

reign

of die

tyrant

approaches it s

end. These

are the

death-struggles,

the

spasmodic contortioning that

herald their

doom.

It

may

yet

-

the

victorious

and

final

triumph ofLiberty

- he

through other

rivers

of

blood

and over

the

prostrate

forms of

other

thousands of our countrymen.

My

hope for us all, in the language

of

my friend Judd Fardee, is in the full advent of

Truth.

Until

the very Christ ofLove, Wisdom

and Truth

is come, we are al l

at

sea.

But

as


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even the sea is swept around the horizon ofHeaven, so

our

ocean of woe is overhrooded by

the

Love

of God Outo f

it

shaU come the Savior of

men

- triumphant truth

and

Holy

Love

and

rad i an t

Wisdom

A nation has

just

been plunged, by the astounding intelligence of this morning, from the

highest joy to the deepest woe The late victories over Ihe hosts

of

hell and the enemies of

Liberty and Light had but a few days before thriUed the nation*s

heart

with unspeakable

joy.

But

how sudden is the transition Sorrow

and

mourning now fill the land. By the

hand

of

the midnight assassin, our noble chiefhas fallen together with one

of

his faithful

compeers. Lincoln, the generous, the just, tibie merciful, expires from a shot by a hired tool

of

the Southern

tyrants and

Iheir Northern allies - But

his

name shall he held in

everlasting remembrance as one of

earth's

noblest sons and benefactors - A fearful time

has come

in

earth's dark history that has

the

duty

of

recording

a deed so direfiil

and

damning.

Still, we will not despair that God is at the helm of the Universe, guiding the destiny of this

and o f

a ll

nat ions .

Hail hai l to thee,

Messiah

of Nations,

thou

who comest

from

Edom with thy garments dyed

red With thee go the blessings, for thee rise the prayers,

of

noble hearts all over the world,

as thou goest forth steadfastly to tread thewine press prepared by Destiny for thy feet,

knowing

not the

wine

that

shall come, only

that i t

shall

make

glad the

heart of

man

O,

my

country,

there

is a path that leads

from

Gethsemane, garden ofAgony, up to

the

snow-pure

summit of Tabor, Mount of

Transfiguration.

There

shall

thy nobler

children

rear for

thee

the tabernacles of the past, the Present,

and tfie

Future

(Milo A. Townsend. Journal. Property ofDeborah L. Snowden Whalen, his great-great

granddaughter).

1William Henry Seward (1801-1872), Secretary

of

State under Lincoln, and Johnson, was in bed

ill at the time

of

the assassination and was stabbed by another conspirator. He recovered.

Educa t ion

Milo believed that careful attention to children's health should be an important aspect

of

the

educational process. His views are set forth in the following article, which he wrote for Clark's

School Visitor.

Educa t iona l Reform

by Milo A. Townsend

It

was said by

a distinguished physiologist

that

Happiness

depends

upon

the proper

adjustment of the

nervous

system.

The

same,

or

a

similar

thought,

might

be expressed

thus: Happiness depends

upon

good

health.

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2. We know that

man

may be in possession of every external luxury

and

all the wealth of

earth; yet

ifhe

have not

health,

he

is

not

happy. Let us

inquire

for a

moment

as to

what are

some o f the

condit ions

o r l aws o f heal th .

3. One

of

these is pure, unvitiated air. Is such found

during

six hours confinement in the

school-room?

It

is estimated

that

a

strong,

vigorous man

breathes

twenty-seven hogsheads

of

air

every twenty-four hours. At this rate, how longwill it require

thirty

scholars to

breathe

or

use

up an

ordinary

school-room

of

air? If

we include the action

of

the

fires

or

furnaces on the air, it is rendered

more or

less

unhealthfid or

vitiated

in

a few

minutes.

Thus one

of

the essential elements of life and health is made die agent of disease

and

degeneracy. The noble Horace

Mann,

in alluding to school-rooms generally,

remarks

as

follows:

To put children

on a short allowance

of fresh air

is as foolish as

it

would

have

been

for Noah, during

the

deluge, to

have

put his family on a

short

allowance

of

water. Since

God

has poured

out an

atmosphere fifty mUesdeep, it is enough to make a miser weep to see our

ch il dr e n s ti nt ed i n b rea th

4. These unventUated school-rooms and public halls generally, unquestionahly send out a

stream

of

corruption

and

disease

that

tells

on the

present

and

rising generation. I

do

not

wonder

that

Crandall,

in his able work

entitled Three Hours* School a

Day

has

pronounced school houses generally, as **Dyspeptic Factories.**

Think of

an adult audience

being confined six hours a day in a school-room, attempting to be patient

and

contented

with

the

monotonous

routine of

what

is popularly

considered the

legitimate

educating

process. How varied,

and

interesting

and

attractive

must

be the exercises of any

entertainment

even

to be made

tolerable

to grown

people

for six

hours

a day during a series

of months

or years Then think

of

keeping the

interest

of

children

in a school-room

for

that

length of time The thing is impossible, or if possible, utterly

unnatural,

stultifying, and

undesirable. For i t would

be out of the

question

for a child

to enjoy

a vigorous, fiill,

and

healthy

growth

if

his

brain

were

so occupied

and

exercised

as

to become satisfied

with

a

course of

life so one-sided

and

contrary to

the laws of our

being.

5.

The

business

of

childhood,**

says

Crandall,

is

to grow. Strange

that any body should

ever have

thought

otherwise, and should

have

instituted a system

of education

?) that

renders

muscular development

and natural

growth impossible. Well is it for humanity and

the emasculating race

that

a pioneer in physical education should arise in the person ofDr.

DIO LEWIS and

institute

a

system that demonstrates the

importance

of

muscular

development

in harmony with intellectual

and

brain development

6. A condition

of

perfect health

can

only

be attained

by

die

exercise

of

al l

the

functions

of

the

body

and

all

the

faculties

of

die

mind.

In the

schools,

as

generally conducted, only a few

faculties

of

the mind

are

called into play, whereby these few receive undue exercise while

the

moral, social, and physical being receive little

attention;

and hence

children

grow up (i f

they reach the years of maturity) angular, lop-sided, and inharmonious in mind and body.

What folly to

attempt

to make sages and phUosophers of little

children

A precocious child

is a sad sight to

al l thinking minds.

7. Thus

far

I have

found

fault** with

the

present

school

system

and

have

only hinted at

a


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few of

its errors. In

my

next

I will

suggest some improvements as

well as endeavor

further

to show how

degenerating

to

the race has

become the popular schooling process

and

that a

wise, philosophical education contemplates the development of

the

physical, social, moral,

intellectual, and religious departments ofone's being, thus makingwhole, self-poised,

symmetrical magnanimous men and women.

New Brighton, Pa., Nov. 3, 1863 (Scrapbook I 8).

LillyMoirill, a teacher in Fisherville, New Hampshire, wrote to Milo onMay 13, 1855,

expressing her agreement that teachers and children should not be shut up for six hours a day in

an

unventilated school room. This

seems

to lend some credence t o th e contention that students did

suffer from such an unhealthy school environment at that time.

he a t tl e f or read

In 1875Milo A. Townsend's book. The Battle for Bread, or. Justice, the Forlorn Hope of

Humanity was published by Dickson, McKalip Co. 55 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Milo wrote under the pseudonym the Hermit of the Hills. The 74 page book sold for 250.

In the preface he stated a recurring theme, The welfare

of

all must be consulted before the

welfare

of

any

can

be

secured ~ for Humanity is a Brotherhood.

One ofMilo's scrapbooks contains a number of

advertisements and reviews which identify him as the Hermit

of

the Hills, indicate something

of

the scope and viewpoints expressed in his book, and throw some hght on his reputation as a

reformer. The following are selections from some

of

these:

[The Battle for Bread] is the name

of

a little pamphlet...

just

published at Pittsburgh by The

Hermit

of

the Hills. It takes up the labor question and handles

it

intelligently and honestly and

shows up the injustice practiced by greedy capital on helpless labor. All the chapters are short and

spicy. (Scrapbook

VI34 .

This is a beautifully printed httle book ... embodying some very suggestive and timely thoughts

on living. The authorwe recognize as an old friend, a reformer,

and

a thinker ofgreat clearness


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and force

(Scrapbook VI 34).

The Batde for Bread ... is the title

of

a small pamphlet on our table by Milo Townsend ofBeaver

Falls, Pennsylvania.... It is intended as another ally and aid in the great cause

of

social and

political reform....

{Scrapbook

VI34

[The Battle for Bread] is the title

of

a veiy neatly printed pamphlet... by The Hermit of the

Hills, who has been an occasional contributor to our columns.... It discusses the question of

Capital and Labor and shows up the wrongs

of

monopoly and the competitive systems

of

the

business and financial

world

A literary critic

of

Philadelphia in writing

of

this little book says,

1

have given it a carefixl perusal

and the conclusion of

mymind

is that

it

is a

veiy

able exposition of the evils of the present social

order. Some of the passages possess a fieiy vehemence and logical force which must find

entrance into every fair and logical mind. Another author in a private letter writes: The Battle

for Bread is an eloquent plea for the rights of a down-trodden humanity. It is one protest more

entered before the Supreme Court ofHeaven against the great demoralizing sin of the ages, the

sin of avarice, and 1 sincerely congratulate the author upon the position he occupies and the truths

he so forcibly declares {Scrapbook VI 34).

The following review includes some quotations

fi om

the book, making clearer the scope and

character the

work:

TheBattle

for Bread

is the title of an earnest brochure that grapples with the question ofpoverty

in various ways. In the Hermitof the Hills we recognize marks of the style and spirit ofMr.

Milo A. Townsend,

the

estimable

Friend whose

poetical and

other

contributions we

have

welcomed since the first issue

of

our

paper.

He

holds that the radical question

of

our time is

poverty, and how to diminish it. It is the cause ofmost of the disease and crime

and

the prolific

mother of imtoldmiseries. He contends that what the

poor

want is

not

charity

but

justice. It was

said

by Margaret Fuller that

While any are base,

none

can be pure

and

noble. It must be said

that while any are oppressed, none can be entirely

fi ee Even

the disposition to oppress proves the

mind to be

in bondage to evil. By causing others unhappiness or by being indifferent to their

rights or welfare, no one can be happy though he possess mountains ofdiamonds and oceans of


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gold. In the words of the noble Pestalozzi, There is no rest for him who oppresses and

persecutes. Nay, there can be no repose for him; for the sighs

of

the unfortunate ascend as swift

witnesses before the living God. He looks on monopoly as the chief

cause

of

the difficulty that

oppresses the countiy. When two-thirds

of

the wealth

of

the country is in the hands ofone-fifth

of

the people; when three thousand houses are owned by one man in the city ofNew York; when

two

men

own a fi^ontage on the San Joaquin river, California, of forty miles in extent, and other

gigantic monopolies ofequal magnitude exist; and while at the same time, thousands

of

men,

women and children are crying for bread, it becomes a serious question and demands the

profound consideration ofevery well-wisher ofhis race. For it is evident that our nation can never

stand on the heights ofmoral grandeur or attain that high destiny which

our

fathers dreamed of

and sought to lay the foundations for so long as vast monopolies exist on the one hand and toiling

poverty on the other. He touches suggestively on many remedies, such as cooperation, palaces

of

industry,

and

graduated taxation.

The

little book is full

of

suggestion and provocation and that

sympathy for the suffering which is a thousand times more helpful than eloquent declamation. It

raises more questions than a score of economists

can

solve, but it is a great thing to raise the right

questions. (Scrapbook VI35 .

[The Battle for Bread] is the title of a small, neat... pamphlet now lying before me, the production

of that noble brother and indefatigable worker for the cause ofhumanity, Milo A. Townsend. I

have long been familiar with the name of this untiring philanthropist and have often wished the

world could be blessed with more such earnest laborers. The Battle for Bread

How

pregnant

with meaning

how

significant these words

just

now

when

millions of

our

fellow coimtrymen are

nearing the door of starvation How appropriate such a work in an age when sordid avarice is

snatching the staffof life fi-om the laboring poor

almost the

only class entitled by heaven's

just law or a court

of

strictmoral justice to receive it. In a coimtry whose rehgion strictly forbids

its disciples to lay up treasure on earth and imposes the solemn, rigid and imperative injunction,

Having food and raiment, herewith be content, we observe nearly all its leading professors

striving to live the life of a Dives and yet hoping at death to receive the reward of a Lazarus. Vain

hope .... Friends, get this little work ofBro. Townsend's. It is a live coal

on

the altar ofhumanity

and will awaken new sympathy in

your

souls for the toiling millions now suffering for bread and

excite a new zeal in the noble work of trying to do something to reheve them.

K. Graves. Richmond, Ind. {Scrapbook VI 32).

The following letter i om Milo pubhshed in the Pittsburgh Gazette was written before the

publication of The Battlefor Bread but it reflects Milo's thinking on the subject elevenyears

before his book was in print:

For the Pittsburgh

Gazette

he at t le

fo r read


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Editors Gazette

The

facts and

reflections

presented in one ofyour

recent

able

editorials

concerning the

prevailing

extravagance on the one hand, as

exhibited

in our cities

especially New Yorkand of poverty and want on the

other,

are

truly

worth

pondering

by

every

one who feels any interest in the welfare ofhis kind.

To how

many millions is

this

l ife a mere battle

for bread Not only men and women are

drafted

into

this

bat tle by the hard hand ofnecessity; hut litfle children, who

should

be

out on the hill sides free from care and

knowing

nothing but the freshness, the

health,

and

th e elasticity of a new-bom existence,

are pressed

into this weary conflictwith

want

to

save

a sorrowing mother or a decrepid [sic.] father from

starvation's

doom.

How many sighs are

heard,

how

many tears

are wept, how many

hearts

are broken, how

many souls

are forced

to stand

in the

places

of sin and shame

because

of this unequal battle

for bread,

which

wages increasingly

from

day to day To millions this is

the

battle that knows

no

truce, no

armistice,

no capitulation. Do or die is the inevitable

alternative.

For making a pair of

cotton drilling drawers

with buckles, button-holes, straps and

strings,

a sewingwoman is

paid

four and one-sixth cents. A smartwoman

using

a sewingmachine

can

make four pairs

in

a long dayworking, that is to say,

from

seven in the morning till

nine at night. For such

a

day's work the reward

is

sixteen and three-quarter

cents.

Another

sewing woman receives five and a

half cents

for making large canton flannel drawers by

hand, each pair

containing

two

thousand

stitches,

and having

button holes, eylet-holes,

buttons,

stays

and strings; hut this poor woman

has

to furnish her

own

thread. She is able

to make two pairs of such drawers in a

very

long day, which includes a considerable par t of

the night

These, among other facts

set

forth

by the needle

women

at

their recent

meeting

in

Cooper

Institute,

New

York, are additional confirmations of

the

terrible

struggle

to which

thousands

of

poor, worthy women

are

subjected

and

of

the meanness

and

inhumanity

of

their employers, who are willing to make

money

out of their very

life-blood.

We

read

of the noble daring, the beautiful

self-sacrifice

of

a

Capt

Herndon,

who not

only

put forth every effort

in h is power,

hut gave his

l ife to the sharks

of

the

deep

to save from a

like

fate the women and children that thronged his doomed

vessel

Universal humanity

applauded

a deed so

self-denying,

so

heroic,

so grand

But what shall we say of tibose squandering spendthriftsfliose shrivel-souled money-

mongers,

who,

if possible, would monopolize the very air and wate r and

sunshinewould

jam

up

the very 'rivers

of

life

and

sell

the Morning

Stars

if

thereby they

could

subserve

their selfish

and unhallowed

purposes? Such men care

not

who sinks, so they

swim.

Unlike

the noble Herndon,

they

turn not to

help

the

perishing;

hut, seeking

their

own safety with

an

indifference

and

heartlessness befitting

the

pirates that

sail upon the

high

seas,

they

allow their struggling,

sinking

brothers and sisters to go down in the

surging

waters

of

poverty,

sorrow

and desolation. It was said by the excellent

Pestalozzi

that There is no

happiness

fo r

him

who

oppresses and

persecutes;

no, there can be no repose for

him;

for the

sighs

of

the unfortunate cry for vengeance to

Heaven.

It is not in the

nature

of

things that

men can

waste

the

gifts

ofGod

or shut themselves up

in

their palaces

of

wealth and

yet be

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happy while needy ones are suffering in

want

and poverty all around them. God will not let

such men he happy. He will haunt themwith the ghosts of a thousand imaginarywants; and

with a restless craving, they must go

up

and down the earlfa, seeking

rest but

finding

none

Someone has remarked tha t Heaven is for those

who

have not

succeeded

in this life. I t

might be said with greater force, perhaps,

that

Heaven is

not

for tiliosewho have succeeded

selfishly in this life. The Bible speaks of those who have their portion in this world, as DiVes

the r ich man , who in his lifetime had his good things

his wealth

and great possessions,

but

using them selfishly,

and

without reference to the good ofothers, was tormented in the

future life, while

the poor, ragged, but

kind-hearted

Lazarus

was

comforted and made

happy.

So long as

mankind set

no

limit

to their desires and struggles for worldly richeshouses,

property and landsand so long as they do se t limits to their aspirations and desires for

intellectual and spiritual richesWisdom, Goodness,

Justice,

Righteousnessjust so long

shall we

have

extravagance,

pomp

and gilded villainy on

tilie one hand and poverty and

want

on

the

other,

with

harmony

and happiness

on neither.

While

this

spirit of

avarice

lasts,

how can the

Kingdom

of

Heaven

descend upon the earth? May we not hope that,

The carnival of sin is almost o*er.

The

greatworld s Passion-week is

near

at hand.

Freedom derided,

crucified

and slain.

Shall roll the rock from it s dark sepulchre.

And throne itself in

majesty

thereon.

With

face like

lightning

and with robes like

snow.

Milonus

March 27, 1864 (Scrapbook I 5-6)

Associa t ion/ Four ie r i sm

In th e

1840s

a

movement for

what

was

tQxmQd

Association arose in d ie Northeaster United States.

This grew out

of

the type

of

society first promoted in France by Francois Marie Charles Fourier

(1772-1837), a French sociaHstand reformer who developed a system to organize society into

small, self-sufficient, cooperative agricultural communities {Webster sNew WorldDictionary ).

Although Fourier s views were chaotic and extravagant, a young American, Albert Brisbane

(1809-1890),who had worked under Fourier, brought his system to America, tailoring it to fit his


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own practical nature and making it agreeable to the culture and mind set

of

the American people

(Holloway 140).

Brisbane s first introduction to Fourierism occurred when he happened to pick up Fourier s book,

L Association Domestique-Agricole , and read the words Attractive industry. As Mark

Holloway explains in Heavens on Earth: Utopian Communities inAmerica between 1680-1880 ,

these words so fired Brisbane s interest that he sought

ou t

Fourier

an d

his associates and made an

exhaustive study

of

the theory under their direction (140).

Attractive industry was Fourier s most practical idea, and it was to this that Brisbane climg. In

1840 he published SocialDestiny

ofMan

, presenting clearly the essential Fourierismwithout its

more offensive and fanciful aspects (Holloway 149; Hart 107).

Brisbane s adapted system was practical and workable, at least in theory. His views had great

appeal and became well known after his SocialDestiny ofMan had converted Horace

Gbreeley

at

that time editor of the New YorkTribune . Greeley offered Brisbane a regular colunm in that

paper, and a fi ont pageheadline in the spring

of

1842announcedthe purchase of the columnby

the Advocates

of

Association (Holloway 140-141).

Greeley himselfspoke on behalfo f the movement, helped to arrange meetings, and pledged his

property to Association (141).

Milo was introduced to the concept at leeist as early as January

of

1849, when Sarah W. Taylor

wrote to him about regular meetings held by some Rttsburgh famihes to discuss the subject The

following is an excerpt fi-om

he r

January 16, 1849, letter:

We would like to have you here this evening to be present at a social meeting at our room. A few

families

of

us meet once a week at each other s residences for the purpose

of

reading upon the

subject ofAssociation. We all enjoy these meetings veiy much. They were got up by Mrs. Dr.

Cote 1, an intelligent woman and a very zealous associationist. When you come to this city again,

I must take the hberty

of

introducing you to her. You will certainly be pleased with her

acquaintance.

IFor

more

o n E mm a o te s ee chapter 22.

In 1843an association paper called the Phalanx was started, but it was replaced in 1844by the

Harbinger

of

Brook Farm, that cooperative community having adopted Fourierism. Whittier,

Lowell, William Hemy Channing, and Margaret Fullerwere among those who contributed

articles on the subject. Other newspapers and books furthered the cause, not only in New York

and New England, but also in other states. Lecture tours were organized, and meetings and

conventions were held to study and discuss Association (141).

Fourier had believed that there would be a 35,000 year period

o f

harmony and that during this


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Jf^etter

67

From D.H.

Jacques

Pha l anx N .

July

6 1856

I am farming a little here

and

writing some occasionallypretty busy as usual an d don t

keep up my correspondence as promptly as could be wished.

Latest

accounts

f ro m th e Texas

Colony

a re n ot very

favorable

though the settlement at

Reunion is carrying

on

its operations

with

considerable energy.

A person from this place returned from there last spring an d gave so discouraging an

account that those who

were

going from here have all abandoned

th e

movement. I gave it

up with great reluctance as you may easily imagine.

But

I

must

go somewhere.

Must

seek a milder climate.

Where

shall I go

an d

who will go

w it h m e?

M us t w e a ba nd on d ie h op e of

an

associative setdement? I am looking toward East

Tennessee

an d

a favorable locality with

th e

finest climate in

the

world good soil

an d

tolerably cheap land.

Who

will go to East Tenn or some other portion of the mountain

region of the south to help found a progressive settlement?

The Central Management

of

the Phalanx has passed from the hands

of Arthur

Moung [?]

an d

is going on from bad to worse. So the world goes. One hope after another

of

poor

struggling humanity fades

away

but there is a divine Providence

and

all will yet he well.

This

is

my

faith.

I shall be glad to

hear

from you. What

are

your friends and correspondents doing in

reference to social movements? Can we

ge t

up a southern movement o fo u r own?

Stephen Young as I know you know has given up

th e

Kansas

Setdement

Company.

Yours

for

Progress

D.H.

Jacques

Milo Townsend

wrote

a letter to Albert Brisbane the founder o fFourierism or Association in

America.

B r i s b a n e s

a n s w e r follows:

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Let te r 122

From

lbe r t B r i sbane

New York March 19.1859

Dear Sir

You

letter came to hand in due course ofmail. The cooperation of good men such as

you

speak ofgives me great satisfaction. Ifwe can transport to a new soil a diverse population

with every means

of

facilitating production and

of

educating thoroughly every person, we

can build up, it seems to me, a Society worthy of being called a Society ofhuman beings.

We must endeavor if possible to give a new direction to society in the great region lying west

of

the present settlements;

that

is, found

an

advanced stage of society in the regions east

[possiblywest ] of the Modry mountains. We hegin in north Texas and spread north, south

and

west, organizing a

state

of

things

fa r

in

advance

of

the

present

I have not

written

sooner

as

I wished to send you some documents the

articles

of

government which are heing

translated

into English. I

think

they will now

be done in

a

week. I will then forward them to you with some remarks

on

what

is being accomplished at

present.

Mr. Considerantl is here but leaves in a couple ofweeks for Texas with his family.

We have

some 30 persons on

the

ground with a few

transfers and works

progressing.

A capital

of

some two millions

of

dollars is promised in France: 300,000 paid in. A large

number

of

superior persons

are

waiting to insure.

If

success

attends our

fervid efforts, we

can draw

the

elite

of the

French population to us,

that

is,

that portion imbued

with

progressive ideas.

Mrs. Cote often spoke to me ofyou,

hut

I did not hope so soon to hear from you.

Until

t he t ime

comes that

we can meet face to face

I assure

you of

my cordial

esteem

and friendship.

Br i sbane

1Victor Considerant was one

of

Fourier s

two must

enthusiastic disciples, the other being

Brisbane (HoIIoway 139).


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In the following letter JaneNichelson,who also wrote to Milo about the relationship between

Maiy Robison and Andrew Jackson Davis [see chapter 6] wrote toMilo fromHarveysburgh,

Ohio,mentioning the TexasColony

of

which D.H. Jacques had spokenand said that she and her

husband had been involved in the failed Prairie Home experiment, in spite

of

which shewas still

interested in Association.

hele t ter is unda t ed

1 have known thee for years by reputation letters. I have read in many

of

the papers, first

in the antislavery cause which is one

that

should never he forgotten tiU

the

last chain is

broken

from the slave.

My husband

Ihave been engaged for the slave for

many years-

have always

kept the

Depot

on the Under-Ground

RaU-road we

kept

an open house for

all those

that

chose to come

tarry

with us. Will thee thy wife come see us some time

in

the future.

I have

been

attracted to

diee

by reading thy

communications

on reformatory

subjects 1 read a letter of thine to

Mary

F. Robison who

has

been

an

inmate ofour house

for

the last

4 weeks 1 observed

in

it

(thy

letter

an

account

of

a movement

of

Brisbane

and

others

theyhad located in Texas which interested me some to know something of the

character

of the movement thy opinionof the social lifewhen how

far it can

he lived

out in peace,

harmony

the

best economy to individuals theworld at large. Valentine

Nicholson (my husband myselfhave been interested for

many

years

on

the

subject

No doubt

thee

will remember

the

community that was started some 10 years since at Prairie

Home got up partly by John O. Wattles, beautiful Magnetic speaker

Our

souls were in it

to do good.

We spent much

time, 4000 in the experiment

diough

that faUure does

not

destroy all faith

in

believing there may yet

he

those that feel a congeniality wish to live in

some closer

combination

both in

temporal

spiritual

to

make

labor

more

productive for

ourselves do the world more good.

From the foregoing letters it is obvious that Milo has been thinking seriously about Association.

In 1860Hammonton,New Jersey, appears to have become his goal, as some letters written to him

indicate.

Hammonton, New Jersey, was opened to settlement by Richard J. Bjmies and Charles K. Landis.

The town was granted its charter on March 5, 1866, and became an important center for fruit

growing (McManon. TheStory ofHammonton 85; Hammonton News 8).

Writing to Milo from Philadelphia on July 16, 1860, a friend, WilliamMcDonald, presented a

glowing and fancifril account ofHammonton, but pessimistically declared that neither of them

would ever live there. An excerpt from his letter follows.

In

the first place I wiUsaythatHammonton since we were there,

has

been dwelling in my


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memory with a green & delightful spell. Somehow this I felt when there that itwas a place

where the angels ofpeace & hope might he tempted to dwell & for a while fold their

rainbow dyed wings and forget for a spac;e tibeirheautifiilworld ofunrefracted glory and

undying flowers, and I still turn toward it hoping some day to be there. But neither you nor

1 will be the re as dwellers forever for tleast I have no means & the fashion of the world ,

in the meantime, is passing away &

our

strength is wasting & our eyes growing dim & death

stands waiting

at

the door

and

tibe

roar

of

the dashing

of

the mighty sea

of

eternity is

growing louder and louder as it rolls against the walls

of

lifewith its waves of mighty

mystery

and

playing with its murmuring shells

that

lie upon its wondering shores. We shall

never l ive

there

As though to belie his predictions,less than a month later McDonald is expectingMilo to go to

Hammonton. Writing from Philadelphia on August 3, 1860, he says, When

you

come to

Hammonton, give us two weeks

notice

that is all I ask.

But on December 28, 1860, Milo was still in New Brighton when a frequent correspondent, A.E.

Newton, a Spiritualist (mentioned earlier in this chapter), wrote

of

Hammonton and warned him

of the need for practicality, as follows:

I cannot advise you on going to Hammonton. I know some parties who have located or

intend

to,

there,

but

none who seem

to me to

have any true idea of the

essential

requisites

of

a social state much better than the present. Possibly

you

will find

more

congenial

surroundings at H.; and if you can be sure

of

some remunerative employment, the change

may be admirable.

But

don t

expect too much

don t think

you

are

going

right

into

Paradise

because you go among professed Spiritualists Unless they

have

died to self

and

been

born

again

in the

Spirit, die

old devil of selfishness will be just

as rampant there

as

elsewhere only

under

new forms

and

disguises. Such is my experience....

Milo did not leave New Brighton for a cooperative association until 1866, by which time

Vineland, New Jersey, had become his goal. Before the move William McDonald wrote again to

Milo on the subject ofAssociation. The first page having been lost, there is no date; but the letter

was evidently written no earlier than 1865 and before Milo's 1866move to Vineland.

Do you really intend to cultivate a home

in

Vineland? It

may

grow

into

a place

of

great

importance & beauty, & when the Old Folks at Home are gathered to their Fathers, you

may feel at liberty to pull up stakes & seek a new establishmentwith your blue-eyed lady.

Yet

I

think her

heart is

wedded to

New

Brighton

&

the Sweet

Quakers

that

there

do

congregate

whether

her

affections

hear transplanting

to

another

clime is doubtful they

mightwither & die & exhaust

their

fragrance on the lonely airs ofa land

of

strangers


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These things are worth thinking about, but I hope your mind will incline to the East. In

that

casewemight see each other occasionally& talkof times long ago betid....

We have conquered rebellion & slavery &

Gkid

Almighty will henceforth stretch over us the

wings of Mercy & Peace. We stand without that great national sin ofSlavery on ou r backs

to

crush

us to the Earth.... Give the blue-eyed a kiss for me.

Anundated item in one ofMile's scrapbooksreports a musical soiree at his home in which Auld

Lang

Syne

and Farewell toMisterTownsend were sung Thewriterexpressed his opinion that

Mile'snext party would probably be givenin Vineland {ScrapbookV 53).

In Julyof 1861 Charles K

Landis

purchased fromRichard P.Woodat 7 an acrea tract ofbarren

wilderness, flat and desolate, on which to build Vineland as a center for the cultivation of

orchardsandvineyards (hencethe name Vineland).EvenLandis could see no beauty in the land

at that time. Fires had swept through this area that supported only scrub oak, pine, and brush.

Therewere swamps to be drained. The first housewas built in

1862

Stillby

1865

twohundred

buildingshad been erected,and by the end ofthe nextyear therewere twelvehundredmore. The

townwas laid out carefullywith streets a hundred feetwide and land set aside for the railroad that

was soon to go through the settlement (VinelandN.J. Centennial 1961n.p.).

On July 2, 1866,the Rev. Sylvanius Jones ofPittsburghwrote hoping that Milowould be happy

in his new home and new surroimdings and supposing that he was ever experiencing the sweet

refreshment of a new and more congenial life. He added, I cannot but feel very anxious for the

success ofyour experiment, for such to a considerableextent it is. He hoped that Elizabeth was

not overwhelmedby the sad lonelinessofa strange land and would find a few choice fiiends

and

be

happy.

Writing on October 21, 1866,Ellen Angier, a close fiiend ofthe frmily, who was now teaching

in Cleveland, Ohio, spoke ofVineland as a region ofdesolation and indicated that Milo had

moved to Spring Garden veiy soon after arriving. Portions ofher letter follow:

How do you do, my

dear

friends Milo an d Lizzie? It is nearly two months since I bade you

good-bye in Boston, isn*t it, Milo? I wonder if yo u haven t

both

had some h ard wo rk

and

more

heart

ache

since then.

I don t

mind it for you

Milo

because

I think it will

do

yo u

good.

But

fo r

your m erry

li tt le wife I do

think

it

is too

bad.

Wasn t

I

sorry

fo r

you,

Mrs.

Laughing Blue eyes, when your

husband

described to me your sensations upon looking

out

upon

th e

sandy tract of Vineland

th e

morning after your arrival in

that

delectable country.

I think Lemmy [Lemuel,

the

older

of

Milo and Elizabeth's two sons] must have packed his

wits away

at

home before purchasing

that bit

of sandy earth the unlucky ownership

of

which caused you to leave

th e

fair and beauteous land ofBrighton for that region

of

desolation. I am glad enough you

didn t

get stuck there. Spring Garden ought to be a land

overflowing with milk

an d

honey to compensate you

for

those few days

of

misery.

But

alas

fo r

th e

tasteful little cottage, th e noble hills, dark ravines,

and

flowing

rivers of

dear old


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There are still several large farms in the area as well as a produce company and a tavern

McMahon

284).

Milo s scrapbooks contain three newspaper chppings advertising and outlining the Blue Anchor

project.His owndescriptionof the community is quoted in fiill below,while excerpts are taken

from t he o ther articles.

A Progressive Settlement is now forming on that superior tract of land long known as Blue

Anchor, twenly-five miles from Philadelphia, fronting on the Camden and Atlantic

Railroad

in

Camden Co., New Jersey.

It

is the

purpose of

the founders

of

this viUage and settlement, and of those

thus

far

cooperating, not to

repeat

the old system of things that exists in the towns and cities of the

world based on antagonism, speculation and fraud, whence result poverty,want and misery

on the one side and monopoly, affluence

and

extravagance

on the

other with happiness

on

neither; but

as soon as practicable to institute Attractive Cooperative

Industry

in all

the

various branches ofAgriculture, Horticulture, Manufacturing, Mechanics and theArts.

Here then is a golden opportunity for Philanthropists

and

the Friends ofProgress to realize-

-in the proper development of this splendid domain of four thousand acres a higher, a

nobler

and

a more harmonious state of

society and

to found institutions worthy of

the

age

and

in response to

the

deep

yearnings and aspirations of universal humanity.

One

of

the specific objects sought by the projectors of this movement is the establishment

of

a self-sustaining Industrial College,

incorporating

therein,

on

a

large

scale, the essential

elements of the Children s Progressive Lyceum as inaugurated by Andrew Jackson Davis.

For

this

purpose

three hundred

acres

of

land

are

held

in

reserve. A

unitary

Palace, Model

Homes, a Cooperative Store, a Hygienic Institute, a Lecturers Retreat, and Children s Play

Grounds

are also contemplated.

These are some of

the features distinguishing this

Settlement

from

Hammonton, Vineland and other places.

Persons

could now engage to

advantage upon

the

grounds in

such branches

of

industry

as

manufacturing Shoes, Baskets, Kegs, Barrels, Boxes, Clotibing,

Earthen

Ware, Brick, Pocket

Books, c, c. A large

Steam

Mill is now in successful operation; also an extensive

Greenhouse and

several

private

residences

of unique

design are being erected

on

Central

Avenue .

The lands

are

furnished at lower

rates than any of similar

quality

and eligibility in the

State.

Those wishing

further information

are earnestly

requested to visit the place

rather

than rely

upon the

meagre knowledge to be obtained through correspondence. Those to

whom

this

is,at the present

impracticable,

may address the undersigned at

Blue

Anchor,

Camden

Co., New Jersey. The

route

from

Philadelphia

is from

the

foot ofVine

street

to

Winslow Station,

which is

two miles

from

Blue

Anchor village.

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March 29, 1867 Milo A. Townsend Scrapbook I 13

The second article includes the names of the community officers.

A ew

ovemen t

Our esteemed friend and

former agent

at New Brighton, Milo A. Townsend,

has

favored us

with a copy of Circular No. 2 in which is

set

fortib the desirability

of

investing in a home

on the lands of

the Blue Anchor

Land

Improvement Company

of

New Jersey....

Any information may be obtained by applying by

letter

or in person to either of the

following officers at Blue Anchor,

Camden

County, New Jersey: George Haskell, President;

Thomas

Taylor, Vice

President;

Josiah

W. Spaulding,

Secretary;

Milo A. Townsend,

Treasurer Scrapbook 1 19

The last article presents a fiirtherpicture

of

Blue Anchor, while giving alsomore insight into the

success

o f

the

communit ies at

Hammonton

and Vineland.

It is astonishing

how

those supposed

desert

lands

of

New Jersey

are

by industry and

cultivation made

to

blossom

as the rose

and

hear

fruit

abundantly. Vineland

is

already

quite a city.

It

has a Spiritualist organization

and

a flourishing Progressive Lyceum.

Hammonton has

proved

a

grand

success.

It s

peach-orchards

vineyards,

neat

cottages, fine

residences bespeak

at

once a

present prosperity

and a

prophecy of

a still

brighter

future.

This

Blue Anchor

Trust

is yet

in

the flush of

infancy.

It has

some four thousand acres;

the

soil is excellent, water

pure

and the climate nuld, at the same time healthy and exhilarating

owing to

the

ocean-breezes.

What particularly

interests us is

the

expressed

purpose of

Messrs. Milo A. Townsend,

Dr.

Geo.

Haskell

W JV.

Baldwin and

others

connected therewith to bring into operation soon as

possible an

Industrial

College, a Unitary Home, Health Institute and a Lecturers* Retreat.

The

college is designed to

educate the young in

harmony

with

natural

law making them

true

men and women.

The unitary

home

will

show

the economy

and labor-saving

advantages

of

group-familieswithout infringing in any way upon

die

puri ty and

sacredness

of the marriage relation.

The

lecturers* retreatwill

say

to

die

worn and weary: come, all ye

that labor and are

heavy

laden come

and

rest; this is

our

home;

your

home;

the home of

all

sore-footed pilgrims; come and renew your

strength for

fresh efforts and the attainment of

still

higher

altitudes in

the

vast fields of reform. The

purpose

is broad; we

diink

the

plan

feasible. It is work thatwill benefit humanity now.... Scrapbook 114 .

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Mileandhis

family moved

to BlueAnchor sometimeafterOctober 21,

1866

andbuilt a

house.

LetterstoMilo thatwill later be quotedseemto indicate thatAnchorawas the name

of

the section

of

the Blue Anchor

tract

on which the Townsends and their

associates settled.

Anchora was

within

the Blue Anchor Tract Cities,

Towns and

Post OfficesofNewJersey in 1880 n.p.). The

Townsends left the community beforeThanksgivingDay in

1867.

Tliereasonfor their departure

and to some extent the character

of

the communitymay be deduced only from the following

letters, some

of

which, unfortunately, are imdated.

A letter fromMrs.Caroline Carrie)H. Spear, thoughlackinga date, is almost certainlyfromthe

periodduringwhichMilo andEhzabethTownsend with their twosons,LemuelandCharles,

werelivingat BlueAnchor. The Spears, alsoliving there at the time,wereSpiritualists, who, as

another writer stated, made their living by mediumship.

et ter

168

From

Mrs. Caroline Carrie H.

Spear

Friday Morning

My

dear

Mrs.

Townsend,

Seeing

your

pieces

of

old flannel

last

evening has tempted

me

to

write and ask

if

you can

spare me a little to repair some drawers for Mr.

Spear,

which I find

must

be

done

before he

goes to-day 1

am

entirely without pieces and don*t

want

to use cotton if I can help it. Had I

known

my

need last night

I might

have

selected

and

you

might

have

better

told

ifyou

could

spare it. However, you will be quite as free to deny as I to ask ifyou

have use

for it.

With best wishes fo r success in your

present

undertakings, I remain

Truly,

M r s T o w n s e nd

C.H. Spear

On February 25, 1867, Milo wrote from Blue Anchor to Jacob Henrici, a trustee for the

Economites, inquiring on behalf

of

some friends about the purchase of land in Western


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Pennsylvania. Forthe replyto thisletter, seechapter

15

on Jacob Henrici

Milohad left a letter fromJacob Henrici, probably the one still extant, with JohnOrvis, agent for

Blue Anchor, who wrote.

In looking over my papers some days ago, I found a meaningful note pertaining to my

Agency for Blue Anchor, the enclosed letter from Mr . Henrici, your esteemed friend, the

man whom I highly respect and remember with a pleasing emotion. I know you must prize

it,

and therefore

I

am very happy

to

have

found

it

to be

able

to

send it

to you.

Orvis also offered to buy property belonging to Milo. This would appear to be his Blue Anchor

holdings. Excerpts from the letter follow:

My dear friend. Will you give me th e price atwhich you will sell

your

lot of 12 acres 1

think) lying on the highette of th e lowslow roadbeyond

Mr .

BeaPs lot; and if1 rightly

remember, extending to the line next Col Hayes land). 1

don t

know,

but

1 have a friend

who might pay you the money for it, provided you would sell

it

at or near the price you gave

for it, on th e appraisaL Please

write

me in receipt

of

diis

an d

state

your

lowest terms for

each. 1will

frankly

teUyou in

th e

outset that

the

fact that a warrantee deed

c annot be

had

f or t he

land

ma y

be

an

objection

to

the purchase

which cannot

he removed, and

any

inflation of the price

added

to the other one mentioned would certainly defeat a sale. 1

don t

know that

I could make a sale but have

been

a sk ed t o write

yo u for

a

price.

Orvis, who was living in Philadelphia at the time

of

writing, added.

1have

heard from

you once

or

twice since you left the Anchor through our mutual friends

the Robbinses. 1

hope

that

yo u

feel that your new turn

was

t he r i ght move to make and that

you are quite

content

and happy thereby.

This could indicate that the letterwas written in late 1867 or perhaps in 1868, after Milo had left

Blue Anchor

bu t

before any disposal had beenmade

of

his property in that settlement

Orvis ha d been a resident at Blue Anchor. He wa s also at

th e

time o fwriting very poor. Whether

his poverty was a result of that experimentor from someother cause is, ofcourse, not known; but

his financially difficult circumstances are made clear in the following excerpt from the same


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spirit is

at

work inwardly which your goingaway seemed to initiate. God grant it may be

fuU

grown that you will come hask in the warm up. Dr. Haskell has returned and says

that

J. Madison Allyn will come here ahout Christmas and open a school

Jan.

1. He does not

seem in so good spirits as his letter to Mr. Taylor might indicate, hut his health has

decidedly improved.

Mr. Spear wrote me from NewYork that Mr. Nichols wifewill be here next Monday. I

will givehim your word

tiben

I expect to go to Vineland tomorrow to a Convention for

Woman Suffrage. Mr. Baldwin has kindly invited me to ride over with him it being Mr.

Spear swish that I go, I do so, altho I have not so much interest as formerly 1mean 1

don t

feel to do so much in the advocacy, hut am very glad that diere

are

women who do, for

it is an essential to

our

well-being, I believe.The Phillipses, Garners, Gateses, Mrs.

Gardner

Miss Crowe will represent this place there, I

understand.

I dined with the good friends Spaulding to-day on Turkey

and

you

and

yourswere spoken

ofmany times.We miss you every day

and

at every turn. Our hearts are indeed close to

yours we pray it may be in tibe providence

of

God to castour lot in the same place during

our

mortal pilgrimage even while we feel its exceeding transitoriness.

Our

minds

instinctively light upon you wheneverwe think of setting afoot any project for individual or

collective

welfare

here,

then

we

have

a sinking

at heart

that you are

gone,

though

we feel

it

will eventuate in best good. 1sincerely hope that the Economists may deem

it

wise good

to invest some of their means in

manufacturies

here. I feel a strong unexplainable

attachment to this people would enjoy the winter quiet here;

hut

Mr. Spear feels since he

has got away, more as ifwe should go to England during the winter. He is now in Boston

living over in recollection speculation some ofhis past trials there. Heaven help him to

strength.

1go to him early nextweek after my

return

from Vineland. I should hope to

hear

from you

then. Our

address

is 13

La

Grange St. Boston

c.

1 am all alone tonight.Mr. Baldwin came for Tadie to staywith his children while we are

gone. I have been filled with thanksgiving all the day

at

fiie result among

other

things

of

our

stay at B.A. We go away rich in that friendship which time and place cannot affect. Both

Mr. Spear I feel that our gain in your love friendship is one ofHeaven s best gifts to us.

Accept my sincere affection believe me

truly

yrs.

H S

Sallie Spaulding, a young girl and probably the daughter of the Spauldings with whom Carrie

Spear dined on Thanksgiving Eve, wrote the following letter expressing her griefover the

Townsends recent departure from Blue Anchor:

Let ter 152


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Y o u r f r i end

S a l l i e

lAnchora on the Blue Anchor Tract was a village very near the village

of

Blue Anchor (Cities,

Towns

and

Post

Offices

o f

New Jersey in 1880 n.p.). The above letter from Sallie Spaulding and a

letter from Edward Nichols seem to indicate that the Blue Anchor community ofwhich the

Townsends had been a part was called Anchora, as mentioned earlier, while the name Blue

Anchor applied to the tract as a whole.

2 The effect that the Nichols family's stay at Blue Anchor had on Mr. and Mrs. Nicholsmay be

seen in Mrs. Nichols' October

20 1870

letter to Milo, which appears later in this chapter.

Writing to Milo from Boston on February 26,1868, Carrie Spear expressed her happiness in

learning thatMilo was doing well in Beaver Falls. She added, I suppose

yo u

know much more of

Blue Anchor than we. Our hearts go out toward the people there I pray they may be blessed in

basket and store. Can yo u tell me the plans of the Nichols?

Milo, once settled in Beaver Falls, was busily building a house. Ellen Angier, in a letter

of

April,

1868, expressed

he r

disapproval

of

the house Milo had built at Blue Anchor, comparing

it

to the

plans for the new house as follows:

At an y rate being gothic in style, it must be a great improvement upon that eight-sided box

which

yo u

set up in th e

Jersey

woods. I tried to think it was pretty when I wa s there fo r

your sakes,

hut

now that 1

think o f i t at

this distance, 1 like

it no bet te r than the experiment

of your

living

there

a t all . I wonder

after al l what

demon

ever

possessed

yo u

to go there.. ..

B u t n e v e r

min d ; t h a t is all over.

The following letters from Edward Nichols and his wife sum up their experiences at Blue Anchor

an d their attitude toward Spiritualism.

Let t e r 1 7 8

F ro m d w ar d W

N i c h o l s

PeekskiU N.Y.

O c t 19

70


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My

dear Friend

I have just returned from a Sketching Fxcursion to NewEnglandwhich absence must he

my excusefor not sooner acknowledging your letter with the enclosed photographs.

The views are very pleasant and combined witib the handsome house

and

familiar groups on

Piazzas and Balconies,

and

the memory of pleasant fnends who compose those groups make

a very strong attraction for me to accept your kind invitation to visit you in your new

homel

But the season for sketching is nearly past and the season for work is

at

hand so I fear 1

shall have to put

off

the pleasure of a visit to you till another season And tho I can make

no promises so far in tibe future, I can assure you to he able to spend a few days with you

will giveme great pleasure, and I do not doubt I would find much in the scenery ofyour

vicinity to interest me

We are living with a sister ofMrs. N. who has a beautiful place on the hanks of the

Hudson

near

this town.

The

scenery is very picturesque

and

Bie nearness

of

New

York

makes it very

convenient

for a residence

I think

there

is no point on the Hudson more beautiful than

tibis

and we shall he glad to

welcome you and Mrs. Townsend to our home whenever you will favor uswitib a visit.

We have very little communication with Anchora, tho*we still keep

our

place there. The

Hunters occupy and care for it with, I hope, advantage to themselves-1 see very little to

encourage me in

regard

to the

future of that unfortunate

place

With

thanks

for

your

pictures

and your

remembrancewiBi

regards

to Mrs. Townsend

and

the

Boys

Miss Angier

if

still

widi you

1

remain

as always

You r f r iend

E W

Nichols

IThe new Townsend house, named Sunny Bank, also became the subject

of

a stereographic

picture, part ofa series, BeaverValley Scenery, then available fromH.Noss, Photographer,

New Brighton, Pa.

Let t e r 77

rom

Mrs

M W

Nichols

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Peekskill New

York

Oct 2 n o

D e a r Fr iends

If

you are able to live in so fine a home as Sunny

Bank

it must be that you no longer bold

open intercourse with disembodied spirits for all who do seem lured on by them to ruin.

Poor

Anchora Strongly

was

I

duped

in supposing

that the

influence

ofwhich Harrisl was

the mediumwas any

more

divine than any other. It seems to have this merit in heing so

simple

as

to secure

the

subjects to

unitary

action

therefore

to

form

a stable,

prosperous

community.

Of

its interior life I have no present knowledge. Am resting on a basis of

common sense; too

late

to

retrieve our fortunes hut

not

altogether

perhaps

fo r the recovery

of reason health my

better

halfwill tell you

ofour

pleasant surroundings.

We

should he

glad to see you here

We

shall

hardly he

able to getso

far

west.

My

only pleasant

recollections

of

Anchora

are your

pleasant

faces. How

are

the hoys? I still believe in

Industrial Schools, die next generation will see them. Eddy is hoping to enter Cornell

Inst.

next

year. Do you ever hear from

the Spears?

Does mediumship support them yet? Are

the

sluices still

open

from above? Let us know what you

are

doing thinking.

Yours truly

M W Nichols

Peekski l l

Oct 2 70

l l f this is a reference to

Thomas Lake

Harris, it is incredible

that

Milo, who knew Harris'

reputation, would have entered into any experiment inspired by that man. Perhaps the reference in

Nfe. Nichols' letter is to another Harris. For Thomas Lake Harris see chapter 14.

Milo and some

of

his friends left Blue Anchor, some obviously disillusioned by the experience.

Others of those who had participated in that experiment and in similar communities held on to the

ideal for a few more years. Fourierism and its system

of

Association had failed or had never been

tested by a group capable ofcarrying it out. The entirely unrelated but extremely successful

Economites, represented in this book by Jacob Henrici, still had but a short time to survive, albeit

the reason for the demise of their community was the impractical rule against marriage.


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Milo

Townsend^s Death

Milo A.Townsend died in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, on August 14, 1877. His illness was

reported in the August 15,

1877

weekly newspaper, ihQArgus Radical

of

Beaver, as follows:

We regret to learn that Milo A. Townsend, Esq., ofBeaver Falls is quite ill suffering from

neuralgia of the stomach,

stated The

Courier, there is but little hopeofhis recovery.

[The

Courier was a Beaver Falls newspaper.]

A longer notice by a friendwas found in a family scrapbook. Excerpts follow:

Departed This Life

Milo A.

ownsen

It is our sad duty to record the death ofour mutual friend, Milo A. Townsend,

at

his

residence in Beaver Falls

on the

evening

of

Tuesday,

August

14th, in his sixty-first

year

having been

born in

Fallston

June

20,1816.

Milo quietly passed away as though in sleep, near the close sending many goodbys to those

he was leaving on earth. On the morning ofTuesday,

about

eleven o'clock, feeling that the

spiritwas soon to take its light, he requested all his friends who were present to come while

he was yet conscious

and

bid him good by. He affectionately embraced each and bade them

a long farewell, promising

that

he would greet them on the other shore. After all

had

been

called to his bedside and taken

the last

good-by, he requested that all should

withdraw

but

one, it being in accordance with his views

that

the spirit was retarded in its separation from

the body by the presence and griefof friends.

During his sickness

of

three weeks he showed the keenest enjoyment for the beautiful

flowers which were brought in from time to time by friends,

and

he desired his heartfelt

thanks

expressed to all

who sent

them. On several occasions his emotions gave

way at the

sight of these beautiful emblems of immortality, and

he

wept tears of joy

and

stated they

were

fresh from angels

hands.

MUo was always on the alert for new truths and made prompt investigation of any subjects

that bid

fair to

benefit himselfor others.

During the

anti-slavery struggle he was

very

prominently before

the

people in opposition to that terrible evil.

During

his

entire

sickness he showed

perfect

faith in his convictions and

stated that

harmony and happiness could never reign

upon

the earth until simple justicewas shown

one to

the other and

the

Golden

Rule

practically observed in every

day

life.

He

also seemed

impelled to state that unless this course was observed between man and man, that still

greater

upheavels in the social and political world would certainly come.... In

regard

to

religion we state in his own words the following: Whatever else may be useful or important

in faith or doctrine, to help each

other

in every way as members of one great loving family is

the

only salvation

for

man on earth

or

in

the

Heavens.


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In

the death

of

Milo Townsend we

lose

a genial companion

and

true

friend and

those who

need

a

friend the

most will

find the vacancy

the more complete,

as he

was always

particularly

kind

to this class

of

people.

A

r iend

An In Memorium by Arthur Bullus Bradford1was published in the Argus and

Radical

on

August

29, 1877:

I n Memo rium

The following

were

the concluding remarks of the Rev. A.B. Bradford of

non

Valley at the

funeral of the

late Milo A.

Townsend Esq. of Beaver

Falls.

Our

departed

friend during

the

first half

of his

life belonged, as his fellow citizens of Beaver

County

all knew, to

that

branch

of

the

Society

of

Friends

which

was

characterized

by a total

denial of the orthodox

theology.

This theology did not commend

itself,

either to his reason

or his heart for

he thought

it ascribed

to

God

the

Universal

Father attributes

of character

which

would

be disgraceful in

man.

These opinions

he

held

unchanged

to his dying day.

During the

last twenty-five years

of

his life he

was

a Spiritualist.

That

is to say, he believed

that

the soul

survived

the

death of the body and

can

and often does, return and hold

converse with mortals in the flesh. He believed

he

found those

ideas

taught in the Christian

ScripturesOld Testament and New: In the Old

where the Prophet

Samuel,

who

had long

been

dead

appeared

to Saul

through the

mediumship

of the woman of

Endor and

announced

to

him the

issue

of

the battle

that

was

to

be fought the next day.

In

the

New,

where

Moses and Elias,

ages

after their bodies had returned to

dust

came

back

and

held

an

interview

with Jesus

and

His

Apostles, on

the

Mount

of Transfiguration.

He fiilly believed

that after Christ s

resurrection from the

dead. His

spiritual

bodynot

His natural

appeared

to his Disciples on a

certain

occasion,

the

doors

of the

house being closely

shut

and gave

them

satisfactory evidence

that it was

he.

He had

no

sympathy for

that cold

and

stupid infidelity, found in most of

the

pulpits an

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