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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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Townsend Topics
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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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Milo
d ms
Townsend-Topics Page20 of 33
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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