![]() ![]() Founded in 1848 by John Humphrey Noyes, the Oneida Community brought together a tightknit group of Christian religious dissenters who, for 30 years, pooled their assets and lived as one in a “commune-cum-capitalist powerhouse.” Wayland-Smith carefully details the rich biography of Noyes, the fascinating sex-obsessed theologian who had his minister’s license from Yale Divinity revoked after he began subscribing to Perfectionism, the belief that a sinner could “not only reform himself by making the right moral choices but also be made ‘perfect’-free from sin-simply by accepting God’s grace.” Finding the traditional definition of Christian marriage too confining, Noyes proceeded to fashion his doctrine to practice eugenics and allow for-indeed to celebrate-completely open relationships, which had the somewhat unintended effect of dissolving (for a time) the strictures of traditional 19th-century gender roles for women. ![]() ![]() of Southern California), great-granddaughter of the former vice president and treasurer of Oneida Limited, unearths the eyebrow-raising history of the rural New York free love–espousing community that spawned one of this country’s top silverware makers. A study of the unlikely origins of one of America’s most recognizable brands.įor many, little bears the white, middle-class stamp of approval of monogamy more than the timeless wedding gift of silver. ![]()
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