We visited a French glass-cutter, a very skilful man, who does a good business; passed by the court-house, which is built opposite the market-house in a half circle, and stopped at the glass factory of Mr. Bakewell, in which fine flint glass is blown and ground. This crystal is as clear, and nearly as good as the English. The processes used in such a manufactory are known; but I wondered at the celerity with which the different articles are made. Glass-cutting, as is well known, is a difficult work, and requires skilful artists, which are still rare in this country, and very dear. We visited a paper manufactory belonging to Mr. Baldwin, which is arranged in the usual manner: thence we went to an eminence which overlooks the city, called Grant’s Hill, after an English General Grant, who, during the seven years’ war, was slaughtered here along with his troops, by the Indians.
The French, about the middle of the preceding century, had built a fort on the point of land, immediately at the confluence of the two rivers, called Duquesne. The English found this fortification annoying, and hence arose the occurrences which subsequently produced the seven years’ war. This place has the highest interest to every European soldier. General Grant wished to obtain possession of Fort Duquesne, and besieged it from the height which still bears his name. He however kept a miserable guard, was surprised, and paid with his own life, and that of his men, for his negligence. From this hill, one may behold, at a view, the three vallies of the Alleghany, Monongahela and Ohio.
Rapp’s society, after leaving New Harmony, chose a new situation which they named Economy. This is eighteen miles from Pittsburgh. I intended to visit it on the following day, but on this evening, (May 17,) I was surprised by a visit from Mr. Frederick Rapp, adopted son of the founder of the Society, who gave me an invitation to pay their establishment a visit. We therefore went willingly at ten o’clock, next morning, accompanied by Messrs. Bonnhorst and Volz, to Economy, whither Mr. F. Rapp preceded us.
We reached the Alleghany bridge, which is built of wood, roofed, and supported upon five stone piers. The foot-walks are separated from the wagon-road, and are open on one side, so that foot passengers are not incommoded by the dust from the inside of the bridge. On the opposite side is a little village called Alleghany town, laid out upon a great scale, but on account of the proximity of Pittsburgh, it will with difficulty attain any importance: in former years, the Indians, which then thickly hovered about the right bank of the Alleghany and Ohio, were a powerful obstacle to the increase of this place. On the heights stand elegant country houses. Farther off ran the road, which was bad enough, near to the right bank of the Ohio, through a wonderfully lovely landscape. The valley strongly reminds one of the Maas Valley between Namur and Lüttich; it is beautifully cultivated; the farms lie close together; the green hills, and groups of sugar maples and acacias have a most beautiful appearance. The latter were beginning to blossom, and filled the air with perfume.[II.30] In the Ohio we saw Neville’s island, which is about seven miles long and one broad, and is well cultivated. Over two little creeks we passed upon well kept, roofed bridges, and reached Economy at two, P. M. This place lies on a bluff fifty feet above the low water mark of the Ohio. Behind the village are some hills containing springs, whence the water is conveyed in pipes to Economy.
In approaching Economy we passed two burning brick-kilns; then we came to a newly-built house, at which stood three men with horns, who began to blow on our arrival. At the inn, a fine large frame house, we were received by Mr. Rapp, the principal, at the head of the community. He is a gray-headed, and venerable old man; most of the members emigrated twenty-one years ago from Wurtemberg, along with him. After our first greeting, we were conducted into a simple but tastefully arranged apartment. We conversed together for a time, and then all set down to dinner. The table was furnished with German dishes, over which reigned a jocund heartiness.
Having been prejudiced against Mr. Rapp and his society, by what I had read, and more recently heard at New Harmony, I was much rejoiced at having visited this place, to be better informed by personal observation. Never have I witnessed a more truly patriarchal constitution than here, and men’s actions speak best for their regulations, and for the concord prevailing among them.
The elder Rapp is a large man of seventy years old, whose powers age seems not to have diminished; his hair is gray, but his blue eyes overshadowed by strong brows, are full of life and fire; his voice is strong, and his enunciation full, and he knows how to give a peculiar effect to his words by appropriate gesticulation. He speaks a Swabian dialect, intermixed with a little English, to which the ear of a German in the United States must become accustomed; generally, what he says is clearly and plainly delivered.
Rapp’s system is nearly the same as Owen’s. Community of goods, and all members of the society to work together for the common interest, by which the welfare of each individual is secured. Rapp does not hold his society together by these hopes alone, but also by the tie of religion, which is entirely wanting in Owen’s community; and results declare that Rapp’s system is the better. No great results can be expected from Owen’s plan, and a sight of it is very little in its favour. What is most striking and wonderful of all, is that so plain a man as Rapp can so successfully bring and keep together a society of nearly seven hundred persons, who in a manner honour him as a prophet. Equally so for example in his power of government, which can suspend the intercourse of the sexes. He found that the society was becoming too numerous, wherefore the members agreed to live with their wives as sisters. All nearer intercourse is forbidden, as well as marriage; both are discouraged. However, some marriages constantly occur, and children are born every year, for whom there is provided a school and teacher. The members of the community manifest the very highest degree of veneration for the elder Rapp, whom they address and treat as a father.
Mr. Frederick Rapp is a large good-looking personage, of forty years of age. He possesses profound mercantile knowledge, and is the temporal, as his father is the spiritual chief of the community. All business passes through his hands; he represents the society, which, notwithstanding the change in the name of their residence, is called the Harmony Society, in all their dealings with the world. They found that the farming and cattle-raising, to which the society exclusively attended in both their former places of residence, were not sufficiently productive for their industry, they therefore have established factories, which in this country are very profitable, and have at present cotton and woollen manufactories, a brewery, distillery, and flour-mill. They generally drink, during their good German dinners, uncommonly good wine, which was made on the Wabash, and brought thence by them: they left the worst, as I have remarked, at New Harmony.
After dinner we visited the village, which is very regularly arranged, with broad rectangular streets, two parallel to the Ohio, and four crossing them. On the 22d of May it will be but two years since the forest was first felled upon which Economy is built; the roots still remaining in the streets are evidences of the short time that has elapsed. It is astonishing what united and regulated human efforts has accomplished in so short a time!