Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 8.djvu/695

 THE RUSKIN CO-OPERATIVE COLONl 675

GENETIC PHENOMENA.

Families lived separately, as in other villages. The mother was not required to work for three months before and one year after confinement.

Marriage ceremonies were performed in the ordinary way. Sometimes they were performed in public, on the stage. One peculiar ceremony was that performed at the marriage of two prominent members. The contracting parties first read a state- ment saying, among other things, that they would live together so long as love should last between them, and no longer. They were then married in the legal way by a justice, who took no notice of the preliminary remarks that the pair had made. The matter was taken up by some reporters, who called it a free-love marriage, ignoring the fact that a legal ceremony had been per- formed. A few of the earliest members were free lovers in theory, but no one has ever charged them as far as I am aware with being such in practice.

There was some scattering criticism on the fertility of one or two families who had children nearly every year. It was sup- posed by some that, if the parents had been obliged to find support for their children under the competitive system, they would have been more prudent. I am inclined to doubt this, however, and do not think that the socialistic principle of pro- viding for the children of all had any noticeable tendency to increase the population.

There was a more marked disposition among the younger people to get married than there is outside of colonies of this sort. Young women were scarcer than eligible men, and all the former got married or had opportunities to marry as soon as they were marriageable. The reason for this was, perhaps, that there was security of employment and of a livelihood, and hence no worry about the future on the part of the members. The advent of a family caused no apprehensions, for the colony issued to the father colony scrip for the maintenance of the children. The absence of worry in the colony, until the receiver was appointed, was really remarkable, and was commented on by many visitors. It was the doctor's opinion that it was very