The Land of Shalam, concluded (New Mexico Historical Review, 1958)

New Mexico Historical Review Article 3 Volume 33 Number 2 4-1-1958 The Land of Shalam (concluded) K. D. Stoes Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/nmhr Recommended Citation Stoes, K. D.. "The Land of Shalam (concluded)." New Mexico Historical Review 33, 2 (1958). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/nmhr/vol33/iss2/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in New Mexico Historical Review by an authorized editor of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact amywinter@unm.edu, lsloane@salud.unm.edu, sarahrk@unm.edu.  THE LAND OF SHALAM By K. D. STOES (concluded) The 'FRATURNUM, the first permanent building, was erected in 1885 by Dr. Newbrough with Mexican labor. It was of Spanish Mission design with a spacious inner court and some 20 rooms on each side for the adult Faithists. Each was furnished with bed and hair mattress, and heated. Later there was running water and baths. The library at the front of the building was used for a time as a nursery for the first. babies. A wide veranda squared to the court, and soon became an oasis of'roses, iris, hollyhocks, and acacias - aiovely place. A steam laundry at the rear was unique in the West for its complete equipment of copper boilers, stone tubs, washing machines and drains, and efficiently managed by a beloved Chinese servant, Lem Way. About this time Andrew Howland came from Boston to live permanently at the Col- ony. He was immensely pleased with this first beautiful build- ing - the most thoroughly equipped in the country. The Home, dedicated to the children and their attendants, was built in 1890 by Howland, also with -Mexican labor. It included a large nursery, an adult and children's dining room and kitchen, some 20 bedrooms, and an administrative office. Ten small pathtubs, the first ever brought to the country, warmed the heart to the love of the tiny waifs, splashing and gurgling as they were bathed. Cages of canaries and parrots lent cheer to, the playroom, some 60 by 90 feet. Rocking horses and toys gladdened the little lives. A sign on the wall read: "Do Not Kiss the Babies." Another sign gave thought as you entered the office - "What availeth a man to argue." The Children's Home was conceded to be the best building ever erected in the vailey. It still stands, proof of its durabil- ity, some of the plumbing still intact. A gymnasium was later provided at the corner of the Colony Park near a beautiful . . fountain, another proof that Shalam was ahead .of the time and place, and lovingly planned. 103 104 NEW MEXICO HISTORICAL REVIEW THE TEMPLE OF TAE was one-storied, circular, and conical- a�miniature blue� firmament, glistening with silver stars. On the altar lay an open copy Of Oahspe. Copper bells of exquisite tone fed the imagination. Wall-lockers secreted weird vestments and astonishing masks. Manifestations and uncanny ceremonials were a part of the Symbolical ritual of the First Church of Tae. Here, Dr. Newbrough, Faithist High Priest, vested in strange robes, suave, polished, learned, and convincing, presented the precepts of Oahspe, and re- vealed its oracles. Under the panoply of silver stars this mod- ern prophet foretold World War I, the failure of prohibition, the passing of present-day orthodox religion, and the ~xten.;. sion of the southern boundary of the United States to the Isthmus of Panama. He predicted the disappearance of tar- , iffs, and in time national boundaries; civil wars in Mexico, the eventual banishment of military forces, the effacement of poverty, and the supremacy of science; He envisioned the United States as the meeting":place of nations - from the East to the West. In medicine he urged against the inocula- tion of one poison against another. He would heal through raising the vibrations in rhythm with the normal vibrations of the diseaood part. The Temple of Tae fell mysteriously in 1900. It was believed its ruin to have been at the command of the then deceased Dr. Newbrough, lest its hallowed walls be desecrated by the wanton unworthy who came and went from Shalam. There were at this time about 20 to 30 Faith- ists. The children called it "The Spirit eHouse." Standing isolated, near the river, was THE STUDIO, windowless, silent. �To its seclusion the Doctor~medium re- paired daily before dawn. Here he supplicated for wisdom; and here in darkness and in trance, ~mbidextrously, he painted in oils the portraits of the great teachers and proph- etsof the ages. Hanging in expensive frames were Zarathus- tra, a y-e-shuah of passionless birth, without evil,� whose miracles both Buddhist and Christian have used freely; Abram, a half-breed, a large copper-hued man with black beard, founder of migrations for religion's sake: Po of Jaf- feth (China), a lawgiver, contemporaneous with Abram of Persia; Brahma, lawgiver, ranking spiritually highest of all THE LAND OF SHALAM 105 mortals; and Yutif, his wife, fairest of women; Throthma, builder of the Great Pyramid who labored to immortalize the flesh...,..... greatest medium of all time; Chine, hair like a fox, founder of Chine (China) whose reluctance to war still colors Chinese character; and Ea-Wah-tah, huge North American Indian, taller than any other mortal, with bright shining face of copper, his government the model of inde- pendent nations, united in one, the pattern adopted in the formation of the United States of America. There were other portraits, equally intriguing. Strange paintings they were, each with the Star of Light. upon the forehead, and faint star-browed spirit shadows peering from dark backgrounds.. Several were beautiful; all were historical; and all remark- able. These were the original paintings hanging in the Church of Tae. These, and others of psychic origin, were preserved by Mrs, Newbrough-Howland in EI Paso, after the collapse of Shalam, and were crated in readiness to be shipped. to a noted spiritualistic society, when they, with the original 'manuscript of Oahspe, were destroyed by a flash flood from Mount Franklin. A huge canvas, hanging some 30 feet, and covering an entire wall, represented the false god, Kriste (Christ), who was depicted with flaming sword, surrounded by. dead a.nd dying. This satire on'the Prince of Peace was never permitted public gaze. It disappeared mysteriously. Mrs. Newbrough-' Howland thought it a pity. In a corner niche of the Studio stood a lovely figure, carved from wood by the Doctor when under control. Face and figure were exquisitely proportioned in Greek likeness. When this disappeared overnight, Mrs. Newbrough-Howland wept. She believed it to represent the highest type of physical and spiritual manhood the Faithist could attain. Inharmonies of food were stressed at Shalam, and ele- ments of foods studied. Advanced experiments in food values were a part of the routine. Andrew Howland ate no under- ground vegetables. He once limited himself to raw, unsalted cabbage for several weeks, and found that he had gained in weight although working in the fields. A visit to the store- '106 NEW MEXICO HISTORICAL REVIEW house caused one to wonder in amazement at the number and names of vegetarian foodstuffs, strange to the eye and palate. Chinese foods were especially prized. Fungoy, a Chi- nese nut butter, is' remembered by all who visited Shalam. Nuts, dried foods; and cheeses were labeled from many parts of the country. Expensive health foods and Battle Creek products were a part of the dietary. Honey was used lavishly. Lentils were a basic food - lentil soup, lentils hashed with potatoes, and lentil loaf. Many Las Cruces housewives were given recipes by the mother of Shalam, who was most gen- erous and neighborly. One remembers that Jacob gave Esau bread and a pottage of lentils: Mrs. Newbroilgh gave us a bread and lentil loaf. It is no exaggeration to say that the good Falthist of Shalam looked upon leg of lamb with as much horror as an outsider might look .upon the roast leg of a man. Dr. Henry S. Tanner of fasting fame, at ,one time a coun- try doctor with but little of this world's goods, was an, initial member of the Children's Colony, and collaborated in the study of foods; and the merits of diet and fasting. He it was who coined the motto: "Don't dig your grave with your teeth" - at least it was so stated. His 21 day fast at Shalam was followed by a come-back to food through sips of water- melon juice. He suffered no ill effects from fasting although he worked daily, never shirking his share of manual labor. Even though he was a fine specimen of manhood, his fasting habits occasioned many jests. We quote from the New York Sun: "It is said that Dr. Tanner, the returned faster,isgoing to take 40 Hoosier infants to his ranch in New Mexico and bring them up on a light vegetarian diet, giving them break- fast every morning, but no luncheon or supper. His vege- tarian pupils are to be pitied. But so is he. The healthy infant cannot be made to adopt the Tannerian system without adopt- ing a system of kicks, howls, and protests that will make Tan- ner wisn he had never been born; or had been born with a developed appetite." The Rio Grande Republican of Las Cru- ces speaks of Dr. Tanner as the celebrated starvationist, and quips that a gentleman who can live on nothing will not suffer from a vegetarian diet. THE LAND OF SHALAM 107 Faithists generally staked health on diet and fasting. There were those who believed in the therapeutical power of the earth's magnetism. Pneumonic victims lay for hours on the earth and died as a result. Anticipating German nudists by half a century, Faithists lay naked behind corral walls; a few benefited. A couch-like box fashioned by Dr. Tanner with glass top and sides lined with violet cloth, may have been the forerunner of the violet ray. Faithists placed in it under a healing sun seemed benefited. All superfluous clothing was eschewed in the interest of health. Hats were banished; hair grew thick on heads and bodies subjected to an unfailing sun; men worked the fields in trousers and sandals. Mr. How- land was twice arrested in El Paso, Texas, for indecent ap- pearance on the streets.' He was wearing a Chinese blouse and trousers and blue sash in lieu of suspenders. Faithists held the power of color to be limitless. There were color harmonies and color repulsions. Color was not substance claimed the modern bible, but the result of vor- texian currents which changed from linear to adverse paral- lelism, and produced various shades. There was Eolin, the Unseen, without shape or person who showed himself in three .colors -,-yellow, blue and red. Yellow was the most sacred color, feeding and stimulating the nerves, and good for the eyes. Blue was regarded.a cold color, a cure for baldness, produced sleep, and calmed madness. Water in a blue bottle exposed to the sun relieved gastritis, and was to be recom~. mended for those with violent flares of temper. Red was a warm strong color. Dr. Newbrough favored white in com- bination with red, while Mr. Howland and Mrs. Newbrough- Howland .were most often seen in white, which was a gen- erous color - a giving out - not a new thought. All in all, color was a bit difficult to comprehend. It is understandable that the colony drew many advanced and radical persons with habits strange to the time. There were those who clumped them all as fools. Acquaintances wondered; servants. laughed and pilfered; but friends re- spected the character of the founders, and were tolerant of the things they could not understand. The press of Boston and New York questioned the efforts of Shala~; sometimes 108 NEW MEXICO HISTORICAL REVIEW ridiculed. Local newspapers carried much publicity for the colony, ofttimes ignorant and unfair. But friends to the founders were loyal in' great measure. A case, brought against Newbrough and Howland by a member for the re- covery of alleged property and labor put into Shalam, was decided against the plaintiff by the Territorial Supreme Court. , Time went on apace. Faithists tranced, spirits rapped and wrote and painted. Friendly spirit-voices called and counciled. Evil spirits made converts. During an epidemic of fever .among the children the plaster was scraped from the walls in order to reach and drive out the evil wraiths of disease - more likely as a sanitary measure. That Dr. New- brough was the most wonderful of mediums was acknowl- edged; and that certain other Faithists were possessed of psychic power was beyond dispute. Converts and disgruntled ones came and went. Teachers were brought from Boston. Faithist education was divided into the purely intellectual, the vocational, and the spiritual. The soul must be balanced with the -powers of productivity as outlined in Oahspe. Boys and girls received the same training, which began with blocks and such tools as'led to modeling and drafting parts of the house and the clothing of the body. The body, food, and hygiene necessary for corporeal perfection were taught; Each child owned his own miracle garden - a small seed in the good earth and water made a vegetable which made arms and legs strong to work and to play; a dried 'bulb, and a miracle lily. The ~aith ist child was taught both the botany of the growing world and the spirituality, underlying all life; The cultivation of angel communication and the proximity of heaven to earth were early established in the child's consciousness. Spirit plays cast by the youngsters prepared the young mind to dis- criminate between good spirit friends and evil spirits to be avoided. Adult departments of work were assigned to group archi- tects, agriculturists, dieticians, nurses, housekeepers, and un- skilled lower bracket divisions. But few professionals came to Shalam's isolation.  THE LAND OF SHALAM 109 Time passed in the great organizational effort which was the burden of Dr. Newbrough. Converts were generally un- skilled, and few of serious purpose. There had been built the Fraturnum, the Children's Home, the Studio, the Temple, and some outbuildings. Cesspools had been installed. Some $30,000 had been spent. The founders had fed, clothed, and housed some 100 itinerant irresponsible and indignant con- verts who shirked labor. No land had been cleared. The vi~ tally pressing agrarian venture, as yet in incipiency, was to fall on Andrew Howland, and was to depend on the depth of his purse. It was spring, 1891. Mr. Howland had finished the proof- reading of a second edition.of Oahspe, and was in Boston at- tending to the publication. Dr. Newbrough was planning a lecture tour of the East, when dark days came to Shalam. The world-spread of influenza reached the valley and swept the colony. Ten persons were gravely ill and several died. The Faithist burial service was read for them, and they wer~ car- ried from the Church of Tae and laid to rest in a small plot to�' the south of the Fraternum. Dr. Newbrough, ill from the first, and wasted from fatigue, contracted pneumonia. Against rea- son, he left his bed to nurse a child through a crisis. He saved the little life, but to lose his own.'He died April 22,1891, with plans for Shalam still in embryonic development. At his passing Faithists huddled in frightened groups as strange noises, crashings, and whirling of air currents filled the rooms. There was clanking of boards, dishes fell, and fur- nitureturned awry. Nurses and native servants fled in terror, and� the childre,n hovered close to "Mama,'~ as Mrs. New- brough was known to them. A nurse to the writer, a staid woman who "took no stock in spirits," alleged she rushed from the Children's home terrified, and deml1nded to be sent to Las Cruces. Faithist foundlings, long years divorced from any spiritualist credo, will vouch for the truth of strange manifestations and their fear as they clung to each other at night in bed. .. The body of the author of Oahspe and leader of The Chil- dren's Land was embalmed by Emerson and Mason of EI Paso and kept for several days awaiting the arrival of Mr. 110 NEW MEXICO HISTORICAL REVIEW Howland from, Boston. Oahspian services were held at Shalam. Masonic Brethren conducted grave-side rites, and John B.Newbroligh at the age of 63 found final rest ill'the small cemetery beside the new graves of orphaned children he had fathered. The seer of Shalam was gravely missed, very gravely missed by Andrew M. Howland who took administration of the plant and the future of the children. Howland felt he was neither the executive nor the disciplinarian that Newbrough had been. But his sincerity and honor was to go far. He was lit rich man, a good man, and a man of purpose. He had spent almost six years in the colony, and he loved the children now dependent upon his responsibility. He had inherited a colossal obligation, one that would test the quality of a man's soul; that he met the test none can doubt. ' Despite his mysticism, his peculiar habits and dress, How- . land was a man to whom a man of the world could talk. Easy in manner,ready in conversation, traveled, and thoroughly informed on world affairs, he kept up the traditions of his very notable forebears. Though he took but one meal a day for 30 years, and that of an herbaceous diet, he was a strong argument for his doctrines. But withal, he was no leader for the miscellany that came to Shalam'sdoor. Some were highly educated, but being un- used to the country and to the necessity of manual labor, they left. Both as a Quaker and a Faithist he was iII-fitted to cope with the idler and criminal. But he prayed daily for wis- dom, and carried on with hope, industry, purse, and self. He turned to the land -' as yet a virgin wilderness. Not an acre gave profit. But by midsummer a small army of Mexi- can laborers were clearing the desert shrub, and plows were turning the uritrodden soil for fall sowing. Ditches laced the fields. And over all hovered the pleased spirit of Dr. John Newbrough. Howland was a patriarchal figure, as clad in white trou- sers, bared feet in sandals, his soft clear skin a tribute to clean living, he carried the burden of the Children's Colony. Galloping the fields, upper torso nude, long white hair flying' , free, he was thought by the Mexic!1n workmen to be muy curi- ANDREW M.HOWLNND THE LAND OF SHALAM 111 080, pero siempre un buen caballero, - very. strange, but always a good gentleman.. Time passed as Andrew Howland worked the fields and Frances Newbrbugh cared for the babies. Tongues wagged as tongues will. Malicious gossip buffeted the character of the' colony. Howland and Mrs. Newbrough suffered blackmail and persecution at the hands. of fellow Faithists. In deep re- . spect for the woman who had stood the test of her pledge, Andrew Howland asked for her hand in marriage that they might better care for the children for whom they assumed responsibility. And so it came about that Andrew M. Howland and Frances V. Newbrough were married before a public assem- bly at Shalam, according to the Order of Faithists on the 184th. day of the 55th year of the Kosmon Era, being the 25th day of June, 1893, of the Christian Era. There were nine witnesses to this marriage, the first being John B. New- brough, a signature not understandable unless it be the spirit of Dr. Newbrough returned to bless the marriage; or, pos- sibly the name of his son who was at that time surveying rail- roads in the Southwest. This marriage is recorded in Book I, page 98, in the office of the district clerk of Dona Ana County. The colony was a potentially wealthy one, and the soil rich . in the silt of the Rio Grande. Mr. Howland looked to the land for support. Giant sandhills were dragged, and fields cleared .and leveled. Irrigation threaded the length and breadth of Shalam..Corn, wheat, barley, sugar cane, beans and peanuts were the first crops. Thirty acres of vineyard and 35 acres of orchard blossomed to peaches, pears, apricots, and plums. Apple trees for shade and fruit lined the avenue leading to the buildings. Experiments in figs, nectarines, and artichokes, all of which were new to the country - except perhaps figs in Mexican patios. All were of the finest varieties, and proved suited to local conditions. Five acres of hotbed were indeed an experiment worthy of better markets than the valley could boast. Vegetable trucking was to follow. All went well so long as water was available from a fickle river. In the late 1890's a dairy herd of purest breeds, rivaling any west of the Mississippi river, was the pride and hope of 112 NEW MEXICO HISTORICAL REVIEW the colony. One hundred cows of Hoard's� Wisconsin pedigree and one hundred Guernsey animals from the imported herds of Gov. Morton of New York were shipped to Shalam, anum- ber of the finest by ex,press in order to avoid delays en route, and to insure good care. This was the only herd of Guernseys within a thousand miles. A butter and cheese plant with churns, separators, ster- ilizing machines, bottling apparatus, vats and presses was operated by steam power. All milk was weighed and handled by methods far in advance of the time. The market in Las Cruces was limited. Dairy products found uncertain markets in EI Paso, some 50 miles distant over an execrable road rutted with sand. Train service was uncertain; ice made in EI Paso was as irregular as the trains. Mr. Howland found the expense of dairy products prohibitive. An elaborate chicken farm with concrete floors and heated runs was a less hazardous venture it was thought. The finest breeds were acquired, segregated, and fed in selective groups - both for broilers and for infertile eggs. Five different poul- try experts were brought from the East, and soon 1,000 hens were cackling happily in the yards. Eggs found ready market. It was a fine start; but intelligent help .was .as..scarceas.the hen's teeth. Because of an unwo:rthy-Faithist,1,OOO~br0ners froze in one night. Andrew Howland's day began. at 4 :30 A,M.,but often he was obliged to take over the care �of the chicken plant. Mrs. Howland pinch~hitted in emergencies when ~he could leave the children. But neither he nor. she could always take on the night shift, and much fine breeding stock was stolen. Soon selective breeds from Shalam's pens were strutting their beauty in the chicken yards of Las Cruces and Mesilla. Fifteen teams of horses and mules from noted stables, in striking contrast to the razor-backed mustangs and small ~ules indigenous to the country, were zealously guarded against theft. But many a colt, sired secretly through the connivance of Mexican laborers, and many a good calf, fathered oy Shalam's studs and bulls, gave a new genealogy to local livestock. Andrew Howland sighed in despair; but  THE LAND OF SHALAM 113 he did not prosecute, he carried on. His payroll meant much to the valley. Eight windmills pumped water into two railroad tanks, and pipes carried water to all buildings, barns, corrals, and feed pens. An irrigation reservoir, the first in the countrY,had a water storage of an acre of ground and a capacity of some 17,000 galions. A huge stone well with 60-horse-power boiler and Dean pumps supplied the reservoir. Sixteen miles of pip- ing carried water from the reservoir to the canals when the river was dry. Certainly Shalam had the largest privately- owned irrigation system in the Southwest. Mr. Howland es- timated the well had cost him over $30,000 when he became frightened and stopped keeping accounts. He had gone too far ~~o~ , Three steam tractors, carrying five plows each; turned the soil to planting. The native laborers, one generation re- moved from the stick plow, watched in amazement the opera- tionsof the Colony's strange innovations - the precision of the fields and the amount of work accomplished. They st~red in wonder at the hatless, half-nude bearded man who worked so well, yet practiced such strange rites. Neither labor nor expense was spared to make The Chil- dren's Land the land of �prophecy and promise, of peace and plenty. Dr'-Newbrough had proven himself an amazing com- posite of the fanatic and the realist; and Andrew Howland was giving. his all toward the realization of Newbrough's vision - "a land of peace and plenty." A one room store with a one man clerk was built in the middle 1890's. It. carried food, clothing, and other necessities for the 150 laborers emIl~oyed on the place, who were often fleeced of their wages by the large general stores in adjacent' towns. All goods were sold at cost through coupon books. It was no part of Shalam, but a purely cooperative gesture. The Shalam plant in the lat~ 1890's included warerooms, machine shops, a store, stables and stock pens. An aviary sup- plied honey. The desert land was now taking on the green' of an Ar- 114 NEW MEXICO HISTORICAL REVIEW cadian meadow. From a colony of tents set 'up in the sage- brush, it had become one of the most highly cultivated estates in the West. The buildings were substantial and equipped with ventilation and sanitation far in advance or-the day. No finer grain was ever grown. Cattle were sleek in the pastures; loving hands cared for the smaller folk. Mexican laborers from nearby villages received a living wage from pleasant taskmasters. But Andrew Howland was worried - where could he-sell what he had wrought? Where 'were the markets he so sorely needed? - In Shalamby the river babies played in the screened pa- ,vilion; small tots whisked around the, lilacs in' the ,sunshine of the patio, frolicking and growing into sturdiness; larger youth galloped the countryside, discovered nooks and caves with 'pictographs iIi neighboring mountains; or picnicked where fancy led them. It was a healthy life - a normal life. Mr. Howland's habit was to arise at dawn to make French coffee for the attendants. He, himself, ate but one meal a day, and that at evening dinner. He loved to meet the little folks and have them crowd around him, begging for sips of the de- nied beverage. He bought them pets. There was Joe, the an- cient parrot that brooked no familiarities ; Frappi, the dog; and several ponies. There were rabbits and a crow and a deer. Lizards, horned toads, and small'animals of the earth, and 'native birds were collected for amusement and education. The children, gingham slips flapping, would come running like quail from all parts of the grounds in answer to his whistle. December 22, Shalam's New Year's Day, was cele': brated with a tree and presents for all. Boxes of gifts reached Shalam from Wanamaker's, from Sears Roebuck, Macy's, and from generous people who loved children, and were in- terested in the Colony for foundlings. But there were nights , when strange rappings and spirit voices frightened the chil- dren and kept them awake. The payroll in Shalam's heyday often reached $250 a day. Messengers dispatched to the bank on payday were system- atically held up under a large cottonwood tree by masked men who dropped from its dense branches. Finally the bank, un-  THE LAND OF SHALAM 115 hampered by Faithist doctrine, sent an armed guard am- bushed to the rear. At the sound of shots the horses became frightened and galloped on to their home corral, carrying the gold to safety. The robbers proved to be a negro barber of Las Cruces and a colored cook named "Quince." Both were defended by Albert Bacon Fall, later Secretary of the Interior. Levitica A new venture was undertaken. Levitica was an attempt in the nature of a misericord - a dispensation to those adults of Shalam who desired to retain family life in individual homes, and to live and work in thE;)ir own way. Three hundred sixty acres of fertile land was laid off into streets 45 feet wide. Twenty houses of three rooms each were erected for the refugees from the world who still desired a part in the building of Jehovah's Kingdom on Earth. Two passenger \ coaches brought families from Kansas City to Levitica. A home, furniture, dishes, and a private acre of ground were provided for those who would begin a new life. Man and maid should have no fear to marry and rear offspring because they had no place wherein to dwell. This fine agrarian plan it was thought would make rural life attractive to the young. The further aim was to promote truck gardening with markets in EI Paso, Texas. It was a dream - a bad d!eam. In truth, Levitica never housed more than 100 souls; and they did little for themselves. The new broom swept clean, but not for long. The plan was too Utopian to permit of mortal selfishness. Although land, wa- ter, seeds and implements were provided, many gardens died of sheer neglect. Too many had come to get - not to give. The vicious, the unmoral, and the indigent came and went. The Faithists could not prosecute as their religion forbade retaliation. After two expensive years and much anxiety over quar- r.els amongst the Leviticans, Mr. Howland, at their request, chartered two railway coaches and sent them to their des- tinations, each provided with a reasonable sum for personal 116 NEW MEXICO HISTORICAL REVIEW expenses. And Levitic~ stood desolated - a ghost town. "We have not been able to inspire the right people," Howland in- sisted to his wife, but she was less tolerant and spoke her mind about Faithists who were never dedicated. The community store was closed, and the trees on the ave- nue withered and died. Twenty-two homes stood silent; weeds claimed the streets ,and gardens. There were spirits abroad at night, but they were of flesh and blood from neighboring towns who stole doors, windows, floors, and water pipes. In 1900 the skeletons of homes, built with such hope by Andrew Howland, and 100 acres of alfalfa were swept into the ram- paging Rio Grande. Andrew wept, but he carried on. There were those who had attached themselves to Shalam and Levitica who whispered there should be a leaning toward freelove. Several undesirable floaters left because of lack of such freedoms. At times an assemblage of personnel with the greatest variety of character fastened themselves on the bounty of Shalam. 'There were bad men and 'worse women; there were the heavy and fat-souled who could not hope to grasp the sacrifice of dedication to the colony. There were the saturnine. The most punctilious in some cases were the most la:titudinous in others. Advocates of freelove repeatedly tried for place, and were arrogant and threatening whEm repulsed. Slackers lounged idly in the comfort of the Fraturnum while Mexican labor was paid by Mr. Howland.. The few Faithists who worked were now paid and given board, room, heat and laundry. Comparatively few had contributed any material wealth to the colony, but claimed certain indul- gences. There had been no system of mutual criticism as em- ployed at Oneida, andShalam had never secured an economic independence that would free it to work out its stirpicuItural experiment with "the babes the world would not have." There could be no social program under the conditions. Shalam had sought out a new land, a cruel land. Diversi- fied farming in New Mexico had had little or no recognition. Dairy markets were a future hope. Crops and varieties suited to the soil and to irrigation were to be tested at much expense THE ;LAND OF SHALAM 117 oftime and money: The New Mexico College of Agriculture, a few miles distant, was in the throes of breaking ground; its advent too new to be of help to Shalam. Drought and irriga- , tion were proving grave problems to the colony. In spring flood the river took unto itself great slices of land, greening with crops; in late su'mmer crops dried in the fields. Drought followed drought and the pumps proved a heavy drain. The wealth of Andrew Howland was taxed to a keen anxiety. Dis: couraged, but desperate to put ShaJam on a paying basis, he planted one crop after another only to plow them under to try others better suited to withstand aridity; arid those for which there were probable market. Las Cruces merchants would not handle ,produce on small margins - and lack of markets was breaking Shalam. Under date of June 9, 1899, the EI Paso Herald. states that Shalam is not sleeping. We quote: "Evidence of this fact is that Shalam is not particu- larly grateful to Las Crucens, and will sell no more milk to that city. The colony has put in necessary apparatus' for pasteurizing milk, and it will be shipped to EI Paso." The overhead of the big plant grew crushing. Mr. How- land made short trips to the East to secure funds. From one hurried visit to New York he brought back $30,000 from gains in railroad' stocks. But conditions were harrowing. Outlying buildings of necessity being closed, were subjecJed to pillage and arson; herds and poultry runs were depleted by thieving nativ. es and conni.ving Faithists; fields and or- chards were ravaged under cover of darkness. Howland, a Quaker and. a Faithist, was powerless to prosecute. He suf- fered blackmail and violence in the silence of his faith- never to strike back. Mr. and Mrs. Howland could do little more than hold the colony against a restricted upkeep. The fabric of the chil- dren's ancestry was showing in ways that worried the leaders and there came a sad day when the school was closed, and the young Faithists were of necessity sent to a public school in the village of Dona Ana. Supervision was impossible. Two teen-age girls eloped to marry Mexican youths. There were those who rebelled against .livestock arid' farm duties which 118 NEW MEXICO HISTORICAL REVIEW had previously been the paid labor pf native Mexicans. The problem of the children was more than financial, and dis- turbed the days and nights of the founders. By 1900 the awakening had come. A skeleton river bed lay dry ; the. pumps were silent. One by one the 35 buildings that had recently echoed with life and labor were closed. The exo- dus of the few remaining Faithist families was staggered over months that still held hope. Some wept as they bade goodbye to the leaders, and the children. But a few impre- cated even though Mr. Howland was providing them trans- portation to destinations of their choice; Andrew Howland, still responsible to his trust, peddled dairy products, potato chips, candies, cookies, and vegetarian foods from door to door in neighboring villages. At night he counted out his little monies to his wife and the children whose labors had provided his buckboard 'with saleable viands. ' This was the last heroic struggle before the crash. The young people were restless. No high school was existent. The religious customs of the colony gradually lagged and were dropped because of the pressure of work. The simple joys of rural life had lost appeal under the constraints of poverty; the children flinched under the jibes of neighboring young- folk; in time, theY,too, scoffed at the strange rites of Faithist religion. Several wanted to go out into the world; others made tragic efforts to identify themselves with their natural parents. By 1901 every condition of the Trust had been violated. Since the inception of the colony, .the e,ntire moral and finan- cial responsibility for the\property and the children had de- volved upon Mr. and Mrs. Howland. Both had given years of their lives, and he had already put half 'a million dollars into the estate. Both he and Mrs. Howland had given the best years of their lives. The break-up of the colonywas now full upon them. In this crisis, Andrew Howland, as Trustee for the chil- dren, appealed to the courts to set aside the various transfer of deeds, and to restore the properties to him, agreeing at the same time to see that all the children were placed in THE LAND OF SHALAM 119 proper homes. There were about 25 children, all under 14 years of age: Under these provisions, Judge Frank W. Parker granted the appeal in the spring of 190L Homes were found for the smaller children. A few were placed in a Denver orphanage. A larger group found refuge in a Baptist asylum some eight miles east of Dallas, Texas. We quote the following from a letter from this Home: "On July 11,1901, the Buckner Home of Dallas, a Baptist institu- tion founded in 1880, received 10 children upon the applica- tion of Mrs. Frances Howland of Dona Ana, New Mexico, upon the break-down of an institution at that place. Nothing is known of the history of these 10 children." Several of the younger children were hysterical, crying "Mama, Mama!" .as the mother of Shalam hurried from the Home, their cries a long memory of pity in her heart. .Little Thail, a colored child, but the brightest of Shalam's children, was taken by Booker Wasl1ington. A private home was found for a small Chinese lad. Otliers, large enough to assist with the work of the colony, remained there until 1902, . when they went out for themselves into a strange world - stunned, lonely, remembering no other home. The Children's Land was dark except for a few rooms in the Home where Mr. and Mrs. Howland lived-with five adoles- cents from whom they were loathe to part. On November 30, 1907, the last small group of Faithists stood sobbing while Andrew Howland locked the door of the Children's Home, and turned to go out into the world, never again to visit the scene of the colony's failure. Mr. and Mrs. Howland believed . that evil spirits had controlled the selection of the site of Shalam. That a curse rested upon the land many Mexicans who had labored, there believed; and so warned their sons who, 'even under later tenures, refused employment when employ- ment was scarce. Possibly there was a certain logic behind the legendary malediction upon the Child'ren's Land, or what was left of it after floods had ripped much acreage from its river banks. It has passed through the hands of some 135 owners, partial owners, transfers entailing investments, most of them wholly lost. Three incorporated farm and ranch 120 . NEW MEXICO HISTORICAL REVIEW companies and many individual owners have been broken under operation of these lands. One large mortgage invest- ment company faile<;l. Elephant Butte reservoir, which supplies the Mesilla Val- ley with irrigation water, vvas then more than 30 years in the future. In fact, it was not until about 1943, 36 years after Andrew Howland had locked his premises in defeat, that. the colony lands, white with cotton yields, began to pay. Evil spirits fled, and the curse lifted with security of water,. and the swashbucklery of tractors, bulldozers, and modern ma- chinery.� Recent owners and tenants -have netted annual profits, aggregating as high as six figures; The Fraturnum, ravaged by fire, rain, and. time, is�par- tially occupied by tenants and Mexican braceros or wetbacks. The Children's Home still stands, a brave edifice, utilized for storage. The old well, cleaned out and equipped with an elec- tric pump, is doing duty as a supplementary plant, pumping water into irrigation ditches. In 1908, seven years after Andrew Howland had brought suit to quiet title, asking that the deed of trust be voided and restored tohim, he sold the property for $60,000 - an invest- ment loss of well up to $400,000. These lands as developed today, it is estimated, would sell for more than a million dollars. The Howland family lived in California for some time,. a possible two years, when they returned to make per~anent home at 1019 East Rio Grande Street, El Paso. About this time Andrew Howland fell heir to a modest living from How- land securities held in trust by Hetty Howland Green Robin- . son, to whom he was double first cousin. He died in El Paso in 1917 aged 83 years, greatly respected for his integrity of character, and his many philanthropies. His widow read the ritual ofOahspe at his grave - far from the Howland ceme- tery. which he owned in New Bedford, Massachusetts; and far from the family plots filled with the crested monuments of many distinguished Quakers. Mrs; Howland was a remarkable woman to have held the love and fidelity of two such exceptional men as the founders of Shalam. She was a daughter of New York traditions, born THE LAND OF SHALAM 121 Frances Van de Water, great-grariddaughter of William Bell and Sussana Grinnell, descended from the Duchy of Bur- goyne and Lords of Piedmont and La Grange-Gourmond. Her American ancestor, Peter Grinnell, a French Huguenot, was admitted an inhabitant of Newport, Rhode Island, in 1638. ,Another genealogical line leads to Nathaniel Hawthorne. Miss Van de Water married in early youth one Sweet, from whom she was divorced. A second marriage to John B. Newbrough was consumated September 28,1887, at Shalam, according to the rites and ceremonies of the Order of Faith- ists. H. S. Tanner was secretary to the ceremony, A. M. How- land, Nellie Patterson, Walter Sigler Shepherd, and James Gill, witnesses. Mrs. Frances Newbrough Howland was a woman of gen- tle breeding, rare intelligence, and a natural leader. She was generally credited with being the power behind Dr. New- brough in affairs outside the occult; and could lead Andrew Howland into new enthusiasms forShalam. She was a small person with tiny hands arid feet that were untiring in the service of the little folk' who called her� "Mama." With the assistance of one or two Mexican servants, the children were bathed daily, clothed, fed, given naps, su- pervised at play, and tucked in at night. There was also the sewing and mending and running of the household. When ill- ness came, the mother ofShalam had a 24 hour vigil. Some few loyal Faithists assisted. . But withal, she made friends in the community, was en- tertained and in turn entertained the ladies of Las Cruces, and se~eral lasting friendships were formed. Children of her friends enjoyed picnics and week-end visits at Shalam. Sometimes depressed, Mrs. Howland never regretted the effort of Shalam, although mistakes that cost dearly were made. To the last she was faithful to the revelation of Oahspe. Mr. Howland, whom she had married that the colony might go on, she loved dearly, claiming him to have been the finest man she had ever known. Her daughter, M;iss Newbrough, often expressed this same sentimen't. After his death she claimed to be in constant spirit communication with him; that he guided her in all business transactions. 122 NEW MEXICO�. HISTORICAL REVIEW Mrs. Howland passed to the spirit world in 1922, sur- rounded by her own 'daughter, and two of the colony's daugh- ters who knew no other mother. But what of "the babes the world would not have?"- the children of Shalam galloping the fields in the close cama- raderie of youth; or huddling together at night, frightened by the rappings of spirits in the dark? Scattered over the western states, if living; unknown to each other; many nearing their three score years a~d ten- who is there who can say if -the instincts and urges of these men and women follow their blood inheritance; or, if the quality of their ego ideal had been guided and incited by the early environment of Shalam? Nofone can say. Tl~e timewas too short for study, and possibly the experience of the chil- dren too unbalanced for accurate record. Many, frustrated over their origin, have searched with tragic bitterness for clues to their parentage, for it is inher- ent in a man that he ferret out his own blood, be it good or bad. When the foundlings were gathered for the Children's Colony; a curtain was dropped behind their identities. No records of birth or names were kept, and the tongues of the Faithists were silent, fostering environment against hered- ity. Very scanty information ever l~aked from behind the curtain-of 'adoptions. Census bureaus have furnisned little' more than the seemingly fantastic names given the children upontheir advent to Shalam - names of gods and goddesses and other great ones of Oahspean re.cord: Pathocides, Thouri, Hayah, Thale, Ninya, Ha'jah, Havalro, Hiayata, Des, Fiatisi, Vohnu, Ashtaroth, Whaga - and there were others of Oah- spian quickening. Several of these orphans, now graying, are, more bitter because of lost identity than of any other injustices they re- ceived as foundlings. A successful business man of the Los Angeles area has continued his quest over thirty years~ He was a chubby babe of three years when taken from Shalam, and given to a Denver orphanage for adoption. He provided for a good foster mother for many years - until her death - but will not marry, considering himself a bastard. , Pathocides, who bel~eved his rightful name to be Patrick THE LAND OF SHALAM 123 Malloy, ran away from the Buckner Orphanage in Dallas where he'had been placed upon the dissolution of Shalam. He wanted to find Shalam and "Mama." He died in California, aged, dissipated, in direful poverty, to the last declaring Shalam to have been the loveliest of all places. One daughter of Shalam came from New Orleans; another from Kansas City. Both have raised fine sons who have served their coun- try well. Fiatisi, called "Fifi," was a French child from New Orleans, with surname of Germain, a child of sweet disposi- tion. She married unfortunately. When alone in Las Cruces, dying of pneumonia, her' two babies beside her on the bed, she sent a note to the writer asking that "Mama" be called. Mrs. Howland came at once from El Paso, removed her to comfortable rooms, gave her medical care, and burial. Homes for her children were found. Thouri, born in Las Cruces, was given to Mr. and Mrs. Howland when a few days old, and legally adopted by them. When he was older his parents wished to recover him, but this the Howlands refused. He ran away and joined his family, and thereby lost his inheri- tance as a: legal heir, but for many years kept in friendly touch with them. Little Astraf, a Mexican baby, was acci- dentally burned to death. Hiatisi, a lovely mother and fine woman, lives in Arizona. There .were others. A little more than a' year ago rosary services were said for a kindly old Mexican, one of the children of Shalam. In 1917 Andrew M. Howland, a patriarchal gentleman of eighty years sat at table in his El Paso home, to take his one meal a day, his parrot Joe on his shoulder, the dog Frappi at his knee. Two daughters of Shalam served him. "Do you think my life has been a failure 1" he would question. "No. No, no, Papa!" they would persuade him. "You gave us all you had." Then he would lift his knife and fork to eat and Joe would cackle, "All right, Papa! All right!" - in antici- pation of his bite; and Frappi would bark and circle the table, drawing attention from Joe. It was family routine, Mrs. Howland would assure the guests. Shalam, born too soon, failed like many another com- munal experiment because of the defects of human char- acter - character not ready for a brotherhood of community 124 NEW MEXICO HISTORICAL REVIEW interests; .because of the cost of reclaiming the desert to agriculture�; to lack of markets; and unsound judgment. And for other reasons: disparities of culture, barriers of educa- tion, social amenities between the leaders of Shalam and the itinerant Faithists of little faith with whom they could have but little in common. To surface thinkers the promotion of the Children's Land was a ludricous failure, but to those of understanding it was filled with the color and beauty of vicarious sacrlfice found in few, if any, other communal ventures. Shalam was a colos- sal experiment and a heroic defeat. But was Shalam truly a communal colony? It seemed ordered through the leaders; a venture of leaders. . Soon after the abandonment of Shalam Miss Justine New- brough, daughter of John B. Newbrough and Frances V. Newbrough, had her father's body removed from the Faithist Cemetery at Shalam to the MasoniC Cemetery in Las Cruces. There it lay unmarked until NovemberS, 1952, when five Faithists drove into Las Cruces early one morning, aroused the writer, and asked her to identify Dr. Newbrough's grave. From a pickup in which they had traveled several hun- dred miles, they unloaded a granite monument, and with reverence set it over the grave of the inspired author of Oahspe. These dedicated Faithists were Ray Schlipmann, Grover W. Neifer, and Mark Whetteplace of Montrose, Colo- rado, where a small Faithist colony is in growth; E. H. Drig- man of Kimball, Nebraska, and W. W. Crosby, center of Faithist development at Prescott, Arizona. Contrary to general inference, Oahspian disciples and converts have been increasing in numbers around the world. Small scattered groups carryon, aiming for ultimate unity. A few German Faithists have reportedly organized in Oregon. A venture was made in Utah, but removed to Montrose, Colo- rado. Cadiz, Ohio, where Spanish translations of Kosmon publications have been part of a communal project, mayor may not be existent. Some converts to Oahspian philosophy are reported in Shimizu, Japan. A "Kosmon Calendar Re- form for the World" reaches us from Williamsport, Pennsyl- vania. There is "The Challenge of Oahspe," an appreciation THE LAND OF SHALAM 125 from South Africa; the Kosmon Community, Reigate, Sur- rey, England, based on communications from the Angelic Worlds, entitled Oahspe, which was first on sale in England in 1891 by publishers of spiritualistic literature. A small branch group is affiliated with the Confraternity of Faithists and the Kosmon Church, headquarters of which i!3 located at Belham, London, S.W. 17. London had about 150 members two years ago. From Melbourne, Australia, the precepts of Oahspe were first put on the air. Much literature is pub- lished by Faithist organizations well around the world: magazines, pamphlets, circular letters, and books of Oah- spian excerpts. The first edition of Oahspe was published in New York in 1882; a second was in process of printing in BQston in 1891. at the time of Dr. Newbrough's death. Another edition, published by the Oahspian Publishing Association, was copy- righted by Miss Justine Newbrough in Boston and London in 1910. It is stated the last edition is printed from plates which Mr. Wing Anderson, publisher of Los Angeles, pur- chased from Miss Newbrough in 1935. In 1951 plates and publishing rights were given by Mr. Anderson to the Essenes of Kosmon, a Faithist brotherhood. It is claimed more copies have been sold in the las(two decades than in the past 60 years of the life of this modern bible. . Occasional Faithists visit the writer: a young couple from London on their honeymoon to the site of Shalam, to carry back to English Faithists information and pictures; a farm laborer with several markers in the Oahspian Book of Prophecy; a few poor and afflicted would seek the Doctor's grave; a southern� gentleman, soft hands screening Oahspe, would learn of the status of Shalam's lands, and the possibil- ity of a f�uture colony on that same site; several doctors, in- terested to know of the children; an anthropologist, who left with empty files, regretting to find the life of the colony too short to permit of survey; and there were students, worldly wise and humble, who are convinced this bible inspired for a modern world covers all questions of religion, science, his- tory, government, economics, health, and prophecy. An 3:ustere-Iooking disciple, visiting the ruins, looked long at the 126 NEW MEXICO HISTORICAL REVIEW land, gave one searching look at the mountains and river, then raised an arm to the sky and throated huskily: "We shall go on in faith; and we shall return in faith, a host to build a second Children's Land, to the glory of J ehovih and to the author of Oahspe." He has not returned. A short time before the death of the Mother of Shalam she visited the home of. the writer in Las Cruces. The two friends spent hours in reading and discussing Oahspe - its origin and its author. She spoke with conviction of the ful- fillment of Oahspian prophecy: "when the name of J ehovih would be carried from the east to the west coast of Guatama (America), where the land comes to the water's edge ; where there would be held a meeting of the nations to avert war through cooperative organization." She was convinced� "the place where the land comes to the water's edge" was Cali- fornia. One's mind prompts - could this be the initial meet- ing of the United Nations in San Francisco; the first unit of world peace through conference? During this visit there was the Ouija Board and a few spirit rappings at night, and a flash of the spirit of Mr. How- land at dawn - his favorite hour before the world awoke to confusion. Not well, Mrs. Howland lay on the couch daily recalling the significance of those early years of Shalam. She requested that notes be taken on her recital, that the story of the colony be told in truth - so much had been written that was false and unkind. She believed� the history of the experiment in communal childlife and the agrarian effort in a new land should be preserved. She gave the writer a copy of the 1910 edition of Oahspe, letters, and a few photographs. Much of the story Of Shalam as here reviewed has been in the possession of the writer for 35'years, but has been held that those nearer to the family might more appropriately publish the history of the Children's Land 'as they had lived it. Information on the present growth of the Faithist move- ment and current sales of Oahspe is difficult to estimate. Groups of converts are scattered pretty well around the world, ,a~dhave little or no knowledge of each other. The, rich acres of Shalam, now secure under one of the THE LAND OF SHALAM 127 largest reclamation projects in the United States, have passed into cotton spe.culation and stock feeding. The walls of the fallen Studio are rebuilt into laborer's quarters; the Home once dedicated to little children is filled with cotton pickers in season; within the charred walls of the FJ;'atur- num, where Dr. Newbrough preached in robes of the Orient and strange star-browed portraits hung, white-faced cattle feed; and Faithists under different skies dream of a second gathering at the place that was called Shalam.