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

New Mexico Historical Review Article 2 Volume 33 Number 1 1-1-1958 The Land of Shalam K. D. Stoes Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/nmhr Recommended Citation Stoes, K. D.. "The Land of Shalam." New Mexico Historical Review 33, 1 (1958). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/nmhr/vol33/iss1/2 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. DR. JOHN BALLOU NEWBROUGH NEW MEXICO HISTORICAL REVIEW VOL.. XXXIII JANUARY, 1958 NO.1 THE LAND OF SHALAM By K. D. STOES A Strange Experiment in Child Life T AKE the babes the world wIn not have to a place the world will not live and I will make of it a land of peace and plenty." So directed the oracle, a strange command, amazingly de- creed. There was no previous retirement to the silence of lonely mountains; no struggie in desert vastnesses; no burn- ing bush nor serpent's rod preceded this 19th century in- junction. Instead the pronouncement the Children's Land came to a man seated at a typewriter in New York City. But behind this Moses of the 1880's, as behind the Moses of Sinai, there lay years of study, meditation, and prayer. There have been experiments in communal colonies for adult life in the United States; but there has been but one for cast.:.a-way infants, orphans, and unprotected children. Today the silent ruins of the Children's Land of Shalam in southern New Mexico is all that is left of a colossal venture in child life which was begun in 1882 by Dr. John Ballou Newbrough, founder and abbe of Shalam, Jehovah's King- dom on Earth. . .In New York's slums some eighty years ago Dr. New- brough experienced a vision of the world redeemed through foundling children. Psychic control led him to found a chil- dren's colony near the v.illage of Dona Ana on the Rio Grande . in southern New Mexico, a desolate region which had echoed but lately to the war cry of the Apache. Almost a million dol- lars were spent in one of the strangest adventur(;ls in com- 1 2 NEW MEXICO HISTORICAL REVIEW munalliving ever recorded. Some features were beyond the limits of human credulity. That the colony escaped little'more than local publicity was due to its situation in the remote Spanish-speaking section of the United States; and to the desire of old New England aristocracy to clothe in silence the humiliation of defeat. Dr. John Ballou Newbrough, spiritual sponsor of Shalam, was a man of commanding presence, six feet four inches in height, tipping the scales at 270 pounds. His large hazel eyes, broad forehead and sensitive mouth and chin bespoke the dreamer. Though a man strongly vigorous and of regnant poise, his manner was gentle and softly polished.. His was a personality of rare proportion, and possessed of such magne- tism that even his enemies and those who ridiculed his pecu- liar beliefs felt strangely drawn to him. All of which had a direct bearing on the Children's Land. He was born June 5, 1828, in a log cabin near Springfield, Ohio, the son of an English father and a Swiss mother, and was named for the great Universalist preacher, John Ballou. The family had migrated from Virginia to the free lands of Ohio to escape the odium of slavery. He often spoke of the lovely home of his childhood under the grand� old oaks and sycamores in whose shadows he dreamed, and first com- muned with angel spirits. The nearest neighbor was an Indian. John's playmates were Indian children. The father, graduate of William and Mary College, was a stern man. He was of necessity the schoolmaster of the pioneer settlement. The mother, a gentle, soft-spoken wo- man, had become an ardent spiritualist in early life. When a small lad her son saw spirits and received messages. The father had no patience with such nonsense and John endured many a flogging for the unholy habit of intercourse with the spirit world. As a result, he turned to his mother for sym- pathy and understanding. However, after her death, the father received strange communications and ultimately be- came a con~ert. During the middle and last part of the 19th century spir- itualism had not only excited the rank and file of the common people of Europe and America, but it had captivated great 'THE LAND OF SHALAM 3 men and. students - scholars of history, science, and sociol- ogy the world over. Its literature did, and still fills the stacks of city libraries. Many distinguished people have declared their conviction that human beings not only continue to live after "so-called death," but that communion with them is more or less common. Among such may be cited Gladstone, Balfour, Sir Oliver Lodge, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, physi- cian; John Ruskin, physicist; William James, American psychologist and philosopher; and a host of others. Italian, German, and French scientists have admitted the genuine- ness of the phenomena of intelligent communication with the discarnate. Certainly Dr. Newbrough was swept, not only with the trend of spiritualistic research, but he was in the company of great minds. John and his mother planned that he should become a physician, a profession badly needed in all parts of the new country. They sold wool and eggs, and John taught school. After years of sacrifice he was graduated from Cincinnati Medical College. For a time he followed his profession, but hypersensitive to scenes of suffering and death, he turned to dentistry, and removed to New York City. . While attending medical college in Cincinnati he had lived with the family of a dentist, and had made dental plates. On Saturdays he drove through the country taking impressions for plates. At this time the Goodyear Rubber Company owned exclusive patent to the composition used in the manu- facture of dental plates. This composition it sold at a price prohibitive to the poor, who generally went toothless. Young Newbrough brooded over this injustice, and re- solved to develop a formula superior to that of Goodyear. This he accomplished while practicing dentistry in New York City, and gave it to the dental profession without benefit of patent. Consequently he was promptly sued by the Goodyear Company for infringement of patent; and the suit was car- ried to 'the higher court at Albany. The night preceding the trial John paced the floor in nervous fear, but after a time sought the counsel of friendly spirits. Soon the surrounding walls faded from consciousness, and he visioned himself in the court room, winning the case. He sat all night as in a 4 NEW MEXICO HISTORICAL REVIEW trance. The following morning, serene in his belief in spirit- ualistic assistance, he appeared in court to find the case decided in his favor." His composition le'ssened the cost of dentures,' and was in use by the dental profession for many years. It had cost the Doctor a goodly sum, but as a result of this experience, he 'financed many a young dentist over the first starvation months., At the same time he built himself a lucrative practice. , Dr. Newbrough was swept to California wit,h the gold rush of, 1849. Like a gaunt gray wolf the Asiatic cholera dogged the caravan. The trail across the plains was dotted with wayside graves. The young physician rode from camp to camp, nursing the sick and using every means available ,to stem the epidemic. He was very successful in mining in California, and sent bags of gold dust home to his mother for their charities. He studied his new vocation with great interest, and in later years lectured on the amazing riches hidden within the earth. He became the champion of the Chinese who suffered. many indignities and persecution in California. He defended them in the press and in newspaper articles, both on the coast and in New York. He declared the normal Chinaman to be more clean and honest than any other foreigiler granted citizen- ship. He helped them manage their business affairs, and treated them when ill. In gratitude the Chinese Colony pre- sented him with lacquers, porcelains, precious bric-a-brac, and silken robes. Throughout his life John B. Newbrough was a devotee of Chinese art. While mining in California, the Doctor met John Turn- bull, a Scot. The two became business partners, and together drifted to the gold ~elds of Australia where they made a considerable fortune. In 1859, en route to the United States, Newbrough visited Scotland; and there met Rachel, the sister of the Scot, and married her. At home in New York City the Newbroughs lived at 128 West 43rd Street where the Doctor practiced medicine and dentistry for 23 years. Three children were born in this THE LAND OF SHALAM 5 home; one died in infancy. A son was graduated a civil en- gineer from Columbia University, and in 1886, at the age of 26 years, was surveying a railroad route through Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. A daughter became an artist and c~m tinued her residence with her mother. After 27 years of marriage John and Rachel Newbrough sep~rated. In 1886 he sued for a divorce in the courts of Dona Ana County, New Mexico. The causes as set forth in the bill of chancery show an alienation of affections as early as 1876, due to differences of habits and religious beliefs; and to her violent objections to his charities. He was a dedicated vegetarian, and a teetotaler in creed and in practice. She was fond of sumptuous living, especially of wines and beer. He stated to the court her destruction of his books and writings; and her refusal to live with him, although residing under the same roof. Finally she ordered him out of the home he had deeded to her, a property valued at $50,000. She was allowed $10,000 a year from his dental practice. As claimant he prayed not only for a divorce, but for an 9rder of the court that would prevent her as defendant from having, or setting up claim to property which then, or might hereafter, belong to the Children's Colony at Shalam, in which he was inter- ested. The divorce was granted and filed in the office of the county clerk on the 6th day of October, 1886, as Case No. 954. During his many years of practice in New York City, Dr. Newbrough saw life at its harshest and driest. He was greatly moved by the useless waste of life and opportunity on every hand. He witnessed lives sacrificed for want of a' few dollars; he beheld the beautiful and sensitive w'arped and crushed by the meanness of poverty; he was touched by the loneliness and misery of the foreigner; he noted soCial ex- clusions of the crassest cruelty,- all within a stone's throw of massive Christian temples. He felt most keenly the ugly waste of the young. He believed the child to have the in- herent right to live to maturity. He compiled statistics on child mortality in New York City, and found it to be some 7,000 annually - an appalling death rate. The failure of the 6 NEW MEXICO HISTORICAL REVIEW churches to meet Christian obligations; the amassing of idle property; and the selfish smugness of the membership turned him forever from an affiliation with them. During these years he gave two 'days a week to the alleviation of suffering and poverty in New York City. He believed that for� the perfection of the child parents should not cohabit during the sacred period of pregnancy. . He advocated the most scrupulous care of the mother during gestation. He tried to interest moneyed people in education against disease and poverty - all of which proved him far ahead of his time. He personally made heavy sacrifice of time and money to help struggling widows with small children. A Brooklyn widow with two little children was provided food and fuel throughout a long cruel winter. A young English- man named Burns was found dying of consumption - and destitute. He was removed to a comfortable apartment, and the doctor bathed and cooked and cared for him after office hours, and buried him in Greenwood -Cemetery with broth- erly love. A year later two members of the Burns' family came from England and presented him with a valuable watch in appreciation of his care for their loved one. In 1870 Dr. Newbrough be~ame a vegetarian. About this time he began systematic fasting; especially did he eschew all recreation and food when under stress, or indecision. He ate but one moderate meal a day except when under physical strain. Directed by spirit control he traveled extensively through Europe and the Orient. He spent much time in religious re- search in China and Japan. He was drawn to the mysticism of Egypt and India. He was especially interested in the Sufis of Persia. The cultures of past peoples became his obsession, a study which led to his recognition as an authority on the sources of ancient religions. A votary of Oriental art, he believed a beautiful setting to be stimulating to fine thinking and habits of living; and strove in his own life for the expression of beauty in his en- vironment. He studied in rooms filled with flowers and sing- ing birds, and would relax in the rich robes of Chinese and  THE LAND OF SHALAM 7 Greek design. He lectured in England and America in vest- ments of scarlet and white, and Oriental combinations of color. " The Doctor's study of Eastern mysticism had fanned his desire for psychical truth into a passionate summons. Cast- ing aside family objections and conventional thought, he labeled fear as crass ignorance; he believed the supernatural to be but natural law as yet thought unworthy of scientific investigation. He strove for the development of. psychic power within himself. He had already attained to manifesta- tions in which his hands would fly into tantrums, and would write messages in all directions, independent of his will. He had but to close his eyes to read with accuracy the printed page of a designated book in a library. Mediumistic circles de- clared him able to leave his body"at will- to travel to distant places, and return with correct reports. At times a power would attack his tongue, eyes, and ears, and he would speak, see, and hear unaccountably. He would suddenly leave his companions to write dictation in strange tongues. For two years Dr. Newbrough was a member of "The Do- main," a spiritualistic colony at Jamestown, New York; and a Trustee of the New York State Spiritualistic Society. While a leader of these groups, he examined more than 200 me- diums, putting them through the most severe tests of in- tegrity. He would travel hundreds of miles to bring a noted medium under observation. He was neither satisfied with, nor interested in the chatter of deceased relatives. He wished to contact the minds of great men passed on - to learn the plan of the universe, of life's cause, or spiritual evolution. The oracle of the Children's Land was forming, but it was as yet obeyant. Distressed with the character and limi- tations of spiritualistic manifestations, Newbrough became convinced that communication with the wise and worthy of the spirit world could better be attained through physical purification and a concentration of the mind on inner powers. Already a vegetarian, he struck from his diet all milk and eggs, practiced the strictest chastity of body and mind, bathed twice daily, and worked with renewed vigor. Later he went even further in simplifying his diet, taking only such 8 NEW MEXICO HISTORICAL REVIEW foods as received the beneficent rays of the sun, thus elim- inating all root vegetables. For, years he arose each morning at dawn for spiritual guidance. He believed this to be the hour when vibrations and thought transference would be least interrupted by con- fusions in the ether. After six years of this discipline he had reduced his giant frame from 270 to 160 pounds. He was free of physical ills, and his brain had cleared. Nerve currents had found healthier reflexes, and new vibrations were in evi- dence ; verily he was born again. As Dr. Newbrough had divined, he had reached a new and higher plane of communication. He speaks of the early 1880s: "The spirits hovering near me were clothed with sufficient materiality for me to see them. I had attained to hear angel voices around about me. I was directed to procure a typewriter - a new invention' which writes like the keys of a piano. I applied myself to this invention with indifferent success. For two years angels (good spirits) propounded to me questions relative to heaven and earth that no mortal man - could answer intelligently. One morning lines of light rested on my hands, extending downward like wires. Over my head were three pairs of hands fully materialized, while behind me an angel stood with hands on my shoulders. My fingers� played over the typewriter with lightning speed. I was for- bidden to read what I had written, and I had reached such religious ecstacy that I obeyed reverently. This same power visited me each morning. My hands kept on writing, writing. For 50 weeks this continued daily. Then I was told to publish the book which should be called OAHSPE, a Paneric word meaning Earth, Air, and Spirit. The peculiar illustrations were made with pencil under the same control. I was in- structed to copy_ a few from 'The Saturn,' 'The Egypterian Ceremonies,' and other books. "During all this time I pursued my vocation; nor had the diet or fasting to which I had subjected myself for the past -16 years detracted from my health. I am fully convinced that there are numberless persons who might attain to health and spiritual development if they would but practice the strictest adherence to the Highest Light." THE LAND OF SHALAM 9 To this revelation from another world, as written into Oahspe, Shalam, the Children's Land, owed its existence; for incorporated into Oahspe was the Book of Shalam. After the revelation of Oahspe Dr. Newbrough became increasingly grave. Although his manner was quiet and polished, he was a stern disciplinarian and firm executive. If he thought persons vulgarly curious, he would freeze them with his bearing. His second wife, Frances Van de Water Sweet, never saw him angry but once; a man had called him a liar. She averred the Doctor to have been the most honest and fearless of men. In later years, she said, he lost interest in people not in sympathy with his work. He felt he could ill afford time spent in social amenities. Exalted in spirit, his mind fed with what was stimulating, the author of the modern bible found himself unable to pub- lish it. He had but lately purchased a country estate at Sals- burg, Pennsylvania, for the reformation of a selective group of alcoholics for whom he felt the greatest pity. Again ahead of his time, he considered alcoholism a disease, and never passed a hopelessly intoxicated man without assisting him to security. He had neglected his practice; his purse was lean. But, in.. answer to prayer, an anonymous gift of $2,000 "for your good works" reached him through the mail. Another bequest of $3,000 came from a man whose son~he had treated through a dangerous illness. A roll of greenbacks was left at his door by a recent convert to spiritualism. Who could doubt the presence of ministering angels? A press was purchased, and the modern bible of Oahspe was printed by an association of seven converts whose names were withheld. The responsibility of the revelation of Oahspe fell more heavily upon the Doctor as he worked toward the actualiza- tion of Shalam. He avoided people and fasted and labored with an intensity disregardful of purse or self. He lectured in New York City and London in temples which. his eloquence had helped to build, and practiced the extraordinary rites and ceremonies as set forth in his modern bible. It was on the evening of October 20, 1882, that a number of people were assembled in his home to hear a review of Oahspe. 10 NEW MEXICO HISTORICAL REVIEW Subsequently a considerable group of converts established themselves at Woodside, New Jersey, and the fortunes of several disciples of the Doctor went into this socialistic ex- periment. It failed, but the leader, with fanatical zeal, gathered the personnel together at Pearl River, New York; and now they were nearer Shalam than they knew. One morning soon after the publicatioI). of Oahspe, one of a family of America's most distinguished Quakers, just returned from Europe, entered New York'~ leading meta- physical publishing house to inquire what was 'new that was worthy of thought. The publisher replied: "There has re- cently been printed a most amazing Bible called Oahspe. It has created a great sensation, and is receiving the very interested attention of the press." Andrew 1\1. Howland, a scholarly Quaker of Haverford College and Harvard'University; heir of a vast whaling in- dustry, and a member of the wool firm of Howland, Luce, and Manning; double first cousin to Hetty Green; and de- visee of the resi~uary estate of Sylvia Ann Howland of New Bedford, Massachusetts, bought a copy and sat all night reading, reading. He invited the author to visit him at his hotel, and there was formed a friendship strong enough to outlast life; to carryover after death. The following Sunday Mr. Howland sat spell-bound under the eloquence of Dr. Newbrough, and became a convert to the tenets of Oahspe, the most fantastic religious and literary tome of a century - a new bible for a new age. Be it understood Dr. Newbrough was no hypnotist; he catered to no travesties; no decoys baited him. And Andrew Howland was no guile~ess visionary. Instead both were men of the world, students of life's meaning - educated, cul- tured, traveled, sophisticate. And both were in deepest truth mystics and reformers. Oahspe was their spiritual inspira- tion. The Children's Land as outlined in Oahspe had become their dedication. The word Oahspe, meaning Earth, Sky and Spirit, is of Paneric derivation and traces back to the continent of Pan lying submerged between the islands of Japan and North America. The first edition of Oahspe printed in 1882 num- THE LAND OF SHALAM 11 bered 3,000 copies and was sold out immediately. Spiritual- ism was very strong at this time. Briefly, this modern bible is the most incredible feat of .automatic writing of record. The labors of an Ezra were small compared to a review of Oahspe at the dawn of the 20th century. The style is Biblical; some parts follow history closely. It is admittedly a revelation for the modern world- and emancipation from the dogmas, creeds, and cults that have long warped the spirit of man. It carries no twaddle of hero-worship to divert; instead it freshens faith into the victory toward which men climb. Granted a belief in the immortality of the soul and the existence of brother and sister souls thousands of years departed this earth, spirits recorded from the Genesis of Jewish theocracy to the blast of the Seventh Trumpet of the New Testament, why a skep- ticism if they break the silence to later generations in answer to prayer for Light? Angels admittedly have always been about; are still it part of religious ceremonial. . There was at the Nativity a host of ministering angels broadcasting the message of "Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Men." There was St. Michael and All Angels; the angel that rolled the rock away - and hundreds of recorded evidences of the presence of ministering spirits. Kings and nations have stressed a belief in Jeanne d' Arc. Wireless communi- ques heed neither distance nor solidity nor time. Certainly the power of man's spirit is not bound by the senses; and why not a new faith in the spirits of men departed? - an interplay of the patterns of life and death. A member of the Masonic fraternity has stated to his brethren: "Whether or not the fact that Dr. Newbrough was a Mason or had any- thing to do with the philosophy propounded in Oahspe I do not know. But within its pages I have found more Light on . what I w~uld like to consider true Masonry than in any other book or Lodge during my quarter of a century of seeking further Light." Substantially Oahspe purports to be a sacred history of the higher and lower heavens for the past 24,000 years, to- gether with a' synopsis of. the cosmogony of the universe; 12 NEW MEXICO HISTORICAL REVIEW the creation of the plan~ts; the creation of man and unseen worlds; and the labors of gods and goddesses in the ethereal heavens. It carries new and altered words; it adopts Paneric words, as well as those of Chinese and Japanese derivation. Light, heat, and magnetism are treated as one and the same. The laws of gravity, polar magnetism, and capillary attrac- tion are challenged by the Elder Brothers in Paradise. Actinic energy is heat. The higher ether is held to contain minerals, gasses, and utilities as yet unknown to scientists and astronomers. Vor- texian currents, personal and national cycles, laws of color, sex determination, and rules and design for those who would prophesy are propounded. . "There are' etherian world, habitable both within and without; there are atmospherean heavens given unto the keeping of thy God. Laws that were good yesterday are worthless today. The lawyers have not lessened the rascality of the wicked, nor have the physicians less_ened sickness on earth. What healed the sick yesterday, will not heal tomor- row. Religions that were good for the ancients are worthless today. Philosophy that was good yesterday is folly today. "We pray, but not one of us puts forth a hand to accom- plish what we pray for. . . ." Oahspe relieves the creator of all theological encomium; or useless tirade. The Infinite has no favorites among his children. There are no labeled Christians - no segregation under the banners of 'Brahma, Buddha, Confucius or Christ; no call to Israel, Mecca or Calvary. Oahspe makes no boast to inspiration; instead it asserts that its tenets have been revealed to many mortals. It does not shock the common sense unless teaching how to hear the Creator's voice, and to see his heavens in full consciousness while still living on this earth, is an offense. In the Book of Man there is the cry for Light. Oahspe values "Liberty first to all peoples; then discipline and har- mony." It pictures thousands of spirits. as victims of wrong .government; it portrays, as assigned by the Creator, a vast protecting host to Washington, Jefferson, Hancock, Paine, Franklin, and Carroll in the struggles for freedom of govern- THE LAND OF SHALAM 13 ment. It carries the sting of irony anent behavior, gove~n ment, and war. No attribute of man is boasted over that of beasts and creeping things, except the power to destroy. "1 cannot live in the harmony of the bee. The half of my offspring die in infancy; the multitude of my householders are quarrelers; my towns are filled with fighting and drunk- ards and beggars; my sons and daughters are less faithful than the dog. For one rich there are a thousand poor, while there is plenty for alL "All religions have not raised one righteous city because the state is rotten, and the politician feedeth thereon. Be- cause society is rotten the lawyers and courts have riches. Because the flesh of the people is rotten the physician findeth a harvest of comfort. "My wars accurse the earth with starvation, sin, and un- timely death. By the cunning of my words I have taught youth that my foreign brother is inferior, and an enemy;that to fall upon him and destroy him is patriotism. To generals who show skill in killing 1 build i monuments, and inscribe upon them bloody victories; to my colonels 1 give badges of gold. 1 call to the damsels,' saying: 'Come, a great honor I give you; you shall dance with the officers of death.' I build colleges for the training of bloodshed. 1 whet popular pri~e by saying: 'See what fine standing armies we have.' But I say unto you no Lord or God shall ever be e~tablished by the sword." The angels of Oahsphin' communication have neglected neither history, the sciences, nor governments. There is the subm~rsion of Pan, the significance of the Great Pyramid, the tradition of races, the origin of religions, the derivation of languages, the rise and fall of civilizations, the forces gov- erning man, amazing prophecy, and the great changes and confusions that will test the fiber of a modern world. Free- doms are stressed; tariffs are down. Monopolies and cartels are interdicted: In Oahspian revelation the All Highest Light, the Creator, is named Jel).ovah. Gods and goddesses abound 'in infinity; angels are begotten. of both heaven and earth, but are to be 14 NEW MEXICO HISTORICAL REVIEW sel")n no more of men. There are those spirits who desire no resurrection; and other spirits who have never left the earth and are bound to mortals. Both angels and mortals are graded. There is recognition of the positive and negative forces, male and female. ' ,One is introduced to atmospherean and ethereal ships carrying hundreds of millions of angels to infinite etherea- to fire ships; to star ships halting at vortenian currents, then speeding upward to heaven; to sun ships; to music ships pro- pelled by vibratory chords; to others attuned to sound waves; to arrow ships propelled as a rocket by constant emissions from the hulk, and expenditure manufactured by men skilled in wielding the elements; to arrow ships, messengers of speed; to new fleets with wings; to Ometer of swift rising; to ' the ships of Litabaka with speed' recorded at 400 million miles daily; and Koaloo, a ship almost as vast as a world. Ship lanes are mapped f~r control of increasing traffic through etherea. It is impossible to give any idea of the magnitude of the revelation embodied in this modern bible - its strange words, its baffling plates and symbols; its scientific adjust- ments, its psychic possibilities and prophecies at the close of the 19th century. Certain it is that some of the concepts and teachings were in advance of the time. Some of the proph- ecies are taking form under presel).t-day achievements. Max Muller, famous Orientalist and scholar, has stated that' there exist no known sources from which certain of the in- , formation in this book could have been obtained. Had there been, he concludes, it would have taken the combined lives of twenty men to cull and edit its contents. Dr. James Hyslop, secretary of the American Society for Psychical Research, studied Oahspe with growing wonder, and with the conviction that if the book were not from "The Other Side;" it is still evidence of a subliminal capacity in Dr. Newbrough. He made several attempts to secure' an intimate knowledge of the author, but his requests were never granted. Dr. Hyslop stressed it to be the duty of the family to preserve all the facts of Dr. Newbrough's life. The writer , has a letter from the Society for Psychical Research out- THE LAND OF SHALAM 15 lining the data they wished to secure on Dr. Newbrough's life and experiences in the world of spiritualism. British Psy- chical Societies were interested. Reviewers of the time claimed this bible, if true, to be the greatest book ever written. If false, a cruel and stupendous hoax. Some critics indicted it as a compilation of ancient philosophy and historical revamps, and Dr. Newbrough as a monstrous mountebank. Several outstanding scholars ac- cepted it as a revelation from the higher discarnateintelli- gences; and backed their faith with their wealth and their talents. Today in an era of atomic research and atmospheric potentialities, many Oahspian converts (and there are many) J study its 900 pages with great hope for the union of science with spirit. Strangely Oahspe has attracted many scholarly physicians. Viewed from every angle of intimate ,knowledge of the character of the medium of this strange tome, his personal adherence to truth, his business integrity, his vicarious sac- rifice of wealth and self, his hatred of sham and notoriety, it would seem that he would be the last person to live and to teach behind the mask of deceit. Those who knew him best believed t~at behind his search for spirit revelation lay the profoundest hope of the human heart - the solving of the plan of the universe, and the linking of this life with the next. In the year 1883 a convention of leading spiritualists was held in New York City. The purpose was to found a com- munal colony devoted to the care of foundlings and orphaned children as directed in Oahspe's Book of Shalam. These dedi- cated converts to the doctrines as revealed to Dr. Newbrough called themselves Faithists of the seed of Abraham. There were subjective spiritualists who affiliated with the world's peoples and pursued their earthly vocations for self's sake; but the objective spiritualists were those abjuring self and uniting themselves in brotherhood that others might survive. Such an objective brotherhood of Faithists was proposed for Shalam, the Children's Land. And Dr. Newbrough, author of their bible and the medium of the convention, was voted the natural leader. A tribute to the Doctor's eloquence andmag~ 16 NEW MEXICO HISTORICAL REVIEW netism,� there went forth from this gathering many rich and gentle souls pledged to the resurrection of man through the world's cast-a-way children. Andrew M. Howland was des- tined to be the most faithful disciple, and financier. There was immense hope for the Children's Land. Shalam, as voted, was to be the initial colony of babes from which a new and better race would, evolve. And so it came about that in the summer of 1884, two men with the heritage of great dreams set out iri quest of the "unoccupied land by the river" of Oahspian prophecy. The tall man, fasting to purification of mind and body; was Dr. John B. Newbrough of New York City, world traveler, mystic, physician and phi- lanthropist, and a power in American and English spir- itualistic circles. His companion-disciple was Andrew M. Howland. Sites in the Virginias were considered, but the southern people looked with disfavor on spiritualism; locations in Cali- fornia and Arizona failed to conform to the vision; a tract of 1,000 acres in northern Mexico was refused because of the instability of the government. When in stalemate, friendly spirits lent a helping hand and drew attention to the fertile valley of the Rio Grande in southern New Mexico. Here in the small village of Las Cruces pr. Newbrough conferred with brother Masons regarding available lands- . this much is factual. However, old timers were wont to allege with romantic fervor, that one morning as the pink of sun- rise cleared over the mountains, a tall man, eyes bandaged against sight, drove north to the waste lands of mesquite and desert shrub, adjacent to the village of Dona Ana, and there made sudden stop. Guiding spirits had recognized the land of prophecy - "the place the world wo~ld not live." Be that as it may, the deedto the first land that was to receive "the babes the world would not have" was purchased October 4, 1884, by Andrew M. Howland, with the warmth of a great hope. The tract was a part of the Dona Ana Bend Colony Grant. Further lands were acquired by Howland in small tracts and mortgage deeds from John D. BarncastIe, who had picked up small acreages from the native settlers. None was irrigable. THE LAND OF SHALAM 17 The site lay on the east bank of the Rio Grande, shadowed by naked mountains that hugged the river to the west, and was situated between the river and the Santa Fe railway that whistled a stop for Dona Ana. It was a wilderness of arid land in a horse-shoe bend of a reckless, changing river. The acres were .virgin, capable of yielding crops of two zones; and of crop rotation. It is doubtful, however, if the Faithist leaders had questioned as to the character of the river, and the distance of the land from established irrigation canals. The Rio Grande, although carrying a delta of fertility, was in fact a rampaging torrent of,spring flood, shifting its channels willy-nilly; or spreading over a vast valley, but to dry into a sandy bottom when crops were readying into late summer. It was a new land and a cruel land, dependent upon a cruel river. But certain it is there were no quibbles in the minds of the Faithist leaders at this time. It was a perfect setting for Shalam's directed experiment. Here children, segregated, controlled as to diet, guarded as to passions, and strangers to the precept, "this is mine," would grow into a righteous race. Within this environment they would experience no ra- cial or class distinctions; there would be no greed, no money": getters, no bribing against law. There would be hewing of life through flesh and blood; no cliques of iniquity; no yicious trafficking. Health and clearness of mind would result from an herbaceous diet. Shalam was to be no hothouse of stirpi- cultural breeding. It was late October, 1884, when Dr. Newbrough (turned 56 years of age) and twenty disciples reached the Land of Shalam by the River and pitched their tents among the desert shrub. Here these first Faithists, with more courage than judgment, settled down to assigned tasks. They were people of wealth, ,gently bred, and terribly in earnest. At first they slept on the ground, shaking lizards, centipedes, and insect novelties from their bedding when they retired; and empty- ing their shoes or' various creeping things at dawn. All , through the nights their nerves were a-jangle with the calls of wild animals - coyotes, wild cats and skunks that roved the loneliness - the while the river rolled and gurgled its 18 NEW MEXICO HISTORIcAL REVIEW muddy waters. It was no life for the gently 1?red; indeed it was a test of heroic endurance for"a creed of self-effacement. Andrew M. Howland of Massachusetts aristocracy in kitchen apron, recipes at hand, fed from twenty to thirty people. He cooked in the open and all ate in the open. They were obliged to drink the muddy river water settled in bar- rels until a well could be sunk. A small pump bought by Dr. Newbrough to pump water from the river was sucked under by quicksand and lost. There was dismay, but no let-down of spirit. There was always the ~hallenge of the great purpose. Mexican neighbors helped them to construct out-door ovens, and introduced them to the many uses of Mexican corn as table food; to the frijole bean and red chili; to sweet po- tatoes and dried fruits. Peloncillo, an unrefined Mexican sugar;" found way to their table. _ The first action of Andrew Howland was the purchase of a car of groceries that relieved their limited diet. Therf,l was no refrigeration, and railway service undependable. That first winter was a test of their durability. Several,' unused to harsh living, died and were buried at a lovely spot in the Dona Ana mountain. These heralds of the Children's Land learned much of survival and lean living from the native Mexicans. Some 250 workmen from Dona Ana made the sunbaked adobes for the first shelters. Dr. Newbrough worked with hammer and saw and cement. Finally a few two,..room adobe houses were avail- able. Almost at once Dr. Newbrough started work on the Fraternum which was to house them all. In 1885, Dr. Howland came from Boston to Shalam to stay. Dr. Newbrough1was gaining a few disciples, willing to follow where he might lead. Pearl River Colony in New York had become a rendezvous for the exodus of Faithists to New Mexico and Shalam. Frances Van de.Water Sweet, destined to b~come the mother of Shalam, had come with the first tented group; she had put her all into the venture, even to family silver, jewels, and linens. We fi,nd the name under which the Faithists of Shalam wrote their charter to be "The First ChU;,rch of Tae" - Tae meaning the spiritual man as embodied in the leader, Dr. MRS. FRANCES VAN DE WATER NEWBROUGH-HOWLAND THE LAND OF SHALAM 19 Newbrough. "He it is who founds the Father's Kingdom on. earth; who gathers the orphan babes; who takes his people to an unoccupied country." Fourteen articles were incorpo- rated in this charter which was signed by 22 Faithists. The cost to Howland for 1,490 acres of the uncleared lands of Shalam, up to this time, was about $4,500. There was also some $20,000 which he had spent in the interests of the col- ony. About this time he made a deed of trust of the entire property to the First Church of Tae, a corporation, the pur- pose of which was to enable the, organization of Tae to carry on the general and specific purposes described in the Arti- cles of Incorporation. This conveyance carried certain abso- lute conditions the violation of which would void the bequest. The deed is signed by Andrew M. Howland, John R. New- brough, Henry S. Tanner, Jesse M. Ellis, and Frances V. Sweet. It, with the charter, was filed in the county clerk's office in Las Cruces, December 28, 1885, at 11 o'clock A.M. Several deeds of trust and re-covenants are also of record. The Children's Land was attacked with the aplomb of the fanatic. It was humanitarian in ideology, ~grarian in plan, vegetarian in diet; and it was non-warrior. The structure consisted of an outer and an inner council. The Faithist brought no letter of character; neither did he declare him- self as at Amana, Iowa, a German communal colony of seven villages, contemporaneous with Shalam. Instead, applicants were required to enter into the Holy Covenant: "I covenant Thee, Jehovih, that since ail things are Thine, I will not o~n or possess exclusively unto myself anything under the sun which may be entrusted to me, which any person, or persons may covet, desire, or stand in need of...." It was agreed that no persons covenanted should receive any payment or compensation for his or her services except food, lodging, clothes, laundry and attendance if ill; nor should any prop- erty, income, or profits 'accrue to any person. No meat, fish, butter, eggs, cheese, or animal food might be used on the property of Shalam, except that milk be given to children under' six years of age. At least five orphans were to be adopted each year. No intoxicating liquors, tobacco, or opium, or other narcotics should ever be used on the premises except 20 NEW MEXICO HISTORICAL REVIEW under the direction of a physician approved by the Trustees. No adults except invalids might have more than two meals a day, the object being to raise a spiritually-minded race. All were barred who worshipped any lord, god, or savior born of woman. The doctor, lawyer, preacher, or politician who desired to live by his wits was excluded. Tariffs and na- tional legislation, as well as international boundaries, were abolished from the F.aithists creed. Capital and Labor should live under just decisions. Between 1885 and 1890 Shalam's welcome to disciples was broadcast through tracts, almanacs and newspaper media: "Ah for a home under Jehovih's plan that the wise, the good, and the learned may find a fact mightier than all the books in the world !" As a result of such alluring advertisements, the founders of Shalam collected about themselves a varied personnel- some sincere folk of education and refinement, some strong, fine and loyal characters. But there came adventurers, reli- gious fanatics of dubious faiths, habitual new creeders, and a few mentally deficient. Many came lured by the hope of "something for nothing." There was provided accommoda- tion for 100 souls; they came and went. The reason why the I colony did not increase probably being because of the extreme asceticism required, and rigidly practiced by the faithful few. Because Dr. Newbrough was a strong man of disciplinary habit, and Andrew Howland as a rock in the desert land, the colony existed through its small minority. Often the Doctor, the abbe of Shalam" was nearer the Perfectionists of Oneida Colony in far New York than he knew. , Many Eastern people gave liberally to the Children's Land. Family silver and heirlooms followed the Faithists into the fusion of purpose. Dr. Gustave Percival Wicksell of Bos- ton, one of those first tent pioneers, was a distinguished scholar, lecturer, and a medium of recognized integrity. Other prominent men interested in this experiment with childlife were Bates of Cobb, Bates, and Yerxa; Wanna- maker; Dr. Porter of the Nickel Magazine; Hatfield, the ar- tist; Dr. Johnson of the Educator Cracker Company; and M. S. Ayer of Spiritual Temple fame.  THE LAND OF SHALAM 21 Dr. Newbrough remarried. The Dona Ana County Rec- ords, Book I, page 28, Office of the District Clerk, certify that J. B. Newbrough and Frances V. Sweet were married on the 28th day of September, 1887, according to the rites and cere- monies of the' Order of Faithists. The document records the' marriag~ at Shalam. Witnesses were A. M. Howland; Mattie Patterson, Walter Sigley Shepherd, and Joseph Grill. A story of the courtship of Dr. Newbrough illustrates his devotion to children. Taking the hand of his fiance, he placed a valuable ring upon her finger. "Dear Frances," he said, "here is a ring to adorn your hand, but its price'will save the life of a child, and care for it properly. It is your own, but do you care more for it than for the life of a little one?" The father of Shalam had tested the mother of Shalam, and had received the answer he wished. He had selected wisely the mother of Shalam; more wisely than he then knew, for Mrs. Newbrough was a woman of great strength of character and a natural leader. She soon became the power behind her hus- band in matters temporal, and was never found wanting in \ support of his doctrines. S~on after the erection of Shalam's first buildings, Dr. and Mrs. Newbrough opened a receiving home for foundlings in the old McCann block in New Orleans, between Clay and Laurel streets. From the ceiling of the long gallery a Chinese censer containing a ruby light was suspended, and\ so ar- ranged that the full glow fell on the invitation: "Children- Wanted and No Questions Asked." A baby crib stood signifi- cantly near. Furtive shadows crept to lay tiny forms within its softness. Some in gr'ief knocked and entered to weep less..I when they were assured that loving hearts would care for their infants; that before God all children were legitimate; and no, distinction made as to race or color. Later, other receiving stations were maintained in Chicago, Kansas City, and Philadelphia. Indeed, police were happy to turn over helpless waifs to the Children's Colony. The first ten foundlings, all less than six months old, were transferred from New Orleans to Shalam' by Mrs. New- brough and'a colored maid in a chartered pullman. It was hot and they were harassed by lack of fresh milk and proper 22 NEW MEXICO HISTORICAL REVIEW refrigeration: Kindly brakemen and newsies. walked the aisles with colicky babies while the women caught an occa- sional nap. Dr. Newbrough, fearful of an epidemic of yellow fever, soon followed with three infants. Passengers and train crew vied in aid to the Doctor. They whistled and sang and patted the tiny tads into periods of quiet. Later Andrew Howland shouldered his responsibility. We quote from the Kansas City Star: "Passengers on the Santa Fe tra:in for New Mexico will be witness to the curious sight of an old man with a mass of iron gray hair and whiskers, glittering blue eyes, in charge of nine babies of all 'colors. This man is A. M. Howland, known as Tae to a sect or cult who call themselves Faithists. . . . These Faithists are so- cialistic'vegetarians who have adopted a system of securing orphan foundling infants, and raising them at a home in New Mexico. called Shalam. This silent man with the hair and whiskers, and clothes as primitive as possible without offense to the city eye, attracted much attention. He never said a word until one day a city salesman, looking for a man from New Mexico who wanted to buy sewer pipe, asked him: "Are you the man from New Mexico who is here to buy sewer pipe?" "No sir," said Howland, "I am here to get babies." "The city salesman looked 'at him in blank astonishment, and murmured his excuses. Father Tae had secured nine babies through the police matron, Mrs. Lee. These Faithists have a sort of bible called Oagspe, which orders this infant educational scheme." The Star reporter then follows with excerpts from the Book of Jehovih's Kingdom on Earth. Three of the first 13 infants died. There were gathered between 1887 and 1900 some fifty small children who repre- sented "the babes the world would not have." They ranged from African to Chinese. But all were beloved under the tenets of the Faithists. Little, if anything, was known of their parentage; and nothing was placed of record. All laws I of heredity were discountenanced. All received Oahspian names. There were many glints of sunshine for the overworked faithful of the colony. Dr. Newbrough adored the children. THE LAND OF SHALAM 23 He delighted to see his wife surrounded by-the little tots. Call- ing her, "My Precious One," he would say to her: "Could you but see the angel spirits gather in love about you -and the Qabies, it would fill your heart with radiance." He suffered keenly when they were ill, and was undone for days when one died, sobbing in sorrow that a young life should be cut off. When little Hiatisi, now nearing three score and ten, lay in his arms dying, great tears fell on the baby hands, -and plac- ing the tiny wasted body in his wife's arms, he pleaded, "You pray. Ask for spiritual manifestation of healing wisdom." Soon the spirits, hovering near, came in increased numbers, and more real, and a remedy was revealed to the mind of the Doctor. Little Hiatisi was saved to rear four stalwart lads. When Astraf, the "Little Cock Sparrow," a tiny Mexican waif, died, he missed her wee face smiling up at him. (To be continued)