A Word From Mrs Mary Frey, President

[W. Gray]

From the January 1875, Progressive Communist newspaper of the Progressive Community.

THE PREAMBLE

Whereas We believe that man is not only an individual, having rights as such, but also social owing duties to others and that strict justice requires to help each other; and

Whereas Our highest happiness and development can only be attained by union and co-operation of interests and efforts; and

Whereas Our object shall be: Each for all, all for each. From each according to his ability, to each according to his wants. Liberty, equality and fraternity.

Therefore We pledge ourselves to live
"For the cause that lacks assistance,
For the wrong that needs resistance.
For the future in the distance.
And the good that we can do."

And we, whose names are annexed, do hereby organize ourselves under the name of the PROGRESSIVE COMMUNITY, and agree to devote our labor and our means to the full extent of our ability, to carry out the following:

After the Preamble came the Articles of the written Constitution of the Progressive Community, the 160-acre communist commune of southwest Howard County, Kansas.

Mary Frey was the elected President but William Frey, her Russian husband, was the Premier.

[flintauqua]

I had come across mention of "our Progressive friends in Cedar Vale" in reading some online trancripts from the Ark City Republican and wasn't real sure what they meant by it.

Another site with some info is:  http://www.sacred-texts.com/utopia/csus/csus27.htm

[W. Gray]

Cedar Vale usually gets credit for the local Communists, however, the commune was located on their own claim a few miles away and incorporated their Progressive Community under the laws of Kansas. Their newspaper says their location is Progressive Community, Kansas, but the paper was mailed from Cedar Vale.

A second Communist Commune that eventually occupied part of the same 160-acre site was called the Investigating Community and had its own newspaper called the Social Investigator.

According to one of the issues of the Progressive Communist, there was a third commune that located somewhere along the Caney. None of the communes lasted into the 1880s.

William Frey went to Oregon and started another commune but eventually wound up in London, England, and died there.