"BACK TO NATURE."

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 14018, 24 September 1909, Page 4

"BACK TO NATURE."

OPEN-AIR WORK AND SCANTY

CLOTHING

A PIONEER FROM AFAR

THE SOCIETY OF LIFE

REFORMERS.

A dapper little man with brown hair and beard of foreign cut, he did not look— as he leant negligently against the bulwarks of the Ruapehu out in mid-harbour on Tuesday afternoon — very much like a reformer or the leader of a strange cult. But he did look interesting, his appearance seemed to indicate that lie had a tale to tell, and so the New Zealand Times reporter moved up closer. "Excuse me," said he. "but are you Dr. Schwarz?"

"That is my name — Dr. Schwarz, of Berlin," was the reply. "But it is not my only name. I have this in broken sentence — see!" and he wrote down in full, "Dr. H. Schwarz (Zum Busch)."

"And who am I?" ho went on. "I will tell jou. I am the president, no, rather, the leader of ono section of tho Society of Life Reformers. It is not a German society, it is international. Do you not know it? Return to nature, that is what we aim at," quickly rejoined the doctor.

But how?

"Ah! that is it. I will toll you. Wo do not seek culture. Oh, no! We tiy to get rid of all the "

Superficialities ? "Yes, that is it. Wo want to do away with the superficialities of life. We are tirod of artificiality and, I will say. pxtromo civilisation. We want to be froe. In fact, we are a sort of branch of the Freemasons and I am accredited to them here."

But how? In what manner do you seek to get back to nature? Is there anything out of the way or extraordinary in your methods?

NOTHING EXTRAORDINARY

"Extraordinary? No! (with emphasis). Nothing out of the way at all. We will just live in tho open air working at fruit culture, poultry farming, noney raising or things like that."

"You will live," put in the Times' man. "Then the reformers are not properly under way yet?" "Oh, no! I am — shall I say? — a pioneer. I have come out to look around and find a place for our colony. But others are coming soon. Yes. Switzerland will follow me when I have found a place where we can establish ourselves. I am going up to Auckland now and afterwards to the Cook Group and the Society Islands, hut I do not quite know where I will finally settle on tho land for our people.

MINIMUM OF CLOTHING

"You see," he went on after a Eause, "we must have a fine warm ealthy climate for our colony, for we do not believe in wearing ordinary clothes. We will only have very light things; indeed, the minimum or clothing we will wear. Again, we get back to nature there as much as possible. " And why has New Zealand been selected for this purpose? Have you been here before?

"Yes," was the rejoinder. "I was here fifteen years «go on a short visit. Since then I have been all over the world, but I haTe decided that here, north of Auckland, ia about the best climate for us. One of our friends, too, a Berlin professor, was here five years ago, and he found it very nice. One reason why the people in my country want to get «way is that there they are under too many restrictions, and especially because our ruler is not quite what we want. But we will obey the law, oh yes! We only want a democratic government." As soon as possible, added the doctor, he was going on to Auckland to get into touch with the authorities and make inquiries about the disposal of land. He also informed the reporter that he had studied medicine and law at the Berlin and Bonn Universities.