Stephen Pearl Andrews, one of the founders of “Modern Times,” was born on March 22, 1812 in Templeton, Massachusetts. One of nine children, at age 19, Stephen attended a law school in New Orleans where he studied for the bar. An abolitionist, Stephen believed in freeing slaves through their purchase. By 1839 he had moved to Texas with his wife to setup practice there. In 1843 a mob attached Stephen and his wife and they escaped to England where he hoped to raise money for the purchase and freeing of slaves. While in England he met Isaac Pitman and became interested in shorthand. In 1845 he moved to Boston to promoted shorthand and eventually started a shorthand school. He later became known as one of the founders of the “American system of shorthand.” (Biography of American Reformers, c1985) Andrews wrote several books on the topic including The Comprehensive Phonographic Class-Book and The Phonographic Reader. In 1847, Andrews made another move to New York City where he would eventually meet Josiah Warren, and the two of them would start a community based on Warren’s theory of equitable commerce. Equitable Commerce is defined as the exchange of labor or product for another’s labor or product. At the same time he became interested in spelling reform and edited a journal, American Phonographic Journal. In 1851 Warren and Andrews started a community on Long Island called Modern Times. By the end of 1857 the community disbanded. By 1860 he developed a new theory called “Pantarchy,” this theory was based on the theory of Panarchy which infers that change takes place at more then one level such at the government level as well as the religious level. Andrews continued to explore and write about other philosophies until his death in May 1871. M. Koferl -- November 2006 -- Local History Newsletter