The Vegetarian and Octagon Settlement Companies.

The article discusses the history of the Vegetarian and Octagon Settlement Companies in Kansas, which aimed to establish vegetarian and octagonal design colonies in the 1850s. The text explores the connections between vegetarianism and abolitionism, as well as the challenges and failures faced by the settlement. Despite its ultimate failure, the settlement contributed to the fight against slavery in Kansas. The text also mentions the political situation in Kansas at the time, with tensions between pro-slavery and free-state settlers, as well as the popularity of phrenology and the ongoing conflict known as "Bleeding Kansas." [Extracted from the article]