The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1875-03-02 00:00:00

TIIE ItEiCUED SHAKER.

Tvltsnvr.
The young man, Henry Burden, of Chesil. Portland.
who Wag forcibly carried off he his father anti friend,, from
the Girlingite community at Hurdle last week, very soon
fell into his good 41 ways at Portland when motor the
influonee of kind frend% One arrived at Portland, there
Wa. no attempt at restraint exercised over the prong man,
which, indeed, would itot have Isam wise. as he is 111 years
of age. His correct Christian principles .1., not appear to
have 'been seriously undermined while among the
Cirlingite% for the very next day after his return home,
he went freely and with pleasure to the chapel of the
" Ifihle Christians" where his father worship% and there
joined in divine service. Young Mr. Burden had himself
been a Wesleyan Methodist and a member of the society,
meeting in "Class" with other consistent mein's" he
was also a Sunday !school timelier, having charge of a young
class. His former ties he at once comintnetal to renew,
and attended at the WeAcyan chapel twice on Sunday,
also going to the Sunday school, and sitting in a Clan, of
youing men, for be did not attempt to teach. His conduct
has been apparently consistent with good Christianity
since his retorts, and it is evident that if he has been 1.1
into any serious errors, it was rather from a desire to do
• the fullest he could, rather than from any desire for un-
lawful gratification% or any wish to shirk work. In fact
it is exceedingly doubtful whether the grosser charges
which have been made against the Cirlingin s can be
satisfactorily proved. Henry Burden speaks of the emu-
• y with great respect as far as their I ltristian life is
concerned, awl as to Mrs. I :Wing. he looko,l on her at
least A day er two ago, as a 0.14.4 woman. Whether this
opinion Will eon& • scenic, douttfut WE be adloit, •
mysterious indnence wer him while there, and although
he now states h., would liot he at all likely to n-tont to the
c ~,,, minas% lie freely says that nothing would have
induced him to leave of his own free will. T., st people
he is very retieent as to the doings of the cono ~,,, JO'. and
to others bin maatelliental Wein a little uncertain alill con-
-111.4a1, so that lac elcarly did not quiekly recovor (non the
influence or attr wtion 10, fit while tbere. .'tow,' hive
:dattst he Was the son ef Mr. and Mr-. Ihirden, .If Chwit
the father being employed at the lighthouse Iv itight. Ili.
iwirentet have hal twelve children of whom foor are ,lea I,
mol Henry has I.oth brothers an•l sl4er4 -It younger
than hini-elf. He was a baker with Mr. Hew, tat did
not like the bakillg very bind.. ant hwi lit with tw.,
small aceidtitts at his work. Ile then obtain.' a situation
as carriage.cleatter. Afro at Waterbso station, awl wht:
staying with his Uncle and aunts he w-as 111411,4.1 into the
Giriingite interpretation of Scripture. His tingle and
aunt appearing to live blameless lives Itol the greater
effect tip oil I ' and he was at last inolueed to go to Om
I.slge and sec all for himself. How they aeeompli died this
will apnear front his ••Wil words; We lonol hint ongai:eill
1 with ins father digging a piece of garden gru I oil Um
sive of Porttool, facing the north, :and his fatlo7r
evidently believing the obi-fail ' e.I couplet of hr. Watts
that
.... . _ . .. . ....

"Satan 113•14 some mischief still
Fer •Ile bassi,. to do,"
was setting I an excellent example of industry in
turning tie the soil, iwnly c.v.-red a ith snow, so osir con-
versation teal to be rather fragmentary. Asked In hen he
went to the lodge, he stated it was in July last. Ile add
'1 wsmt %Hit a fell intention t.• g.... 1. They brought
passages of Scripture te me. that I could not say ' ti,
:oisl that was how I lOrrnt 11,11111.11.•• itrioko in his
father " the devil ean .oeste Scripture for his own purpese,
end if you tail., bin of Seripture, 3.01 Call prove that is,,
are h. e 0000 :mit 'iii. ide. "Judas went and hanged himself
1;0 tl and .I.• likewi-e." I, lest that Scripture?
went there to .1.0 it all for the Nike al( shrist : hut I dm.%
see anything Chris' like in it. Christ nowhere ~) I ain
h. work, mei have no wages, only Isssl awl d alies. That
won't satisfy toe, and a. PI lodging, we i'.411 only reckon
that a's the teorh ...., s day', pay in 3 stink, b.r uln•re
0 n--sr • ii-el to get 7s. awe.-k, they only h i•I ti pay
a shilling a week for lodging. S.. here in Portland where
a teeth tee rent, We &salt
a 'seek pay." Asked what his employment was at the
I.slge, the young 111311 Aided they all worked utsm the hoist,
nit farmieg, wird • g, he was himself a garlener.
All the reeeipts for their produ e went into the ..... on
steek, and they were allowed fosel, clothing, aild lodging.
but Ile wages. At first they hail plenty ef beet and things
went along pretty regularly. They slept in the 10.1;:e the
risen separate f the w 1111 l en. About half-past six to
wren, aceonling to the season of the )ear. the num are,,,
and went about then farm work and the w ttttt en were
allowed an hour longer. after which they all row. At
eight o'cluek all the :eltilts insetuld.sl for breakfast in the
niece WI; bet the children liasi their meal, separately.
There *ere &end 120 them and at 011 e time *I suen, 42
women, and about :It children, and said Henry Denton,
••31110 elan well have two sir three Isig slaughterx there."
Hwy had no regular hours for dinner or tea; but the bell
would ring alma the middle of the dav use dinner, and
at the end of the aftenwon for tea, just when they in the
I se had got the meals ready. " I suppose," sail the
father "they rung the le.ll just the same ethen you 11:1.1
nothing to eatr "Oh no," said Henry "they .Ibl not ring
then.- On enquiry how often this happened. Usury, who
slid not seem to have smel entente,* as to number, said
it happened several times that they went without food
ssxs-ept swedes, or turnips, or potatoes, from Monday w
Saturday night. " lbws slisl you manage to live then I"'
was the sittestbm. for Henry was by no means thin. "Als!
that is the wonder," eainh lie ; " but we did." "Well
there's a good deal of lined in swedes." replied the father,
who is evidently a gaml pre-ties' working num, who has
hsel experience of hani times Hew ahnut
Suudar Did you get food then r "Yea, we had some
on Sundays, and sometimes limitn not ; but limit Sundays we !
got something to eat." All this distress was after their
things were seized ; "they had," said Henry, "..el7O or
Ise worth of things sold for a deist of 4:25, whieh they
slid not expect to pr,sesi to pay. They went on for
the half-year, ensl expeeted to be allowed time. After
this they wen: *sometimes obliged to live upon twsn swedes
a slay for the week. awl the females all shared the same
with the rest." "Yes, hut :" said the father "they had
! six times the food lately that they were having when I
I first went fur my son." Indeed it appears that they fared
' rather better when in the horn than in the last time of !
their being in the lodge, for charity\VU extended to them, !
on account of their destitute circumstances, and their
being a feeling that they hail been unduly oppressed. In
fart, as to nourishment, it seems scareAy pi...lido that
Henry Bunion was much stintrl of late, for those who
knew his.. when at Waterloo station state that he was
then very notch thinner and wornolooking than when he
returned on Wrinmelay last, 4.r at least on Thursday.
Their accommrlation was of course, Innett wretelosl, end
old Mr. Ilunlen does not SOCHI to think they would have
done meets better for themselves if they had the chanee,
for he mid "The places they put up themselves were all
,hatteris ; you could not piek tip one of the bricks, they
were so rotten." Henry quiekly replied "They were
nevs•r livol in." "What were they for r was asked.
"Why:* setisl the father "they were a sort 'if chapels ;
Use rm.( actually totiehnl the ground in some places,
and the (wicks dbl not look much stronger than the
stilt I all. turning (taking up a spasleful
earth). Asked ai ta their religion. Henry was careful ,
to assure us they had no connection at all with the I
Shakers of Atiterea, awl were not indeed "Shakers" :it !
all ; that, lie said, was only a name got up and given these
Its- people ounisle : they called themselves "1:11.1s: Chris-
tians," and that was their name. This roused the indite,
nation cd the father. Islet is a Member of the node
I liristian society (a Ismnelt .1 the great Methodist family
(minded by a 51 F. It. !tryst, in North Des.in). Said oisl
Mr. Iturdou. " when a emit has committed a crime against
W....wintry. and has been punished for it, he sloes not
like the name he's heels punished in, and he takes another
one, the name of a hotter man ; but he has no right tin it.
What rltri,tiauity is it alien a father wants to lieve 3
talk with his son, like can't speak to him alone Wisest
I went up Ilrt. I .li.l not want hi take 1 away • hut
only to talk to him, rind what business was it of the 'rest t
list the Sisaics•es weldsl not let use have a ne ttttt oit's talk
with hint alone, lot &twat s kept close by. Ansi I don't
want to keep hint against his now. 3ly :111114 are
always willing to reeeiVe WM, like the father of the !
Prosligul Sni in the parable. If inv son lias 1.1,11
Wilieh I don't Iseliete—if he lets fallen mu. the
boyest degradation land there's no sign of that) and I
don't beli.we he has, I'm willing to receive him. Ansi if
he's fully bent man going haek again, and I've
tt the money for 1 to ge haek Ito shave it and
ga Inek ; I a ish h. deal with him fairly." The old
father Wa. Imre deeply affected, and none c„nid
hAn ,:yospatlii.ing with him in Oil's straightforward
declaration of faintess in Idle Isis parent-II affeetien
yearned OVICT his son. Henry was eVillmtly 40,4 y
infisnosed, awl in answer to, a spindle:a in a veiee that
seemed to show his sincerity. Mid he di.l not think he
should ge Inek. As to the reliaimps services, he said they
Ins I meetingo t wiee .sn Sunday,. monsing and aftennem ;
thew consistri of praehing. singing. and Mrs. nirling's
expounding the Word. There was no Sianday estheni
ts•aehing, or sc•parate service for the chilslren, hut they had
hs attend the same sernee as the adults. Fur singing
they had two hvinn books "The Antennae Sengster,- and
the "London Hymn lkok." ill the latter we could form
no idea, as Ilenry Bunion left his hymn Isesks behind
bins; but the first appears to hare been an ordinary
hymn les.k, with hymns of the " Reviver type. Of the
dr-trines, Henry could give distinctive bit*, or he
would not: hut we learn from esirtlaielers with whom he
has leen much more coinuitun watt ve, that they all expected
it.* to die, but to he eaught up without dying in Mrs,
tat-line's lifetime. henry told us that they expected the
eonsina of she laced ; but set no. time. In the week slays
they had slay schools fuse the children, and little classes on
Weslnerlay and Friday evenings, which all atten leil and
which lasted an hour and a half. They disl not send out
any local preacher, :err slo they appear to have llime any
missionary work in regular mode. This of itself marks
them as totally distinct from the original Ruble chri,
tians," who have their local preachers, circuits, superin-
tendent hiluisters..ka, like the Mmleyans. The Girlingite
nmeniunity on the other hand IS:ents only one of the
result* of an attempt on the Part of souse earnest
religionists (we speak the nt.in hodY, not of the
leader) to slo for the Saviour something out of the coca-
, "wine great thintt," and It, equally with the 1110113 S.
teries and nunneries ef Some mei Greece, may be appro-
priately addrescesi in the lines :
•• We nomel Ma Nil, In eloisterol
our neighbour and our nor farewell.
The daily round, the centsuon task,
Wilt furnish all we ought to aek_
Room to deny ourselves : • road
To being as &ally newer God°
Mrs. Wilma is mid to hare bora at aiss Ow sWislayen