Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1849-10-20

Shoemaking, tailoring, &c., are carried
on as required, but the only branches of
domestic labor which are performed in
common are washing and baking. The
washing is done by steam in immense watts,
which save vast deal of labor, and relieves
the women of that hardest drudgery of the
single household.
Every body understands, I suppose, that
property here is held in common. In the
morning before breakfast, you see the wo-
men gliding about the town with pans of
meat from the butchery and bread from the
bakery, each, being supplied with the guam
tity needed by their respective families,
''without money and without price," I
can vouch for the bread being of the finest,
and it seldom fails to rise well and get well
baked, 1 reckon under the skillul hands of
the public baker. -.rr ..4T
In all there are a little over three hun
dred souls in the town, and in consequence
Of the decrease of the population from the
original number, there were many dwell
lings vacant. There seems to be a fair
prospect of total extinction under the go
verning principle of celibacy. In antici-
patton of this event people naturally ask
what will become of their property? No
one need be troubled they will know how
to dispose of it.
am not able to state the ground or phi
losophy of their doctrine of celibacy fairly,
not to quote the texts from the Bible which
snstains it, but they are Orthodox Christians,
and rely on the scriptures as confidently
TOR its truth as their antipodes, the Perfec-
tonists Of Oneida county, New York, do in
| their doctrine of community Of wives. 7
think, however, they have not reasoned
out the matter logically like the Perfection
lists, and that their doctrine rather rests on
sentiment and conviction ofthe heart, than
theory and conclusion of the head. The
history of its origin is this: In the 1908,
four years after the settlement in this coun-
try, the older member began to believe
that they were too carnal, were too much
given to the lusts of the flesh, and the pro-
Ject of perfect continuance was mooted.-
In six months the whole society were i'm
bued with the idea, and there was general
and spontaneous determination to adopt it.
They consulted Mr.. Rapp, and he appro-
wing, they thenceforward made it then rule
of life. The men and women did not sep
arate as the Shakers, but man and wife con-
tinued to live together III the same house as
they do this day. This was the hardest
test of principle that men and women ever
imposed on themselves, and if absolute con-
tnence be virtue, these people are the
most vlrtuouS people in the world. | doubt
If history can furnish any parallel TO their
case; men and women, husbands and wives,
young men and maidens, voluntarily agree
ing to live as monks and nuns (proiess toy
and yet remain together as usual in all or
dinary relations and under the same roof!
AS the principle was adopted so it has been
maintained voluntarily. 1t is incorpora-
ted with their religion, and is deemed an
essential part of that putrefaction which
will fit souls for the happy places in the
next world, but it has nevef been made
law of the social compact, the infraction of
which would be attended with a special
penalty. 1t is considered an individual
concern, and If any man and woman give
way to temptation it only shows their weak
ness and exposes them to the loss of public
esteem. But public sentiment in United
community is powerful agent in conttoll-
ing human action, and in this case ] am
inclined to think has had much to DO with
preserving the inviolability of the princi-
Piles of celibacy. The strictness with
which it has been kept is very remarkable
husbands and wives have grown grey in
single bessedness. As / am informed
there have indeed been very few "weak
MEMBERS" No child has been born in the
society within five years.
A community of old men and women, such
as this, presents certainly singular spectacle.
Most of the people are of the middle age,
and many of them are truly Venerable.
There are no boys and girls, no youths and
maidens, and only few children of the new
comers. The unnatural silence of the town
is strange and almost painful. An Irishman
vino was travelling west, and stopping at
the hotel, while sitting out at the door in the
evening, seemed much struck with this fea-
ture, and addressed me as follows: l say
Misthur, but inst this quare town, the
quetest place ever | did see, any way! Not
childer screeching, nor gossoon playing
in the stra,e. Be the powers; and little
noise would be good for the sowl of NEIL
assented, for felt as he did,
The society originally settled in 1904 in
Butler county, Pa, calling their place Har.
mony In 1914 they moved TO New Harmo.
ny on the Wabash, which in 1924 was pur.
chased by Mr.. Owen, when they moved to
the present loca,ion-one they tried to get in
the beginning, for they are shrewd judgers
of temporal things, whatever may be thei
spiritual opposition to indulgence in them
and there is not probably on the Ohio rivel
finer site for their purposes. When they
moved here they numbered more than 100
, but death and secession of $50 members il
1892 through the intrigue of a pretended no
bleman called Count Leon, has reduced then
! TO their present limit-a little over 800. They
3 have not had many accessions, for few az,
I, disposed to submit to their strict rule of cell