The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-06-06

tney are sincere In tner naxn, no 0ne who spends
day amongst them viii deny, and that they are kind
and hospifable to excess, be viii experience. But
denied the hall0wed influence Of the marriage rela
ton, al ties Of relationship being severed knowing
not the purifying influence Of little children Of their
own, 70 play about their hearthstones and Chamber
up their knees, there seems figidity about them,
particularly the women which Ia the natural conse-
quence q such mode Of life. The religious faith
OF thus singular people has been % much misrepre
scented, and 80 little understood, that have taken
some considerable pains to obtain from some OF the
leading members OF the society succinct statement
Of the religious belief which Is the basis of their
organization, and which binds them together -
society.
In common with other protesting Christians, they
believe in allpervading, creative Spirit, called
God. They, however, deny the ordinarily received
doctrine Of the Trinity, and believe that God is dual
This duality in the person OF God, they believe, con-
sists in the union in him OF the male and female Gle
ments, and that he is, therefore, male and female
In proof of this faith they cite the great book of ma
ture, where the male and female element is found
pervadDg all animal creation well the vegetable
kingdom, and the positive and negative state of the
mineral kingdom and reason from this that the great
fountain whence they sprung is also dual-male and
female God. They also believe that the Scripture
teachings are in accordance with this idea, and
among many others, quote the following passage Of
Scripture: " And God said let us make man in our
own image after our own likeness. So God created
man in his own image, and after his own likeness
In the image OF God created he him. male and fe
male created he Them. They say that, in the power
of creation with which man is endowed, through the
male and female principles ofwhch he is constituted
consists the most important part Of the image and
likeness of God
They believe that Christ is spirit, belonging to an
independent order of spiritual existences which they
call the Christ order" and that this is the highest
order of spiritual exstences and nearest to the Deity
hmself-that Jesus not the Christ but was good
man, of whom Christ spirit took possession; and
that the Christ made his first appearance Garth
In Jesus, so he has already made bis second appear
ance IN Mother Ann Lee, who was the founder of
their faith This they say necessary to complete
the work which was unfinished when Christ appeared
in the male order, but which was completed when
he made his appearance in the female
They discard the idea of the atonement as COM
monty received by the Christian world, and say
that 1t is not by the death of Jesus that men are
be saved but by following in his footsteps, and the
living of pure and holy life, such as he led. The
commonly practised ordinances OF the church. such
as water baptism, the sacrament, &C., they de not
practice, looking upon them merely typical. They
Christian sect does namely, the washing of feet,
which they do to teach them humility They be-
lieve in life Of peace, innocence, and purity, such
The Shakers are spiritualists, and long before the
rapping and tipping phenomena which have re-
Gently made their appearance in society were
known, they professed to be in the continual recep
ton OF communications from departed spirits so
that the Fishes and Foxes, and the whole host Of
rappers and tippers both big and little, lose good
deal Of their claims to originality.
1ney UeHeVe IN q continued tCernal Spiritual eX-
istence, independent of the physical organi
zation, and deny the doctrine Of the resur-
rection OF the body. The soul, they say en-.
tiers the spiritual world in just the same
condition in which it leaves this and that there it
continues to progress either in good in evil until
it arrives at an ultimatum state from which it
progress further and that this state and condition
Of the spirit is either heaven hell. They say, how
ever, that death does not decide the final CONDITION
Of the sou but that the spirit in the other world has
the same opportunities Of progress and Of salvation
that has in this that there the gospel is preached
and sinners brought to repentance and final happi-
ness and holiness Thousands Of spirits in the other
world they say have since their departure, become
convinced OF the truth Of their doctrines, and that
Mother Ann has MADE many more converts in that
world than she ever did in this.
One of the most peculiar ideas in connection with
the faith of the Shakers is that which they entertain
in regard to the relation of the sexes and marriage
There has also been much misunderstanding upon
this matter. 1t has generally been considered that
they believed the marriage relation sinful to all, and
that one great object Of their organization was to
preach crusade against it. This, however, is not
their view OF the matter Marriage say the Shakers is
not absolutely sinful only to those who think it to be
SO where there is no law there be transgres
sion, and that no man may be condemned except
wherein his own conscience will condemn him. They
say, however that the apetes Of the flesh belong to
the lower order of the natural man. and that al
though in the natural order marriage and procrea-
tion are proper, yet with them who have risen into
the spiritual order, which they claim to be higher it
Is wrong. They take Jesus as their pattern in this
matter, and say that he was the first who lived
Shaker life and cite as remarkable fact that be or
none OF the apostles were married men. Therefore
they say that they only find fault with the protested
followers OF Jesus in adheripg to institution which
would seem to belong to an order out of which they
claim to have arisen. They affirm that the children
OF this world marry and are given in marriage with
perfect consistency, and to them they have
nothing tc say further than to advise them to
bear in mind the true design of marriage,
which is the perpetuation and increase of the
race. They do not believe that the whole
world will become Shakers at present. nor do they
desire them to be so. For themselves however they
say that although the children of the world marry
and given in marriage they, the children of the
resurrection neither marry given in marriage,
kers do not generally supposed, believe that all
Of the world who are in the marriage relation
therefore fastening TO perditon. These the lead
ing elements of the faith of the Shakers that they
will ever convince any large portion Of the world of
their truth there is but little chance-never long
as men and women hold AS firmly as they do now to
the faith Of Bcnedick-that the world must be peo-
pied"
In my next shall give an idea Of the origin and
history OF this singular people with their mode of
government manners and customs, &C. L. G. 3.
Our Le0anon correspondence.
LEBANON SPRINGS May %, 1858.
The Hudson Rirer-Road 10 the Springs-Rdin and
The CroYs-Seeney # the Springs-C Columbia
Hall, &c.
From up here among the lofty hills and smiling
valleys, green with the coming summer harvest and
breathing this pure mountain air, which is az re-