New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-02-19
SHAKER COMMUNISM
LITTER TO ROBERT OWEN.

stsker. at New-Lebanon, n. Y, | find myself in
nossessjon of several numbers of your " Nep Erist-
cnce II Man upon The Earh' and other Of your
ranpiets Be pleased in return to receive the
thanks and good wishe. Of our Brotherhood for
the sane but still more for your persevering benevo-
lent abors in the cause Of poor perverted distressed
aud oppressed humanity.
When some Of the disciples of Jesus Christ Informed
him thai they had fouudA casting out devils in
H. name and forbade him, because He followed
not with them they looked for a need OF praise for
their zeul But, instead thereof, they received a re-
buke for their sectaranism. The noble and ever-to-
be-rcmembered response Of Jesus was: Forbid hun
mot; for he that is not against US is for NJ. Every
doer Of good to man stands in relation 10 Jesus
and his disciples Our motto is Peace to him that
"is nigh, and to him that il far of.'
Extremes meet Robert Owen and the Shakers Of
America have for half-acentury been the antpodes Of
each other-the two opposite ends of the entire class
Of Roformers who are agtatng the minds Of the hu-
man family for better for worse Our mutual
object has been to inaugurate the Millennium upon
Earth and we both think that object is accomplished
You aim TO create q new earth wherein shall dwell
riahttousuese. The Shakers aim to create new
Heaven a. well as a new Earth. You have been I'M
PEELED by the motivepower of truth operating on the
natural plane, exercising common-sense, philosophy
science. and. may also add, without any disparage
mont, "wordly wisdom'-they the Shakers by the
motiye-powcr Of Revelation alone, which, quckening
the conscience as the primal faculty of the spiritual
senses when moved upon 10y the religious element has
resulted TO them in wisdom-nOt their Own, and Tor
which they, men and women, take NO circuit
supernal and as they believe, Divine wisdom
Your initatOry or first purpose was to establish
Communities, IL which the institution OF private prop
! IN oil 4 ma
would be unknown, and violent antagonisms and
burning competition would cease; where peace
wealth and unity would the tears on the cheeks
Of suffering mOras to stop midway and turn to geAue
dews Of fnt ndsbip and affection.
To accomplish this laudable and phllanthropc enter
pnse latter making several costly but unsuccessful at
Temps in your native country you gathered Ogetne
in the New " orld some Of tine best material the CIV
ilred portions of the earth could produce yet, not
witLstanding that you were favored with al the al
vantages Of wealth. talents and numbers within, anu
sympatfiZing thousands without, It terminated IN an
entire failure. Some 20 different communities were
atten pied on the same principles, still not one OF
them remains at the present time. This field OF labor
was abandoned on the plea that the present genera
ton not pared and that the only feasible plan
was to commence with the proper education of children
spiritual influences of course not being then, to YOU
available.
As converse: The nitiatory first purpose Of the
Shakers simply from the religious plane as moved
BY the love Of God the fear of God, the dread OF
Hol and the desire of Heaven with winch they were
inspired by spiritual irteigerc =, with whom they
daily land often hourly conmuned, individually, to
from doing evil; l. C., to ref an tom all that
III r conscencos when reused to the highest state
of activity by supernal influences operating upon
Il en- decided to be contrary TO that spiritual light by
which they were iDumned.
This light shone back upon their past history with
an intensity TO be appreciated by any except those
who have in some measure experienced its ELECTS
recalling to the consciousness of the persons nau-
enced thereby vivid recollection of every partcu-
4 fhaDl-
selves, eir fellow-men God during the entire Of
their former life brought the matter just as present
With them at the time of its actual commission or
preparation. From the guilt, horror and condemaa-
ton which this spiritual retTospectOn of themselves
produced their epirit-rends distinctly Informed them
that they would never find reeasement until they cir
cum. tautaly related IN the pres of some super
ngturay-appOinted person or persons and as q con-
fsson TO tie Divine Being, each and every Identical
sin error sgrCssOn exactly as It occurred and
aso made restitution Jas far as II was IN their power
for every wrong committed against a felow-being.
After obevine these 10 them sacred and divine in
INJECTIONS the most extraordinary results often fol-
lowed Their whole souls would be filed with JOY un-
uttcrable finding expression in shaking or dancing
with all their might shouting, or speaking IN some
language with which the person in his or her normal
state was perfectly acquainted; and other equally
singular and marvellous operations, which secured to
them from outsiders the applications of witches and
wizards--inspired by the devil, &c.
The fact that this inspiration led them to be good to
hungry even when they were 81 their own persecu-
tors has tended greatly to soften the prudces and to
puzzle and perph1 the orthodoxy of the religious
world.
Frcm this time the Young Shaker novitiste was in
variaby laid under the most solemn obligations
TO repeat any act which had been subject Of his
her confession forsaking sin and nghtng wrongs
being the only form If stouement or repentance
toward God that the ministerlng spirits would accept
Again: They not meSey 10 " Cease 10 do evil -
but also 10 Lean 70 DO well to practice every
active virtue.
And now an unlocked for and very unexpected con-
Sequence flowed from this novel manner of being
" conv eTted" and of getting religion" which dis
trgushed lie subjects nom al other so-caled Chris
tians in existence. II was distinction pspable
that al men could easily perceive it, how natural
external they nj ght be in their state and
condition. They loved one another so genunely-sO
p'actically-that each felt il privilege and
duty to let every other brother and sister possess all
that they possessed, and enjoy al tina; themselves
joyed. They had al things common and laid
claim TO nothing as private property, whe;he, in chat
tells land or houses. They thus learned by experience
that she direct tendency Of their spiritual religion
was TO tilow all who would embrace il into he form
aud relation of C0nmuaHy-that was ie climate
al ineyiiebe-efect.
Now let me ask my friend Roberts not the fore.
gong the solution OF the GIT at problem Of your life
of the age-how to form a community having in
Itself the seeds OF perpe;uityl
Jesus said: Take no thought for your hfe-what
We stal eat az what " shall drink wherewitha We
shall be clothed for your heavenly Father knOweth
that 70 have reed OF these things But all seek We first
thu kingdom e Heaven and lis righteousness and all
these things shall he added unto you"
Look now and consider: Has i not been the desire,
the constant wish, Of your big, benevolent heart TO
gather the peepe into Communities. that a., Ie ,rI,e
0bJcct, they might be fed and clothed Has not this
been the handspring Of your lifelong abOrs 10 edu-
cate the ynosant to feed the hungry and clothe the
naked; 10 lower the nch and elevate the pootl And
have you not thus sought, az an end that which
Though in is L ntrpscaly gOodl is but an effect Of