The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1861-08-20


a man or woman can walk through WORT.
of beauty themselves the most beautifnl
Of ail things and bind themselves up IN
usbecoming drapery, and smother all iheir
impulses 10 express The beauty with which
God inspires them, and do il with content
anl satisfaction. i cannot be done.
So when lhe wagon load Of shakers drove
cot Of sight, | heaged sigh, for ! knew
lhat not TO be unhappy in the lie Which
was typiiied IN their dress and establish.
mcut, would be a greater misfortune, es-
sentially, than dissatisfaction and content
would be. Il they were happy IN their
life they must have been perverted IN their
nature, or endurmed, beyond The suscep-
tibility 10 receive the Impressions Of healthy
men and women. If God ever put any
thing majestic aud noble into man, and
gave him a fitting frame for il, lie never
intended il should be hidden in meal bag,
or permanently quenehed under q smoek
lrock. In the infinite variety which lie
has introduced into human character, and
iao human forms and faces, there is no
warrant for dressing men in uniform, but
a most emphatic protest against il. II God
made woman beautiful, lie made her u
be looked alto give pleasure TO the eyes
which rest upon hcr--and she has no busi-
ness to dress herself as If she was n hitch
ing post, or TO transform that which should
give delight to those among whom Size
moves, into q ludicrous caricature of wo-
mans form.
repeat that have every reason TO be-
lieye that God loves Shakers, but DO not
think lie admircs them. If God admres
the bodies He las made, He cannot adj
miro them when they are covered by the
Shaker dress, for it spoils the looks Of them,
and differs essentially from the plan which
He pursucs in draping all other forms Of
life. Thrre is no grace about it, and no
beauty Of color. God adtrifcs clouds, ]
doubt not, when painted by the setting sun,
and sars flashing in the heavens, and the
flowers of myriad hues that are scattered
over the earth, but if these are objects Of
lis special admiration as they are OF ours,
what can lie think Of dra5 Shaker bon
nett? What can he think when man and
woman, the glory and crown Of His crea-
ton, are entirely overtopped and thrown
into the shade by birds and bees and bios
SONS, and poking around the world in un-
cxampled aud ingeniously conIriyed ugl-
ness What does he think Of men and
women who take that passion Of love which
was intended to make them happy, and
give them sweet companionship, and bear
young children to their arms, and trampIe
il under their feet as an unholy thing, and
! to welcome to their hearts, instead, black
ness, and darkness and tempest? What
does He think of lives out Of which are
shut all meaning and all individuality, and
all love and expression Of beauty, and all
viyifying,liberalizing, and humanizing gex-
perience
owe no grudge TO the Shakers. like
their apple sauce (they ask thrifty price
for IT'D and have faith in the genuiness and
the termination, under favorable condi-
tions, Of their garden seeds; bat object
to their style of life and piety, and to ev-
eryihng outside Of Shakerdom that looks
f Ike it. | object TO this whole idea, (and
the Shakers have monopolized it) that God
takes delight in the voluntary personal
modification Of bis children, and that he
, approves Of their going about sad-faced ant
straight-laced, studously avoiding all temp
tation TO enjoy themselves
t ! have seen deacon in the pride Of BIZ
I deep humility. lie combed his hair straight
and looked studiously after the mair
chance; and while be looked he employed
) himself in setting a good example. Hi
! dress was rigidly plain, and his wife wai
not INDUCED ii the yanites Of millinery
j and maniua making. lie never joked.-
i lie did not know what joke was any
/ farther than to know ii was sin. HI
: carried a Sunday face through the week
/ lie did mol mingle in the happy social par
: ties Of his neighborhood. lie was a dea
: con. lie reirained from participating il
free and easy life because he was dea
: con. lie made his children hate Sunday
h because he was deacon. He brongh
: them up 50 that they learned 10 considei
2 themselves unfortunate in being the chil'
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