The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-11-23
A Visit to a Shaker Society.
70 The Editor of The Daily Ne,os

A Visit to a Shaker Society.
To the Editor of The Daily Ne,cs
We see Shaker fannels, Shaker medicines,
Shaker preserves, and other Shaker productions,
advertised and exposed for sale in numerous towns
throughout the United States. few words about
the peculiar people, whose productions are 30 uni
versally in demand from Montreal, where their
seeds are highly appreciated to Charleston where
We see their drugs and hannels advertised in the
windows of the stores, will, perhaps be inter-
esting.
The Shakers are always ready to receive visi-
tors and explain to them their peculiar tenets, as
well as give them an opportunity of inspecting
their farms and workshops. The writer Of this arti
Gle, during rather unusually long visit, made
himself we'll acquainted with their manner Of life
and religious exercises.
On acquainting the Elder Of the Society with
his desire to spend some time among them, the
writer requested that he might be allowed to pay
the same amount for his board during his visit, as
he had been paying at an hotel in the neighbor-
hood, to which the Elder assented, saying that he
had been calculating thatit cost them two hundred
dollars year to entertain strangers. All persons
passing through the Shaker village can obtain
food and lodging for a night if they require it.
There are few sects which act up to their belief
more than they do, taking them as body; and it
seems sad to see people Of such goodness and
sincerity, 80 much led away by spiritual pride as
to believe that they are the only people in the
world to whom the knowledge Of the truth is re-
vealed. The Shaker belief is well known by many,
so will only say that they hold that Christ has
appeared second time upon earth in the form of
a woman; that marriage is sinful to them, who
are Of the Divine or non-procreatiye order having
risen out of the natural order to be the children Of
the resurrection, who peither marry nor are given
in marriage; but that these things revealed to
them only as yet
They profess that their societies are modelled
after the Pentecostal Church, when the believers
had all things in common, and hold war to be un-
lawful under any ycircumstances-whichb belief they
acted up to during the late conflict, and none of
them took any part in it except one brother, who
was inn pressed forcibly, and who waited upon the
wounded.
They live together in large families, males and
females assoointing freely with one another when
not engaged in their respective occupations, for
CQ6 I6mdl0b do H0ll do tuc ulhlO6 diO NSiy lhuuo-
trious, and nowhere can YOU find more universal
cleanliness than in the houses presided over by
the quiet Shaker maidens.
They have public meetings once week. and
private meetings of each family once or twice
week also. In both, their religious exercises are
the same, compri sing their singular method of
dancing while offering up their songs OF praise
and thanksgiving. 1 watched them attentively,
continually, and was surprised to see how happy
they appeared when thus engaged, especially the
young Shaker naidens, who tripped along more
joyously, keeping time to the music, and clap
ping their hands at intervals, than any equal
number Of young ladies have ever seen dancing
with their merry partners in the festive ballroom.
The music Of their songs and marches is very ami
mating, and the words are sometimes very good,
although the rhyme and grammar are not always
faulhess. They try to cruelty the old man. with
its affections and lusts, by denying themselves not
only in regard to marriage and property, but even
in their daily diet. They meyer eat pork or shell
fish, believe, nor do they use tobacco in any
way, or alcohol, except in cases Of illness. Some
of the members 'who had joined late In life, and
had been accustomed to use tobacco were, as
was informed, so anxions to take up their cross
against their old indulgences that they injured
their health by their sudden change Of living. At
different tables in tho room where each family
dimes together are placed in one case meat, fish,
&C.; at another the occupants abstain from flesh
meat altogether, but allow themselves tea and cof-
fee, and such little luxuries; while the more ad-
vanced members Of the society never eat flesh
meat or fish, and also abstain from tea and coffee,
pastry, and all luxuries, living upon unbolted
bread, frequently unleavened also, which is con :
siiered by them to be much more nutritious than
the ordinary bread and the fyl collection Of vege-
tables of every kind i'll their season, of which they
have constant supply from their large gardens,
which they cultivate with great care and attention.
They also use rice good deal, with maple syrup,
aIJ fruits of every description, which they grow
In great abundance The Shakers are pre-emi-
rontly gardeners although also isrmere aEe me-
chanics, believing perhaps rightly, that the horti-
cultural state is higher than the Agricultural Yet,
although the greater number of them 1--we on
diet which seems strange to US, yet their most ad-
vanced members lin the dietary iine) ere very
strong and active, one old man Of seventy-three
climbing apple trees like boy, and telling me he
had walked eleven miles With heavy load on his
back, while some Of the young men were able to
do more work in the harvest field than the strong
Irish laborers whom they hired to assist them in
getting in their crops.
Although the Shakers number about five thou
sand, they are not found in any Of the Southern
States, except Kentucky, where there are two
societies. The majority o. them are in New
England, New York and Ohio. Any person wish
ing to study their habits can visit them, and will
find them e very interesting Sect mistaken in
their belief, yet working out in practice many So
cial questions which have long engaged the atten-
ton of the world, suoh as cooperative societies,
the employment Of women, the ventilation of
buildings OF all kinds, an example to our churches
and schools which the latter especially would do
well to initiate; the supporting OF the greatest
number from given quantity Of land, from which
or political economists might perhaps take a
hint and lastly, the fraternal intercourse Of the
sexes regulated by such purity Of heart that their
bitterest enemies have never been able to sub
stantiate in single instance any slanderous accu-
sation against them. The Elders and Elderesses
have the same amount Of authority, and the fe-
males spsak at their meetings, and are, in all re-
spects, on an equality with the males. Their
school system is excellent, and the children seem
very happy and very healthy, being governed
principally by kindness, and influenced by the e1-
ample more than the precept of their elders.