The Portland daily press., 1869-06-08
a Visit 20 the shakers.

| branches of Gle8order have been invited and
will undoubtedly be present upon the occasion.
t. A Visit TO the Shakers.
l. Correspondence Of the Presa.1 :. lis,aes
p have found out thats Husbandman. is a
conscientious member Of the recently formed
society in this State for the Prevention of
Cruelty TO Animafs.ss Ny friend Carr of Ban! :.
gor, another reformed angler and hunter, in
duced him to join when heiwas over here the
other day. II is against the constitution of
| this excellent society to torture any creature
or to kill any live thing unless needed for food.
Now as we do not pretend that we cannot live
and even keep on our usual flesh, upon the
warm biscuit, hash and rhubarb pies provided
by our wives, there is clearly no necessity or
excuse for our killing the innocent trout in
Bryants' Pond, or any other pond, for SPORT
Hence it is the policy Of the Husbandman,l
who knows all the hannts and habits of the
fnny tribes, to carry us either where there
are no fish, or where he knows they will not
bite. The humane society above named are
preparing him medal with the motto Pisci-
una CONSERVATION and an appropriate device. IF
| you ask why the Husbandman goes fishing
and insists upon my company, 1 can only ex-
press my suspicion that it is to provoke me to
write letters, well knowing that with my great
modesty shall make him the hero of all our
joint exploits, as trust + shall always hare
the candor to decd haa--sislI 70 blAsa seiaf
| u Our last jaunt Waslto sabba' day Pond, adj
joining the Shaker village in New Gloucester.
It is fifty named. The fish were in a most
rigid conformity to a Sabbaticdl quiet, refrain
ing even from playing with our hooks. The
Husbandman's face giowed with benevolent
satisfaction as he slowly climbed the green
sleeps from the beach, not decked, indeed,
with shining trophies of his old cruel art, but
arrayed in imagination in the badges, and or
ders Of the humane society. "a i 81 Il Bib ID
Qqleteds by then placid airs of .Sabba'day
Pond, with the blood Of no innocent fish upon
our hands oricensciences, we were perhaps in
the very best frame to study. the pure and
peaceable principles Of our hosts. the Shakers
/ They received us in the reception room of
| the trustees Office, saccosteds MS with al word
or two of simple salutationf which put us quite
| at ease, aud happily ccnjectured that we came
from the outside world with an appetite BY
whatever intuition taught, this conjecture hit
our exact condii lion. And seated in hoiDu Esrs
spd e.-, sU5nd no difficulty in con
+ ~ '.o PAiAt00 1utes anu eatlng up eV~
erything put upon our plates. 4 s qirs a.
This community have occupied their present
home about seventy years. 1t was admirably
selected both for sghtliness, fertility Z and
health, occupying the centre 81 a long hin,
slipping eastward to Saba day pond, and west
ward far enough to embrace fifteen hundred
acres Of excellent landa On the summit is
theft orchard ;one-third of the way down upon.
the road transverse i to the hill stand stHeit
houses in three irregular row. and lower
down, the barns. Hepa. q, stream that flows
many hrHdred acres rqf bog land Us "a mill,
sfiere they grind grain and manufaeture slaves
and woodennwar 1The5l ieldssEwithn great
breadth of tillags stretch irregalarl5 down to /
the margin Of iths pond. Between the high 4
way and the orchard and between rows Of
grass terrace parable the road, is, the garden
whefe herbs were planted and isoged,; and 1
acres Of vegetables set outfor seed. The seed
house stands, upon thee same lot, where, BY q
sort Of rude machine propelled by q crank, the
the holm j. broken ana the chair famed pre.
lipi1asy 70 pape6fiilng and labelling the seed for
market,9 ~ bGs ,iRiIalEm IsaaI2eias .a7sRiglnl
The cows came up to be MIXED while we
were there, fourteen in ntllnbere They looked
well fed, but not high-blooded on likely to
command fancy prices The fields looked as if
they had been generously fed with manure,
of which the community seemed wisely provi-
dent They have found the hardwood Save
dust accommodating in great quantities at the
staye factory an excellent absorbent Of the
liquids Of the stables, sites and yards, and ea--,
pable, with the industry Of swine, Kept main
ly for that purpose, of adding to the mass and
- -. IT,, -
9 We mere told that the society was on the |
whole less prosperous than years ago They
suffer for the want Of labor, ana annually 'ex-.
pend large amounts for hired help outside Of |
the family. We saw quite o. number of men |
and boys not in the uniform of the sect, serv-
ing the SAINTS for love of gain rather than of |
godliness9l Thirty years ago they were really l
the best farhers in the country. Their man
ayers were men Of great executive capacity, Of |
practical skill, ! and of some scientific knowl-
edge. Their domestic animals were the best i
and best kept II their products were of the /
best kind and sold for no more than their real |
worth. And still it must be called a success
fully managed farm There must be great
economy in cooperation, otherwise a hundred
people with the proportion of aBle-bodied men l
SO small, and of children, women and aged
persons SO large, could not maintain them I
selves SO comfortably. 4. e' .1e,. 'l-'.'n
One of the Elders, handsome and venera-
Die man OF ssventy1t 1.-TWO, straight as an arrow |
and with,a twinkle of enthusiasm in his eye, |
came IN and sat down in his chip hat and /
white frock., He had been out spelling the |
Egyptians in the way of sales Of Shaker stuff,
and was uncharitably exultant over a scandal |
that had clouded the name Of a brother minis |
ter Let the ministers. work. he said, sas I |
do and keep their bodies under, rs ST. Paul /
commanded, and such accidents would never |
happen Sister Mary Ann immediately add |
ed: IF there was good man in the world the |
Elder was one, !" aeomplimeHtwhich he seemed |
to receive as If he was used TO such. He told |
US that his department of labor had lately been |
the cows and young calves, and that the pro-
per discharge of the duties Of such nursery
had quite taxed his powers of endurance.
Undoubtedly the good man had kept his |
body, never particularly unmanageable one,
under by pulling calves about by ear and tail, |
ana plying hungry cows with pitchfork, but
.rs oid Roman maxim fits his case exactly:
5, hou may drive out nature with a fork and
she WIN return. lslrq seg gao sueiaigib II
Inc WORK itseif, and this is the first comment |
on Shakerlsm, had reacted upon his mind and |
made it sotdid. The high aight Of early en-
thusiasm has not been maintained. There are
no new visions, no heavens opening to the
faithful and the prosecuted, the live faith stiff
ems into dead creed and the uncouth .wor-
ship becomes dismal form. The mind that |
would starve on an obsolete revelation finds a |
kind of entertainment in raising pigs and oats |
herbs and garden seeds. Men get interested
in what they do, and the six days hard toll for |
gain tells upon the soul and makes Il shreawd,
ana careful and petty. So. these men talked
ABOUT crops and cattle and prices and getting
on and making living, perhaps because thew |
thought we should not relish any Of their |
tr;sS Sg philosophy, but really suspect because
sslfliIo5 81 $e's gwen up to worldlness,s L
az ont our kind hostess ]