Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-09-04
revelations in shaker Life.
Correspondence of the New York SUM-
..N tI 20 UuDaoS August 49, 1869

Correspondence of the New York SUM-
t.itt y HUDSON, August 10, 1869.
For days the testimony in the Shaker
case here has been uninteresting, but the
evidence Of the mother of the child
Marion, given to-day, will cause stir.
After telling how she indentured her
child to the Shakers, she said: VA
asked Antoinette two or three times
if l might go and see my children, and
she said when she thoughtit was proper
time for me to see them, then she would
let me know; that she. did not think l
was travelling from natural affections one
bit, that she thought it was time / was
travelling from my natural affections; she
always held the testimony up to me that
we were called upon to travel away from
all natural affections; it was topic of
conversation among the Shakers about
travelling away from natural affection,
and not holding any real feeling; never
felt any change in my heart toward the
children; l tried to do 80, but could not
before the Sisters l always tried to sup
press all evidence of natural affection; /
did 80 because knew that was their be-
lief; and as was trying to 60 with them
in their belief, and as had a measure of
faith in it, ] tried to come up to its re-
quirements; l was told by the elder Sis
ters, and also by the other Sisters, that
whenever | had the least feeling OF that
kind springing in my heart for my chill
dren, or any of my natural relations, that
| must make confession of it, and bear
testimony against it in meeting, and by
following that course should Rnd that it
would help me.
HOW SHE WAS DESIRED TO SHAKE.
I was directed to shake; the elder
esses directed it; they directed me to
shake 30 as to shake off all the influence;
Antoinette told me how wrong was
doing, indulging natural affection, and
that / needed to labor out oft; shs then
went on saying what a dreadful thing 1t
was to indulge in such things, bearing her
testimony against ii, aud that needed 10
shake from it; she then ordered nae to
shake, and / did go, and the very first
labor meeting we had after that che came
to me and said she wanted ] should 60
and bear testimony against natural feel
ings and the fesh, and ] did as 1 was
told to. spoke as was customary with
them, that thought it was wrong to In
dulge such feelings, that labored against
it, and that hated it, and tried to travel
from it.
RoLLING on TIE FLOOR AND KISSING FEET.
This was meeting of the brothers and
sisters for labor snd exercise, as they
say. The exercises consist o. s5aking,
dancing, marching and singing; the
shaking will commence by Elder Fred
erick saying that "The Spirit has con.
troyersy here" and then he will COM
mence it by giving his foot q terrible
stamp on the floor and then beginning to
shake, and all join. If any do not join,
sometimes they will be called out by
name and directed to shake They 60
through, at these meetings, different ex-
ercises of the body; some viii 60 sroand
bowing to the brothers and sisters. and
sone 20 around on their knees. saw
one young SS-n,hsr 60 around on bis knees
and kiss the feet OF a., ne brethren. =,
have seen them lay down on the n~-n anu
roll from one end Of the room TO the other
on the brethren'S side. Some are taken
with tremendous speils Of shaking and
moaning; some are taken with tremen-
dous spells Of twirling like top on their
feet, and others have different gifts given
them, IS they say, BY the Spirits, and
then they all unite and 60 forth on these
gifts.