The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1872-04-20
CONFESSION AMONG THE SHAKERS.

A lady who once lived among the Sha-
kers, is writing sketches Of her life there.
Speaking of confession Day." she tells
the following story:
The day of confession came at last, and
with it most unlocked for and terrible dis
closures. To the Mortified Amusement of
the assembled actresses and our choking
tears, Sister Minerva went down "into the
valley of humiliation" With bitter
struggle for composure, her dark eyes dilat-
ing, her beautiful face white and set, she
confessed that the "baneful poison of
natural love" had crept with insidieus but
giant strides into her heart. What must
have been her conviction of sin when,
with the courage Of despair, she admitted
that Brother Ernest "a Shaker who had left
the society and gone back into the world)
had absorbed all her thoughts for many
months. She had read his book, learned
his language, talked to him-until, sud-
denly awakened and alarmed at the SYM
pathy, congeniality, and admiration which
she felt with and for him, she would have
fled from the pleadings of her own heart
if she had had strength left to do so.-
Then, deathly pale and painting heavily,
she teok from her bosom packet of let
tiers written to her by Brother Ernest. If
they had been the price of innocent blood,
Minerva could not have cast them down
with more vehemence before the ministry.
With solemn emphasis the senior eldress
spoke. "Let repentance have its perfect
work. Read the letters aloud. Who are
they from"
Minerva had spoken so hurriedly and
incoherently that her lovers name was not
yet known. With quivering lips she was
forced to repeat it. A beseeching look at
Eldress Orangia told her that the poor
young sister prayed to be spared this ordeal
of reading the letters; but not an iota of
the cross could the eldress remove. She
could only sadly whisper, NAY, you must
comply"
And the whole correspondence was read,
and the answers confessed, word by word,
as we'll as the SHINING sister could remem-
Der. One letter, written in German, she
begged to have burned without reading
The addresses of course were ignorant of
the language, and looked undecided.
81 will burn it here right before your
eyes," entreated Minerva, and she took
from work basket belonging to Eldress
Philomel an old finder box and flint, pre-
cious relic once belonging to Mother Ann.
With feverish haste she struck fire, and the
next moment Brother Ernest's words of
love were converted into the white ashes Of
her sacrifice. Think what a sacrifice, when
there were pages of rhapsody such as this:
my heart goes out to thee, my soul
might. Life has become dream! How
can think it reality? l was once sur
rounded, in my fatheriand, with beautiful
high born women who had 10 power over
my heart. and here have yielded it wholly
TO- thes, my enchantress, nay, my pure
saint! Oh, how vainly strive against my
passion. Love at its widest was never SO
unframed as the love of my undisciplined
heart; and yet it is pure, for would not
touch the hem Of thy garment, nor raise
mine Dyes to meet the heavenly pure bright
ness of thine, unbidden by thee"
Pages and pages like this, written by
Shaker brother TO Shaker sister, in Wis
dom's Valley! Truly the "natural atfec-
lions" were q hydra headed monster in
that afflicted vale, about those times.