The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-12-25
From the Philadelphia To. Lay. ]
Tp.n .pnrfIS.


From the Philadelphia To. Day.J
Ts;c Jerks.
In the early part Of the present century
religious revival was begun 10 the United
States, apd was attended by physical phe-
nomcna which were simply extraordinary.
At Il cinD-mccting in q western State some
of the war>hppeTs were so powerfully AZ
fcctcd 10y Tie intense excitement incident to
the devotional exercises that they were
thrown into something which rcscmbed
commissions. They apparently lost all con-
troll over themselves, their bodies were
racked by terrible spasms, aud they executed
the widest capcrs that can be imagined, until
they fell to the earth in a completely cN-
ha.lstcd condition.
One of the most remarkable PcculiariticS
of this nervous agittion--ior such it is
known to have becn-was that persons Who
witnessed its effects were impcied i'll the
strongest manner to initiate the furious dc
monstntonS CT the afflicted. The c"nSc-
qucncc was that the disease, If II may 50 be
called, became epidemic. Not only were Il
large majority of the persons at the camp
meeting in question seized in moments oi
intense religious enthusiasm with the paroN-
ySlnS. but as the news Of the strange mani
festations spread throughout the country
other dcvotccs, and good, sensible people,
too, in most cases, were affected i'll the same
manner.
"fhc Jerks" Is the allliction was gulgarly
termed, from tie spaSm0dic movements
which it gave to the body, the head, and Tie
limbs, were to be seen 1T almost every camp
meeting in the land, and in many Of the
churches in which religious excitement pre-
vailed in IN unusually intense form, and the
attention Of scientific men and OF t!e general
public was attracted III the strongest manner
10 the phenomena presented.
Our information respecting "srhc Jerks y
comes almost entirely from cleiIymen who
were witnesses Of the performance which
they described, AMI the accouNts of these
persons agree SO nicely that there is no rca-
son for suppo ing that the stories have been
exaggerated. From one writer upon the
subject we learn that a person who was
seized with ''Thc Jerks y would often sud.
denly be cast to the ground in Il violent
manner, doubled with head or feet together,
or stretched out at full length, and turning
over swiftly, us Il dog does when roll
ing at play. The exercise frequently began
with the head, which would fly backward
and forward and from side TO side with
frighlu velocity ; and though the person
would cndeavor to suppress the motion the
effort would dc in vain. He would lie COM
PEELED to continue. aad would either be
thrown down to writhc upon the earth or to
bounce from place TO place like football, OF
would hop around with head, legs, arms, and
trunk twitchiug and joltinS and jerking as
l. they must inevitably fly aSundcr. The
display generally began soon alter tue OPEN
ing OF the sermon, which would he inter-
rupled with loud cries and calculations. The
uproar would then Increase until the meeting
would exhibit scene Of confusion which
can hardly DC described in language.
Dow, in his journal, asserts That upon one
occasion lie preached i'll Knoxville. Tenn,
in the presence Of about one hundred and
fifty persons OF various denominations, and
the whites and blacks, men and wulucn, and
even children, were conyulScd by "Thc
Jerks" lie also says that ii was the custom,
while clearing away the trees from the camp
meeting grounds, to leave near the preachers
stand number Of stout saplings TO which
the victims of the commissions might cling III
their agitation, and he asserts that lie ia ,scd
by one such place where the ground around
| nearly one hundred trees was kicked up and
| indentcd rs if u number OF horses had been
standing there In ily-time! This Is pretty
tough, but MIR. Dow is a reputable man, and
we must of course believe him.
Some persons, after the widest agitation
had passed, would fall into condition OF
insen<bilily, and remain in the trance for
several days at Il time. \ Rev. Mr.. Sunder-
land, writing of his experience in 1924, said
that he had seen more than twenty persons
il such Stale at one time, and these not
always piouS persons, but those who were
not professors Of rcli.ion-scotlcrs, who,
strangely enough, were infected with the
prevailing epidemic. Mr.. Sunderland relates,
among other instances, that two shoemakerS
came to one Of the meetings who were
wholly indifferent to religion. Upon their
return to their shop they were both stricken
| perfectly still, and they remained upon their
benches for nearly for,y-cight hours with
| their work in their hands, unable TO move Il
! muscle.
We may say IN concluding this brief refer
! ence to most interesting subject that " The
Jerks appeared in France in the middle of
the last century among religious enthusiasts,
in almost the same form as that in which
they were presented here. The victims of
the affection were called by Tic French Coz
rufsi0ndireS.