The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-02-19
Love Among the Shakers.

The dayO confession came at last, and with
it most unIopked-for and terrible disclosures.
To the Mortified amazement of the assembled
eldresses and, amid our choking tears, Sister
Minerva went down ''into the valley of hui
initiation" With bitter struggle for COM
posure, her dark eyes dilating, her beautiful
face white and set, she confessed that the
'baneful poison of natural love- had crept
with insidious but giant strides into her heart.
What must have been her conviction of sin
when, with the courage of despair, she admit
ted that Brother Ernest h, absorbed
all her thoughts for many months. She had
borrowed his books, learned his language,
talked to him until, suddenly awakened and
and alarmed at the sympathy, congeniality
and admiration which she felt with and for
him, she would have fed from the pleadings
of her own heart if she had had strength left
to do so. Then, deathly pale and painting
heavily, she took from her bosom a packet of
letters writtens to her by Brother Ernest. II
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 hurridly and inco-
herently 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 whisp-
er, "Nay, you must comply"
AM fbo ,hc1a
and ihe answers confessed, word by word, as
well as the SHINING sister could remember.
One letter, written in German, she begged to
have burned witout reading The eldresses
of course wore ignorant of the language, and
looked undecided.
Il will burn it here right before your eyes,"
entreated Minerva; and she took from work
basket belonging to Eldress Philomel an old
tinder box and flint, precious relic once be-
longing to Mother Ann. With feverish haste
she struck fire, and the next moment Broth
er Ernest's words OF love were converted into
the white ashes of her sacrifice. Think what
sacrifice, when there were pages of rhapso-
dy such as this:
my heart goes out to the, my soul cries
out to thee in yearning, passionate might!
Life has become dreami How can / think
it a reality? / was once surrounded, in my
fatherland, with beautiful high-born women
who had no power over my heart, and here
have yielded it wholly to thee, my enchan-
tress, nay, my pure saint!
"Oh, how vainly strive against my pas
sion. Love at its widest was never so un-
tanned as the love of my undisciplined heart;
and yet it is pure, for would not touch the
hem of thy garment, nor raise mine eyes to
meet the heavenly-pure brightness of thine,
unbidden by thee" Pages and pages like
this, written by a Shaker brother to Shaker
sister, in Wisdom's valley! Truly the ''nat--
ural affections were hyda-headed monster
in that afflicted vale about those times =
Fifteen Years Shakeress," in The GALAXY
for March.