Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1873-10-02
room and a row of pegs around the wall

| room and a row of pegs around the wall
completed the furniture of the edifice.
One Shaker brother was on hand at an
early hour, acting as usher and regulator
of the sexes. AS the hour for service ap-
preached the eastern door noiselessly
opened. A band of sixteen sisters en-
tered, and on tip-toe, with sort Of sway
ing motion, crossed the floor, which was
polished up to enamel to the opposite end
of the room. They were uniformly clad
in pearl gray dresses of rich, thin fabric,
having coatsleeves and round waists from
which hung straight skirts in overlapping
plaits reaching nearly to the top of their
| low shoes of black cloth, having just
| enough of space to reveal the immaculate
stocking. Folded over the shoulders in
the form of half square were spotless
| neckerchiefs of white muslin. The ell
dresses wore silk crossed on the breast
over chemisettes Of white linen, buttoned
| closely to the throat, where they were
banded with high collars reaching to the
chin. The hair was shingled closely
to the head, over which were worn
skull-caps of white lace. The first two
entered in single file, the others fol
lowed by twos. They seated them
selves on the benches, two a. the
end of the room, two at the side, three
nearer the center, four Immediately in
front of these. When all were seated each
| unfolded a large white handkerchief
which she carried, laid it across her lap,
and rested upon ii her folded hands.
Other bands entered at intervals in a SINH
lar manner Some wore shaker sun bon
nets and white or pale blue shawls, which
they took OFT and hung upon the pegs.
lhe part OF the room devoted to women
was soon tllled. For some moments there
was general silence. The white reflec-
| ton from their caps and neck drapery
gave to The faces OF these women the wax
| en- hue OF death, and as they sat side By
side IN statuesque repose they seemed like
so many resurrected bodies awaiting the
ascension. Presently there was shut
fling sound. The brothers t1p-toed in, and
in the twinkling of an eye all was chang
ed. BY this time the outside pressure for
entrance was great, and the brother usher
blushed in his efforts to keep the COM
! mlngling men and women of the mundane
sphere from together entering the male
door. When all were seated the Shakers
and Shakeresses advanced and formed sep
arate lines through the center of the hol-
low square, the front column headed re-
spectlvely by Elder Frederick and Eldress
Antolnette. After the informing of hymn
by all the assembled order, one of the
brothers stepped from the ranks and utter
ed few words OF Thanksgiving. \ second
hymn was followed by a request from an
other brother that no levity be INDUCED
in by the assembly during the service.
Elder Frederick Evans then advanced,
and facing the assembled strangers. pro
ceeded to address them, first alud-
ing to the principles of the Shak-
ers' faith 'the basis of which," he
said, was to transfer the back brain to
the top brain, or, in other words, to de-
spise the pleasures ofthe body, and to seek
offspring of the soul" He denounced the
present system of marriage as one OF cor
rupuon, though not opposed to it under
right conditions, and advocated celibacy
as the higher life for men and women
lie rebuked women for their extravaganza
IN dress, and ridiculed their absurd fash
lons-"their false hair and great hereaf.
tiers. Compared with the ancient Greek
ideas, they would be regarded as mon
strosities, requiring the name of woman
written under them to know what they
were" To the men he said: "You are a
set of tyrantS, every one of you, and YOU
hold those women under you like the
shareholders of the South held their slaves.
The social evil IS the cause Of your infer
nal government The Shaker women
manage their own concerns as well as the
men do" Closing his remarks with a
sharp rcbuke for filming women 800 for
voting, he exhorted his followers to praise
God with zeal, and resumed his place
among the elders, who, with the deacons
and elderesses and deaconesses, formed
into two separate circles in the center of
the room, and sung lively songs, while
the others, in double lines, marched round
them, in kind of slow dance, moving
their extended hands in time with the mu-
sic. The dance concluded, a fair young Sis
ter made an almost inaudible speech. She
was followed by Eldress Antoinette, who
gave tervent eXhortation, in clear, sym
pathetic voice, full of warning and en-
treaty. The audience, who had listened
throughout the service with great defer
ence, was then dispersed.