American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-10-04
The Lebanon Shakers.

A CORRESPONDENT of the New York
World has been treating himself to the
sensation of visit to the Shakers, at New
Lebanon, New York. We COPY his pic
ture of the Sunday morning services:
The Shaker meeting house is perfectly
plain white wooden building, one story
high, closed with low arched roof I'M
adorned with steeple or beltry. The front
Is divided by two doors for the worlds
people" to enter, and at either end there
IS one for the brethren and sisters In the
interior ranged along one side were sew
eraI rows of plain wooden benches for
visitors. A single row of seats stood
against the opposite wall, and few were
placed at the ends of the room, leaving Il
large square space in the center of the
house entirely unOccupied. Two plain
box stoves standing at the extremes of the
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
oil 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 pearlgray dresses of rich, thin fabric,
winch hung straight skirts in overlapping
plants reaching nearly to the top of their
low shoes of black cloth, having lust
enough of space to reveal the immaculate
stocking. Folded over the shoulders in
the form of a 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
chm The hair was shingled closely
10 the head, over which were worn
skuil-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 at 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 large white handkerchief
which she carried, laid it across her lap,
and rested upon it her folded hands,
Other bands entered at intervals in a SINH
ar manner Some wore shaker sun-bon-
nets and white or pale blue shawls which
they took off and hung upon the pegs.
Inc part OF the room devoted to women
was soon filled. 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 reposc they seemed like
so many resurrected bodies awaiting the
ascension. Presently there was shut
fling sound. The brothers tIp-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
mIngling 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-
spectively by Elder Frederick and Eldress
Antoinette. After the intoning of "A hymn
by all the assembled order, one of the
brothers stepped from the ranks and utter
ed lew words of Thanksgiving. A 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 allud-
ing to the principles of the Shak-
ers' faith, "thc basis of which," he
said, was to transfer the back brain to
the top brain, or, in other words, to de
spise the pleasures ofthc body and To seek
offspring Of the soul" He denounced the
present system of marriage as one of cor
ruption, though not opposed to it under
right conditions, and advocated celibacy
as the higher life for men and women.
He rebuked women for their extravaganza
in dress, and ridiculed their absurd fash
ions-"their false hair and great hereaf-
tiers. Compared with the ancient Greek
ideas, they would be regarded rs mon
stroslties, requiring the name of woman