Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-09-11


organize there another Louisiana. The feel
ing and the activity of the canvass will prob
ably secure majority larger than Governor
Walkers in 1869, for Kemper, the Conserva'
tive candidate. Col. Mosby says that Kem-
per and the Conservative ticket will be elected
by from 10000 to 10000. 1t is said that if
the Conservatives carry the Legislature, there
will be general concurrence in favor of re-
turning the Hon. R. NJ. T.. Hunter to the
United States Senate.
Correspondence of the Yorkville Enquirer.
LETTER FROM NORTH CAROLINA.
New SALEM, n c., Sept. 8, 1873.
Your correspondent has drifted to the an.
cent village of New Salem, settled some fifty
or sixty years ago by members of the Society
of Friends or "Quakers," religious sect
whose creed was originated in England, by
George Fox, during the seventeenth century.
The mode of worship of this peculiar demon
ination of Christians, the existence of which
is not even known in many sections of the
United States, is very simple.
"Silent" meetings are regularly held on two
days of each week-Firstday or Sunday, and
Fifth-day or Thursday. On these days, at II
o'clock, they assemble at the house of wor'
ship and silently commune with the Holy
Spirit for one hour, when the Elders, who
occupy the pulpit, "shake hands" with each
other, which is signal for the brethren to
disperse. The meeting houses are built in the
simplest style of architecture, and no matter
how large or how small may be the building
or how many or how few the members Of the
congregation, the house is divided by parti'
ton into two apartments, one for the male
members and the other for the females. The
sexes worship in separate rooms, and females
preach the same as the males. Preaching
however, does not occur often, and never al
stated periods, or by regular appointment, as
with other denominations. Their exponents
of the gospel claim to speak only when moved
by the Spirit of the Holy Ghost, and conse'
quently much pulpit banging is avoided.
During Monthly, Quarterly and Yearly
meetings, preaching is generally expected. AT
one of these assemblages the utmost silence
may prevail for more than an hour; and
though there may be three or four ministers
present, all occupying the pulpit together, M
previous arrangement has been made as to
which one shall preach. But should one be
"moved by the Spirit" he rises, and without
the usual preliminaries of singing and prayer,
or without even announcing text, proceeds
in simple, but chaste, language to expound the
Scriptures according to the tenets Of the
church. These discourses being delivered in
an earnest manner, are eloquent in their very
simplicity, and they seldom fail of being in
structive and impressive.
By those not familiar with the facts, Qua
kers are regarded as being uncouth in their
manners, rude and illiterate. The very re-
verse is the truth. They are the only people
who strictly speak the vernacular language
correctly, and they are behind none in sus'
tanning institutions of learning. They are
unostentatious, discarding titles, even omitting
"Sir" and "Madam" in all discourse; and
though their garb is of simple pattern, being
of the same style as that in vogue when the
church was founded, yet those who have
the means, wear as fine and costly apparel as
is worn by any other people. I have seen
many Quaker maidens modestly and neatly
attired in costly fabrics, but without wire-work
and bird-cage attachments or other ringtum-
popadiddleboodle ornamentation, who could
cast love.dart in the most winsome manner,
and arouse the tender passion in the most OBJ
tuse heart. This art, however, is one of the en-
dowments of the sex, which poor mans weak
ness has only tended to cultivate, and against
which no church regulations, however strict,
can erect barrier. But the Quakers do not
object to love.making-only it must be cen
fined to those of their faith. As regeneration
is deemed unnecessary-the children Of Qua
ker parentage being considered as born free
from carnal afections-so is it regarded as
sinful to marry "out of the church" After
the betrothal the marriage ban is read to the
congregation of which the lovers are members,
and in one month afterward the marriage is
consummated in the church, each candidate
repeating the VOWS aloud, and signing writ
ten agreement that henceforth and forever
they will divide their joys and sorrows, and
together pull through this weary life in the
silken traces of matrimony.
Lawsuits are unknown among the men,
bers-all differences arising among them be-
ing settled in the church for which purpose
the monthly meetings are set apart-and
their poor are never taxed to the county.
AS may be readily inferred, the Quakers are
men of peace, which to some extent accounts
for the name of this village-the word Salem
signifying "peace" The town ofsalem, forty
miles north, had been previously settled by
Moravians from Germany, another peaceably-
disposed people, but who on many occasions
make considerable noise with trumpets,
gongs and drums. A town without a trumpe-
ter, would by them be considered as seriously
deficient, even for ordinary purposes; while
for important events-such as the advent of
Easter morn-a band of sonorous brass in
struments is regarded as an adjunct indispen-
sable to good government and correct NUM-
cipal regulations.
Not so with the Quakers, who neither dance
nor sing; and hence they named their place
New Salem, which, by liberal construction
taking the definition, different from the
former"-may be regarded as implying a
better and more perfect peace than that of