Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-10-16
The Lebanon Shakers.

HC ACUduOH SuGhcISs
A CORRESPONDENT of the New York
World has been treating himself to the
sensation of a 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 w-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
eral 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
large square space in the center of the
| house entirely unoccupied. Two plain
box stoves standing at the extremes of the
room and 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 nOiseleSslg
opened. 4 band of sixteen sisters en-
| tered, and on tip-toe, with sort of sway
ing motion, crossed the floor, which was
of the room. They were uniformly clad
| in pearl-eray 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 III
the form of a half square were spOtless
neckerchlets 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 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
unfoldeu 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
lar manner. Some wore shaker sun-bon-
nets and white or pale blue shawls, which
! they took oft and hung upon the pegs.
| was soon filled. For some moments there
was general silence. The white refec
| 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 a shut
| fling sound. The brothers tlp-toed in, and
| in the tWinkling of an eve 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 informing of a hymn
by all the assembled order, one of the
brothers stepped from the ranks and utter
ed few words Of thanksgiving. A second
hymn was followed by 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-
| my ~ Tue principles vi tie SHdh-
ers' faith, cine basis of which," he
said twas 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
| ruptlOn, 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 hareaf-
tiers. Compared with the ancient Greek
| ideas, they would be regarded as mon
strOsiteS, requiring the name OF woman
written under them to know what they
We're" 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 rebuke for fining women 500 for
voting, he eXhorted his followers to praise
God with zeal, and resumed his place
among the elders who, with the deacons
and addresses and deaconesses, formed
| into two separate circles in the center of
| Tie room, anu sung lively songs, White
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, fair young sis
ter made an almost inaudible speech She
was followed by Eldress Antoinette, who
| gave a fervent 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.