The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1874-12-10
The Shakers.

y convention OF SHAKERS was recently
/ held in New York, which has brought
! this eccentric though small religious
/ body quite prominently to the public at
/ tention. The New York papers give
| history of the sect. Its originator was
Ann Lee, born in Manchester, England,
| in 1146. She was, OF course, a remarka-
/ bic woman. In 111O she began to have
visions. She was imprisoned as fanatic,
| but, after gaining her liberty, she seemed
to have still greater influence upon her
| followers. She was acknowledged as
| partly divine. Among the revelations
which she professed to have seen was
one forbidding matrimony, which she all
nounced as the root of human deprav-
| ity." Her attacks on the institution of
marriage subjected her to second i'm
prisonment On her release she returned
| to the contest with renewed vigor. She
was then shut up in a mad-house, and,
at length getting free again, she emigrat-
ed to America, landing in New York in
INA She established a congre CATION at
Watervliet, n. y. She soon gathered
| about her large number OF persons, and
founded the tiourishing society of New
Lebanon. The New York Tribune says
THE peculiarity of the Shaker system
of faith is that they consider themselves
which there is neither marrying nor
giving in marriage Celibacy is, there
fore, condition of membership They
inveigh against marriage in terms which
are bv no means choice and sometimes
exceedingly disgusting. They believe
that so long as the present association of
the sexes as established by society con-
tinues mankind can never rise to higher
life. They look forward, therefore, to
period when the perpetuation of the hu-
man race shall cease and all human
beings shall become as the angels in
heaven A company of Shakers from
New Lebanon, numbering sixteen, of
whom four were elders and three female
elders, under the leadership of Ed r
Evans, the head of the Novitia.te
Order of the sect in this country, set
forth at Steinway Hall yesterday, dur
ing a morning, an afternoon and an
evening session, their peculiar tenets. At
each of the sessions the body of the
house was we'll filled. The audiences
seemed to be quite equally divided into
two parts-on one side being those who
came merely through curiosity or fer
amusement and on the other sober peo-
pie who, for various reasons, wished to
know the character and purpose of the
sect. The discussion, as it was called,
was rather a series of addresses by the
learned in the order, on subjects illus
trating their beliefs, such as True Re
ligion Based on Physiology Spirit
ualism a Science, Not Religion; 'Will |
Shakerism Depopulate the Word?' The |
Equality of Woman Recognized, but All |
Offices of Government To Be Held by the !
Unmarried Intellectual Celibates' The |
dress and manners Of the party, from
their peculiarly and the attention they |
attracted, deserve comment. OF the men, |
all except two were in the prime of man |
hood. Each wore his hair long in the |
neck, combed straight down over the |
brow, and cut straight across about mid |
way on the forehead"
The settlements of these people num- |
Der, sometimes as many as 500 members, |
and are divided into families, each family |
occupying one large frame dwelling |
house. Through the center of each |
house a large hall may always be found |
On one side of these halls the houses are |
devoted exclusively to the sleeping
apartments of the females, while on the |
other side they are devoted no less eX-
clusively to the sleepIngapartments of |
the males. Originally agriculture was |
the only kind of industry the Shakers
pursued: recently, however, they have |
engaged extensively in dairying and in
the manufacture of brooms and drugs.
At New Lebanon alone the Shakers own !
several thousand acres of land, much of !
which is under an excellent state of cul-
tivation. Industry is one of their car
dinal virtues, and idleneSS is reCkoned as |
very sinful. Neatness and order have |
become one of their prominent |
characteristics. Their worship con
both soul and body. Instructed |
by an Elder or Eldress, they array them
selves in long lines, the males facing the |
females, and while standing they listen
to a brief address from some Shaker,
upon doctrine or primitive virtue, after
which they begin marching and singing; |
to use their own language, they "gO forth |
in the dances of them that make merry"
Their evolutiens and agility under these
circumstances are wonderful. By such
physica, exercises excitement with them
runs to very high pitch. Though not
claiming to hold direct communication
with departed spirits, they frequently |
claim themselves to be Immediately
under the influence of the same The
Christianity which prevails to-day they
qualify as Gentle, and claim its product
to be war, blOOdshed, pestilence, famine,
and all phases of crime, The God wor
SHIPPED by the majority of civilization
they term the "Jewish War God" and |
they are therefore opposed to the name
being incorporated into the American
Constitution Their God. like the God
of the Oneida Communists" is dual,
male and female, and the human race
they believe to have beer created in His
image.
The New York World gives a speci-
men of the singing of these people at
their late meeting in New York, as fol |
lows:
The singing, in the first place. A
great, tall, black -browed Shaker brother, |
with long black hair where the back of |
his head ought to have been, is moved |
by the spirit to advance and stand
among the sisters. Singing books ap-
pear, and the other brothers cross the |
stage. One of them is young, and has an
alluring dimple in his chin, so that he is
pitied by some pretty girls sitting all
alone in the front of the audience. A
short, stocky brother raises his hand,
and the choir says DO-o-o-o-On and in
minute they are at it. The dimpied
young brother has sweet tenor voice,
the black-haired man tremendous bass,
the leading soprano for the sisters are |
very, very Old sings in quaint faisetto, |
much like an earthly grandmother, and |
without the aid of Tubal Cain, the hymn |
is lifted up trash as to words, of
course)"