The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-10-29
WHAT ARE SHAKERS!
An Editor Tells About Aan Lee. her
Prosecutions and her kSoMPk-HsPr NyarSx
In the New WOrlG-WsIat Shakers BE-
HeVe.

Prosecutions and her ESoweS-HIcr TYors.
{ In the New WOrIG-wsIat shakers BE
: The Albany Times publishes sermon
recently delivered by Elder George AL
bert Tomas; of the New Lebanon Shakers,
in which he gives a sketch of Ann Lee
and the first Shakers that left England
for the new world. Ann Lee, the founder
of the order, descended from England,
having Manchester as a birthplace, the
daughter of a poor, ignorant, but indus
triOus blacksmith man who came hon
estly by his ignorance, and as honestly
transmitted the bliss of ignorance to a
large family of children. At an early
day she claimed that she enjoyed visions,
and Aas she matured these visions did not
cease. She married Abraham Stanley,
by whom she had four children, all of
whom died when infants. She then
Joined a society of Shakers, her husband,
who had grown tired of her, gladly giving
his permission. Ann Lee did not live a
very peaceful life. Elder Tomas says:
Her laundering testimony against the
lusts of the flesh aroused such bitter
| hate that she was arrested, cast into
| dungeon in which she could in nowise
straighten herself, and there left to starve.
her cell door not being opened for two
| full weeks She came out in tolerablv
good condition, but for some remark of
hers, was again arrested and arraigned
| for blasphemy. Taken by the mob before
several ministers ofthe established church.
! the mob asked permission to brand her
cheek and bore her tongue, the penalty
of the blasphemer. The ministers asked
her to speak in unknown tongues-she
said she could not without the aid of the
spirit. The spirit moved and she spoke
for four hours in seventy-two tongues
and dialects. These judges advised the
mob to let her 90 in peace; but resolving
themselves into eXecutioners, they led
her and the companions into valley
to stone them to death. Through provi-
Dental interference, they quarreled
among themselves after throwing few
harmless shots, and abandoned their
wicked design. She was spiritually
directed to journey to America, where,
she told her disciples, 4" God had a chosen
people, and where He was then preparing
the land for the setting up of His
church."
They embarked upon condemned
vessel-the Mariah Capt. Smith, of New
York. The spirit had previously led
them forth in dances, and battles of
spiritual warfare, shaking and bowling
and other grOtesque maneuveTs. These |
began on shipbOard; the captain, enraged |
threatened to cast them all overheard if |
the same was repeated. 1t was repeated, |
and in the midst of a storm; and while !
the captain was preparing to put his |
threat into execution, plank started |
from the ships bow, and the waters |
rushed in like a food. All hands were |
at the pumps, but many times their |
number would not meet the necessity. |
The captain, pale as death, informed all
of their inevitable fate, and bid them
prepare for the king of terrors. cap
tain" said Ann Lee, "there shall not a /
hair of our heads perish! | see two an
gels at the mast, from whom | received |
this message" Then came mighty sea,
and the plank was secured in its place.
Persecution ceased on that vessel. The
shakers were indeed the captain of that |
vessel the remainder of the voyage, and
we have the testimony Of the captain
that, chad not that people sailed i'll his
vessel he neverwOuld have seen America"
On the sixth day of August, IVA, they
landed in New York America was con-
vhlsed with great dissatisfactions. Pass
ing up Pearl street they came to a house
at the door of which sat woman. Halt
ing, they stated they had come to preach
the everlasting gospel to America, and
that the Lord had directed them to that
house. They were cared for here until
they had homes of their own. Some
months after they passed up the river to
Albany. Here they were challenged,
being suspected as British spies, and al
though Mother Ann invariably predicted
the success of the American cause, yet,
because they would neither take the oath
nor fight, they were cast into prison.
Although confined, they were treated
very kindly by the authorities Of that
old Dutch city, and the pOsterity Of their
keepers seem never to have learned to be
unkind to the peculiar people called Sha-
kers. Many expressed themselves with !
horror at the idea of confirming religious
refugees in dungeons while the country
was struggling for liberty and conscience.
''The earth opened its mouth and helped
the women" in the person of governor
George Clinton, who released the perse-
cuted Shakers.
Our founder ''fied into the wilder
ness" and remained three years and a
half She gathered many truth-loving
souls. She travelled extensively, meet
ing with prosecutions in the eastern
states almost too incredible to tell.
Having planted her testimony upon a
pure and imperishable basis, establishing
a new mission of Jesus, by teaching and
example, making prominent purity of
life as an essential in the character Of
christians, and attesting the truth, that
the soul of a woman is capable, of receiy
ing the spirit of Christ equally well with
man, she departed this life, less thanTfty
years old, having labored in this country
a little more than ten years. Such are,
indeed, the outlines Of one who was most
stubborn in support OF prlnclple-an
English disposition, whose blutfness was
turned to good account, and who suffered
nearly all things rather than let the right
90 down-an undaunted prophecies and
savior to her sex and race. The Shakers
do not worship Ann Lee, She was the
medium of revelations which to them
are exceedingly good. We revere the
spirit with which she was baptized, be-
cause its operations in the soul were |
identical with those in Jesus. She was
with US the fulfillment Of the prophecy !
of Christian love, beheaded in Crom-
Wells time: "0ut of thee, oh, Eng |
land, shall bright star arise, whose light |
and voice will make the heavens shake |
and knock under WITH submission to the |
blessed Jesus" The principle enunci- !
ated by Ann Lee can be best referred |
to by answering the questions: "Who |
are the Shakers" The Shakers are a
people whose line of conduct is in agree