The New York herald., 1875-08-30
A Reunion at Mount
Lebanon.
THE WORLD AT LARGE ARRAlGNEO
Catholics and Protestants Denounced in
UnmentionabIe Terms
The Shake Losing Its Vim and the mstitu-
tiOn Dying Out.
MouSr LEnAsox, \. Y, August Is, ls75


In the midst of q region famous for the number and
rarity of its stands Mount Lebanon the
home of the United Society of Believers, commonly
called Shakers, overlooking what the historian Ban
croft pronounced the beautiful valley the top
of the earth Here in the latter part Of the last
tury lived a sturdy OF farmers, whom still
hung the glamour Of that asceticism peculiar TO their
Puritan ancestry and who fondly hoped to merit ever
lasting happiness in the world by denying them
selves all pleasure in this With them TO enjoy was to
sin, and spiritual triumph TO be found
in the suppression of any desire of the flesh
FOUNDING OF THE Shakers.
To them Mother Ann Lee, the founder of the
Shakers invited hither by their pastor David Meachu,
preaching dispensation based the sacrifice OF
the family relation and all that that indicates Under
this new gospel the old command be fruitful and
multiply done away with Bodily purity was 10 be
the symbol Of inward grace under which the earth
TO blossom like the rose and the long-ooked-for mil
lennium dawn upon the earth. Mysticism, too,
always fascinating TO religious natures added its in
nucnce the teacher who boldly declared that in
her the spirit Of GOD incarnate in the
flesh to complete the work begun by Jesus Christ.
But a little time before the preaching Of this doc
trine a great revival OF religion had swept the
farms and hamles Of their native hills and valleys, ac
companied by strange, unaccountable phenomena
Subjects under its influence sunk into frances. They
shouted danced going through strange contortons
the mystery whereof very great TO the simple
minds who witnessed them. Mother Ann explained
them as resulting from the immediate influence OF the
Holy Spirit and such the power Of her teachings
that Meachum and his congregation finally accepted her
mission dvinely appointed and became converts TO
the faith prescribed by her For time thereafter
their respective households continued ostensiby
in obedience the teachings, and not until 1874
the saints gathered from their homes and organized
into q community. Henceforward separate houses
awarded to the sexes, and the family relation in
name, it had long previously been in reality,
done away with. Meachum, who had been appointed
her successor by Mother Ann, the Moses who
this chosen people of the land of bondage and
established them upon this holy mount. From that
time though other communities have been established
in places this point has remained the Mecca to
which the eye of the believer turns Here is
church family from whose hearts the last
of inbred sin has been eradicated leaving them fit asso
ciates for the heavenly host around them with
whom they are in constant communion. They have
graduated into the higher order. They do not attend
public worship rule, and as much as possible keep
aloo from the proaMe eyes of the ungody Here too,
is the ministry at present consisting of Daniel Boiler
and Giles Avery, with two ederesses, successors of
Mother Ann, in unbroken line sacred the
apostolic succession and there the Mount in that
not remote time Wnen the mhlennuIn Is
established the great of Gods kingdom, whose
motto and watchword is, "Peace earth and good will
to man" Varying fortunes have attached themselves
to the growth the Shakers but their numbers have
been large 700 being the highest point the
munty has reached in this vicinity where there
four families.
SHAKERS DYING OUT.
OF late years they have been gradually decreasing,
until they number about three hundred all told,
and their early extinction is confidently predicted To
the modern invention of spritualism notwithstanding
1t is said be old thing among them, is attributed
In great part this decay. In February last by an in
cendiary fire, eleven buildings Of the church family
were destroyed; and though the immense meeting
house. which has been the object OF much interest to
visiting thousands, happily spared the exigencies
OF the situation required its use for secular purposes
and so the public services, which usually commence
with the early summer have been postponed until
to-day, when they held for the first
time this season. The attendance OF the
worlds people very large. General notice Of
the meeting had been given throughout the confines
OF Lebanon and the region OF Canaan and from every
quarter and every class OF vehicle the natives
and the pleasure seekers quateed in the vicinity to be
amused at the strange worship methods Of this peculiar
From the great hotel at Lebanon Springs from Pitts
field Ienox, harrington, Stockbridge, and from
Hudson, Undertook and Chatham the visitors
poured in a vast crowd, estimated high 1000
persons Precisely at ten o'clock the believers
marched the and women entering from different
portions Of the building the garments of the latter
presenting strange contrast to the brilliant toilets OF
their sisters Of the earth order After remaining
a few moments in contemplation, at given
signal they arose and formed in parallel
lines facing each other and addressed by old
elder who congratulated them upon meeting once
in the house OF worship TO renew their covenant
He referred to the su1erngs they had undergone and
reminded them that only through suffering could they
be initiated into that higher life which Is the ultimate
hope and object of ALL He exhorted them TO live up to
what had been laid down for their guidance, and closed
by announcing the hymn commencing
"oH! WHEN YE THINK THE EARTH LIHE Is DREARY!"
which sung in a manner which indicated that
music not much cultivated among them Other
short addresses followed mostly relating TO the expert
ences Of the speakers after which an aged ind-
vidua turned TO the audience and. expressed the
hope that suitable propriey would be preserved during
Tho forthcoming exercises A band of singers then
formed themselves in the centre and the balance of the
worshpper began marching around them In two circles,
keeping time TO the music by swaying their hands and
by various motions OF the body but with none o that
ecstatic enthusiasm which in other days wont TO
possess the souls OF the faithful and excite the not alto
gcther respectful astonishment Of the spectators In
deed 1t painfully evident both ON account OF the
paucy OF numbers and the lack OF ygor In the move
ments Of the believers that the old time spirit existed
no longer The marching continued At Intervals Tor hall
hour and the only exercise INDUCED
in the dancing being omitted. Several OF the young
men then made few remarks when benches were
brought forward and the wOrshppers seated themselves
preparatory listening to the discourse OF Frederick
Evans the leading speaker among them. As the well
elder advanced faced the audience he showed
a tall, commanding iorm and intellectual though
excessively ascetic face though all the flowers and
graces Of his nature had been ruthcssy down by
the harrow Of duty.
FREDERICK EVANS SERMON
"Ours Is dspensaton" lac said. "Every-
where have been regarded singular and
peculiar people by those from whose midst we
came And we have always been q suffering
people, TOO. Everywhere condemned, ridcued and
despsed suffering all things and enduring all things
Until the American Revolution the civil power Joined
with the Church IN prosecuting and slandernR The
history Of the world Is the history OF It's martyrs and
II has been fortune 10 contribute TO its pages We
believe that the time appointed for the reign Of the
beast as mentioned in the book Of Revelation ended
in 1888 Rogers, Cummings and our own Miller who
have made the prophecies their peculiar study, all
agree with us in this In that year this Church
organized, period TO which all the pure and good had
looked forward Tor ages. peaceful people we have
been. kept by the power Of God amid perse
/ cution, SANDER and misrepresentation Of every
KIND The flood which flowed out OF