Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-08-31
Queer people.

Ahu OAO AOOiH ACdAlhS bAiO AefS'i
Manufactured by the United Soci-
ETY. called Shakers" has sweeping
qualities. 1t takes Us over the blue
hills of western New York to Leba-
non Springs and Shaker Village. In
this charming valley a quiet village
lies nestled; close to the railway
station a girls boarding school, a
village store and post
office, and a factory where tinctures
of all sorts were prepared from herbs
arnica, one would judge
from the smell in passing up the hill
side to the Shaker settlement. In
this valley Mother Ann, the founder
of the Shakers, wandered about
more than a hundred
years ago; and here S. J. Tilden
was born, and his brothers still
live and distil herbs, and their
tinctures can be found in every
drug store in this country. Along
this road have travelled many men
whose names are as familiar as
household words. Horace Greeley,
Edwin M. Stanton, and many others
no less famous, have visited the
place to satisfy their curiosity, but
none of them probably saw as much
as HepwOrth Dixon, whose pen
planted in the hedge delicious fruit
trees, some OF them just outside for
the passers-by to help themselves.
and thus infer that the "chiIdren
of light were much wiser in their
generation" than other folks. A
very pleasant theory and reads well
in book, but the fact is there is not
hedge in the Shaker settlement.
1t Is as well to mention right here
that these visits are made solely on
account of Elder Evans, an English
man, who is the head of one of the
families. He has visited England
two or three times and delivered
lectures there-a sort of missionary
in the cause-and also frequently
visits New York and BROOKLYN,
spreading the gospel of what they
are pleased to call the "resurrection
life" lie is now about seventy and
since he has been a member of the
community has neither eaten meat,
drank tea or coffee, or anything
stronger than milk and water. Su-
gar, cream, fruits and bread are the
wholesome articles of food that he
claims have given him health,
strength and long life. Through
his influence and example almost all
the members of the community live
in the same manner, and sickness is
almost unknown. Elder Evans be-
ing the leading spirit, visitors are
usually entertained in his ''famiIv." :"
A description of a''family" is that
of all, and the ''family" life at the
parent settlement is the same in It's
general features as that at the other
Shaker villages, one of which is in
the neighborhood of this city, the
"bretheren" and sisters" of this vii
lage being often seen upon our
streets. Each family contains every
thing complete for living within it.
self. The elderess controls every
thing in the family, being in fact the
father and mother, the others being
but children, who receive their
board and clothes and instruction
from the heads of the family. All
are celibates, holding this as the
cornerstone of their belief. All are
spiritualists, and have been since the
foundation of the society, although
there are many differences between
them and the spiritualists in general.
They claim that Christ was but a
man; that the Christ-like spirit de-
scended upon him, as it will upon all
who live as they live Labor, they
say, is worship, and men and women
are up and hard at work with the
sun, and lie down and sleep with it,
except when they have their regular
evening meetings, occurring once or
twice each week, in a hall set apart
in one of the houses for this purpose.
The men labor on the farms and
in the gardens in the spring, sum
mer and fall, and in winter make
brooms, pack seeds, make and mend
boots and shoes, cut wood and at
tend to their stock. The women,
spin, weave, make clothes and mend,
wash, iron, cook, make beds, clean
house, a never ending round of du-
ties for both men and women. Their
only recreation appears to be in their
meetings, at which all appear i'll
clean linen and smoothly coined hair,
the men having their hair "banged"
and the women wearing close caps
with white, pointed cape over tie
shoulders. The men march into the
hall on meeting night in single file
at one door, and the women at an
other, forming in rows facing each
other i'll the middle of the floor. A
few remarks are made by the Elder
and EldereSS, the substance of which
is that they have labored all day,
and that the labor is worship. Then
two or three women commence sing
ing, the others marching in a circle
while the singers remain stationary
in the middle of the floor, those
marching lifting up and dropping
their hands in a mOnotonOuS sort of
way. When the singing stops the
machinery is brought to a stand, all
facing each other as before. Then
commences a sort of experience
meeting, any one of the bretheren or
sisters talking as the spirit dictates.
The foundation stone of their be-
lief being celibacy, Intoxicating drink
unknown, their passions subdued,
their wants few and all supplied,
crime is unknown, so that they live
quiet and peaceable lives, without any
care for the morrow. Whatever
virtue there may be in this sort of
life, it certainly must be depressing
to live without hope of change until
life ceases; without ambition, with
out motive or incentive of any kind;
the affections crushed; talents buri-
ed and life wasted to supply the
wants of the body, and protect vir-
tue by compulsion. The Shakers do
not go to their labor either singing
or whistling. A good hearty laugh
is unknown. Both men and women