Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-10-30
The Shakers.

The Shakers.
An old broom, bearing the label
Manufactured by the United Society
called Shakers, ,''has sweeping qualities.
1t takes us over the blue hills of Eastern
New York 10 Lebanon Springs and
Shaker Village. In this charming val
ley quiet village lies nestled; close to
the railway station girls boarding
school, a church, village store and
post-ofiice ,and factory where tinctures
of all sorts were prepared from herbs
mostly arnica, one would judge from
the smell in passing up the hillside to
the Shaker settlement. In this valley
Mother Ann, the founder of the Shak
ers, wandered about something more
than hundred years; and here Samuel
J. Tilden was born, and his brothers
still live and distil herbs, and their
tinctures can be found in every drug
store in the country. Along this shady
road have Travelled many men whose
names are as familiar as household
words. Horace Greeiy, Edwin NJ.
Stanton and many others nolesS famous
have visited this place 10 satisfy their
curiosity, but no one of them probably
was a. 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 "children 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 well TO mention right
here that these visits are made almost
solely on account of Elder Evans, an
Englishman, who is the head of one OF
the families. He has visited England
two or three times and delivered lect-
ures 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." He is now
about seventy, and since. he has been a
member of the community has neither
eaten meat, drank tea or coffee. or any
thing stronger than water or milk.
Sugar, cream, fruit 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 ali the members OF
the community live in the same MANN
er. and sickness is almost unknown.
Elder Evans being the leading spirit,
visiters are usually entertained in ais
family" A description of one ''fam-
lily" is that of all, and the family
life at the parent settlement is the same
in its general features as that at the
other Shaker villages, one OF which is
in the neighborhood of this city, the
ssbrethren" and "sisters" of this village
being often seen on our streets. Each
family contains everything complete
for living within itself. The property
is held in common, and an elder and
elderess control everything in the fam
ily, being IN fact the father and moth
er, the others being but children, who
receive their board and clothes and in
structions 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 man
that the "Christ-like spirit" descended
upon him, as it will upon all who live
as they live. Labor, they say, is wor
ship, and men and woman are up ant
hard at work with the sun, and Lii
down and sleep with it, except wher
they have their regular evening meet
lings, occurring once or twice each weel
in hall set apart in one of the houses
for this purpose. The man labor OF
the farm and i'm the gardens in th'
Spring, summer and fall, and in winter
make brooms, pack seeds, make ant
mend boots and shoes, cut wood ant
attend to their stock. The woman spin
weave, make clothes and mend, wash
iron, cook, make beds, clean house,
never-ending round Of duties for mel
and women. Their only recration ap
pears to be i'm their meetings, at whicl
all appear in clean linen and smoothly
combed hair, the men having their hal
"banged" ard the women wearing clos
|. caps with a white, pointed cape owe
their shoulders. The men march int
the hall on meeting night in single fill
at one door, and the women at another
. forming in rows, facing each other il
| the middle of the floor. A few remark
+ made by the elder and elderess, tn
substance Of which is that they hav
! labored all day, and that "labor Is wor
fship." Then two or three women CON