The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-08-20

ADD this bfibzs O. 70 speak Of then As .
The Shaker are The isllowers Of . NO
man named Ann Lee, who created a great
senSEd0n hfst ia England aud tftefH
In thu oguptD in the later pan d the
.iSSt century. They believe Eef 70 have
heidi marital raiaitont 70 ChEisL They bold
that Tod Il DIAL, and that there is an e1er.
nGl Father and Mother 10 The Dsie, AMI
thst ibess two are the beayRnly parents oi
al SnZeliczI and human beinp. They are
spiritualiSN 10 4 certain extent in their
belief, and hold lh8. the revelation DICED
b progressive. Their mode Of worship u
pec1la3, - in it they exercise both sJui
and body. The two seIeS VI arranged IN
ranks oppysite and facing each other, the
front ranks about six feet apart. There "
Usually an N1dreas by one Of the Eideis
1pOn some doctTinGl point or some prae-
teal virtue, alter which they sing q hymn;
then they form circles around q band o.
male and female singer, 70 The music o.
whom they "go forth In the dances Of
them that make merry in which they
manifest their religious zeal, and at times
the excitement and feTTeney Of spirit be-
come yery great They belieTe themselves
N b. frequently under the influence Of
spin. agency, both Of angels and oil the
departed members Of their own fraternity
Sho have advanced further than those
sill In the body. They have q ministry
composed oflW0 brothers audtTO sisters,
Eh0 have the oversight Of from n 70
three societies, and each heH? has four
elders, two bEetheEen and two sisters.
There are three cl1sses Of members: !,
the noriti8tes, who receiving the doctrines
Of the Shakers, and living mp 10 the gen.
grai requirements Of their iEiih;r -stiii pre-
fer 70 reside with their own families and
manage their own property, for & time:
., the junior class, composed Of persons
RhO have become members Of the Shaker
communities, but have not relinquished
their property to the s0iety: and, 3.
the senioE class, comprising those
Eho after full experience q the system
have voluntarily and deliberately con.
secTi8ted themselves, their services and all
their property to the society, never % be
reclaimed by them or their legal heis.
No difference is ever made in this order
IN account Of the amount Of properly any
individual many have contributed. They,
ag well a all who retain their connection
with the community, are amply provided
Tor in health, sickness and old age.
The Shakers hold 10 oraI confession Of
sin TO God in the presence Of n or two
witnesses, a. essential 10 the reception Of
the power 70 iorsaEe sin. They also be.
lieYe in the power Of their members to
heal physical disease by means Of prayer
and dietetics. They I the only people
on this continent, Il not in the world, who
for ninety years have maintained success.
fully q system Of living, one OF the fundA.
mentA! principles Of which Is acommunRy
Of property.
The Shakers, as Christians, hold tha:
they are called To q holy and spiritual life,
not only free from all last and carnal
sexual indulgence, but even 10 rise shove
the orde Of natural and legitimate human
reproduction. They claim to die daily to
the generative nature, as Jesus and the
Apostles died 10 it, and thus to become
new creatures who are able u compFehend
the Mysteries Of God" They believe
that a perfect System OF agriculture. horti
cultureandhygiene was gradually uniolded
Ia the statutes Of Moses, obedience "a
Which, buGu dIA NV" NuuI4 SlNe EullIt
exemption from bodily diseale, and tina,
the principles contained in those laws and
statutes are to-day az binding upon ~
Christians ~ the ten commandments. The
Shakers eat M pork. All human sickness
they say, is the result Of some physiolOgi.
cal sin against the teachings Of Moses. Ia
proof Of this positiOn they cite the promise
Of Moses to Ierael. The lord y0u? God
Ehall take all sickness away from the midst
Of thee" in obedience but in disobedi.
ence be would "bring back upon them
all the diseases Of the Egyptians
Of which they were afraid, and 81
which diseases Moses had cured them in
the wilderness by means Of the physiO-
logical treatment under which he pm; at
least 100000 Of people, giving them ior
food simple mama, and for drink and
bathing pure water, cuAing them 70 breathe
pure air III open, well ventilated tents.
As we took our leave Of the Shakers Of
Enfield we could not but think OF Arte-
mus Wards experiences al Lebanon, \.
l., among the same people, and somehow
the sight Of the sanctim0niOus Elder con.
gtantly reminded us Of the individual
who had called Aremus "a man Of
sin" Those who have read
that celebrated letter Of his will
remember that II concluded Oh follows:
"Why this iumpin up and Singh? This
long Teskit bizniss. and Chls anty.maLri.
muny idee? Ny friends, you air neat and
tidy. Your lands il flown with milk and
honey. iOur brooms is fine, and your
apple sass Is honest. When a man biys 4
kcg Of apple sass Of you he don't fId a
crate many shavins under a few layers Of
sass-a little game I'm sorry to say sum Of
my New Englan ancestors used 10 prac.
tBs. Your garding seeds is fne. and
i / should SOW EN- on the rock Of Glib.
raltar prObly ] should raise q good mess
81 sass. Yur air honest In -FOUR dealins,
You air quiet and don't disturb nobody,
For all this / give you credit. But yir
re!igin Is small pertateS, ] must say. You
NOPE away yur lives here In single reich
tdness, and az yur air all by Yourselves
nothing ever conflicts With your pecooler
idees, except when human mater busts
out among y1r, as l understand she some.
tunes do. You wear long weskits andlonp
faces, and lead q gloomy life indeed, No
children's prattc ia ever hearn around
your hearthStuns-You air in a dreary
fog all the time, and Won treat the ioliy
sunshine Of life as tho II was A thief
driyin !. from your doors bythem yeskILs
and meal bag dresses and pecooIcr
noShens OF yourn. Here you air, all pend
up BY yerselvcs, talkin about the sins
Of the world you don't know nothin
Of. Meanwhile said world continues 10
resolve round on her " axletree onct
In every p hours and is a very pleasant
place Of residence. It's a unnatural, On.
reasonable and dismal life you'te leading
here. Soft strikes me. Ny Shaker friends.
now bid you q welcome adoo. You hev
treated me exceedin well. Thank you
kindly, one and ALL"
The Late Gov. stanton of wheeling.
Extract from = Letter In the Chlcago Tribune. d,,id
at ATepia, Illinois. ~
Il as ,nu RA..- "