The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1879-09-05
A Shaker village.

The grassy street we entered was
silent. No person was visible; there
was no sign of life in the plain gaunt
buildings on either side. These
buildings, of the architecture of New
England barns, but painted white
and pierced with windows, made no
offer of hospitality. One on the
right appeared to be salesroom
and a storehouse. Next was the
great meeting bouse-a tabernacle
of simplicity, with hooded door
way. Opposite were workshops, and
there were other buildings of which
we could not divine the use; but at
the end of the campus rose the high
rooted dwelling house called "The
Home" ornamented with the only
vanity of the premises-a low steeple
containing a bell. Why was the
bell on the dwelling house instead of
on the meeting house? If we could
ring it, would there be any life
evoked
The great buildings stared at us
with closed doors and windows. For
any evidence of humanity we might
as we'll have been in Pompeii. Had
some sudden calamity swept away
the community, or was it, perhaps,
the hour of meditation? We waited,
we watched, we listened. The 81
lence was profound. It was after
noon, and all the place was flooded
with sunlight. Summer had not yet
come, but there was premonition of
it in the soft grey sky fecked with
blue-the veritable color of C@sar's
| eyes-and in the wandering wind
that moved the low grass gently and
had in it yet little shiver Of spring.
1t was day when the south side of
a friendly barn, where the hens are
burrowing in the warm soil, is the
most comfortable place in the world.
Had we come this long way mere
| ly to see reed shaken in the wind
Nay, we had come to see Shaker,
and behold, no Shaker, not even the
least that is was seen. 1t occurred
to US to return to what appeared to
be the 'store' and seek information.
1t was closed fast like the other
houses, as if no customers were de-
sired. and it was only after persistent
knocking that the door opened part
way and gave to our view the vision
of a thin, tall, angular female, in
scant, plain skirts, whose severe face
was neither an invitation to the
monastic life nor a promise of in
formation. We were put in the posi-
ton of intruders upon something
holy and unattractive. But what
right had we, children stained with
the world, to expect civility and an
angelic face in a person set to guard
the portals Of celibaey and non-re-
sistance, woman who for fifty years
had been hardening into the attitude
of setting her face against the world?
Words were not wasted on US. Could
we enter the house
| "Nay.'
! And we felt that we were not
worthy to do So Could we have the
key to the meeting house ?
"Nay"
And the refusal seemed just. Could
we go into any of the houses?
"Nay."
The door was now only a crack
open. Could we see anybody?
"Find the Elder y
And the door shut, decidedly.
Even sweet virgin may get sour by
standing too long.
The advice to find the Elder was
good, but Elders were as scarce as
youngsters. No person was in sight.
We lounged down by the wash
house, alongside of which ran
sparkling brook, noiseless between
it's grassy banks. In the next build
ing we heard a hammering. Here,
then, was life. It seemed to be some
kind of workshop. We entered.
Nothing on the first floor. Above,
we at last found that would open. 1t
opened into a shoemaker's shop, oc-
cupied by single man.
Brother" we said, lean you-?"
az amt no brother
You are not Shaker?
Not much. I'm shoemaker.
Hired"
Where, then, are the Shakers? "
"I dunno, in the fields, maybe,
and the goddess man slammed away
on his lapstone to the utter destruc-
ton of further conversation.
We went down discounted. This,
we thought, ID strange community,
where nobody will commune. Sup
pose we wanted to join, how could
| we do it? Since one cannot be born
into it, how does he get in? The
great barns behind the houses were
invitingly open, but they were as
empty as the houses appeared to be.
| Not "mco," not baa," nor a
ableat" to be heard. l think we
should have given up the quest of
truth, and gone away convinced that
the Shakers had all been absorbed
into the ground-sunk down and not
left even a broadbrim above the place
of their disappearance as monu-
ment even-if we had not at the mo-
ment espied little school house hid
den in the trees, and two pretty lit
tie girls in the yard in front of it,
studying their lessons under the
shade of soft maple pretty pic
ture of education ii It's sweetest
form. Heaven be praised, here is life
at last, and the very beginning Of it!
i We aaunfnrad douu fawarrc this