Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1880-09-08
Religious InpOStcrS.

nchTtouS l"pOSLcrS.
| To the editor of the Alexandria Gazette:
! An impression that was forced upon me by
| observing the eharec!or of men, Of numerous
and widely separated natioDaltics during cxson.
s!Vo travels. comes to my mind with additional
| force Whenever l look back on some cf the in.
! cldents that ccsurrod 10 my native country 10
| the days of my youth. And With sincere
desire not to cffsDd the conscientious religious
| opinions of any Of my fellow beings. can truly
| state my conviction that mankind is moro
willing to be governed, managed, even perse-
cuted aud enslaved by absurd vsgaries, mora
particularly when those vagaries are tinted
with slight religious shade, than to be left
entirely trco, or only DO required to acs toward
their neighbors exactly as they would wish
their neiShboTs to act towards them Jude: Iik.
circumstances.
Tho almost universal tendency of mankind 10
create gods. then pretend to worship them. aud
when they secure any considerable folloHiog
TO forco all about them to simulate tho same
fraud, cin only be accounted TOR by the equally
universal desire CT man to govern his fellow
men. And feel authorized to express the
opinion that the contest between usurpers ef
other mems honest esrnings aud the toicrs
themselves is not yet Terminated.
During the first halt of tho present century,
Ontario county. n Western New York, was
regarded as one OF the most highly lpt.Reat
Counties in tho State, and some of the Iaadux
politicians snd MOST cmlnenS lawyers CT the
State resided ut Canandaigu3. the county town
of Ootario county. Yet, With all the advao-
tages of very considerable wealth as well as 10
fae productive and well improved farms as in
bonds and money the general intelligence of
tho people aed the high ability of tho profes.
sioaal men and politicians. the county beo.mo
quite as noted for Vagsrious characters as for
any other feature.
rhe fret Of these characters that remember
was tho high pries:ess of kind Of commuuistic
society, callsd the scciety Of New jerusalem,
located in ver7 picturesque section 10 the
southern part of the cou1sy, not far from
Crooked Lake, establiahrd aad ruled b.
woman called Jemims Wilkison, who was s,id
to be natiVo of the State of Rhode Island.
My recollection of Jemima and her queer look
log followers ruus back TO 1916 or 1917, when,
believe. her dupes numbered about one hun.
dred, many ct whom had plSc,d thcit lands,
goods aud chattlss 10 her hands. aud. with
wita and children, gave themselves up. to Jc-
NINA and became hers 10 body aud. mind.
she pcs icssed wonderful knowledge of humaa
nature aud was iu'l of resource. Her purs, b.
coming rather uuconfortably light a. ooe TIM,
she advertised that oa q certain day those p.o
pic who had faith 10 the Lord might ba per.
mitted. for small sum OF money, to SEQ her
walk 90 the clear blus Iattr of Senec3 Like.
At the appointed timo and plac, many hua-
drcds of people assembled. Jemima beiog, with
q s'rong following OF her own, first Ga the
erouud. 50, after sho had collected oonsd.
evablo sum and dispatched it homs. she TO-
quir4d of the crowd il they had c1ms With full
faith in the Lord that she c,uld walk oa the
| water. They replied. mo" She then sail,
"Ah, my wicked. doubling friends. you have
disappointed yourselves as wall as me, for wish
| out perfect faith Of you all should sink aud be
lost. Some clIliog out that they had faith,
she told them she koew somo bad faith, aud it.
was uowse to give them additional proofs Of
her powcs to benefit them. SO long as by doing
50 it would only be misunderstood by the uoIe-
generate.
When men, haViog fsmii,s s. j,iucd her. their
! family relations CEASED, ihs wits and Children
being assigned q s,parats establishment from
the men. By far tho best. and moJS clnveoient
of all the buildings of Jeminl's Organization
| was the private residerc3 Of emima, who lived
1
1916, about six years old who always slept 10 c
crib by tho side of Jemima's bed, and whom she
made her followers believe. had be:u ei'eo to
her by an angel A lawyer OF rsighboTiny
Village did her law business and c,:sIonaly
rsmaiocd With her Two days aud vas the culy
man ever known to pass night 10 her hous,.
sJemima would then tell her little srl that if
she swoke in the night and SAW persoo 10
their room not to be frighteoed for she expected
an angel would come to SEQ them before moro
ipg, but she must rot speak to hin. The aogel
osme, and. Of course. expectation had kept the
little sitl awake aod wstohfu! The next mora
iug ct breakfast the li!to girl Was unusually
tscilurr, 50 much so that Jem!us asked her if
ANYTHING was troubling her beloved. The child
replied ,ha: ever since last uieht when | saw
tbs az gel have besn thinking thatif did GO:
know that be was au aogel, because you told
me that the angel was compg, | woud have
Thought fer all tho wcrld it was Mr. Banedc!
R:bsoc. Bsned G.; Robson wasthe lawyer.
The child grew up sad. when Jemima died
she Inherited all the estate and tho control ol
the scclely.
4 Mrs. Partirgton has been reading the health
| officers weekly report, and thinks "totaP must
i ha fn11v ali nj 6ipaaao ainca AZ maQV