The Hawaiian gazette., 1881-11-23
General .aHrrrEzndisr.
HOLJ.TSTER a: I'm
HAGKFETn a an
Among the Shakers.
A VISIT TO MOUNT LEBANON.

HOSPITALITY OF ELDER EvANs-THE GREA
COMMUNAL PARMA GLIMPSE OF sHAKEl
DOMESTIC LIFE-THEIR sPIRITuALIsTI'
cnEED-A sEANcE AT MOUNT LEBANON
TALES OF SPIRITUAL MANIFESTATIONS II
MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY.
For many years had desire to visit
Shaker community, arising in part from curl
osity concerning exceptional religious growth
and in part from an interest in the problems o
cooperative industry which have been solves
more successfully by the followers Of Ann Lc'
than BY any other body of people. Ny pur-
pose was quickened by reading that exception
ally good American novel, Howells's Undis-
covered Country" but doubt as to whether
/ could get an inner view of the life and idea'
of Shaker home kept me back from any def.
mite plan to put my wish into action.
Not long ago met in New York one Of the
leading men of the Shaker faith, Elder z. W
Evans. "Come up and see ia, he said, quite
cordially, at the close Of few moments chat
and gave directions for reaching the Mount
Lebanon Community, tue parent and guide OF
all the Shaker settlements in the country. A
fortnight later came brief vacation time, a
blessing that rarely occurs to newspaper work
ers, and getting enough in three days of Jer-
sey seashore resort, with its crowds Of listless
people, the glare of the sun on the hot sands,
and the monotonous swash of the waves, be-
thought myself Of the good Elders invitation.
A six hours ride from New York brought me
to Lebanon Springs, where there is a rambling
old hotel, which boasts Of Lafayette, John
Quincy Adams and Winfield Scott among its
early guests, and possesses the only Warm
Spring in the State. Thence, after bed and
breakfast and serious doubts of the landlord
as 10 whether the Shakers would really let me
stay with them, l was put forward to my jour
ney's end by the aid Of horse, boy and a
blackboard, with dollar and half for ulti-
male motive power.
"Tbis is Shaker land" said the boy as we
cleared the outskirts of the little village, "and
it runs up the hill there and down into the val
ley and away out to Canaan. They gave that
lot there where the Episcopal Church stands"
Not bgoted sect, certainly" thought, cor
they would not encourage the building of rival
churches" The boy did not know how much
land they owned, but had heard that the six
families in this vicinity held altogether about
$4,000 acres. The fields were trim and clean
Sleek cattle of the Holstein and Durham
breeds grazed in the pastures. Thick stone
walls, admirably put up and capped with broad,
fiat slabs, separated the farms from the road
way. White painted gates of uniform con-
s,rnct;on lad mt ,I,o ga. Il l-aI..,.i. -.
stretches Of brown wall With rIeas;,,r- e,Ton,
Nothing could be more refreshing and restinC |
20 the eyes Of citv man tbon ,lo ,,;ors 81 ,be
fertile valley, the billowy green slope notified |
with the orchards, grain fields and woodland |
patches, and the dark background of the low |
mountain range in the western horizon.
The first sign of the Shaker village was an
immense stone barn, such barn as l never |
HEIGHT IN front and four :, ,Lo W ,oiies ~
wera tb;ct onough for gor+ro"i 70 ~. " i
roof listened in the sunsb;no 10 ,sS sa.e
VAST e, vernon. interior liz. ous 'tS
Of n. noy n aud frI'I, IN, Wheat n,aS sfra,y
J,s, bovond this monument of c,ood busbondr,
Law The proup of dwellings. shons and officcs
belonging to the North Family" II was
here The how said | would lie likely ia find III
der Evans Find him did Ly the aid of a
smiling sweet-yoiced Shakeress who led the
way to his room. "Whv. this is extraordi
pary." he said after the first greeting. "Iwas
;ust writing Won letter urg;ny Won to come.
and be showed n balf-flled mare az wanted
Won 10 see some spiritual manifestations we
arc having now" "What. have VIM Shakers
turned Spiritualists 2" "Nav. we are the
original Spiritualists we have always had
and guidance from the shirt
world. The records of our society abound in
instances of tho display of spirit power. Our
faith was first spread bv signs and wonders |
similar to those the mediums show a-days. /
and these things have never cea, ed with us" /
This was a surprise to me. for I had supnosed |
that. like most denominations, the Shakers |
dated hack their supernatural manifestations |
TO the beginning of their sect, and admitted |
none as genuine occurring since. From the
have had with many of them
and from the lew books which constitute their |
literature, lave learned since arriving that |
their main ideas touching the future life arc
identical with those Of the Spirituaists. |
Their hymns abound in such phrases as "the |
sunmer land" 1.-THE eartl-life," scaling |
4, wn the angels" "spirit friends" etc. /
which are in current use among the modern |
Spiritualists What the Spritualists call |
trance speaking" they call "the power" |
They narrate instances when the spirit of
Joseph Meacham, one of the first disciples of
Mother Ann, inspired some brother TO speak |
with his voice and his manner and his force |
of argument, so that the listeners exclaimed
"That is Father Joseph come back to us I" |
Most of the elders have had waking visions
or significant dreams, or have at some time
exercised the same power to make tables |
move which the mediums exhibit In short, |
The Shakers would seem to be Spiritualists
dating back their faith more than century
instead Of only to the Rochester rappings. 1 !
was somewhat disappointed to find thar the |
medium on this occasion was not product of |
the Shakers themselves. but the famous Vim. |
Eddy, who had come by invitation to spend |
week in the community. had seen his per- |
formances before, and did not care greatly to
see them again, save tine novelty of a Shaker
"circlc" to witness them.
was not invited TO dine with the family. !