The Cecil Whig., 1881-09-03

no draw back. In its place there is the
public spirit of the community, which
spurs up all laggards, and Il strong rei-
sious conviction of duty that makes all
the members work together harmonious
Iy for the common good.
Shaker housekeeping is as praise-wor
Thy as Shaker farming. The food is sim
pie, but it is always wholesome and well
cooked and in sufficient variety. No city
market affords such finely favored vege-
tables, such delicious fruits and such
rich milk and fragrant butter as the good
sisters set before me three times day,
the best bakers The only drawback to
the pleasure of eating here is the mys-
| terious rule of the sect which keeps the
visitors from the family table and obliges
him to eat alone. have made several
attempts to get the reason for this rule,
but am always batfied. Perhaps the
Shakers have some religious exercises at
meal times the ha 'mony Of which would
be disturbed by the presence of strang
erS.
The Shakers always combine some form
Of manufacturing industry with agricul-
ture, and this is unquestionably one Of
the chief causes of the financial success
of their communities. At one time the
New Lebanon societies were the only
manufacturers of wire cards for wool and
flax made by machinery, but Others stole
their inventions and drove them out of
the market. They tried the preparations
of essence and medicinal herbs for time
and obtained large trade, but this, as
we'll as the putting up of garden seeds,
business in which they were also the
pioneers was taken from them by COM
mercial houses employing drummers.
They still put up some seed, but only a
small part of the amount they formerly
raised They now make brooms and
table mats and extract the juices of many
medicinal plants, roots and barks, which
they use to compound a medicine for
New York druggist that has large sale
all over the world. They do some weav-
ing but no longer consider it necessary
to make their own clothes, boots or
shoes. Formerly they manufactured al
most everything Worn on their persons,
or used in their houses, but the progress
of machinery has changed their custom
in this regard. Everything they make
for sale is honestly made and sold at a
fair price. They pay their debts prompt
ly and are models of uprightness and
punctuality in business dealings.
The Shaker sect is steadily declining
in numbers. The members make no con
ceaiment of this fact. The older breth-
rem speak hopefully OF the future, having
faith that a revival will come and add
largely to their strength. hut the young
er ones are in great doubt about their
church's surviving the philosophic and
material tendencies of the age.
"Our leaders are old men, said one of
them; in ten or fifteen years they will
all be dead. We have no equal talent
and devotion to our principles to take
their places. The ideas and ways of the
world gain ground with us all the time.
Our best young men leave us because
they do not like the restraints of our life
and want individual careers. Recruiting
our communities by bringing up children
has proven a discouraging failure. do
not know what will become Of us unless
there comes a change in the public mind
which shall bring the religious principle
more strongly into play"
The Shakers are not as numerous now
as in the first decade of the century. One
cannot help regretting the decline of this
singular sect. There will always be cell
bate societies in Christendom so long as
the sacrifice of natural affections and de-
sires is taught as 4 religious duty, instead
of their proper development and control
and there could sure be no more Larmlesss
kind-heartcd and sincere celibates than
the followers of Mother Ann. AS to
their cooperative mode Of working and
living, who can say that there is not in
it the germ of a principle which will yet
be needed to reform the evils of money
grabbing and monopoly? Whoever says
that community of property and co oper
ati,e industry is wrong. condemns one of
the peculiar features of Primitive Chris
tianity.