The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-01-21
The Shakers.

hShed the Millennlal Church, which from
the manner of its worship, came to be known
as the Shaker Society Finding great OPP
position in the Old World, they sent ten or
twelve of their older members to America
in search of a more hospitable home. They
joined together and purchased tract OF
land near New Lebanon, \. Y. The ground
was held in common and the proceeds OF
their labor went into common treasury.
These were followed by nearly the entire
church. Communities were established in
a dozen or more places in New England
and Kentucky and large number settled
in the wilderness. four miles south OF lie
banon They had considerable money which
they used in clearing the land, and erecting
buildings. They claimed the New Testa-
ment as their guide, and preached that ce-
hbacy Is essential to the highest state of
Christianity. Families were broken up,
and the marriage relation was entirely done
away with. Ann Lee was exalted to the
rank of saint and termed the elect lady.
They claimed that she was the woman
spoken of in the twelfth chapter of Revela-
ton. and that she spoke seventy-two Ian
guages unintelligiblc to the living. but I'M
derstood by the dead, with whose spirits
she was in constant communion. Their
blessings. temporal aud spiritual they as-
crihed to her as the agent Of Christ. the
first celebate and Savior Of mankind. \
Westinghouse was built near their dwell
ing, in which they held the most peculiar
riteS. The men entered by private door
and the woman BY one on the opposite side
Separate SEATS were provided for each, and
strangers we've assigned to the hack part of
the house The meetings opened in silence,
which was broken by one of the ministers
rising and making short exhor,ion to hive
holy life. The worshiPers then rose and
formed in lines as for an old-fEhioued
dance. One Of them would start a monet
ouoas song. sometimes without words all
would keep time with their feet. jumping
few inches from the floor and advancing IN
regular order. increasing the rapidity Of
the movement ss the singing grew more
animated. This was kept up till their
nerves were wrought to such pitch that
they were nften thrown into commissions,
in which they shook ike a person affected
with the ague. From this they obtained
the name -Shakcrs. which has clung to
them and j. now recognized BY them a.
their title Daring their dances they were
Frequently stopped by the minister to listen
10 a harangqle. The interiudsS seldom last
ed morc than ave or ten minutes, The
hopping. uT dancing. was renewed with IN
creased fcrvor. the met throwing of their
cats and spriuging mp as high a. the tops
Of the benches. At times the exercises
werc varied by whiriing around rapidly in
imitation Of the Oriental dervishes. Thesc
forms we're suggested by passage in the
3lss chapter 0f Jeremiah, which reads
Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance,
bath the young men and the old together ,
for win turn their mourning into joy. and
vii cumfor, them and make them rcjoice
from their sorrsw They were spiritual
ists. and we're continually having revelations
frsn the spirit wsFld They taught that
there j. an intermediate state between earth
and Heaven. in which there ars. griaations
Il happiness and misery, and not one heaven
AtfA NflE Nf5AAr ArHA ttNaEAN rs Fh++AN-
the rewards and punishmsnts are mc'ed
oas somewhat in accordance With the de
are, IL holiness or sin which Was attained
10 life. AIills, factories and shops were
established ou their farm, and everything
neco~ary in their primitive manner Of life
was manufactured on their premises Large
quantities Of woolcn goods hats, bonnets,
barrels. tubs. buckets, brooms, dried herbs,
garden scs.,ls. preserved fruits, and cheese
were sold. and - exact and honest were
shey IN preparing them for the market that
they always commanded a premium. Their
farm Of 500 acres Of rich meadow and
woodland Was stocked with imported short
horn rattle and English sheep, Their
herds were unsurpassed in America. and
MANY IL the most popular families OF short
horns in the country can BE- traced back To
them. Their prosperity attracted converts
who focked in until one immense house
after another had to be built 10 aeoommo-
date them. aud their broad -brimmed bats,
plain horne-spun coats and scuttle-shaPed
straw bonness became as familiar as the
peculiar garb Of their Quaker neighbors,
who settled by the hundreds around them
They we're a pcaccable. industrious and
highly prosperous SET Of men and women
Yet the lack Of individuality is slowly but
surely killing the community and the end
Of It's first century viii find nothing but the
name left. The adventures, disappointed
lovers. broken-hearted husbands, widows,
hopeless spinsters, homeless wanderers and
men out Of employment who rushed into
il found nothing but quiet home, self
sacrifice and constant round of hard work
that brought them no reward. The spirit
Of adventure soon left them, the broken
hearts healed, the spins,ers longed for
their little dominions in the households of
married brothers and sisters, the idle found
employment and the wanderers wandered
away. The children that they took from
the poor houses and asyiums and reared
with so much care were claimed by their
parents or rebelled at the thought of spend
ing their lives out Of the world and away
from the home and social circle Only one
in many remained They were the men
and women who entered from religious con-
vietion. The old ones are dying of rapid
" and there are none to take their place
Tramps come along in the fall and want to
join to secure place by their biz, blazing
hearths, but so many of them have come
and gone that they are looked on with sus
picion. The great farm is rented out to
tenants, the factories and shops have been
closed, the big storehouses that used be be
filed with the products of their looms and
benches contain few wagon-loads of
brooms. a few barrels of dried sweet corn
and few bottles of sarsaparilla syrup.
The pedigrees of the shorthorns have not
been entered in the herd books for four or
five years. The imported sheep have de
generated. The fences need repairing, and
buildings in some of the families have
not known whitewash or paint for long
time.
The houses look deserted. Only hand
full of orphan children peep through the
cracks in the school house fence at the pas
sing traveller. The farmers around the
village shake their heads when asked about
the condition of its inhabitants, and proph-
esy that they will soon be gone.-Detroit
Free Press