The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1886-04-01
A SHAKER SETTLEMENT.
The Prosperous Society at Canter
bury, N. III.

An elderly woman, with fine fea-
lures, fresh complexion, gray hair,
and sweet voice, sat beside young
man on a train from Boston which ar
rived in New York few days ago.
They were chatting, and a magazine
article on the Moravian settlement in
Pennsylvania introduced the subject of
the Canterbury Shakers.
"When visited the Canterbury set
tlement in New Hampshire little over
a year ago." said the lady, Il found
three families, who live and are gov
erned separately. They worship in one
church in summer, but in winter for
convenience, occupy halls in their sepa-
rate buildings. The family l visited
was the first or church family My
daughter was with me.
1--WE arrived in the evening at the
society's Office. !. chreeful-looking
woman, who we afterward learned was
Sister Elizabeth, opened the door wide
to our rather timid knock. She well
coined us kindly to a sitting-room and
bade us be at home. Her costume was
like that of all of the women. A gray
pongee gown, cut with plain round
waist, loosely fitted her figure. The
full skirt was plated in small uniform
kilt plaits. A large white handkerchief
was folded about her neck and across
her breast in some wonderfully pretty
way, which could never afterward inn
itate. A close little cap of lace, like a
milliner's bonnet frame, covered her
blond hair, which was combed straight
back and fastened in fiat knot behind.
The Shaker costume, though ugly in it
self, made Sister Elizabeth look very
sweet. It just suited her quiet eyes,
her gentle, smiling mouth and reposed
manner.
''The Shaker women wear a hoop of
some contrivance which extends the
skirt with straight, gradual slope
from waist to hem. It gives them
stately look. The women, with rare
exceptions, are thin and pale, with a
sober and sometimes severe counte-
nance. We saw no plump, happy faces.
Even the children look old and staid,
and speak with something which
sets them apart from ones sympathy.
II spoke of the women first, because
they interested me most, and besides
they outnumber the men five to one.
They are remarkably refined and in
tellectual for their class. The men,
with the exception of the elders and a
few others, are inferior to the sisters in
all respects. They are, however, ex-
tremely kind and courteous to the
women. The sisters look after their
wants with motherlY care, each of the
elder sisters having charge of the
clothes and general well-being of one
or two brothers.
"The Shaker settlement is very pros
porous in a worldly sense. There are
various buildings belonging to the soci-
ety-homes, a school-house, work
shop for the men, and also one for the
women and another for the children.
There are printing g-office, an infirmary
presided over by an elder sister, and
containing full equipment of drugs
and medicines.
"Of course, the main support of the
colony and its income is from the farm.
which is large and under high state
of cultivation. 1t is we'll stocked with
horses and cattle, but they do not raise
either. Pigs there are none, and pork
is prohibited as unclean food. Some of
the horses are fine stock.
"The house in which we were enter
tanned belonged to the first family. 1t
was large and square. The halls and
staircases were on opposite sides of the
house, one for the men and the other
for the women. The floors were of
dark wood, stained and polished. The
doors and castings were stained pecu-
liar yellow throughout. Nothing poor
or mean was used in either the furniture
or decorations. Everything was simple.
In our room large; handsome rugs of
soft wool, made by the Shakers, lay upon
the floor. They resembled Smyrna
rugs. In opposite corners were two
white beds, and in another corner was
little cast-iron, wood-burning stove,
plain and smooth. In it fire cracked
cheerfully. These stoves are in every
room. The curtains in all the houses
were most dainty and novel, and why
they are not used elsewhere for there
asthetical value is strange. They were
of white linen, suspended by brass rings
on bright brass rod. The curtains
were starched stiff, and where every
ring was sewed crease was ironed
from top to bottom. When drawn
back they formed fiat mass of folds
and were tied high up at the side of the
side, small-paned windows by brass
fixture like shepherds crook. When
the curtains were down each side look
ed like half-open fan.
"a tall, old-fashioned clock stood at
the head of each staircase. The clocks
are as old as the house itself-one hum
dred years. Meals are served to guests
in room and at table by themselves.
This hardly seemed hospitable, but
Sister Elizabeth explained that the
Shakers always ate in perfect silence.
The brothers and sisters sit on opposite
sides of the table.
ssThe Shaker schools must be elegant,
but we did not visit them. The children
are well advanced in reading, arithme-
tic, and particularly in music and sing
ing. Even the smaller children read
music readily. The proficiency in
music is owing to the fact that the
teachers themselves have obtained the
best possible instruction. The whole
family, at time, when the farm work
is light, drill in singing for two half
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