The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-04-16
A SHAKER SETTLEMENT.
The Prosperous Society at Canterbury,
N. III.

An elderly woman, with fine features,
fresh complexion. gray hair, and
sweet voice, sat beside a young man on
a train from Boston which arrived in
New York a few days ago. They were
chatting, and magazine article on the
MOravian settlement in Pennsylvania
introduced the subject of the Canter-
bury Shakers.
when visited the Canterbury set
Element in New Hampshire u little over
year ago." said the lady, II found
three families, who live and are govern.
ell separately. They worship in one
church in summer, but in winter, for
convenience. occupy halls in their sepa-
rate buildings. The family / visited
was the first or church family NV
daughter was with me.
1--WE arrived in the evening at the So
cicty's Office. A cheerful-looking wo-
man. who we aftcrward learned was
Sister Elizabeth, opened the door wide
TO our rather timid knock. She wei.
coined us kindly to stting-room and
babe us be at home. Her costume was
like that of all the women. A gray
pOngee gown, but with n plain round
waist loosely fitted her figure The full
skirt was plated in small uniform plaits.
A large white handkerchief was folded
about her neck and across her breast in
some wonderfully pretty way, which ]
could never aftcrward initiate. A close
little cap of lace, like milliner's bonnet
frame, covered her blonde hair which
was combcd straight back and fastened
| in fiat knot behind. The Shaker cos
tune, though ugly in itself, made Sister
Elizabeth look very sweet. 1t just suited
her quiet eyes, her gentle smiling mouth
and rcposed manner.
"Thc Shaker women wear hoop OF
some continuance which extends the
skirt with n straight, gradual slope from
| the waist to hem. 1t gives them state
ly look The women, with rare cXcep-
tons, are thin and pale, with sober
| and sometimes severe cOuntenancc. We
saw no plump. happy faces. Even the
| children look old and staid, and speak
with something which sets them apart
from ones sympathy.
al spoke of the women first, because
| they Interested me most, and besides
they Outnumber the men us five to one.
They are remarkably refined and intel
| lcctual for their class. The men, with
the exception of the elders, and few
others, are inferior to the sisters in all
respects. They are, however. extremely
kind and courteous to the women. The
| sisters look after their wants with moth
| crly care, each of the elder sisters hav-
ing charge of the clothes and general
wcll-bcing of one or two brothers.
"lhe Shaker settlement is very pros
porous in worldly sense. There are
various buildings belonging to the So
| cicty-homcs, Il schOol-hOusc. work
shop for the men, and also one for the
| women and another for the children.
There are printing-oflicc, an iniirmary
| presided over by an elder sister, and
containing a 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 well stocked with
horses and cattle. but they do not raise
either. Pigs there are none. and pork
is prohibited us mclean 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 peculiar yell
low throughout. Nothing poor or mean
was used in either the furniture or deco
rations. Everything was simple In
our room large, handsome rugs of soft
wool, made by the Shakers, lay upon
the floor. They rcsemblcd 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 i'm all the houses
were most dainty and novel, and why
| they are not used elsewhere for their
nSthctical 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 n crease was ironed
from top to bottom. When drawn back.
they formed n flat mass of folds and
were tied high up at the side of the
| small-paned windows by'a brass fixture
| like shepherds crook. When the cur
| tains were down each side looked like n
half-open fan.
"A tall. Old-fashioned clock stood at
| the head of each staircase. The clocks
are as old as the house itsclf-onc hun
| drcd years. Meals are served to guests
in Il room and n table by themselves.
This hardly seemed hospitable, but Sis
| for Eliua hnfh nynlaip oil ~ tho Shn lore
| always ate in perfect silence. The
brothers and sisters sit on opposite sides
of the table.
1.-THE 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 posi-
bic instruction. The whole family, at
times, when the farm work is light, drill
in singing for two half hours daily. All
sing, and it is remarkable how many
fine voices there are. Their religious
hymns and anthems have been written
entirely by Shakers, and are therefore
peculiar Most of the hymns are choral,
and sung with great spirit Like the
Moravian sacred song, there is much
repetition of words and music.
THE Shakers show wonderful physi-
cal strength when they sing. They sit
and sing, march and sing, and they
kneel and sing endless verses, the last
note always as clear and strong as the
first. There is a ring of triumph and
victory about the hymns, though many
are tender and sweet. Singing is in
deed worship with the Shaker. We at
tended Sunday service In closing they
united in hymn, repeating one verse
many times; then knecling, still sing
ing, they repeat it yet again. At last,
closing their eyes as in prayer, they sang
it for the last time very softly. These
were the words:
Watching and praying find you,
Oh, my beloved, my own!
Trusting Fathers rich promise,
will not leave you alone
will not leave you alone,
Though through tho desert lead.
Or apart I'm tho mountain We pray
For strength i'm the hour of need,
] never will answer ye nay
I npvpr will onSwnr n nav