Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-03-30

aud the latter are partaken OF IN silence
4 On entering the dining-room the
i brothers enter one door, the sisters an.
other, and all enter quietly and kneel
few moments at their low-backed
chairs, then rise, eat, kneel again, rise,
and leave the room, fifteen minutes be-
ing given for this.
"The world" people frequently at
tend the "home services" but 1t IS
much against the shaker" desire.
There are no servants at Shaker
village All must work, and any one
seeming respectable, with a desire to
lead celibate life, is usually taken
among them. on probation at first, by
signing an agreement that for any and
all services rendered they shall not be
given more than board, lodging, and
clothing. They do this as a protection
to themselves.
If one having property or money
comes among them, the wealth goes
into the common fund, and is equally
distributed to each alike as they need
it, for living; but If the person de-
sires to leave them, his property is
wholly restored to him, although moth
ing added to it.
It is thus with their school. The
school is county one, and if one OF
the Shakers is its teacher, the money
is drawn and placed in the common
fund for ALL
The Shakers are no respecters OF per-
sons. All stand on an equality the
rich, the poor, the educated, ignorant,
refined, coarse.
Books are not their highest idea of
obtaining knowledge; land it makes
the people dissatisfied, too much read
ing and writing, the elders said to me.
/ found the Shakers to be very mar
row in many of their views. as they
could not we'll be otherwise, living in
the isolated, non-progressive way they
do.
Many of the olden-time industries are
done away with, broom making, corn
drying, and few Shaker medical rem
edies among the most prominent, to-
gether with stock-raising, etc.
The community is entirely self-sup-
porting, and not an eleemosynary insti-
tuition, as many suppose. Therefore, it
is not desirable to receive as member
any one who is not able to "pay his
way" by his labor, unless he has means
to live upon without.
The women and girls of this commu-
nifty, I found to be, to great extent,
superior to the male portion, although
there were exceptions.
They are credulolls people, and fire.
quently imposed upon.
Nearly all are in favor of woman
suffrage, and most of them strong spir-
itlalists.
The head of the Community is
Mormon, and she Informed me that
they preferred to take women, as no
woman ever came to them without hav-
ing change of garments, and always
made herself useful, while in many in
stances men came who did not have a
change of clothing, the garments upon
them hanging in rags; and after sup
plying their needs they were frequent
ly too lazy to work.
Corporal punishment is prohibited
Ii child cannot be gotten along with
without this, he is turned over to some
other authority.
No one is permitted to leave the
premises while a member without per-
mission.
Once year all are given what is
called "a harvest ride" This is looked
forward to with a good deal Of pleas
ure: The great wagons are loaded
with old and young, and hampers and
baskets are filled with the choicest vi
ands in their store, and then day is
made of it, either off to the woods, or,
more frequently, to neighboring vii
lage, where there are unusual sights
to be seen.
A few of the elders and addresses
sometimes come to the city and visit
relatives and friends.
No one is permitted to go alone, only
III very rare cases:
The rules of the Community are less
rigid than in former years.
Twas delightfully."- surprised to come
upon a group of beautiful girls, all in
their neat white caps and straight, full
gowns, with the uniform cape pinned
prim]y across the shoulders, playing
croquet, the gayly colored balls flying
over the velvety grass with the &C,
curacy OF accomplished players, as in
deed they We're; yet many Of the old
Shakers consider it a grave sin, and
were shocked when l took "a hand"
and wore u rose at my throat, and
laughed, and talked to the girls.
In this game the boys were not al
lowed to take part.
When one becomes i'll, aged, or in
firm, and unable to work, he is sent to
the Nurse House." building at the
Center" erected for this purpose,
where there are those in attendance to
care for them.
The Shakers" do not believe that
every one should become a Shaker"
only those "to whom it is given" and
able to live this celibate life, feeling
convinced that it is the only true
LIFE" To these they offer home, with
simple. primitive comforts-no luxury
and life that is continual self
denial.
While it has certain inducements.
there are many grave drawbacks, es-
pecially to an impulsive, active, pro-
gressive nature, who must be all re-
straint, repression and non-expressive.
All ambition is laid low in the dust
here. 1t has much to remind one of a
monastery.
It is in a Shaker community" as
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