Morning journal and courier., 1890-07-07
A NEW YORK SUMMER RESORT.
Perlander on the Quakers OF Duchess
County-Some Historical Facts.

AIxzEN Tor HOTEL,
Pawling, ,Dutchess County, N. Y, July A..
To the Editor Of the JOURNAL AND COURIER.
The Quakers of Quaker Hill have long
been noted for their thrift, their wealth and
their hospitality. The farms of Dutchess
county have always been prissd for the fer
tility of their soil and the richness of their
products. Therefore all about are large and
attractive farm houses, superb crops, sleek
kline and active hens. While the butter,
eggs and honey make of breakfast a royal /
festival. Some years ago the Quskers In
meeting house assembled concluded that the i
hospitality racket was being worked by
their city relatives and acquaintances. So
after deliberation they concluded that they /
would contribute to the erection of a large /
and commodious house to which they could |
direct the wayfarer; and that they would
appoint man to keep the house to whom
they could sell their products, who in turn
might charge the city folks full prices, 80
that both he and they would be profited; and
hospitality which was becoming burden
turned to unallsyed joy. They also bar
gained with the man to receive partial pay
provided he would have quiet
room wherein they could enjoy the same
without being observed by wives, daughters
or sisters so that no scandal should come to
the brotherhood. All this has been faithful
ly carried ont. The house is large and COM
modious The spirits are good enough for
| any Quaker, and the products are as good as
| he could be expected to supply. Pawhng Is
| two hours away from New York on the
Harlem railroad. The house is three miles
| nearer the Connecticut boundary line than
Pawling and four hundred and fifty feet
| higher up in the air, as Pawling claims an
altitude of nearly eight hundred feet. The
/ house must have an altitude of nearly twelve
| hundred feet. The air is fine enough to keep
| Quakers sober IL they be moderate in their
| potions.
i Quake, Kill is historic ground. Up and
/ down the valley there were warm fights dur
ing the revolution. Washington, of course.
was here. Staid one of many thousand
nights he ia supposed to have passed in rev.
olntionary houses, and there is the house.
Moreover, you are told that the old meeting
house was turned into a hospital, and that
| many q dying groan was groaned within Its
walls. There are high.swelling hills in all
directions. There are no mountains nor
streams nor lakes. The views. therefore, are
rather prosy, somewhat monotonous and
dull. A quiet aud pleasant place of escape
for New Yorkers, not especially attractive to
| tourists.
How the Quakers came here Is unknown.
They probably came when Boston had had
enough of them, killed q few or them aud
frightened the last of them out of their wits
and of Massachusetts bay. The high land
between Connecticut and New York gave
| them shelter There must have been many
| of them for the old meeting house Is large
enough for hundreds of them to quake In
concert. There are Shermans about. Gen
u e>t- nf
the hills shadow. The original Sherman
was a contractor from New Haven and built
, | the meeting house. When he had finished
| the job he married the prettiest, and oil
course the richest Quskeress on the Hill; set
tied down and did not le. religious scruples
with his neiehbors. A ssnsible Sher-
, man. When Hicksite notions fut
tered the sisters aud steeled
the brothers bosoms, there was trouble
= discord, riot and finally q split. An opposi'
| ton house was built which is still used by
| the few adherents to the tenants OF Fox. The
. | majority of the descendants of the early set
q tlers are now content to worship with theil
= less austere brethren, and to take theirs Al
straight and nearly as boldly as the sinners
The great name hereabouts Is Akin. II
: order to be anybody at all socially on tn
!, Hill, that is. among the aborigiuies you mus
= at least have had grandmother's aunt b.
y | the name Oh Ak1n. All nearer approacucs y
l. the name give, of course, higher social posi-
tion. To be an Akin yourself is the spm
mum bonum socislis The Akias are
q Quaker Hill what the Biernes are to Virgins
. The chief of the Atkins is fine old gentle
man of eighty-seven, who goes about in
" shaky pbston and lhabby coat. He
If genial, pleasant and full of information.
IA is the largest stockholder in the hotel an
= owns property for miles about. All th
i | other Atkins look up to him as their head an
le supreme ruler. They revere and fear hin
ID He adheres to the simple spelling of th
word and asserts that all the Atkins an
Aikens are wretched photographers. q
ut longs to get at them with schoolmaster
ma | rod.
The country all along the Connecticut bo
10 der and for a mile and half in breadth
is called the "Oblong," and once belonged |
D. Connecticut. If you will look at the wat,
:. front of Connecticut you will see that it laI
~ over the natural boundary of New York, an
l. that quite jag of natural New York belong
IN to the nutmeggers. This bit was early se
h tied by pious men from Connecticut, WI
brought all their piety with them. Findir
.. themselves sorely oppressed by the godls
az barbarians, and then, and even now to O 81
extent constitute the population of Ne
Il York, they sent up sad whine of plsinti,
o. The authorities of the two states, pityir
a the unhappy wretches, agreed that Il
Jig should be surrendered :. to Connec
ne icut and placed under its ecclesiastical ear
he A slice of Connecticut thereafter called II
es "Oblong" should in compensation be ceded
if New York. There was rejoicing all aroun
for the Quakers rejoiced to be New Yorker
en- the New Workers rejoioed to be rid of tl
interlopers at any price, and the pious m'
of Connecticut rejoiced ct the wedge tn,
in had entered into tho land of sin and at Il
" brilliant prospect of subduing the whole
hv the Empire state to the authority of Cent
~ church.
las The facts presented in this letter are deri
,ar ative facts-facts obtained from conversatis
is- with members of the Akin family and fro
~. perusals of the published books and sacr'
ne writings of the Quakers of the hill. A writ
ls, can not be held TO strict responsibility I
ts, derivative facts. He is responsible for
80, manner and method of deriving, but not T
=" ~. the facts derived. For his own original fac
lly he is of course responsible. That is, fac
rts which he sees with his own eyes, hears wi
ne. his own ears, or facts which
e spontaneous effort he derives imm
"a diately from his own CONSCIOUSNESS
ing Facts derived from consciousness are, on 9
ing count of their metaphysical nature, the me-
valuable facts. Of these facts the readers
the JoUNAL AND COURIER may rest assur
bis that the supply will be full and Of crys
the purity.
One immense blessing is being enjoyed
tne this day we celebrate; not q frecracker, I
100; q torpedo is allowed within radius Of I
7il- hundred feet Of the house. AQuaker's Id