Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-20

as the more remote one Is Called,
was assembled. At one end Of the long.
rather dark room. with Its highly polished
moor, sat row Of girls and women, In
their quaint dress, their exquisite faces
every one angelic in expression and Of I'M
usual physical attractiveness. At the oppo-
site end were several boys, three middle
aged men and one very old man. The
Shaker brethren in their attire do mortify
the flesh to greater degree than the wo-
n en-, being to an eye that would overlook
the seer-iike calm of their faces comical,
with their long hafraand homemade tailor
ang. Each face, however, showed In differ
ent degrees that glorious consciousness
Elder John had expressed of triumph over
a carnal nature
A bell sounded and with swish Of skirts
l got the impression of moving wings and
spirits entering, so swiftly and somehow
mysteriously members Of the first family
appeared. and, sixty in all, they ranged In
TWO bodies, men one and women the other,
opposite each other, and began to sing. My
imagination is lively. and the conditions
were such as to warrant exaggeration Of
ural
But in truth 1t seemed to me the voices
OF these strange people possessed spirit
ual quafty-high, free, vehement motion
toward God that made their singing seem
the very essence of angelic worship.
Following the first sorg Elder John. in
contain the whole range of human SYM
pathy, divinely harmonizing human ills
with cody cures, spoke of their life, ex-
horting each to adhere to its purpose, and
instantly ne was done clear voice broke
into song and the whole body joined. NOV
Ing the while in circle about the room
waving their hands, their bodies having the
appearance Of volatility. Elder John told
movements while they sing is that their
knowledge OF how intimate is the asso-
citation of body and spirit in man informs
them that a stolid body in worship acts
IKE an insulating medium in the way Of
currents of inspiration induced by lifting
up their hearts to God. Therefore, they
have these various principal exercises of
worship which stand in the same relation
ments have to an idea of the beautiful in
expression. The prayer concluding the
meeting was begun in silence kneeling, I'M
TN some one moved by enthusiasm burst
into song
The Various Activities.
The rema' nder Of the day I spent in
quiet enjoyment Of the rare life into which
I had been projected-entoyment that In
blissfulness and uneventfulness bordered
on the ecstatic.
The next morning 1 assisted Harriet, the
sister who had done the cooking for me. in
clearing away the breakfast dishes and
working in the kitchen, the like of which
have never before known. I realized what
George Eliot may have had in mind when
she said that to her mind there was more
Of home in an orderly kitchen than Is
possible to be made in any other room of
a house.
When the breakfast dishes were finished
I went with Eldress Fanny through the
work shop. in which the brethren do car
pentering, tl.en out to the dairy, where, as
If arranged for a stage spectacle. SO little
reference to possible utility did their Won
the buckets for milking on the shady porch
outside, and within a shining gasoline en-
CINE that operates mechanism for separat-
Ing cream and does the churning. From here
we went to the laundry. This had every
convenience for the. work to be found in a
city laundry, thug reducing the burden to
the minimum Upstairs was room for
drying clothes in bad weather, and the
In the ironing room. If private households
were arrsnged with the regard for making
wcman's work systematic and easy that
is everywhere manifest by the Shakers
many worlds women" would speedily
solve the servant question as have the
Shakers-serve themselves.
It was o'clock when I was in the laun-
dry. and at this early hour the sisters had
their weeks washing for sixty persons
finished, and were beginning to iron.
The Shaker Atmosphere.
In the dwelling house the sitting room of
the sisters is also their work shop. Here
were great machines for straw weaving,
anu W.. hhiS tdpiSS. ouI TIC SNAuShSo VI
shop was so softened by touches of beauty
and over all that indescribable air of sweet
ness, purity and simplicity which is the
Shaker atmosphere, that the thought Of
labor became a temptation to the indolent.
A Shaker is never idle. I saw the girls
just come from washing as soon as they
sat down to rest were at once occupied
with knitting. Yet with all the evidence
Of ceaseless industry apparent there was
absolutely no suggestion Of slavishness or
of bondage of any sort. 1t was all the
voluntary labor of love-love of God that
accords the Creator His property in all His
creatures. and holds their activities and
opportunities in time accountable to Him.
When I said goodbye to the sisters it
was like leaving my own kindred, so broad
is their spirit to include every good love Of
ones life in their sphere. I was driven to
the station by one of the brethren, called
Henry, whose face like Elder Johns, is
radiant with that peace of mind which
passeth all understanding"
"Well," said Henry, do you think you
have learned what Shakerism is now?'
"Oh, yes" answered, with the pride and
assurance of a peacock. Il know 1t thor
oughly. and it accords with all my theo-
ries'
''Yea," replied Henry. but theories con-
tain small wisdom. To know the doctrine
you must live the life"
To which was bound to agree and with
my beautiful tliree-eyed feathers dragging
in the dust I left the Shakers a greatly
humbled sort Of PAULINE PRY.
The vuJror1<1 NJ Wealth,