The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-29

Shakers is problem difficult of solution.
They are absolute celibates, are most
pronounced and practical communists,
and revere the memory of Mother AM"
fully as much as that of 1.-The man Jesus"
They are not a very large sect, there being
only eighteen regular societies of them in
this country, with an aggregate of about
5000 members; but some of the most use
full inventions in husbandary and plain
manufactures and machinery are OF Shaker
origin. Poverty, vice and crime are said to
be unknown to them, while disease they
claim to have almost fully conquered.
To the worldly and practical San Fran
ciscans a Shaker community would be a
curiosity greater than was the Inauguration
of the Altrurian colony, for mere altrurian-
ism is tame compared to the radical ideal
ism of the Shakers. Such a community,
or as they call it, society" with a men,
bership of about $50, composed of both
sexes, lives generally in one building, the
brethren dwelling in one end OF 1t and the
sisters in the other. The sexes meet only
at meals or at worship. Such communi-
ties exist at Mount Lebanon, Canaan, and
in Albany County, \. y. West Pittsfeld,
Aver and Shirley Village, Mass; Shaker
station, Conn; East Canterbury and En-
field, n. H. Alfred and Sabbathday Lake,
Me-; Union Village, Preston and Dayton,
Ohio, and Pleasant Hill and South Union,
KY.
Missionary Dove has begun work here
in good earnest and held two meetings
yesterday in Golden Rule Hall at 948 Mis-
sion street where he is also domiciled.
These meetings were not attended in very
large numbers, and probably among the
few interested ones that listened to the
speakers familiar talks On the history
of the sect his views OF the millennium and
his enthusiastic panegyrics on celibacy
md NrTNa mn ~ Of woo O
pang or two of disappointment in not wit
Messing any OF those remarkable spiritual
manifestations and physical perturbations
which in the past have afforded the pro-
fame and skeptical an opportunity of nick
naming the United Society Of Believers
"ShakerS"
Eyes" affirmed Mr. Dove, ri am here
to organize a society. ! became Shaker,
as YOU call us, about three or four years
ago, and at the time of the Worlds Fair
went to East Canterbury. It has been
spiritually revealed to US that such So
cietv would be established on the Coast
and so when l came out here / had that
object in view. l have lately received
positive communications to 90 to work
Immediately.
"From almost time immemorial there
have been similar societies in existence.
Such were the Ascetics of Persia, India
and China, the Therapeutics in Egypt and
the Essences OF. Judea. Their doctrines were
about the same in principle; that is, they
were celibates, and enjoyed the holding OF
goods in common.
During the seventeenth century a GER
tain sect sprang up in, l think, the north
France, who were called the French
Prophets Some of these prophets
crossed over to England, and, revolving
against what they considered a general
system of anti-C christ, preached that the
end of that particular dispensation or or
der of things was come. They made a
number of converts among the Quakers
with whom we are sometim es con-
founded.
ga small society of these believers was
presided over by James and Jean Wardley
in Manchester, England, in 1747, and
among its members was a. remarkable
young girl named Ann Lee. She seemed
wonderfully led spiritually, and soon after
was given a revelation in which the origin
of sin and means OF redemption were
plainly shown to her. These people, al
their meetings. were accustomed to be
seized with great bodily shaking, owing to
their spiritual power. hence the nickname
Shakers Ann Lee was thereupcn ac-
copied as the Mother of an entirely new
order of things, and in liza received a reve.
lation that there was soon to arise great
nation from the American colonies, indie
pendent of Europe and having a constitu
ton and civil institutions that would
guarantee perfect freedom of conscience
for. mind you, the Shakers were very much
prosecuted for long time.
Mother Ann came over to America
and a colony of only eight Shakers estab.
hshed itself at Watervliet, in New York
and soon after during great revivals al
New Lebanon, large number of orthodox
Christians united with them and pro.
claimed the millennium as having come
The original colony of eight rapidly grew
to a society of 1000 members, the frs