The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-09-22
SHAKERISM DECLINING
HOW THIS FORM OF COMMUNITY
III Is PASSING AWAY.
So Much Good i'm Them that Outsiders
Cannot Help but Regret
Their Passing.

New York Tribune.
The announcement that the Hancock
Shakers, of Massachusetts, desire 10 sell a
large part OF their property is a straw
showing which way the wind is blowing.
That interesting society, with its quaint
community life and its spiritual traditions,
has been for some time declining. 1t has
seen more years of prosperity, probably,
than any similar organization, but time
seems TO be conquering the ideals of Ann
Lee, and the society she founded may, be-
fore long. be only a name. But it will al
ways be a name full of inspiration to those
who seek spirituality and the brotherhood
of man, and perhaps the shade of that
strange woman is satisfied at having done
so much.
The Shakers have now seventeen societies,
two in New York, three in Massachusetts,
one in Connecticut. two in New Hampshire,
two in Maine. three in Ohio, two in Ken
lucky, one in Georgia and one in Florida.
OF these the Hancock community, in Mas
sachusetts, and the Mount Lebanon settle
ment in this State wish to sell much or all
of their property and move further south.
The Georgia and Florida communities are
new, and are the beginning of what Will
l PROBABLY De an extensive migration from
the North southwark, where it costs less
to live and such necessary labor as must
be hired can be secured for comparatively
little. For the membership is not increas-
ing, and men, especially, seem disinclined
To accept 1.-THE better part" In the last
twenty years two Of the societies have died
out entirely. The population of the various
communities is probably less than half
| vrlo+ - me- n c,,o-rar IS q o,o+n-, o-o ord
now numbers less than twelve hundred
souls. ON the other hand. the property held
is quite as valuable, or even more so, and
its value does not grow less with the pass
ing of the years. Considerably over 100000
acres are held by the Shakers, and the
land has an enormous value, although
much Of it is in remote country places.
WILL BE n MEMORY.
If the decline in population, which has
been steady for a long time past, continues,
Shakerism will be only a memory in TWEEN
ty years. But 1t has already enjoyed a CEN
fury and a quarter of existence, and has
known much prosperity. Ann Lee, it's
founder in this country, was the daughter
of a blacksmith. and never learned to read
or write. She and her family were members
of the Society Of Friends, which came un-
der the influence of the French Camisards
early in the eighteenth century. and be-
came known, through the violence Of its
religious emotion, as the Shaking QUak-
ers,' eventually becoming Shakers. Ann
Lee was of the stuff of which the early
Christian saints were made. OF an intensely
spiritual nature, she wished never to mar
~. but to devote herself to the Lord. She
was persuaded TO marry a not very worthy
man who was. like her father. a black
smith, but they separated after leaving
England for this country.
Mother Ann" in 1916, founded in Water
vliet, near Albany, the first Shaker settle
ment. and a religious revival sent many
converts to the new community. Since that
time, with the exception of a brief persecu-
ton, which helped to make society known.
the United Society Of Believers in Christs
Second Appearing nave lived their quiet
lives, holding fast to their ideals of purity,
industry and brotherhood, not disdaining
the institution of marriage for others, but
choosing for themselves celibacy as the bet
ter and more Christian life.
NOT a COMMON PROPERTY.
1t is rather significant to notice that the
idea of c-ommunistic living declined as the
organization grew and became older. AT
first the thought was to hold all things in
common, but at present communism exists
only among the various families" which
go to make up a society. Each society or
settlement is divided into two or more
groups, and goods are held in common only
within these families" 1t does not follow
that what belongs to one family may be
shared by another; still less that IL may De
the property of all or any OF the other So
~cieties. TIL families govern themselves,
and when distress arises in another fam
ily' of the same society, or in a society
elsewhere. help is given, just as ii is in the
outer world. One family" may be much
richer than another. The only way in which
the families differ from the ordinary ac-
ceptatiOn of the term is that there is not
necessarily relationship between the men,
bers, and that the sexes live separately,
although under the same roof.
Although there is much liberty within
the societies, the central authority over all
the organizations of Shakers is vested in a
board called the ministry, which consists Of
two men and two women-for women have
an equal authority with the men, as di-
rected by the notable woman who made the
laws. In every position of trust a man and
a woman are associated. In every fam
lily" there is also a board of advisers, two
men and two women, who have spiritual
authority, and another board. made up in
the same way, of those who look after the
material interests of the jewellers in the
family" Mother Ann" has the distinc-
ton of being the first practical worker for
woman suffrage, and SO far as the Shaker
societies are concerned the principle has
worked well.
WOMEN ARE EQUAL
The equality OF authority given to women
is derived, perhaps, from an emphasis laid
by Mother Ann" on the motherhood" of
God. The Almighty Creator of heaven and
earth" she described as lone in essence,
dual in principle In fact, women have
IdIliSI HlOIC lid lhSlA smart l III All
of the Shakers If Ann Lee was the second
and spiritualized Eve, 1.-The first mother or
spiritual parent in the line of the female
so was Jane Wardsley, leader of the Can't
sard Society which Ann Joined, 1.-The spirit
of John the Baptist operating in the fe-
male line" But the Shakers worship
neither Ann nor Jesus, although holding
both as prophets The Bible is not, with
them, a final authority; but it is highly
valued for it's wisdom. 'Ann. the Word"
said. put your hands TO work and give
your hearts to Cod in this dictum she
put the whole spirit OF their lives, and the
result is that peace which seems SO to
distinguish the Shaker communities.
Shakers work hard and are good farmers,
but work is with them a holy duty, a
worship, and is never made drudgery. Much
time is taken up with the ordinary duties
of daily life, the farming. the cooking and
sewing. and so OH, and the daily schedule
is strict. They are, in great part, Vegetari-
ans, although the fame Of Shake cooking
travels through all the neighborhood
which contains one of their societies. Such
time as is left over from the performance
of daily duties is given to the making of
those rugs and chairs and the like which
are known from their neatness and dur
ability.
TEMPTS. TIRED MORTALS.
The custom which prevails in Catholic
countries of going into retreat for a GER
tain time every year appeals to many tired
souls who are quite outside of the com
munion of the church. If the Shakers
would take such weary mortals into their
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