The Opelousas courier., 1905-07-08
SAINTS TROUBLE MAINE.
LEGISLATIVE ACTION SOUGHT ON
The COLONY AT SHILOH.

Conditions among the Saints o.
Shiloh and the continued expansion
Of their remarkable settlement in the
town OF Durham, where, starting witt
An old wheelbatroW and three cents
Evangelist Sanford and his follow
ers have erected buildings valued a
a little less than a quarter of a mil
lion dollars, nave begun to arouse the
people of Maine. The Saints are talk
ing about having an electric railway
from the station at Lisbon Falls tc
the gates of their temple. Recently
Sanford has bought several hundred
more acres of land III Durham, and
1t is surmtsed that he may purpose
establishing some sort of industrial
enterprise there on the Dowie plan.
A dozen of the Maine boards of
trade and the citizens of some twenty
towns have petitioned the Legislature
for al investigation of conditions at
Shiloh. Sanford himself is awaiting
a second trial Tsasa charge Of man
slaughter in having Caused the death
CT a child through a seventy hour
fast he proclaimed in the settlement.
He Is also waiting the result or an
appeal against a conviction Of cruel
treatment Of his own son, a child of
seven, in imposing a similar fast.
What will become Of the settlement
should he be removed is a problem.
Sanford Is head and front and inspir-
alton CT the movement-"the whole
thing" they say in Bufham-and
those VINO understand best the inner
workings of the colony and the in
fnence he exerts in it predict disih-
%tesration when he quits: Lii that case
the town of Durham may find itself
saddled With some 200 or 800 paupers,
or one for every t%axpaying citizen; 30
naturally the community Is anxious.
Holman F. Day, the Maine poet
whom S%andford, In the beginning of
things, impartially constituted official
~chronIcler of the progress of the
temple he had planned, tells in Les
lies Magazine the history of the
colony and describes the spirit pre-
vailing in it. Mr.. Day happened to
see the start of the movement by re-
ceiving a hurry call to show up Sand
ford, who had just busted the Quaker
meeting at Durham by converting to
his. faith two-thirds Of Its members.
One had been SO impressed that ne
had made over to the new prophet
the family homestead.
Mr.. Day found sandford in this
tumbledown old farmhouse. He
pointed through the window to an old
blue Wheelbarrow tilted up in the
yard. Then he turned out his pocket
and produced three cents.
All the earthly capital l have in
the world today" he said, you are
looking at. A w~heelbarrow and three
cents. Now come outdoors with me.
Look up there"
He pointed to the bare sandy poll
of the hill.
Il am going to start tomorrow morn
he went on, ito build a mighty
temple up there to the glory of God.
| know just how it is going to look.
God has shown 1t to me in a dream
and I have drawn it out on this piece
Of paper"
He mad drawn it in colors and it
looked a marvellous place. On the
spot, he appointed Mr.. Day, as a
doubter, the chronicler of his
progress. The next day he and two
disciples began trundling dirt with the
wheelbsrrow to prepare for the foun-
.%ations. The farmers came around
and wondered. Next day some of
them brought teams and offered to
lend a hand. Within a week hundreds |
at work.
The $250,000 temple, which Sand
ford calls "The Gates of Praise" is the
A horse trader with a chariot
and four white horses and a printer
with his outfit were among the early
recruits. The colony soon numbered
200. Sanford. nev begged, took no
collections and received no salary.
When the temple was completed he
decided the land and all upon it to
Lord God Almighty" and had the
transaction duly recorded on the An
lroscoggin registry of deeds.
When the Saints want anything they
pray for it. Sanford declares that
never yet has God failed to give them
money for the things he tells them
Through Sandfcrd} to do. Once
Sanford suddenly declared in the
that God had just instructed
lin to so to Jerusalem. He started
hat night with one disciple. Funds
we're low and they lad just $11.14 be-
.ween them. The Saints were agnast,
,ut he assured them it was Gods com
nand.
He returned three months later,
ravelling first class, with a dozen con-
Terts in his party. That day the
Saints were dedicating their com
,leted Bethesda. They had wanted
nothing in his absence.
Another time there was no food in
he place. Sanford instructed his
lost to get up at sunrise and go forth,
wo by two, preaching the Gospel.
they went In three days a hundred
we're back with plenty of food, and in
! week 500 were at work. That night
he temple was almost complete, but
;25,c0o were needed before nightfall to