The Elbert County tribune., 1906-08-23
TWO QUEER BELIEFS
FAITH OF THE HOLY ROLLERS
AND KNEE BENDERs.
Sects Have Their Headquarters in
Western New York, and Each
Year SuSIeed in Add
ing New Converts.

The latest curious sects to take root
in western New York are the holy
rollers and the knee benders. The holy
rollers were organized about six years
ago on the shores of Canandaigua
lake. and the story of the rise of this
strange religious sect is absurdly out
of place in the twentieth century. He'll
is the chief tenet of the holy rollers
belief-a hell of sputtering birthstone
and flames that eternally torture but
never consume. To this hell is des-
tined every one who does not accept
the faith. The creed embodies doc
trines which were regarded as es-
sential to happiness 100 years ago.
1t is a creed that converts by fear,
and the writer has seen a number Of
young women in various stages of hys-
terra at the conclusion of holy roller
revival meeting.
The leaders of the faith are Mrs.
Mary Mcintyre, Miss Emma Chase,
Prof. N. l.. Eastman and Elder James
Wordsworth. of Syracuse, N. Y Re
generation is effected in several ways
the course of treatment including
prayer, bathing, robing and baptism
by immersion. When these remedies
prove futile in cleansing the soul of
the sinner the penitent is obliged to
perform what the believers call the
holy roll" The unregenerate lies on
the floor at one end of the building
and rolls over and over like a log
until everyone present is satisfied that
the devil has been rolled out. Some
times the ceremony lasts a quarter of
an hour, but if the convert has been
an unusually tough customer he may
be compelled to roll for an hour or
five nours-a most heroic method of
securing salvation.
AS the subject rolls by the kneeling
audience every person has the priv
ilege to ask such questions as each
sees fit, and the convert must make
satisfactory answers before he is al
lowed to rise. The sins of a lifetime
must be confessed in detail and the
innermost secrets of the soul made
public.
Perhaps the strongest feature of
this frenzy is the establishment of the
strangest of all sects, the adherents
of which call themselves knee bend
ers. The knee benders are a small
community and live along the eastern
shore of Seneca lake. This sect orig
mated about five years ago At that
time a Swedish farmer named Bur
son, a man of some education, began
to act in strange manner. He
claimed that he had visions, and re-
fused to assist in work on the farm,
and passed most of his time on a
knoll near the lake He remained on
his knees and in answer to all in
quiries said that the great Jehovah
had commanded him to remain the
rest of his life in that uncomfortable
position. Shortly after receiving this
interesting but inconvenient revela-
ton, he began, to preach, his theme
being on socialistic lines. Gradually
his relatives became imbued with the
sincerity of his preachings and es-
poused the strange religion. The en-
tire family soon began to live on their
knees.
The enthusiasts now number about
about 200. The knee benders deny
the existence of punishment in the
next world. declaring that hell will
come on earth in the shape of some
sorrow to the wrongdoer. Prayers are
not made to the Supreme Being, but
to nature, which is held accountable
for all changes in the elements and
accidents caused by fire, wind and
water Communism is the primary
principle of this queer religion; the
farms of the enthusiasts are worked
in common. They hold knee-bending
services five times day ON the knoll
where Burson was inspired" and in
the worship their faces are turned al
ways toward the sun. Each week
revival meeting is held, and ridi-
cuious as the thing is, the knee bend
ers keep adding converts Such a
story as this belongs to 100 years ago,
but, as an illustration of religious
frenzy dominating the human mind,
it is an interesting psychological study
OF the present day.