The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-09-19

III Iuf84 ccdNto
hands clasped in like manner with the
females and in the opposite emo from
them.
They sa. in deep silence for some
minutes and the pure white dresses
of the females and their pale, wan
faces added 10 the solemn aspect OF
the greater part of the men, ana
made a solemn and interesting spec
t1cle. There were among them sew
eral children of both X who SEEM
ed to go through the forms OF woi-
ship with Is much exactneSS as their
elders. Suddenly. without speaking a
word, they rose from their seats ana
the benches were carried back ana
set against the wall. The two sexes
formed lines fronting each other SIM
liar 10 those which they had occupied
when sitting and commenced singing
with great rapidity some song. the
words of which l could not under
stand. This being finished they loosed
their hands from the grasp which
had been continued all the time, let
them drop to the natural position and
Immediately claSped them again. one
Of the elders now stepped forth and
made a short address to the spectators,
in which he ~exhorted them to the
observance Of good order during the
worship. The females then hung up
their napkins and the men with coats
stripped them Off, they then COM
menced to sing rapidly a brisk tune
and danced back and forward in the
lines which they occupied, now ad-
vancing towards the spectators NJ
now retreating to the opposite wall.
They kept time we'll and went through
the evolutions with the regularity Of
soldiers. This was continued until
they all were somewhat fatigued.
They then ceased. the females took
the napkins which they had brought
f-o~ thoir
faces. The benches were restored and
they resumed their seats in the order
first occupied. An old mar rose n
made a short discourse on h en-
joyment of holiness, another followed.
who ~eulogized Ann Lee, the mother
Of the society, and said she WAS great
ly slandered as a drunken old woman,
hat she was his mother, etc. An
other followed, who said that in for
mer times when a man or woman
intended to preach they had need
to study what to say, but IN our times
the themes were so and 50
prolific that there existed no such
necessity. II We looked to our own
country, the late dissolution Of the
ca binet. the head of the Government,
the. confusion growing out of it, or
to the scenes acting in Europe. Polish
war. etc, there were ample subjects.
The burthen of the speech was that
the Shaker faith produced no such
calamities as these and was there
fore preferable to any other, etc.
When be had concluded they rose
up, removed the benches again, the
females hung their napkins and re-
sumed the lines fronting each other.
Eight persons Of each Sex formed
themselves into a ring in the middle
of the floor, commenced a brisk tune
and the congregation in sections Of
five haoan tN dSnrQ ohOJTf the ring
SO as to form a procession around it.
At intervals in heir song and dance
they smacked their hands simultan-
eously, with great Violence, beating
time to the music; now and then
they halted and struck a different
tune which again set them in motion.
At length the two persons nearest
the ring of ChoriSters, in each Sec
ton, began to cOuntermarch, the
others stiN pursuing their course and
this motion was continued for some
time: they hen halted. the females
were placed agasft in the positions
and the seated. An elder
then rose and made a short address,
hoping that the opportunity of wor-
ship might be improved. etc. The
audience meeting was dismissed, they
and marched to their different houses.
the two sexes keeping distinct from
each other. There were among them
three negroes, two men and one wo-
man, who stood on an equal footing
in all respects with the whites. AS
they marched off a gentleman from
Philadelphia pointed out. to me a
Shaker who had been a citizen of that
city and had brought to the society
more than $10O, 900. / regretted tina
l could not ave a conversation with
one of them. but as it was Sunday
and | was to return in the carriage
which took me out, there was no
opportunity.
(TO be continued