The L'Anse sentinel., 1922-07-28
Most Remarkable Of All Religious
Groups That Found Sanctuary
in Colonial America.
TWELVE COMMUNITIES LEFT
introduced Idsa Of Equal Rights, for
Women Two Years Before Declara-
tion Of ndependence-Prac-
tlCed Real Communism.

Washington, d. C.-The idea Of
equal rights for women was introduced
in America two years before our Dec
laration Of Independence declared "all
men are created equal" Spirit mani
festations, akin to the recent popu-
larity of other world communication,
had vogue In the colonies before the
Revolutionary war.
These facts are recalled by the pro-
posed abandonment Of the Shaker COM
anunity In Enfield, New Hampshire,
which Is reported to have dwindled
from $50 members to only six sur
vivcrs, says bulletin from the Wash
ington, ID. c., headquarters Of the Ma
tionai Geographic society.
'Of all the religious groups that
found sanctuary on the SOD of colonivl
America the most remarkable, perhaps,
were the Shakers with their customs
that were partly medieval and partly
tar ahead Of their day." the bulletin
continues. "And the persistence OF
h firmly grounded religious belief Is
aptly illustrated by their survival to
this day although their virginia. vows
provided no younger generation to car
~ on their tradition, and their delib-
crate isolation In self-sustaining com
lnunities gave few opportunities to
luakr converts.
"The Shakers never had more than
5000 members and the II communi-
ties remaining today reported 367 men,
hers In 1915, which means population
of not more than thousand. The
longevity of individual members, COM
bined with their abstinence from meat
and fish. their prescribed manual labor
and hygiene living, have made their
communities interesting human expert
ment stations for the biologist as well
as the geographer. The bodily move
fnents as they worshiped closely re-
semble tho noon-day gymnasium exer-
cises Of raany an American business
man.
Arrested for Gyratlons.
Ann Lee, self-styled. Ann the
Word but known among her followers
as Mother Ann, founded the Shakers,
whose orticial title Is United Society
Of True Believers in Christ's Second
Coming After four children died in
6heir infancy Ann Lee sought solace
among nm offshoot of the Quaker sect
"a England, which had been influenced
by the early Eighteenth century wave
II manifestations among what we
sould call mediums Ann could not
read or write, and her husband later
deserted her. For her shouting, leap
ing and bodily gyrations during her
authorizations she was arrested In Man
chester.
"while In jail the young woman as
sested that the Christ appeared to her
In q vision, told her he was one with
e.er, and upon serving her sentence she
Ssthefed q few followers and set out
~ America to proclaim herself the
Sfhbodiment. of Christ In His second
pUming.
sOn the way across the ships cap
nsin forbade the Shakers to indulge
In their athletic form of worship
Whereupon, according to Shaker liter
attre, storm arose, plank was
T sprung. and the vessel began to fill.
Mother Ann reassured the captain
ssr1ng two angels had appeared before
hse In a vision to promise her safe
y<ssape. just as the crew was be-
o,miug exhausted from pumping a
bcse wave again struck the ship and
jsonsned the prank back into place!
For two years Mother Ann worked
m New York as washerwoman, then,