Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1922-06-15
ODDITIES OF SHAKERS.
Strange Religious Sect Decreas.
ing in Number.

WOAutu was introduced Ill Alucf-
lea two years before our Decla.
: ration of independence declared
all men are created equal. Spir-
1t manifestations, akin to the re-,
cent popularity of other world
communication, had vogue in
the colonies before the Revolu-
tionary war.
These facts are recalled by the
proposed abandonment Of the
Shaker community in Enfield,
New Hampshire, which is report
ed to have dwindled from $50
members to only 6 survivors.
says bulletin of the National
Geographic society.
,"Of all the religious groups
that found sanctuary OH the soil
of colonial America the most re-
markable perhaps were the Shak-
ers, with their customs that were
partly medieval and partly far
: ahead of their day the bulletin
continues. "And the persistence
of firmly grounded religious
belief is aptly illustrated by their
survival to this day, although
their virginal vows provided no
younger generation to carry OH
their tradition, and their deliber-
ate isolation in selfsustaining
communities gave few opportu-
mites to make converts.
1.-The Shakers never had more
than 5000 members and the u
communities remaining today re-
ported 367 members in 1916,
which means population of not
more than 1000. The longevity
OF individual members, combined
with their abstinence from meat
and fish, their prescribed manual
labor and hygienic living, have
made their communities interest
ing human experiment stations
for the biologist as we'll as the
tgeographer. The bodily move
nents as they worshiped closely
ensemble the MONDAY gymnasi-
urn exercises Of many an Ameri-
can business man.
Ann Lee, self styled Ann the
Word, but known among her
followers as Mother Ann, found
; ed the Shakers, whose official tt
tie is United Society Of True Be-
levers in Christ's Second Com
ing After four children died
in their infancy Ann Lee sought
solace among an offshoot of the
Quaker sect in England which
had been influenced by the early
18th century wave of manifesto
tions' among what we would call
mediums Ann could not read
or write, and her husband later
deserted her. For her shouting.
leaping and bodily gyrations dur
ing her exhortations she was ar
rested in Manchester. 49,
While in jail the young wo-
man asserted that the Christ ap-
peared to her in vision, told her
He was one with her, and upon
serving her sentence she gathered
o few followers and set out to
America to proclaim herself the
embodiment of Christ in His sec
ond coming. %
On the way across the ship s
captain forbade the Shakers to
indulge in their athletic form OF
worship. Whereupon, according
to Shaker literature, storm
/ arose, a plank was sprung, and
the vessel began to fill. Mother
Ann treasured the captain, say.
ing two angels had appeared be.
fore her in vision to promise
her safe passage. just as the
crew was becoming exhausted
from pumping, a huge wave
! again struck the ship and jam
med the plank back into place.
For two years Mother Ann
worked in New York as a, wash
erwoman. In 1776 she founded
the first Shaker village at Water,
vliet, N. Y.
In such strange fashion was
instituted, the year Americs
dates her national birth, tn,
Western worlds first experiment
u communism.
sssehe cardinal principles Of tn,
s Shnk0R religion are virgin Duri