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Title: Shaker Manifesto, vol. 07, no. 05 (May 1877)
Publisher: United Societies
Date: 1877-05-01
Place published: New York
Text: ;.,,. 4 OFFICIAL MONTHLY.——PUBLISHED BY THE UNITED SOCIETIES. “ Q50 yreach the ltingtlam aﬁ ﬁat?! Q1142 testimang of eternal trguih. Von VII. G- MAY , 1877- N- s..a%:%%s;§.?:%I.:tm'2 N 0- 5. A Shaker on Moody and Sankey. Beloved" Elder DANIEL BOLER : You say, “Write me, after your re- turn from Boston.” In that city I met Brother Elijah Myrick, and We attend- ed one of the meetings in the Taber- nacle. It was on Friday evening. The hall was ﬁlled with some six thousand men, women and children. There was a measure of satisfaction in ﬁnding so many assembled for religious teaching. It was not necessary that I should ﬁnd fault with the manner in which the doc- trine of salvation was presented. The world is ﬁlled with more or less of this light, and those who have it should let it shine. I was there to witness the light, and not to teach. On the plat- form were ministers, musicians, sing- ers, and a liberal sprinkling of those who evidently came to see and be seen. Many, no do...
Show more;.,,. 4 OFFICIAL MONTHLY.——PUBLISHED BY THE UNITED SOCIETIES. “ Q50 yreach the ltingtlam aﬁ ﬁat?! Q1142 testimang of eternal trguih. Von VII. G- MAY , 1877- N- s..a%:%%s;§.?:%I.:tm'2 N 0- 5. A Shaker on Moody and Sankey. Beloved" Elder DANIEL BOLER : You say, “Write me, after your re- turn from Boston.” In that city I met Brother Elijah Myrick, and We attend- ed one of the meetings in the Taber- nacle. It was on Friday evening. The hall was ﬁlled with some six thousand men, women and children. There was a measure of satisfaction in ﬁnding so many assembled for religious teaching. It was not necessary that I should ﬁnd fault with the manner in which the doc- trine of salvation was presented. The world is ﬁlled with more or less of this light, and those who have it should let it shine. I was there to witness the light, and not to teach. On the plat- form were ministers, musicians, sing- ers, and a liberal sprinkling of those who evidently came to see and be seen. Many, no doubt, were made better by the musical, as well as vocal prayers. On Saturday noon, we attended prayer- meeting at the “Meonian.” Several hundred people were in the hall. Our good minister, who directed the ser- vices, very kindly informed us that it Was ordained from the foundation of the world that we should have just such a meeting as we were having that day. His inspiration, or intuition, whichever it may have been, pleased me, as it warranted the establishing of the order to which We belong. There was not much that savored of prayer in this in- formation; neither did it do any harm. On Saturday afternoon, there was a meeting expressly for women, and no less than seven thousand tarried there for an hour of prayer and praise; while hundreds, if not thousands, were obliged to enter the churches in the vicinity. The evening meeting was said to be expressly for men—-and it was mascu- line in its every feature. They formed a crowd—an awful crowd—before the church door; and I stood in that crowd full three fourths of an hour before the house was opened. There was laugh- ing, loud talking, singing and swearing. The moment the doors were ajar, it Was, in every sense, a jam. The pas- sage-way was quite narrow, and those who were so unfortunate as to get against a post or door, were crying for relief, as the unreasonable thousands left them to their fate. There was no mercy before the church for either saint or sinner. # No man walked into that tabernacle; they were forced along by the pressure of the thousands—every one determined to secure a seat. The writer reached the interior without injury, and gladly stepped aside to take breath. The mul- titudes were pouring into the building, through four entrances, more like wild beasts than human beings. Officers were at every corner, screaming their orders: “ Don’t crowd ; ” “ Go slow ;” “Pass along;” “Keep to the right;” etc., etc., and, at the same time, bran- dishing their batons, which the crowd regarded about as much as they would the buzz of a fly or the club of a pigmy. I never experienced the like before, and would not care to again. It was a thun- dering of boot-heels, as they rushed into the church, walking, running, and even jumping over the chairs, each eager for the best place. VVe1l, the writer ob- tained a seat, and heard all that was said and sung. As the papers publish so fully the words of the evangelist, I need not en- large. But it is one thing to read the sermon in the paper, alone in the chim- ney-corner, and quite another to hear it spoken with the life and intense earnest- ness which a congregation of seven thousand must inspire in the soul of a determined man. Brother Moody did not impress me as a very spiritual man; not as one chastened by the cross——cruciﬁed to the world—but rather the reverse. That he is earnest, and in sympathy with his work, no one can doubt; and he is evi- dently as much a servant of God in that revival as a Shaker may be in his quiet home. He writes, in one of his ser- mons, that “ the only way that death can be met is by death ; ” and, perhaps, the only way for the world to be met is by one fully imbedded in the world; hence, the ﬁtness. Attila considered himselfthe “scourge of God,” and was indeed terrible in his conquests. It required an Attila to do the work; and when Brother Moody denounces those who differ from him in theology, and says: “A man who preaches a bloodless religion is doing the devil’s work, and I don’t care who he is!” This sounds very much like Satan quarreling with Satan. Everybody wants to hear Sankey sing, and his soul in singing, as well as Moody’s soul in much plain-speaking, attracts the crowd. If Sankey should die to-day, I believe much less people would attend the meetings. The Universalists and Unitarians,who seem to be begging a privilege of fel- lowship, are left out in the cold ; these, with the Catholics, the Quake1's, the Shakers, and some others, are maintain- ing a “ respectable indiﬁference.” The Universalists, especially, feel chafed. They were not invited to take part. Both Universalists and Unitarians think they have a higher light, a more reason- able system of theology, but admit they have allowed themselves to rest passive- ly in their higher knowledge, and that this indifference on their part may have caused the present upheaval. What position do believers hold be- fore the world? Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ? Fellow--citizens with the saints, and of the household of God? All at peace, at rest. “ I tell you,” said James, “that if those should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” But I will not enlarge. I spent one day in Newburyport. The revival meetings in that place still continue. The interest is largely theological, rather than practical. They are for the promulgation of Me cztozzemem‘, t/ze Mood qf 765255, and endless ]5zmz's/2- mam‘. How sad to know that so many are becoming freshly inoculated with doctrines so objectionable-untrue——— while a better, far better, lies hid in a napkin. Several of the New England cities and villages are much interested in the present revival. A great deal of work is being done——work which requires self-abnegation, as well as religious zeal. While we may not be able to commend the course which is adopted, nor to endorse the dogmas which are promulgated, we should be the last of all religious bodies to cast an influence over the work which might prove detriment- al to the cause, so long as our position is certainly one of “respectable indif- ference.” The position may seem very singular, when we bear in mind that all our ac- cessions are from the order of the World. But our gospel testimony teaches us that the VVord of God opens to us an everlasting new day—a revival in spirit- ual life which knows no end. Yours, HENRY C. BLINN. In this life of show, puﬂing adver- tisement and manufacture of public opinion, all excellence is lost sight of in the hunger for sudden performance and unearned praise.—Emers072. The Shaker. CHAUNCY DIBBLE. It is generally known that THE SHAKER was first issued at Shakers, N. Y., by the direction of the leaders of our institution, and under the super- vision of its present editor. It is not commonly known that its introduction was attended by very many disadvan- tages, which required energetic eﬁbrts to surmount. To some of us, the un- dertaking appeared like running off the track——-opening a door to controversy, heretical views, proselyting, etc. Not- withstanding these objections, and the censorious criticisms of those who pre- dicted its failure, the little sheethas found worthy, interested, qualiﬁed friends and supporters, who look hopefully, beyond the sordid policies of temporalities, to see the advancement of truth, peace, love, purity, and universal brotherhood. With these living gems, the pages of THE SHAKER are decked. Its every appearance is comely, cheerful, unas- suming; yet its simple truths of chris- tianity cannot be gainsaid. As a search- er after truth, it dares to grapple with a bigotry and superstition of almost in- fallible respectability. And _if‘- it has dealt too freely and unfeelingly with some of our pet theories, may we not be enlightened, emancipated from the shackles oftradition, and have our faith more ﬁrmly grounded upon eternal truth, by its freedom of thought and expression? If some errors have crept into its col- umns, it remains that these shall bear the crucible of increasing light, which is ever and only shunned by ignor- ance, superstition, and bigotry. An exchange of ideas is an improve- ment, intellectually and spiritually, to readers and writers, especially when the vindication of truth and refutation of error are aimed at. us see to it that THE SHAKERlives well, grows, and preaches peace and good- will to all men. We cannot‘. afford to let it dwindle—the very stories should cry out! Its decadence would cast a cloud upon minds now illumed in our own circle, and deprive sincere inquir- ers of the best means of information in regard to our principles—which is now being so generously dispensed through its columns. Let us, gospel and liberal friends, contribute to the maintenance of THE SHAKER in every way open to our inﬂuence—ﬁnancially,intellectually, Let I 34: THE SHAKER. prayerfully—-and the heavens will give us credit. “ Oh! Zion, in thy fearful struggles With Error’s galling chain, Can I behold thy strength go down, Or see thy beauty wane?” A Christian Culture. No. 3. W. H. BUSSELL . COMPLETENESS. All persons who viewthemselves in the light of the divine truth are con- strained to acknowledge various de- ﬁciencies in their character——mental, moral, and social. Admiring friends, in writing the biography of the great ma7z——he1‘o, statesman, or philosopher —would fain gloss over defects in their idol, or shut them out entirely from the public’ gaze. But there they are, nev- ertheless; and there is no one, what- ever his merits may be, but is subject to the keen-eyed scrutiny of some critic, who may be actuated by the desire to bring out the w/zole trm‘/2, or, possibly, by envy alone, “ To draw his frailties from their drear abode.” The inference from the above para- graph is the old-time truth, that all are “miserable offenders,” and need, alike, to enter upon the work of self-puriﬁca- tion and perfection. The perfecting of the human charac- ter is not a sudden nor brief process, but" the work of long years of steady effort; and that, for the suﬂicient reason that this character is to endure forever. Hence, nothing is more essential, in the very commencement of the work of christian culture, than the spirit that looks with calm eye beyond every in- tervening obstacle to the glorious con- summation. One‘ imbued with this never hears “ The lingering knell that tells his hopes are dead,” but is ever cheered by the all-animating voice, “Come up hither, and I will show thee the beauty and splendor of the heavenly city.” Faith and hope in an individual may be more or less strong in proportion to original, natural development, but their strength does not depend entirely on this. The constant inﬂow of the divine inspiration into the spirit, will animate one with greater courage and far strong- er hopes, than the most powerful argu- ments presented to the reason can do without this. In fact, these inspira- tions are themselves the most convinc- ing arguments that can be presented to the human mind, so far as a knowledge of God and man’s future destiny are concerned. As the inspirations of the common air and light, impress upon the soul a consciousness of physical life that requires no other persuasive force, so will those deeper inspirations that are intended to renew the powers of the moral and spiritual being impart a con- sciousness of their own eternal nature. Too great stress cannot be laid upon these in moulding and completing the christian character. “ Ye must be born from above.” which forbids one to exalt himself above another, is cherished, strengthen- ed, and conﬁrmed by the constant in- ﬂow of the Christ-life into the soul. Where would be the dignitaries of the ' world, both political and ecclesiastical, if this universally pervaded the hearts of men? Oh, from what heights would many fall, were this the case I Not nine days only, the time which Milton’s Sa- tan occupied in making his descent from the battlements of heaven, but years might be needed for some to gain their proper level ! true sweetness of character only by mak- ing its abode where the mild beams of the heavenly light continually shine. Patience, that turns all the trials of life into the greatest blessings, receives its sparkling crown only after it has ﬁnish- ed its course of discipline, which its panoply, drawn from the celestial ar- mory, has enabled it to accomplish. Charity, the lovely attendant of Faith and Hope, shows her divine origin whenever and wherever she makes her appearance. his permanent guest, she readily makes his dwelling her abode. throughout, the joyous radiance of her own countenance; introduces the order, peace", and quiet that reign supremely in the blest regions whence she descend- ed ; makes her presence felt by all who approach her; and sends abroad the in- ﬂuences which it is her delight to make others feel. The grace of humility, Gentleness can attain its When one admits her as She diffuses In a word, health, which imparts soundness to the limbs, fullness to the muscles, an agreeable tone to the nerves, and vigor to the brain, is known in its completest power, only when the forces that are imparted by spiritual inspira- tions are conjoined with those inﬂuences which come from earthly life-sources. This union of forces was recognized by the Apostle john, in the words, “ Be- loved, I wish above all things that thou mayst prosper and be in health even as thy soul prospers.” vigor cannot properly be dissociated from the intellectual and moral forces. In fact, body and spirit are one, and ever must be connected in the most inti- mate union, whether that be the result of the combination of the grosser ele- ments during the earthly life, or of the more reﬁned elements in the celestial spheres when the earthly union shall cease. Bodily health and A Commune Life. HENRY GEORGE.’ How little is communism understood I and how few of us are ﬁtted to live the life of communists! joying the necessaries of life, not be- cause we are more worthy than others of the human family, but rather as creatures of circumstances. see our brothers and sisters of the out- side world suﬂering for want of food and clothing, our sympathies ought to go out to them abundantly, and not grudgingly. thrown on our own resources, and left We are here en- When we How many of us, to-day, to our own appetites, would be much better than those with whom we occa- sionally come in contact? I think, sur- rounded as we are with all physical comforts, we are very apt to forget our former conditions, and the circum- stances which brought us here. We should try and use our privilege so that when we are called to account for our stewardship we may hear the saying of “Well done, good and faithful serv- ant,” for we are only holding treasures in trust for those that come after us, and have no right to use them to exalt ourselves. If we would live a commune life, we must curb our selﬁshness; live tomake others happy ; and by doing so, we are indeed made happy ourselves. “ It is more blessed to give than to re- ceive.” This truth is realized by every one that tries the experiment. Take, for example, two school-boys; one has an apple. Selﬁshness says, keep it, and eat it when alone. Gene- rosity says, share it with your play- fellow. Then follows the conﬂict. If Generosity triumphs, then he is made happy; if not, mean, sordid Selﬁshness brings discontent. When I reﬂect upon the uncertainty of riches—in aﬂluence to-day and penury to-morrow———it makes me thankful for the heaven-born principle of commune life. As our song says, “the strong shall help the weak along ; ” which may be taken literally. I believe we may enjoy, ‘in this world, a heaven, inas- much as we are willing to give up self and work" for the beneﬁt of the whole human family. May we not weary in well-doing. May we show a light that is steady, not ﬂickering; living a fully conse- crated life, that will ﬁt us for the much larger commune we are on our way to join. S/zaéers, N. 2’: Words Fitly Spoken. SARAH A. NEAL. When we reﬂect that the power of speech was given to humanity as a means of communication, and intended only for a blessing, and know that it frequently proves the contrary, we heave a sigh of regret that greater wisdom is not manifested in the use of language. But we yearn more for those words ﬁtly spoken, behind which only truthful motives are concealed, and which would be more than “golden fruit” set in “silver pictures,” to those tender na- tures born to thrive only in the sun- shine of kind words. Humanity is largely diversiﬁed; all are not suﬂiciently strong to bear the trials of life alone; neither l1ave they intuitive judgment to always direct their own course wisely. And how many of the weaker class glide unconsciously into the road to desperation and sin—— left ﬁnally with only a “forlorn hope” of ever ﬁnding salvation; and all for the want of those kindly words “ﬁtly spoken ” in season, to aid the soul up- ward. And where will the responsi- bility ultimately rest? On the poor un- fortunate sinner’s soul? it. But words are but the mediums of our thoughts; and how important it is then that we always 2‘/2232}: so kindly and correctly that our thoughts can be ﬁtly illustrated in words, without in- jury to even the most tender. Were this always the case, then indeed would our language become like a garden of blossoms, ever looking upward to meet the smiles of approving Providence. The erring would no longer remain the estranged exile, roaming amid the shadows of sorrow and despair; for gentle words and pleading tones would savor of reclamation, while the grieved and despondent would be taught to look up and behold the “silver light” be- hind the darkest cloud. Oh, we say, “it would be joy to be there!” But, shall we anticipate this descending of heaven to earth? Hardly, while we remember that even in this, our chris- tian land, we sometimes forget our al- legiance to christianity, and wander away into harsh tones, unpleasant words, and the rendering of a language that would sound unbecoming even in heathen territory, much more so in a pro- fessedly christian neighborhood, leav- ing those who most need, to mourn the Heaven spare loss of those words which, “ﬁtly spoken,” would be the bearers of blessings like those only that are spoiled by the trammels of description, but are better known through the sym- pathy of hearts. Scripture teaches us that from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh ; and while this may be true at times it is an indisputable fact that the mouth often utters what the heart recognizes as not its own ; for were it otherwise, the drama of life would be relieved of very many heart- breaking scenes which now appear as prominent features, the legitimate re- sults of shallow words, broken vows, and false friendships. But we plead: Gentle angel, help us keep ~ All our vows intact and true; Teach us how to think, and speak, To live, and love, as angels do. Then will “ﬁtly spoken” words always grace our society, and z‘ruefrz'emis/zz';$ will be an eternal outgrowth. SoUND.——A well -vknown Shaker min- ister, in present service, thus success- fully hits the mark: “When I say or do that which I should not, it is not the minister’s saying nor doing,——it is me, X. Y. Z. When I so arrange my words and deeds that they accord with Christ’s spirit and our gospel instruc- tion, then L‘/ze mz'm's2‘er 2'3 paramount, and 5/zould 5e respected.’ ” How very careful elders and ministers should be! PARTICULAR NOTICE. Tlze Americmz Agrz'cuZlurz'st is a very wor- thy monthly. Its subscription price is $1.60. We will send THE SHAKER and it together during 1877 for $1.50!! Now take advantage of our offer, and get both for less than quar- ter cost. Address t/ze Publisher of THE SHAKER. To our surprise, two editions of “Shaker Child’s Prayer” are exhausted I O“ THE SHAKER. 35 What shall I do to be a Shaker? No. 4. RICHARD FLETCHER. Or, what shall I do to be .1 christian? is not a common question around here. “What shall I do to be saved?” is a favorite text with “revivalists,” who stir up many people to echo the ques- tion, without knowing exactly w/zal they wish to be saved from. Can God save them from the danger signaled from so many pulpits, in lan- guage almost RED with hell-ﬁre and damnation? Can He save them while they carry around enough secret, un- confessed sin to burn in their mem- ory for years, adding a little fuel every day by fresh sinning? “O, weak hu- man nature cannot help it. Miserable sinners that we are, thank God that we are not in danger of losing our souls by growing vain-glorious and self-right- eous.” _ A certain amount of sinning——enough to keep fashionable robes of righteous- ness comfortably ﬁlthy—acts like a safety-valve with them to keep christian virtues from pressing them too near the kingdom of heaven before they have got enough of earthly pleasure. Let no one think——not even Mr. Moody, nor other zealous laborers for good—that genuine christianity will ever have a majority here below. It never was popular; never will be. Enthusiastic dreamers might as well content themselves for the failure of plans for wholesale reform, by reading Matt. 7:14: “ Narrow is the way that leads to life, and few are they who ﬁnd it.” Reader, do you smile at the question before you? Do you think, with a passing shrug of pity, “ VVhat are those simple people preaching virtue of celib- acy, in 2‘/zese days, for? If there is any virtue in it, the very ones who need it most are least willing to practice it. VVhy do they dream of bringing peace on earth, ‘of making nation forgive na- tion, as Sunday-school children are taught, in z‘/zese days when man’s God- given ingenuity develops, faster than ever, into terrible forms of weapons and agents for bloody war ?——when youths’ papers advertise seven-shooters for chil- dren’s toys, forsooth? As for commu- nity form of living——neverl Why, we can’t share church privileges together, a few hours in the week, without envy- ings, quarrels, and breaking up ; much less could we live under the roof with dear gospel friends.” To the few who care to think a mo- ment on these things, we say: By daily life, as well as printed word, we do urge celibacy in its strictest sense, be- cause there never was greater need for spreading its healing virtue over degen- erating humanity than to-day, and you know it. \/Ve urge all mankind, who are able, to live as brothers and sisters, because Christ revealed the grand no- bility of loving God and man with a height, depth, and breadth of feeling that dwarfs natural affection into com- same 0 parative selﬁshness. We urge peace between neighbors, towns, states, and nations, because war is simply devilish. During the heat of a revival, you can easily take an “anxious seat,” ask for prayers, join a church. You cannot be a christian next week without checking many hasty, unkind words, curbing a quick temper, driving off unworthy thoughts; in short, without denying your SELF in many ways your con- science will suggest. Begin with low- est appetites, that link us to the animal creation. Do desires for pleasing sense of taste, never carry you to excess? Do we eat that which is nor nourishing, but stimulating, or merely cloying to the palate? Do we drink that which does not satisfy thirst? Some say, “Your ideal of religion is too high—beyond the power of mor- tals to attain on earth.” So was Christ’s revelation too heavenly for earth. Jesus of Nazareth lived and preached a life of virginity, non-resisting peace, uni- versal love, and fraternity of goods. It would be very difficult for a mer- chant to do business on a ready-cash- down system Most merchants laugh at the idea of up-and-down-cash deal- ings right along. They call sixty days’ credit the same as cash I Sad abuse of honest language it is. Yet all acknowl- edge a cash system, without debts, trusting, etc., a noble ideal. So in re- ligion, a high ideal is needed. S072}/ecz, N. 2’: ~———~_.._._.__ __..¢. _..,_. L, CORRESPONDENCE. SOUTH UNION, KY., March, 1877. Eclitor of S/zaleer: The February num- ber of THE SHAKER came duly, and was, as usual, fraught with words of precious truth. It is, indeed, a feast to me, and I never stop until its contents are well learned. One article especially attracted my attention: What shall I do to be a Shaker? We are fre- quently in receipt of letters of inquiry, from individuals desirous of information in regard to our faith and practices, and we often feel at a loss how to reply, in consequence of our ignorance of the motive that prompts the desire. Hence, my approbation of the article referred to, which I think is suﬁicient to en- able every one who reads it, to get a correct knowledge of the essential requisites to be a Shaker. Then each one can answer for them- selves, “Am I willing and prepared to make the necessary sacriﬁces?” We are often called upon to meet applicants for admission into our society, who are totally ignorant in regard to our faith, and often without any religious feeling whatever, but come exclu- sively from worldly considerations; and to all such I would respectfully say, our institu- tion was not designed for a home for the out- cast and bankrupt, but for sin-sick souls, who desire salvation from the evils of a cor- rupt nature. “Without faith it is impossible to please God,” consequently faith should be our starting-point,—— the foundation upon which we build. - Faith in God’s order, in the confession and forgiveness of sin in that order. I have this faith, and deep is the thankfulness of my heart that I have been led into it; that I have the inestimable privi- lege of being numbered with God’s people. I desire a ﬁre that will purge me of dross un- til nothing remains but pure gold. Yea,I will endure the furnace-heat, anything that will enable me to eradicate evil, and obtain a pure heart, without which, no one can see God. I am aware my success depends upon my personal efforts; merits of a mytho- logical atonement will not do me nor any one else any good. That is the rock upon which thousands are stranded. To the ex- tent we live the Christ—life, does Jesus become our savior. Whatsoever we sow, that will we reap; then will it not be wisdom in us all to sow love, mercy, and charity? I shall la- bor to do so. Nothing is so conducive to happiness as a good conscience, and to acquire and keep one, we must live up to the high- est light we have in the faithful discharge of every known duty; doing so will bring a peace of mind which all the wealth and fame of this world can never give. Holiness is “the pearl of great price,” more to be valued than all the gems of Golconda’s mines; and yet, how few attain it! Why? Simply be- cause we are not willing to pay the price. Shakerism demands the renunciation of ev- erything pertaining to the natural order, and the adoption of the spiritual, the heavenly. The carnal life must die; and, in proportion as we crucify it, will we rise into newness of life. My faith is that souls have to be quick- ened ere they are prepared to receive the truth. It is as useless to present truths, how- ever beautiful or sublime, to the spiritually blind, as to “ cast pearls before swine.” I do not mean that we are not free agents, for that would do away with individual responsibility and lead into extremes from which the soul recoils in horror. Every soul possesses with- in itself the germ of a divine life, which, if cultivated and allowed to expand, will devel- op and unfold our spiritual natures, until we will be prepared to walk, as Jesus did, in obe- dience to our father’s commands. So, breth- ren and sisters, the matter rests with our- selves. Will you be saved, or will you not? Will you choose the narrow way which leads to a world fairer than ﬁnite mind can con- ceive of, or do you prefer to enjoy the pleas- ures of sin, which are only for a season, and receive the condemnation that is sure to fol- low? Will it not be wisdom in us to choose the better part, which cannot be taken from us, and thereby secure an inheritance with the saints? Let us who profess to be Shakers live according to our profession. Let the spirit of Christ rule our hearts and govern our every action. Let us prove the sincerity of our faith, by our daily life and conversa- tion. I feel it a sacrilege for persons to re- main on consecrated ground whose every breath is a violation of zion’s laws. The in- mates of our father’s house should keep clean hands and pure hearts,—avoid even the ap- pearance of evil. Let us be an honor to our calling, an example to the world. 0 that ev- ery one could feel as I do about this matter. As a good brother expressed in out meeting last Sabbath: “ O that a spirit of conviction might fall upon our people, to awaken them to an interest the cause “demands!” My heart echoed a response to that prayer. A thor- ough understanding of our principles will convince any candid, unbiased person of their merit; and, if lived, will produce a purity of life that can never be excelled. pecial interest in the young. I have been young myself,—am not old yet. Words can- not express the intensity of my solicitude for the young of my own sex,—those who dwell with believers. I feel an es- Let me impress upon your minds the great importance of cultivating, in early youth, those pure principles of mental and moral excellence which are so necessary to elevate and adorn the female character. Be emulous to excel in every good thought and deed; imitate the virgin purity of our great exemplars, Jesus and Ann, father and mother of the new creation. Be obedient to those who teach you to be useful, and you will never regret, in the future, the folly of a misspent life. This counsel is given in much love, with the prayer that it may fall upon some heart prepared for the seed. In conclu- sion, my prayer is, “Let me be a true, genu- ine Shaker,” which embodies every christian virtue. JOSEPHINE MCLAUGHLIN. LETTERS FROM A GOSPEL FATHER To His GOSPEL DAUGHTERS. ENFIELD, N. H., March, 1877. Beloved Sister E. : Your kind favor of the 14th, containing a graphic report of your journey and mission to W., is received, for which receive my thanks. Such tokens of sisterly remembrance are always appreciated; they bear to me more than a narrative of events or the common parlance of a letter; a spirit, an inﬂuence accompanies them, which speaks to the soul and tells of home gence so affects the mind nor operate‘, so deeply. It penetrates the soul. Nona;-abject gives ideas more inspirationahgensations more pathetic and emotional.‘ mm; and home friends, the pure, christian od and sisterhood, where conﬁdence reposes, ,.where our great interests center, where love ﬁnds an habitation and dearest objects on which to rest, where everything is a gem, ev- erything wears beauty of the brightest colors, richest shades, and most inviting charms! Where can thought alight more satisfactorily than upon home? and upon what objects more endearing than those of sympathizing, affectionate friends? There is nothing of the ideal higher; the image of God is there,- yea, more: there God manifests himself the most perfectly to our senses. There is a sa- credness, there is something enchanting in home that is real, genuine; and in the dear ones there, are our loftiest ideals of angels. We there ﬁnd a power stronger than all oth- er powers combined; an affection unfathom- able, knowing no limits. Here are the min- istrations of the highest, here is heaven, here are our Saviors. Hence, how great our obli- gations to beautify, to strengthen, and make everything about us peaceful, glorious, and perfect! How necessary to bring all things into harmony, ever to maintain order, heaven’s ﬁrst gift; never trespass upon the law of love! Under no circumstances should we depart from principle; always true, al- ways kind and obliging, ever ready to allevi- ate distress, comfort the aﬂlicted, strengthen the weak, and forgive the erring and peni- tent; always open to conviction, and equally free to impart knowledge to the ignorant, and aid those who are in need of assistance. Thus, beloved sister, our path becomes that of wisdom, always pleasant, and the duties of life never unendurable tasks; thus, the yoke of Christ is easy, and his burden light. Accept my sincere love and that of my com- panions. Please bear this to all our dear friends in Shaker Village. Your brother, ABRAHAM PERKINS. ENFIELD, N. H., March, 1877. My gospel dang/zler, Alice : I assure you your kind, neatly-written letter was not only acceptable, but fondly appreciated. It seems you have been reading the good book; many excellent and saving truths are hidden there. It pleases me that you search for them. If you persistently and conﬁdently seek truth, you will ﬁnd it to your salvation. It is a resurrecting, saving power; it contributes both peace and love, and ministers to our wants of every gospel grace. Dear child, in your character make this principle conspicu- ous. Be open to conviction, and truth will abundantly flow in, and the treasures of heav- en will be your inheritance. You mention regrets that you had not been earlier called and gathered into the Shaker church. When the door was opened for your admission, you stepped in; that was your time,——the right time; it could never have been better. It was so in my case. It is equally true with all who hearken and obey when the call of God reaches them. Your ears are blest; do not close them; continue to hear, and be as faith- ful to obey; and your cup of blessing will be full. No advantage will ever avail any soul who is found in opposition to the laws of God, or to the plan of salvation as revealed to the lost family of Adam. When we mur- and home relations, than which no inte ff." 36 THE SHAKER. mur, or complain of the cross, we act as the adversaries of heaven. We should realize that the order of heaven is divine. It is too often the case that those who feel the testi- mony of the cross bearing against their car- nal lives are found speaking ill of divine or- der and throwing obstacles in the way, thus preventing the beaming of light, obedience to faith, and submission to the dictates of. conscience. Every soul should make this a point,—never stiﬁe emotion, never allow an ‘‘\.influence whose tendency would cause anoth- e;\-‘to act contrary to religious convictions. These. are basic principles of success in life. By théﬁacts of another, no one can be justi- ﬁed nor cdnclernned. Remember, the voice of God h-as_rea’ched your soul; you have heard it. Ifnow remains with you to make your election sure. And now, clear child, accept my thanks for your interesting report to me of meetings, companions, etc.; remembering me in kindest love to them, to your elders, and to all my friends; and accept for your- self my love and prayers forever. Yours truly, ABRAHAM PERKINS. MT. LEBANON, N. Y., March 20, 1877. Bro. Geo. Albert: I was much surprised while reading THE SHAKER this forenoon to learn how unexpectedly rich I had suddenly become by your little article in THE SHAKER. for March! Only a few days since, and we heard the Covenant read, by which we were informed that we were not the owners, indi- vidually, of a single dollar! Now, dear edi- tor, what reply can we make to a revenue or other government oﬂicer should he come to collect income tax, where, by an article of agreement, signed and sealed, we represent we are not worth one cent? [Send him to Harvard, Alfred, Canterbury; or let him read our apology! ED.] And then, by our paper, we proclaim to the world we are worth millions of money! Is there not a probabil- ity of a misunderstanding between oﬂicers and ourselves? If not, please inform us how we can get a few thousands to help us out of our present difficulty. To some, both statements may appear correct; but how can we harmo- nize them? To some outside of our societies, we appear very rich; but, to me, this is not the case. When one devotes all he has and is to the “cause,”——consecrates himself to a Shaker’s life,—instead of being a millionaire, he ﬁnds himself without one cent he can call his own! Yours truly, {S GEO. M. WIC [Our “Notice to assessors” will partly ex- plain how we blundered, what we did it for, and how generously we are paid for so doing. ED.] IS-‘HAM. My dear Editor: Had a soldier returned from an engagement in the late war as badly crippled as my manuscript from its engage- ment with the compositors of your February number, he would have been entitled to uni- versal sympathy. Their ﬁrst shot put aperi- oa’ to the existence of a poor, little, innocent comma, at the end of the twelfth line; their second transformed lore into love, in the fourteenth line; and their third gave the map de grace, by distorting /zzzste into 110515, in the eighteenth line. How would it do for you to employ a professor of Chinese literature as proof-reader? Or better still, perhaps, en- gage the grand high commission at VVashing- ton, who have solved the presidential conun- drum, to sit permanently ava board for de- termining the true intent and meaning of’ manuscript contributions to THE SHAKER [by E. T. L. ED.], with full power to go behind the retuins? Most truly, as ever, yours, " E. T. LEGGETT. is from one of the “goodest” chil- dren. ’ED.] ‘WEST GLOUCESTER, l‘vIE.,} March 20, 1877. Dear Bro. Albert: I saw a notice in THE SHAKER for March that, on receipt of name and stamp, you would send “The Shaker child’s prayer.” I thought that I would avail myself of the opportunity of procuring one while you had a supply. I like what you have written to the children, and I hope that you will write some more. fond of the music. child, I am also very I am your affectionate JOSEPH BRACKETT, 79 years of age. A V SOCIAL LIFE TOPICS. SPEAK KINDLY. From t/ze Coo/e’s Manual. It pays to speak kindly, in every case, Use words that are truthful, yet seasoned with grace. With the spirit of malice no good can be done, ’Tis only by love that the erring are won. ‘Pray, what do we gain when we try to pay back, Or the christian-like spirit of patience we lack? In the ﬁrst case our measure is folly, we know, For the soil of impatience, no good thing can grow. It pays to speak kindly, if no other gain, The spirit of love and good-will we maintain; And are sowing the seed of a harvest to come, Whether evil or good, we must gather it home. WASHING-DAY AMONG THE SHAKERS. My dear Sisler C.: Permit me to ask, if you ever read the lines of an old ballad re- ferring to washing—day? They begin as fol- lows : “ The sky with clouds was overcast, The rain began to fall; There is no luck about the house-- There is no luck at all.” And then the rhymer goes on to say: “ For ’tis thump, thump, thump, And scold, scold, scold,” etc. I should have been pleased, had you been present with us on our last “ positive Mon- day,” our washing-day, and for two reasons: First, to act as an artist in sketching the several scenes as they occurred. Secondly, to note the spirit of kindness which prevailed during the performance of this duty. The big bell on the house-top began to call us to duty at ﬁve o’clock a. m., and I imag- ined that there was a sort of sympathy in its ﬁrst tones; for the weather was intensely cold; but as it swung to and fro in the air, its massive ding-dong seemed to appeal to our honor; (for no one feels as well to enter the laundry out of season, or after her com- panions have been at work for half an hour.) All were in season, however, except one, this morning, and she canceled tardiness by in- dustry the remainder of the day. One, two, three, four——eight——ten—twenty baskets of goods stood waiting the cleansing operation of a Shaker Washing Machine; while as many as twelve sisters were employed for seven hours, at least, as assistants. But what is the matter? The engineer is running to and fro, anon to the loft above, with a pail of hot water, where are two tanks, each capable of holding twelve barrels of water, usually heated by steam and conducted through pipes to the laundry below; but King Frost has breathed his icy breath into the main pipe and congealed just enough of the crystal ﬂuid to obstruct the passage of steam. All business is suspended for an hour, at least; yet‘, believe me, we did not scold nor fret; on the contrary, we planned how to ﬁll the time more proﬁtably, and each sister went to perform some little household duty, which was necessary to complete before night. Thus no time was unimproved and no cheer- fulness lost. After our prudent engineer had adminis- tered hot applications suﬂicient to start the circulation so that hot steam pressed into the water-tanks above, and boiling-tubs below, a dense fog arose, another petty annoyance, caused by the mingling of the cold air from without with a warm, artiﬁcial atmosphere within. Now, were it not that we adhered quite faithfully to our favorite maxim—“A place for everything, and everything in its place ”—and you know the place for many things on washing—day is in the center of the ﬂoor; without care we should have seriously jostled against a variety of baskets and bun- dles; but on this eventful day every bundle seemed to have a positive friend, and every basket an owner. We had learned by previ- ous experience, that a current of air from two opposite points would speedily remove the greater part of such a vapor, so we searched for the doors, intending to open one on the east and the other on the west side of the room; but every aperture was as hermeti- dally sealed with ice as a can of fruit ought to be from air, and it was quite impossible to open either door. After several fruitless at- tempts, and a hearty laugh at our defeat by fog, we tried the effect of a good ﬁre. All this occurred before breakfast; a plen- ty of “thumps ” were present, but not a sin- gle scold could be heard; and I think it safe to say that there was not even an impatient spirit among us, for, holding in memory the inﬂuence of our Sabbath devotions, and the practical christian vows we had made to- gether, we were able to reconcile all the tem- poral difﬁculties. But the end is not yet; our washing machine next appeared to be frost-bound and out of joint, merely because we had made everything else right, and there was room for another trouble! A few drops of oil and a little hammering soon coaxed this into good-humor. The “ Shaker Washing Machine ” has rendered us too much valuable service in the last ten years to permit us to underestimate its many excellences. We have learned of only one article which will in any way take its place in our appreciation, and that is the “ Shaker Laundry Soap.” With this soap, we are able to cleanse goods with far less hand-rubbing; linens, cottons, woolens, and the ﬁner fabrics, silks, laces, muslins, etc., are cleansed thereby withoutin- jury. We have ourselves proved that paint, printer’s ink, writing ink, and many stains of long standing are removed by a proper use of this soap. Perhaps you have heard of the article, and so I will return to my story of washing—day. When our washing ma- chine was all right, and in motion, we antici- pated success. For an hour everypulley and shaft seemed to operate like magic; but sud- denly the wringer'in the north-west corner (a very cold place)" was seized with the epi- demic and refused to move; the application of oil, even, nor of much kind treatment would effect a cure. The main-belt had been newly but improperly laced; the same was relaced, and we succeeded in starting the wringer! But there is only one right way to do everything, and we were obliged to pause many times, for nothing would succeed, ex- cept a thorough repairing of the belt in ques- tion. Finally, good luck attended us, and by one o’clock p. m., our washing was complet- ed. The garments had been mill-washed. boiled, rinsed, wrung and hung to dry, not by one poor Bridget, however, but by a doz- en pairs of willing hands dictated by cheer- ful hearts. I have somewhere read that cold and badly-cooked dinners are another annoy- ance on this ill-fated day ; we, on the contrary, found a warm dinner awaiting us, and kind sisters who prepared the same, manifestly pleased to enhance our comfort in some way. By the way, I have taken the liberty to write a Shaker parody on the washing—day lines. There is no place for fret nor scold—— There is no place at all; If we the christian motto hold, VVe love and work for all. So thump, thump, thump is labor sweet, Whatever be the day;-- Wherever virgin sisters meet, All scoldis swept away. Kindly yours, E. M. RE;-LY. E. M. H.—Valued Sister: Please ac-» your laundry experiences. As I read it, I seem to be brought into closer sympathy with you and the scenes you present. One word about the fossil rhymes you instance; for I am happy to believe that the leading fact noticed in the ballad does not very forcibly apply to your companions of the laundry, and that on that day of unusual perplexity, the utmost good-humor prevailed! At least, this is what I infer from the tenor of your statement, which, I opine, is one of the hap- py results of practical religion—a religion which should be as apparent in the lanudry on Monday, as in church on Sunday. Ah! when its presence blesses every enterprise, everywhere, then the word s-c-o-I-(Z will he- come obsolete, or die for want of breath. And you all heard the bell that morning, did you? Oh! that big bell! How often has: it seemingly repeated one signiﬁcant couplet: with a prolonged echo to its reluctant hear- ers, thus: ' “ If one would thrive,” clang! clang! “He must rise at ﬁve,” ding, dong, bell! We can easily imagine with what clear, sharp tones this injunction rang out upon the frosty atmosphere of the morning in question. All honor to those who discipline themselves to retire, as well as rise early, for “early to bed and early to rise, makes one healthy, wealthy and wise,” said Poor Rich- ard, who was quite right, for this habit ren- ders persons heroic as well as healthy and able to obey the summons, to shake off dull sloth, and thus early emulate one of the ﬁrst principles of self-denial which Shakerism embraces. But I am thinking, my dear E., that the mental picture which you have given me, does not wear a wintry aspect at all. It is so gilded with sunlight, or good cheer, that I can hardly perceive a cloud in your domestic sky, and am persuaded to be- lieve that your companions were unusually good on that uncommon day! Now, as no picture is complete without a little shade, so Iwonder, ah! I wonder what those amiable sisters would have done, had they been forced by circumstances to perform the same amount of washing with mercury as many degrees below comfortable, and all without a “ Sha- ker Washing Machine,” which you so heartily recommend, a convenient wringer, “Shaker Laundry Soap,” beside other facilities which would take space to name! Think you thag they would have borne the invasion of the frost—king without a murmur? Further, it seems that no member of your party was blamed for the series of mishaps realized, consequently no one was censured; hence, there was no temptation to even /zum the ancient tune to which you refer, and much less to scold. Is it the absence of temptation which develops the christian, or makes a genuine Shaker? Methinks, I hear your ready reply: “Nay, emphatically nay.” Are you not yet aware that all good Shakers are bound by their con- sciences, by their honor as professed follow- ers of the doctrines of the New Testament, wherein the right use of the tongue is so ably treated by the sainted apostle James, to heed these instructions, and strive always to gov- ern the unruly member, which the apostle declares, “is a world of iniquity?” I am aware that this is our profession, and also, that in our imperfect, undisciplined state, we often fail of living fully up to the scriptural truths quoted; and, though I am conﬁdent that you each did your best, under the circumstances, I still claim that with all of your perplexities you were most felicitous- ly situated, compared with the conditions of many of our sister-companions who toil abroad; and the question which I urge is, cept many thanks for the kind report of" TIIE SHAKER. 37 would you be able to exchange localities and surroundings and be as kind, as peaceable? Ah! I recall now that you stated as fact, that you each had spent the previous Sabbath in a worshipful spirit, that you renewed your covenants with God, and made your pledges to do right in his presence together, which gave you power over the tongue in emergencies; thus, you can rightfully say with the apostle, “The fruit of righteous- ness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” In this spirit I easily perceive how possible is success; for they who have God in all their thoughts, obey the sacred injunction of “ Hands to work and hearts to God,” and are thereby able to govern not only the tongue, but every other faculty, in any locality where duty calls. Sincerely thine, Epitomic History of the Watervliet Shakers. D. A. BUCKINGHAM. C. No. 1.—-Of 2‘/ze desz‘z'z‘uz‘e co7zdz'tz'o7z of 2‘/ze be- lievers soon czfler settlz'7z.g_r at Watervliet‘, as found on record. During the year 1778, the believers at Watervliet suffered exceedingly for food, and in temporal matters general- ly. money was scarce; and, being poor, they had no means to buy. It being a ﬁxed princi- ple with them never to run in debt, even for the necessaries of life, their exist- ence became somewhat precarious. Their food consisted principally of rice and milk. A little ﬁsh, mostly stur- geon, was everything of the meat kind they enjoyed for several months. Had little or no butter nor cheese. This simple fare was their main support during the spring and summer of said year. Their chief employment was plant- ing, sowing, and harvesting. They toiled hard for their scanty pittance, and became so reduced in ﬂesh that they looked more like walking skeletons than laboring men. It was a time when Oft-times, they were so weak and faint, they could not work. Hard labor and want of nourishing food were telling mightily upon them. At one their breakfast consisted only of a small bowl of milk-porridge for each, and their suppers were made up of the same material. For dinner, in addition to the bowl of porridge, they enjoyed a little cake—a piece two and a half inches square for each person. One day a couple of the brethren went to the river to catch herring, and one of them was so pressed vvit-h hunger that he ate, while yet raw, the ﬁrst two ﬁsh he caught! season, Their house-room was al- so limited. Had but little convenience for lodging, and were obliged to sleep upon the ﬂoor of their apartment. Some few had a blanket to cover them ; others had none. to mature, and potatoes were in eata- ble condition, their fare was better, and life became more endurable. During the same year, a famine pre- vailed at Lake George. The citizens of Albany made quite a donation of provisions to the sL1ﬂe1'e1‘s there; and the brethren of our little social band were employed to carry the said dona- to Crown Point. On their way As the crops began thither, they stopped at a small hut in the woods, by the roadside, to obtain a little refreshment. They found there an old woman, with three small chil- dren. On making theirbusiness known, the woman replied, “ I have not had a mouthful of meat, bread, nor pdtatoes in my house for the past three months.” VVhen asked what she subsisted upon, she replied, “ VVhen the brier-leaves began to mature in the spring, I gath- ered, boiled, and ate them with my milk, for I have one cow, and that sup- ports us. This is the way we have lived for three months past?” With the money the brethren received for carrying said donation, they pur- chased bread and ﬂour, and our people were soon comfortable. Their crops came in more bountifully than was ex- pected, and by the smiles of providence upon them, they soon began to improve in health, strength, and in many earthly comforts. They were often exhorted by Joseph Meacham,-—a very influential and leading member among them, who was afterwards styled Father Joseph,-— to bear their sufferings with patience and fortitude, for the time would come when they and their children would have plenty and to spare. S/zakers, N. T: A The Cloud of Witnesses. BY THEODORE TILTON. “Are 2‘/zey not all mz'm'sterz'7zg s}5z'rz'ts ? ” I leaned upon a burial urn, And thought how life is but a day; And how the nations, each in turn, Have lived and passed away. The earth is peopled with the dead, Who live again in deathless hosts; Who come and go with noiseless tread, A universe of ghosts. They follow after ﬂying ships, They ﬂicker through the city’s marts, They hear the cry of human lips, The beat of human hearts. They linger not around their tombs, But far from churchyards keep aloof; To dwell in old familiar rooms, Beneath the household roof. They waken. men at morning light, They cheer them in their daily care; They bring a weary world at night To bend the knee in prayer. Their errand is of God assigned, To comfort sorrow till it cease; And in the dark and troubled mind To light the lamp of peace. There is a language whispered low, Whereby to mortal ears they speak; To which we answer by a glow That kindles in the cheek. Dear shadows, fairer than the day; With heavenly lights they wrap us round; Vt/herein we walk a gilded way, And over holy ground. Oh, what a wondrous life is theirs, To ﬂing away the mortal frame; Yet keep the human loves and cares And yearnings still the same. Oh, what a wondrous life is ours, To dwell within this earthly range; Yet parley with the heavenly powers,—- Two worlds in interchange! Oh, balm of grief, to understand That whom our eyes behold no more Still clasps us with as true a hand As in the ﬂesh before. No longer in a gloom profound Let memory, like a mourner craped, Sit weeping by an empty mound, Whose captive hath escaped. So, turning from the burial urn, I thought how life has double worth, If men be only wise to learn That heaven is on the earth. THE SHAKER. Month1y—60 cents per annum. A DUAL ADVOCATE OF CHRIST PRINCIPLES. Lift up the Standard. The world complains mostly of Shaker celibacy, because it is not of the world. Even from our bitterest enemies, how} ever, we ﬁnd vice paying tribute to vir- tue, by the remark: “Their virgin celibacy is a very high order of life!” This is a veréczllm sentence from the exaose of a rabid secessionist. But why ﬁnd so much fault, when forced ﬁnally VVhy is Jesus, the Christ, so much admired? Was it not, and is it not for the same reasons that the Shakers are§‘§’:'1‘seci.1ted in pub- lie, and admired iilthe closet of prayer? Should not like causes be honored sim- ilarly! Jesus, his disciples, and the Shakers are not such antipodes that they should be used so differently. Jesus oﬂered salvation on the same terms which the Shakers now do—“ Stop your sinning!” “Live unto God, die unto sin I ” But our celibacy runs cross- Did the same of Jesus agree with this nature any better? And yet, for the same specialty, the world adores Jesus-or pretends to—-—and dreads the Shakers! O, consistency! The gospel of Jesus relieved the poor of their poverty, and demanded that the rich should reverse the rule of robbery, and take from them only that which made them L11icxii'.ﬁfo1‘t- able, by adding of" their stores! Just so with the Shakers, where none are But while the world pretends an admira- tion of this leveling work of Jesus and Pentecost, they do not want to admire these features in the Shakers. 7726 Prince 0]" Peace is worshiped nzeiztdlly; and the Shakers comz’e7mzccl practically, because they do just that which made Jesus the Prizzcc of Peace I Hence, the world honors General to so much admiration? wise unresurrected human nature. rich, and certainly none are poor. and the Shakers, who would not help him slay ten thousands, are by it unhonored, un- worthy to be called christian; and yet, wherein does Gen. resemble Jesus, the Christ! 0, consistency, ﬁe! Is there not good reason in our being more radical than all other so-called christians: and to rczise up 2726 sta7zcl- ara’ of christianity in its true colors. Therefore, say we: Live as you please; as a c/2rz'52‘z'cm gentleman; but do not confound marriage, nor sex- ual lusts with the celibacy of Jesus, nor of those who live like him. Selﬁshly heap up the good things of this world; but do not think yourselves worthy to be fellowshipped with those of old, nor to-day, who truly say and practice: “Lo ! we have left all to follow thee !” Have your wars,—of household, state, and nation ; but do not, for christianity’s sake, think for a moment there is any Christ about them, nor that any c/zrz's— ticm ever did or will engage in them. These are some of the radicals of Shak- erism. They are arrived at by simple acts of self-denial toward the lusts of the ﬂesh, the lusts for money, pride of life, and lusts for power! “Can these Shakers be christians?” * * it The Shaker, T0 WHOM IT MAY- CONCERN. BE LAwFUL.—If leaders do not re- gard this, who can they expect will do so? A Shaker eldership is a place of care, example, practical wisdom, and deep, parental solicitude; not one of mere authority, right or wrong; but of meekness, charity, long forbearance. True, wise elders drown differences of brethren, with their sunshine, wisdom and love. BE PRUDEN'r.—If those who are ﬁrst in care of temporal things are not the greatest servants unto prudence, who can they expect will be? The doctrine of “Don’t do as I do, but as I say or wish,” never worked any better among the Shakers than elsewhere. An hon- est trustee will be ﬁrst in prudence, ﬁrst in the comforts, and ﬁrst in the burdens of the heart, of his brethren. A real honest Shaker trustee truly feels and acts like the poorest man or woman in the commune. How is this? BE PURE.——If, by our words or deeds, we are not so, do we not belie our pro- fession? and do we not testify against mere profession, without practice? BE PEAcEABLE.——This follows as a matter of course; and means a peace wrought by righteous elders, trustees, and golden-rule-loving brethren and sisters. It does not mean the conse- quences of inequality, insult, tyranny, and subjugation——where these are, he who preaches peace, preaches in vain. BE BRETHREN.——All the trouble that can arise, after fully consecrating one’s self to the fundamental principles of Shakerisrn, comes from the neglect of compliance with the “golden rule.” VVould it not be a healthy question for us all to ask ourselves: “How would we bear our conduct, if practiced on us by others, as we exercise it on others ourselves?” * it %I(- 2. v The Shakers. The friends have often asked us to give our ideas about universal celibacy as promulgat- ed and practiced by the Shakers. Without touching upon any other portions of the creed of this honest, industrious class of thinkers, our answer is that if what they pro- mulgate is really the truest and best to live by, as they claim, then everyhuman being in Christendom should adopt it; which, if they did, as a sequence, in about thirty-ﬁve years, the average of human life, there would not exist a human being on the face of the broad earth, with the exception of a few oldishs 38 THE SHAKER. looking stragglers, who may have outlived the general average. Complete and total an- nihilation would be the inevitable result.—— L. _‘7z¢dd Pzzrdee, a sj>z'rz't, in Voice ofA7zgeZs. There is no doubt that Shakerism answers a wise purpose. There are features connect- ed with the same that excite our admiration, and they surely have a beneﬁcial effect on the outside world. Of course, no one supposes that the whole world will become converted to that faith.—-R. P. f7’ourmzl. Thus again, we are called to add “line upon line” in regard to our tes- timony of celibacy. And this is not the only instance in which “ spirits in prison” have needed light on gospel economy. We believe the ﬁrst of the above articles to be a genuine commu- nication from the spirit-world, and it proves that spirits are only transferred mortals, and do not know very much ‘more for the transfer. L. Judd Pardee is a spirit-editor. In this life, he knew fully as much of Shaker testimony as he ap- pears now to know. Only a short time since, a life-long student of communism, a master-mind in logical deductions, wrote of the Shakers: “Your repro- ductive organs are the offending mem- bers,” etc. This is wrong. VVe never have promulgated universal celibacy; and conﬁne our preaching to those only “ who are able” so to live. This is reasonable. While we testify that the reproductive functions have been worst abused of any, it is not on this account that we abstain from their lower, primi- tive uses. If every engagement of them would produce a perfectly “ sound mind in a healthy body,” and these every child has a right to demand, and none other should be conceived nor born,——even then the practice is “of the earth, earthy,” and has no part with “ the Lord from heaven,” is unworthy of Christ; and those who practice sexual indul- ~ gences and engage in reproductions are not christians! W/e have no controver- sy with worldly reproductions, per 5.9. If they were better than they are, the gradation to a Shaker life therefrom would be easier and more plentiful. We practice celibacy, well-knowing that the Vast majority of the world can- not be, is not ﬁt to be candidatures of Shakerism.! VVe do not preach celiba- cy as right for all, very few of the all being worthy or capable of it. But we stand with outstretched hands to wel- come all who “are able, for the king- dom of heaven’s sake,” to live like him who was the pattern of christians,—a specimen of the heavens on earth. Who will accept our invitation? And who will do‘us the justice, the right, to pre- sent us correctly before the world of readers? R. P. _‘7., we thank you. L. Judd Pardee, spirits disembodied, and yet embodied, take notice, that we not only do not preach universal celibacy, but consider the number able and wor- thy to be candidates therefor, to be so few as scarcely to keep our organiza- tions in healthy conditions! And who is to blame? *3.” See “Particular Notice ” on page 34, this No. of THE SHAKER. Are the Shakers Spiritualists? [From “Plain Talks.”] We are the most radical spiritualists of our day. We are thoroughly con- vinced of spirit communication and in- terpositions, spirit guidance, and ob- session. Our spiritualism has permitted us to face to face, with individuals once mortals, some of whom We well knew, and with others born before the ﬂood. All spiritual phe- nomena commonly occurring in the world had an inauguration among us, long before the “ Rochester Rappings.” By our spiritualism we are become conﬁrmed inﬁdels to the foolish éodily re5m*rectz'072 1.‘/z.e0r_y ; to the untrue and disappointing az‘eme772em‘ d0cz‘rz'7ze; to the monstrous z‘7'z'7zz'z.‘y scheme; to the cruel prea/7c5z‘z'mzz‘z'07rz‘belief, and all the man—made creeds of the popular churches professing christianity. We are sure these things are untrue, and we have had hundreds of testimonies from those! who, when in the body, were as ﬁrm in the belief of their ver- ity as any can be now, but who were bitterly disappointed on arrival in the spirit world. We have progressed be- yond mere physical -phenomena to learn that these are very insigniﬁcant, com- pared with the truths leading to the higher life of the spirit. “Walk in the spirit, and not fulﬁll the lusts of the ﬂesh.” V/Ve are preparing to enter the ranks of spirits who, before their de- parture from earth, or since, learned to practice the injunctions of christianity, thorough self-denial to all sensual pleas- ures. Thousands there really need their bodies to be as happy as before death; while tens of thousands obsess mortals here, that through the indul- gence of their bodies in intemperance, tobacco, theft, trade, lusts of the eye, and the lascivious indulgence of the flesh, and the elements of anger, etc., they may and do obtain pleasures, which death has placed beyond their natural reach. Spiritualism is a light; let no one use it so that their light will become darkness. And let spiritual- ists not prostitute the name by living in the fruitful nor unfruitful Works of darkness, since they are called to be the children of light, and to be lifted‘up for a guide to their, as yet, not so fa- vored brethren. EDITORIX NOTES. converse, We begin in this number the publi- cation of a series of papers by D. A. Buckingham, the venerable presiding elder of the society at Watervliet. Be- ginning almost at the earliest date of the Watervliet settlement, these papers will bring us down to the present time ; and will give, in epitome, the history of what is now SHAKERS, N. Y. VVe have long desired such an undertaking by some competent hand, and ‘we shall be greatly surprised if our readers are not greatly interested. VVe ask partic- ular attention to the grand differences of conditions under which the gospel, according to Ann Lee, has been kept and now is kept. Many are very anxious to place chil- dren under the protecting wings of Shakerism. Orphans, made so by death, or worse, have for many years been accepted by us, and we have had large hopes that our gospel would re- create them before original nature took command. ‘In more than ninety-nine of one hundred cases we have been mistaken! Conﬁdence in the power of our system has made us very careless of the pedigree and antenatal conditions of children. Our carelessness has wrought us an incomputable ruin. Those who have conﬁdence, that by putting the children of gross parentage among the Shakers, they will grow up to be angels, may be assured, that our sorrowful experience is, that they are wrong. Often before school-days are over, exhibitions of devils as big as woodchucks, at least, are illustrated. \/Ve must have the best manufacture of humanity, or we cannot long exist as a ﬂourishing institution. The very best of us had an origin suﬂiciently poor to magnify Shakerism to any considerable degree, and to keep us continually ﬁghting outspurts of unheavenly dispo- sitions. Under the head of “ Correspondence” will be found some of the early fruit of answers to the question: “VVhat shall I do to be a Shaker?” We commend the whole letter, zeal, and consecrated ability of Sister McLaughlin ; which, so long as it is continued, will be worthy of intense emulation. The honor of suggesting answers to the above ques- tion, belongs to Eldress Johanna Kaime ; and the wonder is, it was not prosecut- ed before. We hope it is not as diﬂi— cult for sincere inquirers to get verbal answers from novitiate elders, as for us to get written ones! ____}_.,,,_________ We hope, ere long, that we shall all become properly educated spiritually, in regard to our duty to our fellows. VVe hope to realize, that whatsoever is done for the furtherance of THE SHAK- ER’s spread, maintenance, and improve- ment, by those of its faith, will not be done grudgingly, nor as an especial favor. If THE SHAKER is an or- gan for the promulgation of truth, it is duty that we yield all selﬁsh interests for the accomplishment of that end. Some may be bold enough to say sometimes: “Oh, Lord, don’t you re- member, when we helped your cause?” It is our cause; let us sustain it. NOTICE TO AssEssoRs.—Frz'e7zds.' We entirely lost sight of your unwel- come presence, when, in the March number of THE SHAKER, we enthusi- astically told to the world, how very rich every Shaker was, and how very unselﬁsh with it all. We here enter an apology and explanation to you, and to those beloved deacons of the Shaker church who have, by our blunder, done what we have long waited for—written articles for THE SHAKER! In fact, it greatly relieves the pangs we feel for the mistake, to receive so many good christian threshings from so many ex- cellent christian deacons. We amend the objectionable paragraph by saying “millions of dollars’ worth of more than money ”—gospel riches! upon which, friendly or unfriendly assessors, you cannot aﬂix your tax, amen 1 You have ever rated Shaker property high- est compared with their neighbors’, and to this extent have persecuted us for our faith’s sake. Accept our apolo- gy and explanation, and, gospel friends all, please forgive us. ~——-—~-4» THE CI-IILDREN’S GROTTO. My dear boys and girls : Among the best things to be made into thoughts by you, is CAREFULNESS. Have a care for all things with which you meet. With your friends and companions, be full of care to use them as you like to be used. With the lower ani- mals have a care of kindness as I have here- tofore written you. Remember to be careful of your books; they cost money, and some- body, or many, have to be careful to get the money. Be careful of your clothes: how wrong to be careless of what costs so much time to earn money to buy, and labor to make! A rent in a garment, carelessly made, not only makes work you might have saved for those who love you, but disﬁgures the garment before it should be so, and inspires you to care less for it than before! Is this not so? I love to see a boy or girl, who is not ashamed to wear well-mended clothes, particularly when they have been careful of them before they came to mending. I know I cannot expect you to be like older folk, but you may be even more careful than some older ones, who were careless when they were children! Do not go in the water with your boots nor shoes when you can avoid it; water destroys leather. Be careful of your food, do not waste it. There is enough food wasted every day, by those who were care- less when children, to feed all the hungry in the world! God has been, and now is good to all. There is enough for all to eat, drink and wear, and to spare. If all would be careful,—full of care for those who have not been so fortunate, then all would be cared for, and this would be a happier world. Be careful not to be selﬁsh! Whoever is very selﬁsh, is a robber of that which belongs to another or others; and is wasteful and careless of God-given blessings. Be careful of your health, of your voices; and shun evil companions; thus have a care for your hearts. Do not let angry nor cruel thoughts stay one moment in your minds. How shall you get rid of them? Why, sing a song, talk to a ﬂower; think of some sweet, pretty circumstance that happened yesterday; run, jump at the sun, or try to catch a star; do either, and your angry thoughts are gone by this exercise of care. Be very careful to be good as you know how, and be assured God will care for you. G. A. L. ,,___ A____:__,.:@ . __________;._._..< EVERGREEN SHORES. JOHN KAIME, aged 85, at Canterbury, N. H., Feb. 26, 1877. JACOB WALKER, aged 72, at North Union, 0., Feb. 19, 1877. At Harvard, March —, John Osment, 75. At Harvard, March 28, Joseph Swazey, 59. BOOK TABLE. SHAKER DOCTRINE. Any one who desires to know precisely what the Shaker doctrine is, should procure and read a copy of a neat little pamphlet written by Elder George Al- bert Lomas, and printed at the office of THE SHAKER, Shakers, N. Y. The title of this pamphlet is, “What Shall I do to be a Shak- er? or Plain Talks upon, Practical Religion, being Answers to Earnest Inquirers.” It i‘ THE SI-LAKER. 39 a curious production, and gives a better idea of the teachings of those peculiar people, than can be elsewhere obtained in the same compass.—/Ilbany Evehz'7zg Times. We have received from the publisher, C. C. PEARsoN,iConcord, N. H., a noble volume, entitled, “A Practical Trealise on Vocal Pkyszology.” It is the result of years of study, by that musical adept and scholar, Dr. Chas. Alex. Guilmette. It is recommend- ed to universal study by the ﬁrst musicians of our country, and will soon bear fruit of as just a criticism over the waters in other lands. That it has long been needed, every one who reads it, will be at once convinced. We have given ita casual reading; but will only be satisﬁed by a thorough acquaintance. We recommend this work to every Shaker in our land, and to all the Shakers of the future. That it will be extensively appreciated, there can be no doubt. Shaker societies may ad- dress N. A. Briggs, our publisher, with ad- vantage, in ordering it. Its price is $1.50, only. _._.___ _._..._:..*;———T— .7 ~————.—« - —. Society Items. A ﬁre at South Union, Ky., Junior Order, destroyed the cow-barn with all its contents. Loss some thousands. The work of careless, smoking tramps. Cattle saved.‘ North Union, 0., is contemplating the sale of some lands contiguous to the city of ‘ Cleveland, for some public beneﬁt. If we correctly situate it, their price, $300 per acre, is very cheap. Scarcely any but muni- cipal authorities appear to have money now- adays. We are glad to learn of the convalescence of Bros. Steadman and Allard of Enﬁeld, N. H., and sorry to hear that Elder H. S. Kel- logg of Enﬁeld, Conn., lies dangerously near the conﬁnes of our world at present. And yet, why do we say dangerously? From all accounts, “THE M1NIsTRY’s HOME” at Mt. Lebanon. N. Y., resembles one of those many mansions of the upper re- gions. Be it so. Don’t let any society neglect the perusal and study of Dr. C. A. Guilmette’s Vocal Pﬁ_ysz'ology. . M...-___,7__ TI-IE USEFUL GLEN. AN INVALUABLE HINT. Soon the farmers generally will be engaged in plowing. VVe wish, now, to inform farm- ers of a fact so simple that they will wonder why they had not thought of it before. A fact so useful to know, that it will, on trial, be considered invaluable. Believing that it belongs to farmers without the restriction of a patent, we ﬁrst make it known. It is the discovery of R. M. Wagan, of Mt. Lebanon Shakers, N. Y. It wholly concerns the coul- ter. Invariably this has been applied ob- liquely, pointing away from the plow. Reverse this position of the coulter, give it a drawing instead of a pushing cut, and strange as will appear on trial, you save at least one horse- power! We never use a knife in cutting as we apply and use the coulter. Run your knife through a bar of soap as the coulter is commonly used in the sod; then draw your knife through the soap, and some idea of this invaluable hint will be apparent. By making this public, we preclude the possibility of its being patented. Now, farmers, send our publisher a club of subscribers for THE SHA- KER; for, on trial of the above hint,‘you can well afford to do so. STABLE FLOORS. The Scz'entzﬁc Farmer says of stable ﬂoors that it is common to pitch them back from one to four inches for purposes of drain- age. This is all wrong. Any inclination to the rear is injurious, for the reason that the toes of the animals are thereby turned up, and the back sinews, especially of the fore- legs, kept in a sort of unnatural tension. If there is any pitch at all in the ﬂoor, it should be to the front instead of the back. WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. Nztmber of pomzcls to l/ze om/zel recognized by Me Um'ted Slates. Wheat 60 Shelled corn 56 Ear corn . 70 Rye . 56 Oats. 32 Barley 47 Irish potatoes . 60 Sweet potatoes 56 White beans 60 Castor beans 46 Clover—seed 60 Timothy—seed . 45 Flax-seed 56 Hemp-seed 44 Millet-seed 50 Peas 6o Bran 2o Coke 22 Blue-grass 44 Buckwheat 50 Dried peaches . 38 Dried apples 24 Onions 55 Salt . 70 Stone coal 8o Malt 38 Plastering hair 8 Turnips . . 55 Unslacked lime 30 Corn meal 48 Fine salt . 55 Hungarian grass—seed 50 Ground peas 24 Charcoal . 30 Hominy , . 60 A box 24x16 in. 22 in. deep, holds I barrel 16x16 1-2 8 1 bush. 8X11 1-2 8 1-2 I peck. 4X 4 1-2 4 1-4 x-2 peck .,__ __4f,_____ te1's not yet having been entirely elimi- nated from the former; nor Shaker brethren thoroughly disgusted, as yet, with the latter, we charitably oﬁfer the following for their beneﬁt; making no objection to the extension of.the pru- dence: “A method has been discovered for making more than the usual quantity of tea from any given quantity of the leaf. The whole secret consists in steaming the leaf before steeping. By this process, it is said, fourteen pints of good quality may be brewed from one ounce of tea.” “Delmonico uses one and a half pounds of coffee to a gallon of water, pouring the hot water upon the coffee, which is placed in a strainer. The coffee is never boiled.”—-./Vew York Herald. ___..___M_,_¢,__, LIFE THOUGHTS. EQUALIZATON OF EMo'r1oN.——-There is no worldly gain without some’ loss; so there is no worldly loss without some gain. If thou hast lost thy wealth, thou hast lost some trouble with it; if thou art degraded from honor, thou art like- wise freed from the stroke of envy; if sickness has blurred thy beauty, it hath delivered thee from pride. Set the al- lowance against the loss, and thou shalt ﬁnd no loss great. He loses little or nothing that reserves himself. Com- ought never to be ashamed.—Graceful, particularly in youth, is the tear of sym- pathy, and the heart that melts at the tale of woe. We should not permit ease and indulgence to contract our af- fections, and wrap us up in selﬁsh en- joyment; but we should accustom our- selves to think of the distress of human life, of the solitary cottage, the dying parent, and the weeping orphan. Nor ought we ever to sport with pain and distress in any of our amusements, nor treat even the meanest insect with wan- ton cruelty.—Blaz'r. Mere physical good-looks fade with the years, bleach out with sickness, and yield to the slow decay of mortality. But the beauty that has its origin in kind dispositions, noble purposes and great thoughts, outlasts youth and ma- turity, increases with years, and like the luscious peach which comes to us in autumn ripeness, covered with the delicate ﬂush of purple and Crimson, is never so beautiful as when Waiting to be plucked by the gatherer’s hand, si- lently witnessing to the full, the rich perfections time works out.——- Tales Co. C/zrorzicle. Spiritualism teaches the golden rule of righteousness, and its certain reward in eternal happiness; it tells us that evil deeds are sure of their punishment; and it at the same time brings the great revelation to man that all will be ulti- mately saved to enduring happiness, through expiation, suffering, and puri- ﬁcation of the spirit. Time to me this truth hath taught- ’T is a truth that’s worth revealing-— More offend from want of thought Than from any want of feeling. If advice we would convey, There ’s a time we should convey it; If we ’ve but a word to say, There’s a time in which to say it. —Ckarles Swan. Let us be assured that the noblest life makes the happiest death ; and that he lives the noblest who sacriﬁces most for his fellow-men, whose life is most devoted to what he conceives to be the truth.-—-]i'e'o. David ff. Clark. ___.,,_L_______ ENEMIEs.——I-lave you enemies? Go straight on, and mind them not. If they block up your path, walk around them, and do your duty regardless of their spite. A man who has no ene- mies is seldom good for anything; he is made of that kind of material which is so easily worked that everyone has a hand in it. A sterling character——one who thinks for himself, and speaks what he thinks—is always sure to have enemies. They are as necessary to him as fresh air; they keep him alive and active. A celebrated character, who was surrounded with enemies, used to remark: “They are sparks which, if you do not blow, will go out of them- selves.” Let this be your feeling while endeavoring to live down the scandal of those who are bitter against you. If you stop to dispute, you do but as they passion is an emotion of which we desire, and open the way for more abuse. Let the poor fellows talk; there will be a reaction if you perform but your duty, and hundreds who were once alienated from you will ﬂock to you and acknowledge their error.—- Alexa72der’5 [I/essenger. How TO TREAT INSECT STINGS.—— The pain caused by the sting of a plant or insect is the result of a certain amount of acid poison injected into the blood. The ﬁrst thing to be done is to press the tube of a small key ﬁrmly on ths wound, moving the key from side to side to facilitate the expulsion of the sting and its accompanying poison. The sting, if left in the wound, should be carefully extracted, otherwise it will greatly increase the local irritation. The poison of stings being acid, com- mon sense points to the alkalies as the proper means of cure. Among the most easily procured remedies may be mentioned, soft soap, liquor of ammo- nia, (spirits of hartshorn,) smelling salts, washing soda, quicklime made into paste with water, lime water, the juice of an onion, tobacco juice, chewed tobacco, bruised dock leaves, tomato juice, wood ashes, tobacco ash, and carbonate of soda. If the sting be severe, rest and cool- ness should be added to the other remedies, more especially in the case of nervous subjects. Nothing is so apt to make the poison active as heat, and nothing favors its activity less than cold. Let the body be kept cool and at rest, and the activity of the poison will be reduced to a minimum. Any active exertion whereby the circulation is quickened will increase both pain and swelling. If the swelling be severe, the part may be rubbed with sweet oil, or a drop or two of laudanum. Stings in the eye, ear, mouth, or throat, some- times lead to serious consequences; in such cases, medical advice should al- ways be sought -as soon as possible.— London Garden. ‘ - DARwINIsM.—-Carlyle is now very feeble through age, but his memory is still marvelous, and the ﬂow of his talk—doubtless the most eloquent of the age—is unabated. Take this as a sam- ple; “ I have known three generations of the Darwins: grandfather, father and son. Atheists all. The brother of the present famous naturalist, a quiet man, who lives not far from here, told me that among his grandfather’s eﬂects he found a seal engraven with this legend: ‘ 0mm'a ex conc/22's," everything from a clam-shelll I saw the naturalist not many months ago; told him that I had read his ‘Origin of the Species,’ and other books; that he had by no means satisﬁed me that men were descendants from monkeys, but had gone far toward persuading me that he and his so-called scientiﬁc brethren had brought the present generation of Englishmen very near to monkeys. “A good sort of a man is this Dar- win, and well-meaning, but with very little intellect. Ah, it is a sad and ter- 40 THE SHAKER. bless - ing bright - ness one great - mer - it 1 l I rible thing to see nigh a whole genera- tion of men and women professing to be cultivated, looking around in a pur- blind fashion, and ﬁnding no God in this universe. I suppose it is a reaction from the reign of cant and hollow pre- tence, professing to believe what in fact they do not believe. And this is what we have got to. All things from frog spawn; the gospel of dirt the order of the day. The older I grow—and I now stand upon the brink of eternity-—the more comes back to me the sentence of the catechism, which I learned when a child, and the fuller and the deeper its meaning becomes: ‘What is the chief end of man?’ ‘ To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.’ No gospel of dirt, teaching that men have descended from frogs through monkeys, can ~ ever set that aside.”——.117artforcZ Courcmz‘. V THE SHAKER, G. A. Lomas, Editor, Shak- «ers, N. Y., is the oﬂicial monthly organ of the united societies of that faith, and a very jgood-looking and intelligent exponent of its material and spiritual interests. Founded by 1that Christly woman, EH73’ Lee, originally a Manchester (Eng.) factory-girl, whom they regard as the spiritual peer of Jesus, this wide-spread order of modern socialism pre- sents many features of absorbing interest to students of love and labor reform. THE SHAKER is sent, post-paid, to any address, for 60 cents per annum.———T/ze Word, Prince- ton, Mass. SOUND CRITICISM.--In his sermon at the Tabernacle, Rev. Phillips Brooks said, as reported, that, “the great part of life, after becoming a christian, will be spent as before; we shall buy and 1)’ his GOD’S BLESSIl_\'l‘Gr. ‘ ‘E- l - to mines my my blessed ; love ; On Whose hon - sell and get gain; but the purposes are all changed.” How the life remains the same, when the purposes changed, we do not see. If religion does not change the life, what good does it do to change the purposes? We of course would not judge of a preach- er’s whole doctrine by a single sen- tence; but this statement is a good pic- ture of the practical eﬂiects of the popu- lar religion. With all its professions, rites, and observances, it makes no special or permanent improvement in a person’s character and conduct. A man is persuaded that he has had his heart or life “sanctified,” when there has been no change in the impulses or aims of either; and the result is, that tliough there are very good people in the church, the main diﬂierence between the “ins” and “outs” is a certain ﬂavor or conceit of piety. That relig- ion makes no change in the life, and we can buy and sell and get gain—and a good deal of it—as well after as before becoming Christians, may be popular and pleasing gospel; but to our view religion must go deeper than that.—- New Age. A THE story of Lotls wife, whether we accept it literally or allegorically, sug- gests a wholesome truth. VVe might as well be pillars of salt, or something far less valuable, as to be forever look- ing backward with regrets. Continual right—doing in the present is the best reparation for an unsatisfactory past. The angular duties of to-day may be ripened and rounded into pleasures if are soul. Way. I’ll I’ll Walk sing his his in of the of 01' His My love deav - soul est we put the wine of loving hearts and the strength of willing hands into them. And the wayside pleasures, so insigniﬁ- cant of themselves, sometimes, that we fail to notice them, often assume the dignity of duties when relatively con- sidered. And when the busy day has given place to the leisure of twilight, instead of groping among the yesterdays for the wan face of a dead or dying sor- row, or gazing with horror upon the hateful features of some sin committed in the fever of passion or the blindness of ignorance, were it not better to take kindly thought for the morrows? \/Vhose sorrows shall we soothe? Whose heavy weight uplift? VVhose bitter cup sweet- en? Ah! time has healing and won- drous compensations for the brave and faithful who journey on unmindful of their own heart-aches and wounds with- out cause.—A. A. IV. in New Age. A V GERMINATION FROM 01.1) SEED.—In the silver mines of Laurium, only the slags left by the ancient Greeks are at present worked oﬂ‘, in order to gain, after an improved modern method, sil- ver still left in that dross. This refuse ore is probably about two thousand years old. Among it, the seed of a species of glaucium, or poppy, was found, which had slept in the darkness of the earth during all that time. After a little while, when the slags were brought up and worked oﬂf at the melt- ing ovens, there suddenly arose a crop of glaucium plants, with a beautiful yellow ﬂower, of a kind unknown to modern botany, but which is described by Pliny and others as a frequent ﬂower in ancient Greece.--—Lo7za'on Examz'ner. CANTERBURY, N. H. /5 1. As the dew of the morn - ing, Or as bright riv - ers roll; So so does God's 2. As the dawn of the morn - ing, Or a heav - en - ly ray; His glo - ri - ous A l pres - fa. - ence vor, I’ll F 5 Work is im. - pressed. loy - al — ty prove. A Mystery. BY JOHN G. WHITTIER. The river hemmed with leaning trees Wound through its meadows green; A low, blue line of mountains Showed the open pines between. One sharp, tall peak above them all Clear into sunlight sprang; I saw the river of my dreams, The mountains that I sang! No clew of memory led me on, But well the ways I knew; A feeling of familiar things With every footstep grew. Not otherwise above irs crag Could lean the blasted pine; Not otherwise the maple hold Aloft its red ensign. So up the long and shorn foothills The mountain road should creep; So green and low, the meadow fold Its red-haired kine asleep. The river wound as it should wind; Their place the mountains took. The white, torn fringes of their clouds VVore no unwonted look. Yet ne’er before that river’s rim Was pressed by feet of mine; Never before mine eyes had crossed That broken mountain line. A presence, strange at once and known, Walked with me as my guide; The skirts of some forgotten life Trailecl noiseless at my side. Was it a dim-remembered dream? Or glimpse through zeons old? The secret which the mountains kept, The river never told. But from the vision ere it passed A tender hope I drew, ’ nd, pleasant as a dawn_ of spring, The thought within me grew, That love would temper every change, And soften all surprise, And, misty with the dreams of earth, The hills of Heaven arise.
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Subjects: Shaker -- Periodicals
Identifier: yhm-sha-ts0705
Is part of: Hamilton College Library Digital Collections, Communal Societies Collection, Shaker Collection

Title: Shaker Manifesto, vol. 07, no. 06 (June 1877)
Publisher: United Societies
Date: 1877-06-01
Place published: New York
Text: THE SHAKER. OFFICIAL MONTHLY.——-PUBLISHED BY THE UNITED SOCIETIES. “ ﬁn great]: the l-inrgrlum u//‘ ggadl ” iestinzang aﬂ eternal truth. VOL VII. G. A. LOMAS, EDITOR, : Shakers, N. Y. JUNE, 1877. N. A. BRIGGS, PUBLISHER, E l Shaker Village, N. H. No.6. 9 The Virgin Character. ELIZABETH MARTIN. “They who have kept their spirit’s virgin whiteness Undimmed by folly, and unstained by sin, And made their foreheads radiant with the brightness Of the pure truth whose temple is within,- They shall see God.” “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” This beautiful beatitude of our Savior contains an all- important theme for contemplation by the true religionist; for as breath gives vitality to the whole body, so should purity of heart and life invigorate and vitalize the soul, the fountain from whence ﬂows love to God, good-will and good deeds towards all. mankind. It is the pure oil of religion, which, lighted by divine love, sheds perpetual light on the pathway of life. As t...
Show moreTHE SHAKER. OFFICIAL MONTHLY.——-PUBLISHED BY THE UNITED SOCIETIES. “ ﬁn great]: the l-inrgrlum u//‘ ggadl ” iestinzang aﬂ eternal truth. VOL VII. G. A. LOMAS, EDITOR, : Shakers, N. Y. JUNE, 1877. N. A. BRIGGS, PUBLISHER, E l Shaker Village, N. H. No.6. 9 The Virgin Character. ELIZABETH MARTIN. “They who have kept their spirit’s virgin whiteness Undimmed by folly, and unstained by sin, And made their foreheads radiant with the brightness Of the pure truth whose temple is within,- They shall see God.” “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” This beautiful beatitude of our Savior contains an all- important theme for contemplation by the true religionist; for as breath gives vitality to the whole body, so should purity of heart and life invigorate and vitalize the soul, the fountain from whence ﬂows love to God, good-will and good deeds towards all. mankind. It is the pure oil of religion, which, lighted by divine love, sheds perpetual light on the pathway of life. As the term virgin signiﬁes pure, it may be applied to any perfectly pure substance as virgin gold, virgin soil, virgin snow, meaning pure gold, pure soil, pure snow; so the term virgin character, including both sexes, means pure men and pure women. The term celibate, as illustrative of the pure life of the Shaker, is not suffi- ciently broad to deﬁne the real basic principle of our institution; for there are many celibates, while there are few virgins. The ‘one prime element of the virgin character is love to God; this permeates the whole being; the imagi- nations, thoughts, desires and aspira- tions are all heavenward. The virgin cannot deal falsely, for he loves his neighbor as himself. He cannot be selﬁsh, for he sees the image of God re- ﬂected on every object, and is only sat- isﬁed with pure, active benevolence, pure truth and pure love, as. the govern- ing principles of a pure life through- out. Canterbury, N. H. A Feed My Sheep. E. H. WEBSTER. Ere the most patient of all suﬁfering spiritsjkhad passed the mortal agony, and yet lingered around his mourning ﬂock, out of his anguished soul he breathed the words, “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me P” “Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.” He saith unto him “feed my sheep.” Three times he repeated the question, and Peter, grieved, replied, “thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee.” But as if to require proof of that love he says once more, “ feed my sheep.” Jesus had gathered together a little ﬂock and now the great consideration was how to protect and keep them, and in his wisdom he saw that if fed with suitable food, they would be sustained and grow to become a powerful inﬂu- ence on the earth. Called out from broad pastures of evil into narrow ﬁelds of grace, the heavenly shepherd that to make them grow, there must be some- thing realized more than restraining means, even a full supply of life-giving nour- ishment, hence his thrice-repeated ejac- ulation, “feed my sheep.” But what is the food the spiritual lambs need to aid their growth in the divine life? Can aught be better than the words of Christ adapted to their comprehension, and lived out in loving and continual ex- ample? This must certainly be strength- giving and sustaining. “Feed me with food convenient for me,” said the psalmist; and we know that in nature every living thing’ in order to grow and properly develop, must ﬁnd the elements its being needs, to form the new particles which are to supply the wearing-out of tissue con- tinually going on. And as the daily bread must do this for the mortal body just as really does the spirit, quickened into life, need spiritual food to make it grow and thrive. When Jesus said “I have bread to eat that ye know not of,” he only asseverated this idea, for he had become so spiritualized in his life that the ministrations from the spirit-world almost supplied at times, wants which are so pressing to the natural man. And the joy he found in ministering to minds diseased and thereby relieving sL1ﬁering, was his life and his element. A like devotion to holy uses will make it our meat and our drink to do the will of our Father; and the intense hunger and thirst we feel at times after right- eousness, will be ﬁlled according to the promise ; for righteousness, which is sim- ply right-doing, right—thinking and right- being, when practiced by each individ- ual, will constitute the sum of goodness, justice and equity, which will remove the wrongs of earth, and bring about the blessed era when righteousness shall reign. Harvard, Mass. An Aged Reformer. F. W. EVANS. In conversation, this morning, with an octogenarian brother, he related to me his experience. Pointing to a to- bacco-box in a pigeon-hole over his head, he said “For sevcizty-one years I chewed tobacco. For the last ﬁve Wars I have not taken a particle.” Opening a drawer, he handed out a large can, half ﬁlled with what he call- ed the best quality of tobacco, saying: “I left using the narcotic voluntarily. It did not injure my health. But it was a great act of self-denial. In the spirit- world, I shall not be afﬁicted by a de- sire for tobacco. It is far easier to break a bad habit here than there.” Tried a; Gold. MARIA WITHAM. As gold is purged of worthless dross, Under the furnace blast-— Grows purer by the seeming loss, And shines undimmed at last;— As brightness, like the morning sky, When winds are soft and fair, Reflecting to the Master’s eye, His image mirrored there—— So by the ﬁerce and angry ﬁres, Of trial and of care, May we, if so the soul aspires, The Sav1or’s image wear. These come to purge from clinging dross, To purify the soul; To bring us nearer to the cross, And Heaven’s complete control. Enﬁeld, Conn. A v Epitomic History of the Watervliet Shakers. No. 2. D. A. BUCKINGHAM. OF THEIR LOCATION. In the ﬁrst set- tlement of believers at Watervliet, the place selected for location by the early pioneers was about seven miles north- west from Albany, in a dense forest, beside a small stream, along which was a dismal swamp of huge bogs, wild grass and weeds. The stream of water coursed its way rather northward, but so very winding in its course it was judged that four rods would make scarcely one when straightened. It frequently formed little pools or slough- holes, some three, four, and ﬁve feet in depth. VVhere now stands the princi- pal building of the Church family, there was then a pool of water nearly eight feet in depth, and served as a place of resort and amusement for the young in swimming and washing. This said stream, since called and known as “ Scherluyn creek,” was shortly after straightened by cutting an entirely new channel, while the old one and the many slough-holes connected therewith, were ﬁlled with dirt and sand drawn from the hills some short distance away. It was the practice of the leaders and all the male portion of the family, with some of the females, to turn out occasionally, cutting and piling bogs, and ﬁlling up the deep holes. But soon the bogs would again appear and then another conﬂict would ensue to subdue them; and so it con- tinued, one scene after another, season after season, until one dry summer set- tled the controversy, for the ground and bogs took ﬁre, which destroyed them. Finally a portion of the low- land was so much improved as to yield a wild grass, which could be secured by the brethren conveying it to the ris- ing ground on poles. It would require much space to de- scribe the then appearance of the place, to show the difference between that and what a visitor would now behold. Tens of thousands of loads of sand have been carted or carried from the sand-hills not far distant, to ﬁll holes and raise the low-land for acres around where the village of the Church family now stands. For many years it was the practice for all who were able to work, to turn out with teams and equipages on Saturday afternoons to draw sand for these purposes. Often when dig- ging for water, laying drains or aque- ducts, we now come upon old stumps, logs or trees, three, four and more feet under ground, which have been hid from public view for seventy-ﬁve orone hundred years, which still are as sound as a nut. Elder John Hocknell, one of the number that came from England, did much in the line of clearing the land. He seemed to take pleasure in subduing the bogs and digging out old stumps. lVIorrell Baker, _]r., one of the active laborers and a scribe of those days, writes: “When I consider how much labor we performed, and how well we soon began to live under existing cir- cumstances, it seems to me almost a miracle; for one half of the work then done brought no immediate proﬁt, but was only ﬁxing the face of the earth for the beneﬁt of after generations, and laying a foundation for the future ; and in all this we never hired a day’s labor to assist us. 42 THE SHAKER. “Some have wondered how we per- formed so much and lived; but the story is short and easily told. It was this: When there was any hard job to be done, all had notice of it beforehand and prepared themselves for the task, and to move at the call. None were excused who were able to go. No matter for individual business, whether proﬁtable or not. ‘Our zmion is our strengz‘/2,’ was the motto, and herein was the proﬁt and the blessing. The deacons led the band and all moved as the heart of one. Consequently the hills were laid low, the: valleys raised, and the rough places made smooth.” God’s llford. HERVEY L. EADES. Notwithstanding the subject of what con- stitutes God’s word has perplexed the world for ages and been widely discussed and much befogged by writers, so that agreement has hitherto seemed impossible, sti1l,I think it can be made plain to the common mind: This is the task I have now proposed for my- self. It will ﬁrst be necessary to state what we are to understand by the term GOD. It is hardly suﬂicient to say the “ Supreme Being,” as a ﬁnite being may be supreme over all other ﬁnite beings. Such was Christ; but Christ was not God, only as God-man, the son of God. We understand by the term God in its highest sense to mean, Inﬁnite Spirit, omniscient and omnipresent; then to speak of more than one Inﬁnite God is child- ish, equal to declaring there is no inﬁnite God, but being inﬁnite in his presence, as well as his power in all worlds and all places, in all humans and all things, at all times, makes all works his own except that which is changed, obstructed or counteracted by free agents, and for which the free agents are themselves accountable. We admit that the doctrine of free agency is disputed by some philosophers of note, and although we are conscious of this freedom, it is diﬂicult of demonstration in the face of necessity. The non-acceptance of this doctrine is where the honest Hebrew philosopher, Benedict De Spinoza, missed the mark, who, in his Ethics, throws all acts, causes and effects back to in- ﬁnity, making them rest with God; disagree- ing with Locke, who thus manfully comes to the rescue: “W/zatever 7zecessz'ty deter- mines in the pursuit of real bliss, the same necessity with the same force establishes sus- pense, deliberation and scrutiny of each suc- cessive desire, whether the gratiﬁcation of it does not _interfere with our true happiness and mislead us from it. The government of the passions is the right improvement of this liberty,” &c. Now the word of God to free agents, is the operation of the ever-present Inﬁnite Spirit on the higher consciousness of their unfold- ing. God does not impress his word on any above and beyond the condition to which he has unfolded them, else his word to them would be incomprehensible and therefore void; hence it is not unreasonable to afﬁrm that it was the same God or ever-present In- ﬁnite Spirit operating upon the higher con- sciousness and highest unfolded condition of Moses, when the utterance was “ an eye for an eye,” that operated upon the still higher unfoldment of Christ, when the utterance was “love your enemies.” To aﬂirm that both were equally God’s word, affords no evi- dence of contradiction or change in the mind of God; it only shows that the latter had at- tained to a higher state of development than the former, comprehending the attributes of love and mercy, in a degree which the former had not reached, thus doing away with the subterfuge that one God directed Moses, another Christ, and another the O¢iak- ers and Shakers, and so on, thus los- ing sight of the omnipresence of God altogether, and concealing the grand truth that the word of God to all humans, hea- thens, Protestants, Catholics, Oneidians, (luakers or Shakers, is the operation of the inﬁnite on their higher consciousness, which if obeyed brings present justiﬁcation to each class, or each individual of such class. But justiﬁcation is not salvation nor redemption, these are attainable only through Christ; that is by seeking until we ﬁnd him, where he has “placed his name for salvation,” and then by “walking as he walked and overcom- ing as he overcome.” But we say God is dual: very well, but this, properly under- stood, does not destroy his unity. He is dual only in the subordinate sense. He exists equally in both male and female; He is there- fore male in the masculine, and female in the feminine. The ever-present inﬁnite" Spirit speaking by the organs of the man is the Father, the same spirit speaking by the wom- an is the Mother,—His unity remaining invi- olate, and unity and duality are thus recon- ciled. All the anti-christian fuss about a ﬁxed throne, located in space somewhere “ ’twixt earth, sea and skies,” is pure fiction, chimera, with no rational basis, as such no- tion destroys the idea of his inﬁnity. This, however, does not conﬂict with the idea Qf his kingdom in heaven, where Christ is the visible head, who is still directed and con- trolled by the operation of the Divine Es- sence on his higher consciousness, and to whom all must bow, angels or men. But the God that can go and come from one part of space to another is ﬁnite and must be some subordinate creature to whom the term God is applied. Moses and Jesus were God to the people in a subordinate sense, they being the highest unfolded of the race; One under the natural law, the other under the spiritual. The idea is very absurd and ﬁnds no support in reason or revelation, of the Inﬁnite focal- izing his whole self in either; because whilst operating on their consciousness, He was at the same time operating, holding and guiding millions of worlds and all within them. If the aﬂirmation that “ God cannot possibly be in any evil work” be construed to deny the eternal presence, then the afﬁrmation is at fault, because God is either omnipresent, or He is not. If he is not, He is circumscribed. If he is circumscribed He is ﬁnite, and can be measured when inﬁnity disappears. But God is ever present, in the cyclone, in the ﬁre that warms, or that which reduces cities to ashes. He is equally in the ﬂint of the winged and quivering arrow of the wild In- dian on its errand of death, as in his heart to condemn or approve, or in that of angels or men on errands of mercy and love. That it has been his will to impart free agency to man, who may do evil or good at pleasure, does not deny in the least degree the ever-ex- isting Eternal Presence. But to further elu- cidate, we return to Gospel ministers. Being appointed from above, when they speak or act free from every earthly bias or passional inﬂuence, either in or out of themselves, being moved in obedience to the Inﬁnite Spirit operating upon their higher conscious- ness, or in obedience to the more highly un- folded ministers or agents before them, they simply are agents or tools in the hands of God, when what they say is the word of God and what they do is the act of God, which would be sin for them to withhold or to change, and which should be freely accept- ed by all under them; notwithstanding such ministers or appointed agents may have many imperfections to contend with in com- mon with the rest of their brethren and sis- ters. Christ himself was tempted in all things like his brethren. No excuse for dis- obedience to the law of Christ, or God through him, or his appointees, should be made in consequence of this. Now of ap- pointments: Some one or ones must be ap- pointed to lead in every department of Christ’s kingdom, either in heaven or on earth. To make it a God-appointment, the appointing power must be freed from selﬁsh- ness and passional bias. Then such appoint- ments should be acquiesced in by all. Be- cause some such fail to properly fulﬁll the call, is no argument against this conclusion. One of Christ’s was a failure. The false but popular democratic cry of“Vox gﬁopuli, Vox Dez',” is at variance with the whole genius, tenor, structure and very existence of Christ’s kingdom, which is a Theocracy pure and simple, and every iota of democracy that ﬂnds lodgment therein only has the tendency to lower its status and cause it to interblend with the kingdoms and communities of the world,,_and make it both “common and un- clean.” Ours is the antipode of democracy; the one being the government of God, the other of men; the heads of one being ap- pointed by God above them, the heads of the other by men below them. The one is from above, the other from beneath. When Christ said to the Pharisees in the temple, “Ye are from beneath, I am from above,” He did not mean that they came from some nether world up through a hole in the ground; no more than he did that he came down from some supernal world through a hole in the sky. He simply meant to convey to them that they were actuated from the lower re- gions and impulses, whilst his promptings were from the higher, theirs from beneath, his from above. But they were natural and carnal and could not understand him. “You have not chosen me but I have chosen you,” said Christ, and so it must remain in solid contrast with all other communities of earth. We are not chosen by the world, but chosen out of the world. All the external gazing and clatter about this great day of scientiﬁc progress which is attempting to make of Christ a myth, to shun his cross, and all the twaddle about more el- bow room, throwing oﬁ‘ priestly shackles, and asserting personal rights and removing necessary restrictions within the kingdom, comes from an overweening conceit and a restless worldly animal nature that is ever pleading for more indulgence. It never comes from the truly spiritual side of their being. This, under all circumstances, is ever childlike, simple, unobtrusive, thank- ful, prayerful, meek, loving, good, forbear- ing, forgiving, unretaliating, holy, happy and angelic. Who would not choose this state at the expense of fettering and crucifying the World within? South Union, Ky. Christian Faith. MARIAN PATRICK. We can place a true estimate on our faith, by the consolation it aﬁfords in the trials that we are daily called to pass through; and those who possess it, ﬁnd some gracious purpose in every combi- nation of circumstances. In this inﬂu- ence there is nothing mysterious, it shows the christian his God, who dis- poses everything in benevolent wisdom, producing characters of unexpected worth, invigorating certain virtues by peculiar probations, breaking the fet- ters Which bind us to temporal things. We would call paﬁticdilarjittention, for the last time this year, to the fact that those who would like to subscribe for that noble, instructive family peri- odical, T/ze Americczzz Agﬂculturzst, can by subscribing for it in combination with THE SHAKER, obtain both papers at less than the subscription price of the Agrz'cuZz‘urz'sz‘l Now is the ac. ceptable time. Send $1.50 to N. A, Briggs, Shaker Village, N. H. Notes by the Way. No. 8. HENRY C. BLINN. “ He made sad havoc with the king’s English” was the remark of one who had been to hear the great evangelist preach. The criticism may not have been misplaced, although projected by disappointment. Accustomed as he may have been to a gorgeous church, with prayers and sermons in the lan- guage of Addison, we are surprised at the mildness of the remark rather than at the severity. This beloved gramma- rian had no doubt been suffering in- tensely under a self-imposed penance and surcharged with the nervous tort- ure, had left the meeting thinking only of the sad violations of the rules of syntax. The earnestness and self- abnegation ‘of the Lord’s servant, the prayers of the penitent, as well as the hymns of praise, found in his heart no response. The displacing of an adjective or a pronoun at the commencement of a petition, or a doubtful auxiliary before its verb in the sermon, had ruined the artistic effect upon the poor man’s mind. There seems to be a strong incentive in some to indulge in the spirit of un- kind, and hence unjust criticism. This is often manifested by the publicity which is given to some slight errors of speech or eccentricity of manner, par- ticularly when they occur in a religious assembly. While ignorance may not foreshadow the fruits of godliness, nor crude man- ners the discipline of the cross of Christ, still, we have reason in believ- ing that if all the exhortations in prayer and teaching which tend to a spiritual life are to be conﬁned within the circle of that class who never err in speech, then most assuredly the disciples of the gospel of good news will not want for space in which to act. Corbett, in his illustrations of lan- guage, is said to have obtained most of his examples of false syntax from the speeches delivered in the British Par- liament, but do we suppose for a mo- ment, that these grammatical errors wholly destroyed the force of their ar- guments? Not far in the past, one of collegiate society while addressing an audience on the subject of education, was credited with more than a score of deviations from the rules of orthography and systematic construction of senten- ces. Fortunately, most of these slight er- rors among the educated and uneduca- ted pass unobserved. Hence, the po- tent inﬁuence of the revivalist upon the minds of his hearers, when he compares the dealings of the members of the strictest evangelical churches with souls, to the meanness and selﬁshness that exist in the traﬁic of this world’s goods. He says that the ministers in these same churches may preach their intellectual sermons as smooth as an icicle and fully as cold. Few would stop to recognize anverror of speech, TIEIE SHAKE'R. 43 under the infliction of such a direct shaft. Another writer, after making an ex- tended display of words concerning the Shakers, says that there was something in the woman, Ann Lee, that made her more than woman. “ Without an elo- quence which is born of language and the gift of oratory, this unlettered wo- man could make her hearers literally wet the floor of their meeting-room with their tears.” But our very worthy disciple of Lind- ley Murray has also learned that Ann Lee, in some of her remarks, violated one or more of the unvarying rules of syntax, which warrants him in saying, that “ Her exhortations made sad havoc with the rules of grammar, but they were models of forcefulness and fer- vor.” We can hardly conceive wherein lies the beauty or even propriety of that form of expression which accords to the speaker “models of forcefulness and fervor,” while at the same time they are making sad havoc with the “ rules of grammar.” It seems very much like having an inclination to ﬁnd fault with somebody or something, and this time it happens to be on the subject of religion. Grammatical precision may be one of the most beautiful attainments in the anticipated language of the angels, and in our making speech, a lovely and heavenly gift. For this attainment every young person should aspire; a neglect by waste of precious moments, will render them culpable before God. But with all the care that we may possibly exercise in this branch of edu- cation, it would be the height of folly, to defer all action till the day of our perfection. The wise, clearly-deﬁned admonition, which the Savior set forth in the parable, when an unproﬁtable servant buried in the earth (in the selﬁshness of his own life) the gift which God gave him, should be indeli- bly impressed upon every mind. A Christian Giflture. No. 4. WM. H. BUSSELL. LITERATURE. Character is formed, partly, by the inﬂuences which affect us. This is a simple truism, yet of the utmost im- portance to human welfare. Bod- ily health depends as much upon climatic inﬂuences, upon the food which the system demands for the maintenance of its vigor, as upon the care of the individual to act in ac- cordance with the laws of health. The best constitution is often undermined by exposure to certain atmospheric con- ditions, though the greatest care may be taken to guard against deleterious in- ﬂuences. It is just so with mental and moral health. The literary atmosphere seems almost as widely diﬁ"used as that invisible sub- stance which surrounds the earth, en- wrapping all with a garment of multi- plied and varied folds. Literature, of whatever kind, is of human origin, and, like everything else human, is of varied character. The term is here taken in its broadest ex- tent, embracing not only the books and periodicals to which that name is com- monly applied, but also all others, whether styled political, scientiﬁc, or religious. All of these classes have their objectionable features; not all equally oﬁensive, by any means, for some are comparatively harmless, while others are, to the last degree, pernicious. They all have their excellencies, also, and these alone, of course, can be of any service in genuine culture. Religious literature is a stream having its sources in remote antiquity, of di- minutive size at ﬁrst, but becoming deeper and broader all the way down through the ages. In the course of time, certain writings, as the Veda of the Indians, the Zend Avesta of the Persians, the Koran of the Mohammed- ans, and the Bible of the Christians, acquired a character of sacredness be- yond all others, either because their au- thors declared them to have emanated, directly or indirectly, from the Divine Mind, or because long use as religious teachings gave them that character. The christian zealot regards his Bible as pre-eminently sacred, and the only one of all religious books meriting the title of God’s Word. Thus the poet Cowper: “All truth is from the sempiternal source Oflight divine. But Egypt, Greece and Rome Drew from the stream below. More favored we Drink, when we choose it, from the fountain head.” But error, wherever found, cannot give genuine culture. The c/zrz'stz'a7z name is no better than any other if it does not represent absolute truth, or, in its primitive simplicity, embody a greater number of essential truths than any other. If the teachings of Jesus pro- claim the true character of the Divine Being, then many ‘utterances found in the Bible ascribed to God himself, must be pronounced erroneous, no matter What degree of sacredness they may have acquired by age, because they do not accord with those teachings. The life of Jesus is to be regarded as a true life, because it truly sets forth the inﬁ- nite and all-attracting love; and, as a necessary sequence, all others differing in their essential characteristics from his, are not to be taken as models upon which to form true character. It is not necessary to point out the discrepancies between many of the teachings found in portions of the Bible and those ofjesus. Every one who is suﬂiciently imbued with the Christ spirit, and exercises the discriminating power which its inspira- tions give, may easily perceive the dif- ference. Such may well ask— “Is Christ the abler teacher,” or the Book? “If Christ, then why resort, at every turn,” To Moses, or to Solomon, “for wisdom short Of man’s occasions, when in him reside Grace, knowledge, comfort—an unfathomed store?” By following Moses rather than Christ, and misunderstanding Paul, who aban- doned the former in favor of the latter, superior teacher, many theologians since Christ’s day have promulgated some of the absurdest theories of religious truth that have ever been presented to the human mind for its acceptance. Thus did some of the “Christian Fathers,” so called, in the early centu- ries of the christian era. Notably so did the Reformers, who broke lances with their Catholic opponents but a few centuries since. And so all along from their times to the present, from their pulpits, by written or extemporaneous discourse, or by published pamphlet or ponderous tome, theologians of various names have instilled these so-called chris- tian doctrines into the minds of the peo- ple. The shelves of many of the great libraries in Europe and America groan under the burden of accumulated errors. Well would it be if all the groans caused by error were conﬁned there ! A v The Christian in the World. A true Christian living in the world is like a ship sailing on the ocean. It is not the ship being in the water which will sink it, but the water get- ting into the ship. So in like manner the Christian is not ruined by living in the World, which he must needs do whilst he remains in the body, but by the world living in him. The world in the heart has ruined millions. How careful are mariners in guarding against leakage, lest the wa- ter entering into the vessel should, by imperceptible degrees, cause the vessel to sink. And ought not the Christian to watch and pray, lest Satan thus en- tering in, bring him to destruction, both to body and mind? The world and the things of the world press upon us at all points. Our daily avocations —yea, our most lawful enjoyments, have need to be narrowly watched, lest they insensibly steal upon our affections, and draw our hearts away from God.—— C/zurc/z Um'o7z. A ShakerBurials. LOUIS BASTING. There IS just now much agitation, Much study and deep cogitation, Upon the subject of cremation. The press its witty arrow sends; The pulpit, too, its thunder lends; And doctors sagely shake the head, About this business of the dead. But since each dog must have his day, May not the poet have his say? All men therein are interested, For soon or late all will be tested, By some post moraem operation, Regardless of their inclination. Man, inﬂuenced by religious thought, His welfare, after life has sought, In realms of blissful ecstasy, Through time and all eternity; And since he loved his body well, He takes good care of the old shell-— He thinks ’twill resurrected be When Gabriel sounds the re-Ueille. Meantime he seeks the grave’s repose, There quietly to decompose; Drinking deep of Lethean slumbers, Sleeps away life’s sorry blunders. Strange customs in the world prevail, The dead by different routes make sail, To regions of perpetual bliss, Or—where the clinic oppressive is. Egyptian mummies are well known, In every museum they are shown. The Parsee builds a tower high, Whereon his worn-out corpse might lie; ' In life he’s kind to every beast, In death he gives himself, a feast To all the birds who cleave the air, Who choose to take their luncheon there. According to his country’s style, The stately Roman’s funeral pile, Composed of precious woods and spice, His body’s parts would analyze. The Indian of the western plains, All ceremonious pomp disdains; On scaffold rough, in blankets rude, His dead are left to solitude. The spot where sleeps the pious Jew, All members of his tribe eschew; Though bound for heaven—-or for tophet— “ It is unclean,” so says the prophet. The Moslem is content to die, When sure he will towards Mecca lie. But what’s the custom of to-day? How do they treat those molds of clay? Compelled by truth we’re bound to say, Thatfolly seems to bear the sway. In rosewood coﬂin, silver—plated, Velvet-lined and satin-braided; On ﬂashy hearse, ’neath waving plume. They bear the dead man to his tomb; And by the length of the procession, Men judge the worth of his profession. Comes last of all but least of sense, The costly monument’s expense—— Proclaiming to posterity, Much vanity, less piety. , With millions squandered on the dead, The poor must starve for want of bread. C The Shakers, hating vain display, When their beloved ones pass away, Make short and simple preparation, Void of all worldly ostentation, In simple robes, but without stain, In cofﬁn neat, unvarnished, plain, They bear the whilom house away, Wherein the spirit used to stay; And singing a sweet song or two, They bid their friends farewell, adieu. The traﬂic of the undertakers, Would not pay well among the Shakers. Now, in the coming dissertation, I want to prove from observation, That in the grand concatenation Of things, man also has a station In common with the known creation, Which he should ﬁll, scms hesitation. Although pre-eminence we’ve won, Of nature’s household we are one; Her laws, in truth, we must obey, Or her dire penalties shall pay. All living things organic are, Most of their forms come from the air; The rest, like in old Adan1’s day, Is nothing but your common clay. All life depends on atmosphere; Its composition, it is clear, Must stay unchanged, or desolation Would follow from such violation. Now carbon is of greatest need, Without its aid, we should, indeed, Cease to exist and pass away, Like mist before the solar ray. Hence, when completed are the missions, Of man and lower sub-divisions, The organisms are dissolved, New life therefrom to be evolved. And thus it is that we must give Our lives‘, that others, too, may live; And to accomplish that decree, Th’ imprisoned carbon must set free: That purloined carbon to return, We needs must have the body burn. The work that in the grave goes on, Oxygen’s agency has done; And whether burned in ﬁre’s ﬂame, Oxygen’s action does the same. But when we burn with ﬁre, the gas Goes upward into air, whereas When taking place below the ground, In nutriment it will abound. 44: THE SHAKER. Roots will absorb it, plants will grow, And by their luscious fruits will show, That God will write an epitaph, More glorious than man’s epigraph, Traced by his feeble hand on stone, To mark decaying ﬂesh and bone. What, then, shall be the disposition, Most in accordance with provision Of nature, best for the public health And for the country’s greater wealth? By every grave plant we a tree, From forest or from nursery: Its shade will cool, its fruit will cheer, And the departed ones, so dear, From their abode the work will bless, That tends to human happiness. While thus the dead we most respect, The living ones we don’t neglect. Mt. Lebanon, N. Y. A An Analysis of Human Society. No. 2. DANIEL FRASER. Having classiﬁed society according to the organic law of each, and deﬁned the phases thereof, I will now proceed to analyze society, and again inquire: First,——-What are the primary atoms of human society? Man and woman are the primary atoms of human soci- ety. Second,—VVhat are the forces of these atoms as regards the formation of soci- ety? . Their most potent inherent force is an atﬁnity to unite and form matrimo- nial relationships. This force may be called the animal force, for all animals, in common with man, are its subjects. They all marry as does man. Third,-——The above force is the ‘ob- jective, but what are the inhering forces of each atom? The inhering forces in each are dual; one is represented by animal emotions, the other by di- vine emotions——benevolence, goodness. There is also a neutral force: the intel- lect; it is not emotional; it is a servant to either force. These forces are the magazines of human power. Fourth,——What are the products of the action of the objective force? The product of the action of these atoms is the Adamic community, con- sisting of father, mother, and their chil- dren. VVhen the offshoots have ma- tured, they ﬂy oﬂ‘ to fulﬁll their destiny, as their parents have done. Here we ﬁnd, ﬁrst, a force to form a community ; second, a force to disintegrate the same. And again, a third force, repelling any coalescence with every other such com- munity. Hence family distinctiveness. Having arrived at a knowledge of the forces which create the family relation- ship, limit its extent, and:maintain its distinctiveness, we become possessed of a base of operations, to weigh and measure what they are able to do, and what they are not able to effect. The forces of the physical world are, to some extent, controlled and modiﬁed by man, but he cannot change them es- sentially; whatever form they may as- sume under his hand, they continue to bear a strict relation to their primary forces. So man or woman, on the Adamic plane or sphere, can be trained, till a great change in the common ac- ceptation of the term has taken place. 1. But, on examination, they are essen- tially the same, and bear a strict and true relation to the above forces, and to the sphere thereof. And any attempts of the subjects of said sphere to raise themselves out of and beyond the power of the forces thereof, by the aid of said forces, must prove a nullity. Hence the formation of communities, embrac- ing a number of families, recognizing the forces alluded to, have all died out, or merely linger along. And so long as the primal forces remain intact, the same results will attend any attempt to establish communities having goods in common. First, because families do not coalesce. Second, communities having goods in common do not admit of a plurality of centers of aﬁection. And, third, utterly rejects the distinctive element. Therefore, Adamic families are incapable of forming communities having goods in common, being under the power of the forces of animal, emo- tional life, represented by the propen- sities. Said forces and propensities, being incapable of manifesting divine, emotional life——incapable of forming a universal brotherhood, having one cen- ter of aflection——G0d. Seeing there is not a kingdom recog- nized on earth, where the divine, emo- tional force predominates, and has taken the mental force and subdued the ani- mal in man, and brought forth an order of society, with law, order anda civilization corresponding thereto, perhaps we may ﬁnd a single individual who may have localized in himself such a kingdom. On looking over the past, we ﬁnd one individual who states “ That his king- dom is not of this world, and that his subjects will not ﬁght.” Here are en- couraging indications. But what are the forces by which this Nazarene pur- poseth to create and vitalize his king- dom? He says, “ Call no man on earth father.” Here he abrogates the order of the earthly father——-the hus band, and of course the wife—-the moth- er. Indeed, so far as his kingdom is concerned, the whole procreative order. And the reason is, “For one is your father, even He who is in Heaven ”— one center of alTection—God. And in his own life, Jesus, on this point, gave a practical example, and said, “Those who do the will of my Father who is in Heaven, the same [all humanity in that state] is my mother, sister and brother.” Here is a new relationship. His Father is in Heaven—in a heavenly sphere ; and those who do the will of his Father——— whose every word and act are in har- mony with the Father, are also of that sphere, whether they be in a mortal body or not. Here we ﬁnd that love to God is the vitalizing element, or cre- ative force of Christ’s kingdom. And love to those brought forth by that force, brings forth a universal brother- hood—the divine order of human so- ciety. Such a kingdom will not be of the world, neither will its government stand in physical power, nor operate by force after the manner of the kingdoms of the animal man. The germ of the Adamic family is very limited in its unfoldings. The germ——love to God, in its unfoldings embraces all humanity. And the voice of that unfolding, is ever, “Whose- ever will, let him come” and inherit the divine life, and the true and good ﬂowing therefrom. VVhere the life and love of God is shed abroad in human spirits, there is no need to manufacture a community having goods in common; it springs up of itself, and is the result of the internal forces of divine relationships. Here we ﬁnd focalized in Christ, ﬁrst, a force to create a universal brother- hood; second, a force to destroy the organizing aﬂinities of the Adamic re- lationships. Wherever two or three are gathered together in the power of these superior forces, there will be law and government, and an ultimate civili- zation that eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither hath it entered the heart of the Adamic man to conceive of. In conclusion, the divine——the Shaker order of human society, and the Adam- ic, will run parallel through the ages. The latter is the boyhood, the former the true manhood of the race. S/zz'rZe_y, Jl/ass. .@.__.____ Place your Affections on Things Above. ISABEL E. PATRICK. I am persuaded to believe this is wor- thy of our sincere attention. Now, vvhile we are young and-active, and have the power to please ourselves, is the time for us to decide whether we will deny ourselves of little self-indul- gences——momentary pleasures—to se- cure an interest in the kingdom of heav- en. If we resolve to follow our own inclinations, which lead into sin, the pain of remorse, instead of unalloyed pleasure, will be our portion. Hence, it should be the objecf of our immediate concern to travel the self-denying path that leads to heaven. Jesus said, “ He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” I believe we shall be heirs to true riches if we take up a daily cross against the multitude of evils which be- set us to try our faith; and which, per- haps, we should not so clearly compre- hend, did we not often experience the bitter with the sweet. If we endure all light afﬁictions, to obtain a place with the righteous. we have the assurance of immortal gain; a treasure superior to worldly honor, wealth, or fame. To ‘make a willing surrender of our own desires, and conform to the require- ments of the gospel, wisely calculated to save us from all impurity, is a work well worthy our highest aspirations and earnest struggles. _________,,________ A three weeks’ meeting is to be held at Shawsheen river grove near Boston about August 1, and pressing invita- tions come to this oﬁice, asking that the Shakers be fully represented. We commend this call to the attention of Novitiate Elders. What shall I do to be a Shaker? No. 5- HENRY CUMINGS. In attempting a reply to the oft-re- peated question, we are prompted to ask: Do you really wish to be a Shak- er? If the honest answer to this assures us that you seek simply a home—a home of quiet and seclusion, exempt in some degree from the burdens and re- sponsibilities of ordinary life in the world,——or if for any merely temporal or worldly consideration, we would say, these are not the objects of our associa- tion; and with these motives alone in view, the probabilities are that you will not obtain the satisfaction you seek. Yet as you wish afurther acquaintance, aside from religious convictions, we can accept you experimentally, that you may have the opportunity to study the principles upon which these Shaker in- stitutions are founded, and learn of their practical application. Being as they are religious institutions, the by-lavvs, orders, and disciplinary requirements, by which the members are controlled, are framed with a view to make possi- ble and practicable a truly christian life——the ultimate realization of that which saints and seers,good men and prophets, of all ages, have been looking forward to, and prayed for, with the most fervent and devout expectations. But, you ask, what are the conditions or the ﬁrst steps to be taken toward the attainment of such a result? The ﬁrst step in the work is an open, honest con- fession to God, before those who stand as his ministers, of every known sin, of whatever name or nature. The object of this confession is two- fold. First,——Humiliation and self- abasement of the proud spirit of man. Second,——The union and relation it opens to those who have passed through the same work, having proved its elli- cacy, and who are thereby led to leave the practices of a worldly life, and en- ter into that new and better life of christian purity and goodness. The next step in the course, is the giving of one’s self to God in consecra- z‘z'o7z; a condition rather the result of growth than one to be reached by an instantaneous impulse or desire to do so. One may feel determined to give all to God in a general way, but when this resolution comes to be put to the test of every-day life, it is apt to prove a more diﬁicult undertaking than was anticipated; and not having learn- ed to wear Christ’s yoke easily, it galls, and cramps, till often the candidate who enters the work with earnestness of pur- pose, is almost ready to exclaim, with Bunyan’s Pliable, “If this be your brave heavenly kingdom, you can pos- sess it alone for all of me.” But the honest, earnest soul, who has started to run the christian race, determined to persevere, despite all obstacles, will not turn back, because “there are lions in the path.” Having honestly confessed his sins, and consecrated himself to God, the result will be purity and up- rightness of life. Not merely a purity which shuns a violation of the civil THE SHAKER. 4:5 aw, but purity of thought, word and action. Following this course of life, there comes, as a natural sequence, peace, quietness, and love. “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one for another.” If you become a Shaker, you will ﬁnd this condition growing in you, causing you to love not only those who love you, but to love and “ pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you.” This principle, carried into prac- tical life, will bring you into that rela- tion promised to those who forsake the ties and affections of the selﬁsh life, for Christ’s sake. It will make possible, the realization here, and now, of that kingdom of heaven which is declared to be “ an everlasting kingdom, of whose glory and increase there should be no end.” It will bring you into that de- gree of union with others, who are striving in the same way, making it possible for you to live the communist- ic or Pentecostal life, sharing the com- mon home, common property, common brotherhood and sisterhood, and all the blessings of life, both spiritual and tem- poral. And only by striving to prac- tice these principles, will you be able to endure the friction consequent upon such close association. But, as you can see, this is a con- dition of growth, and costs much of self- ish ends and aims. Are you ready and willing to make such sacriﬁces for such a reward? Are you willing to give all, that you may have lot and part in this holy relationship? If you can decide that the earthly life has nothing to offer that you would not be willing to give in exchange for a part in this heavenly in- heritance, then, we say, “come and take the waters of life freely.” The same cross, the same self-denial, the same consecration to God, that has made saints of those who have gone be- fore you, will, if persistently and hon- estly lived and borne, develop for you the same christian character, and you shall know the whole truth, and be governed by its principles in all the transactions of life. To every such honest seeker we always say, “Come and share with us, in all our joy or sor- row, comfort or burden; in all the blessings, spiritual and temporal; and we ask and pray, in all sincerity, that heaven may bless you with that gift of true conviction for sin, and determined purpose to lead a truly christian life, that you may have cause to say, with one of old, ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation.’ ” Enﬁeld, N. H. A BEAUTIFUL IMAGE.———.A deaf and dumb person being asked to give his idea of forgiveness, took a pencil and wrote, “ It is the sweetness which ﬂow- ers yield when trampled upon.” A V CALUMNY is the shadow of merit, and though it ever follows, it never overtakes it. “ By their fruits ye shall know them.” JAMES G. RUSSELL. Not ﬂowery sentiment in pulpits spoken, Nor great profession of the higher life, Not forms, nor creeds in any way betoken Results accruing from the christian’s strife. Words are but sounds, with emptiness of meaning, When uttered by the mere professing saint, Whose real life is evidently teeming With unregeneracy’s woeful taint. By this shall all men know that ye are surely My followers, said Jesus, if ye bear The fruits of righteousness by living purely The life attained by watchfulness and prayer. Not all the massive wealth that earth can render, Not all the show within her halls of lore, Nor costly palaces of gorgeous splendor, Can ornament beyond this transient shore. And nearer still we face the truth asserted, When we accept the words our Savior spake—— That worldly riches render life perverted, As sacriﬁce to Mammon’s god we make. We cannot enter into joys celestial— Though ushered into immortality-— When bound in spirit unto things terrestrial: True happiness consists in being free. Divested of all worldly loves and pleasures, Regenerated into life anew,- In heaven laying up eternal treasures Where thieves can never steal by breaking through. Yet even here, before we pass the river, That separates the spirit-world from ours, We may commence the strife that will deliver Eventually the soul from Satan’s powers : For heaven is condition, not location, And Godliness, the fortress of the soul; Protection from the world is not salvation, But living works that make the christian whole. Salvation’s door is free for all to enter, Who would from slavery be free indeed, There’s nothing here to risk, no doubtful venture, For Christ is our defender and our lead. By taking up the cross of self-denial, And bearing it each passing day and hour, However great may be aﬂliction’s trial, We shall prevail by God’s eternal power. Then let each soul whose motto is salvation, Unﬂinchingly abide the glorious strife, And win the laurels of emancipation, The heavenly blessings of eternal life. A Home Work. SARAH L. SAWYER. Good breeding is something we may have without money and without price, by a little attention and a careful regard of others’ feelings; by an intuitive feel- ing of delicacy, with “Do to others as we would that they should do to us” the golden of all rules. 0, that We might inculcate into our hearts a proper regard for others. We are sow- ing seed for eternity. It will be our sorrow if we do not improve the oppor- tunity. God grant we may believe in season, before it is too late. Repent of our sins with a heart-felt sorrow, or we may be left to exclaim, in the bitterness of our souls, “The summer is past, the harvest is ended, and my soul is not saved.” Let us subdue our vile pas- sions, which bring death to the soul and sorrow to grieved hearts; making shad ows instead of sunshine. May we make beautiful, heavenly sunshine wherever we go. If we think we cannot do any good, may we do no harm; and if We think we cannot bring sunlight to dark- ened souls, may we be sure to bring no shadows. We need to search the gar- dens of our own hearts, weeding out the noxious weeds which choke the growth of the soul, and which will keep us out of the kingdom. Enﬁeld, Conn. A V Time’s Lesson. Time to me this truth hath taught, ’Tis a truth that’s worth revealing; More offend from want of thought,‘ Than from any want of feeling. If advice we would convey, There’s a time we should convey it; If we’ve but a word to say, There’s a lime in which to say it! Many a beauteous ﬂower decays, Though we tend it e’er so much: Something secret on it preys, Which no human aid can touch. So, in many a loving breast, Lies some canker-grief concealed, That, if touch’d is more oppressed, Left unto itself—is healed. Oft, unknowingly, the tongue Touches on a chord so aching, That a word, or accent wrong, Pains the heart almost to breaking. Many a tear of wounded pride, Many a fault of human blindness, Had been soothed, or turn’d aside, By a quiet voice of kindness! THE SHAKER. Month1y—60 cents per annum. A DUAL ADVOCATE OF CHRIST PRINCIPLES. Shall we have a Revival? Let us have a revival. A Shaker re- vival means so much, that none will wonder that its coming has been ex- ceedingly slow. Who need a revival more than we do? and how long can we bear to be without one? We hear very many voices, answering correctly, “ No longer.” Our revival means “more qf C/zrz'sz‘,” and can have no reference to any literal creed. A want of growth is stagnation; and this means more than death. Growth, with us, is not neces- sarily deﬁned by numerical ﬁgures, but by spiritual exertions with what num- bers We now have. A revival will not necessarily take us back to the demar- cations of our faith and its constituents of an hundred years ago; but it will de- mand the consideration of what is right, what is pure, what is just, what is duty for brethren and sisters in Christ to-day I None ask us to go back and begin the work as it was begun a century since; with its meager surroundings and un- attractive accommodations; but simple, gospel faith and justice demand good- ness on our part; a purity exceeding earthly conditions; and a love for one another superior to the best demonstra- tion of the golden rule! Will not such a revival of gospel principles reburnish us, and with increasing brightness? And where is the cause of such a want of revival? As “love is the fulﬁlling of the gospel law,” so the active prin- ciples of love, earnestly engaged in, will remove and dissipate every hindrance to a revival among us, and such an one as will inspire us to love one another éetter than ourselves. Say what any please, selﬁshness is the bone of our dearth, and this dearth, without a re- vival of principles that are death to self- ishness, means more than our dwin- dling, numerically speaking. A revi- val of love for the unselﬁshness of the C-hrist—life, means a resurrection of our- selves and comrades from all mere sen- sual indulgences; and a working faith for the redemption of those “ not of our fold, as yet.” It means, “be what we are called to be,” and so let our lights shine, that all may see and love our su- perior life. Let us have a revival! If we would make converts, let us be thoroughly converted. If we would make others feel Christ, we must feel and have Christ ourselves. While tens of thousands are renewing their resolu- tions to a faith in Jesus, let us, gospel friends, and all who love a pure relig- ion, renew our resolutions to a work of Christ in us, that will manifest, through us, deeper concern for the purity, peace, and love of Christ in the household of faith; and give evidence, by our conﬁ- dence and love for one another, that Christ is here, which will draw the at- tention of all the world unto us! Shall we have a revival? A Shaker Faith and Practice. To the man or woman who strives for an earthly competence, indiﬂerent as to the future, so long as present com- fort is secured, Shaker life must appear strangely phenomenal. All the com- forts of the world seem removed from Shaker households and Shaker lives! Instead of this being the case, let us give a correct understanding. A Shak- er looks upon this life as a preparatory condition for another. The engage- ment of “living while we live,” in the fullest indulgence of the passions, we know adds bluntness to our spiritual perceptions and sensations, and we cheerfully relinquish the less for the more valuable. A Shaker, with such feelings and knowledge, could not en- gage in the various indulgences com- mon to earthly men and women, nor with any pleasure! What these latter term pleasure, in selﬁsh, sexual, scor. tative loves and lusts, would be hell on earth, and everywhere else, to the Shak- er! Nor is it because we have been taught that Jesus, his disciples, our founders, and our present leaders live virgin, self-denying lives, that main- tains a faith in us, that strengthens us to live likewise. Personal experience —a baptism from the Christ heavens— leaves no room for doubt, that though others take what course they please, as for us, they musi grant us the right of virgin celibacy, or we shall have plenty of hell upon earth. You worldlings pity us, because of our loss of the pleas- ures you are enjoying, little thinking how we pity you; and that we estimate your longest lives of fullest, sensual pleasures, unequal to the justiﬂcation and happiness of our virginhood for 46 THE SHAKER. even a single day 1 You heap up riches ; We lay up none; contented we to share together, and equally, the sustenance of this life. You die, leave your riches; we go hence, and take ours with us. Yours are earthly, changeable, soul- starving; ours are just as eternal, un- changeable and nourishing as yours are the reverse. As far as in us lies the power, we endeavor to practice /zere, what your imaginations, educations and hopes picture to you as the works of a future heaven. It is easy to perceive that you must change your practices, to live as the angels do. It is as easy to perceive that we are now living after the manner of those resurrected souls who form the company with whom you have great expectations to as- sociate in the future! Did you never think of this? If we, the Shakers, and our practices of virgin celibacy, peace, communion of interests, general and particular freedom from sin, are dis- tasteful now, what is ever going to change your views and create a love for these practices in the future world? Strange it is, but none the less true, that while nearly every denomination of religious people is diametrically op- posed to Shaker life and practice in this world, all agree that the place called heaven is peopled with angelic beings who live extremely like the Shakers! While nearly every denomination pro- fesses extreme faith in Jesus, nearly all lose sight of the fact that Jesus lived, and lives now, just as the Shakers do! and all are soon to learn that Jesus’ life is the element, and only saving element, upon which they can rely for their sal- vation. We believe in BLOOD, Bro. Moody, but it is a blood, that means, every time, the LIFE of Jesus—hence, ours is not a bloodless religion. We are a simple, childlike people. Content to know and feel a Christ in our daily lives, we have our Savior with us. And without the cross of a daily self-denial against the bad and good of an earthly, un-Jesus-like life——without a continual testimony against the elements of the world—the lusts of the ﬂesh, of money, of lands, of buildings, and all mere creature comforts, we never can be saved, though a thousand Jesuses suffer cruciﬁxion yearly, popes, bishops, min- isters and churchal creeds to the con- trary, notwithstanding. A 7 . EDITORIAL NOTES. Every liberal, genuine Shaker looks with large interest upon the numerous revivals of the religious elements in our country at the present time. Every conversion from bad to better, from good to very good, is of the gospel of Christ. What though this conversion does not embody the particular essen- tials of the Christ-life, which make us his peculiar followers, is not every ap- proac/z to the religious life of Jesus, a deﬁnite, gospel conversion? The gos- pel of Christ ante-dated Jesus. The people must first be convicted of, and converted“ from their sins before the clearer light of the New Creaz‘z'o7z can eﬁfect its work of conversion from the good of the old to the su.perz'or life of the new. Let us pray that all the peo- ple may love Jesus so well that they will never rest satisﬁed until they make the distinguishing features of his life their love and life. Then, O, how they will love the Shakers! A Canadian divine has been giving the people of the provinces some very plain talks upon balls, nocturnal danc- ing, etc., and very justly attributes much of the sins of seduction, lascivious crimes generally, with the “beslavered claw- ing of lustful libertines, ready to pounce upon virtue at the ﬁrst opportunity,” to the designing intrigues of co-sexual dancing. He created quite an uproar, —-quite a ﬂutter upon the hit birds,—— when he told of the Turk, who, after witnessing a waltz, asked: “And what followed?” We commend these labors of the Rev. McDonagh, even at the expense of a seeming inconsistency. Some por- tion of our Shaker worship is called dancing; but its every intention is the very reverse of the “beastly, lustful, envious and murderous” practices to which he alludes, and for which pur- poses balls, etc., were inaugurated to encourage. Introduce Shaker testimo- ny once into a ball-room, and there will be a scattering of forces, accom- panied by an embarrassment unequaled even by the discovery of sheep-stealing ! If we dance, We do so to intensify our hatred to the flesh; and each sex, on its own side of the house, rises in the dance quite superior to any thoughts, even, of carnal contact or indulgence. So far, Rev. McDonagh, you are a Shaker! God speed you. Every uttered expression, of any dim- inution of Shaker inﬂuence in this world, having any guaranty of reason for the utterance, is an added count against the progress of christianity. The basest charge that has been made for years against Shakerism is, that it too liter- ally, too really, too nearly represents the life of christianity’s author, to be at all agreeable to the senses! Who would lend a helping hand to progress the christian cause, should not be de- terred by an acquaintance of the simi- larity of the lives of Jesus and the Shak- ers! Lend a hand, regardless of prej- udices. ..?.o.j_ Among many other foolish controver- sies agitating pulpit acrobats to-day, the monstrous Trz'm'z‘y doctrine is very con- spicuous. The Unitarians perform feats of remarkable agility, demolishing, to their satisfaction, the triune theory ; and the Trinitarians, in turn, attempting to outdo their adversaries in their every endeavor. If these silly people would all read and ponder Romans I :20, they Would, we should hope, agree to drop their sophistries, and simply learn that God is cZuczZ—male and female—after whose images were created Adam and Eve, and all things else, “from the creation of the world.” “Except ye become as little children,” many of the simplest truths will be subjected to the mystiﬁcation of learned magicians, or performing ministers. Our mission, through THE SHAKER, and otherwise, is to shed light in dark places. To be a reminder to the peo- ple of “the way, the truth and the life” of him, “In whom was Zzfe, and L‘/zz's If/‘e was [and is] the light of men.” In the hope and belief, that in this world of thousands of millions souls, and among the millions disembodied, there may be some who are hungering for the life-inﬂuences our faith imparts; and to whom illustrations of these inﬂuences will be the grand desiderata——for these objects only, THE SHAKER lives. Those who sustain it do so with no ex- pectation of full recompense; but in this support, as in many other respects, the Shakers are proving themselves the best friends of humanity, by giving up their worldly, selﬁsh lives, to take up unworldly, christian practices, which are as eternal as the heavens, and the “salt” of the earth. A Spiritually Enlarged Mankind. SPIRITUALISTS : What inferences can be drawn from the prophecy of Andrew Jackson Davis, when he says: “When mankind shall have become spiritually larger, and ﬁner in body, they will have fewer and fewer children. Down in the lower stratum of society, behold how populous! Take the early races, they propagate rapidly! Earth’s mothers have been broken down by their exceed- ingly numerous progeny. Rise higher in the scale, and the married have fewer children and less frequently. Rise still higher in the mental scale, and you can easily believe the time will come that reproduction will cease I There will then be fathers and mothers with their descendants, and the progeny will be- come as angels, neither marrying nor giving in marriage; having risen above the mission of reproduction. The cer- ebellum, I repeat, will one of these days cease to have any furniture with reference to reproduction! The ﬁnest and most poetic and spiritual minds gather nearly all their propagating power and essences into the front brain and top faculties. Only friends to truth dare to speak the whole truth on this subject.” A V GooD READING FOR EVERYBODY.—— “For all the law is fulﬁlled in one word, even in this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” “ But if ye bite and devour one an- other, take heed that ye be not con- sumed one of another.” “ The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, good- ness, faith.” “ Let us not be desirous of vain-glory, provoking one another, envying one another.” A V COAL-ASHES are proved to be very valuable used around pear-trees. of your parents or friends. THE CHILDREN’S GROTTO. MY DEAR CHILDREN: Let us enter the Grotto with feelings of sincere reverence for all that is good. It is a pleasure for me to think of you all as very good children; and if you answer aﬂirmatively to this description, then my present subject will be appropriate and comforting to you. Every good parent loves his or her children the bet- ter for every added manifestation of honesty; whether the manifestations are the commis- sion of good deeds, correction of mistakes, or failure to make mistakes. “HoNEsTY IS THE BEST POLICY,” has been repeated for ages to children, that they might learn that it is as good for their whole lives as at the present. It is the aim of this little talk to explain why it is the best policy, and why, instead of honesty in all things being a dread, it should always be a pleasure. The story of“ George Washington and his hatch- et,” is kept alive by repetition, because of its beautiful conclusion; and as with this story, so it is and will be with every honest word and way with you. Even if you are very good the most of the time, you will careless- ly or purposely at other times do or say that which is wrong, as my experience with the best of children has proved. When you have done or said anything that is wrong, the question with the good child is: “WHAT SHALL I DO To MEND MY MISTAKE ?” I will tell you: Be honest, be even better than Washington, do not wait until you are found out, go at once, resolutely, but sorrowfully, and tell your parents or care-taking friend, just what you have said or done. Do you think: “I am afraid? ashamed?what willmy mother or care-taker think of me P” My dear children: afraid of what? ashamed of what? will mother or care-taker think of what? Dismiss at once and forever such thoughts, for they are untrue and dishonest. Your friends know you are liable to make mistakes and very likely just what those mistakes will be, and when you go directly, or at the ﬁrst convenient season, and truthfully confess your faults, even if you go ten times in a day you will ever ﬁnd a warm place in the hearts Perhaps, to help you to do so no more,—this is what is meant by repentance,—they may impose some pun- ishment upon you; but, by your confession, you have taken the sting and dread out of all the punishment that may be inﬂicted; and this will ever be light and easy compared to the needed and merited punishment of the dishonest, unconfessed child. By your con- fessions, you show a willingness to punish yourselves; and this punishment of confes- sion, you should understand, is the best of help over all hard places in life, over evil habits, over all inclination to wrong, and into the happiest condition of noble manhood and womanhood, that has ever been discov- ered. One of the ancients raised his arm to strike his servant; but instead of striking him, held his arm aloft, and when found an hour afterwards with his arm uplifted, he said he was punishing an angry man! It has been Shaker counsel for scores of years to correct the mistakes of the day before going to rest at night. I know of no other practice that I could or would rather persuade you to enter into; for there is, my dear children, an unequaled nobleness in confession. Once when in Boston, speaking with some parents upon this beautiful custom among us, they expressed their extreme admiration of it, and determined to introduce it to their children at once. In return, I felt one sorrow for them; and this was when their brows cloud- ed and their enthusiasm cooled at my remark: “ If you would succeed well with the children, you must practice this rule yourselves!” Dear children, all the confessions and pun- ishments and honors that come from these, are not for you alone, they are as necessary for us who are older and aged as for you. But here is where you have the advantage: THE SH.A.KER. 47 By confessing and forsaking your wrongs while you are young, you will enter into a course of life which demands no repentance, no change of heart. But from all who do wrongly there is the necessity of an honor- able confession, and added to this, a repent- ance that changes the heart to the beauty of a pure, true Christ-life. .,,*.,. MT. LEBANON, May 4, 1877. Dear Editor :—You have put a temptation before me, one that I feel I cannot resist, to write to you. “The child’s prayer!” How beautiful the thought! How many innocent prayers haveI put up before my heavenly Father to protect my soul from sin. When a bad thought enters my mind, what can do better than to drop upon my knees and raise my prayer to Him who has power to drive the bad spirit away. I thank you for that prayer. From your little friend, JAMES E. Hown. A A real Shake; girl's letter. Dear Edz'tor:——Enclosed ﬁnd names and stamps for “ Shaker Child’s Prayer” for our little girls. A new prayer is to them a source of great delight, and all they can learn are adopted for their various needs. “Dear lit- tle angels, put a little crumb in a little cup, to feed a little lamb,” is so short thatiour little Mintie says she “ tan say it six times ’fore I dit up.” We little folks have become very interested in THE SHAKER, now that we have a “Grotto” in its territory; and I personally congratu- late you in your successful efforts to have a living SHAKER to represent the truths we ought to embody in our daily lives. We want our paper, while it enlightens inquir- ers after our theology, to strengthen the weak; encourage the strong; guide the youth aright; be a solace to the aged; and be a living assistant to our every-day lives. Thanks for remarks on “ Common Error;” and please introduce more prominent points upon etiquette; for I sometimes think that by our reclusiveness we should be led to sanction some things that are really low breeding! Your article “ Wkat s/zall I do to bea S/zaker, No. 1,” I think is the best answer I ever read on the subject—~so plain and truthful-—unencumbered by the mystiﬁ— cation of an endless theology! You proba- bly do not need encouragement from such as your humble correspondent, but my appre- ciation may not be out of place. Your sister, AMELIA J. CALVER. Mt. Lebanon, April 1. A V What not to do in a Sick-Room. Do not wear a starched garment, nor anything that rustles. Avoid all little noises, like the sudden shutting of a door, and the creaking of shoes. Sometimes the rocking of a chair, or passing the needle in and out of work, or turning over the leaves of a book or a newspaper, makes the difference be- tween comfort and misery in a sick- room. Do not jar the room by tread- ing heavily, nor the bed by leaning against it—above all things never sit on the bed. Never wake a sleeping patient un- less under the physician’s orders to give medicine or nourishment or to change a dressing. Avoid all uncertainty and strained ex- pectations on the part of the patient. Keep his mind as quiet as possible. Allow no whispering—-and even a low tone is far less objectionable than a Whisper, Which the patient involuntari- ly strains his attention to hear. Ask no more questions than is absolutely nec- essary, and never force him to repeat a remark. Never speak to him abruptly. Do not consult him, but quietly make the changes you think necessary. Nev- er tax him to make a decision upon any- thing if it can be avoided. Never let a sick person see, smell or hear anything about food before it is brought to him. Let each meal be in the shape of a pleasant surprise. Let the food be served with dainty neatness. Never let the patient’s head as he lies in bed be higher than the throat of the chimney, except for an occasional change of posture, or in diseases of the respiratory organs. Thus he gets all the pure air there is. His head should not be higher than ‘the window and placed so he can see out of it. Let the sick-room be the brightest in the house, and give admittance to all the sunlight the weak eyes can bear. Do not open and shut the door often- er than is absolutely necessary. Do not mislay things so as to be obliged to hunt for them at the moment of want- ing to use them. Do not allow a place in the sick- room for ﬂowers emitting a powerful odor, such as tuberoses and hyacinths, but other than highly odorous ﬂowers are often beneﬁcial. Place them where he can see them without much effort, and remove them at night or at the first symptoms of withering. The bed should never be pushed against the wall. Let there be free cir- culation of air all around it, and space to go in and out without jarring the pa- tient. Do not allow reading aloud un- less the patient particularly asks for it, and then it should be discontinued the moment his attention ﬂags. A A cheerful countenance in a sick- room cannot be too strongly insisted Even if the nurse be tired, she must be careful to conceal it from her patient.-Ex. upon. A BOOK TABLE. THE TEMPLE HARP. We consider our- selves privileged in having perused—pretty thoroughly examined the above musical work. It is a wonder of neatness and nov- elty in its typographical execution. Instead of the usual round characters for musical no- tation, we herein have presented seven a’zﬁzr- ent characters, an extensive improvement upon the four that used to represent the style of years since, known as “patent notes.’ These seven are as easily learned as a b c, and instead of being any impediment to the use of those now commonly used, are really an assistance to their perfect rendering. We know whereof we speak; and though incom- petent to praise the work sufficiently, would not fail of calling due attention. Beautifully printed, choicely selected, the whole work is a charming relic of to-day, which to have, is to be justly proud of. The price, including postage, is $1.63. Address MILLER’S Pub- lishing House, 1102 and 1104, Sansom St., Philadelphia, Pa. ANALYSIS or RELIGIOUS BELIEF, by Vis- count Amberly. D. M. Bennett, 141 Eighth St., New York, publisher. The enterprising publisher of this volume, has reduced therein two volumes, the cost of which has been $18. The volume above named, contains the London edition complete at about one-sixth the London selling price. For depth of research, for clearness of reason- ing, for honesty in rendering conclusions, the Viscount herein stands unrivaled. Those who know how to read the works of great minds, and thereby partake of the glory and freedom of their thoughts, will want this volume. Viscount Amberly was the son of Lord John Russell: his means for analyzing his subject were unrestricted, and for 21 mon- ument, few could wish a nobler one than he has left in the “Analysis ofRelz:g‘z'ous Belz'e_/Z” Want of space forbids our love to linger in its praise. THE PSYCHOLOGICAL BASIS or RELIGION: S. «R. Wells & Co., 737 Broadway, New York. This is a pamphlet of about ‘forty pages considering the above subject from the basis of phrenology, and will answer satisfactorily to many minds, the question: “[5 science in corgﬂict wit/z relz;._r,rz'on?” Price 20 cents. We have heard so much of the “ Morzarclz of tire West” strawberry, that we have taken some pains to inquire for the beneﬁt of our friends, as to its merits. It is a won- derfully proliﬁc bearer; and while not so hardy in carriage as the Wilsorz, is valued higher in the market—indeed one third more Wilsmzs are needed to balance the prices ob- tained for the Morzarc/z. If any wish for the latter, address E. P. Roe, Cornwall—on- Hudson, N. Y., who has thirty different strawberries and fourteen different raspber- ries, besides currants, gooseberries, black- berries, etc. JQURNAL OF PROGRESS, Mobile, Ala., is the most wide—awake monthly upon agri- cultural subjects of any works at the South. Its miscellaneous columns give us prime in- formation upon southern topics. Connected with the JOURNAL is a seed department, and from specimens received we can commend all others to be its patrons. For sample copies of Dr. Guilmette’s Vo- CAL PHYSIOLOGY, the greatest work on the subjecteverwritten, send to this oﬂice, THE SHAKER, Shakers, N. Y. We make our very best bow to THE AMER- ICAN SOCIALIST, Oneida, N. Y., for kindly notices of ourselves and founders. Its issues are models of the ﬁnest typography. FARM ITEMS. THE currant-worm is easily dispelled by rearing a few broods of chickens in the vi- cinity of the bushes. __.°.____ GIVE Paris-green a wide berth until you have fully tested air-slacked lime, as a pre- ventive and cure for the potato-bugs. Begin early in the season, and dust the plants while the dew is on, or after a rain. _:.0..:_ LET every farmer know that there is no more useful medicine,-—one so generally de- manded,—¥than sweet-oil. For choking, bloat- ing, etcf, olive-oil is an indispensable-neces- sity, and may be used freely without harm. __.°.__ SAVE all the soot for dusting or manuring plants. It is a stimulus to ﬂowers and gar- den-bushes, dispersing lice and bugs. Drench a half—bushel of soot in an hundred gallons of water, and use freely in conservatories or garden. _.__.°._..__ AGRICULTURAL journals are commenting extensively and favorably of the method of using the coulter on plows, as introduced by THE SHAKER for May. Some have had cuts made, illustrating the manner of aﬂixing the coulter so as to give the drawing-cut. From what we know of this suggestion, we are con- ﬁdent every farm-horse and ox will render thanks for its practical enforcement. ___.°._ FEEDING VALUES AND EFFECTS.—“PleaSe state the relative merits or values of corn at $2 per Ioo pounds, oats at $1.75 per 100 pounds, bran at 65 cents per I00, and barley at $2 per Ioo pounds, for feeding work-horses. These are the prices of horse-feed here. How much bran will be equivalent to four quarts of corn? We have not produced enough corn or oats to feed our teams for a year. Our crop of wheat was good, and bran is cheaper than ever before here by ten cents per hundred-weight.”—T., Fort Collins, Col. * * * “What is the relative value of oats and corn for horse-feed? Which is the health- ier to feed alone, and which is the more prof- itable to grow for consumption on the farm, where all the manure which can be made is needed? Likewise, which takes up the most strength from the ground? And lastly, in cultivating and cropping an orchard ofyoung apple-trees, eight to ten years old, which is preferable?”—-Farmer, Meadville, Penn. Basing the answer to T.’s question on the proportion of digestible fodder-constituents in these several articles of fodder, as deter- mined by numerous experiments in Germa- ny, we should have the following results: Calling the feeding value of one hundred pounds of corn zoo, that of one hundred pounds of oats would be 175, of barley I90, and that of bran I75. Therefore, eight pounds of bran would be about equal to seven pounds or four quarts of corn. In practice, the feed- ing value of bran may not come so near that of corn as is indicated by these calculations; but still there can be but little doubt that wheat-bran, at 65 cents per hundred-weight, is much cheaper fodder than corn at $2, pro- vided that the animals thrive equally well on both. As to the comparative effect of oats and corn on the soil, in answer to Farmer, it is suﬂicient to consider that while the weight of an average crop of oats is but about 1600 lbs. ofgrain, that ofa crop of corn is about 2750 pounds; and, therefore, even if we do not take into account the much greater weight of the stalks and leaves of the corn as compared with the oats, it is evident enough that the corn-crop must make a heavier draft on the supplies of plant—food in the soil than the oats. The oats would, therefore, in your or- chard, rob the apple-trees of much less nutri- ment than would the corn; but, on the other hand, the cultivation that corn requires when it is properly cared for would be so beneﬁcial to the trees that the evil of its greater ex- haustive effect might be almost counterbal- anced.———Ne-w York Tribune. ? CARDING THE CATTLE.-—A good idea, that of Bro. Tinkham, of the Green Mountain Freeﬂzan, to utilize the old worn up corn brooms in the cattle stables. “We have seen people,” he says, “card cattle when we thought neither carder nor animal much enjoyed it; the animal would cringe and shrink away from the card, and the carder would tear round and scold,'because it did not keep still, evidently not think- ing this was the only way the animal had of telling him he hurt. You never see a man rubbing his back against the door-casing unless it itches,nor do cows care to be carded unless they have the same occasion, and then not hard enough to make it a pain instead of a pleasure. VVe have found an old broom cut oﬂ'up near the “tying” to be an ex- cellent article for grooming cows, espe- cially about the roots of the tail, where a card will not work; while not harsh enough to be painful, it will scratch nicely and reach where the card will not. About as much solid comfort as usually falls to the lot of mortals in this wicked world, may be taken by the man who loves animals in seeing them stretch themselves under his brush, or follow him about and poke their noses under his arm, or hold down their heads to be scratched, as natural as folks. Try the old broom, boys, and see how it works.” 48 THE S_HAKER. JAMES G. RUSSELL. Glo - ri - ous ra - diance Through 2. Dangers oft may round thee gather, Clouds conceal thy light from view; Trust in God, thy Heavenly Father, He will guide thee safely through. He will be thy sure Defender, Whatsoever may betide, Never more to sin surrender, God is thy unfailing Guide. light, teem - ing, the maz - es GUIDING STAR. SO bright - ly gleam-ing, Chris - tian, ’tis thy guid of thy way, It is not the swiftest runner, Nor the strong that wins the day; But behold the overcomer In the saints who watch and pray. From the realms Swell with joy, thy heart while near — ing 3. Never faint in times of trial, Onward move with courage new; Take the cross of self-denial, With a purpose firm and true. of bliss a - far; - ing star. May its glad Enﬁeld, N. H. With trans cend - ent glim - mers, peer Bliss - 4. These ful realms of end — less day. shall ﬁnd deliverance surely— Victory over sin and death— Those who walk uprightly, purely, Heeding what the spirit saith. Words of peace and consolation, Cheer the spirit ever on, Toward the goal of free salvation, Where Redemption’s prize is won. EVERGREEN ‘SHORES. SALLY SLATER, aged 82, at Union Village, 0., February 25, 1877. At Pleasant Hill, Ky., March 19, I877, CYNTHIA GREGORY, aged 80 years. Also, 21st, CYNTHIA SHAIN, Sen., aged 78 years. Also, April 16, SUSANNA REDMOND, aged 91 years. At Mt. Lebanon, N. Y., April IO, LUCY ANN HASKINS, aged 41 years. At Mt. Lebanon, N.Y.,i May 6,1877, ELIZA- BETH BATES, aged 61 years. At Canaan, N. Y., March 26, I877, ELMIRA E. HULL, aged 24 years. [Crippled from birth, life here was of little worth to her. The following lines were found on her slate written two days before her departure. ED.] “ Ah! can ye tell me what is death? Speak sacredly, and say it is a real And solemn thing to die; and say you that it Comes alike to all, the just and unjust Must answer to its call? But what is it? Is it when the heart shall cease its beating, And the pulse is stilled? when the eyes are closed, When the lips refuse to move, and the tongue To speak, as it was wont to do before? The spirit leaves its tenement of clay, And soars from pain and sorrow free, above! Aye, this is death, and yet ’tis life and love- No night, but peace and happiness.” Society Items. WEST GLoUcEsTER, ME. The drought has occasioned a great deal of trouble in this section all the winter past. Failure to send obituaries direct, caused errata in Charlotte Thomas’ age, which was 89; and Margaret Steadfast’s residence, which was Alfred, Me. The measles have been very prevalent in this vicinity, but now abated. Efforts are being made to ﬁnish the Stone house at Poland hill, so long and greatly needed. Eight rooms now complete, with the addition of a beautiful meeting-room, 26 x 43 feet. A V David Rittenhouse, the celebrated astronomer, who was skillful in meas- uring the size and determining the po- sition of the heavenly bodies, found that a thread of ordinary sewing-silk drawn across the glass of his telescope would completely conceal a star. The ﬁnest ﬁber of silk would hide a distant star for several seconds. So the smallest speck of prejudice, or the ﬁnest thread of worldly policy or ambition, drawn across the lens of the mind, obstructs the light of divinest truth, and hides half the glories of the heavens. To see the spiritual world, we must keep the passions, cares, and loves of the earth from the eye of the soul, as the astron- omer wipes the dust and steam from his glass. A 7 TRUE RELIGIoN.——We have made re- ligion the performance of certain duties to the church; but it is doing the duties of life. A true religion sees the hearth as pure as the altar, and man as holy as God. I would not see a single true or holy thing made less true or holy. I would only place the crown of holiness on what nature makes sacred. I would not have life void of that tender feeling that rises into a hymn or melts into a prayer; but I would not see it counter- feited and made a mockery. We have been set the lesson of righteousness so long that worship is hardly more than throwing over the face the mask of pious expressions. Paul said, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” A higher counsel would say, “Abstain from all evil.” We must obey the dec- alogue of conscience, not of expedience. Life should not be lowered to the con- venience of our desires. It should be held to the mark of divine command- ment.—-L. W. K. in New Age. LOSING FR1ENDS.——NeVe1‘ cast aside your friends if by any possibility you can retain them. We are the weakest of spendthrifts if we let one friend drop OH‘ through inattention, or let one push away another, or if we hold aloof from one for petty jealousy or heedless slight or roughness. Would you throw away a diamond because it pricked you? One good friend is not to be weighed against the jewels of all the earth. If there is coolness or unkindness between us, Set us come face to face and have it out. (Quick, before the love grows cold 3 Life is too short to quarrel in, or to carry black thoughts of friends. It is easy to lose a friend, but a new one will not come for calling, nor make up for the old one when he comes. A ‘V Never harbor animosity toward a friend for a mere hasty expression. Forgiveness is a god-like quality, and a true friend is so scarce that he should not be repudiated on slight grounds; but those who injure you from “ malice prepense” should be shunned as you. would avoid a tiger; End of half of Vol. {III of THE SHAKER.
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Subjects: Shaker -- Periodicals
Identifier: yhm-sha-ts0706
Is part of: Hamilton College Library Digital Collections, Communal Societies Collection, Shaker Collection

Title: Shaker Manifesto, vol. 07, no. 07 (July 1877)
Publisher: United Societies
Date: 1877-07-01
Place published: New York
Text: THE SHAKER. OFFICIAL MONTHLY.—PUBLISHED BY THE UNITED SOCIETIES. VI. G. A. LOMAS, EDITOR, Shakers, N, Y. “ ﬁn great}; the léingrlanz a/7’ ﬁnd! ” JULY, 1877. @711: testimang of efemal ftguth. N. A. BRIGGS, PUBLISHER, Shaker Village, N. H. i No. 7. The Lord’s Prayer. WATSON ANDREWS . A very popular preacher has said: “ No man can conscientiously pray that prayer.” “Thy kingdom come? Thy will be done on earth as in heaven?” “ No man can pray it; it goes crashing through a man’s world of self-love, like a hundred-pound shell through a river steamer! What; the will of God done on earth, as it is by the angels of heav- en I They ‘neither marry nor are given in marriage.’ They have no banks, no deeds, no mortgages, no money; mil- lionaires, paupers, nor fashion plates The above preacher seems not to have been aware that this prayer has been granted—by power being given to men and women to overcome the same world which Jesus overcame! All carnal, iunspiritual desires, and their gratiﬁca- ti...
Show moreTHE SHAKER. OFFICIAL MONTHLY.—PUBLISHED BY THE UNITED SOCIETIES. VI. G. A. LOMAS, EDITOR, Shakers, N, Y. “ ﬁn great}; the léingrlanz a/7’ ﬁnd! ” JULY, 1877. @711: testimang of efemal ftguth. N. A. BRIGGS, PUBLISHER, Shaker Village, N. H. i No. 7. The Lord’s Prayer. WATSON ANDREWS . A very popular preacher has said: “ No man can conscientiously pray that prayer.” “Thy kingdom come? Thy will be done on earth as in heaven?” “ No man can pray it; it goes crashing through a man’s world of self-love, like a hundred-pound shell through a river steamer! What; the will of God done on earth, as it is by the angels of heav- en I They ‘neither marry nor are given in marriage.’ They have no banks, no deeds, no mortgages, no money; mil- lionaires, paupers, nor fashion plates The above preacher seems not to have been aware that this prayer has been granted—by power being given to men and women to overcome the same world which Jesus overcame! All carnal, iunspiritual desires, and their gratiﬁca- tion, are possibly overcome; all sources of happiness, that aspire to make the physical senses superior to the spiritual, are capable of being dethroned. Those things that “perish with the using” are far from being eternal. We ask those who are interested in eternal life, to read of Jesus, and study Shakerism. The prayer is accomplished. N. Union, 0. I97 Dependence. F. VV. EVANS. “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.” If the individual souls of Abram and Moses sought after God as a divine di- rector of their souls, through invisible agencies, or mediators, called the Lord, or angel ofthe Lord, when those men had become the head of a body composed of like-minded individual souls, that body could well say, byits mouth-piece, “If thy presence go not with us, carry us not up hence.” ' The same is equally true of our or- ganized body. The life of God in the human soul is the one thing needful to preserve from evil and to empower the soul to be and to do good. Consequent- ly, every true member of such body should pray that the visible head and lead of such body be led by the Holy Spirit of the imnible church in the spirit World. A Religion vs. Science. OLIVER PRENTISS. In all ages and stages of human exist- ence, the religious element has been, is, and ever will be manifest. Its mo- dus operaizdi is the exponent of prog- ress made, from lowest planes to sub- In the remote past, religion regarded science as 2‘/2e enemy, and brought suit. For centuries. the issue has been on trial before the high court of judicature limer elevations. ——enlightened public sentiment——and now religion begins to enter a I/0/Xe gﬁrosegzzzl Science, instead of being the enemy of religion, begins to be regarded, by most advanced minds, as the lever, kindly given, whereby religion; may lift itself to sublimer forms of thought. When religion and science, in the natural order, shall so ]5rczcz‘z'caZZ_y co- operate as to get up c/zildren in good sﬁagﬁe, there will be material for the ad- vance movement—the building up of the resurrection" order—the higher spir- itual Shaker life. And then this little planet may begin to take rank with its more mature com- p €€I'S . , /.. ._..._jj 4-. ..§,7,,-_%..___ __.- A .., 1l’Iemorandum.—No. 2. DANIEL FRASER. Righteousness divides itself into three branches. Before the first appearing of Christ, the tree of righteousness had only two——physiological and moral. On the ﬁrst advent of Christ, the third be- gan to grow——‘* Resist not evil. Pray for those who despitefully use you.” In the second appearing, the fruit of the third branch (which we this day enjoy) is, “ Love your neighbor at L‘/ze exgﬁevzse of seZj';” not as yourself. He who is the greatest, is with us now z‘/ze servcmt; ndt, “ let him be so.” J The first branch takes cognizance how we use. or abuse, our bodies. The second, how we use, or abuse, others. The third involves manifestations of di- vine law. A tree brings forth its fruit in the air and sunlight, yet its roots are in the earth, and nourished and borne up by the earth ; otherwise there would be no fruit. So. also, physiological right- eousness is the substratum that sustains manifestations of moral and divine fruit. Physiological law is a unit. To ab- stain from alcoholic mixtures has been considered almost a fulfillment of all physiological law. Not so. Alcohol indeed injures the nervous centers, and drives furiously the machinery of life, imparting not a particle of nutriment to I? sustain or repair the occasional Waste; and, in the end, may devastate the whole physical domain. But”does in- temperance in eating, and the use of improper articles in our dietary, do nothing? Is it not as much of a crime to over-burden and strain the organ of digestion as it is to stimulate the brain? Is it not as much a violation of law to break down the liver with butter, and buttered beef-steaks and greasy com- pounds, as it is the nerves with alcohol? Is the specter Dyspepsia, a strained stomach and a broken-down liver, to be sympathized with in its cravings any more than the cravings of the tip- pler? Are not the habits and the ex- ample of the one as destructive, in the long run, as the other? Have they not one common source? We all allow that the spirit of our Father and Mother—-—God—cannot dwell in a drunkard. Can it abide where vio- lations of dietetic law have found a resting place, and are pertinaciously adhered to. To establish righteousness in all things is to increase our happiness. As a furtherance in that direction, the fol- lowing, as a beginning, is offered: First,——Never eat to over-distension of the stomach. Second,——We are not constructed to live on concentrated food; hence, the use of superﬁne flour is not advisable. Third,—Do not tax the liver with greasy foods, even butter; use it spar- ingly, and never at the same meal with animal food. F ourth,—Never relax the organ of digestion with warm drinks while eat- ing: they embarrass digestion. Tea obstructs the renewal and repair of our bodies. Fifth,--Accustom yourself to good air, by night and by day ; and to a tem- perature, in cold weather, not higher than 65 degrees. Sixth,—Never use saleratus, soda, nor baking powders; they are alkaline ; are good to make soap with, and window glass. They are not assimilable; and when present in the blood, hinder as- similation, and impress on that fluid their own chemical afﬁnities, which are contrary to the afﬁnity of venous blood for oxygen. Further, alkaline matter breaks up the coagulating power of the blood, makes it watery, and induces a diminished, vital cohesion of that im- portant ﬂuid, impairs bodily strength, and creates languor and debility. Even common salt should be sparingly used. The Arctic explorers of 1876, when ar- rested by the ice. betook themselves to sledges; but the men were so weak, from the effect of salted foods, that they could not proceed with vigor, and those who became exhausted had to be drag- ged back to the ship. Seventh,———To feelfaint from perform- ing the ordinary duties of life, is an in.- dication that alkaline matter, bad air, etc., have had something ’to do in the ease. The foregoing is kindly presented to those of youthful years, and to all whose habits are not irrevocable. Only. Only a seed—-but it chanced to fall In a little cleft of a city wall, And taking root, grew bravely up, Till a tiny blossom crowned its top. Only a ﬂower—~but it chanced that day That a burdened heart passed by that Way; And the message that through the ﬂower was sent, Brought the weary soul a sweet content. For it spake of the lilies so wondrously clad; And the heart that was tired grew strangely glad At the thought of a tender care over all, That noted even a sparrow’s fall. Only a thought——but the work it wrought Could never by tongue or pen be taught; For it ran through a life, like a thread of gold; And the life bore fruit—an hundred fold. Only a word— but ’twas spoken in love, With a whispered prayer to the Lord above; And the angels in heaven rejoiced once more; Fora new-born soul “ entered in by the door.” . ____._..__i_ _+_ Epitomic History of the.Wa.tervliet Shakers. N 0. 3. D. A. BUCKINGHAM. BUSINESS MATTERS. In the year 1790, Believers in this place had a family garden, occupying about two acres of land. Joseph Turn- er supervised it, and began to raise a Previous to this, it was not customary in this part of the country to raise garden seeds to vend. When any neighbor lacked seeds, an- other, who had them, would give him What he wanted, and no more thought of asking pay than he would for a bucket of water. But as the inhabitants increased in numbers, and began to cultivate the soil, the demand for veg- etables and seeds increased apace. Joseph Turner survived but a few years ; few seeds for sale. and then Ebenezer Alden superintended 50 THE SHAKER. the business. He invented the “Print- ing Box,” for hand-printing upon the seed-bags, the name of the variety, in- stead of writing upon them. as formerly. After a few years, David Osborne came from Lebanon to this place, and oﬁiciated as trustee. He did much to advance the seed business. In 1811, the Shakers here raised, in all, about three hundred dollars’ worth of seeds. Not far from this time, Morrell Baker, jr., taking a lively interest in this branch of business, took great pains to select and procure genuine seeds to cultivate from, in order to have the genuine ar- ticle to vend. From 1811 to 1840, inclu- sive, the seed business had so magniﬁed that the sales increased to thousands of dollars per year, and eventually proved to be our most staple branch of business. But at a more recent date, others have entered into the business extensively, and the competition has been so great, that little proﬁt now arises to the pro- ducer of seeds. But the times have changed greatly. Improved plans for cultivation-new inventions for dispensing with and sav- ing hand-labor, combined with the now greater ease of transportation, keep the business lively. City markets must be supplied with vegetables——seedsmen must have-their seeds, and the cultivator must continue his part of the business to make a living. Let us not despair of keeping up in the business. The reputation of Shaker seeds has been of long standing. People look for the old stamp, “ SHAKER SEEDS,” for the gen- uine article. And although some few unimportant errors (greatly magniﬁed by our enemies,) have now and then accidentally happened to spot a long life of prosperity and good reputation, yet we are determined, now as ever, not to slacken our energy in procuring good, even the very éesz‘ seeds that can be raised, to supply the market, and give satisfaction to those who purchase SHAKER SEEDS. When broom—corn was ﬁrst _intro- duced into the Society of Shakers at Watervliet, in the year 1791, it was grown in the garden as was other corn. In the year 1798, it began to be an ar- ticle of some importance, and consider- able attention was paid to its cultiva- tion. A few brooms were manufactured for market purposes, and sold at the fair price of half a ‘dollar each. The han- dles were of soft, maple timber, and were turned in a common foot-lathe. The machinery for making the brooms was, in the beginning, very simple. It consisted merely of a roller of wood, turned by a short crank, for the purpose of winding on the cord; and by plac- ing one or both feet against this roller, the tightness of the twine was governed ; and the broom was made by holding the handle in one hand and applying the brush with the other while winding. The next process by way of improve- ment, some few years after, was the ad- dition of a bench to the roller, in a frame fastened to the bench, with a rag- wheel to hold the cord, when wound upon the roller with short crankas be- fore. The manufacture of two dozen of brooms per day, well made, was con- sidered an exploit, quite equal to the same of six or eight dozen at the pres- ent day. Not only in the manufacture of the broom, but also in the culture of the material-———the growing of the crop ——there have been made very great im- provements by ourselves and others. One man, with one horse and a double planting machine,—--i.e., a machine that will plant two rows at once,——can now plant from ten to twelve acres per day. And the labor of one man for four months will raise and harvest six acres or more, which will give an av- erage product of six hundred pounds per acre. The manner of removing the seed from the brush was, in the be- ginning, very simple. But now, we have machinery for removing the seed of some three or four acres a day. (See New American Cyclopedia, Vol. III., page 741, for general history.) This branch of business, which is be- lieved to have commenced among the Watervliet Shakers, is now most exten- sively carried on throughout the United States. Believers have aimed to keep pace with all the improvements hitherto advanced in the broom business, and are still found holding their good repu- tation in the manufacture of this article. Indeed, this Society can furnish all the different varieties of brooms and brushes now in general use, in their most ap- proved styles. :_@_____ _.____....____..... Noteeby the Way. No. 9. HENRY C. BLINN. “ I-low little is correctly known con- cerning us.” We take this notice from a letter of one of our gospel friends, who is in a neighboring state on a mission of peace. Shall we not, with equal propriety, add—-How very little we do to extend this so much needed correct knowledge of our order. More than a hundred years have al- ready passed since the word of God was delegated to mortals, by which we were called out from the world. Our publi- cations have been very limited. They have been suﬁicient, however, to render us ample information of the trials and perils which they passed through to es- tablish the home which, to thousands since that day, has proved, in the full- ness of the term, a haven of rest for both soul and body. One of the great- est of blessings is a good home, sur- rounded by all the necessary comforts of life, and in daily association of friends who have been proved faithful by the cross of Christ; but a greater blessing, by far, is to be able to publish the gos- pel of “glad tidings,” and verify the truth of this by practical demonstration. If most of the information existing in society at the present time represents our order in an obscure or false light, then that information, in many cases, proves very injurious to the Society, and should we not, on our part, study to modify this state of wrong education. We may be both ignorantly and ma- liciously represented. The effect upon society is often the same. Whoever has been thus unfortunate, as to suffer day; the carewhich they exercise over each other, and that which is given to the children that they receive into the society, and, above all, the discipline of from evil report, knows full well the the cross of Christ, which is the light magical influence of the traducer upon oflife to the order. society. We should adopt no rules, nor admit any practice, of There may be much in our order that which we need be ashamed. If, through is not as it should be; and, happily for the providence of God, this spiritual us, we do not, as yet, claim to have Work is committed to our trust, does it reached the perfected state ; but if the not follow that, as is our interest, so will principles of the order were more fully be our prosperity? and clearly represented, and better un- derstood, I think we should grow more “ in favor with God and man.” Our gospel fathers and mothers, who is to be in €"er3’thi“g' for all spots. shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Je- rusalem, worship the Father,” were our Lord’s Pha5e Of W1‘0r1g domg; but: as 3 gen- words to the Samaritan woman. have passed on before us, were ﬁrm and fearless in their testimony against every True Vyorship. True ‘worship is something universal. It It is for all times and “The hour cometh when ye Jew and eral thing, held their peace and their Samaritan had been ﬁghting about places for faith as St. Paul advised,—-“ have it to W01‘ShiP- JESUS Comes to Say: neitllef thls thyself before God ; as and when their place nor that place—but all places for it. enemies sought to injure them by slan- derous reports, it was their custom to silently bear the stigma. We are all of us more Jewish or Samaritan than we think. We are all of us rearing our Jerusalems or clinging to our Gerizims. Perhaps it are all of us sectionalizing religion—gather- We was the most judicious course they ing it to special places, special times, special could have taken. their way. At any rate, it was things; calling these sacred—-those profane. There was an old man in New England As the population of the country rap- idly increases, so in proportion do the sillyqland designing stories increase in the minds of corresponding men and The age of our church has thrown into the world hundreds, if not thousands, of disappointed, unprinci- pled and malicious-minded seceders, whose reports are heralded from city to city. All this needs a counteracting inﬂuence, and an invitation for a closer inspection into the principles which un- derlie the gospel work, and into the practical lives of those who form the order. To-day we live in a land of publica- tions. Thousands and thousands of printing presses are running day and night, and from ten to twenty thousand impressions of books, pamphlets and papers are thrown out upon the world every hour, from a large number of these presses. It is emphatically a reading age. Every form of trade, every phase ofprofessional life, and, no less, every order of religious organiza- tion, must publish their programme if they wish to be known. Religious bodies, like dealers in merchandise, who combined the occupations of farmer, horse-dealer and colporteur. In his “works of mercy,” as he called them, he distributed tracts gratuitously, sold Bibles and other re- ligious books at cost to those who could pay for them, and gave them away to those who could not. “ But,” ‘said the old man——not ﬁippantly, as it might seem, but earnestly— “when I start on a work of mercy and stop to deal in horses, I never have good luck; the fact is, Ido7z’t wam‘ 2‘/ze Lard around w/zen I’m tradz'7z.;r /zorses.” There it is. That tract and Bible distribution was that man’s Geri- zim or Jerusalem, but worship held simply there, would not prevent him from being over sharp in a bargain when horses were in ques- tion. That is sectionalizing religion; piling up Gerizims and building Jerusalems for it; forgetting its universality. There was a tottering colored man who gained his living by cobbling shoes. His work was not elegant. handed. But he was thorough. Said one to him, “ My friend, after this cobbling on earth is done, how about the other world ? Have you any hope for abetter world?” “Ah, ma.s- ter, I am nothing, as I told you, but a poor cobbler; but I feel when I sit here that the Good Master is looking at me, and when I take a stitch it is a stitch, and when I put on a heel-tap, it is not paper, but good leat/zer.” That is the true and Christian idea as over against the Jewish or Samaritan. Religion not in Jerusalem or Gerizim only, but religion in everything. Worship not only in special must Place before the World What they places, and about certain things, but worship wish to have accepted; and this should in all places and ab011ta11’£hingS- True wor- be done day after day, so long as the ship is neither in this mountain nor in that, world stands. It needs an illustration of their creeds, but is in this and that and in all others. It is an atmosphere in which the whole life is to breathe and live and be carried on. It has forms, ceremonies, and the order of the to do with Saturday as well as Sunday; with cross under which they live, whether it the ba1‘g'<‘~i“ 35 Well as With the Pralyel‘; Wilt: be of Adanlﬁ Moses’ Jesus 01. Paul’ and the table of the daily bread as wel as wit then allow the children of this world the privilege of accepting or refusing. To of the public mind. the table of the Lord. They say that two million tons of the purest silver are held in solution by the sea, enrich- neglect this, is to neglect the education mg each drop of its waters. It is thus that a If neglected, we pure worship is to interpenetrate the life, might as well fold our hands and brace touching ‘md gloliifylng its Sh-Vest thought’ ourselves securely in the corner, and de- mand bread, as to think of securing in 0 ’ reth, too. its most common atﬁn. True worship is for Jerusalem and fo erizim and for Naza- It is for church and street. It is this 0713111191‘: either religious Progress for sacrament and for the daily service of the or prosperity. store, or shop, or school, or home.—- W. iloyt, The social life of the Shakers should 1'” C7l7‘Z'5”"l” U”"0”- beibetter known. The rules and regu- lations which govern them from day to X 4 -- 9 Maine is more stringent than ever in her liquor-law amendments. He was not deft- - it THE‘ SHAKER. 51 Procrastination. JAMES G. RUSSELL. Oh thief of time! how oft my heart Hath sorrowed ’neath thy slavish reign! My promises to act my part, So often broken in thy name. At early dawn I kneel in prayer,- My Heavenly Parents’ blessing seek;—- I pray and promise then and there, I will in duty’s pathway keep. Yet ere the glorious orb of day Attains its full meridian height, Some luring scene my mind will sway, And close from duty’s path my sight! Still, on I go in heedless state, Unmindfnl of a Parent’s care ;— Some selﬁsh sense to satiate— I care not lzow, nor -w/zen, nor w/zere! Some kindly act I fail to do, Some kindly sentiment to breathe; A sinful charmer claims my view, And many trusting hearts I grieve. But soon the busy scenes of day Are closing with approaching night, And as reﬂection bears the sway And brings my wrongs before my sight, I pause in sorrow for a while, In retrospection view the day; Alas! Am I perdition’s child? In conﬁdence how can I pray. And yet I dare not trust to sleep, That state so near akin to death, Unless some faithful guardian keep A watch around me. Ah, my breath Would fain give utterance to prayer, But only can I weep and say Kind Father, all thy love and care Ungratefully do I repay. Unworthy as I am of thee, Yet still I know thou art the same Kind Parent—full of charity, And still this Wayward child will claim. But I will pray to thee again, And ask forgiveness for the past, With promise henceforth to abstain From all that would thy blessing blast. I ask for thy protecting care Throughout the dreamy hours of night, That no temptation may ensnare, Or draw my mind again from right. With blest assurance that thy power Will safely shield me from my foes, I’ll cease the musings of the hour, And close my eyes in calm repose. The morning light renews again The promises, so often made, From every evil to refrain, And let a better sense pervade Through all the active hours of day, That I may multiply no more Ungrateful actions by the way, That marked my steps-the day before. But often am I forced to count On some unfortunate defeat, Neglect to draw from heaven’s fount,—- Thus some forbidden fruit I eat. And thus my precious time I spend, In mingled happiness and grief; Procrastination—I contend T/zou art this unsuspecting thief. I would do well, but thou art near To intercept each grand design; Procrastination——I will hear No more to thee———thou thief of time! When duty’s path before me lies, Unpleasant though it oft may be, In life’s true dignity I’ll rise, And do each duty cheerfully. The jﬁresem‘ is my only time; I know not of my future state, But, with an earnest, cheerful mind, I’ll “ learn to labor and to wait.” _I_.__.___, _____+,...__ , ,.___,, . Sallie and Ida May Dill left their place of employment, without permission, about ﬁve o’clock P. M., which was deemed suﬂicient cause for dismissal! The Shakers had borne years of worse indiscretions with them, and retained them. Geo. Noyes Miller of Wallingford, Conn., a genuine “nephew of his uncle,” in T/ze Amerz'ca7z Socz'alz'st, thus happily hits the Enﬁeld, Conn., Shakers in his Notes on the Shakers. In a recent visit to one of the Shaker set- tlements, we were pleased to observe by many tokens that they were not the unpro- gressive people which they are often repre- sented to be, and that they seemed to be los- ing their fear of the effect of a larger culture upon their members. In the neat and pret- tily ornamented children’s school-room we saw not only aTellurium for aiding the teach- ing of Astronomy, and other signs of a wide, educational range, but a grand and glittering piano. In the children’s singing room there was also a cabinet organ, and in the visitor’s office we espied what appeared to be a new and complete set of the Ameri- can Cyclogocedia. Here and there, too, astray picture or bit of needle ornament made a conspicuous mark on the ancient and primi- tive plainness, like garden ﬂowers which have passed their palings and crept into the rigid highway. Then again, the new buildings of the Shakers are open to the ingress of the mod- ern improvements. The large and thorough ly built brick mansion which they were ﬁn- ishing, when we were there, was heated by steam with a vast and imposing system of pipes, boilers and ﬁxtures of the latest con- struction. Hot and cold water was to be supplied to every ﬂoor. One of their newly- made workshops is the most thoroughly ﬁn- ished and neatly furnished Community build- ing that we ever saw. Its dazzling ﬂoors, its glass doors, its cemented cellars, its inside painting, its Stairways brightly carpeted from basement to cupola, even the matching of the glittering oil—cloth in the long halls and galleries, made us marvel in mute astonish- ment. The lady who accompanied us, and who had a decided taste in Communistic household matters, droppedher hands in de- spair of ever attaining such perfection. The little group of Shakers, who were showing us about with their patient, gentle mien, looked on with mild surprise at our wonder. The Shakers, though unquestionably a very earnest people, are not so austere in their conversation and manners as many suppose. On the contrary they seemed to us to be quite as fond of bante‘r and by-play of a genial, innocent kind as people generally. They are ready to laugh at a joke. When our lady companion possessed herself of the quaint Shakeress cap and conﬁned her curls under it, they seemed as gleeful as we were over her sudden demureness. As the Shak- ers are not so austere in their manners, neither are they so ascetic in their life as many might imagine. Without being luxu- rioug they live very comfortably. Their members travel occasionally, and in summer little parties of them sometimes go a distance of ﬁfty miles to recreate on the sea-shore. The Shakers have not given so much atten- tion to regulating their diet as have some Communities, but still they may be said to be quite fairly hygienic. Graham and Indian breads are constantly on their tables, and they eat some fruit and but little meat. If we might be allowed to make a suggestion to them in regard to their table, we should perhaps say that they ate too much pie. May be they don’t know that some foreigner has said “ all Americans die of pie.” We could not help wishing further that they would let the Turkish Bath into the noble new building into which steam has pushed its way; bL1t doubtless they will open their doors to it sometime. “Cleanliness is next to godli- ness.” As we were walking between the various buildings, over the neat stone walks, we stopped with a sudden start on perceiving that we were about to put our foot down on what'appeared to be a grave. There in the walk was a plain ﬂat stone bearing the age and other rude memorials of a departed soul. “Why!” we exclaimed with sudden awe, “ some one seems to be buried here.” Our Shaker companions explained that in remodeling their cemetery they removed all the old stones and put marble slabs in their places. The stones had been used for repair- ing their walks, and we soon got quite ac- customed to them. We afterward visited the Shaker cemetery. It was situated on a high and pleasant knoll, and was surrounded with a low and open iron fence, the heavy posts of which were sunk into a stone foundation. The marble tombstones were all of the same size and were placed in straight rows, giving an appearance of perfect uniformity. A Shaker burying-ground is an interesting place to visit on account of the uniformly great age to which its memorials bear wit- ness. They prove the truth of Nordhoff’s assertion that “ Communists are long-lived.” But far more interesting than the dead are the living among the Shakers. There are beautiful characters among them, some as grand and rugged as oaks, others as sweet and gentle as wildwood ﬂowers. A born Communist in stopping under their kindly and hospitable roofs, feels, in spite of some differences of belief, that he is still breathing his native, peaceful atmosphere, in which brothers are “dwelling together in unity.” True Uses of Shaker Property. [In a remarkably able letter to the Cz'7zcz'mzczz‘z' Gazette, our talented Bro. G. B. Amery thus discourses upon a subject which very many unthinkingly and unfavorably criticise.——ED.] We who maintain the faith have en- tered into a most solemn contract by which we covenant ourselves to sacred- ly hold and transmit to our successors the dedicated and consecrated interest of the society. And as our covenant states that “the sole object, purpose, and design of our uniting in a cove- nant relation as a church or body of peo- ple in gospel union was, from the be- ginning, and still is, faithfully and hon- estly to receive, improve, and diffuse the manifold gifts of God, both of a spiritual and temporal nature, for the mutual protection, support, comfort, and happiness of each other as brethren and sisters in the gospel,” etc., We can- not but feel that, as stewards of this most sacred trust of a church which thus abolishes poverty, we cannot be too careful in our dealings with those who either forfeit their right to mem- bership or voluntarily relinquish it. It must be borne steadfastly in mind that our religion provides not only for the 5pz'rz'z.‘zmZ needs of its members, but a perfect equality obtains, and is enjoyed by every member of the society, in everything pertaining to X67/zgﬁorczl mat- ters. We wear the same quality and style of clothing; eat the same kind of food at a common table; enjoy equal privileges of social intercourse with each other; and have and hold equal right and title to real and personal property, which has been, now is, and forever- more shall remain dedicated to the sa- cred uses and purposes for which the society was organized. * if "K Our society, like your orphan asy- lums, orother endowed institutions, has, and must conﬁne itself, in its ministra- tions, to those who are within, or those who may desire to enter in, and could no more carry on its functions, were it to follow up and care for those who re- ject its advantages and protections than could your orphan asylums follow up their charges after they had left, and when, by a sad experience, they had proven by numerous overt acts that they, if they could, would destroy the very foundation of the institution which had sheltered them. If either they or we should thus squander our resources, we would soon destroy our respective institutions and put an end to our abil- ity to beneﬁt even those who are really worthy. * * * it ___..Q-_.._ . c._.._.__._ . _ ANN LEE. A SKETCH OF HER HISTORY AND CHARACTER. Ann Lee was born Feb. 29, 1736, in Manchester, England. She was the daughter of a blacksmith, an honest man, but too poor to send his family to school, and Ann did not learn to read nor write. She was brought up in habits of industry, working in Iacto- ries, and at one time as a cook in the Manchester in- ﬁrmary, and was always “ distinguished for faithful- ness, neatne-ss, prudence, and economy.” The Shaker Communities are born in her i111age in respect to these practical virtues, and we may no doubt trace their neglect of education to her example. She was a tlioughtful child, and early subject to religious im- pressions. It is said also that she conceived in her very youth at great abhorrence of the sexual relation, as impure and abominable. She was married, not- Witlistanding, and had four children; but, as they all died in infancy, her domestic experience may have only increased her rcpugnance to wh_at before she thought suﬂiciently odious. if her condemnation of marriage was a revolt, as some suppose, from the life ofisutfering that this series of disastrous births imposed upon her, it would be hardly more than nat- ural. At the age of twenty-three, subsequent to her mar- riage troubles, she became united to a sect in the neighborhood of l\lanchester called Shakers. This sect was an oﬂslioot of the Quakers, holding similar views, but reinarkable for greater physical manifes- tations, such as dancing, shouting, trembling, etc., from which they received the name of Shakers. They seem to have had a great deal of genuine illlumina- tion and spiritual power. Ann soon became a won- derful medium of the supernatural inﬂuence that was Working among them, and was wrought upon in a surprising manner for the space of nine years, alternating between deep spiritual suffering and heavenly visions and revelations. One who was well acquainted with her at this time describes her experience thus: “ In watchings, fastings, tears and incessant cries to God, she labored day and night for deliverance from the very nature of sin; and that, under the most severe tribulation of mind, and the most vio- lent temptations and butletings of the enemy; the agony of her soul was often so extreme as to occa- sion a perspiration of blood. Sometimes, for whole nights together, her cries, screcches and groans were such as to ﬁll every soul around with fear and trem. bling. By these painful suﬂerings and deep morti- ﬁcations her ﬂesh sometimes wasted away like that of a person in consumption, till she became so weak and emaciated that her friends were obliged to sup. port and nourish her like a helpless infant; although she possessed by nature a sound and strong consti- tution, and an invincible fortitude of mind. Though Ann was wrought upon in this manner, more or less for the space of nine years, yet she often had inter- vals of rcleasemeut, in which her bodily strength and vigor were sometimes miraculously renewed, and her soul was at times lillcd with heavenly visions and divine revelations. By these means the way of God and the nature of his work gradually opened upon her mind with increasing light and understand- ing.” During these nine years, though her manifestations were the source of great enlightenment and strength to the society, slie lived in all obedience to the lead- ers, without assuming any special claim to respect. In 1770 she was imprisoned with others of the so- ciety, on the cliarge 01,‘ violating the Sabbath by their noisy demonstrations in their meetings; and in the prison she had 21 new and e.\'trao1-dinary revelation, She had been in deep prayer to God that he would show her what was the real foundation of man’s loss, and how he could be recovered and sa ved from sin, which she had ceased to hope for from any religion yet ob. tained,when,according to the words of her biographer, “ her soul was lilled with divine light, and the mys- teries of the spiritual world were brought clearly to her understanding. She had a full view of the mys. tery oi.’ iniquity! of the root and foundation of hu- man depravity, and of the very act of transgression in the garden of Eden. Here she saw whence and 52 THE SHAKER. Wherein all mankind were lost from God, and clearly realized the only possible way of recovery.” On coming out of prison she communicated to the society this revelation; and her testimony it was said was accompanied with such searching power that “all who heard her were ﬁlled with fear and trembling ; they saw that the candle of the Lord was in her hand, and she was able to search every heart, and try every soul among them; and from that time she began to be acknowledged as the visible leader of the church of God upon earth.” She henceforth " bore an open testimony against the lustful gratiﬁ- cations of the ﬂesh, as the source and foundation of human corruption, and testiﬁed in the most plain and pointed manner that no soul could follow Christ in the regeneration while living in the Works of nat- ural generation.” Some of the society received her testimony, while others rejected it. ()f those who received it, it is said they had visions, revelations and gifts; while those who rejected it fell back into darkness and the common course of the world. Mother Ann, as she was now called, remained the center of a little band in England about four years, when, by special revelation, she was directed to re- pair to America, where it was promised the millen- nial church should be established, Eight of her most faithful followers accompanied her, including her husband and brother. A story is told of the Shakers on the passage as follows: The captain had forbidden their peculiar demoiistrations on board; but they, feaiiiig God rather than man, went forth in the dance with songs and shoutiiigs. The captain was enraged, and threatened to put them overboard, actually proceeding to carry out his threat, when a. plank starting, the ship sprang a. leak, and he was glad of their assistance at the pumps. They were in great peril, but Mother Ann maintained her conﬁ- dence in God, and said, “ Captain, be of good cheer; there shall not a hair of our lieads perish; we shall all arrive safe at America." Shortly after, a wave struck the ship with great violence and closed the plank into its place, which wonderful circunistaiicc was viewed by all on boa.rd as nothing less than a miraculous interposition of Providence. Mother Ann arrived in New York, August, 1774. She seems to have lived in that city the most of the time for two years, though part of her company Went up the river to Albany, and she made them oc- casional visits. They were all dependent on their own labor, and she found :1. place in a respectable family where she washed and ironed for her sup- port. Her husband was employed by the same tami- ly. In the course of her life in New York, he aposta- tized from the faith and opposed Mother Ann’s testi- mony, urging her to renounce it and live like the rest of the world. She said she was willing to do any- thing for him but violate her duty to God. He said if she refused to live with him as a wife, he would take another woman, which he did, and thus ended the connection between Mother Ann and Abraham Stanley. In September, 1776, Mother Ann and her company collected together and made a settlement in the woods of Watervliet, where they quietly occupied them- selves, mid the tumuits of the Revolutionary war, in improving their circumstances, while they waited for the opening of their testimony at the appointed time. They went on with their rugged labor, and held their solemn meetings there in the wilderness three years and a lial1', when the time came, as iiiinie-_ diately foretold by Mother Aim, for their showing to the world. In the year 1779-8021. great religious ex- citement occurred in New Lebanon and the towns adjacent, which was characterized by singular physi- cal manifestations. Some of the subjects of these manifestations visited Watervliet, and there they thought they found the key to their experiences. The report of these visitors brought others, and the fnine of Mother Ann was soon extended far and wide, and converts increased rapidly, coniing out 01’ all de- nominations and from all parts of the country. Her personal power in _testimony appears to have been wonderful, and there is no doubt she was charged with a superhuman life, which kindled a lire wlierev- er it passed. The spirit of persecutioii liaturally arose, and un- der a charge of treasonahle coriespondence with the enemy of the nation, Ann Lee and some of her leading adherents were put in prison ; but they were released after live months, there being no evidence to justify their iniprisoiinient. The attempt to sup- press them in this way, was more than a failure, of course. It was tlie,oc.c:isior. of extensive increase. The following year Mother A llll with six of her as- sociates made a. journey into lﬂassacliusetts, as far as Harvard, visiting on their way many who had eni- braced their testimony, lioidiiig meetings, and being visited by great multitudes in the towns they passed through. It was at once a triuinplial tour and a. march to the cross. Tlicy suﬂered constant personal abuse, and iii seine places narrowly escaped with their lives; but our autliority says, “they were blessed in their labors with many powerful gifts of God, and succeeded in planting the word of God in the hea1'ts of many.” They were gone two years, and seem to have left the germs of several Siiaker Communities which have since ﬂourished in Massa- chusetts. Mother Ann died soon after returning to Water- vliet, when she could not have been 11101"e: than forty- eight years old. Her work was short and swift. She was certainly a prophetic character, who had-sa mission like an arrow from the bow of the mighty, which she fulﬁlled and suddenly disappeared. It is impossible to study the record of Ann Lee and believe that she was an impostor or hypocrite. She had a spiritual guidance and was faithful to it. Her strength was her sincerity. She sought not the honor of man. She does not appear to have assumed any such place as her followers have given her. Her accepting the title of Mother was not with out exam- ple. There was a Mother in the Manchester Society which she came out of. James and Jane Wardley were the “ministry” of that Society, and Jane Wardley was called Mother. Ann Lee joined them by confessing her sins to Mother Jane. She was not a vulgar egotist. If she was ambi- tious, she knew the true secret of leadership—how to abuse herself and to be among her disciples as one that served. She frequently waited on those that came to see her with all the attention and assi- duity of a menial. She set the ﬁrst example of all the precepts she inculcated. No one can doubt that she was pure in her sense of purity. She established the law of celibacy, but otherwise the Shaker system appears to have been intellectu- alized and developed by her successors rather than herself. She is said to have foretold the order which her followers have come into, and this order em- bodies her spirit, as every one can see; yet it was not until after her death and that of her immediate successor, that the Shakers entered into Communism. She appointed James Whittaker—one of the eight from England——her successor. He lived only three years, and was succeeded by Joseph Meacliam, a ‘W.-i.tervliet convert, an eﬂicieiit business man, who, in the space of ﬁve years, collected families of be- lievers together and founded twelve Shaker Commu- nities—the lirst and parent society at New Lebanon, and eleven others in dilferent places in Massachu- setts, Connecticut and New York. He was the real author of the Shaker organization, and they are in- debted to his practical sagacity for niucli of their success, though Ann Lee prepared the moral ina- terial, without which he could have done nothing. Her favorite. doctrine, next to celibacy, was thrifty habits—iiid11stry, prudence, economy. She says to her young converts on the one hand, “You have a privilege to take up your crosses in the prime of your activity; if you take up your crosses against the lust of the ﬂesh, while you have power to please yourselves, you offer to God the ﬁrst fruits of your lives; and there is a glorious crown for all who take up their cross against the ﬂesh in this worlc.” On the other hand, she says, “You must be diligent with your hands, for godliness does not lead to idle- ness. The devil tempts others, but an idle person tempts the devil. When you are at work doing your duty as the gift of God, the devil can have no power over you, because there is no room for temptation.” Here is her righteousness on the right hand, and on the left celibacy and thrifty habits. She had visions and revelations as wonderful as Swedenborg’s, we should judge, but she did not he- stow their tediousiiess upon the world, as he did. She was more like Christ in that she was a doer, in- stead of :1 talker or writer. Her words were few. But she really left a. stupendous work, one that has been the admiration of mankind. The American Cg/clopcedia says: “It is a fact worthy of iiiﬁte, that the Shakers are the only people on this continent, if not in the world, who have maintained successfully for more than seventy years a system of living, one of the fundamental principles of which is community of‘ property.” And the author of The Zlfillenn-ial (‘hurt-h said truly, writing thirty years ago, that the system of a full united interest had never been es- tablished and maintained for any considerable length of time except in two instances; that of the Pentecostal church, and the Shakers. Ann Lee appointed her successor, and the Shakers have received their leaders by that method of elec- tion ever since. Each ministry has been appointed l‘.yitspredeccsso1'. In this the Shakers take for their example oth the Jewish and Christian dispeiisations. God appointed Moses, they say, and Moses appoint- ed Joshua. God also selected David from the sons of Jesse, and David- selected Solomon from his own sons. it was when the Israelites departed from this iiiaiiiier of succession, that they were plunged in po- litical troubles. Under the gospel dispensation, Christ chose his apostles, and these apostles appoint- ed their successors; and it was when the primitive Cliristians began to elect their own bishops, say they, tli:i.t the unity of the cliurch was destroyed. The Shaker government, as we uiiderstand from their books, is on this wise: “The Ministry at New Lebanon is called the Head of liiﬂueiice, and is sov- creign over all the Coinmuiiities of the sect wlicrcver located. It is composed of four persons, but one of the four is pre-einiiieiit; he appoints the other three, and has power to depose them at will. He has su- preme authority. [We claim that the quadruple of the ministry have supreme authority. If any case should arise where a diﬁerence of opinion exists among the four, the presiding Minister would do. liver the ultimatum. Appointing and deposiiig by mere caprice, are unknown to the order of Minis- try.-—Ei).] The other three are his advisers and assistants. He appoints the ministry of every other Community, and also the trustee in whom the prop- erty of any Community is invested, and lastly his own successor. Each local community has a minis- try after the model of the mother church, which has power to appoint subordinate ofﬁce1's—-elders and eldresses whose duties are spiritual, and deacons and deaconesses whose duties are temporal. The deacons and deaconesses are subordinate to the eld- ers and eldresses, as the latter are to the ministry. Through the whole society the inferiors report to the superiors. Authority is transmitted from the head down, and one rank obeys another——a species of government which may be an oppressive despotism or the most beneﬁcent rule in the world, according to the character of the central power. All who come into the “full privilege ” of the order lay everything at the feet of the ministry, never to be reclaimed. But there are three classes of members. First, novitiates, who receive the doctrines of the . akers, and conform to their general requirements and enjoy their spiritual oversight, but who, on ac- count of family emliarrassineiits reiiiaiii outside and manage their own temporal concerns. Second, a class who live in the Communities and unite in their labors and worship, and give them the use of their property, perhaps, but who on account of heirs in the world, or for some acceptable reason, retain the ownership of it and the right to withdraw it, without claim of interest. Then there is a third class, who make an entire consec1‘ation of their prop- erty and services to the society, cutting themselves of from any claim of restitution or compensation. [Here follow extracts from the Shaker covenaiit.] In respect to habits of thrift Aim Lee stamped her image on the Society with remarkable exa.ctness.Their books say there is no law or compulsion necessary in regard to work among them ; for such a spirit of industry pervades the order, that a lazy person can- not abide iii it. Their ministry, elders and deacons all have some manual occupation in which they en- gage when not occupied with the duties of their par- ticular calling. Aiiii Lee was uiilettered, but she had a theory of education which the wisest would do well to study. Obedience was her ﬁrst principle. That was the grand lesson for early childhood. She reasoned that chil- dren who are governed by their parents, acquire the power of sel_f-_q0ve~rmnent, which like the rudder of a ship, and worth more on the sea of life than talents or knowledge or riches. Next in order was the cul- tivation of the whole moral nature; and lastly, in- tellectual training. She believed learning is worse than nothing to the wicked, and that moral training is the basis of all other kinds of culture. If she had lived longer she might have broadened her system and appreciated more the reciprocal inﬂuence of the moral and intellectual; but she certainly put the right thing ﬁrst. Give us the Shaker virtues to make a happy home rather than all the learning in the world without tl1eni.—Ameri’can SociaIz'st. ._.j¢_._____._.___. No Religion without Justice. JOHN RUSKIN. People are perpetually squabbling about what will be best to do, or easiest to do, or advisablest to do, or proﬁta- blest to do; but they never, so far as I hear them talk, ever ask what it is jzzsz‘ to do. And it is the law of heaven that you shall not be able to judge what is wise or easy, unless you are ﬁrst re- solved to judge what is just, and to do it. That is the one thing constantly re- iterated by our Master——t1ie order of all others that is given oftenest———“ Do jps- tice and judgment.” That’s your Bible order; thats the “Service of God ;” not praying nor psalin-singing. You are told, indeed, to sing psalms when you are merry, and to pray when you need anything; and, by the perversion of the Evil Spirit, We get to think that praying ‘and psaliii-singing are “serv- ice.” If a child ﬁnds itself in want of anything, it runs in and asks its father for it. Does it call that doing its father a service? If it begs for a toy or a piece of cake, does it call that serving its fa- ther? That, with God, is prayer; and he likes to hear it. He likes you to ask Him for cake when you want it; but He doesn’t call that “ serving Him.” Begging is not serving. God likes mere beggars as little as you do. He likes honest servants, not beggars. So when a child loves its father very much, and about him ;; but it doesn’t call that serv- ing its father. Neither is singing songs about God serving God. It is enjoying ourselves, if it is anything; most proba- bly it is nothing; but ifit’s anything, it is serving ourselves, not God. And yet We are impudent enough to call our beggings and chantings “Divine Serv- ice.” We say, “Divine service will be ' performed’ ” (that’s our woi*d——-the form of it gone through) “at [I o’clock.” Alas l——-unless we perform Divine serv- ice in every willing act of our life, we never perform it at all. The one Di- vine work—-—the one ordered sacriﬁce—— is to do justice ; and it is the last we are ever inclined to do. Anything rather than that! As much charity as you choose, but no justice. “Nay,” you will say, “ charity is greater than jus- tice.” Yes, it is greater; it is the suin- mit ofjustiCe—-it is the temple of which justice is the foundation. But you can’t have the top without the bottom; you cannot build upon charity. You must build upon justice, for this main reason, that you have not, at ﬁrst, charity to build with. It is the last reward of good work. Do justice to your broth- er (you can do that, whether you love him or not), and you will come to love him. But do injustice to him, because you don’t love him, and you will come to hate him. It is all very ﬁne to think you can build upon charity to begin with ; but you will ﬁnd all you have got to begin with begins at home, and is essentially love of yourself. You well- to-do people, for instance, will go to “ Divine service” next Sunday, all nice and tidy, and your little children will have their tight little Sunday boots on, and lovely little Sunday feathers’ in their hats; and you’ll think, complacently and piously, how lovely they look I So they do; and you love them heartily, and you like sticking feathers in their hats. That’s all right; that is charity ; but it is charity beginning at home, Then you will come to the poor little‘ crossing-sweeper, got up also in its Sunday dress,—the dirtiest rags it has, ——that it may beg the better, we shall give it a penny, and think how good we are. That’s charity going abroad. But what does Justice say, walking and watching near us? Christian justice has been strangely mute and seemingly blind; and, if not blind, decrepit this many a day. She keeps her accounts still, howeve1',———quite steadily—-doing them at nights, carefully, with her baiid- age oif, and through acutest spectacles (the, only modern scientiﬁc invention she cares about). You must put your car down ever so close to her lips to hear her speak; and then you will start at what she ﬁrst whispers, for it will certainly be, “Why shouldn’t that little crossing-sweeper have a feather on its head, as well as your own child?” Then you may ask Justice, in an amazed man. ner, “ how she can possibly be so fool- ish as to think children could sweep crossings with feathers on their heads 3” Then. you stoop again, and justice says is very happy, it may sing little soiigs»—-stillinher dull, stupid way,—--“ Then, \ why don’t you, every other Sunday, leave your child to sweep the crossing, and take the little sweeper to church in a hat and feathers ?” Mercy on us (you think), what will she say next! And you answer, of course, that “you don’t, because everybody ought to re- main content in the position in which Providence has placed them.” Ah, my friends, that’s the gist of the whole ques- tion. Did Providence put them in that position, or did you? You knock a man into a ditch, and then you tell him to remain content in the “position in which Providence has placed him.” That’s modern Christianity. You say, “ We did not knock him into the ditch.” How do you know what you have done or are doing? That’s just what we have all goﬁ. to know, and what we shall never know, until the question with us every morning is, not how to do the gainful thing, but how to do the just thing; nor until we are at least so far on the way to being christian as to have understood that maxim of the poor half- way lVIahometan, “One hour in the ex- ecution ofjustice is worth seventy years of prayer.” —-9 A Washing-Day Wail. EZRA T. LEGGETT. Since light first, in beauty, bathed mount- ain and main, _ And sunshine and shadow danced over the plain, This, born of the night, and that, ‘born of the day, Alternate, each chasing the other away; Since days were ﬁrst sacred to cross or to crown, And noted when nations rose up or came down; , Or told of the comet, the ﬂood or the pest, When sinners were roasted, or saints to be blest; When Satan sent raging the ﬁre or the ﬂood, Or Caesars set ﬂowing whole rivers of blood; Of days that our sorrows remember so well, Since Satan wooed woman, and paradise fell, Not one that so fritters poor woman away, Brains, body arid soul, as the dread washing- day. Once man was so pure, as we all ought to know, But innocence clothed him, in time long ago, (What hosts of good orthodox Christians there are, If ‘this were the fashion, with nothing to wear.) . Had Satan but leff father Adam alone, Soft soap and hot water had never been known; Had Eve but refrained from the apple, and then, How happy the fates. of both women and men! Since stars sung, in heaven, the birthday of time, Our washing-day woes. never sounded in rhyme; The mists of that awful day 'v_eil from the sight Our terrible toils and more terrible plight; Though hope springs. afresh with each new washing-day, And h€€11‘tS beating high banish fear far away, Yet, as th6 dark shadows grow long‘ on the wall, Hard W0Fk and QFOSS. purposes tell on us all; And long ere the sun, in mere pity,g'oes down.‘ We're looking like angels bereft of .i..—;.~ crown. THE SHAKER. At morn, we were roses bespangled with dew; At even, our roses give place to the rue; Then even our tongues, never wearied before, Grow faint from o’erd0ing, and warble no more. We’d like to be angels, though outside of heaven, And would, were not washing-day one in each seven, When burthened beyond all endurance to bear, With hands in hot water, and hearts in de- spair, Though angels, it oft has occurred to our mind, The saints would be bothered to tell of 1:"/zic/z kiizd. ’Tis awful to think how were given to dirt Since Adam did penance by wearing a shirt; More awful the thought that this image of sin, So often washed out, yet may often wash in. If dirt wereiabolished and woman made free, How happy the world and its women would be! Then ﬂood-tides of joy would our hearts overﬂow And drown out the memories of suffering below. Oh, when our millenium comes, by and by, And smiles shall chase every salt tear from the eye, Then woman shall dawn, as a star overcast, To move in her sphere of true freedom at last. Thenwashing-day be as a lost art of yore, Or dream that has haunted, but haunts us no more; Then Earth shall forget, over mountain and main, The fall in her Eden fresh blooming again. We pray thee, good angels, come down from above, And fill us up full with true courage and love, That, if we must suifer, our hearts may be strong, To bear and forbear as we journey along. A T Musings. RICHARD FLETCHER. MUsiNos are not always amusing. ___.<,._-- SELF-DENIAL is no cross where there is an object thought worthy the pains. Hence we must make people feel need of self-denial before expecting them to be willing to prac- tice it. .j.()..._._. Goon! Old Father Time cannot be bribed nor cheated. Our neighbors grow old as fast as we do. Dentists, tailors, shoemakers, milliners, barbers make much proﬁt by sim- ply trying to make folks look younger, but they cannot hide wrinkles of care. No cure for them without a peaceful conscience. ———-‘0<>O—— “ PROGRESSION " consists as much in grow- ing olzi’ truths and virtues, as in living out entirely new theories. Plenty of room left yet in the ﬁelds of meekness, purity, good- will and honesty for us to improve, before expanding too fast in virtues of coarse diet, faith in materialization, ()r other sensational theories that lead more to religious contro- versy than real good. ————o<>o———~- CONSIDER the weeds, youthful gardener. Are you half as deep-rooted in principle as those plaguy mallows? as ’vigorous as a middle—aged parsley? as persevering as a thistle? as cool in trial as a bunch of chick-- weed? as straightforward and obstinate in the right as a yellow- dock? Then may you thrive as a pig-weed in a rainy season. How many men are eager to enlist in bloody war for mere love of excitement, risk- ing comfort and life itself! How few can see the nobility of enlisting as a follower of the “ meek and lowly celibate," to the laying T-down of carnal lives and the inﬁnite joy of I gaining victories over sin. ARE city preachers so cramped for room that they cannot swing off on their own teachings? Some of them talk sublimely, but act rather awkward in reaping the har- vest of their daily lives. j‘-'O<>O--—- WILL some revivalists remember tin-roof- ers and other patent roofers in their prayers. If their morals are no tighter than their roofs, their souls are in danger. AMONG the teachings of Jesus are many hints of beautiful truths, like buds, which it is now time for us to develop. Such as Brotherhoods and Sisterhoods with unselﬁsh community of goods. Strange that popular pulpit talkers seldom refer to this form of society. __,<,...,-__ How natural to be proud of family name, as though it were a credit to any of us what earthly family we are of. Rather let us have a pride to be worthy of love and esteem of good souls——never mind What their names are, they cannot help that. _.o.,_.,. WHY do we need so much urging to be Christlike? Because Christian virtues have such shallow soil in our natural hearts that they need constant care. Bands of thieves, counterfeiters, and carousers do not spend much time urging one another to remain true, though the world be against them. Nay, lower motives are always dragging on down hill paths. Thistles need no cultiva- tion. Who would try to raise new varieties of parsley? last ——-—ooo—-— CHILDREN cry most because they cannot have their own way, not so much from pain. And Christian pilgrims find greatest trials in ﬁghting conceit and self-will. __.<,._- s As well might you stretch clothes—lines on telegraph poles and try to send messages, as to make folks better by quarreling aboutBible texts. ___,°.. .. Is it “ intuition ” or “judgment ” that causes any one to write the words “ in haste” on the front side of postal cards, in hopes that it will go faster than the next mail train? FOR teachers and pupils: This sentence contains all the vowel sounds in order: “ A large, tall, black—haired man re-lead nine lists of old used up-tunes. Why! My! ” __,<,.,._ HALF, the expense or time, money and energy wasted in getting up a collegiate boat- race, gambling scene, would pay for hauling all the cord-wood in New York State to Saratoga, where a grand college wood—saw- ing match would give noble vent to youthful ambition and perspiration. Just as great €X( itement could be indulged in and no dan- ger of rupturing blood vessels nor drinking too much. ___..¢.__-_ CQJERY: Has God a united body of peo- ple on earth living very different lives from the masses? We believe there ought to be. Suppose a young man or woman, feeling the duty of striving for the highest practical Christianity, does not plead the common apology of Paul, but chooses to “do better," gives up that form of selﬁshness that claims to make one of opposite sex happy for life, and unites with a body of congenial soul-companions, thus making happy hundreds of other human beings \Vhy do natural relations suddenly become alarmed for the safety of said youth’s soul? Many times have they kindly offered to help him or her choose a companion for life. Now, when a less selﬁsh sacriﬁce is made for the good of one l1undred—fold of true, living companions, there is a great stir, bitter talk and sad waste of scripture language. Mere words of texts are quoted without half an idea of their real meaning. They cry: “You are 11ot fulfilling your mission on earth, of living to God’s glory! You ought to settle down in earthly discon- tent, like the rest of us, support the old 53 folks (as nine tenths of them do not,) and live a good human life.” Strange logic! If their advice should be followed, nine chances in ten the natural parents would rather end their days among strangers; “ God’s glory’ ’would be embodied in a large percentage of aborted beings, and the “good, human life” consist in getting an easy living. Urrovelantl, ‘S. Y. Q. ._. _.._ CORRESPONDENCE . VVEST PiTTs1r1ELn, June 12, 1877. Brol/Aer Aloe/'2.‘ .' Noticing that correspond ence occasionally enters the columns of our neat and good little paper, we venture to send you a part of a letter from a friend in Penn- sylvania, who visited us about four since. years That visit is the only one she has ever made us. So you see her opportunity for becoming acquainted with the principles, or manner of Shaker life, has been very lim- ited. Her sentiments may, like the single fruit-seed dropped by the wayside, be spirit- ually utilized by some weary, earthly pilgrim. We trust that all sentiments in favor of right living will assume its proper place in the spiritual unfoldment of humanity. Pro- fessing to be children of the *‘ resurrection," we feel it oL1r high privilege to be in sympa- thy with the testimony——with every repeti- tion of testimony, purposing restraint to perverted passions and appetites——the sinful ways of an unregenerated self-pleasing class, from which so much misery, suffering and degradation are realized at the present time. “ THE SHAKER” certainly holds a worthy place in the Christian’s cause, and obtains our truest sympathy; hope its vitality will remain so good that it may continue to edify, refresh and instruct us in those which are “ altogether lovely.” Good health prevails, and our doctors now have a chance to oversee and to make their gardens. We close with kind love. BETsEY joHNsoN. things Dear Szster Betsey : Your kind letter was duly received, but my many cares pre- vented me from answering it at that time. I feel lonely; somehow I walk before the Lord with fear and trembling. I do not become reconciled as I had hoped to have done be- fore this. The world does not seem bright and fair as it used to. I have grown tired of living in it. Many times a day I leave my work, and with tears I cannot repress, I take my Bible and seek to ﬁnd in it the comfort I can ﬁnd no where else. I want to be free from the burden of sin. I had hoped to come and labor with you, and live, perhaps, a use- ful life; but my brother has no one to care for him, and he will not come with me. “Ephraim is joined to his idols; let him alone.” It may be that the passion that commonly rules mankind may lead him to choose another companion, when my ser- vices will no longer be required; if so, I will take my little girl and seek among you that peace and quiet that the world cannot give. The world seems colder and harder since visiting you, and I will not mix with it. I read everything in “THE SHAKER ” you kindly send to me, and prize it highly. I would never tire of “THE SHAKER.” God bless “THE SHAKER.” Give my love to all the dear sisters, and write again, please. VIC1‘0I{Iz\ BAKER. To Betsey Johnson, ‘Nest Pittsﬁeld, SAN FRANCISCO, May 29, 1877. Editor of S/m1=er: Somebody does me the inestimable favor of sending me THE SHAKER. If anything stands to my account, I will cheerfully pay it. If THE SHAKER needs help, let me know. * * * I. N. THOMPSON. W1LMINGToN, DEL., June 6, I877. G. .4. L.,'Ed..- * * * I read every issue of THE SHAKER with an interest 54 THE SHAKER. awakened by no other publication. You may be encouraged, when there is light shed from it into old Delaware people. * * * THE SHAKER should be well supported. S. J. R. NEW BEDFORD, May 28, 1877. Dear Frzeml: Enclosed you will ﬁnd 60 cents to pay for THE SHAKER. I will say that the paper is very satisfactory to my mind and I could only wish that it was published weekly and enlarged to the size of the relig- ious press of Boston. Wily not publish it weekly, and raise the price? I believe the growing, liberal senti- ment of the New England community would sustain such a paper, especially that large class who are sick of the teachings of “ or- thodoxy,” with its Sabbaths, vicarious atone- ment, and very many other absurd doctrines. In conclusion, I wish THE SHAKER God—speed in its mission to redeem the world. Yours truly, CALEB C. PECKHAM. >l= * Dear Brat/zer : * I am not anxious to part with too many of “ Plain Talks” as vet. Could we not arrange for new editions bf it, or for some other matter similar to it, in its convenient form, to answer correspond- ents? * * * C-1)- Shakers, N. Y. N. UNION, 0., May 30, 1877. Dear Editor: * * * We lately had a communication sent to us, signed by eighteen persons, asking, “ What shall we do to inherit eternal life ?” We replied by sending some copies of “Plain Talks” and late copies of THE SHAKER, which answer these purposes well. THE SHAKER is silently but surely doing a great work among the people. * * J. S. P. Dear Edilor: The last SHAKER is re- ceived with much joy. All seem to be inter- ested with it, and I do not know why they should not. It is a beautiful paper, and must accomplish much good in the world. The only unfortunate thing concerning it is, that we print so few to circulate. H. C. B. Canterbury, N. H. A VOICE FROM MAINE. G. A. Lomas—-Dear Editor: eighty-four years of age, and as Irealize each day the swiftness of time and the uncertainty of this life, I wish to leave upon record my testimony. Our cause is a glorious one; I have given my life to its support, and do not now regret it; its progress gives me great joy. Our Savior said, “ Suﬂier little chil- dren to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” I would become more and more like alittle child, willing to be led, simple and teachable. Dearly do I love the virgin life for its puri- ty and sweetness. I have never bewailed my virginity, nay never. 0 that t/zoasarzds who are this day suffering under yokes of bond- age, and are slaves unto sin, could realize the happiness so real which I enjoy. For every cross patiently borne, I have been doubly rewarded; and as I look around among my dear brethren and sisters of the household of faith, I feel that the promise made so long ago, by him who suffered (even unto death), has to me been veriﬁed. In early youth I consecrated myself unto the Lord, my time, my talents, and my little all; in lieu thereof I have been blest with an hun- dred fold of fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, houses and lands, and I have an heavenly inheritance beyond the grave. The fear of death is taken from me. Long years agol set out to serve God. My sins have gone to judgment; I confessed them all one by one, and commenced to live the angel life; a life of holiness unto the Lord. This brought to me, as it will to every soul, “the olive branch of peace.” I can lie down at night, and feel at rest and peace with God and all mankind. Our glorious cause is so great and good, I am now too much cannot be said in its praise. We are blest beyond all others, for not only do we ﬁnd in this new relation a kind and lov- ing father, but unto us is given a tender mother, who is ready to sympathize with us, and lift us above natural, earthly elements, on to a spiritual and heavenly plane. There is no name more sweet to me than the name of my mother in the new creation, IVIOTHER ANN LEE; her testimony is mine; a keen testimony against all evil and uncleanness,and a love for souls far superior to all earthly loves; her gentle inﬂuence is like that of an angel, calm and peaceful. May the sound of this precious gospel yet reach every land and all nations be blest with a hearing of our Mother’s pure testimony, which giveth such life to the soul. “THE SHAKER” is an angel of comfort. I hail its coming with great joy, and am al- ways anxious to read its contents. I have read every page since its commencement with care and deep interest, and so long as my sight remains to me, I shall take pleasure in perusing its columns. Now and then there is an item on early rising; this pleases me well. All my life I have been an early riser; it has given me health and happiness. You that are seeking for health, adopt my rule to rise in the summer season at four or half- past four o’clock, go out in the cool of the morning and breathe the pure air, which is so invigorating, and you will feel the better for it. Indolent persons do not enjoy life. I have sometimes seen the expression in print, “We are wearing away;” now it is better to wear out than to rust out, and to my aged friends I would say, let us live while we are /zere and keep up our interest in things temporal and spiritual. This is not our abiding home; we are only learning how to live in this world, and may the knowledge we obtain in this, our earth life, be of some use to us in the great hereafter, when we shall have done with those things that perish with our using. ' Dear Brother Albert, I want to tell you how much I love to go to meeting,—it is my life. I attend all our meetings, public meet- ing with the rest. The poet says: “I have been there and still would go. ’Tis like a little heaven be- low.’’ I can say the same. Health and hap- piness go hand in hand, and if we would be happy we must be truly good. Athousand thanks to you, dear brother, for the interest you take in our “ SHAKER.” God bless you, and may the angels keep and help you forever. Keep the ﬁres of truth burning until all error is consumed. God is truth, and he will have a people on the earth who truly love and worship him. When I shall have gone to the “ Evergreen S/zores,” I shall not forget you, nor be unmindful of your labors kere, together with our worthy brother, Nicholas. I would that our “ZION HOME ”'become more beautiful by the addi- tion of true souls to those already gathered in; but the harvest is not yet. We are sow- ing the seed that in God’s good time will spring up and yield an abundance, then will come the reapers, “to gather the good and the true.” God speed the day. I s/zall live to see it, yea, I shall live forever in the spirit. Acceptlove; an overﬂowing measure for all who dwell in the valley, keeping a Benjamin’s portion for yourself. " Your Gospel Sister, ANNA HURD. West Gloucester, Me. ' Lawyers, doctors, soldiers and ministers have commonly mistaken their callings. The ﬁrst should teach how to keep, not how to evade the law. The second, how to keep us well, rather than thrive on our sickness. The third are hired to be shot at, and they hide themselves. The fourth talk of, rather than walk in Christianity. That, according to Alger, “Every man is keyed to some measure, and tuned to some song!” THE SHAKER. Month1y—60 cents per annum. A DUAL ADVOCATE OF CHRIST PRINCIPLES. Defend The Faith. Never was there a time when luke- warmness concerning the true faith of Christ should be counted out of ques- tion——refused harbor—by Believers, more than now. Every wave of the spiritual ocean brings to the top think- ing men and women, who deem all lit- eral creeds as dead, compared to the life-giving fruits that evolve from lz'vz'7zg Christ’s life. Very many are looking more to the lffe Jesus lived, as the element that will save them from further sin- ning and its consequences, rather than to any physical death or scriptural promise. “To whom shall we go?” is swelling the bosoms of many whose anxious hearts will alone be satisﬁed by the fruits of the Christ life. And to whom shall such go? Shall it be to those who are not, or who are living as the great Christ-pattern lived? While beautiful sermons and songs, affecting prayers, appeals and exhorta- tions, are reverberating through our land in revival spirit, the really earnest for Christ will demand of christian pro- fessors, lives fruz'zfzll wiz‘/z presem‘ sal- vazfioiz from l/ze szrzs of Me world; lzives bearing z‘/ze daily z'a’em‘z'cal crosses of _‘7esz1s, and wearing 2‘/ze crowns of t/ze C/grist. The days of mere theol- ogy, and technical differences of church polity, as forming party lines and di- visions of Christ, are in the past; and never was there a time when the hon- est in religious feelings were more ready to throw to the winds the barnacle hin- drances to angelic life, nor a period when so many are looking for the nearest repre- sentation of Christ to—day manifested in living humanity. Arise, in the might and power of the blessed faith—in defence of the cause-—by those most irresistible and convincing proofs of true religion the fruits of daily, christian self-denial. Love, and be like Jesus. Let our re- sistance be what his was——against the whole retinue of lusts that compose the world! Let all men and women see that our Mt. Zion leads to a life above and beyond the power of the world to give or to take from us. And in our renewed and continual defence of the true faith, let us, pointing to the virgin character of Jesus; to his daily self- denials; to his love for the higher an- gelic life; to his abstinence from the lusts of the world, and to his Whole- souled consecration to the work of sav- ing others, be able to say, “Christ is with us, and illustrated in our lives!” Let our lives be an impregnable chris- tian fortress, and guiding star to the un- protected. .,O... —. At no time in the memory of “the oldest inhabitant,” have Shaker principles and life attracted more attention, nor more favorable comment, than now. Let every Shaker be de- termined these shall be wel1—deserved. ’Tis a me:cy‘ to TbIeTwakened from a deep sleep in sin by a fall into deep sorrow. After the Flood. On or about April 25, Sallie Dill and her daughter Ida May passed to the life beyond this, from Cincinnati, by poison administered by themselves. These parties had lived among the Shakers sixteen or more years, but, getting un- reconciled, chose sexual and other free dom of worldly life, became uncondi- tioned to remain, and left the precincts of Shaker society for an element more ﬁtted to their conditions. Shaker life had spoiled them for worldly ’ indul- gences; nor them alone, for it does so for every one who embraces its doc- trines. Better had mother and daughter ——better had hundreds of others--better had those, now fostered by our system, never heard of the Shakers,——than, be- coming converts to Shakerism, turn af- terward to indulge in the beggarly ele- ments of the world. Let every one, in and out of Shakerdom, fully realize this truth. VVe fain would be silent upon this subject. But for weeks the press of the country has teemed with recitals of this distressing double suicide; and so various have been its conclusions, we deem it duty that we speak. Among many other bulletins of the papers, we ﬁnd: “ The Horrors of Shaker Life I ” “ The Shaker Tragedy,” etc. The sum is this : These parties /zaa’ keen Shakers ; departed the rules so far as to necessitate their expul- sion; the outside world, whose prac- tices, sexually, they had engaged in, frowned upon them, and burdened be- yond endurance, they died as they did. It was not their “horror” of Shaker life, but their degradation from the purity of Shaker life, that did the deed. “Oh,” wrote Ida, “ never, rzever leave the Shakers! You will find, if you do, that there is rzo pleasure in the world. I have not had a happy moment since I left home.” And much else to the same purpose. Invariably their letters showed a “horror” at having left the society. In no case did either ever intimate abuse. They had been happy in “the only place worthy the name of home,” and having repeatedly forfeited their 1'ight to its privileges, found their “pitcher broken at last I” The curious features of this case strike us, that at or about sixteen years of age, Sallie, the mother, was introduced to society with a babe in arms, seeking shelter from a world that had deceived her and wronged her babe. Al or aoouz‘ sixteerz years of cz/ge, the daughter fol- lowed so closely in the unfortunate steps of her mother, and the mother sympa- thized so closely with the daughter as to make their retention in society and the maintenance of its laws irreconcil- able. The world at large may “refuse to be comforted” by any apparent un- reason that the mother should be taken into society in such a sorry plight, and yet, the daughter expelled from society for a similar and sorrier oﬂence. The mother, when taken, had committed no offence against society; afterward, mother and daughter had so far trans- cended society’s demands, that a resi- TIIE SHAKER. 55 dence among those who do not aspire kindly refer you to the Elders of Novi- above human reproductions beeame a necessity, for a time at least, that soci- ety’s laws be vindicated! AFTER THE FLOOD of vituperation upon the society, mingled with a honey and balm from the ever-to-be-remembered portion of our country’s press, we would draw im- portant lessons from this sad picture. Among our people to—day may be num- bered young people, comprising quite one half, if not more, of the entire so- cieties. And it is the important ques- tion for us to have answered, how much better can we expect of the world than Sallie and Ida May found therein? VVho or What can relieve us from the convictions consequent upon our having found a faith which has given us such-a “happy home,” and tomg/22‘ us ofa Zzfe sztjierzor to more am'72zaZ, [Zl.S‘l_‘]rZlZ 2'72- dulgences, cw/2z'c/2 “gﬁeris/2 wiz‘/2 zlsirzg” every time? Let it be understood by the press of our country, and duly con- sidered by those within the pale of Shaker societies, that these open their arms of protection to save souls from the pollutions of a worldly, ﬂeshly life. And if any choose not to be so saved, they are, after a struggle with us, wel- come to their choice, and we are re- lieved of any consequences, even of those that aﬁlicted Sallie and Ida May Dill. 9" 9|? -A EDITORIAL NOTES. VVe yield large space, in this issue, to what a contemporary periodical says of the founder of the Shaker Order. By the assurance we give, that it is copied, we are not open to the charge of an overweening adoration, nor to an un- Warrantable bigotry. VVhen the root of any society or association is holy, or on the highway to holiness, then its fruits maybe judged likewise. It is a fact very worthy of mention that the char- acter and career of MOTHER ANN LEE are attracting unusual attention about these days——that others are paying hom- ages exceeding our own, to this beloved mother. Already is known to be in formation a society whose “ corner stone” is Ann Lee, and it having no reference to the Shakers! All right, friends, go ahead, God bless you, and help you leave all lusts of the world Where she left them I VVe shall not be jealous of you. If we should be per- mitted the publication of a private letter to ourself, we would make millions start with surprise, at what one of the great- est mediums of to-day, philosopher, poet, writer and speaker, says of MOTHER ANN LEE! Himself the on- ganizer of societies and now leading one in this country, yet with a love for Ann Lee excelling the most child-‘like devo- tion! Cheer, brothers, cheer! __.<,.____ We would respectfully inform many kind friends who have recentlv written us from Boston, New York, Philadel- phia, Worcester,_ San Francisco, and other places desiring our presence to speak for and to them, that we are not in the lecture ﬁeld at present; and would tiate Orders as the proper parties to give the desired information and assistance. Very mindful of your kindness in the past, we must necessarily decline per- sonal invitations at present. ——o<>+——— OUR COVENANT might be very inter- ‘esting reading to some; and for those interested we may in future present it entire. Reference is made in the lengthy, quoted article on ANN LEE to our gov- ernment, which We in a note attempt to It should be thoroughly un- derstood, that centralization of our gov- ernment is not, nor can be considered, under the spirit of our CONSTITUTION. By it, four persons of both sexes con- stitute the central authority-——no less. Four similar appointees stand as Elders correct. of the people. Four of both sexes are the usual number acting as Trustees, while two or more, of either sex, are demanded in the fulﬁllment of the di- rections of our COVENANT. It will therefore be seen that while pomp- ous human nature would seek individual centralization in the use of our worldly possessions, all care has been taken to avoid temptations to domineer and de- prive the brethren. With our COVE- NANT, fully operative, no one man nor woman can act unadvised. None can deprive any of rights it gives them, thus robbing not only one, two, or three in- dividuals, but all composing society, of God-given privileges. None feel this COVENANT more binding than the cen- tral, Ministerial authority. For, it is easy for any to perceive, that by assum- ing or permitting an authority in any one individual, to arbitrarily decide for all the rest, would render the COVENANT,- so sacred to us, not only inoperative, but dead; and a death-blow would in- evitably succeed, which would mean the failure of Shakerism. Readers and writers, please study our Constitution; and BRETHREN, LOOK WELL To THE MAINTENANCE AND SAFE- TY OF ()UR COVENANTI For, in the words of that great, legal light, John C. Spencer: “Gentlemen, look well to, and keep this COVENANT intact your- selves; and then, no other power on earth can break it!” A Society’ Items. Canterbury people are far ahead in matters of public religious services. We have had sent us a large octavo sheet, containing the hymns and songs of one day’s service. These are distributed among the audience, which is the better enabled to unite with Believers in worship. The entire sheet evidences religious enthusiasm, tact, and the prettiest typography mortal eyes ever rested on. Public services began simultaneously, at Canterbury and Enﬁeld, N. H., May 6. Here- in, again they lead! N. UNION, O. Eighteen persons unitedly inquiring of thiipeople, “What shall we do to inherit eternal life?” The inquiry was fol- lowed by visits. WHITEWATER, O. The excitement occa- sioned by the unfortunate Dills having sub- sided, we are, in the cool of a deliberate re- view of the case, enabled to endorse every act of the Society as honorable and exemplary. As intimated by the Americmz Socz'alz'sz‘, it was “The World’s Tragedy,” beginning and end- ing, very properly, outside of Shaker domains. There are valuable lessons to be learned from this case, by those within and those without Shakerdom. MT. LEBANON, N. Y. The Ministry have issued a circular, calling for a deeper interest in all matters of a missionary nature, partic- ularizing a more thorough maintenance and circulation of THE SHAKER. They have the heartfelt thanks of all lovers of THE SHAKER. The circular was issued from the press at Canterbury. WATERVLIET, (Shakers, N. Y.) “Plain Talks,” pamphlet, a large edition of which was issued from this ‘place, is entirely ex- hausted. Ministry left here for Mt. Lebanon, May 16. They will visit eastern societies. PLEASANT HILL, KY. The small fruit, so abundantly grown for years past in this place, having been killed by the severity of winter and spring, the people philosophically delib- erate upon the waning of the preserving bus- iness of late years, through “extensive com- petition and ﬁnancial pressure,” so that we are turning our attention, somewhat, to other re- sources for a livelihood.” The beautiful, proﬁtable baptism of the Spirit, particularly prevailing at this place for months, thank heaven, still continues. The good believers, true, look upon it as a special providence; While those of uncertain stability, look askance upon the revival, lest it “move z'mmedz'az‘el_y upon tizeir war}.-s.”’ Let it move. “Evergreen S/zore ” reaps a saint from here. For lists of Uovitiate Elders of societies address this oﬂice, with stamp. THE CI-IILDR.EN’S GROTTO. My dear children: Once again I am with you, and this time to remind you what power you have in possession, to convince the world of Its errors, and to teach of “that better way ”——the good, pure life of Jesus. “What can we children do or say?” Just the most natural question to be expected. But, let me tell you that at twelve years of age. Jesus con- founded the most learned people of his day, not by his superior learning of letters, but by his spiritual impressions of a superior life. We have not the records of his disputations with the doctors at that early age; but from his after testimony we can imagine, that, while he admitted the Law of Moses to be good, yet he insisted there was something better than it! If war was good,jreace was better; if love your friends and hate your en- emies was good, how much better it was to love enemies and friends too! If to be self- ish six days, six years or longer, was any good, how very much better it was to be so unselﬁsh and noble as to love others better than one’s self all the time! And so on, with hundreds of superior propositions, did Jesus, very likely, confuse the doctors of his day. Now, dear children, every Shaker child that has learned the simple principles upon which our church rests, can as surely confound mere professors of christianity to—day, as Jesus did the wise men of old! Believe me; you will, when I teach you how simply it is done. We will suppose you are twelve years of age, or younger; and some learned priest asks you what you know of Christ Jesus? You will ﬁrst answer he lived a pure, virgin life, and demanded the same of all his disciples! Who could successfully dispute you here? You will next declare he was such a lover of peace, and opposed to war, that he would not resist evil, but proposed to give “ a kiss fora blow,” and demanded this conduct of all who pro- fessed his name! What confusion you would throw nearly all the D. Ds. of our land into! And yet, how truly you would speak. Next, you would say, neither Jesus nor his true dis- ciples had families that demanded of them any selﬁsh end nor aim; only those who lived as /ze lived were relatives which he countenancecl and owned; and you might add the ‘question : “ Is this the case with you, doc- tors?” And when you think, that to be a christian is to be a follower of Jesus, the Christ, not a mere believer of his doctrines, the direst confusion of mind will follow the most learned, when the convincing facts of Jesus’ life are presented, as they may simply be, by very youthfulpeople. Christianity, as a great blessing to the race, consists in simple oI)edz'e7zce in lzfe, not a mere acknowledgment of its truths. Therefore, children, the doc- tors with whom Jesus contended, were more able to defend themselves, than are those who, professing great love for Jesus, yet deny him in nearly every act of their lives! Let me encourage you to study the simple lzfe of Jesus, and of its being the centralpoint about which genuine christianity can ever and only revolve. Study it, for the grand reason of thus becoming truly christian yourselves; and then, let your lights shine, let your ac- tions speak, your minds work, and your tongues declare the gospel to be “not pleas- ing to men, but God who trieth our hearts! ” Yours is an extraordinary privilege of learn- ing radical christianity; and with the knowl- edge of the simplest truths of Jesus, none ever contended nor confused the doctors of the Jewish Temple, more than is in your power and province to confuse and confound the learned, professional, but self-seeking and un- practical doctors of the christian religion to- day. *,,.* BOOK TABLE. “WHAT SHALL I Do To BE A SHAKER?” Plain Talks on Practical Religion. By Geo. A. Lomas, Editor of The Shaker, Shakers, N. Y. The writer favors “the eradication of all sexual, sensual lusts,” thinks “the holding of private property belongs to the earthly, generative state;” that “Marrriage, War, Riches, Poverty, and Slavery” indicate a de- praved moral condition; that Ann Lee, the Shaker Christ, who said, “Put your hands to labor and give your souls to God,” was the. Qgeen of social architects; and says the Shakers thoroughly convinced of spirit communication, guidance and obsession long before the Rochester Rappings.” A vig- orous and incisive statement of Shaker doc- trines, it shows an intelligent sense of reign- ing unrighteousness in society, customs, and governments. The book inspires us with a deeper respect for Shakerism than we before entertained.—T/ze Word. “were EVENING TIMES, Aloany, N. 2’. To those who are at all interested in affairs at the cap; ital of the Empire State, we advise them to subscribe for the Albany Evcvzing Times. Its columns are ﬁlled with the choicest reading and news; it is a paper for familyreading: none but the most select and chaste of adver- tisements grace its borders, while its editori- als, according to the remarks or a political opponent, are “unequaled by any north of the city of New York, and scarcely there.” We know whereof we speak, and, unsolicited, we give it the highest encomiums type are capable of expressing. , ..__._____-_4,_I__~,-_____, . EVERGREEN SHORES. At Pleasant Hill, Ky., May 4, 1877, Susan- nah Roberts, aged 86. “An honor to MOTHER ANN, and her followers, in this or the better land.” B. B. D. So, if in living we would live, And not in dying die; To others we must freely give Our love and sympathy; Must yield to Mercy’s sweet control, Then follow where she leads, And have 21 Jesus in the soul As well as in our creed! its good deeds. THEi.vSHAKER. O. C. HAMPTON. re - gions VOI(,.l.I*l Oh‘ '.l_‘I—IE SPIRIT. of peace and pure V girl - dy and vain, But 4\ Union Village, Ohio. 4‘ those who will wait for the Wis - clom a - bove, And or der and qui - et main pru - dence, that virt - ue di - vine, And 2. And thus saith the spirit to me, From out the bright heavens serene, In wisdom, 0 walk with the pure and the free, In the vale of my love ever green. " Thy future 0 scan and fore-see, .And hide from the evil to come Be thoughtful, and silent, and turn unto me, And safely I’ll gather thee home. pa. - tient en - dur - ance with - al, The spir-it from all that is 3. 0 hide from the tempest and storm, In the temple of Wisdom and Love For there I will ever protect thee from harm, And ﬁll thee with peace from above. No arrow that ﬂieth by day, Nor death-dealing meteor by night, No pestilence walking in gloom and dismay, Shall fall on thy heavenward ﬂight. low to re - ﬁne, 4. And those Where pain, And ban - ish the Wormwood and gall. $ who my discipline bear When the tempest is dark in the sky, In the hour of silence, repentance and prayer, My presence shall feel ever nigh. And when your probation is o’er, To the bright Summer Land you shall go, and disease, and despair are no more, My glory supernal to know. [The following articles are copied from Tim N814’ Age, a fearless paper, in which people may speak the whole truth~—“hew to the line,” caring not where the chips ﬁy.] Pious Pretension. BY L. K. WASHBURN. The distinguishing characteristic of the re- ligion of to-day is pretension. The mightiest work of the Church is to make men and women profess religion. Belief is exalted above character, and moral men are told that God does not care for them. The most prom- inent preacher before the world to-day said, in a recent discourse, “ To believe in Jesus is all the religion we need ;” and, we are sorry to say, that a great many people agree with him, for it is all the religion they have. The popular motto of piety is: “Where chris- tianity is religion, ’tis folly to be moral ;” and so hypocrisy takes a front seat in the temple of Pretension, and the man who cheats his neighbor and believes in Jesus is invited to lead the meeting in prayer. Professional piety has done little more than make up a pious face. Its articles of belief outnumber There is a great deal said about following Jesus, but we only /tear about these followers, we never see one. Where is the man that follows the commands or the footsteps of Jesus? Jesus said, “ Sell what thou hast and give to the poor.” Who heeds the command? Do people know what sort of a man this Jesus was whose name they take so piously on their lips? He was a friend of publicans and sinners. poor and lowly. whom the world despised and forsook. He associated with men who broke the Sabbath law. Do people know what persons Jesus praised for their piety? The Samaritan, hated and scorned by the Jew. The Publican, Whom the Pharisee would not touch lest he be contaminated. The poor widow, who brought two mites to the treasury of her Lord. Do people know what Jesus taught? He did not preach the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but the God of the grass, the lily, and the sparrow. He did not say, Do as Moses told you to do; but, “Why judge ye not of yourselves what is right?” He did not say, T/zey shall have eternal life who call me Lord, Lord I but, “T/zey who do the will of my Father in heaven.” Where is the minister who pretends to be a disciple of this Nazarene preacher? who is doing what Jesus did? who is commending the kind of persons that Jesus made models of piety? who is preaching the God of nature’s beauty and life? He is not to be found in a christian pulpit in the United States. _ Where is the man who professes to beafol- lower of Jesus, who is following him? If men do not honor this man, then let them stop pretending to honor him. If they do honor him then let them do as he did; let them teach as he taught; let them live as he lived; but I do not hesitate to declare that there cannot be found in a single church in christendom om’ person who honors Jesus enough to imitate his life. I raise no question now of the rxirtue of following Jesus, or of living as he lived. With that we are not at present concerned. I merely assert that people who call themselves He was a companion of thelchristians care nothing for the man whom He worked to help thoselthey call Christ, and that the religion of these people is only pious pretension. Let men stop ]5uz‘2‘2'21g on religion, stop werarzbzg it. To carry a cross upon the breast is no surety that the heart that beats beneath it is pure and holy. , ,,j_____‘_ ,# __¢,,,, enuine Christianity. To THE EDITOR OF THE NEW AGE :——I am very much pleased with the real work being done by yourjournal, and that in this it is ﬁlling a niche in the age of progress that has long waited for its advent. Well knowing its unsectarian character, I am almost dissuaded from entering a criticism upon the very ﬁne production of L. K. Washburn—“ Pious Pre- tension.” I fear, however, the writer has too strongly urged his points of argument when he infers that because popular Christianity is‘ very unlike the original of that name, there is none of the original element operative to- day. Among other questions that could be answered aﬂirmatively, the following are numbered : There are those who are follow- ing in his footsteps to-day. There are those who are selling all to give it to the p0or,- who do not own a cent the-3’ call their own. There are those who are doing the will of the Father so successfully as to have in posses- sion a measure of eternal life. There are min- isters who are living and doing as Jesus did. There are people who, professing to follow Jesus, very nearly succeed in doing so. There are people who, relying not at all upon the merits of the man Jesus, deem his example, his life, worthy of all acceptation, until a greater shall come. There are people who, though acceptingJesus as their Elder Brother, and who give him credit of being still far in advance of them in religious life, are yet so successfully dealing in his virtues and life- examples as to be a very peculiar people, and the dispensers of unpalatable truths through their lives. We_yvould ask friend Washburn, or any other friend interested, to visit some Shaker village, and therein, among many ‘ who have not yet travailed to the new birth in Christ life, ﬁnd others whose meat and drink it is to live just like the author of Chris- tianity. The article, “ Pious Pretension,” will do good-—stir up many professors to look to their practices; but will it not admit of some valuable criticism as well? G. A. LoMAs. Office of “ T/ze .S%a/eer,” Shakers, N. Y. It is a higher exhibition of Christian man- liness to be able to bear trouble than to get rid of it. The afflictions of this numerous nor too sharp. a rough ﬁle. life are neither too Much rust requireth - , ___,,, There are more than one hundred rings, for bull-ﬁghts in Spain, and only twelve sav- ing banks. not yet a single school. _ _ ._ ._. ,_,,,®.__,_ The heathenism of the Chinese consists largely of [>raczfz'caZ Christian truths, to which so—cal1ed Christians are mere professors, not practitioners. Some towns have a ring that have‘
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Subjects: Shaker -- Periodicals
Identifier: yhm-sha-ts0707
Is part of: Hamilton College Library Digital Collections, Communal Societies Collection, Shaker Collection

Title: Shaker Manifesto, vol. 07, no. 08 (August 1877)
Publisher: United Societies
Date: 1877-08-01
Place published: New York
Text: vi ' pearances are often deceitful. E . OFFICIAL MONTI-ILY.-—PUBLISHED BY THE UNITED SOCIETIES. “ ﬁa great}; the Iiingrlnm aﬂ ﬁnd! ” Q7142 tvstiinatzg u;7' eternal irzttiz. G. A. LOMAS, EDITOR, Shakers, N. Y. VOL. VI. AUGUST, 1877. No. 8. N. A. BRIGGS, PUBLISHER, Shaker Village, N. H. Watohfulness. DANIEL ORCUTT. “ W'atc/z f/zou 2'72 all t/lvz'7zgs.” V‘Vithout constant watchfulness it is impossible to progress heavenward. To be ever vigilant is one half, at least, in obtaining victory. If continually on the watch-tower when temptations assail, We give the alarm to the powers of the soul, and they unite in our defence. Would we see and know ourselves as we are seen and known of God? Then We must keep a watchful eye upon our hearts, our appetites and passions. A moie needful injunction there cannot be than this: “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” The heart is the seat of princi- ples. As is the heart, so will the tenor o...
Show morevi ' pearances are often deceitful. E . OFFICIAL MONTI-ILY.-—PUBLISHED BY THE UNITED SOCIETIES. “ ﬁa great}; the Iiingrlnm aﬂ ﬁnd! ” Q7142 tvstiinatzg u;7' eternal irzttiz. G. A. LOMAS, EDITOR, Shakers, N. Y. VOL. VI. AUGUST, 1877. No. 8. N. A. BRIGGS, PUBLISHER, Shaker Village, N. H. Watohfulness. DANIEL ORCUTT. “ W'atc/z f/zou 2'72 all t/lvz'7zgs.” V‘Vithout constant watchfulness it is impossible to progress heavenward. To be ever vigilant is one half, at least, in obtaining victory. If continually on the watch-tower when temptations assail, We give the alarm to the powers of the soul, and they unite in our defence. Would we see and know ourselves as we are seen and known of God? Then We must keep a watchful eye upon our hearts, our appetites and passions. A moie needful injunction there cannot be than this: “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” The heart is the seat of princi- ples. As is the heart, so will the tenor of the life be; as is the fountain, so will be the stream ; as is the tree, so will be the fruit. “The heart (by nature) is deceitful above all things;” and with- out this constant self-inspection, we can- not obtain self-control, nor power over sin. Sinful pleasure possesses a pecul- iar faculty to allure_, deceive and de- stroy. To all its votaries it promiseth pleasure and ]567:f.6’Cl‘ security,’ but “the wages of sin is death I ” As sin is de- ceptive in its promises and fatal in its results, how important that all should heed the counsel of the wise and pure, also the injunction: “ V\/atch and pray that ye enter not into temptation,” which would save from many wrong steps and much misery in after life. The inex- perienced of all ages, for the lack of understanding, frequently act without considering the consequences of their actions. They know not how to judge correctly at all times, of objects that pre- sent themselves, but are in danger of receiving evil for good and good for evil. Hence the need of the enlighten- ing inﬂuences of the Holy Spirit to en- able them to discern that which is ex- cellent, to “prove all things, and hold fast that which is good.” This Want of understanding displays itself in the wrong choice of companions; while the person of plain appearance, who may possess much wisdom and good- ness, is rejected, the accomplished de- ceiver, with his showy exterior, is ac- cepted as a conﬁdential friend. Ap- cc Be_ Ware of the ‘seemivzg f7'z'e7zd,’ who comes to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly is a ravening wolf.” Satan is never asleep nor idle. It is his busi- ness to “sow tares.” He selects his opportunity when some “ sheep,” weak in the faith, ceases watching. Self-con- ﬁdent, they suspect no danger. But the wolf comes, not in bi; true charac- ter, not as a wogf, but as a sheep! The sheep are deceived. He mingles with them; talks gospel truths; he insinu- ates and flatters, until he gains their conﬁdence; he marks his time. First one, then another, now another, fall victims of this arch deceiver. Wolves are now abroad in sheep’s clothing. Watch l “By their fruits shall We know them.” Enﬁeld, Conn. A The Christian and Philosopher. WAT SON ANDREWS. PHILOSOPHER. Christian, does your religion satisfy you? CHRISTIAN. It does. Does your phi- losophy satisfy you? P. It does not. C. V\7hy does it not? P. Because. I ﬁnd myself the victim of nu merous unwholesome desires, clam- oring for gratiﬁcation; and because of a vague uncertainty which I feel with regard to the future. You say your re- ligion satisﬁes you; by what, I pray you, does it do it? C. By inspiring me with a feeling of certainty with regard to the future. P. \Vhat, may I ask, has produced that feeling? C. The fruition of hope. P. "What was that hope? C. That I might be rid of unwhole- some desires. , P. And you have become rid of them? C. I have. P. By what means? C. By the power of God and the force of habit. P. How did you establish this habit? C. By the help of others Who had gained the victory before me. P. And they? C. By the aid of others before them. P. But there was some one who es- tablished this system? C. Yea; the genius of Christianity ——the Christ. P. Then the genius set the example of self-denial. C. To the fullest extent. P. And is the force of ha_bit, as practiced by this wonderful genius, equal to the subjugation of human pas- sions ?——-the silencing of illicit desires? - mouth and stomach? and does it bring that peace and rest which Christians so much talk about? C. A thousand living witnesses make answer: Yea, verily. P. Then will I become a Christian. North Union. 0. Demands of me New Cycle. . F. W. EVANS. THE SHAKER seems to strike against “coarse living and materialization, or other sensational theories,” some of Which, to me, underlie the whole gos- pel system.*‘ How can any be saved from genera- tive lusts unless they begin where Satan began to create a those lusts——at the “ If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, know that man’s religion is vain.” So said James. I say, if any, in 2‘/22's day, seem to be re- ligious and claim to be progressive, yet continue unchanged in their physiologic and hygienic habits, common to anti- christian sects, their seeming and claims will prove illusory. VVe Want-—must have——as solid a foundation for the sec- ond cycle as we had for the ﬁrst. “ If the trump give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare him, or herself, for the battle?” And if the second Z/zzmder of the season sound not so long, loud and clear, reverberating through the heavens of the ﬁrst cycle, as did the ﬁrst, through the old Babylonian heav- ens, who, then, I ask, will know how to prepare for the battles of Shaking, in the judgment, that must begin at the House of God—the Zion of God—— among the holy people of God? “Hate the ﬂes/z, with all its affec- tions and lusts,” was the testimony of Jesus, through Mother Ann and her compeers, the founders of the ﬁrst gos- pel degree. They fought directly, with neither small nor great evils; only with the King—-Generation. They preached the resurrection of the human soul, from sexual relations and processes ending in reproduction.‘ And this they did in *We cannot admit that THE SHAKER, at any time has even aj>]5arc7ztly taken ground of denial to the truths of coarse living, ma- terialization, etc., but do admit of an abhor- rence to mere “sensational theories,” etc. Personally, we are very favorable to coarse diet; and strong in the belief of the truths of materialization. Our Brother Fletcher, in July No., did not take exceptions to these truths, but properly recommended that old truths receive no neglect, to “expand too‘ fast” into other things that all cannot yet accept to be as foundational, as does our good Bro. Elder F. VV. Evans. Let us be liberal, brethren.-—-ED. the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit. They earned the enmity of the Dragon—winged serpent——intel- lectual, spiritual and religious people—— living in generative lusts. God was with them, and the whole World, lying in that wicked one-—lust—— was against them. A victory is gained, but that victory will be turned into a Sheridan rout, un- less the lusts of the stomach, in Egyp- tian eating and drinking, are as effect- ually conquered by as practical, Well- deﬁned a course, as was the cross against generation and all generative lusts. Are we, as a people, ready for the question: W/zat is z‘/zesecomz’ t/zzmder? Christian Culture. No. 5. WM. H. BUSSELL. LITERATURE. Literature, like those who originate it, changes from age to age. We have, it is true, what are called classical works, which, by reason of the unusual talent displayed by their authors, both in thought and style, have been transmit- ted, unchanged, from generation to gen- eration, through many centuries. Yet these standard works, cherished, as they have been and still are, by persons of taste and culture, have in themselves, both in subject and style, a certain obso- leteness that no modern writer would think of imitating. Homer, Virgil and Dante possess a peculiar charm for the classical scholar, even in their original dress, but for most persons they must be reclothed by the modern poet. l\Iil- ton and Shakspeare, with all their beau- ty and solemnity, and the profound knowledge of human nature displayed, have comparative few readers. New times require new thoughts and new modes of expressing them; and, it is not too much to say, that, by the better classes in these newest times, thoughts of a more elevated character are de- manded than were prevalent in the olden times. So will it be in the com- ing years. The best literature of the present age will create a demand for still better in the future. But the great mass of the literature of ages either passes entirely away, or else is laid up, portions ofit, like mummies, in receptacles, to gratify the curiosity hunter, or to aid the historian and others who are desirous of presenting old ideas arrayed in modern garb to those who 58 .THE SI-IAKER." are interested in viewing the past under its numerous aspects. Truth never changes in its science, nor is lost to hu- man view, in whatever dress it may ap- pear, from age to age. It has been sup- posed that a great loss was sustained in the burning of the Alexandrian library by the Mohammedan Caliph Omar. Whatever particular facts may have been accumulated there, it is certain that truth itself has never been dimin- ished. It shows itself under myriad forms. Mankind were making history long before the ﬁrst historian undertook to record its facts, but the main, guiding principles have always existed, though the historian’s pages have often exhibit- ed falsehood and fable, as well as clear- ly ascertained truths. Much has been written respecting the “lost arts;” as though something of inestimable value had irretrievably slipped away from hu- man sight and use. There is not the least necessity, nor any propriety, in ignoring the past nor in deploring it. The All-Providential Hand can be per- ceived guiding and sustaining all, from their earliest moments down to the present. Theologians have adduced as an ar- gument in favor of the divine origin of the whole Bible, the fact that it has been carefully transmitted through so many centuries, down to the present time. The same argument would apply as well to all other books that have come down to us from remote ages. The fact is, errors and mistakes are trans- mitted side by side with truths in all books. But is this a cause of complaint? As well complain because human beings are imperfect and have been liable to error all along through the past, and still commit them. As well censure the inﬁnite Creator «because he has not made the earth in all its parts equally beautiful; because he has left so much to be done by man ‘against the inclem- ency of the seasons, against wild beasts, Wild woods and deserts; because, in a word, he did not make him perfect at once, and thus save him the disagree- able necessity of doing something for himself! But the christian prefers to act for himself. The idea of growth, culture, reﬁnement, and ultimate perfection, is like sweetest melody to his soul. La- bor is pleasant to him, because of its immediate and prospective results; but more especially when the higher inspi- rations convey the divine life through every avenue of the physical, mental and moral man, imparting the vigor necessary to endure and accomplish whatever tasks are necessary for his highest welfare. Literature, of whatever kind, is mere- ly representative. The literature of the ‘ physical sciences is not those sciences themselves, which are to be acquired actually and thoroughly only by a direct application to things. But in this brief life it is impossible for the most gifted even to acquire them all, hence the principal resource left is to substitute the literature of the things for the things .alence of co-operative eﬁbrts. themselves, in order to gain some in- formation respecting what lies before us in the varied ﬁelds of knowledge. Books, then, seem to be indispensable in human culture. To reap the most useful harvest from the various ﬁelds of literature, careful habits must be formed. Wliat is really valuable abounds everywhere, and so does that which is pernicious. The discriminating judgment is needed that discerns and appropriates the useful and rejects the useless. Many things are to be discarded at once; others to be ex- amined with care, and, if found to be valuable, enjoyed, even though a crit- ical judgment may object to this thought or that mode of expression, and subject the whole to a careful analysis. There is an absolute necessity of forming such habits ; but when they are once formed, it is not an irksome task to subject what- ever is read to the crucible of a keen and searching judgment. This will not lessen the enjoyment one may derive from that which is wholly or partly ex- cellent in itself. Culture is the most desirable thing for every human being; and only the indolent and self-indulgent will refuse to subject themselves to what- ever is necessary to gain it. The self- indulgent may have their transient de- light, subject to a thousand interrup- tions and drawbacks, but only rightly- formed habits, acquired by ceaseless at- tention to even the minutest things that make the perfect character, are attended with constantly increasing enjoyment. Memorandufn Number 3. DANIEL FRASER. The people of the English colonies of North America had their sentiment of justice outraged by the British gov- ernment. Hence they were led to co- operate, and they founded a republic, freeing themselves from the expenses of regal pomp and aristocratic extrava- gance; their object being, security of life and property at the least possible cost. This republic like co-operative soci- eties, conﬁnes itself to secular affairs. The adage, “Corporations have no souls,” is true; therefore, they have no religion. The moment a co-operative society makes any religious distinction between its members, it ceases to be just. The moment a republic discrimi- nates between beliefs, it becomes unjust also, and consequently destroys itself; for its organic law (as with co-opera- tive societies,) is “justice to all.” Public sentiment and intelligence cre- ated the republic, as they do co-opera- tive societies. But, as a whole, the sen- timents and intelligence of a people are in advance of their individual integrity. Men and women, honest in thought, purpose and deed, are rare. This lack of integrity is the cause of the non-prev- Even persons of education, culture, and of high social position, are found plunging their hands into the public moneys. Republics and co-operative societies are the advanced points of human prog- ress; but the truth of humanity is not prepared to sustain them. The perpe- tuity of this republic is in jeopardy every day, because of the almost universal de- sire to acquire property without indi- vidual, honest labor. In plain lan- guage, almost everybody desires to steal. This state of things has been so long in existence that conventional and common law throw their sanction over doing wrong, as evidenced in monopo- lizing the necessaries of life, etc. As stated, republics and co-operative societies are the advanced points of hu- man progress; but they are not the most advanced. Communities having goods in common are beyond them, as the heavens are from the earth. The creative organic law of the heavens is, “ The love of the neighbor at the ex- pense of self.‘ Communities on earth, having, and manifesting the same law, are of the heavensialso; provided, ani- mal emotions have no place in their procedure. But where animal emotions are recognized, there can be, (organical- ly speaking,) no community. There may be a joint stock company, one of the dividends of which is systematic, animal gratiﬁcation. However such gratiﬁcations: may be regulated, no matter, organic law remains intact. The hells are also regulated. The order of government in commu- nities,-the organic law of which is of the heavens, must necessarily be severe on “ The woman much the lower nature of man. clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars ; brought forth a man-child who was to rule all nations with a rod Wliy? Because the animal in man, as manifested in the nations of the earth, is diametrically opposed to the organic law of heaven ; the propen- sities, and the life thereof, can have no place there—they are of the kingdom of the Beast. “The nations of the earth should wail because of him,”—the man- child. “A great mourning; every fam- ily apart, and their wives apart.” The government of heaven in its low- est degree, is as ﬁre to the natural man ; hence the necessity of a baptism of the Holy Spirit to endure it. Modify the heavens to suit the natural man and woman, and they will be as ill at ease as before. Therefore, let the testimony of the resurrection out of our animal selthoods roll. Proclaim marz‘z'czZ law rzgaivzsf 2‘/ze Zzfe qf z‘/ze pr0pe725z'z‘z'es, mm’ all #26 cm0Zz'o7zs aiza,’ ﬁ7'0cZz'72z'z‘z'es z‘/zereof. That is the word. Do so, and the heavens are with you. Modify the heavens to suit the procreative man and woman, and neither the heavens nor the earth will be with you. To our lower natures, the government of heaven is as an iron rod—a two- edged sword to kill; but to all who stand in victory over the beast within themselves, it is, and ever will be, as the music of the spheres. of iron.” HERE is truth in its most condensed form: “ Nearly all churches are composed of work- ers and grumblers. Grumblers scarcely ever work, and workers scarcely ever grumble.” Affirmative Goodness. SARAH ANN NEAL . VVhat good things are we doing? and how and under what motives are we doing them? These are questions we need often to ask ourselves, in consider- ation of the advancing light of increas- ingly religious dispensations-—now, in our day. A time for doing good was never more opportune than the present, and the world never needed truly good workers——those who are willing to pat- tern Jesus, in precept and example, love and live as nobly as he did—more than it needs such to-day. Jesus taught; and his were the teachings of affirmative goodness, being intensely practical——to be good, and be so by a’0z'7zg good. Upon those who claim discipleship of Jesus, rests the responsibility of doing good, even as he taught and as he did. There probably never was greater mo- tive power connected with christianity than there is to-day; the heavens never prompted well-directed action more than now; and the needs of the present hour are wills submissive to divine com- mands; then would the world be filled with saved, and saviors; and who will accept the responsibility? Every day is as a leaf in life’s book, that should be turned for humanity’s good; yet at every turn, can we answer aiﬁrmative- ly, that we are improving our time to make the world better, humanity hap- pier——making returns of goodness for having lived in the world? Do we avail ourselves of all knowledge, and of every means to do good? How very many our opportunities! Only a word spoken in kindness ; a little act rendered in love, in proper time and due season; we who claim the honor of wearing the christian name, hold ourselves suscepti- ble to the evolutions of the system, to grow better and better? Freely we may have, and do receive ; are we as liberal- ly anxious to share the gifts which have evolved from christianity, as we have been willing to receive? Are our prej- udices ejected, so that we may accept of good from any quarter? Are we aid- higher standard of christianity than that of mere profession? Or are our own profession and goodness merely, posi- tively negative? If we are peijformiazg our mission as disciples of Christ, our claims to an exceeding spiritual inheri- tance are just; but if we are not, we have no rights to such claims; no rights to wear the name ; no rights to ask for christian blessings, nor to remain in possession of what we already have, more than he who had one talent, and buried it. But let us, christian friends, love so dearly, live so truly, using our every ability and opportunity to extend the cause of Christ, that we may realize of a truth our endeavors for humanity’s good. Let our religion be to love God by our service to and for humanity; then, and then only, will the name of c/z7'z'stz'cm be an honor to us, and the blessings that will ﬂow from such a re- these ﬁll up the sum of useful lives. Do. ing the progress of humanity toward a A THE SH./&KER. 59 ligion will not be the results of a blind, negative faith, but every-day evidences of the presence of a living providence. Shakers, N. Y. A Epitomic History of the Watervliet Shakers. No. 4. D. A. BUCKINGHAM. AGRICULTURAL, AND OTHER IMPROVE- MENTS. Forty or ﬁfty years ago, every labor- ing man among us went into the ﬁeld with his scythe, cradle or hand-rake, according to the business to be perform- ed, and by much hard labor, the work of the day was accomplished. In the corn and potato ﬁelds, the plow and the hoe were the utensils used for plant- ing, weeding and hoeing; and these tools were often of inferior quality. But as we now enter our ﬁelds of labor, what do we behold? Instead of a hand- scythe, we see the mowing-machine, compelled by horse—power; one man performing what it took a dozen or twenty hands to do some ﬁfty years ago 1 Instead of the hand-rake, as formerly, we now use the horse-rake, with its long iron or hickory ﬁngers, rapidly propelled by the same power—one man accomplishing the work of a dozen men in the old way. So also in the grain ﬁeld; instead of swinging the hand- cradle, day after day, when the ther- mometer ranged from 85 to 90 degrees, with the sweat ﬂowing so profusely that scarcely a dry thread remained upon ’ our backs, we now behold the majestic reaper, mamzea’_ by a lad, driving the half-enchanted team through the ﬁelds of golden grain, laying prostrate the ripened harvest, and pushing from the platform of the machine the cut grain, binding it into bundles, ready for the barn or threshing l So in the corn and potato ﬁelds, we perceive the same great change, where the cultivator and side-plow accom- plish nearly the whole work necessary. Wliere we used to plow, sow and reap, around and over slough-holes and open ditches, we now, by the use of underground drains, slip along over the level surface, hardly knowing that it was not once the “Garden of Eden.” As in our agricultural, so in our hor- ticultural business, much has been done to facilitate labor. Our barns are on the improved scale. Instead of pitching the greater part of our produce of hay or grain by hand, up and over high beams into the ridges of the barns, we now drive nearly into the top of the barns with the whole load, and tumble it down into the bays below! So, too, we ﬁnd improvements many among our sister/zooa’. As we strive for equality of feeling and action, we endeavor to give them the right hand of fellowship in most things. Instead of their washing and ironing in some old building, poorly ﬁtted for the pur- pose, as Was the case forty years ago, they now perform the labor in “ double- quick time” by steam-power, in the most improved, modern mode. They wash and boil the clothing by steam, and wring them and iron them by the same power! They have ranges for cooking, soapstone ovens for baking, coal stoves for heating, and reﬁned oils for giving light. Of the diﬂerent kinds of fruit adapted to our climate, we have not been back- ward in their cultivation, even of the most improved kinds of apples, pears, peaches, plums, cherries, with all the smaller kinds of fruit indigenous to our climate. We, the Shakers, have not been alto- gether dependent upon the outside world for inventions; some very useful ones have sprung up among ourselves. Garden seeds were introduced into mar- ket by the Lebanon and \V2lt€1‘Vll€t Shakers as early as 1790 or 1791. The manufacture of corn-brooms originated among the Shakers at Watervliet about the same time; and these were present- ed to the city markets. An improved z‘ztrnz'7zg Zaz‘/ze, with screw feeder, for turning broom-handles, was invented in this place. Shaker herbs and extracts are noted throughout the States, and need no comment. Also, a machine for sizing broom—corn brush was invent- ed at Harvard, Mass.; and the “[77:- proved S/zczéer I/Vas/zz'7zg Zlfac/zine” at Shaker Village, N. H. Mowers and reapers were invented in the Society of Shakers at New Gloucester, Maine. The ﬁrst circztlczr saw ever made was invented by the Lebanon Shakers, and may be seen to-day in the “ State Geo- logical Department,” at Albany, N. Y., where it was deposited by Bro. G. M. VVickersham. When the Watervliet Shakers made “ sopzzs w/tips” for mar- ket, they invented machinery ior twist- ing the handles. A pipe rizac/zine, a pea—s/zeller and a 5u2‘z‘er-worker, were invented here. The printing presses used by the Shakers of Lebanon and Watervliet for printing their seed bags and herb pa- pers, were invented at VVatervliet, and improved by the Shakers of the former place. Also, at VVatervliet, a machine for ﬁllirzg seed-éags, which has long been in use. The pZa7zz'rzg-mac/zz'zze was invented by the Lebanon Shak- ers, sirzce w/zz'c/2 all others have come into use. A self-acting c/zeese-press was invented by the Lebanon Shakers. C102‘/zes—pz'72s, an invention though small in itself, yet of its utility almost every family in the United States can bear witness, originated, it is said, at the Shaker Settlement at North Union, in the State of Ohio. The inventions and improvements made by _the sisterhood, in their fancy articles for market, are too numerous to mention. The above, with many others not here noted, show the fact, (without boasting,) that the inventive faculties of the Shakers have not been dormant dur- ing the one hundred yearsjust passed by. THE farmer who gets the largest crops from the smallest number of well-husbanded acres, is the one who will reap the largest proﬁt from his investment of time and money. Beecher on the Resurrection of the Body. [That all may see the advances being made by the churches toward original Shaker tes- timony on this subject, we gladly copy from the C/zrz'sz‘z'a7z Um'o7z the following testimony. Now, Bro. Beecher, tell us of the Resurrec- tion of C/zrist, and how we may enjoy it in this world, to the fulﬁllment of the prayer, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earl‘/1, as it is done in /zeaven.” How, then, about “ marrying, giving in marriage,” etc. '2] Curiosity is continually going to the “ gates ajar ” and peeringthrough the crack to seewhat there is on the other side. This is fascinating but unproﬁtable employment. The Bible is proﬁtable for “ instruction in righteousness; ” correct information respect- ing the kind of body we are to have in an- other life, even if we could get it, would have but small inﬂuence in determining what we shall do with the body we have in this. Yet, if we may judge from the multitude of letters we receive on this subject, there is no other which interests a greater number of readers; certainly none which evokes a greater amount of correspondence. We have no special theory to propound on this subject, except the very general one that men know less about it than they think they do. We are here cooped up in very narrow quarters, on shipboard. What sort of habit- ation we are going to have when we get on shore we do'not know,—-—and we do not care. VVe are quite content to leave that to our Heavenly Father. “ God giveth it a body as it pleaseth him ” expresses the christian creed about the resurrection. One thing, however, is very clear: that there is absolutely no authority whatever in scripture for the doctrine of a literal resurrec- tion of the buried ﬂesh and bones. It is unphilosophical, unscientiﬁc, irrational, un- scriptural. It has nothing to commend it except to those who delight to approve their faith by believing the impossible. It sprang historically from a low and materialistic con- ception of the spiritual world. It belongs to an intellectual condition that buries the tom- ahawk and the bow and arrows with the chief, that he may have them to use in the spirit land. It belongs to a materialistic philosophy that identiﬁes the soul with the body, and denies the existence of the one ex- cept in the brain of the other. It is directly repudiated by Paul, by John, by Christ. An- imal nature is inherent in the body. In the heavenly world there is neither marrying nor giving in marriage. Weakness, weariness, decay, are essential characteristics of matter. In the spirit world there is no night, for no weariness; and no death, for no disintegra- tion and decay. The body is ﬂesh and blood. In the spirit world is neither; for ﬂesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. The resurrection of Lazarus and other an- alogous cases throw 720 Zig/at on t/ze resurrec- tion for t/ze spz'rz'tuaZ Zzfe. Nor does the resurrection of Christ indi- cate a resurrection of bodies which have been devoured by the earth and mingled with the clay. Christ rose from the dead in his own earthly body. It was the same body in which he lived and which was cruciﬁed. His disci- ples did not believe this at ﬁrst; he demon- strated the fact. He invited them to handle him, to feel the nail-print and spear-wound; he took food and ate before them. But at the same time he distinctly declared to them, “A spirit /zaz‘/z 7102‘ _/les/2 and bones asye see me /zave.” Whatever the spiritual body may be, we have Christ’s own words for it that the body in which he appeared to them was not a “ spiritual body.” One correspondent asks what became of this terrestrial body. We do not know; but we can venture an hypothesis. “This cor- ruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” It is per- fectly conceivable that this mysterious change, which the living bodies must then undergo, Christ’s body underwent at the moment of his ascension; that he was thus both the ﬁrst-fruits of them that slept and of them that shall not fall asleep, but shall still be waiting when the Lord comes. We do not assert this to have been the case. We are not wise above what is written. But when one wiser than we asserts the repulsive dogma that the minutest particles of the de- cayed corpse, disintegrated and taken up into vegetable and animal matter, and so scatter- ed throughout the globe, are to be sought out and, by a miraculous sifting and sorting proc- ess, brought together again into a rejuvenat- ed and transformed body, and then cites as a triumphant demonstration of his hypothesis the fact that Christ rose from the dead in ﬂesh and bones such as “ a spirit hath not,” his evidence is as unsatisfactory as his con- clusion is unwelcome. Our bodies admirably serve the purpose of a terrestrial and animal existence. When that existence ends there is no more use for the body, and God takes it away, dissolves it into its constituent elements, and reproduces them in new forms of life; in the grass that grows and the ﬂowers that bloom above the grave. To suppose that he is shut up to re- producing the body for the spiritual state is to suppose that the Divine Father provides for manhood only the long clothes of the ba- by made over and reﬁtted. God has not ex- hausted either his ingenuity or his love in what he has furnished us here below. He has given us so good a tent in the wilderness that we can aﬁford to trust him to provide a permanent house when we get to the land of promise. As to the other question of our correspond- ent, we can only say that the whole drift of scripture appears to us clearly to teach that the soul passes directly from its earthly to its spiritual life; that there is no “intermediate state; ” that death is not death but only tran- sition. It is the theory of Swedenborg that at death the terrestrial body drops off and the spiritual body emerges; that this is the res- urrection; that the day ofjudgment has al- ready begun; that every soul goes from its death-bed to the judgment-bar of God. There are some weighty objections to this view; but there are some weighty objections to all views? if one must have a theory this is perhaps as good as any. That death summons the christian to judg- ment, and judgment ushers him into immor- tality, is the clear revelation of God’s Word. What is the architecture of the court-room, what the proceedings, how long they last, and what is the domain that lies beyond, no one knows; and tﬁey /mow least zu/zo are most dogmatic. There is no objection to im- agining anything if you do not frame your imagination into a creed. The piled-up clouds may often pass for snow-capped moun- tains; and indulgence in the pleasing delu- sion is quite harmless. Nevertheless, clouds are not mountains. The boy delights to dream of what he will do when he is a man. But the realities of manhood are never like the dreams of boyhood. Of one thing we may be very sure: whatever the future is it will not be a reproduction of our day—dreams; the mountains of God will not be patterned after the clouds of our own creating. For “it doth not yet appear what we shall be.” FAUL'rs.—Do not attempt to cover your faults, but try to get rid of them. Every person does wrong at times, and confession is no new thing in this world. One must own that all is not right, or become ridiculous as well as hypocrit- ical. Other people will see, whether we try to blind them or not; and just for what we are worth will they value us. Let us all be honest, no matter what else we may be, and not pretend to be better than we are. 60 THE SHAKER. A Remarkable Prophecy. [Our readers will thank us, we feel as- sured, for reproducing in print the following remarkable prophecy and interpretation. As will be observed, it is copied from a book published in 1854; and its ﬁrst special notice, through the Chicago Inter Ocean in 1876, attracted considerable attention. As we cir- culate largely among a Bible-reading people, we ask that the book be opened at Daniel, XI., 40-45 verses; and compare them with what follows.—ED. SI-IAKER.] A book out of print entitled “Armageddon, or the United States in Prophecy,” written by the Rev. S. D. Baldwin, a Presbyterian min- ister of Nashville, Tenn., then President of Soule Female College, but long deceased, was published in 1854. VVhen the work ap- peared it attracted very wide attention. Among the predictions was a bloody and fu- rious war to begin in 1861, and to end the 117th day of 1865- —a war which exactly fulﬁlls the term of the late rebellion,]ohnson having surrendered to Sherman April 26, 1865, and thus terminated the array of arms. From this remarkable exposition of the prophetic parts of the Bible we copy so much as relates to the first four verses of our quotations from Daniel, as follows: “And at the time of the end.” This period was to be that between the first and last end- ings of the three and a half times, or between 1776 and 1878, or between the 1200 and 1235 days. During this period this willful king was to come to his end; but, before his end, he was to engage in war for some outlying countries, and was to be interrupted by two great powers, but was to conquer and pros- per till the “last end of the indignation.” As this was to be the great monarchy power represented by the image that was to be brok- en by the stone (since it was Rome), it is ev- ident that its head must be in Europe, and must be the empire represented by the septi- mo-octave head of the beast in revelation. Now, the great power which ﬁlls half of Eu- rope and overshadows and controls the rest of the rising colossus, —- Russia, —- there- fore, must be the power intended as falling in the holy mountain. Now, as Ezekiel, al- most literally, describes Russia as falling on the mountains of Israel, in the latter day, he furnishes further evidence that the fourth kingdom, in the time of the end, was to be resurrected in or by Russia. The willful kingdom was an autocratiamong nations, and so is the Russian kingdom. “ The king of the south shall push or butt at him; and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships.” The two kingdoms, under the names north and south, are to be identified by their rela- tive positions to the Russian power, or to each other. The king, or kingdoin, of the south would very naturally apply to Turkey on the south of Russia; but as Turkey exists by the sufferance of France and England, it is possible the two great western powers, which hold to each other the relation of north and south, may be intended. At any rate, the southern king makes short ﬁght of it, if anything is to be understood by the ﬁgure of butting at the willful king, or he brings on the ﬁght. The kingdoms of Syria and Egypt, called the kingdoms of the north and south, held about the same close relation to each other, and to Rome, that England and France do to each other and to Russia; only they were on the east of Rome,_ and the case is now just reversed. The king of the north is Great Britain. This is evident from its north- ern position, as a great power, and from the immense naval, as well as land, forces it pos- sesses. No nation but a very great one would attack the autocratic king; and no na- tion has such a navy as Britain. This north nation was to come like a whirlwind, with his great naval and land forces, which are in- dicated by “ many ships ” and “ chariots and horsemen.” The attack was to be great and furious, but ﬁnally unsuccessful; for the au- tocrat moves right on to his purpose, and more than gains it, according to the prophet. “He shall enter into the countries, and shall overﬂow, and pass over.” His entering the countries intimates that this was his original design, in which he had been interrupted by the two great powers that confederated against him. England and France, or England and Turkey, will unite against Russia. And it seems as if consider- able effort was to be made to check Rus- sia’s designs; yet Russia is to take the coun- tries this side of the crossings, and then to pass over into Asia, it would seem. The word “overﬂow” signiﬁes the great increase of his armies and triumphs. To “pass over ” implies the advancement of conquest, by some great crossing, into a new scene of war- fare. “He shall enter the glorious land.” This at once reveals his advancement into Palestine, and shows that the passing over related to the conquest of Asia Minor and the Turkish empire generally. “ Many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.” This would literally imply the conquest ofa great portion of Asiatic Tur- key, with some exceptions. These were con- quests in Asia. “ He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape.” This expression . implies the exertion of severe sovereignty. African coun- tries are here referred to, as Egypt is speciﬁc for a generic term or a part of the whole. “ He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt.” “The Libyans and Ethiopians shall be at his steps.” This still further teaches the un- limited dominion over Africa in the west and south. Thus having obtained nearly all Eu- rope, Asia and Africa, he becomes indomita- ble and his empire almost limitless: it emu- lates old Rome as the possessor of three con- tinents. According to the views of Mr. Baldwin the accomplishment of Daniel’s prophecy was to begin in 1876, continue through 1877 and ter- minate before the close of April, 1878. Should his prognostications turn out to be true the near future will develop startling and pro- foundly interesting events. In that case the eﬂbrts of the European powers to patch up a peace will prove abortive; the actual occupa- tion of the revolted provinces by Russian troops will take place; England will oppose the Czar’s progress with a sudden, tremendous onset in magniﬁcent array, but without avail; Russian armies will victoriously cross the Dardanelles into Turkey, making a conquest of the European portion first, then pour tri- umphantly into Asia Minor, reduce it to sub- jection, together with Egypt, Palestine, and some African countries besides. If Daniel’s prophecy has been accurately interpreted, Russia is to become the autocratic colossus among nations in the old World with- in eighteen months from this date, and then precipitately tumble into a vast and wonder- ful ruin. Our readers, with this prophetic map of the future before them, will be able quickly to determine, by the concurrence or the divergence of approaching events, how much truth or falsity there is in our quoted exposition of scriptural dates and occurrences foreordained. In these times of European up- heaval and change, when diplomacy is baffled and desiring, and when the strong attention of the two hemispheres is ﬁxed upon the war- like situation, any fact or even hypothesis bearing upon its aspects, from whatever source, must prove interesting. .,,_,,___,__._,,t‘»,._.-.______,.. , THERE are two ways of going through this world. One is to make the best of it, and the other to make the worst of it. Those who take the latter course work hard for pOOl' More Shakers. An account is given in the [7zdz'a72 Evan- gelical Ii’evz'ew of the rise of a sect in Trav- ancore called the “ Six-Years People.” The revival movement of 1873-4 in Travancore strongly affected the Syrian christians who were brought under its inﬂuence, and some of the native christians connected with the Church Missionary Society. The revival was accompanied with those physical inani- festations which attended the preaching of the early Methodists in England and Ameri- ca, and whole congregations might. be seen ska/E2323‘ or damrirzg wit/z excz'teme;zz‘. One of the preachers professed prophetic discern- ment; he announced that the end of the world will come in 1880. This prediction was made in 1874, and hence the name “ Six- Years People.” .__,.Q..._-_-_-_i_.,_, _. ,’ Russian Seats. Many of the sects have persons among them whom they believe to be Christ, incar- nate for the second time, and the Virgin. One sect was founded by a peasant—soldier, Daniel Philipitch, about the middle of the seventeenth century, and is now strong in many parts of the empire. Philipitch’s doc- trines, as reported by Hepworth Dixon, who has made a special study in Russia of secret and curious sects, were: ﬁrst, “ I am God; ” second, “ There is no other God; ” and third, “There is nothing new.” He gave nine pre- cepts to his followers, which I quote from Dixon’s text: “Drink no wine. Remain where you are, and what you are. Never marry. Never swear, nor name the devil. Attend no wedding, christening, nor other feast. Never steal. Keep my doctrine se- cret. Love each other, and keep my laws. Believe in the Holy Spirit.”-Ex. Equality of Sex. If any person should ask me for the best evidence I have that the religion of Jesus is superior to that of Zoroaster, Buddha, or Mohammed, or that his social philosophy is vastly superior to that of Socrates, Aristo- tle, Plato, or any other ancient Greek or Roman philosopher, or any philosopher or scientist of modern times, I should say it is furnished in the fact that it makes no distinc- tion between man and women in respect to their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. VVhen the great apostle said that in Jesus Christ there is neither male nor fe- male, he gave birth to a thought that covers entirely the governmental, political, social, and family status of mankind under christian- ity. He laid the foundation for a system of practical relationships that makes it as im- portant that a husband should think well of his wife as that he should think well of him- self; that a father should think as well of his daughter as of his son; that a brother should think as much of his sister as of any man friend; that society should respect woman and treat her on the same basis that it does man; that the state should recognize woman to have the same rights, and under both or- ganic and statute law be entitled to the same immunities, privileges, and franchises that man has. That the church should make no distinction between men and women, in its respect, regard, or affection; nor in the con- ferment of its powers, nor in the working out of its grand functions. In fine, that all the conditions of living, which are to be regard- ed as forcible and authoritative, which socie- ty, the church, or the state may take unto itself, are to be, under law, as directly ac- corded to woman as to man. In other words, that men and women shall, before the law, be equal in the family, in society, in the state, and in the church; and that whatever differences are seen to exist between the two, shall be only those which grow up in the na- ture of things.——-Dr. 3’. C. :7ac/ésozz. Necessities for the New Earth. [The concluding number of IT/ze New Age,-—and we are pained to say corzcluding, ——contained a very brilliant letter from one “M. S. W.” We copy a portion of it below, giving the title above. Few subjects demand more thought and action than does this.—- ED. SHAKER.] Education is a grand thing; but simply that which is gained from the books of to- day will avail little. We need an education which will develop our young men and wom- en of to-day into ﬁt fathers and mothers for children “a little lower than the angels.” and mothers,———ninety-nine out ofa hundred? Poor, weak, ignorant, fashionable, selﬁsh, dissipated creatures,—just what will people our world with a class worse than now dwells upon it. And yet, few seem alive to the fact; or, if alive to it, they have not the courage, or daring, or whatever it need be, to show the people their condition. Really, it seems to me, when I seriously think of it, that it is a crime for our young people to marry as they do, ignorant as they are, and ﬁll the world with children who can only be- come just what their parents’ indecision and weakness, as well as ignorance, must make of them! \Vill the time ever come when as much thought will be given to the creation of immortal souls as to-day is given to the improvement of the brute creation? Is it not strange that we take the brute ﬁrst? If I was truly Darwinian in belief, I might con- clude such way the only way for elevating the race; for it sometimes seems to me that peo- ple will not listen to reason, and will in their selﬁshness only be governed by impulse and desire; and even when they have learned the folly of their Ways, they cannot or do not try to warn others. Who can wonder that we have criminals? Had I strength sufiicient, I would throw the whole weight of it against this breeding of criminals, and wouldtake only interval time to encourage and make effort for the elevation of the result of an unrighteous and abominable ignorance. A Fitting Rebuke to Fighting 0h1;i.stians(?). Bishop Coxe, of Western New York, recently sent a poem to the Bzgfalo Commerczbzl Aa’verz‘z'ser, brim-full of the spirit of war, calling to arms every one, to help the Russians and to kill the Turks! So very unlike the Jesus this poet-priest pretends to worship, the poem has attracted large attention from the secular press. T/lze Alérmy Ex- press delivers a most denunciatory lec- ture upon such, so-called, christianity, and prints the following poem, from Tee Grczp/zz'c, by VV. A. Croffut, which is so full of rebuke to those who think christianity admits of any physical vio- lence, that We gladly transfer it to our columns, as an aid in diffusing light upon the character of the Prince of Peace, and to use a whip of large—cord- ed testimony against the christianity of such a Bishop! BY A NEWSPAPER HERETIC. Thou man of God (2?) who thus implore Thy brother’s sacred blood to pour In hateful tides of turbid gore From Dardanelles to Danube’s shore, Be still—be still! Blaspheme no more! God help the babes! God bless the wives! Shame on the priests that whet the knives! Shame on the church whose altar thrives By wrecking peaceful peasants’ lives? Be still—-be still! ’Tis Hell that drives! How long, 0,’ Lord, before thy shrine Shall men pray, “Vengeance, God, is thine,’ \Vhat are our children, and what their fathers’ THE SHAKER. 61 Then worship Moloch as divine, And drink the battle’s bloody wine? Be stil1—be still— 0, heart of mine! * :f: :1: 1- >3 Come holy Peace! May Muscovite And Moslem end their wretched ﬁght; Woiiien with songs shall hail the light, And children flock with ﬂags of white- Be still——-be still—— O, sacred sight! CORR]-JSPTONDENCE . VVILMINGTON, DEL., July i, 1877. 1l(_y dearfrz'e7zd.- Being somewhat inter- " ested in Shakerism, I would like to ask you a few questions : I. Should I conclude to _]O11'1 your people what inducements, more than the world pre- sents, will Shakjerism offer me? 2. My companion and self, and children, now get on comfortably; tell me plainly, with- out scripture quotations, what Shakerisni will give me in exchange for these? 3. I ask no prominent position, but will I be in any manner degraded to maintain others in an exalted office? 4. Do you fare and share alike in temporal things? r,. Do all eat at a common table? clad in similar raiment? feel equally interested in hand labor? or, 6. Are some permitted to be “lords and ladies,” while others are expected to do their bidding? 7. I am earnest for a better religion than can be found outside of,Shakerism; do you think Shakerism will supply my demand? 8. I have read your Covenant thoroughly; and if you can assure me it is in full operation among your people, or will be exercised toward me and companions as therein stated, I believe it far preferable to any other theory yet advanced. Can you give me the assur- ance? 9. After answering the above, tell me what I must do ﬁrst, to enlist under your banner. I0. I am a minister; have been for many years, and have never made any change from my ﬁrst convictions; and I now propose to do so only on the basis of the soundest con- victions, that you Shakers live as you pro- fess, and will not disappoint me in the mat- ter of the general carrying out of your Cov- enant. Can you convict me? 11. I candidly believe that many stand ready to be converts to Shakei-practice, when you can answer favorably query I0, and give them a certainty of an equality with others, without exception, by their yielding to the cause a full consecration. Can we have these? 12. VVhere do you advise our making the attempt at being Shakers, that the fullness of the Shaker Covenant may be found only as binding on us as on others? I am yours, truly, JOHN B. BISHOP.- WHAT SHALL I DO TO BE A SHAKER? ANSVVERED BY BRO. THOMAS SMITH. Mr. LEBANON, July 3, I877. Esteemed Friend 70/an B. Bis/my Your favor of the 1st inst. is at hand, and I reply to your questions in the order they are presented. Ist. Shakerisni offers no inducements to the average man or woman; but to those whom the “Father” hath drawn hither, it offers peace, joy and rest, coupled with the active duties of life. 2d. If yourself and companion, etc., are happily satisﬁed with surroundings, let Shak- erisin alone. If looking for something broad- er, more unselﬁsh, more permanent, Shaker- ism will yield it, after much toil and labor; as it gives you a close relation to many brethren and sisters, whose interest and ‘care, love and affection, are centered upon and ‘ with which this class adheres to dead issues. drawn out by those things which tend to universal peace. 3d. It depends upon what you consider de- grading. Physical labor in contact with the earth is a requisite in this case. I know of no exalted oﬂices in the institution. 4th. Practically, yea; comparatively, nay. The members of each Shaker family fare and share alike, as per ﬁrst answer; different families in Shaker communities may have local differences in these respects as per second answer. 5th. All eat at one common table, dress similarly, and feel interested in hand labor according as they are more or less unselﬁsh. 6th. Lords and ladies form no component part of Shakerism; but strict obedience to constituted authority, for order’s sake, is re- quired. 7th. Shakerism is a better relzgion than is found oz¢2‘sz'de of it; but it would take some time for me to ascertain whether it would supply your demands. 8th. You need have no scruples as to the Covenant being faithfully carried out toward you; our main trouble commonly proceeds from the opposite direction. 9th. Yourself and companion must come to a mutual agreement on the subject. All just debts and obligations must be fulﬁlled. Upon entering the order, each heart must open the book of life to the order’s represent- ative; in other words, caizfess all its s2'77s. Ioth. Frankly, I am sorry you have been a minister so long, because of the tenacity But no answer of mine would be equal to your mingling with this people, and seeing for yourself. Do not change your opinions until you are satisﬁed. 11th. I am aware that many seeni ripening up for the harvest, but no covenant, creed or promise will cover the case. Human nature. is the same to-day as in the past; and only as the ﬁre of Pentecost touches the human heart, will it forget its selfhood, and break its bread from door_to door. “Can we have these?” Are you numerous? If so, select some of your best; let them come and inves- tigate rigidly, and report as they comprehend the case. I 12th. Wherever you are the best acquaint- ed and are the most attracted. Finally, I write you, not as by authority, but from the basis of my own experience and belief. ' I am yours for the investigation of truth, THOS. SMITH. - ..__.._____..-._¢_ Poetic Sermon-—“ Judge Not.” In speaking of a person’s faults, Pray don’t forget your own ; Remember, those with homes of glass Should seldom throw a stone. If we have nothing else to do 4 But talk of others’ sin, ’Tis better we commence at home, And from 2‘/ml point begin. Some may have faults——and who have not—— The old as well as young! Perhaps we may, for aught we‘know, Have many where they’ve one. I’ll tell you of a better plan, And one that works full well: Be sure your own defects you cure Before of others’ tell. ---:2 A SOUND cRiT'ic.——A religious old lady, when asked her opinion of the organ of a church, the ﬁrst time she had seen or heard one, said: “ It’s a Vera bonny kist fu’ o’ whistles; but oh, sirs, it’s an awfu’ way 0’ spending the Sabbath—day !” A 7 If you wish to be happy, keep busy. Idle- ness is harder work than plowing, a good deal. There is more fun in sweating an hour THESHAKER. Month1y—60 cents per annum. .A DUAL ADVOCATE OF CHRIST PRINCIPLES. Unmistakable Christianity. PLAIN SHAKERISM. Jesus was a christian—his manner of life made him so. Whoso lives as Jesus lived—whose lives are guided by the same pi‘inciples——are christians; none others are so. Belief in this, that, or any theology, is no designation of a christian ; only a pure life—a virgin character-—-combined with equality in worldly goods, non- combative disposition, and separation from worldly practices generally,-— these alone constitute a follower of Christ. VVorldly practices are the lusts of the ﬁesh, of evil, adulterous eyes, pride, vanity, and all intemperance in life. The multitudes of theologians are stumbling-blocks; hiding the real life a christian should live; covering, as with an ambush of unmeaning words, the un- varnished, plain, indisputable truths of Jesus’ life. VVho can engage in ~'the lusts of the flesh; marriage, reproductions—fruit- ful or unfruitful practices of sexuality— and claim to follow Christ in them? Did Jesus ever do such things? Can his followers——christians—engage in acts so foreign, opposite to his life, without relinquishing all right or title to his name? People are not desirous of think- ing of these things ; and man-made the- ologies pleasantly blind their eyes to these truths. l\4.<-irriage was a Jewish rite; proper and good for Jews and worldly people to practice. Who have made it a sac- rament, and dubbed it as christian? VVorldly, lustful men and women! Je- sus called men and women away from marriage, lustful, sexual, and deﬁling indulgences. His: early disciples dis- solved their marriagerelations, where- ever they were bound by them ; became “as though they were not married”—— as brotherly, sisterly men and women. Have not the churches reversed this rule, and many others that Jesus insti- tuted, practiced, and which his imme- diate followers, and all genuine follow- ers, engaged, and do now engage in? VVlioin do the majority of professedly Christians follow? Surely, not Jesus. Surely, the very reverse of Jesus is il- lustrated in their lives! VVliere, then, is the title c/zrz'5z‘z'cz7z applicable? Is there any salvation in the title? Does it save, or prevent any from unchristian practices? Does our christianity abolish inarri-age, war, private property, selﬁsh relations, with all the constituents ofa married life? Does it cause us to live the life of the heavens, in excess of Ju- daism? Theii, and then only, is it better. Vle arraign every one who, professing to follow Christ, does not pattern his life, in its general characteristics at least, of living and acting under false than yawning a century. preteuces — as real hypocrites —— and from whom the title of c/E7'z'5lz'a7z should be erased. We declare that propriety,demands the erasure of that portion of the LoRD’s PRAYER that petitions, “ Thy kingdom come, z‘/zy will 66 clone 072 earl/z, as in heaven 1” from every one’s prayer who does not try to live as they believe life in heaven to be. Thus does Shakerisni demand of its communicants: Be what you seem to be ; be what you ought to be ; be Claris- l2'cm.s‘, or disown the title. Be virgins, as was Jesus; be as unselﬁshly with all earthly goods; hate the ﬂesh, war, and their constituents. Let your relations be those only who live as Jesus lived—- who “do the will of his father,” as he did. All other relatives are worldly, unchristiaii. Be brethren; share all things together, and equally—blessings and tribulations. Let your uprightness exceed that of the world ; and inasmuch as you “name the name of‘Christ, de- part from all iniquity,” even as Christ did. Can any do less and be chris- tians? Let it be plainly understood that Jesus aspired to, and lived above the very best practices ofJudaism. He not only abstained from worldly evils, but tcvozrlcllyguoa’; and this latter absti- nence is the peculiar designation of his true followers. Thus have we written plainly. VVe ask, have we written truly? Doesfol— l0wz'7zgJesiis embrace and demand self- denials? If so, how much and how many? God forbid that we, professing Christianity, . should evade its laws; preach or practice any other doctrine or life than did its author; and with these considerations prevailing, do we, as Shakers, live very unlike the great, ﬁrst Shaker, Jesus? or do we demand of ourselves, or of c/2;'z'5z‘z'cz7z5, too many sacriﬁces of selfishness? *,,,* .__.__.__._...._.. I « -,_.___.__.._._. EDITORIAL NOTES. I\/Iany of the cities of the Union, on July 4th, set a good example, by refrain- ing from celebrating the national anni- versary by a prpfuse use of gunpowder. It is to be hoped that, the ﬁrst century having passed with extreme noise, and the worse than wasting of thousands of millions of dollars for ﬁreworks, the second century, at its very beginning, will inaugurate a much more sensible and humane system of celebrations than the momentary burning of pyrotechnics, followed, as it invariably is, with loss of limbs, lives, and an iiicalciilable amount of valuable property. If small boys mzrsz‘ have the incendiary Chinese craclzer, let them be sent to China to use them . ~-—o<>.—_. _After years of deliberation upon the causes and effects of America’s civil war, North and South are shaking hands over the bloody chasm, and ﬁlling this up by forgiveness and forgetfulness. VVhile they “ strewed ﬂowers on fed- erals and confederates alike,” the bitter thoughts would rise, of the uselessness of the sacriﬁces, and of the insanity that prompted the strife on both sides. If 62 THE SHAKER. the war of 1861, and following years, had any foundation of good, it was a goodness of the Jews, not Christians; it was the worship of the God of battles, after the similitude of Israel’s leader, not of the Father of the Christ——the Prince of Peace. And the people are learning the grand differences of the characters of the Gods of war and of peace, and to know that the God of the Christians is not the God of the Jews. We enter our solemn protest against such unusual display as is commonly engaged in by some portions of the press of our country, in advertising re- volvers, and other disreputable weapons, to be carried, concealed on the person. To “such base uses” has advertising arrived, that were it not for the protests of some, we might all despair of getting any good through this medium of intel- ligence. VVhen such so-called religious papers, T/ze C/zzlrc/1 Uzzioiz, Nezv Tbré ']mle]5e;~z(le7zl, etc., and agricultural and scientiﬁc journals like Rural I/Vew To/rlaer, Cozmlry Gcvzlleyizmz and Sci- erzlgﬁc Americcm, stoop to encourage the sale of three-dollar shooting-irons, thus placing them within the reach of almost every boy in the land, it is high time to protest against the practice, or appeal to heads of families to expunge such papers from the household. The use of such weapons is wrong in principle, and their advocacy naught but barbarous. Let the editors of such papers, who stoop to the mercenary in this way, but suffer from the accidental or other discharge of one of these crime- multiplying irons, and then we shall be treated, if the heathens still live, to a ﬁrst-class rebuke against what they have sold themselves to encourage. We an- ticipate advertising_in the volume suc- ceeding this—-Vol. VIII.——and would now warn all such——venders, emissaries, quacks, frauds generally——they “need not apply.” _"°°°-7" By many believers of to-day, Elder EBENEZER BISHOP, (who succeeded to the ministry on the decease of Mother Lucy Wright,) will be ‘remembered as a most beautiful spirit—a very saintly man. His administration ,was one of exacting justice, everywhere that it was known. In counsel, wise; in advice, fatherly in the extreme; while it is dif- ﬁcult to recall one who illustrated hu- mility in a greater degree. It is claim- ed, by those most familiar with his method of government, that, guided by “THE COVENANT” and “SACRED LAWS,” he would ever make these the arbiter of his decisions. VVhen there arose diﬁierences between brethren, he was wont to take the COVENANT, and say: “Brethren, here is our guide; to it we have attached our signatures; to it we look forjustice to ourselves and to others; and by it we must live and die. Its decisions are my decisions; let us see what it says.” Perhaps, to this per- tinacity may be attributed his abundant SUCCESS. ——o<>o——— Our music for this number is an ex- cellent selection from the Shaker Casket of Pearls. To some of our own people, it will not be especially new; but sang with the harmonious accompaniment, arranged by some individual of talent, it will be none the less acceptable. We would, right here, commend, to all in- terested in Shaker music, the labors, in this line, of Elder H. C. Blinn, and co- adjutors. They have favored us with some excellently—prepared sheet music. Send a few dimes, and get diamond samples. Address Shaker Village, N.H. _.o,_._ VVe received, not long since, from Bro. Gray, of Pleasant Hill, Ky., a let- ter having some admirable ideas, arous- ed by “ S/gall we /zave cz 7'ew'val.?” Strong intimations were given therein, that we, as Believers, are more willing that others should have revivals than ourselves. We do not know, cannot predict, when we as Believers will awake to the facts of our necessities; but think it will be ere long. We have been praying for years, in special meet- ings of united prayer throughout the Societies, that the world may wake up to true christian life. Is it not now in order that we ,pray for the revival or Mother Ann Lee’s inﬂuences, for our own baptism? And becoming baptized therewith, will not our prayers mate- rialize into heads, hearts, hands and feet? Will they not inspire us with new tongues, kind feelings, and with a good deal of self-immolation? Remem- ber, brethren, however much good God has given us to start with, it is only that good evolved by self-denial that we get any special credit for! _..o.___ VVe would go on record as avowing our detestation of any theological preju- dices that deny civil and respectable conduct toward Jews, Gentiles, Chris- tians or Inﬁdels. The recent disgrace- ful action of Judge Hilton toward the better, nobler man, Seligman, in refus- ing the latter accommodations at his hotel in Saratoga, because of his He- brew belief, should arouse the unexcep- tionable condemnation of every one. What can be meaner than the meanness of a professedly christian gentleman? VVe observe that our article in July number, “After the Flood,” is attract- ing considerable attention from the press of our country. Some journals have kindly copied it entire, adding respect- ful comments thereto. After so much vituperation and unkindly criticism as was manifested by so large a portion of the press, on the subject of that article, we esteem the above favors as signs of returning reason, love and good will, and hereby return thanks. __..o.__ If any one feels desirous of realizing howcdiminutive is the largest of human exaltation; how comparatively worth- less all human learning; how little our earth, and bewilderingly extensive is stellar space; we advise a few doses of “Views of our Heavenly Home,” now running in chapters through T/2e Bom- ner o_/‘Lag/zt. Truly, we may therein forget ourselves, be lost in admiration of the works of an almighty hand, and exclaim, with all our hearts, with one of old: “When I consider the heavens the work of thy ﬁngers; the moon and stars which thou hast ordained: what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man that thou visitest him?” We perceive, with some delight, a novel method of punishing offenders against public property and peace, in- stituted at Mt. Lebanon, N. Y. They love their enemies so well that they pro- mote them out of the country——send them to Europe, whence they came——- with an insisting permission never to return again! May they need to ex- ercise such love very, very seldom. Read and Think. That the U. S. army is to be reduced to 19,000 men! That Wm. H. Vanderbilt’s money is his greatest trouble in this world. One pound and a half of eggs is a legal dozen now, not twelve units of uncertain size. Sewing machines must be cheaper. The most important patents have failed of a re- newal. The Chinese will send missionaries to America, for similar purposes that ours go there! A To comprehend the beginning and ending of things is an inﬁnite thought, and there- fore it requires an infinite mind to grasp it. Why, then, should a ﬁnite being darken his soul by doubt because he cannot compass inﬁnity? A woman was arrested in N. Y. city for wearing male attire. She conclusively proved the clothes were made for her, ﬁtted to her, and the Judge discharged her, saying, there is no more law against her dressing thus than there is against the more abominable style women wear to attract attention! A WORD TO THE AGED.——It is well for the old to be cheerful. They may have much to depress them. Health is failing. Friends are passing away. Another generation is on the stage. Other hands take up the world’s work. They feel, perhaps with bitter regret, that they are not needed as they once were. Nevertheless, they should cultivate every source of happiness which remains. The love of children and grandchildren, the greater dignity and larger leisure of life, and the quiet hours they can have for communion with God, should be appreciated highly. They should get into the habit of saying good-morning every day to this world, where they have had so many eager, busy, happy and holy days. A late number of T/ze Bible Banner (Ad- vent,)contains “The Banner Sermon,” which sums up: “To be a christian demands the practical life of Jesus.” Bad men, even in their prosperity, are un- happy. The fate they have been told they merit, they are in the continual expectation of. . Tlze Cleveland Posllately gave “ ANN LEE’s DISCIPLES” nearly three columns of creditable illustration; and we found therein many excellent items of general information. THE SHAKER came in for a handsome com- pliment, and t/zose s/zirzfs, received by its editor some time since, were held up for the hundredth time, as evidencing;Shaker gener- osity! Let the people hear! T/ze Harbz'72ger 0fLz:g/zl, Melbourne, Aus- tralia, contains extensive extracts, duly cred- ited to our society pamphlet, “Plain Talks.” Bro. Peebles, in Australia, is doing our cause good service, and “ends of the earth shall know thereof.” A Every man should perform as much physi- cal labor as will supply his own practical wants.—Frcm.% B. Taylor. “ As individuals we must love before we criticise. Criticism bathed in love, wounds but to heal. Bathed in personal feelings, it leaves in the wound poison. There is great sensibility in most persons to criticism. The nerves of egotism are wonderfully delicate, and cringe at the slightest touch; and it re- quires wisdom to criticise faithfully, and yet avoid unnecessary irritation. Criticism should carry no savor of condemnation.”—Mzltzlal Critic ism . FOR OUR HEALTH. In what does nerve-food consist? In what do we ﬁnd it? Is it meat? No. White bread? No. Potatoes? No. If it is not found in these staples, in what is it to be found? I answer, in the exterior of the white kernel, in the skin of the potato, and in milk, partially; also in eggs and ﬁsh. I answer, the chief food staples, in the present dietetic sys- tem, are almost entirely deﬁcient in brain and nerve building material. In view of these facts, is it a result to be wondered at, that the starving nervous tissue in the overworked masses attempts to satisfy an intolerable sense of craving of physical hunger by the use of stimulating poisons?-—— Herald cf Healfﬁ. TYNDALL’s ADvrcE.——Take care of your health. There have been men who, by a wise attention to this subject, might have risen to any eminence, but who by unwise neglect on this point, have come to nothing. Imagine Hercules as oarsman in a rotten boat; what can he do there but by the very force of his stroke expedite the ruin of his craft? Take care then, of the timbers ofyour boat, and avoid all practices likely to intro- duce wet or dry rot among them. And this is not to be accomplished by desultory or in- termittent eﬁbrts of the will, but by the form- ation of habits. No doubt the will has some- times to put forth its strength to strangle or crush a special temptation; but the" forma- tion of right habits is essential to your per- manent security. They diminish your chance of falling when assailed, and they augment your chance of recovery when overthrown. To those who dislike the odor of burned grease, or ﬁnd their digestion too delicate to bear it, can, by using beeswax instead of the grease, obviate the above disagreeableness. They will ﬁnd their cakes, when cooked on a griddle prepared with the beeswax, a nicer brown, and they will turn with no trouble. SHAKER DIE’1‘ETICS.——TheiI' diet is simple, but suﬂicient. Pork is never eaten, and only a part of the Shaker people eat any meat at all. Many use no food produced by animals; denying themselves even butter, milk and eggs. At Mount Lebanon, and in some of the other societies, two tables are set, one with, the other without meat. They con- sume much fruit, eating it at every meal; and they have always ﬁne and extensive vegetable gardens and orchards. Father Evans (the Shakers call him Elder Evans, but we like Father better), now about 70 years old and at the head of one branch of the Shaker com- munity at Lebanon, has not eaten ﬂesh for nearly forty years, and he is hale and hearty; y\ 0! THE SHAKER. 63 much more so than most men of his age; yet when he commenced his vegetable diet he was in a declining state of health; as he tells us, “a candidate for consumpti0n.”—HeraZd of Healt/z. WHAT POSTERITY WILL THINK.—“Our en- lightened posterity will look back upon us who eat oxen and sheep just as we look back upon cannibals.” So says the late Winwood Reade, in his essay on “The Future of the Human Race.” There are several other prac- tices they will perhaps look back upon with a slight disgust. One is war, one intem- perance, and one licentiousness. Hurry up, oh, good time coming! if you want us to en- joy yozur delightful society. — Herald of Heal!/z. Professor Brewer, of the Sheﬂield Scien- tiﬁc School, in New Haven, Conn., by a chemical analysis, has conﬁrmed the asser- tion that the so-called “marbleized iron” ware gives off lead, and sometimes arsenic, when used for cooking sour ﬂuids or fruits, and he says that its use is deleterious to health. A BOOK TABLE. THE RADICAL REVIEW: This is a large, quarterly magazine, claiming as its intention, “the thorough, fearless and impartial discus- sion of all sides pertaining to human welfare.” Ifit carries out this intention thoroughly, it must needs have the support of an inexhaust- ible bank pf funds, for there is not vet suf- ﬁcient sympathy for those who would pro- mulgate radical truths, to maintain a maga- zine of such magnitude; and it is diﬂicult for us to see at present a willingness on the part of many to have radical truths affect or inter- fere with their present course of very desira- ble selﬁshness. When men and women are anxious to learn truth, and to apply it prac- tically, so that the “golden rule” will be noticeably operative, then, and then only, can radically truthful periodicals obtain even a living support. THE CHRISTIAN UNION EXTRAS are very neatly executed pamphlets, and are ﬁlled with choice thoughts upon the subjects they treat of. Four have been issued. The 'last num- ber treats of the “ Russ0—Turkish War,” and gives information about both nations, causes of the war, and the probabilities for the fu- ture, which would be obtained with diﬂicultv elsewhere. Address the above, 27 Park place, New York City. THE TRUTH SEEKER COLLECTION: D. M. Bennett, publisher, 141 Eighth street, New York. To many, in this age of intelligence, the old forms, collects, prayers, hymns and benedictions, between the covers of the “Book of Common Prayer,” and verses for church use, are very stale and unproﬁtable. Here we have presented, forms of the above, with musical arrangement of verses, that are suf- ﬁciently iconoclastic to serve the purposes of the most unpopular dissenter. S. R. Wells & Co., of New York, send to us a printed discourse of Rev. S. H. Pratt, A. M., upon the “Responsibility of Parentage.” It is a most ﬁtting rebuke to the progenitors of a deteriorating race, and we would that those engaged in such worldly business would read this discourse and regard it. “ ALONE, YET NOT ALONE,” is a pretty hymn from John Church & Co., Cincinnati, Ohio. The poetry is admirable; but we are still more pleased with the musical compo- sition and arrangement, which exhibit extra. ordinary talent in this line. The latter are the artistic labors of our rising young friend, John C. DeBaun, son of our esteemed neigh- bor, H. DeBaun, of Wiskayuna, N. Y, A neat contrivance for pointing out texts in the Bible without marking the page with pencil or ink, is the “ Bible Verse Indicator,” which Eben Shute, of 36 Bromﬁeld street, Boston, offers for sale in sets of twelve for 25 cents. It is a light metallic ﬁnger point, to ﬁt on to the edge of the page to be marked; an improvement, in its lightness, on a sim- ilar article formerly in use. A -V SIGNS OF THE TIMES. Believers in a new religion, called Moran- ism, are gathering in Walla Walla, Washing- ton Territory, in expectation of a second com- ing of Christ. In marriage we begin by knowing little and believing much, and often end by invert- ing the quantities.—Geo. Eliot. A writer on horticulture, in the Boszon Traveller, points out that the culture of hu- manity advances with equal step with the culture of fruits, vegetables, and ﬂowers. He argues that as agriculture banished cannibal- ism, an improved horticulture will result in more nutritious fruits and vegetables, so that a diet of ﬁsh, ﬂesh or fowl, which is only a few removes from cannibalism, will give place to a fruit and vegetable diet. This, he says, will develop a ﬁner strength of body and brain, sober all the raging passions of humanity into peace, and cause men to look upon war, and the shedding of the blood of the lower animals, as relics of barbarism. The rumor is current that the queen has a horror of war, and has said so to Lord Bea- consﬁeld, her prime minister, and that she is averse to taking any part in the conﬂict be- tween Russia and Turkey.——C/2rz'sz‘z'an Intel- ligencer. It is reported in a German newspaper that Russia is about to abolish her usury laws, and leave borrowers and lenders to contract for the rate of interest to be paid on money according to their own discretion, simply ﬁx- ing a rate where none has been agreed upon. This is the sensible view adopted by England and some of the states in this country. In striving for perfection of character, let us remember to nourish the moral sensibility that makes us ashamed of indifference or dis- like towards any human being. Let us in- tensify the sentiment of human brotherhood, and insist on the sacredness of the universal family tie, in the faith that they will at length produce the same sensitiveness to dishonor and reproach when vice stains any human being, the same joy and hope when virtue crowns any human being, that we now feel when vice debases or virtue exalts any of our own personal ki1I.—New Age. War is cruel, very inhuman, barbarous; and in the late rebellion there was much bru- tality on both sides.——Presz'denz‘ Hayes. “The battle-cry has been heard, 0 God, and hostile nations have already confronted each other and begun the ﬁerce work of de- struction and bloodshed. VVh0 will arrest the evil? Who can? Almighty God, thou alone canst humble nations to the dust and dissuade them from bloody deeds. We hum- bly look up to thee and pray that hostilities may cease and peace may prevail once more in Europe.” We do not ﬁnd the above pray- er in a christian paper, but in the Calcutta organ of one of the Hindu religions which have most felt the inﬂuence of the religion of Jesus. We reverently say, Amen.—]Vew York Independent. “What a ﬁne-looking thing is war! Yet, dress it as we may, dress and feather it, daub it with gold, huzza after it, and sing swagger- ing songs about it—what is it but murder in uniform,——Cain taking the sergeant’s shill- ing?”——-Douglas f7erroZd. Dr. Blauvelt, a very talented minister of the Reformed church has been ﬁnally deposed for heresy. Personally and socially he had the entire sympathy of the Synod, which ignor- ing any inspiration not laid down in its church catechism, advertised its own bigotry, and its persecuting spirit, by its action upon Blauvelt, because he regarded the Old Testa- ment as of no binding force on Christians of of the present day. The teachings of the Apostles he regards more advisory than man- datory. The form of doctrines commonly known as Christianity he does not regard as necessarily synonymous with evangelical religion ; although he admits that the two may go together, and sometimes do. He does not reject the divinity of CHRIST, nor the doctrine of a future state of rewards and punishment. We could wish that the gifted Bishop COXE had not written that crusaders’ song. In fact, we do wish it. He has done other things much better. I/e /zas (Zone not/ling worse. God help the Russ! God bless the Czar! Shame on the swords that trade can marl Shame on the laggards, faint and far, That rise not to the holy war. To arms! to arms! The Cross our star. The Cross a star?—that will never do, Bishop. But it is only a minor defect. T/zere are oz‘/zer and more serious ones.—C/zrz's2‘z'an at Work. It is curious how much science just now does for an attack, and how little for defence. If only the development of humanity kept pace with the improvements in the art of war ! In an elaborate article, in June Evolufion G. W. Cook argues the origin of christianity to be an outgrowth of perfected Judaism. This is another evidence of the growth of Shaker ideas outside of our societies. We have long held that Judaism was the proper school to introduce christianity to souls, and now Cook writes : “In fact, in every direction christianity was a natural evolution from Ju- daism, as inﬂuenced by Greek, and other thought.” Hundreds and thousands are ﬂocking to Shaker testimony. A ‘V DOMESTIC ECONOMY. CUCUMBER PICKLES. In answer to B. G. H. in Country Gen- tleman of May 10th, I would say that from twenty years’ experience I ﬁnd the quickest and most sure method of pickling cucumbers by the quantity or less is thus: For one hundred cucumbers, say about three or four inches l0ng,,take one pint of salt and sprinkle over them (for larger ones, more salt is re- quired, or longer standing in the brine—say forty—eight hours) in tubs, having ready boil- ing water to pour over them sufficient to cover them well. Let them stand twenty-four hours, stirring occasionally that all may be affected by the brine, then wipe dry, and pack in stone jars. Scald your “spices to your taste” in the vinegar, and pour over hem hot; lay a plate over them to keep them all under the vinegar. Now paste two pieces of factory cloth together, and then paste this over the neck of the jar securely, to keep from the air. Place them in the cellar where they will not be injured by the frost, and your pickles will keep two years (if sealed) as well as one, and hard and crispy. I use red pepper and horseradish, and sometimes add one cupful of brown sugar to the jar, which improves it much. I have found this a much easier way than salting them down and freshening in the winter. Try them once and you will again. N. B.—Use noth- ing but pure cider vinegar, as manufactured Vinegars will not preserve fruit for any length of time, and for cucumbers in particular; nothing but pure cider vinegar will keep them go0d.—M. W. in Country Gentleman. REMEDY FOR INSECT BITES. When a mosquito, ﬂea, gnat, or other nox- ious insect, punctures the human skin, it de- posits or injects an atom of an acidulous ﬂuid of a poisonous nature. The results are irritation, a sensation of tickling, itching, or of pain. The tickling of ﬂies we are compar- atively indifferent about; but the itch pro- duced by a ﬂea, or gnat, or other noisome in- sect, disturbs our serenity, and, like the pain ofa wasp or a bee sting, excites us to a reme- dy. The best remedies for the sting ofinsects are those which will instantly neutralize this acidulous poison deposited in the skin. These are either ammonia or borax. The al- kaline reaction of borax is scarcely yet suffi- ciently appreciated. However, a time will come when its good qualities will be known, and more universally valued than ammonia, or, as itis commonly termed, “hartshorn.” The solution of borax for in sect bites is made thus: Dissolve one ounce borax in one pint of water that has been boiled and allowed to cool. Instead of plain water, distilled rose- water, elder, or orange-ﬂower water, is more pleasant. The bites are to be dabbed with the solution so long as there is any ir.ritati0n. For bees’ or wasps’ stings, the borax solution may be made of twice the above strength. In every farmhouse this solution should be kept as a household remedy.—S. Piesse. If your room needs deodorizing, or a change of air seems very desirable therein, throw open the windows for a few moments, and burn on the stove-hearth, or over the lamp-chimney on some metal substance, a lump of sugar as large as a hickory-nut. Al- most any one unfamiliar with this method, will be most agreeably suprised at the result. It is a fact, seldom realized by those en- gaged in the culinary department, that any fruit that is fully ripe, is materially damaged in ﬂavor, and as a food, by cooking. Some one has lately tried to make us be- lieve, that considerable of the acridity of life is dispelled by letting in additional sunlight into our apartments, and dropping an extra lump of sugar into our tea. Let us try it. 1:. vi AGRICULTURAL. WEEDS. Among the earliest plants to start in arable ground are weeds, and the presence of weeds is more or less indicative of slovenly farming. But what is a weed? inquires one. As good a deﬂnition as can be given is: A plant out of place; or, in other words, every plant dif- ferent from the crop under cultivation, and growing therewith to its detriment. Weeds are propagated in two ways, to wit: by seeds and roots. To the former sort belong annuals and biennials, and to the latter, perennials. Professor Buckman, of the Cirenster Col- lege, England, discovered in a pint of clover seed, 7000 weed seeds; in a pint of cow-grass seed, 12,000; in broad clover, 39,440; and two pints of clover seed yielded, one 25,560, and the other 70,400 weed seeds. These statements show the neceesity for care in buy- ing clover seed. The same necessity for care in purchasing grains and grass seeds is manifest, as shown in reference to clover seeds. The above pro- fessor counted four thousand seeds ripened by one plant of charlok, or “wild turnip,” as the weed is sometimes called by farmers. The stinking chamomile, a single plant of it pro- duced 36,000 seeds, and a burdock 26,000, and a plant of common dock 17,000 seeds. These few specimens show with what wonderful 64: SHAI{ER. sor - row did an - guish, yet, - Mas - ter, a they bowed knew will clared say they ‘ ‘Thy their suf - fered - lone CHRIST’S SUFFERINGS. ing in spir - friend - ship with - For Be - lone ? smart. it a- en - (hired the seemed sub whose love in sweet And Yet Him not, be love sweet whose in they done,” bowed 3. And who has ever fathomed such keenness of distress, Or who has ever tasted the depths of’ bitterness ; Like Him who cried in anguish, and sorest agony, S “My God !- My God !- why is it, Thou hast forsaken me P” 5. Let us be likewise able to show forgiving love, “With wisdom of the serpent, and mildness of the dove: Thus prove ourselves true members of Christ, the heavenly Root, Producing in abundance, the blessed gospel fruit. proliﬁcness weeds furnish seeds for propaga- tion. Thistles, and some other kinds of weeds, furnish winged seeds, which are scattered by the wind. No farmer should suﬁer such plants to go to seed. Another way of propa- gating weeds, is by putting the cuttings of hedges and other waste places into the com- post heaps. Such are some of the ways of propagating weeds. As prevention is better than cure, exercise it when and where it can be done; but be sure and eradicate weeds in the garden and the ﬁeld. We have seen the value of sowing rye , ,. ,,A,,_ _. «. ,,_.___ l l First, where the rye is sown thickly, no weeds can supersede it; and when the crop is har- vested, and ere the ground freezes, a good coating of green manure is thus furnished, to be turned under. Farmers are getting wise in the knowledge that a heavy green crop for turning under is by far the cheapest method of manuring farms well. Here are a couple of items worthy of being told. Farmers who have tested them say they are eﬁfectual as good scarecrows: The best scarecrow is a suspended looking- glass. Take two small, cheap mirrors, fasten ev’ - ry reft of ‘among corn, after it has received its last hoe- them back to back, attach a cord to one angle, ing and hilling. The value is tut;-.‘7c~l(E: ;;:*.d 11:.-.r;g l.l.”..’E‘.l 3.2.» elastic pole. of one, de - part, Him ples, sook ci for - dis - friend His de could clared say, est, sion,—— they c cThy Whose While CANTERBURY, N. H. - ﬂowed Lord o’er their that a smitten in most and try - ing striek - en seemed sub - strong - est, De - mis - sion,—— Could say 4. Remember ’twas our Savior who drank clared Him be knew will they not. C done.” this bitter cup, And gave both soul and body, a willing offering up ; Whose voice in pitying accents, for pcrsecutors too, VVas heard to say, “Forgive them. they know not what they do.” 6. Then, never fear, my brother, tliousrli seeniingly alone; And grow not sad, my sister, when heavy sorrows come. Since our dear Savior suffered.—we can endure the rod; And tribulation leads us. the lovely road to God. When the glass swings in the wind, the sun’s rays are reflected all over the ﬁeld, even if it be a large one, and even the oldest and bravest of crows will depart precipitately should one of its lightning ﬂashes fall on him. The second plan, although a terror to crows, is especially well suited to ﬁelds sub- jected to the inroads of small birds, and even chickens. It involves an artiﬁcial hawk made from a big potato and long goose and turkey feathers. The maker can exercise his imitative skill in sticking the feathers into the potato so that they resemble the spread wings and tail of the hawk. It is astonishing what a ferocious bird of prey can be constructed from the above simple material. It only re- mains to hang the object from a tall bent pole, and the wind will do the rest. The bird will make swoops and dashes in the most headlong and threatening manner. Even the most inquisitive of venerable hens have been known to hurry rapidly from its danger- ous vicinity, while to small birds it carries unmixed dismay.——Sct'e7ztzﬁc American. FVERGREEVN SHORES. At Union Village, Ohio, May 13, 1877, AL- LURI DEWITT, aged 73 years. At Mt. Lebanon, N. Y., May 29, 1877, AB- IGAIL HATHAWAY, aged 56 years. N
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Subjects: Shaker -- Periodicals
Identifier: yhm-sha-ts0708
Is part of: Hamilton College Library Digital Collections, Communal Societies Collection, Shaker Collection

Title: Shaker Manifesto, vol. 07, no. 09 (September 1877)
Publisher: United Societies
Date: 1877-09-01
Place published: New York
Text: H E S H A K E OFFICIAL MONTHLY.—PUBLISHED BY THE UNITED SOCIETIES. “ ﬁn great}; the kingdnm aﬁ ﬁnd! ” Q1112 twtimang nﬂ eternal hgutlz. G. A. LOMAS, Enrron, Shakers, N. Y. VOL. VI. SEPTEMBER, 1877. N. A. BRIGGS, PUBLISHER, E Shaker Village, N. H. No. 9. LOVE. ELIZAB ETH MARTIN. How we love to meet a soul whose inﬂuence breathes peace, and such are they who cultivate in their hearts the beautiful gift of universal love. When inexperience blinds our eyes, and error leads us where we would not go, how truly then we appreciate that love whose gentle acts speak thus: “ I will sacriﬁce for thee ; thou art a portion of my sacred interest; material trials can- not come between my soul and thine to mar nor divide ; but I will take thee by the hand and pray for thee that thy strength fail not; till thine error is con- quered, and thou canst walk securely in the right-hand path, where virtue reigns. Purity has paved the way; righteousness and peace illumine the .course; strait as straitness, p...
Show moreH E S H A K E OFFICIAL MONTHLY.—PUBLISHED BY THE UNITED SOCIETIES. “ ﬁn great}; the kingdnm aﬁ ﬁnd! ” Q1112 twtimang nﬂ eternal hgutlz. G. A. LOMAS, Enrron, Shakers, N. Y. VOL. VI. SEPTEMBER, 1877. N. A. BRIGGS, PUBLISHER, E Shaker Village, N. H. No. 9. LOVE. ELIZAB ETH MARTIN. How we love to meet a soul whose inﬂuence breathes peace, and such are they who cultivate in their hearts the beautiful gift of universal love. When inexperience blinds our eyes, and error leads us where we would not go, how truly then we appreciate that love whose gentle acts speak thus: “ I will sacriﬁce for thee ; thou art a portion of my sacred interest; material trials can- not come between my soul and thine to mar nor divide ; but I will take thee by the hand and pray for thee that thy strength fail not; till thine error is con- quered, and thou canst walk securely in the right-hand path, where virtue reigns. Purity has paved the way; righteousness and peace illumine the .course; strait as straitness, pure as the 7) jiheavens, thou canst not lose thy way. How it melts our souls! How we love :to clasp so warm at hand, and ﬁnd our reliance in so pure a heart! Surely, if before we felt forsaken, now we feel the cloud of despondency lifted up, and one of God’s messengers sent to tell us of that love that “ saves to the uttermost” that pure spirit of God dwelling in the bosom of humanity; and we voluntarily say we will sacrzﬁce also. 0, what a rich treasure is pure, disinterested love! How priceless the gem! God created it. It is one of the attributes of God. When he made man “in his own im- age,” he infused this divine nature in his being to bring forth fruits of right- eousness and peace on earth, and make man truly only a “ little lower than the angels.” But how has he perverted this God- given faculty of the mind! How has it become dimmed and cankered in the vortex of selﬁsh passions! God calls upon his children through the Christ spirit, to cultivate anew this heaven-born germ implanted in the He says: “ Give me thy heart.” Let us put forth thy hands in active love,——be jealous over the interests of our brother and sister, through our own self-sacriﬁce; “weep with those who weep”—-let their suﬂerings touch our souls as our own heart-griefs. We will “ rejoice with those who do rejoice” in reﬁned thanksgiving, for love is har- mony. Love is the greatest saving power,—-’tis the “balm in Gilead” to soothe and make Whole. Love is self- denying, and quickens the spirit in con- soul. ﬁdence toward its Creator, for “Perfect love casteth out fear.” VVhat an Eden would this world be had man obeyed the command, “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,” and “thy neighbor as thyself.” Love never slanders, never deceives, is not suspicious, not envious nor selﬁsh. It delights to speak well qf its brother,— speak truthfully to him,—believes him sincere, and denies itself for his happi- ness. Let us all cultivate love toward each other. We do not know the magnitude of its holy inﬂuence on the minds of those around us. Let us speak in the Zone of love, and in the spirit of love, and pray for a daily draught from the unfailing fountain of eternal /zeavenly We We have sacriﬁced the car- nal and natural relations of this life, and our affections reach out to love. Let them be interwoven in and through the pure christian relationship. Let their roots be planted in that foundation “ pure as crystal,” and their vines, en- twining around the “oaks” in Zion. grow strong and able to bring forth fruits of love unto the Lord,——a chasten- ed spirit, a virgin soul, the perfection of gospel graces. Let the aged feel th at we love and revere them ; for they are needy and worthy of all we can be- stow, and their blessing in return is a golden link, joining us to the love of friends in the “better land.” Let us love the middle-aged; on them devolve the burdens of this encumbered life, and love buoys and supports the soul. Let us love the young. Ah, the young,— love, to cement us soul to soul. must love! They need the love whose breath is prayer, To guide their wayward steps- To lead them to that anchor—where Their souls in God can rest. ' And let us love the infant mind, yet ig- norant of life’s hidden snares and trying burdens. Amid our hours of watching and weariness, let us not forget to love their souls, but gently lead them, stamp- ing the impress of love upon their tender hearts, ere they are seared by cold, self- ish neglect. How desolate would be the pathway of life, did not some sun of true, pure love sometimes arise above the horizon ofour vision, when our hope and faith seem eclipsed with trial, to enliven and refresh with its bright and glorious rays. A cheerful countenance, a pure lan- guage, a gentle voice, a willing hand, are all notes of harmony, whose com- bined tones, vibrating on the chords of the soul, breathe the sweet music of Love, lifting our thoughts to God and heaven. Let us all learn to “play these sweet keys,” and make our earth a paradise, and its inhabitants angels. Canterbury, N. H. An CHRISTIAN CHARITY. JAMES G. RUSSELL. And now abideth Faith and Hope And Ch::.rity—-—these three; The greatest one with which we cope, Is Christian Charity. To patiently and meekly bear ' The plain and wholesome truth,- The ills of life, its wear and tear, And waywardness of youth, Requires that christian charity, The christian only knows, VVho cultivates among the three, The smiling, blooming rose. For though we have the miner’s wealth, His mass of glittering gold, And——greatest ofearth’s blessings—health,—— And gifts, a hundred fold, Yea. though we speak with tongues of men, In eloquence most free, And wield the sage’s magic pen, Yet, have not charity, We prove ourselves as “ sounding brass,” Or “ tinkling cymbals ” shoal; And when to spirit life we pass, Remorse will ﬁll the soul. Come, then, each fair professing saint, Let each our lives review, And whatsoever proves a taint, We’ll cleanse and start anew. But, deepest of all sinful hues, Uncharity we ﬁnd Discloses to our sight a bruise Upon the feeble mind, Too deep and painful to behold, Without a shedding tear; The aching heart so void and cold, With love we would not cheer! But let us now Love’s healing balm, With constancy apply, And every rising tempest calm, That clouds a sunny sky. The young and tender buds, that need The nourishment oflife, To cherish with parental heed, Shall be our future strife. Our blessed Savior’s words shall be Engraven with each thought, “Let little children come to me, And none forbid them not.” We’ll draw each little trusting mind So closely to our own, That safe protection they may ﬁnd Within our walls ofhome. And though advancing days ofyouth Increase each anxious care, And where we’ve sown the seeds of truth, We ﬁnd the pois’nous tare, We will not hopelessly repine, And in our weakness say, Behold the fruitless waste of time, Our work all thrown away! But strive we will with christian zeal, Each youthful heart to bless, Although we may not always feel Returns of gratefulness, We ever will the right maintain, And keep a spirit mild, With anxious feelings, to reclaim The wayward youth or child. Thus like our Savior we may be, In Zion, saviors too; Promoting peace and purity, In all we say and do. Uplifting in aﬁliction’s hour, The weary, fainting soul; Employing all our time and power To strengthen young and old. Our blessed parents, who have trod The path we now pursue, Have gathered many souls to God, And this now we may do. If we, with equal charity, Forgive, and long forbear, With manifested parity, ‘ Their gospel mantles wear; So we, like them, may gather souls, From darkness, sin and loss; And as development unfolds, Sustain them in the cross. Oh Charity, sweet Charity! Thy suﬁerance is long! And “ chief among the blessed three,” Thou conquerest all wrong. We’ll wear thee as a garment fair, Throughout ourjourney here, And let each word and act declare Thy presence ever near. And in the good time yet to be, When from our toils we rest, Our grateful children we shall see Rise up and call us blest. RIGHTEOUS VENGEANCE.-—Some one having urged Tasso to avenge himself upon a man who had done him many injuries, he said: “I wish to take from him neither his property, nor his life, nor his honor, but only his ill-will towards me.” 4;. VCONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION. FREDERICK W. EVANS. In England, there is national excite- ment about the Eastern War; about the Bradlaugh and Bessant book, how to check population, and also an ecclesiasti- cal excitement about a new book———“The Priest in Absolution.” This book gives minute directions to the priests of the high church party, to whom it is issued, how to question the penitent. As all the Protestant priests, like their Catholic fathers, are of the “Lords of creation” order, this gives unutterable offence to the anti-popery classes of the reformation. The ritualists are lapsing back into the old mother of harlots’ bosom. Confession and absolution are taught, and Episcopal convents and nunneries are already established by the hundred. The mother and her 66 THE SHAKER. harlot daughters are vitalized by the same “blood of Jesus,” and at their sacraments, eat his ﬂesh——spiritual can- nibalism. In war, monopoly and mar- riage, they are one. Punch expresses the English mind thus: PUNCH TO THE PRIESTLY PAUL PRYS. Bah! ’Tis a loathsome task; a piece of work That Punch, as well as Redesdale, fain would shirk; But, lest the pestjshould suck fresh life from doubh “War to the knife I ” the tocsin must ring out. Stand up, you priestly Prysl Sham Roman pranks, Mock-monkish tricks we look for from your ranks— Matters of course, as ills familiar borne, Or ﬂagellated with half-careless scorn; But when the gnats that pester, poison too, They must be crushed—and so, Jack-priests, must you. What poison worse than the foul canker- worm’s, _ Dropped in the germ to blight the opening bud? Nor casuistwrigglings, nor sophistic squirms, Henceforthv can clear you; it should stir the blood Even of Gallios, whom your mummeries irk No more than puppet-posturings, to see The leaven of your impious piety In black and white once more at its foul work. Hearts in these fevered days are not too clean, Imaginations not too sweet. What then? Tozﬂd peep and pry into the souls of men, To scent uncleanness out with snouts unclean; You’d poke and pry upon e’en childhood’s tracks For the snake’s trail. wake In maiden minds you’d Specters more easy raised than banished. Take , Your nostrums hence! Sham spiritual quacks Must not be trusted with our household’s health. We dread your creep of super-subtle stealth, . Nor will we trust your fumbling hands to feel About the roots of life. Let spirit deal With spirit frankly in free day-light. Learn That still our English natures scorn and spurn This ﬁeshly inquisition of the ﬂesh, Whose pryings serve no end but to enmesh Confessor and confessed in sense’s snare. So stand aside, let in the fresh Junerair, With ﬂowery breath to sweeten once again The place your presence taints. ’Tis all in vain You’d burrow, mole-wise, in the dirt. o’erl We will not have this bastard-birth of Rome- We’ll guard from it the purity of home, Or crush it, like a viper, at the door! “It is the old spirit of Henry the Eighth’s time.” “ Hate the pope, the man of sin, and the priests, his minis- ters,” is the motto. Times are changed. The Protestantpriesthood have had their day and have now come to the day of 'ud ment. Protestantism, in En land J g g 7 will be displaced by the coming system, as it displaced popery. Church and state will there be separated, as now in America. And, unless there is a better watch kept, church and state will here be united. Either Protestant, or Catho- lic will gain the ascendency. To [Mer- ty, it matters not which. Confession, of both sexes, to a male priesthood, is a source of corruption, not puriﬁcation. Such confession, and the sale of indulgences to sin, armed Luther. “ Priests with snouts unclean,” reproving sin, is like Brooklyn churches reproving ﬁlthy communications that have corrupted the good manners of the rising generations. Honest John Bull hates shams. Can a solvent bank be bankrupted by counterfeits, unless itself is deceived by them? Never l A true confession is good for the soul. Gold is not injured, even in the crucible. When Spanish Catholics Went to Give Mexico, they found a grand system, with its judiciary, military and priest- hood, rivaling any western civilization. The priesthood was dead—male and female. Confession, as with the Shak- ers, was made in order. Each sex to its own priesthood. Nothing but good came of it. If a sin was repeated after confession, there was no expiation, no more for- giveness. The following is a Mexican prayer, over a penitent: “ O merciful God, thou who knowest the secrets of all hearts, let thy forgiveness and favor flow, like the pure waters of heaven, to wash away the stain of this soul. Thou knowest that this poor man has not sinned of his own free will, but from the inﬂuence of the sign of the zodiac under which he was born.” In Mexico. the land was held by government, on behalf of all the people. Each district supported its own inhabitants. No poor-houses. They had hospitals, but the doctors did not protract cures to in- crease their revenues. Slavery existed, but none were born slaves. Monasteries and nunner'ies were found in their great temples. Temples existed by the hundred, in and around cities. Stairs wound round the pyramid like struc- tures, at each story. On the top was the great stone of sacriﬁce, whereon human beings were sacriﬁced, just as, under the Jewish priesthood, animals were killed on the altars, for the same purpose-——food. The Jew may eat no ﬂesh meat, except killed by the priest. He is allowed to kill only ﬁve sorts of animals, oxen, sheep, goats, pigeons, doves. Abram came near to the Mexicans when he purposed to sacriﬁce his own son Isaac. It was in his heart to do it. “The hand of Jacob held fast the heel of Esau.” The Mexicans sacriﬁced from 20,000 to IO0,000 yearly. The victims consisted of two classes, prisoners of war and criminals. Oc- casionally, a notable victim, like Isaac, was called for. The victims were gen- erally well treated, even pampered and feted, by the aristocracy. The Spanish priesthood sacriﬁced as many human beings——men, women and children, in their infernal inquisitions, as the Mexi- cans oﬁered in sacriﬁce. And they, as heretics, were tortured to death, then sent into endless hell-ﬁre. Whether the Spanish auto de fe, or the Mexican pro- cession, winding up, up, round and round, to the stone of sacriﬁce, was the most debasing to the people, I leave for others to decide. The Mexican was aw- fully grand and terriﬁcally impressive, being plainly seen at a great distance. The Spanish was infernally suggestive of an eternal state of devilish torment. May both be supplanted by a better system. Is not the Protestant atoning sacriﬁce of Jesus, his blood to be drank and bathed in as a fountain, the eating of his flesh, as in the Catholic and Greek churches, in sacrament, a relic of a former state of Mexican cannibalism? Do not all these bloody systems begin With the habit of killing and eating all sorts of animals? If marriage is legalized licentious- ness, private property, as now in opera- tion, legalized robbery, war, legalized murder, modern cookery, a means of pandering to an abnormal, unregulated appetite, that calls for legalized drug- gery, what had we better do about them? Call the death roll, close up our ranks, and read 2'72 z‘/ze AUGUST NUMBER of THE SHAKER, under “Szgns of L‘/ze Times,” the argument of a writer in the Bosion Traveller, upon “Fruit Culture and Human Progress.” A V HUNTING FOR THE SUNBEAM. E. T. LEGGETT. Of all life’s recreations, There’s none so dear to me As hunting far the sunbeam, Wherever I may be. I ﬁnd itgoften hidden Down in the mourner’s eye, Or glistening from the cloud-bank Beneath a winter’s sky. It blushes in the rose-bud, And wakes it into bloom; It gives the heath its beauty, And violet its perfume; It rouses Spring from dreaming Of fragrant buds and bowers, And starts the harvest teeming With golden sheaves and ﬂowers. Earth has no grand speciﬂc For hearts that throb with pain, Like pouring in the sunbeams Till smiles come back again. Oft when my heart is burdened Beyond what heart can bear, I gather in the sunbeams, And all is happy there. Would all my young companions Who list to me to—day, But gather in the sunbeams And store them all away; They’d ﬁnd this world so beautiful They’d only Wonder why So many seek for heaven Beneath a clouded sky. -_.,____.,.,,__.__.___.._.__ Epitomic History of the Watervliet. Shakers. No. 5. D. A. BUCKINGHAM. EDUCATION. Previous to the year 1818, very little attention had been paid to literature. There were no schools then established in the Society, and but little done in teaching “idea how to shoot,” as far as book knowledge was concerned. What had been done in the line of instruction was performed, prin- cipally, in the separate families where the children resided, in what is now termed “ Private or Evening Schools.” But, during the year 1823, a brick school-house was erected, suﬂiciently large to accommodate twenty-ﬁve or thirty pupils, and a regular day school was established, in which the common branches of education werevsuccessfully taught, such as reading, writing, arith- metic, geography, grammar and spelling. From that time to the present, our school has been gradually advancing. The the young school commissioners of our town and county, who have often inspected it, give it their approval, and call it a well- organized and a well-disciplined school. In addition to the above-mentioned branches of literature, we have since introduced others, viz: history, astron- omy, geometry, philosophy, physiology, drawing, algebra, and written compo- sition. We have adopted the free—sc/zoo! sys- iem of instruction ; in which the district furnishes all the apparatus necessary—— books, maps, charts, blackboards, &c., and every child in the district, if able, is required to attend; males in the win- ter and spring, and females in the sum- mer and autumn. We have a district school library of over three hundred volumes of selected books, including science, literature, his- tory, biography, agriculture, horticul- ture, chemistry, botany, philosophy, physiology, morality, &c., &c., in which is included sixteen volu mes of the “New American Cyclopedia,” a little world ofinformation within itself. Thislibrary has been in operation from the year 1846, to which additions have been annually made. In order to establish a uniform method of instruction, in which the diﬁ‘e1'ent so- cieties of Believers might all participate, Seth Y. \/Vells, of Mt. Lebanon, N. Y., a well-educated, scientiﬁc man and brother, was duly authorized by the leaders of our institution, to make a tour throughout the eastern societies of our people, for the purpose of encouraging, regulating and establishing more per- manently, the schools in that vicinity. It was about this time that the Lan- casterian mode of instruction was in vogue, and he beingin favor, and rather an advocate for that system, adopted it wherever he taught. He certainly did much in promoting the intellectual cul- tureiof the young in those parts, even as he had done previously in the socie- ties at Mt. Lebanon and Watervliet. It has ever been, as it still is, the design of our institution, to train up the chil- dren which we have taken and adopted, “ in the way they should go,” endeav- oring to infuse into their young and ten- der minds the genuine principles of truth and honesty. Children taken among us on trial, if they wish to remain with us, although they have had no previous chance for education, we endeavor to give them a fair opportunity, with others, as we sympathize- with them greatly. Yet we ﬁnd, Where they have had no previous training, it is the more difﬁcult to raise them to an honorable standing by which they can accomplish the business and common duties oflife. Some children, on presenting themselves, or when being presented by their parents and guard- ians, are hardly familiar with the letters of the alphabet, who have arrived to the age of ten or twelve years. This should not have been so in any district of our great state and country. The poor should be cared for; and if the parents of such children are too poor to educate w THE SHAKER. 67 them, some other means should be pro- vided by the district, town or county where they belong. The rich should help the poor. In taking children among us, if we are pleased with them and they with us, by the consent of their parents or guard- ians, we adopt them as our own; and after having been adopted, we feel that they are ours, and take special interest in their welfare and protection; as much so as though we were their natur- al parents, and were the immediate cause of their coming into the world. Their sorrows become our sorrow, and their joys our joy. We love them, sym- pathize with them, and are pleased with their innocence and simplicity. But on the other hand, we are often grieved to see the vulgar traits—-the base con- duct and conversation——of some children offered us, who have become acquainted with all the vile trickery aﬂoat in the world. Yet, even in this, we cast a cloak of charity over them, and so sym- pathize with them that we would gladly raise them out of it, considering that their parents, guardians or associates are quite as much to blame as them- selves, in very many cases. The ex- ample set them by those that are older, is, many times, very demoralizing, and upon this class must rest much of the accountability- If parents and guardians of children, after placing them among the Shakers, would be satisﬁed to let them alone, or remain with the people unmolested, it would be very much to the beneﬁt of the children, as well as to the comfort of the people where such children are placed. By frequent visits, with some few trifling presents, of little orno Value, parents often keep their children in an unsettled state of mind, discontented and unhappy, not being able to feel that they have really an abiding home any- where. Children under such circum- stances, are not able to make their own choice as,to the life they would prefer, ' or be pleased to live—whether to be a Shaker or not—for they have not been left by their former friends and acquaint- ances long enough to feel and appreci- ate the kind affections extended towards them by their generous Shaker friends. Children among us, when arrived at maturity, by our Church Covenant, have a right to choose for themselves what course they will take ; and if they do not wish to abide with us, and be- come one of us, they are at liberty to But we do not obligate our- selves to, bring up or retain children among us who are obstinate and rebell- ious, unwilling to yield to good moral discipline and religious instruction. Neither do we take children to educate or bring up for outside society merely, with the understanding that we have no claim upon them whatever, when their relatives or acquaintances may please to demand them. As before stated,we take and adopt children for the purpose of making Shakers of them, if possible. And if any are not willing their children should becorne§ySl1akers leave. in mature years, they had better not bring them, nor seek to ﬁnd a location for them, as children, in our Society. Physical and Spiritual Harmony. ANDREW BARRETT. In perusing the well-ﬁlled columns of our little MESSENGER, my eyes rested upon the important article, “How to live, and live aright.” Every agitation, or troubling of the waters on this sub- ject, meets my approbation; and the same of many more, who are trying to live out the true manner of life, physi- cally, that in truth we may enjoy the fruitions of the angel life. If we have found the new life, and are approaching nearer the source of life, do we not think less of mere husks? less of the exterior of things and more of the heart of things? Do we not be- lieve, more than heretofore, that the things which are seen are temporal, and the things which are not seen, eter- nal? If we care for our bodies, is it not that they may become tabernacles other than for sensuous enjoyment? that they may become the fittest possi- bleinstruments for mental culture, moral and spiritual unfoldings? The spirit is the motive power. Its operation upon our physical forms is similar to the steam upon the engine. And how necessary it is to have every part of that engine in proper working order, if there is to be a harmony of movements. But let a cog be broken, or a shaft misplaced, can it perform its oﬂice? So appears to me to be the case with the spirit and body. Can a diseased body have a healthy spirit? Will they work together in harmony? Can they enjoy the blessings that the Creator has ordained them to enjoy? Is that body fulﬁlling God’s purposes? Then why not make it one of the great aims of life to know how to live? Notes by the Way. No. 10. HENRY C. BLINN. Just now I am somewhat interested in the demonstrations of light which I find circulating so quietly, and yet so effectually, in the minds of men. In fact, I think the more interest we take in any of the moral or religious phases of life, the more we shall see wherein the hand of a kind Providence is gradu- ally unfolding to the children of men, more clearly and fully, the “ways or pleasantness and the paths of peace.” History informs us that there has been a stone age, an iron age, and a golden age. Very well; if they proved satis- factory to those who lived amid their especial influences, we should rejoice for their sakes. VVC have the culmina- tion of them all, and a manifestation of light and life far exceeding. We have heard that those who dwell in splen- did residences sometimes occupy for years the rear apartments of the build- ing, which are more or less obscured by blinds or shutters, while they re- serve in darkness? the parlor or draw- ing-roorn for an anticipated company that never arrives, thus depriving them- selves of the thousand and one blessings which the beautiful sunshine would con- fer upon them. Possibly there may be “Freely ye have received, freely give.” It may be wise to make an examination, and see if we are not largely occupying the rear apartments of the mind, where men who, having exalted faculties of the treasures of this world claim the the mind, as foolishly close their best most attention, or are quietly resting on apartments to the light, and hide them- anticipated promises in the inner tem- selves away to ponder over some physi- ological, social, or theological problem, ——the elucidation of which, to them- selves only, is the salvation of the world,—forgetting that the deprivation of either one may render us very un- happy. He who teaches the imperative ple, with the blinds closed. What shall Ido to he a. Shaker '2 No. 6. JAMES S. PRESCOTT. As the religious and spiritual ele- ments are increasing everyyear, running necessity Of chastity Of body may be parallel with the destructive element, doing as much t0 establish the kingdom the time is coming when the question, Of GOd l1pOI1 earth as the One Who is “ Men and brethren, what shall we do?” singing psalms. If the knowledge Of will be asked with no unmeaning sound. the l-Oltda in this faV0Ted age, falls “ tO When the angels of correction are sent cover the land,” it must be admitted forth, as they surely will be, the cry of that it (lW€llS largely among men. It convicted souls will not be, “What is found up-springing on every side. A prominent New England divine shall I do to be a Shaker?” nominally —-this is too sectarian to the world- W1‘it€S= “ W06 t0 him Who subtly brings but what shall we do to be saved from evil upon: another.” your ambitions, in your way of talkiiig, “In all your the violation of christian law, from growth then, seek after goodness.” “In which we are now suffeﬁngp This will be their language: “Men and in YOU? style Of doing bl1SlheSSs in the brethren, what shall we do?”———Acts 2: expression of your religiousness, in your 37, This will be the burden of their words and feelings even, you are copied cry, by others. The soul has its children as truly as the body. they will come to you and claim you as parents.” From the author of “Man and his Such are sinning with their eyes In the judgment open; living in constant and perpetual violation of the laws of reproduction; the fruits thereof are manifest, which _are deal‘/z—moral and spiritual death. Relations,” we quote: “So intimate is Wliat shall we do that we may live—— the relation between the body and the mind, that they act reciprocally and powerfully on each other. Especially does the mind exert a mighty inﬂuence, for weal or woe, over the body. The mental and vital acting are so insepara- ble that every silem‘ emotion and un- spoken thought leaves an image——dim and shadowy it may be—ir1 the organic structure. The vital ﬂuids ﬂow fast or slow, as the mind is excited, or is per- mitted to repose.” “Moral education, without which there is nothing of literature or of sci- ence, but is liable to be perverted to the worst purposes, is to be begun in in- fancy. The ﬁrst step is to teach the child implicit obedience to parental au- thority, and then to rule with such mod- eration and sweetness, that it shall en- tirely trust and love the hand that guides it. Nor is it precept alone that will suiﬁce. Though precept upon pre- cept be given, and their memories be “ to inherit eternal life?” A more im- portant question was never asked. And the answer will be, not only éelieve on the Lord Jesus Christ, but live /zz's Z1‘ 6. This is‘ eating his ﬂesh and drinking his blood, in the very deed. Keep his commandments. “VVe shall be saved by /zis Zzfe.”——Romans 5:10, and not by his death. This is being saved by the Hood of Christ; for what a man eats or drinks makes his blood. “The blood is the life thereof.” Therefore all men should be careful of what they eat, and of what kind of a life they are living on the earth; whether it is any better than that which Adam lived, whom so many reproach for having committed the ﬁrst and great sin. WHO IS A SHAKER? A real and true Shaker is one who is living the of Christ; who is living in the development of the moral and spiritual faculties—the highest, crown- stored with moral and religious love of ing glory of man and woman while in the ﬁrst kind, it will be of little avail except a corresponding example be daily practiced before their eyes.” It must be a source of great satisfac- tion to the philanthropic mind to ﬁnd such earnest co—workers here. Through the persistent efforts of this, much that is wrong is prevented from germi- nating. Infancy, youth and old age are the form. This is the reason why he has stood before the world for the last century and proclaimed his sentiments, and is still apparently unknown; “ his life is hid with Christ in God;’’ he is an Essenean of the nineteenth century; hence, there is no affinity existing be- tween him and those on that plane; he lives in the future, hence he is often held by moral restraint from many of misrepresented in the present; having the inﬂuences which are on the borders of perdition. Although called from the world as evangelists to testify against the sins of the world, our order “has not whereof to boast.” The scriptural injunction meets us on every hand: outgrown the rudimental, he “ is not of the world.” _ Thousands are being developed on the animal plane, and as many in the intellectual scale, who stand in great need of a higher moral and spir- 68 THE SHAKER. itual development. They lack these elements as much as did one of old, who said he had kept the “law” from his youth up. It was never designed that man and woman, of noble intel- lects, should always remain slaves to their perverted appetites and passions. There is a “lzzg/zer law” for them to keep, and moral power is given in this day to enforce that law. “For new is come salvation and strength, the king- dom of our God and the power of his Christ.” N. Union, 0. A Beautiful Things. MARIA VVHEELER. A spirit that harbors no malice, but forgives as it would be forgiven. A soft answer given when the heart prompts a harsh one. ' It is a beautiful thing to frankly ac- knowledge an error we are conscious of committing toward another; and a more enjoyable thing to know we are wiping away the tears of pain our thoughtless words have caused. The ready smile of a cheerful spirit, and the encouraging words of a time-tried com- panion, are beautiful things to the eyes of angels. A friend, who loveth at all times, through evil and through good report; through sorrow unto joy; through sin and suﬁlering unto repentance, is more beautiful than the stars ment above; more to be desired than all the wealth of Golconda. A pure heart is the crown of all beautiful things. Union Village, 0. in the ﬁrma- V Human Elevation means Animal Extinction. It is well known that since mankind’s advent, many species and varieties of animals have become extinct. Now, is it not as reasonable to believe that when the human race shall have become suf- ﬁciently reﬁned and spiritualized to no longer need nor feed upon animals, they will all disappear from the globe? And may not internal parts of the hu- man body likewise disappear? Animals are to the erection ar1d com- pletion of the human kingdom what scaffoldings are to the construction of a dwelling. VVhen the structure is ﬁnished the builders remove theinstrumentalities, so that other and higher artisans may proceed with the ﬁner_ works ; and after the gardens are prepared, the decora- tions completed, and the furniture ar- ranged, it is then natural to expect and And if animals are man’s indispensable pre- welcome the angel of the house. decessors and subordinates, are they not fully entitled to human sympathy A. Davis. ..,.-,_____. ,,,..‘3~,._ . ,._A___._.,i____ ._ and uniform kindness? DEFAMATION or CHARACTER.—-—-PIX) excel- lent old deacon, who, having won a ﬁne turkey at a charity raflle, didn't like to tell his severe Orthodox wife how he came by it, quietly remarked, as he handed her the tur- key, that the “Shakers gave it to him.” If you cannot pray as you would, nor as you should, pray as well as you can. WAIFs.——It is said there is not now living a single male descendant of Chaucer, Shakes- peare, Spenser, Milton, Cowley, Butler, Dryden, Pope, Cowper, Goldsmith, Scott, Byron, Moore, Sir Philip Sidney, Sir Walter Raleigh, Drake, Cromwell, Hampden, Monk, Marlborough,Peterborough, Nelson,Statford, Orrnond, Clarendon, Addison, Swift, John- son, Walpole, Bolingbroke, Chatham, Pitt, Fox, Burke, Grattan, Canning, Bacon,Locke, Newton, Davy, I-Iume, Gibbon, Macaulay, Hogarth, SirJoshua Reynolds, David Gar- rick, John Kemble, or Edmund Kean. The Nos/zz2z'll¢2 Advocate adds to the list: Isaac Watts, John Wesley, Francis Asbury, Wm. M’Kend1'ee.——Clzrz'5z‘z'a7z Advocate. WAR. The beautiful working of war as a remedy for wrongs and a compensation for injustice is being strikingly illustrated in the East. The war was undertaken by Russia to re- venge the Bulgarian atrocities, to improve the condition of the Bulgarians and other Turkish Christians, and advance Christ’s kingdom generally. Already some twenty thousand men, Turks and Russians, have been killed, and twice as many mangled and maimed in Armenia, besides thousands who have died of disease. Thousands of Moslem and Christian homes in the track of the con- tending armies have been devastated and the families outraged or butchered. On the Danube the losses of life have thus far been less, but will be tenfold greater. The Bulga- rians, whom the Russians came professedly to help, are being ground into ﬁne powder between the two armies, and their fertile coun- try has been made a complete desert on which the gaunt and famine—stricken people look down mournfully from the mountains in which the remnant have taken refuge. The streets of Constantinople are ﬁlled with sol- diers’ starving wives and children, of which the correspondents tell piteous stories, and all the other cities are similarly thronged. Mothers are selling their children for bread, and brothers their sisters. Famine will soon count its tens of thousands of victims. A V DISCOURAGED. One of the most fatal things in the chris- tian life is discouragement. One of the most helpful is cheerfulness. A very Wise man once said that in overcoming temptations, cheerfulness was the ﬁrst thing, cheerfulness the second, and cheerfulness the third. We must expeczf to conquer. When our hearts are faint, then temptation has power. Satan knows this well and he begins his assaults by discouraging us. I once heard an allegory that illustrated this to me wonderfully. Sa- tan called together a council of his servants to consult how they might make a good man sin. One evil spirit started up and said: “I will make him sin.” “How will you do it?” asked Satan. “I will set before him all the pleasures of sin,” was the reply; “I will tell him of its delights and the rich rewards it brings,” “Ah," said Satan, “that will not do; he has tried it and knows better than that.” Then another spirit started up and said: “I will make him sin.” “What will you do?” asked Satan. "I will tell him of the pains and sorrows of virtue. I will show him that virtue has no delights and brings no rewards.” “Ah, no!” exclaimed Satan, “that will not do at all, for he has tried it and knows that wisdom’s ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace.” “Well,” said another imp, starting up, “I will undertake to make him sin.” “And what will you do?” asked Satan. “I will da- coarage /zls soul," was the short reply. “Ah, that will do E” cried Satan. “That will do! VVe shall conquer him now 1” And they did. An old writer says: “All discouragement is from the devil.” I wish every christian would take this to heart, and never forget it. VVe must ﬂy from discouragement as we would from sin.—-H. W. S. in Words of Fail/2. THE SHAKER. Monthly-60 cents per annum. A DUAL ADVOCATE OF CHRIST PRINCIPLES. Was Jesus of Nazareth a Shaker? The question is a direct one, and up- on its decision depends the validity of our claim to the clzrz'sz‘z'a7z qualiﬁcation for our church ; and the same of every denomination using the deﬁnitive cl2rz's- flan. However ready or nnready the world is, to consider Shakerism as being genuine christianity, we are positively satisﬁed that unwarped christianity is radical Shakerism. In these days of religious deteriora- tion, when the substitution of man-made theologies for the direct demands of primitive christianity is so prevalent, the reconsideration of what radical christianity is, and who make its requi- sitions their right to its name, are subjects that are opportune and very proper. ‘That christianity is more full of salvation from sin and its conse- quences, and more pregnant with spir- itual progressions from that which was, and may be good, to that which is far better, are reasons which comprise the acts of allegiance of every consistent christian to it. Unless christianity makes us better to-day ; more free from bad habits; more ample in the features that represent the life in the heavens, than would Judaism or any other ism, let us relinquish it at once. Does pop- ularly-called christianity~ save the world from as many sins of the arch~enemy, selﬁshness, as did Judaism? VVe avow, it does not. Under the popular cogno- men of christianity, mankind have too generally forsaken Moses and Judaism, and at the same time have _evaded the more restraining, saving, elevating and self-denying principles of Jesus, the Christ. Jesus invariably magnified the eflicacy of the Llaw before the people. It was good; but he had something better. Its demands were earthly and moral; his bequests were from the heavens, spiritual. To every regulation of Mo- ses, he gave the sanction of propriety for all followers ofllloses; and did he live to-day, would do the same. Thus, marmiage was good for Jews and heathens, but not for christians, his followers; and he invariably demanded celibacy of his disciples, and would do so now, were he living on the earth. I/Var was and is good for those not yet converted to christianity; but for con- verts, ]>eac'e is better, and its practice positively required by the Christ. Pri- vate z'nleresz‘s and selﬂslz relations were necessarily concomitants under‘the old law ; and the moral extent which it per- mitted them, ﬁnds no superior permis- sion outside of radical christianity. “Six days shalt thou labor” for the in- terests o fM1NE ;“but on the seventh,thou shalt rest” from such selﬁshness, and wait on the needy. The same of every seventlz month, year, years. The moral law was, and is, far supe- ed the law good. same of what is so commonly called christianity to-day? was rior in the curbing of selﬁshness, than‘ the churchal rules of popular theologies wearing the misnomer c/zrz'sz‘z'a7z. Every sevem‘/2 year debtors were forgiven; slaves made free; and z‘/zat year the spontaneous productions of the lands belonged equally to the poor as well as to the rich. “Seven times seven years,” and there was witnessed, not only all the preceding rebukes of selﬁshness, but the land itselfwas returned to its orig- inal owners. How much better all this than the very contracted limits of un- selﬁshness, by what is called christi- anity to-day. Truly, contrasted with the unselfishness of Judaism, the pres- ent christianityof the popular churches is a shame and disgrace in all but the name. We wonder not that Jesus call- Could he say the The law regulated the marriages of the people; applied such Levitical re- straints upon them as made abstinence from reproductive relations a privilege; forbade unfruitful works; and that which was reproduced was an “honor to father and to mother l ” “Eye for an eye; tooth for tooth; life for life;” was the established per- m ission—-aretaliation only equal to the injury done. And so we might enlarge upon the superior practices under the law, to the barbarous engagements in life, of those who have so misapplied the name of co7'z'slz'a7z! What regu- lates their sexual conduct towards each other, but the physical limits nature has fortunately placed there? And where, under these circumstances, are children found who are an honor to their parents, compared with those “ made under the law?” When do so-called christians divide up their entire worldly goods with the poor, or relinquish their claim to the What regulates the retaliation of such horrid christians in their wars? Do they practice any equality of retaliation when they can make the heavier, destructive annihila- tions? Shame, slzame, SHAME on such christianity I Let us turn to Jesus, the christian. Instead of marriage, he introduced the brother and sister relations of the heav- ens; lived it; his immediate disciples did so. Marriage is good, earthy; vir- 0 in celibacy was a superiority, and was very source of these? C distinctly featured in “the Lord from heaven.” Instead of war, retaliation,etc., peace better; and “resist not evil ;” “ love your enemies ;” do good to those who do evil 1»: you, evoke the improve- ments cljastianity made on the good of Jnt.ai:.1n ; and Jesus practiced them; rebuked his disciples if they ever thouglzt of disregarding them ; and the ‘Shakers have adopted this as their rule. With the relinquishment of marriage for the superior, unselﬁsh relations of christianity, the cessation of earth—fam- ilies began; and Jesus and immediate disciples had neither husbands, wives, children, houses, lands, etc. Had they THE SH.A.KER. 69 them? they relinquished them. “ Lo,” said Peter, “ we have forsaken all these to follow thee!” And Jesus knew no relations excepting “ those who did the will of his Father; the same is my mother, my sister and brother.” And the Shakers, following after that model, primitive church, possess nought they call mine, just as did Jesus. Instead of dividing the results of self- ish gains once in weeks, months, years, Jesus taught to divide with the brethren every day. Instead of periodically for- giving debtors, Jesus and company “ owed no man aught but love and good will”—-contracted no other debts. In- stead of freeing slaves, had none to free. Instead of taking formal, selﬁsh posses- ;sion of houses, lands, etc., only the preservation of the same for future ibrethren, was inculcated by Jesus. And ‘we ask the general world, whether in these, and other of the general‘ princi- ples ofJesus, the Shakers have, or have not, been his copyists? If we, as Shak- ers, have followed Jesus, then are we not christians? If the Shakers, inas- much as they have followed Jesus, are christians, then WAS NOT JESUS on NAZARETH A SHAKER? A Substfsution. There can be but little doubt that all bad habits arise from a want of religious zeal. All useful employment serves as an incentive to the denial of the useless, and worse than useless ; but a practical, religious zeal, is the farthest removed from what are called bad habits, and its cultivation and continuance are ardently to be desired. Merely ]§e7'z'0dz'caZ ﬁts of being converted will not do—we are almost inclined to say they are worse than useless——for when the zeal has de- parted, the ardor of the soul for the bet- ter course of life is permitted to cool, the substitution of the useless in life dis- places what is right, and then the worse than useless, the wicked follows, almost or quite invariably. If a fashionable belle of Saratoga or Long Branch should feel the quickening of conviction, and conversion to Christ, what would be- come of the silks, rings, diamonds? Where is the man that would think of meeting Jesus Christ, while smoking a cigar or meerschaum? Yet having doifed these in all ardor for the cause, how easily they are leavened back, when the zeal for Christ is permitted to cool. It is not wise to permit discouragements, Want of appreciation, nor even a good many defeats, or cripple ourendeavorsjn our own or others’ behalf, through retire- ment from the good race, and into the substitution of disﬁguring habits, which we so well know are self-pleasing, but‘ not God-serving! It is safe for us to say, that all habits of intemperance in eating, drinking, dressing, etc., all engagements of the merely sensual of humanity, however respectable; all ease, idleness and amusements, not positively demanded for recreaz‘z'o7z and reczt]5eraz‘z'o7z, are wrong in the sight and feelings of any thoroughly awakened to the necessities of the Lord’s work, and of their being the Lord’s helpers! May none ever know what it is to feel crushed, nor experience suﬁicient unchristian uncharity to feel discouraged from making further attempts at their own elevation of souls, and for the as- sistance of others. It is a terrible con- dition; and awakens in the mind the barter of spiritual riches for merely earthly, temporary indulgencies, by the substitution of indiﬁerence for earnest- ness; diﬂﬁdence for conﬁdence, corrupt- ing atmospheres for divine aﬁlata, and the corroding pleasures of self and self- hood for the present and eternal bliss- fulness of self-denial. Let the weak and weakening arouse ! All for Christ, and no substitutes! To backslide, is sure death ﬁnally; and to go forward, is life eternal, ever present. Have you bad or useless habits? Go to work with yourself, for Christ; and stick to Christ through thick and thin discourage- ments, determinate for the crown of the overcomer; and then see how, one by one, or many by many, the substitutes for religious zeal will be abandoned, and a progress made in the path of vir- tue and of Christ’s life, to our greatest satisfaction. Discouraged one, you have the sympathy of the heavens if to you your cause seems just. Accept this sympathy, and “grasp the hands of the angels.” And though earth, and un- charitable earth-folk are indifferent, work the harder and be the more self- determined. The sun will rise brighter, and never set in a cloudy sky. Rise, brother, sister, shake oﬁ‘ all hindrances —-substitutes for religious zeal-—and Work for Christ, in the lowly valley of self-denial. A The Self-Denials of Christianity. The christian of to-day must, for his own spiritual good, beware of certain worldly habits and indulgencies, lest he go back to the world. It may not be easy to say where the harm of theater~going, and horse-racing,,and danc- ing, and card-playing, and adherence to worldly fashion, is; itcan be argued, indeed, with a good deal of' plausibility, that there is nothing wrong in them at all; that a chris- tian may indulge in them without fear of reproach; but if the tendency of those things is to dissipate seriousness, and to make the soul worldly and careless of its religious duties, and so to throw it back and cause it to retrograde in its devotion to Christ and love of his cause, then it had better deny itself the use of them. It had better do so, both out of charity for others and regard for its own highest welfare.‘ “What doth it proﬁt a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” Let the soul be kept sound and true to its purpose; let it be unwavering and progress- ive in its attachment to Christ, cost what it will. This is that pearl of great price which is worth all one has to win and keep. There- fore, in regard to those matters which stand on debatable ground, the right or wrong of which is not clearly discerned, be this the standard. of decision, namely, their effect on the soul. If they do not hinder it in the better life, use them; but if they exert an injurious inﬂuence upon it, produce spiritual apathy, set the soul back to that state of worldliness which it has professed to shake off, then they doubtless belong to those things “from which, if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well.” We copy the above paragraphs, from " Sermons bythe Monday Club ;” and we are very much pleased to acknowl- edge their goodly intent. There may be perceived therein, an earnestness to practice certain self-denials to some species of worldliness. It will, how- ever, be easily perceived, that the dear- est idols of the world are unmcntioned; that, being made respectable, and fos- tered by unchristian, fashionable chris- tianity, they are too dear to the carnal mind, for many to rise with suﬂicient religious enthusiasm to testify against. For instance: ]lz[a7*rz'(zge, that god of the world ; and another god with an I in it-—gold; and another, that springs from “ the lusts that war in your mem- bers,” etc., etc. We would have re- ligiously-inclined people, adopt at ﬁrst, without “beating round the bush” of evasion, the radicals of Jesus’ life. Read I. Cor. 7: 32, 33. If we would be honest in serving the Lord, instead of a great deal of the world, what shall we do with marriage? VVe think, it is better to do with it as Jesus did—live above it. The only object of marriage is reproduction ; any excess under its license, is beneath the practice of the brutes! Reproduction is ofthe world. The children ofthe resur- rection, of Christ——“ I am the resurrec- tion,”-—do not marry, neither here nor hereafter. To rise with Christ, leaves marriage with the unresurrected. Said Paul : “ I would have you with- out worldly -carefulness. He that is married, careth for the things qfz‘/ze 'w0rZd—l1ow he may please his wife, etc. He that is unmarried, careth for the things that belong Z0 Me Lord, and /2010 /ze zmzyp/ease 2‘/ze Lord.” Once again, we would repeat: We do not con- demn marriage, individual possessions, war, etc., in their proper places. But we do object to their practice by those professing Christ. Christianity, by its author, dissolved all marital relations, and taught the superior, chaste and spiritual life of the heavens—brethren and sisters in Christ. We therefore, with all christian respect, say to those who are married, etc., you are not fol- lowing the lVlaster; have not "left all and followed him,” as did his immediate disciples; and inasmuch as you have not done so, YOU ARE NOT CHRISTIANS I Jesus told of the unmarried occupying places of the "children of the resurrec- tion;” we all pray, or pretend to, for that state of heaven or earth. Jesus, his disciples, past and present, were virgins. Paul wished all were virgins like him- self; and “ would present you as chaste virgins unto Christ.” radically, rl/07zday C/zré. Strike more ...-.-..-_._¥__..,,._,_,-__.__,_ ,. _ IT is easy to pick holes in other people’s work, but it is far more proﬁtable to do bet- ter yourself. Is there a fool in all this world that cannot criticise? Those who can them- selves do good services are but as one to a thousand compared with those who can see faults in the labor of others. EDITORIAL NOTES. The subject of Church Unions is ex- citing considerable attention now. We hear of Union Camp Meetings, Union Sunday School Processions, etc. We are ever glad to hear of, or witness such demonstrations. But why not come together, and speak right out in meet- ing, in testimony against the causes of all dissensions in church matters, and be one people in Christ? The main trouble causing so many Lords, faiths, baptisms, etc., is a determination to save to ourselves so much we camzot _/{mi £72 C/n'z'.\:z‘. Let Jesus, the Christ, be lifted up as the model life of all church members; let each expunge from daily, life practice, what cannot be found resembled in Christ-life, and the same of his immediate disciples, and their unadulterated, primitive testimony, and let this c0]5J/ing 0_f C/zrist-Zzffe in our lives, be the basis of our union. Can we get a éeiter basis? What will become of the riches, poverty, mar- riages, wars, private interests, intem- perances, lusts, salaried priests and medical quacks? Passing, to the “ Church Union,” the above basis——JEsUs CHRIsT’s LIFE——aS the proper one for all c/zrz'sz‘z'a7zs to agree upon, we hereby give notice that we, the Shakers, stand ready to join the Union of Churches! Who will accept the basis? __.°,_ There’s many a truth said in jest; and we advise serious consideration upon what “Punch” talks so funnily about in another column. If it does not pay to live in health very long, it certainly will not pay to live in a con- dition worse than death, cm’ z'72ﬁ7zz'izm7. __.°.__ We may be the ﬁrst to suggest the mercy, but called on to witness so many heart-rending incidents, where persons caught in the timbers of burning build- ings, and doomed to cremation while alive; we propose an addition to the police or ﬁre force, of a competent per- son to administer a sponge saturated with a powerful anesthetic, to put be- yond the power of feeling such persons, where escape from the ﬁery element is decided to be impossible by the powers that command at such scenes. Were we at such a ﬁre as we lately read of, where a man begged to be killed out- right, rather than roast to death, we should unhesitatingfy have used chlo- roform very freely, if we could have rendered no further help. We, in his stead, would have more than desired the force of this suggestion. __.o.__ A recent Presbyterian exchange asks THE SHAKER: “If the religion of the Shakers is the right one, why are.they so Very few in number?” Thank you for that question. We will answer you twice: (1) “Broad is the way, etc., and many go in thereat; but 5z‘rczz'z‘ is z‘/ze gate, and narrow is the way, and few there be that ﬁnd it,” or who want to ﬁnd it. (2) Let all Presbyterians ‘attempt living just as the author of 70 THE SHAKER.i'l christianity lived, and then see how few Presbyterians there would be, and whether there would be one left foolish enough to need an answer to such a question! If numbers count for right- eousness, the Shakers are not far behind the Presbyterians! but do they? __,<,.__ We. have large reasons for doubting the sincerity of those who say and sing so loudly their love for Jesus, if they do not manifest their love by an increased nearness of their lives to his. Whoever We express undue admiration and love for, we will invariably and persistently strive to be like. Our love inevitably means a desire to be like the one or ones we so ardently love. But there is a good deal of the spurious manifested, in songs and else, about Jesus. Oh, for a good deal more genuineness in “Nearer, my God, to thee I ” One of our old hymns, recently quoted in THE SHAKER, makes this truthful allusion : “This work will make me kind and clever To all around me, yea, forever.” We say, Zrzzt/zfzzl allzlzsiorz to our gos- pel work. Our conﬁdence in the eﬂi- cacy of the gospel should begin at home, A sour, cross, ungoverned, uncomfortable Shaker, is a most miserable represe11ta— tive of the system we are called to adopt. If we see or hear of one, called to be a Shaker, whom any dread to meet be- cause of their petulancy, scolding, fret- ful and self-seeking, it matters not how good they have been in some respects, we must argue, the gospel has really done but little for such, let /zzls‘ or bar Opportunity havebeen longer or shorter. With the profession we make, and the boasting we enter into, and justly too, regarding our Shaker faith, the present- ation of a jealous, selﬁsh, cross, peev- ish, fault-ﬁnding individual as a repre- sentative, is a burning shame to the gospel of Ann Lee. certainly mistaken their prOfession— they should rather have embraced the faith of those who deem salvation the work of a vicar ; who would makelthem pleasant without their self—denial; but they are a disgrace to Shaker name and society. VVe would respectfully ask any old or young Believers, who are periodically or generally aﬂlicted with crabbedness, often to look in the glass, and to manufacture an unchangeable smile for their countenances, for the magniﬁcence of the prOfession——-“ for the faith’s sake.” -——oo-o-——— and in its eﬂiciency with ourselves. Such persons have VVe recently attempted a ruse, to draw out some answers from a novitiate elder of our church, as_,;to “ What shall I do to be a Shaker?” V/Vriting by proxy, and another’s direction, we an- ticipated some splendid reading for readers of THE SHAKER, and informa- tion to inquirers. Chagrin covered our countenance all over when we received reply: “We are engaged harvesting now ; no time to write much. We send you a book.” And then we had the pleasure of opening a copy of “PLAIN TALKS,” a book which we, having written, were of course quite familiar with. VVe acknowledge being out- rused! A V7 TI-IE CHILDR]-]N’S GROTTO . MY DEAR CHILDREN: It seems a_ very long time since I had the pleasure of talking to you; and it is nearly two months. Now, let us converse upon the faculty of OBSERVATION. It will be interest- ing to you, Pm sure; and perhaps some of its simple ideas will surprise you. Nearly all that we know, has been learned by observa- tion; aye, and all we may learn hereafter. Be careful to observe small things; good grammar in small words; useful knowledge in common every-day occurrences. There are very many who profess to be very learned, who could not tell me how many spokes there are in a wagon wheel! Can you? And how many more is it usual to ﬁnd in the larger wheels than in the smaller, or front wheels? You have seen your friends pour hot tea into their saucers; why is this? To cool? Well, that is right; but wby does it cool better so? just so should we observe the proper uses of small and abbreviated words. Never say “them is,” nor “there a’int,” “you a’int,” “ they a’int,” nor ask permission “to go out and get z‘/lzem things ”—whatever they may be. Yet how common to hear of these mis- takes. Observe now: the homely word “ a’int” is the short of “ am not,” and while admissible to say “I a’int,” it is very wrong to say “he a’int;” for how would “he am not” sound to you? Let us think to say “we aren’t,” if we wish to, but do not say “we a’int,” for one means “are not,” and the other “am nOt.” You may say “you aren’t,” “they aren’t.” By a little observation now, concerning the proper uses ofz's, are and am, you will beautify your style of language much. I would like to talk with you upon the ad- /ectz'z1es and adverbs, which seem so hard to be understood; and I will sometime. But let us look at some things observation has done: All improvements in the sciences have been observed out. All preventives and cures came from the same source. Some have used this faculty to introduce valuable studies; like phrenology, physiology, botany, geology, etc. Dr. Gall was led to perfect his system of phrenology by first observing a marked {prominence between the eyes of a boy who invariably excelled him in spelling! Franklin observed the identity of lightning and electricity, by means of a kite; and Morse observed its ability to learn languages, by simpler means. Paley observed that the glow-warm is the female of the species, and that the male is aﬂy; and that her light was a necessity to keep him from getting lost! Just think of what has resulted from New- ton’s thoughts upon observirzg an apple fall! and the wonderful fruits of Kepler’s observa- z‘z'a7zs, of which your friends will tell you, and which caused Prof. Mitchell to say, “Thus the dawn of modern science broke in beauty o’er the earth!” Never use the expression “he don’t” for “he doesn’t;” yet this is a very common mistake. VVhen not abbrevi- ated, we would laugh at “he do not ”! We may say “they don’t,” “ I don’t,” “we dont;” but we should say “ he doesn’t,” which means, /ze does not. Observe for yourselves, children, and while you observe, t/2572/c. We are all too willing to let some one else do our observirzg for us, and our i/’zz'22/l’z'7zg too. We could be situated so that we would believe this. If we were able to make but (me sound, and were the song- sters of the groves restricted thus with us; did all the ﬂowers and clouds wear one ap- pearance; all the vegetables and fruits taste alike; had we not variety in nearly every- thing, even of the same species, then, ah, then We would think how blissful are our ob- servations! But these varieties are so much a matter of expectancy, and so common, that we, having grand powers of observation, do not use them as we should. But how we should miss the thousands of beautiful ob- servations, were we suddenly transferred to the desert of Sahara! There we would ﬁnd a waste of drifting sand; enlivened by no stream’s gentle murmur; cheered by no smil- ing verdure; refreshed by no cooling breezes; inspired by no gladdening showers, nor thrilled by the music of the happy birds! No trees, no ﬂowers, no dew, no rain, no zephyrs, prairies nor hills! Now, we have all of these, let us observe them gratefully; for even these need not yield to us the pleasures they now do,§in order to fulﬁll their Various uses. It is good to read what others think and write; but this is only the reprint of others’ ideas—-a picture of a picture. There is a pleasure in observing and thinking for ourselves, that cannot be derived by relying upon others, which, my children, we are all, too frequent- ly, too content to do. A v SHAKER VILLAGE, N. H., Aug. 22, I877. Edz'Zor S/2aéer———Please read the in- closed scrap entitled “ Soul Nurture,” and see if you do not think such a well- written truth, worthy to be copied on clean paper. The writer’s name is not appended, but as all truth emanates from God, we accept itregardless of the media employed in portraying it. Perchance the writer never dreamed that he was penning facts upon which a Shaker theology has rested for at least a hundred years. Thus: “ The spirit- ual life thrives only when cared for!” VVhat an axiom I Should not all chris- tians accept it? Faithfully, your sister, A. C. STICKNEY. SOUL NURTURE. The spiritual life thrives only when it is properly cared for. Whatever may be our theory of regeneration and of its oﬁice, facts prove that the heart keeps and increases its vigor only by attention to its necessities and the looking out for their supply. The im- pulse given when God’s Spirit starts us heavenward at the hour of conversion, does not itself provide for our steady ‘going on- ward in a straight line, and at a rapid rate of movement, to our goal. The prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread,” is meant to teach us the necessity for constant and fresh sup- plies. The fuel which feeds the inward ﬁre needs perpetual replenishing. Hope will re- main on the earth with weak and folded wings if it be not set soaring frequently in prayer. God will seem to be moving farther and farther away unless we keep him con- sciously near us by a free and steady commun- The Bible will no more glow with heavenly luster if its lids are kept shut, and its blessed sentences are not allowed to awak- en and direct meditation. The atmosphere of the prayer-room is not breathed freely, it parts with its magnetism and its fragrance, when we are willing strangers in the place. We lose the yeaining for others’ salvation out of the heart when we neglect to point them to the Lamb of God, and we fail to keep our power over worldly souls when we cease to gaze longingly and with beaming eye toward the celestial city. ion. BOOK TABLE. We have received from the publishers, Otis Clapp & Son, 3 Beacon street, Boston, a strange little volume upon short-hand, en- titled “Tachygraphy.” The elements of this system of writing are so extremely simple, that a child of ten years would learn them in Every movement of the pen in- dites a letter, thus shortening common chirog- raphy many fold. We have become so addicted to Pitman’s Phonography, that it will take us longer to adopt this unique sys- tem, than others who never studied short- hand. If we are as successful in learning Tao/zygrap/zy as we hope for, it may yet save us years of labor. We would encourage young people to study Tac/zygrajﬁ/zy, instead of “killing time,” by so many ways that there are of doing it unproﬁtably and foolishly. Besides, the more who learn it, the greater its usefulness. a few days. “TOUCH ME GENTLY, FATHER TIME :” A beautiful and appropriate song, for those on the down-hill side of life. The music is very pretty, and is by the author of “He /Iolds t/ze /art in /zeaven.” Price 40 cents. Order of F. W. Helmick, 50 W. Fourth St., Cincinnati, O. CLARKE’s OUTLINE OF THE STRUCTURE OF THE PIPE ORGAN. To Organists, church committees, and musical students, the above beautifully—printed work, replete with en- gravings, will be invaluable. It is the work of one of the best-known and most-talented artists our country has produced, and an or- gan builder ofa reputation second to none in the world. We speak for the excellent book a large sale. There is also manufactured by William H. Clarke & Co., Indianapolis, Ind., a chromatic tube, or PITCH PIPE,——One of the simplest, yet most convenient and useful accompania— ments of the singer and teacher ever con- structed.——Ourself, and several leading mem- bers of other societies of Shakers, canvassed the entire city of New York to ﬁnd such an article, and failed. It is about eighteen inches long; in form like a monster whistle; and its price undoubtedly comes within the compass of even the poor. Send a stamp, as above, for information. SOCIETY LRECORD. Societies east of the central bishopric have endured some heavy changes: At Enﬁeld, N. H., Elder Orville Dyer, retires full of honors; and Elder A. Perkins retires from the ministry to assume the eldership of the Church Order. Elder Jas. S. Kaime, ascends gracefully from Canterbury’s novitiate_;,p1‘der to preside over the bishopric. Benjamin H. Smith, whilom trustee, again assumes the eldership of Canterbury’s junior order, and will christianly wait on any, anxious to leave the world, and wishing for a privilege to con- fess their sins. Present trustees of Canter- bury, N. A. Briggs, Joseph Woods; Elder John Cloutman of Harvard, Ayer, Mass., may be addressed by inquirers and corre- spondents. The law of impenetrability does not work well at Harvard, for El. John is under necessity of being in two places at the same time! At Shirley, Shirley Village, Mass., Isaac Bailey assumes the novitiate eldership, relieving Daniel Fraser, who re- turns to Mt. Lebanon. Hiram Baker, En- ﬁeld, N. H., assumes temporal charge of Second Family in that place. @°We would call particular attention to the change in P. O. address of our people in Enﬁeld, Conn. Many delays result in conse- quence of misdirection. It “SHAKER STATION, Hartford Co., Conn.” We were sorry to learn of the demise of Bro. H. Chase Allard, aged 71, at Enﬁeld, N. H., on the 2d July. He was highly prized by the people there. He was one who knew what the severity of extreme trials was, and lived and died an honor to his people, and an example to all Christians. The most beauti- ful of proceedings were enacted at his funeral, which want of space forbids chronicling. We are also pained to observe, an apparent infection, lately beginning at Shakers, N. Y., and extending east through several societies, is: and into Maine, by which at least four or ﬁve of the sisterhood, advanced in years, within the space of a month, fell, and either broke their thighs, or seriously injured the osfemur. Such contagions are among the unaccounta- bles. We hear, one of these sisters has died, At Shakers, N. Y., we lately had a short visit from Islay Walden, one of the two colored students studying in New Brunswick, N. J. , for the ministry of the Reform Church. We learn from Rev. Dr. DeBaun, that these are the ﬁrst colored persons their persuasion has educated for the pulpit. The pear trees at this place, during July, were almost irreparably struck with blight, and While loaded with fruit. The central ministry arrived at Shakers, N. Y., on August 2, to remain two or three weeks, before returning to Mt. Lebanon. LYDIA LITTLEFIELD passed to the Ever- green Shores from W. Gloucester, Me., June 11, aged 84 years. How THE FRENCH Do.—The French butch- er separates the bones from his steaks, and places them where they will do the most good. The housewife orders just enough for each person and no more, even to the coffee. If a chance visitor drops in, somebody quietly re- tires and the extra cup is provided, but noth- ing extra by carefulness of intention, when the little range is extinguished, and waits for another time. No roaring cook—stoves and red-hot covers all day long for no pur- pose but waste. The egg laid to-day costs a little more than one laid last week. Values are nicely estimated, and the smallest sur- plus is carefully saved. A thousand little economies are practiced, and it is respectable to practice them. Cooking is an economical as well as sanitary and gustatory science. A French cook will make a franc go as far as an American housewife will make three, and how much further than the American Bridget nobody knows—-we should probably be great- ly astonished, could the computation be made, how much of the ﬁnancial, recupera- tive powers of France is owing to her soups and cheap foods; better living after all, than the heavy bread and greasy failures of our culinary ignorance.———fIome and Farm. 413,“ __ V‘, VIRTUOUS ENERGY. The ﬁrst thing to be attained to is to have it distinctly and explicitly grayed into the soul, that there is only one thing that can give signiﬁcance and dignity to humanity, viz, Virtuous energy; and that this energy is attainable only by energizing. If you i1n— agine you are to be much helped by books, and reasons, and speculations, and learned disputations, in this matter, you are alto- gether mistaken. Books and discourses may awaken and arouse you, and perhaps hold up the sign of a wise ﬁnger-post to prevent you from going astray at the ﬁrst start, but they cannot move you a single step on the road; it is your own legs that can perform the journey; it is altogether a matter of doing. Finger-posts are all very well where you ﬁnd them; but the sooner you can learn to do without them the better; for you will not trav- el long, depend upon it, before you come into regions of moor, and mist, and bog, and far waste solitudes; and woe be to the Wayfarer, in such case, who has taught himself to travel only by ﬁnger-posts and mile-stones! You must have a compass of sure direction in your own soul, or you may be forced to de- pend for your salvation on some random savior, who is only a little less bewildered than yourself. Gird up your loins, therefore, and prove the all-important truth that as you learn to walk only by walking, to leap by leaping, and to fence by fencing, so you can learn to live nobly only by acting nobly on every oc- casion that presents itself. If you shirk the ﬁrst trial of your manhood, you will come so much the weaker on the second; and if the THE SHAKER. next occasion, and the next again, ﬁnds you unprepared, you will infallibly sink into baseness. A swimmer becomes strong to stem the tide only by frequently breasting the big waves. If you practice always in shallow waters, your heart will assuredly fail you in the hour of high ﬂood. General notions about sin and salvation can do no good in the blessed life. As in ajourney, you must see mile—stone after mile-stone fall into your rear, otherwise you remain stationary; so, in the grand march of a noble life, one paltriness after another must disappear, or you have lost your chance.——Prof. Blackie. A @ PARALYSI S IN PEAS. The London Pzuzc/E, alluding facetiously to the popular scare on poisonous canned peas, adds a few lines of chemical fact worth re- membering. Beware, says the writer, how you try the effect of strychnine, prussic acid, or any other poison, on a rabbit or guinea pig. Have the fear of the Anti—Vivisection Act before your eyes. If you want to try ex- periments with poisons on a living animal, try them on yourself. Should you kill your- self, unintentionally, the law will acquit you of suicide, as it does not forbid any donkey to experiment on a donkey. Suppose, for instance, you want to know what is the effect of repeated small doses of copper upon the human system, take a fraction of a grain of the sulphate of acetate of that metal once a day continually till you discover. Ultimately you will ﬁnd it produces paralysis. You will lose the use of your hands or legs, or one side, or more, of your body. Salts of copper will paralyze you sooner than even salts of mercury. But you must take them in minute quantities. In large doses they mostly rid you of themselves—copper acting like anti- mony. In order to take your copper pleas- antly, your best plan will be to swallow it at dinner time, daily, along with green peas. This you can do all the year round, as peas are always to be had preserved in tins. You can mix your copper with your peas if neces- sary. If the peas are of a dull, grayish, faded, ugly color, there is probably no copper in them, and you may have to put some. But when their tint is a beautiful bright green, then you may suspect that there is plenty of copper in them to cause paralysis ifpersevered with suﬁiciently long. The copper is mingled with the peas to make them look pretty; and few people seem to be deterred by the fear of poison from preferring pretty-looking peas to plain ones. It is possible, however, that it may become rather less easy than it.has been heretofore to procure tinned peas, which be- sides being tinned are also coppered. Several foreign provision dealers have lately been summoned before Mr. Knox, and on medical evidence, ﬁned for selling tinned peas con- taining copper in dangerous quantities. As they sold them in ignorance, they have been let off with nominal ﬁnes, but in future vend ers of coppered peas may expect to incur a penalty of $250 for each oﬂ'ence——and have to pay. Of course the multitude ignorantly eating peas greened with copper must be, all of them, greener than any peas. Bright green tinned peas may always be suspected of containing copper. If there is any question on that point, it may be summarily settled by pouring on the peas a little strong liquid am- monia, which, if copper is present, will make them turn bluer than even their seller will look when he is ﬁned $250. So also with pickles, only the vinegar of the pickles will require a large excess of ammonia. In case there is no ammonia or other means at hand of de- termining whether the greenness of peas or pickles is owing to copper or no, a philoso- pher would give copper the credit of the color, and himself the beneﬁt of the doubt. A V Nature has many perfections to show that it is an image of the Deity; and it has defects to show that it is but an image.——PascaZ. THOUGHTS FOR THINKERS. We do not believe immortality because we have proved it, but we forever try to prove it because we believe it.—Martz'nea7¢. Good thoughts (though God accept them) yet toward men are little better than good dreams, except they be put in act.—Baco7z. None are too wise to be mistaken, but few are so wisely just as to acknowledge and cor- rect their mistakes; and especially the mis- takes of prejudice.—13’arrow. Faith may sometimes exceed reason, but not oppose it; and belief may be often above sense, though not against it. Beware there- fore, not only of an implicit faith, but of be- ing too closely tied up to reason, where faith is required. Do little helpful things and speak helpful words whenever you can. They are better than pearls or diamonds to strew along the roadside of life. They will yield a far more valuable harvest, as you will ﬁnd after many days. An unsuspecting, unquestioning, unhesi- tating spirit, God delights to honor. He does not delight in a credulous, weak, unsta- ble mind. He gives us full evidence when He calls and leads; but He expects to ﬁnd in us what He Himself bestows——an open ear and a disposed heart.-——Cec/Z. The design of God in placing the in a material body was, doubtless, for it a proper limitation. Both body are endowed with matchless They are both God’s creation. both God’s possession. soulwith- to secure soul and qualities. They are Both suffered the curse of sin; and both are redeemed by the life of the Lord Jesus, who came not to save the soul alone from death, but also to ran- som the body. A v —~—-- When a certain ambitious self—seek- er once clutched at the dominion of all Europe, stern disappointment met him in his path of invasion, ﬂung a Russian snow-storm in his face, and out of the tiny snowflakes wove a shroud to wrap the flower of French chivalry. The lesson that the proud usurper would not learn at Aspern and Eylan was taught him in the agonies of Borodino, and in ghastly blood-prints on the frozen banks of the Beresina. So, too, have We, in the defeat of our humbler plans of self- seeking, been made to hear the sharp teacher say : “ Do not be selﬁsh. Other people have rights as well as yourself.” This lesson was worth all it cost us.—— Rev. T. L. Cay/er. 7 To CORRESPONDENTS.-—VV6 received from our compositors the reasonable suggestion given below. I/Ve /za’z>(2 z‘o copy at good mcmy (z7*lz'c/cs sem‘ 2/5,‘ and where we need not to do so, it is a pity that poor ink should enter as an objec- tion to our relief. Please take the hint: “Bro. LOMAS: Wouldn’t it be a pious idea to present with a bottle of black £711-,' and thereby save the poor printer from en- dangering his precious soul, b_v making use of naughty words? Your Poon PRINTER." 9-—-—-——————~———_... PUTTING ON CHR1sT.——Do you put him on when you undertake to copy some one or more of the virtues or characters in him— the gentleness, for example, the love, the dignity-—without being willing to accept the sacriﬁce in him, to bear the world’s contempt with him, to be singular, to be hated, to go through your Gethsemane, and groan with him under the burdens of love? There can be or choosing out here of shreds and patches from his divine beauty; but you must take the whole suit, else you cannot put him on. The garment is seamless, and cannot be divi- ded.—Horace Bus/Ewell. '71 AGRICULTURAL. GREEN MANURING. That green manures will improve our land and increase our crops is an established fact which few will attempt to controvert. Expe- rience and observation have proved it, but why green manuring beneﬁts soils and crops is not so generally known. There are very few even of those who habitually sow, raise and plow under some vegetable crop while it is yet green with a View to enrich the land and improve future crops, who know how the process increases fertility, and what are the nature and properties of the fertilizing ele- ments added by the process. Agricultural chemistry has fully explained the mystery, and shown how and why certain plants or grasses, plowed into the soil in a green state are beneﬁcial as a manure. It has shown that these fertilizing elements are I, silica; 2, alumina; 3, lime; 4, magnesia; 5, oxide ofiron; 6, oxide of magnesia; 7, pot- ash; 8, soda; 9, oxygen; 10, hydrogen; II, nitrogen; 12, carbonic acid; 13, phosphoric acid; 14, sulphuric acid; 15, chlorine. When we know how much of these fertilizing ele- ments, and in what porportions, a particular green crop contains, and have ascertained what elements we desire to restore to the soil for the beneﬁt ofa future crop, and in what the soil is deﬁcient, the process of sup- ply is as easy as it is for a tailor to purchase the exact quality and quantity of cloth need- ed, and then make a coat. It would be hard to say which are the best crops for green manuring unless we knew ex- actly what the farmer desired to raise on the land manured. Red clover is a number one manure ; cow peas are good, and the same may be said of either rye or oats. Each of these contains the fertilizing elements enumer- ated above, though in different porportions. According to Prof. Way, red clover submit- ted to analysis foots up as follows: Silica 0.50 Lime 22.62 Magnesia 4.08 Oxide of Iron 0.26 Potash 36.45 Soda oo.oo Chloride of Potassium 2.39 Chloride of Sodium 1.53 Carbonic Acid 23.4.7 Phosphoric Acid 6.71 Sulphuric Acid 1.35 This clearly demonstrates why red clover plowed under, is so valuable as a manure. The other crops named are not quite so rich as clover, but are all very good. Some of the advantages to be expected from green manuring may be summed up to numbers, thus : First. The manure crop gives back all the mineral and alkaline elements which its growth had drawn from the soil by absorp- tion through its roots. Second. It gives back to the soil those fertilizing gases which its growth had drawn from the atmosphere, thus, by one process, restoring to the soil more fertilizing matter than the crop plowed under had taken from it, and if the process be repeated frequently, increasing the fertility of the soil to an al- most ineeﬁnite extent. Third. It decays and ferments rapidly and produces an immediately beneﬁcial effect on the succeeding crop. Fourth. It loosens and mellows the soil, making it porous and accessible to heat, air and light. Fifth. It elevates the temperature of the soil by the fermentation ofa large amount of vegetable matter. Sixth. It enriches the soil further by shad- ing the ground byits thick and dense growth, preventing the evaporation of the moisture of the soil, and holding the fertilizing gases of the atmosphere which decompose the veg- etable matter in and upon the soil. Seventh. Green manuring is the cheapest -'72 THE SI-IAI{ER. JAMES G. RUSSELL. 1. 0 who will drear and rocks, the shoals, D guide dark, My guide the D _I__ HEAVENLY GUIDE. I fee - ble my barque, On and help - er be? A - lone I hid - den mass, That 2. Though for a while I calmly sail, Upon the waters fair, Rejoieing, as I breast Yet soon there comes a fearful change, Dark clouds obscure the sky, And all around my vision’s range, U: The foaming waves dash high. :|| the gale, And breathe the balmy air.— 4. But Oh I what little faith is mine, I sink beneath the wave, And struggling, cry for help divine.-— O Lord, in mercy save. He takes me kindly by the hand, His power my soul doth thrill, The elements at his command, H: In tranquil peace are still. :|| life’s N tem - pest - u - ous sea? The ne’er can 0 T‘ safe - ly pass the o - eean That §—/ When e’er dan ENFIELD, N. H. my way seems - gers of the The in the o - eean . 0 who will then my pilot be, My barque to safely guide, Through all the perils of the sea.—— The storms, the Winds, and tide? p. O. I View him, coming e’er the main ;—- He beckons unto me, And Peter-like, my feet would fain ll: Approach him on the sea. :|| Then he will be my Pilot true, My blest and heavenly Guide, Wl1atev'er dangers now ensue, Securely I may ride. And as my barque he safely steers, Toward that heavenly realm, My song shall be, I have no tears, ||: My father’s at the helm. :|| possible mode ofmanuring, and it is practi—_ cable upon the poorest land.-—7ourmzZof Progress. SMALL THINGS.——EVeI‘y farmer should have a small room, tight and warm, which he can lock and where he can keep his small tools. Then he wants a good,solid work-bench,with an iron vise on one side and a wooden one on the other. For iron working he wants a solid piece ofiron for an anvil, a seven—pound steel-face hammer, a riveting hammer, one large and one small cold chisel, two or three punches from one-fourth to three-eighths inch, a rimmer and countersink, to be used with bitstock, a screw plate that will cut a screw from one-fourth to three—eighths inch; then with round iron of the various sizes, and ready-made nuts he can make any bolt he wish- es. For carpenter work, he wants a square, a shaping horse, drawing knife, a set of planes, auger " from one-half to two inches, a ﬁne hand-saw, with coarse cross-cut and rip saw, large cross-cut saw for logs, and a grind- stone. Cultivate frogs, toads, and lizards. Put them in your gardens, and as theevening ap- proaches they will hop from their hiding- places and snuggle down in some convenient spot near the gutter, or where they know their food will come plenty. The ants, roaches, mosquitoes, etc., they consume in a night is marvelous, and thus they keep down the insect pest. A farmer of Goshen, N. Y., makes it easy for himselﬁuncomfortable for the potato-bugs and fattening to the toads by employing the services ofa large number of the latter in his potato-patch. He has constructed a pit, into which the toads retire when not on active du- ty, and at regular intervals they are let out to devour the bugs,which they do very effect- iVely.—~ C/Lat/lam. Courier It is usually thought that wheat is the most nutritious of all cereals; and this opinion is current in all the works relating to food. Recent investigations by Prof. VVanklyn and Mr. Cooper of England seem to show the contrary. They give the first place to rye, stating that it contains one-third more gluten than wheat. A OUR SANITARIUM. FOR DYSENTERY.——Take leaves and root of blackberry plant. Boil to a deep color. One gill before each meal time, and on going to bed. CANcER.——Use tea made of red clover tops. Boil until strong. Use, as drink, a quart a day; and use the same kind of tea, made stronger, for a wash, twice a day. C0NsUM1>TIoN.—Let even the despairing, use strong mullein tea, freely, sweetened with brown sugar. In a week they will feel better; in a few months, z‘/zey may Z2e well. FOR BURNS AND scALDs.-—Apply common baking soda immediately. It will immediate- ly cause a cessation of pain. After a few hours or a day, wet the bandage. On remov- ing the soda, keep the wound moist with simply a wet cloth. - To REMOVE BERRY s'rAINs.——From the hands or clothes, let the stained parts be moistened, and then treated to the fumes of sulphur. If the stains have been set by alka- lies, apply a little vinegar before applying the Iumes. Tan can be removed by the same process, if vinegar or sour milk have ﬁrst been applied. To DESTROY CURRANT woRMs.—Apply one ounce of copperas to a gallon of water; and after dissolving apply with a wisp brush to the leaves, after the dew IS gone. FRECKLES AND SUNBURNS.-—-I. Bruise and then squeeze the juice out of the common chickweed, and to this juice add three times its quantity of soft water. Bathe the skin with this for ﬁve or ten minutbs, and wash afterwards with clean water night and morn- ing. 2. Elder-ﬂowers treated and applied ex- actly in the same manner. When the ﬂowers are not to be had, the distilled water from them (which may be procured from any drug- gist) will answer the purpose. 3. Honey, one ounce, mixed with one pint of lukewarm water; when cold, it forms a good lotion. This is commonly called honey wash. WEAK EYES.-—A. very simple remedy for weak or sore eyes is reco1nmended,as follows : Get a ﬁve—cent cake of elder-ﬂowers at the druggist’s, and steep in one gill of soft Water -—it must be steeped in bright tin or earthen- ware; strain nicely, and then add three drops of laudanum; bottle it tight and keep in a cool place; then use it as a wash, letting some of it get in the eyes. Follow this, and relief is certain. If the eyes are painful or much sore, make small soft compresses, wet in the mixture, and bind over the eyes at night. I can warrant the above as harmless and_sure, having tried it in a number of cases where other skill and remedies had utterly failed. If the eyes are badly inﬂamed use it freely; and a tea made of elder-ﬂowers, and drank, would help cleanse the blood. Pure rock salt and water will strengthen your weak eyes if you bathe them daily in it. I would earnestly advise you to avoid mixtures or washes containing mineral or other poisons. STYPTIC FOR BLEEDING woUNDs.——If puff balls are not convenient, apply dry ﬂour of any kind bound on with bandage. In absence of baking soda, (carbonate), ﬂour is excellent for burns or scalds. A medical restaurant has been lately estab- lished in London on the principle that dis- eases can generally be cured by a special sys- tem of diet, and that they are caused chieﬂy by improper food. On the entrance of a visitor a physician asks him regarding his ailments. His meal is then prescribed, and he is allowed to eat no more than is presented to him. A v Every war involves a greater or less re- lapse into barbarism. War, indeed, in its details, is the essence ofinhumanity. It de- humanizes. It may save the state, but it de- stroys the citizen.
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Subjects: Shaker -- Periodicals
Identifier: yhm-sha-ts0709
Is part of: Hamilton College Library Digital Collections, Communal Societies Collection, Shaker Collection

Title: Shaker Manifesto, vol. 07, no. 10 (October 1877)
Publisher: United Societies
Date: 1877-10-01
Place published: New York
Text: :1 VI THE SHAKE . g 2 O OFFICIAL MONTHLY.—-PUBLISHED BY THE UNITED SOCIETIES. “ ﬁn greatly the Iiingtlmn 0,7’ g§atI! " glee tesfitnang uﬂ eternal tigutlz. V0L- VH- G‘ A'srI1Ja?<1iaI1'sA,Sb’I.E3[r).ITOR’ OCTOBER, 1J877- EN‘ ‘§i..‘.‘1.‘.§l-‘l{r?ﬁ2.§e‘,”.ix‘i‘E:‘.“""’l N 0- 10- BOAST NOT. OTIS SAWYER. Boast not thyself, vain man, oh boast not! For thy life’s but a vapor, at best— As the dew of the morning, ’twill vanish away, And thy vesture must lie in the dust. Then seek not for glory—vain pleasure re- ject-— Boast not of thy beauty nor strength; For the hand of the Lord thy career will de- tect, And will mete thee strict justice at length. Boast not, vain man, of rank nor of birth-— Of one blood are the children of men! Boast not of thy talents, though they’re of ' great worth, Heaven gave them, they are not thine own. Boast not of thy life, nor thy prospect of age; Thy sun may go down at noonday; To secure life eternal thy mind sh'ould engage, ...
Show more:1 VI THE SHAKE . g 2 O OFFICIAL MONTHLY.—-PUBLISHED BY THE UNITED SOCIETIES. “ ﬁn greatly the Iiingtlmn 0,7’ g§atI! " glee tesfitnang uﬂ eternal tigutlz. V0L- VH- G‘ A'srI1Ja?<1iaI1'sA,Sb’I.E3[r).ITOR’ OCTOBER, 1J877- EN‘ ‘§i..‘.‘1.‘.§l-‘l{r?ﬁ2.§e‘,”.ix‘i‘E:‘.“""’l N 0- 10- BOAST NOT. OTIS SAWYER. Boast not thyself, vain man, oh boast not! For thy life’s but a vapor, at best— As the dew of the morning, ’twill vanish away, And thy vesture must lie in the dust. Then seek not for glory—vain pleasure re- ject-— Boast not of thy beauty nor strength; For the hand of the Lord thy career will de- tect, And will mete thee strict justice at length. Boast not, vain man, of rank nor of birth-— Of one blood are the children of men! Boast not of thy talents, though they’re of ' great worth, Heaven gave them, they are not thine own. Boast not of thy life, nor thy prospect of age; Thy sun may go down at noonday; To secure life eternal thy mind sh'ould engage, Time is precious, oh do not delay. Earth’s boasted joys ﬂit by as a dream, They no lasting comforts afford; But the ﬁery baptism of Christ, will redeem, ’Twill abide, ‘tis Jehovah’s own word.’ Oh boast not of wealth, for at best, ’tis but dross, s E’en ﬁne gold will vanish away; But the Pearl of great gbrice that is gained by the cross, Will endure through an eternal day. VVest Gloucester, Me. A “I’M GLAD I FOUND THE SHAKERS.” JACOB KULP. Wllell I am asked if the Shakers are the only people that will be saved, I am only able to reply, that Jesus ad- mitted but one door; and that none could come to the Father but by this door——his life.’ ‘Ne cannot make the road of Christ’s life any broader; and he that climbs up any other way, is (German text) “a thief and a murder- er l” It was Jesus who warned: “Many false Christs shall come, etc.,” but we should be able to judge them by their fruits. ‘Whatever society bears the best fruits; whatever people enjoy most sal- vation, these are the best—nearest to God. Although christened when a child in the Presbyterian church, I~grew up a free-thinker; but was anxious to be saved from sin and carnal imperfections. I read the good Book through; becom-- ing alarmed at the sentence, “He that sinneth is of the devil!” I believed this, for naught but a wicked spirit would lead any to sin. I thought to I found none but admitted they were sinners; and I hesi- tated, because it was the christian life join some church. ——tl1e saved life—that I wanted. And I found none living the life Jesus lived —-elders, deacons, ministers nor bish- ops. I thought I was living as moral’ Yet I was not satisﬁed with my life ; nor could any of the pul- pits give me relief; though I believed many church people were living up to the best light they knew of. Soon, I found the Shakers, who not only preach- ed aéozzz‘ salvation, but lived 1'72 2'2‘! Here was what I wanted. By the con- fession and repentance of my sins; by entering into the self-denials of Jesus, and striving to live pure as he was pure, I found saitsfactioir to my soul——that “peace” which Jesus said, “I leave with youl” I am 2‘/zarz/tfzzl, 56}/and expres5z'07z, tﬁczz‘ ]f0Z£7Z(L7 z‘/ze S/2cz£’cr.9,' and for my gospel call and companions. In the gospel of virgin purity, peace, equality, and freedom from the ﬂesh, I love to live. Pleasant Hill, Ky. a life as any I THE GREAT ISELIVERANCE. WATSON ANDREWS. Deep gratitude ﬁlls my soul, all my days now, for the precious relationship I hold with my dear brethren‘ and sis- ters—whose hearts are warm to the core with a mighty love—filled with a pure, unselﬁsh love, which time changes not, and the long, glad years of eternity can but make brighter and stronger. Unto my soul, in the soft, sweet hush of the morning, comes a thrill of joy at my greaz‘ rielfverczvzce. Once, “I was lost; now I am found; was dead in- deed, but am alive again I” Twenty years of dissipation had plunged me in the “gulf of woe,” where I slept, but to dream of coiling serpents and frightful pitfalls; and awakening only to realize a deeper, sadder sense of what I had lost! Then came repentance, tears and cries to God for mercy. Not in that aid which crusaders against the Vvine-c11p can give; for the pit of my loss was deeper. Not in the solace which pecuniary success atlords; for my want was not for gold I Nor yet in the siren song of a vicarious atonement could I find rest; for it wanted the power to b_reak my chains and to bind my enemy. But it did come in that small, still voice: “Cease to do evil; learn to do well.” It came in a knowl- edge of the followers of Jesus, the Christ, and in a privilege to follow whom they followed. It came through And mercy came. the confession of my sins, accompanied by a power to forsake my sinful ways. By practicing, in a good degree, for many years, the pure life and habits of christians, I have gained that peace and rest tovmy soul which nothing earthly can give, and nothing—but sin-—take away. Having neither gold nor silver to oﬁ’er, I present this, my tvvo-fold ex- perience, to the needy; hoping by these “footprints on the sands of time,” “ seeing, may take heart again,’ and to realize my great delizrerarzce, “go and do likewise.” N. Union, 0. they 5 A <7 Christianity, the End of the World. GILES B . AVERY. In its popular sense, and as common- ly understood, christianity embraces de- nominations of professors numbering hundreds. Of these various sects, their theologies all contain some essential christian principles in common. These are of divine origin; and, since the falling away of the primitive church, and an effort at the revival of christian- ity commenced, it may doubtless be truly said that each denomination has been of some benefit to our race, by in- troducing some phase of christian doc- trines or elements of its principles, which were needed by the human fam- ily, but wanting in other testimonies. It was doubtless a consciousness of this need which gave rise to each sect, and its theology; but we are compelled to aﬂirm that all denominational theolo- gies which stop short of teaching chris- tianity as the “ end of the world,” stop short of christianity. It is universally known that all the popular religions of the day hold the world, with a strong grasp, in the right hand, and, indi1'ferently, the christian profession in the left; for they univer- sally teach a coalescence of the church and of the world. Yet, that theology alone is christian which teaches “the harvest of the worlc .” Jesus, the ﬁrst great christian, taught “The law and the prophets were until John, since then the kingdom of heaven is preached.” “lVIy kingdom is not of this world.” “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness to all nations, and then shall the end (of the world) come.” “The harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels.” And, in answer to the Jews, who inquired of him whose wife of the seven men the woman shall be who had been married to seven husbands, he said: “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God, for in that world (the kingdom of heaven,) they neither mar- ry nor are given in marriage, but are (in this present time,) as the angels of God in heaven.” And again: “There are eunuchs who make themselves eu- nuchs, for the kingdom of heaven’s sake.” He taught his disciples to pray: “Thy kingdom (the kingdom of heav- en,) come, thy will be done on earl,‘/z as it is donein heaven.” If, then, Christ’s kingdom——the kingdom of heaVen—- should ever be established on earth, and, in it God’s will should be done as it is done in heaven, and, to those in heaven the end of the worldly life of marriage and its liberties has come, it follows that it must cease in the‘ik’ing- dom-of-heaven order established upon earth. All the foregoing instructions ofJesus synonymously teach “ the harvest of the world” come unto all souls who enter into “the kingdom of heaven,” or Christ order upon earth. Jesus further taught: “I am the res- urrection,”—-—that is, my life-character is 2'72, and is, the order of the resurrec- tion. Of course, the worldly order of marriage and generation is here at an end. The prophet Isaiah said ofJesus, “Wino shall declare his ge7ze7’cz2.‘z'o1z.? for his life is cut" off from the earth.” He had no generation to declare. No comment is needed to show that gener- ation is essentially and necessarily a worldly institution. As such, it cannot be christian, since Christ’s kingdom is not of this world, though necessarily 2'72 this world. And the fact must be man- ifest that all who make themselves eu- nuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake, are thenceforth incapable of generation ; theirlife is cut off from the earthly or— . der. Hence, all efforts to introduce re- formed generation into the kingdom of Christ, when its subjects shall have overcome the lusts of a generative life, must be unavailing; for, to these, the end of the world, with all its passional pleasures, and emotional inﬂuences, is come, at once and forever. These con- stitute the kingdom of' heaven. Were man merely an animal, no doubt all his longings and aspirations would be satisfied with a fullness of the pleasures of an animal life; but human 74 THE SHAI{ER. history presents the fact, that in all ages, among all classes of beings, from the wildest natives to the most reﬁned and enlightened of our race_, there is an intuition reaching be- yond the shores of time, to realms of An angel nature, born for spirit life, in heavenly spheres, crops out, and yearns for its native Eden; and heaven, of some ideal character, above earth’s pro- visions, in all ages, has been the seer’s h t‘.1'1'laI1 pleasure higher than the sensual. vision ; the poet’s song; the soothsayer’s amulet ; the resting place for the weary ; the sufferer’s panacea, and the pilgrim’s home. For every ﬁeld sown, there is an har- vest. Generation is the sc'wz'77g of the world, regeneration the new birth into the kingdom ofheaven ; the resurrection ; are synonymously the elements of this heavenly order, and this order is the har- vest of the world. To souls in this order. “there is neither male nor female,” in the sexual sense of sensual pleasures. But, in the death such souls die to the worldly life, they are resurrected in a new, angelic life, and, in their relations. increase an hundred fold; so that unto them is fulﬁlled the declaration of the prophet Isaiah : “More are the children of the desolate, than of the married wife, saith the Lord.” Also, the words of the apostle: “Except a grain ofvvheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it a.7z'e, it bringeth forth “Ground” is the element in which the seed is enveloped to die. and ﬁguratively represents the chris- tian’s sufferings by the cross, producing death to sinful nature, in order to bring forth fruit unto spiritual life eternal. That is, if souls are baptized much fruit.” into Christ’s death unto sin, and to a worldly generative life, they will live in the angelic kingdom-of-heaven order, and spiritually have an hundred-fold rela- tion of fathers, mothers, brothers, sis- ters, etc. Thus “the harvest of the world,” that is, the cessation of generative life, and the institution of virgin celibacy, with its laws of duty in angelic life, is a normal step of human evolution; it is the narrow gate opening into the kingdom of heaven. This kingdom is the goal to which all religionists aspire _; the inspirational theme of their songs of devotion; it is the culminating ful- ﬁllment of all the prophecies pointing to the Zaticr day; the realization of man’s hopes of happiness; the highest round in the ladder of human progress l The pre-eminent work Christ came on earth to inaugurate, was to institute the kingdom-of-heaven order—the har- vest of the world. This work would have been necessary for the perfect evo- lution of humanity’s soul life, had man- kind never sinned; but, in that case, the christian’s work would have been natural and easy; instead of "‘ the king- dom of heaven suffering violence, and the violent taking it by force,” it would have been taken normally, as the suc- seeding step of man’s evolution, pursu- ant to a legitimate fulﬁllment of nature’s law in generation. Human history reveals to us the fact that all nations and peoples, in all past time, have had an order, or class, of virgin celibates, who have been revered as superior beings, and sought unto as the oracles of divine wisdom and heav- enly truth; thus demonstrating the fact that there is an intuitive perception of a higher life for humanity than the ani- mal, generative sphere; a knowledge that this earthly order, even in its nor- mal and orderly exercise, is not the element in which to develop soul Zffe, and the inspirations of the heavens. This requires the harvest of humanity from the worldly stalk ; in other Words, christianity—Shakerism 1 Thus, all religions professing to be christian, whose theology and life- practice stop short of virgin celibacy. and a total death to all the passional impulses of a worldly, generative na- ture, stop short of the /zarvest qf 2‘/ze u'or/d~—-of genuine Christianity. Shakers, N. Y. A v Christian Culture. No. 6. WM. H. BUSSELL. INDIVILUALISM.-SOCIALISM. It is not in human nature to ignore one’s self. That is not to be wondered at, seeing that i11 the divine economy so great provision has been made for the individual. “See all things for my use I ” Pope gives as the exclamation of human pride. ous truth. The christian,—to use the language of Cowper, Yet it contains a glori- “ Appropriates nature as his Father’s work; Calls the delightful scenery all /223‘ own ,- His are the mountains, and the valleys his, And the resplendent rivers his to enjoy VVith a propriety that none else can feel.” If the unnumbered worlds in the uni- verse are indicative of the divine power and wisdom, no less so is the fact that the individual man is capable of appro- priating and enjoying, one after another, all things contained therein. Beginning with the microcosm on which he dwells, prying into its history, whether of man, animal, rock or vegetable, and develop- ing whatever latent treasures it contains, he makes the whole contribute to his own individual pleasures; partial, it may be, if he is wrapped entirely in self; or unselﬁsh and diffusive, if divine love controlshim in everything. Thence on to the survey of other worlds, where nothing but the limitations of his yet undeveloped powers can check him in his further researches. The individual contains within him- self all the faculties comprised by the entire community, and, when rightly and thoroughly developed, these are capable of furnishing him the most ex- quisite enjoyment. Partial develop- ment makes the partial and selﬁsh per- son ; complete development changes the narrow individual into the far-seeing and all-loving. There are many in whom some one or a few and exclusive faculties are in excess. Such have an inclination to indulge in the excessive gratiﬁcation of these. To them this in- dulgence may not appear as it does to others. In their own estimation, they are but gratifying propensities that na- ture has implanted within them. And, in fact, there are those who maintain that this indulgence is all right. Self- denial fer the sake of a greater good forms no part of their creed. It is enough for them to know that nature has acted thus-—-the authority of nature is all-sufﬁcient. If that partial develop- ment were the whole that nature has made known to us, then no reasonable answer could be given. But she teaches many-sided development and growth as emphatically as anything else. Indeed, what is human culture of any and every kind but the result of nature’s work in aid of the individual’s eﬁbrt? VVhat could he do without her? If there were no progress of the individual in every age, and of entire communities from age to age, then the grand argument in favor of the Divine Existence and of man’s immortality would be nothing. Nature is but the method of working of God himself, from the partial to the whole, from the lowest to the highest. But the part implies the whole. If the individual has this tendency to indul- gence in partial gratiﬁcation, then self- denial becomes a paramount duty. Not entire abstinence, but self-restraint. Na- ture will supplement her own work it allowed to do so. “ Work out your own salvation, for it is God who works in you.” This was the teaching of Jesus Christ. “lviy Father worketh hitherto. and I work.” And the grand result of his self-denying activity was the eleva- tion of himself to the throne where the divine love forever reigns. Christian culture, then, does not ig- nore the human self-hood, by any means; but it discountenances exclu- sive devotion to a part, whatever that part may be, in derogation of the whole. It is not sufﬁcient to give heed to the maintenance of sourd bodily health and vigor, to the neglect of the spirit; nor to the improvement of the intellectual powers, in disparagement of the moral or the aﬁectional; nor solely to the cherishing of the affections, because by means of these we are in- fluenced to kindly regard for each other; nor to what is called the religious or spiritual nature, because thatleads us to an especial knowledge of God and heavenly things. Much has been written, and other- wise uttered, in recent years, respect- ing individual sovereignty. If the in- dividual man is sovereign, he is so only over himself. He may rule over his own spirit, subordinating the inferior to the superior, and seat himself upon the throne of intellectual and moral excel- lence, where he may be “monarch of all he surveys.” But that is a barren domain which consists of but a single thousand sources of wealth and enjoy- ment in territories that lie all around. able. authority, whose government is divine- ly constitutional. Subject them all to one uniform _..__u_,...__.. .- _._,,.w, ..T_._, E.,_ -... LAND LIl\/TITATION. FREDERICK XV. EVANS. VVhen we begin to pile up in cities, as in Europe, we shall begin to devour one another as they do in Europe.—T/zomas ?’(_*fe7's07z. Thomas Jefferson, one of the illustrious founders of this Republic, laid it down as a fundamental truth,that land could not be held as property any more than we can possess the stars of the ﬁrmament, or monopolize the air we breathe. \Ve can hold land only in usu- fruct. The reason for his position is: land was not created by man—was notpthe result of his labor~—that no individual could lay exclusive claim to any portion of it, and that all men, by virtue of their birth, have an in- herent right to the use of it. In England we see to—day the evil results of the violaticn of this radical truth. Vt/‘hen \Villiam of Nor- mandy tock possession of that country, he claimed sole ownership of re land by right of conquest. He divided the land among his generals and barons, who held it by feudal tenure. The common soldiers became ten- ants of the lords, and the original inhabitants were reduced to a state of virtual slavery. The church and ecclesiastic owners became large land-owners_, many opulent persons up- on their death—beds having bequeathed them their property as expiation for their sins. In process of time, the Catholic church held one ﬁfth of the land in England. But, though the land was thus held by compara- tively few persons, the poor were not in very bad condition. The land was let on easy terms. Any one who called at the castle ofa lord, or at a religious house, was fed with bread and beer—at least all had enough to eat. There were no taverns in those days- hospitality was the rule. The clergy, not having children, used the proceeds of the property entrusted to _their care, to a large extent, for the beneﬁt of the poor. The re- tormation gave the Protestant clergy posses- sion of the property previously held by the Catholic church, and from that time common people were debarred the enjoyment of any beneﬁt resulting therefrom. The ecclesiasti- cal revenues were used for the aggrandize- ment of the upper classes of the English hier- archy. The income which ‘re lords of the church derive to-day from property thus un- justly held from the people is simply enor- mous. Thousands if not hundreds of thous- ands are compelled to live under ground, as miners, a life of incessant toil, barely earning subsistence-—-degraded, down-trodden, abused, till life ceases to be desirable. I do not hold individuals responsible for those things. It is the inevitable resultof a vicious system. ‘The Great Napoleon, by conﬁrming the acts of the Revolution, added three millions of land-holders to the population. The result of that enlightened policy, France, notwith- standing tremendous drains upon her re- sources in consequence of unsuccessful, dis- astrous wars, is to—day the most prosperous nation of Europe. VVhen we look at the events of last week-—- strikes, riots, disturbances of the peace, reach- ing from the Atlantic to the Paciﬁc, resulting in bloodshed and devastation, do we compre- lhend the cause? Let me tell you, American lcitizens. There is Wrong, nationalwrong, at Ethe bottom. On one side we behold the jstrikers demanding bread or blood, indulging gin riot and tumult, destroying millions of lproperty, violating law, resisting authority land endangering the peace of the country. province, Shut out from access to thClOn the other side we see capital, enormous fmonopolies, vast interests controlled by jfew men bent upon extending their powers, enlarging their possessions, becoming richer It is his right and duty to invade them at the expense of the common peOp1e_ That all. Conquest in such a case is justiﬁ-‘E such a state of things should exist in Ameri- THE S HAI{ER. '75 ca, among the ﬁrst and most enlightened peo- ple on the globe, is surprising as well as de- plorable. VVhen Charles Bradlaugh was here and heard the complaints of inechanics and la- borers, and beheld the dissatisfaction existing among the common people, he was out 01 all “\Vliy,” said he, “you have every- You have the patience. thing that we are ﬁghting for. ballot, universal siilfrage, elect your own of- ﬁcers, make your own laws. You have the power in your own hands to remedy the evils you complain of.” Are we to suppose that the strikers, who acted so wildly and blindly for the past week or two, don’t know enough to choose honest legislatures to make justand reasonable laws? Gen. Grant said, “The best way to secure the repeal of an obnoxious law is to enforce it,” meaning, of cours-e,that the sovereign people would elect such legislators as would traine laws in accord with the wishes of their con- stituents. The deplorable occurrences oflast Week are the natural result of disregard of radical truth. Unless people examine the cause of things and comprehend the relation in which they stand to them, they will have trouble and discord and the. wild wave ofan- archy will roll over them. Thdodore Parker said, “If you indorse radical truths they will drop out at your fingers’ ends.” see men like Stewart, Astor or Vanderbilt be- coming so uselessly rich, we will also see hundreds of thousands becoming uselessly poor. ‘Ne will see strikes convulsing the country from one end to the other, tramps ﬁlling our streets. and hear the dreaded cry 01 VVhen we “bread or blood,” the ominous cry that pre- ceded the French Revolution. It has been heard in England~—is now heard for the ﬁrst time in our country. a mass of men who cannot obtain work and have no bread? Either you must get up a national war, enlist these men and set them to killing each other, or they will kill you. But I think there is a remedy for our present troubles. I mean LAND LIMITATION. Let titles remain as at present. of his rights, but pass a law that after 1878 no one shall acquire more than a certain number of acres of land. And as the present owners of exorbitant tracts die, let the sur- plus revert to the Government, subject to public sale, or compel the heirs to sell fo the legal limit. V‘Vhat will you do with Deprive no one By this arrangement millions who now crowd the cities would ﬂock to the country and become small land-owners, the equilibrium would be restored, a healthier tone would prevail in the land, and the cry for “blood or bread” would be heard no more. Individuals are not responsible for the pres- ent unjust, abnormal state of things. The glorious Declaration of Independence af- ﬁrined that “all men are born free and equal, endowed with certain inalienable The Constitutional slavery. This was a compromise between ships and swamps. Massachusetts had ships and wanted the carrying trade; Carolina had swamps and must have slaves to work them. The sentiments of the Declaration were the advanced ideas of a few men. Every Fourth of July spread—eagie orators reiterated these ideas. until the people were educated up to the Emancipation Act, and amended the Con- stitution in favor of human liberty. By peaceful and persiritent agitation, the public lands became free, the Homestead law passed and iinprisoninent for debt abolished. I throw I de- sire you to take hold of it, grasp it, reason, rights.” Convention recognized out to you the idea of land limitatioii. agitate, vote for it, until you incorporate it in your laws. Your wrongs will be righted——- there will be bi'ead for all. in the right direction. But It will be a move it slioulci not be your only move. Truth should be your guide in every i‘el-atioii of life, social, politi- cal and religious. Theological errors have more to do with present complications than many are aware of. People should learn to obey the truth--to receive truth in the love, of it no matter from what source it comes. Jesus was the most sensational preacher of He produced a sensation whenever He broke away from old estab- lished customs and systems, and pointed out a higher and better way. And though his doctrine was revolutionary in the extreme, He used no violent means to enforce it; on the contrary, He preached and enjoined peace. When rioters give way to violent passions, resist the law of the land and destroy millions ofproperty, they pursue the wrong course to To gain the sympathy and respect of the people they must learn peace—must show by their con- duct that they are worthy of better conditions ——that American citizens are not law-break- VVe must remember that it is written, This i~‘ true of individuals and of nations. All wrongs must be righted until He comes whose right it is to reign, because He shall seek to reign He that ruleth over man must be just, ruling in the fear of God. all time. he spoke. obtain redress for their grievances. ers. “There is no peace for the wicked.” only in righteousness. / SI—IAKER CHURCH COVENANT. IN TWO NUMBERS. NUMBER ONE . PREAMBLE. We, the Brethren and Sisters of the United Society of Believers (called Shakers), resid- , and state of , being connected together as a relig- ing in the county of ious and social community, distinguished by the name and title of the Church of the , which formany years has been established and in successful operation, under the charge of the Ministry and Eldership thereof, and, feeling the importance not only of renewing and conﬁrming our spiritual covenant with God and each other, but also of renewing and im- proving our social compact, and amending United Society, in the town of the written form thereof, do make, ordain, and declare the following articles of agreement as a summary of the principles, rules and regulations established in the Church of the said United Society, which are to be kept and maintained by us, both in our collective and individual capacities, as a covenant or consti- tution, which shall stand as a lawful testimo- ny of our religious and social compact, before all men, and in all cases of question and law relating to the possession and improvement ofour united and consecrated interest, prop- erty, and estate: ,ARTICLE I. Of)!/ze Gospel Mz'nz'stry. SECTION 1. tion : We solemnly declare to each other and to all whom it may concern, that we have re- ceived, and do hereby acknowledge as the foundation of our faith, order and govern- ment, the testimony or Gospel of Christ, in his ﬁrstiand second appearing, and we do hereby solemnly agree to support and main- tain the true primitive faith and Christain principles, the inorals,rules and manners per- taining to the said Gospel, as ministered by the founders of this Society, and kept and conveyed through a regular order of min- istration, down to the present day. And, although, as a religious society, we are variously associated, with respect to the local situations of our respective communi- ties, yet we are known and distinguished as a peculiar people, and consider and acknowl- edge ourselves as members of one general community, possessing one faith, and subject to one united, parental and MINISTERIAL ad- ministration, which has been regularly sup- ported from the ﬁrst foundation pillars of the Institution, and which continues to‘ operate for the support, protection and strength of every part of said community. SECTION ° Their order and office: on Their origin, call and institu- We further acknowledge and declare that for the purpose of promoting and maintain- ing union, order and harmony throughout the various branches of this community, the primary administration of parental authority has been settled in the ﬁrst established Min- istry at Mt. Lebanon, N. Y., there to rest and remain as the center of union to all who are in Gospel relation and communion with the Society. The established order of this Min- istry includes four persons; two of each sex. SECTION 3. Perpetuity of their office and how supplied: We further acknowledge and declare that the said primary administration of parental authority has been and is perpetuated as fol- lows: Namely, that the ﬁrst in that office and calling possesses the right given by the sanction of divine authority, through the ﬁrst founders of this Society, to prescribe or di- rect any regulation or appointment which they may judge most proper and necessary respecting the Ministry or any other import- ant matter which may concern the welfare of the Church, subsequent to their decease. But in the case no such regulation or ap- pointment be so prescribed or directed, then the right to direct and authorize such regu- lation and appointment devolves upon the surviving members of the Ministry, in coun- cil with the Elders of the Church, or others, as the nature of the case in their judgment may require. Such appointments being of- ﬁcially communicated to all concerned, and receiving the general approbation of the Church, are conﬁrmed and supported in the Society. This is agreeable to the example recorded in the Scriptures, and continued by the found- ers of this Society, and is the order and inan- ner which has been regularly practiced, ac- knowledged, and maintained in the Commu- nity from the beginning. SECTION 4. Of the ministerial ofﬁce in the several societies or communities: VVe further acknowledge and declare, cove- nant and agree that the Ministerial oﬂice and authority in any Society or Community of our faith, which has emanated, or which may emanate, in a regular line ofarderfrom the center of union aforesaid, is, and shall be acknowledged, owned and respected, as the spiritual and primary authority of such Soci- ety or Community, in all matters pertaining to the Miiiisterial oﬂice. And in case of the decease or removal of any individual of said Ministry, in any such Society, his or her lot and place shall be ﬁlled by agreement of the surviving Ministers, in council with the Elders and others, as the nature of the case may require, together with the knowledge and approbation of the primary ministerial authority at Mt. Lebanon, N. Y., aforesaid, to which they are responsible. SECTION 5. Powers and duties of Ministry: The Ministry being appointed and estab- lished as aforesaid are vested with the prima- ry authority of the Church and its various branches. Hence, it becomes their special duty to guide and superintend the spiritual concerns of the Society as a body of people under their care and government, and in connection with the Elders in their respective families and departments, who shall act in union with them, to give and establish such orders, rules and regulations as may be found necessary for the government and protection of the Church and Society within the limits of their jurisdiction, and also to counsel, advise and judge the matters of whether spiritual or temporal. in all importance, The said Ministry are also invested with authoiityin connection with the Elders as aforesaid, to nominate and appoint to otlice Ministers, Elders, Deacons, and Trustees, and to assign oﬂices ‘of care and trust to such brethren and sisters as they, the said Ministry and Elders, shall judge to be best qualiﬁed for the sever- and we do hereby covenant and agree that such nominations and appointments being made and oﬂicially communicated to those concerned, and receiving the general appro- bation of the Church, or of the families con- cerned, shall thenceforth be conﬁrmed and supported, until altered or revoked by the authority aforesaid. ARTICLE II. Instz'tutz'on of 1/ze Clmrck. . SECTION I. The object and design of Church relation: We further acknowledge and declare that the great object, purpose and design of our uniting ourselves together as a church or body of people, in social and religious com- pact, is faithfully and honestly to occupy, im- prove and diffuse the various gifts and tal- ents, both ofa spiritual and temporal nature, with which Divine wisdom has blest us, for the service of God, for the honor of the Gos- pel, and for the mutual protection, support, comfort and happiness of each other as brethren and sisters in the Gospel, and for such other pious and charitable purposes as the Gospel may require. SECTION 2. Who are not admissible into Church relation: As the unity, stability and purity of the Church essentially depend on the character and qualiﬁcations ofits members, and as it is a matter of importance that it should not be encumbered with persons who are under any involvement or incapacity, natural or moral: Theiefore, no member of any company or association in business or civil concern, no co-partner in trade, no person under any le- gal embarrassment or obligations of service, no minor, no slave nor bond servant, no in- sane person, no profane person, nor any person who lives in the willful violation of the known and acknowledged principles of moral conduct, shall be deemed qualified for admis- sion into the covenant relation and commun- ion of the Church. SECTION 3. Preparation for admission iii- to Church relation: In order that believers may be prepared for entering into the sacred privilege of Church relation, it is of primary importance that suf- ﬁcient opportunity and privilege should be afforded under the Ministry of the Gospel, for them to acquire suitable instruction in the genuine principles ofrighteousness, honesty, justice and true holiness, and also that they should prove their faith and Christian mor- ality by their practical obedience to the pre- cepts of the Gospel according to their in- structions. It is also indispensably necessa- ry for them to receive the one uniting spirit of Christ, and to become so far of one heart and one mind, that they are willing to sacri- ﬁce all other relations for this sacred 0722. Another essential step, is to settle all just and equitable claims of creditors and ﬁlial heirs, so that whatever property they may possess, shall be justly their own. VVhen this is done, and they feel themselves sutﬁ- ciently prepared to make a deliberate and ﬁnal choice, to devote themselves, with all they possess, wholly to the service of God, without reserve, and it shall be deemed prop- er by the leading authority of the Church, after examination and due consideration, to allow them to associate together in the ca- pacity of a Church, or a branch thereof in Gospel order, they may then consecrate themselves and all they possess to the service of God forever, and conﬁrm the same by signing and sealing a written covenant pred- icated upon the principles herein contained, and fulﬁlling, on their part, all its obliga- tions. SECTION 4. Admission of new members: As the door must be kept open for the ad- mission of new members into the Church, when duly prepared, it is agreed that each and every person who shall at any time after the date and execution of the Church Cove- lal oﬂices to which they may be appointed;lnant, in any branch of the Community, be 76 THE SHAKER. admitted into the Church as a member there- of, shall previously have a fair opportunity to obtain a full, clear and explicit understand- ing of the object and design of the Church Covenant, and of the obligations it enjoins upon the members. For this purpose, he or she shall, in the presence of two of the dea- cons or acting trustees of the Church, read, or hear the same distinctly read, so as to be able freely to acknowledge his or her full ap- probation and acceptance thereof, in all its parts. Then he, she or they (as the case may he), shall be at liberty to sign the same; and having signed and sealed it, and being subject to all the obligations required of the original signers shall tbenceforth be entitled to all the beneﬁts and privileges thereunto appertaining; and the signature or signa- tures thus added shall be certiﬁed by the said deacons or trustees, together with the date thereof. SECTION 5. dren : . Youth and children, being minors, cannot be received as members of the Church pos- sessing a concentrated interest in a united ca- pacity, yet it is agreed that they may be re- ceived under the immediate care and govern- ment of the Church, at the desire or consent of such person or persons as have a lawful right to or control of such minors, together with their own desire or consent. But no minor under the care of the Church can be employed therein for wages of any kind. ARTICLE III. Of Me T rusieesbzf. SECTION I. Appointment, qualiﬁcations and powers of Trustees : It has been found necessary for the estab- lishment of order in the Society in its various branches, that superintending Deacons and Deaconesses should be appointed and author- ized to act as Trustees or agents of the tem- poralities of the Church. They must be recommended by honesty and integrity, their Concerning youth and chil- lﬁdelity in trust and their capacity for the transaction of business; of these qualiﬁca- tions the Ministry and Elders must be judges. The official Trustees of the Church are gen- erally known among us by the title of Oﬂice Deacons, qfw/zicb z‘/zere must be two or more ,- and being appointed by the authority afore- said, they are invested with power to take the general charge and oversight of all the property, estate and interest, dedicated, de- voted, consecrated and given up for the ben- eﬁt of the Church; to hold in trust the fee of all the lands belonging to the Church; also all gifts, grants and donations which have been, or may hereafter be dedicated, devoted, consecrated and given up as aforesaid; and the said property, estate, interest, gifts, grants and donations shall constitute the united and consecrated interest of the Church, and shall be held in trust by the said Deacons, as act- ing Trustees, in their official capacity, and by their successors in said otlice and trust for- ever. SECTION 2. Duties of the Trustees : It is and shall be the duty of the said Dea- cons or acting Trustees to improve, use and appropriate the said united interest for the beneﬁt of the church in all its. departments ; and for such other religious and charitable purposes as the Gospel may require; and also to make all just and equitable defence in law for the protection and security of the ‘conse- crated and united interest, rights and privi- leges of the Church and Society, jointly and severally as an associated community, as far as circumstances and the nature of the case may require; Providerl, never!/zeless, that all the transactions of the said Deacons oracting Trustees, in the use, management, protec- tion, defense and disposal of the aforesaid interest, sball be for Me br22ze_/E2? and ;5rz'z1z'lege and 2'71 be/mlf of Illa: Cbmw‘/2 or Socz'ez:v as aforesaid ; and not for any p5rz'z.'a2.‘e z'7zz‘erest. object or fwzrjﬁose w/Eaz‘e7Je7'. SECTION 3. Trustees to give information and be responsible to the Ministry and Eld- It shall also be the duty of the Trustees to give information to the Ministry and Elders of the church of the general state of the tem- poral concerns of the. church and society committed to their charge; and also to report to the said authority all losses sustained in the united interest thereof, which shall come under their cognizance. And no. disposal of any real estate of the Church, nor any im- portant contract shall be considered valid without the previous approbation of the au- thority aforesaid, to whom the said Deacons and Trustees are rzmls/zczll, at all times, be bald resjbovzsible 2'72 all z‘/zeir 2.‘ra7zsacz‘z'o7zs. SECTION 4. Books of account and record to be kept: It shall also be the duty of the Deacons or acting Trustees to keep or cause to be kept, regular books of account, in which shall be entered the debt and credit accounts of all mercantile operations and business transac- tions between the Church and others; all receipts and expenditures, bonds, notes and bills of account, and all other matters that con- cern the united interest ofthe church; and also a book or books of records, in which shall be recorded a true and correct copy of this Cov- enant; also all appointments, removals and changes in oﬁice of Ministries, Elders, Dea- cons and Trustees; all admissions, removals departure and decease of members, together with all other matters and transactions of a public nature which are necessary to be re- corded for the beneﬁt of the Church, and for the preservation and security of the docu- ments, papers and written. instruments per- taining to the united interest and concerns of the church, committed to their charge. And the said record shall be annually inspected by the leading authority of the church, who, together with the Trustees, shall be the cm- cial auditors of the same; and the signature of one or more of said auditors, with the date ofinspection and approval shall be deemed suﬁicient authority for the correctness and validity of the facts and matters so recorded. SECTION 5. Trustees to execute a declara- tion of trust: For the better security of the united and consecrated interest of the Church to the proper uses and purposes stipulated in this covenant, it shall be the duty of the Trustee or Trustees, who may be vested with the law- ful title or claim to the real estate of the Church, to make and execute a declaration of trust, in due form of law embracing all and singular the lands, tenements and here- ditaments, with every matter of interest per- taining to the Church which at the time be- ing may be vested in him or them, or that may in future come under his or their charge of oﬁice, during his or their said Trusteeship. The said declaration shall state expressly that the said Trustee or Trustees hold all such lands, tenements or hereditaments, and all the personal property of every description belonging to the Church or Society, in trust for the uses and purposes expressed in and subject to the rules, conditions and regula- tions prescribed by the covenant and consti- tution of the said Church or Society, or any amendments thereto which shall hereafter be adopted by the general approbation of the Church, and in conformity with the primi- tive faith and acknowledged principles of the Society. And the said declaration shall be in writing, duly executed under his or their hands and seals, and shall be recorded in the Book of Records provided for in the preced- ing section. 0 SECTION 6. how supplied: VVe further covenant and agree that in case it should at any time happen, in the course of Divine Providence that the ofﬁce of Trust- ees should become wholly vacant, ‘by the death or defection of all the Trustees in whom may be vested the fee of the lands or Vacancies in certain cases; real estate belonging to said Church or So- ciety, then, and in that case, one or more successors shall be appointed by the consti- tutional authority recognized in this Cove- nant, according to the rules and regulations prescribed by the same. And the said ap- pointment, being duly recorded in the Book of Records, provided for in this article, shall be deemed, and is hereby declared to vest in such successor or successors all the rights, interest and authority of their predecessors, in respect to all such lands,property or estate belonging to the Church or Society as afore- said. A Epitomic History of the Watervliet Shakers. N o. 6. D. A. BUCKINGHAM. TEIVIPERANCE. Some time previous to the excitement created by the lectures of Sylvester Gra- ham and others concerning diet, or “Te7Iz]')c7'cz;'zce 2'72 cczlizzg and al7'z'7zb— z'7zg,” especially in the use of “ardent spirits,” Believers, who had been in the habit of making more or less use of them, had been very much awakened on the same subject, and had fully come to the conclusion that it was a useless habit, and unitedly resolved to abstain therefrom. Consequently, each and every family and society of Believers (Shakers,) east and west, rejected, wholly and totally, the use of ardent spirits, excepting as these might be used -as medicine, under the direction and control of physicians who had the im- mediate care of the same. This system of strict temperance has been punctually carried out in the prac- tical life of every genuine Shaker for nearly forty years. All wines, and stimulating drinks of every name and nature, were rejected; even strong beer and cider, with tea and coffee, did not escape being brought under stringent rules favorable to temperance. On this general ground of abstinence from all kinds of ardent beverages, the Shakers have taken a prominent stand, setting an example worthy of imitation. The increasing interest and labors manifest in the world, rgspecting this very important subject, are highly com- mendable, and by us greatly appreci- ated. VVe bless the earnest feelings~— the very many trials and exertions that have been, and still are being made by temperance men and women, who seem greatly engaged, using their utmost in- fluence to bring about a change—a rad- ical change in the world, concerning matter. They are most worthy acts of true benevolence. this Temperance meetings — individual pledges——public lectures, and the many resolutions adopted in behalfof Reform throughout the world, have done, and still are doing much good, especially among that class where poverty and want have made their inroads, and dis- sip-ation and intemperance stamped their ruin. VV’e say, Lord speed the time when excesses of all kinds shall cease— when all wrongs shall be righted———and truth and honesty bear universal sway. But as some are inclined to think that the Shakers are far behind the age, be- ‘Without it than formerly with it. cause they are not in immediate fellow- ship with the world in all things, let us examine the matter a little, and in ad- dition to, as well as in connection with what we have already stated in past numbers of THE SHAKER, respecting our institution, take the following: It is not so much in the external or physical development of our being that we claim to be the most zealously en- gaged—as the soul is much more im- portant to us than the b0(ly—yet we have done something for this even, and are daily doing what we are able for the further advancement of both soul and body in the right direction, as we think. The Shakers have made one great sacriﬁce, which the World of mankind in general have hardly attempted, fur- ther than to advocate the idea, giving it a favorable recommendation. It is the total rejection of swz'72e’s_/‘les/z. Believ- ers—Shakers—have abstained from its use for nearly thirty years! and many individuals among us for a much longer time. VVe consider ourselves far better The No kinds of animal food are so profusely eaten salutary effects are visible. by us now as formerly; and the vege- table and fruit kingdoms supply its place. We think we are less subject to fevers and consumptive diseases; and therefore feel amply rewarded for the seeming great sacriﬁce. About forty years ago, sﬁzolaz”/zg and c/z.ewz'7eg tobacco were very much prac- ticed among the members of 0111' com- munity, especially by the aged. But light from the heavens illuminated the minds and reached the understandings of many of us, to that degree, that being convinced of their deleterious effects on‘ the human system, they were almost unanimously rejected. Some persons among us who had been in the habit of using tobacco for ten, twenty, and even ﬁfty or more years, resolutely set their faces against it evermore. And al- though there are some few who still in- dulge in the foul habit, yet it is hoped the day is not far distant when it will be wholly discarded and driven from our midst. Many that use'it, condemn it, and declare it to be a useless and a very nasty practice, or habit; and yet they have not the manhood nor self- control requisite to its full renunciation. But such persons often talk largely about 7'e_'f07‘77z and zmiversal ﬁr0gres5z'on in other things, and sometimes even in this! But let those who favor reform in any point whatever, manifest it by example, and it will assuredly have a better eﬁect——being more graciously re- ceived- Physicians and others, who have written upon the subject of tobacco and its use, call it a hurtful and poisonous weed——injurious to health and life— from the use of which its votaries can derive little or no benefit. Then why so many continue to be, as it Were, slaves thereunto? We have found, by experience, that the better and more ready way of break- ing loose from wrong or vile habits of 'I THE SHAKER. 77 any kind, is to summon them before us -—-look them fairly and fully in the face —examine and cross-examine, and then resolve and re-resolve we will no longer be slaves to our “baser passions” or depraved appetites, but that we will conquer, whatever be the cost. Now let all who are in favor of reform in society, and Wish to make men and women better, consider that an example of temperance in all things is the best and loudest preaching in the world, and that physical and moral rectitude are the very step-stones to a religious life in Christ. “ Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works heaven.” and glorify your Father in NoTE.—I would here brieﬂy remark that, in the August number of THE SHAKER, Vol. VII., page 59, inan ar- ticle on “Agricultural, and other Im- provements,” in speaking of the “Im- proved Shaker Washing Machine,” it was there stated as being an invention of the Society at Shaker Village, N. H., which is a mistake. It originated in the Society at Mount Lebanon, N. Y., and was used by them many years pre- vious to its being patented. The So- ciety at Shaker Village, after having made considerable improvements upon the original, in agreement with the originators thereof, got it patented with their improvements. As I have only given in part the in- ventions of other Societies, I hope by what I have stated on the subject of in- ventions, to call forth in THE SHAKER a true statement from each Society for themselves. A V The Coming Oompunctions, Confessions and Repentance. DANIEL FRASER. “At the time of the appearance of chris- tianify, a crisis took place in the development of humanity, which may be described as the commencement of spiritual life. The change was not abrupt, it had been preceded by the increasing spirituality of the Hebrew faith through prophetic teachings, and the general expectation of a Messiah.—G0ld1uz'7z Smiz‘/2. Two hundred years preceding the second appearance of Christ, extraordinary prepara- tions for that event took place. First, the Reformation; which broke the power of the Roman church. Second, the appearance and power of the Puritans. Third, the spiritual life and inﬂuence of the Qiakers. Fourth, the prophetic teachings, life, and zeal of the French prophets. They declared that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. Fifth, great activity of thought, and extraordinary facili- ties for its expression and distribution. Com¢zmctz'o7z, Corzfessiorz and Rejientcmce for sin, ushered in the ﬁrst christian dispensa- tion, and brought forth a church having all things in common. Compunction, operating in the same manner, ushered in the second appearing of Christ, and brought forth a church wherein no man says that anything is his. Churches made up of rich and poor are not christian; lacking in brotherly equality and love. Comjﬁmzctiorz is inherent in our conscious- ness, and when moved upon by the holy spirit, arrests man in his downward paths, el- evates him above his animal selfhood, and unfolds the divinity within him. Modiﬁca- tions of this force have in all ages been oper- ative to prevent society from sinking into degradation. And during human history, has been, and ever will be operative, as a cen- tral force ofelez2az‘z'on. The time is drawing on for rom_75mzcz‘z'o7z to begin to operate on millions, as it did on Jesus, and on Ann Lee. He was touched so deeply, that he solemnly declared and felt, that every idle word must be repented of. By the power of compunc- tion, he rose into a righteousness and life which the dispensation of Moses could not give. He rose—was resurrected above his "animal desires and emotions, into loves and a life which the Father could love and own. So Ann Lee, under the same’ power, gave herself no rest till she felt purged from the slightest animal emotion or desire. Every true child of hers will do likewise. Even our eyes must be purged from lust, and sancti- ﬁed. The experience of our people has aﬁirmed, that in the degree that individuals come un- der the powerof compunction, confession and repentance, they stand resurrected, as did Jesus, and become Saviors, as he was. \Vholesale confessions bring no deliverance; the smallest faults must all appear, and be repented of. The interior life of Jesus taught him, that which had been done in secret must be brought to light. Mother Ann Lee, from her experience, also testiﬁed in the most solemn manner, “that the smallest sin unconfessed, would shut the soul out from God.” There is a meaning in “ Crucify the old man, -wit/z all /us a_fectz'o72s, and all /zz"s lusts. Be not conformed to the world, but transformed in the spirit of your minds.” On the tablet of our consciousness, is the record of our lives —a daybook, wherein deeds, words, emotions and desires are impressed; and from time to time, there are interior calls to settle ac- counts. The quickening of the higher life in man, with concurrent associations and conditions, exalting and opening the spiritual facultiesin humanity, has been the foundation of all new dispensations of truth, and elevations of life. Doubtless the Mosaic era was introduced at the right time and place. It is a system of life, law and government, which, when strip- ped of all extraneous attachments, recom- mends itself now, and will through the com- ing ages. Obedience to its requirements will ever be the law of all true progress. “Heaven and earth may pass away, but not one jot of hygienic or moral law, shall pass, till all shall be fulﬁlled.” The person who will keep these laws, will be called great in the king- dom of heaven. But he or she, who may have a place in the second appearing of Christ, who knowingly will break in any de- gree, or by their inﬂuence countenance vio- lators of hygienic or moral law, will be the least in that kingdom. For the darkness of night is past, and the day has come, to ac- complish the prophecy: “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it on their hearts.” This now, is with some, an accom- plished fact. The Mosaic system was but in part the law written on the heart, will have a wider application than it had in Jewry. As the unfoldment of the spiritual in hu- manity opened, the fullness of time came, when the revelation of the Christ became possible. Had there been no preparation un- der John the Baptist, no quickening of the conscience, the materialist Sadducee,the staid, pompous Pharisee, would not have come to John with feelings of compunction. Their day ofjudgment, in part, had come; all souls will likewise be so overtaken. So universal was the awakening in city and country, “that they ofJerusalem, all Judea, and round about Jordan, went to John confessing their sins.” This exaltation and quickening was the foundation of the ﬁrst christian dispensation. Jesus felt, and honored the general move- ment, and went also to John with those who came to be released from their burdens of con- Jesus, on opening his life, was demnation. by John refused baptism, on the ground that his mission was not applicable—did not reach the condition ofJesus Christ. Hence John hon- estly confessed, “I have need to be baptized of thee.” Hereby testifying, that in Jesus, a higher dispensation than the Mosaic had be- gun——a higher life and truths than were cog- nizable by the Mosaic life or laws. So of the founder of our own order. The quickness of her discernment of evil placed her before her teachers. A little band led by Jane and James V‘Vard- ley, had risen from the Qriakers, and held to confessing all known sin, answered the initia- tory experience of Mother A.nn; but not rest- ing there, the power of compzmct:'o7z led her to a deeper examination of the workings and tendencies of human nature, and to a,corre- sponding cross, hourly, and momentarily to be borne against impure emotions, selﬁsh- ness and pride. Her sufferings of spirit were very great; she felt humbled in the dust; so alive and intent was she to purify herself from the least contamination of evil, that she in her abasement rose above her teachers, and ministered to them the elements of a higher life than they had attained to. Although the ministrations of Mother Ann were keen and cutting to severity against everything unclean; yet her spirit was ﬁlled with love. Even as the cleansing waters of compunction overﬁowed in her being, as do the waters of the Jordan, so also in her, did the river of divine love overﬂow, while she baptized all willing souls, with ﬁre to burn up the old creation of Adam and Eve withir. them; and with the holy spirit, create them into sons and daughters of God. With Mother Ann this was not a momentary effusion, but a continued life manifestation. Her ever- anxious and earnest desire was, that others might have life in themselves, even as she had. So creative and heavenly was her love. that “Mother” was the name spontaneously accorded her. Those who are baptized into purity of life, abnegation of self, and into the newness of the higher life as she was, delight now to call her Mother. Her natural brother, a powerful young man, coming to her bap- tism, exclaimed, “ Size is my Motﬁer, yet size 2'5 ;-223' sister!” The brotherly equality of the Pentecostal church_has rarely been approached, never sur- ‘passed. The church of the second appearing. after being in the crucible of time one hun- dred years, can be seen, quietly “pursuing the even tenor of her way.” A virgin life—cir- cumcision of heart—her line of separation from an unclean world; dispensing to all within her fold, the loves and blessings of the higher life. The externals of which, are equality of condition, and the elevation of woman; placing her with man, as a compo- nent of government, judicial and executive. Ennobling labor, and the laborer; freeing him from being a commodity——slave-like——in the market of supply and demand. “I will make a man (not the procreative man) more pre- cious than ﬁne gold.” Ye men and women of mind, and of noble impulses; who seek the enfranchisement of woman, the abolition of land monopoly, and of systems of ﬁnance as old as Egyptian dark- ness, and as cruel as was its bondage. Look down the avenues of time. Gather up the high-sounding constitutions, with preambles ,4 - of “glittering generalities.” Did not Solon the ﬁrst, embody slavery in his republic? Did not Plato dream of the same? VVas he not exclusive? “Let none enter here but geometers.” Have the modern Solons done any better? Are not all hired men virtually slaves? And, when worn out, or their labor not in demand, are they not set aside as you would a handful of rags? Do not the inequal- ities of human conditions to-day, rival those of ancient heathen civilizations, while the productive forces of our times are much greater? Are not the commandments of God, moral and hygienic, set at naught when in- terest, selves? appetite or passion present them- By cm1z]‘>zmctz'm2 mid c02.zfr1'z‘z'o7z, “Come out of her my people. Be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” -—— --4- CGRRESPONDENCE. VVATEIE BAP'i‘lSl\I.——IS I).-\N(JlNG AS '\VORSI:IIP AUTHORIZED II‘; THE SC‘.RII’TUI{I*JS?——3IAR— I{IAGE.—W'A.*5‘ ANN LEE A DI V1511‘) Tl+L‘iC1ll£I{? H GEORGE E. AMF.u.r: Ifiizd .Fm'vmI.‘——I p1'omise<l to write to you, andevcn if I haul not, ;’-till I .-l.;-Jul-.l have Written, not only be- cause I \\’i‘.l?iL‘(l a little inm'0 i1;1'o1'1natlo11, but l,v(‘-miise I :’ag;‘:1i:1inustthunk you fo'1' your kimliicss. Wlien I left your li;1pp_vlioine my I‘celiugs were akin to those of the poor t’rarcle1- who has left the green oasis far behind, anal. who yycurily tal;c..-2 his way. He 1'8ll}(‘l1l- bent, pa1'v‘ucd with tlii1'st:=.s he is, the running streams of that g1'eeupl:a.ee; aurl wliile the sun l,E‘Ci2lI.~,‘ <lo\\.’11 upon him, he thinks of the slirule oi" the palm trees left farbeliiud. Y()11l'C.Ill(‘l1ll:(-1‘, zloubtl , how the l>eo‘ole of I-'1‘eeI, ::lte1' toil,-Z«01’i1C l‘.l{il'('l!CS, czzrue to Elam where gr1'ev.' “ two and thirty ” palins; ju.-‘t so, my1'1‘iC1ul, ! 6:.-,::s:;e to yo1u'l»_-cmze. I was \\‘(,‘.‘1i‘_\', and I rested. I-7‘ric-nil ('%eo1'g,'e, I do not suppose that you have been a \\'::n<le1'e1's12cI-1 as I, and of cx.-urse you cannot know what lzeayy lomls of grief oppress my l:1boi'ingl1c:z1't. I:'.l‘r1u:1L“s‘z'l10 has been a u':u.x(l(-rc1' all my life, and while I .'1:x\'e1:n;t1i1ai1}: \'.'liopi':at:eixtle(l t'riendship. still I ll:2‘.‘L'l'<"'.l1‘.(l harrlly one win. words we: 4: }_Ji‘t,>\'C«l to be true by their actions. I i'.£3‘.'C l_».'.~.en 1 aokiug vpithta i!lll)[__;‘l'_V l:cu1'tf_"<>1' tru<- £'i'io'mls, Zlsitll fear‘ 1' shall lool~: a. long time zimong the p<:«_>,{)le of the ‘.V'(Jl‘ltl. I we-ulrl not lmve you set me tiU\‘»'ll as :1 dealer‘ in “in2m'lai.~:h .-:s_-utiments; ” I am not. I do notbelieve in ]o\,'eM::s most people (lo. ,l.m;p, I hold to be lov. shoultl have in:?: one grain of sch" in it. If I loverl :1. woman, un<l I ‘».}':c\\' or thorglit that she wt,-ulel be happier 1-..-2 the wife of:u:o1liern'>;tn, I slwulﬁv.endeavor to secure tliat li!:p1)i1:os:;;i"o1- her. This is what the V-.'orl<'l (mils l‘Jh‘2'!l‘:li_\', but Wilt‘-.t I with my .-3.m::ller views call love in the first (l0g‘1‘e(). Now I am going‘ to ask you several quc.-,tix:1u~:, and I hope you will :msv;cr tlicm. Most men a1'etmutl:_von their (loc.t1'i11::-(-1, E.-ut I l;uo\-.' you are not, so here goes. I. Ilow do you get rid of‘ watrr baptism, when Christin his r;a,~iiw;-1‘:-‘:ui<’='.i xvi’-L11lxiicorlenuls said, “you must be born of w_.-.t«.'1':in<l mt‘ the Spirit?” ‘.2. Did Christ or (}mi, orany one 1'egu1'tled as it ?<—'ache1', ce‘21mna1'nl-l:.. <'ir.g as an :'r.'t<:-1" \\'o1‘-3hi;'v'.’ 3. Sli:('C Go-<l I-,~‘{U'(l it vvrs hot} g‘:f:o<l .":,;rma11 to Lee alone (nu,-:1ningofc<:ui'st- lilmtii. was it(»tg'<»(n<l for a man to be '.'».'ithout 21 Wifel, ;:1:«l / , IND., A_ug;'. 1st, 1877. he <‘o7n)mm(le°rl t‘:1cu1 m1n'ultip‘sy aud1"cplonisl1 the curtli, is it not g't‘:illg'4‘ (li- rectly 2§;‘::i;!st.t.l.<:. I‘{“.'ij‘.‘=.l("l will of (-‘oil not to nisrry? I\‘ow, 1'ri<‘1ni ¢.1‘eo1‘_:g'(', I want clc::r :=.i.»::-".\'e1‘s, liiblical a11sWe1':3,it‘you 1'>Es::1se. {X1111 now, one more: How will you p1'o\'c, l:<<u' (lo you prove. that l\.Iot.her Ann \.‘.'.-is ggiftt-<1 witli the .*k}ai1'it oi“ Clwist? It’ I can be .==:1ti:~f‘;«>«l tlzut _V(~ur people :‘v1'e living up to the law, tlwre I: no pmplc on earth t1;;-.t { would prefer o\'er you to be one of. Your females are inno- cert. us ('.hil<,lre‘u; your men, men of honor. You are c'.harit:\ble, but are you in the 1'ig‘l1t txrack? Accept my t‘:’s:ml\::-‘ agraiu for your kincluc-ss. I hope you will not lv:xve this iinaissweretl. It written in a hurr_\', ‘»'vit‘n<r:it much tlu>ug'l1t. I pray you answer me, and the ncrgt tinze I write I will do better. Until then, bclie\'cn1e,T, am Yours kinzlly, G. ‘W. B--—_—. ELDEH G. W’. B-—-—, II—-—, Iudizma : ' Esz‘vJe/Izwl II':'imzé’.'—Yo111' kinrl letter of Aug. Isl: <-znne safely to hand, anti was 1'C:1<lWiCll pleasure. I was really pleased to ‘near that you lnul been able to “feel the spirit” of the people ll(‘1‘C. ‘I011 but give ex- pression to the 1‘celir._:;‘s of tens of thousamls of our fel‘;m.‘.'-nlcu, \Vllt‘ll yin . y your “licart is hungry for true i‘ricr.<ls.” Your i«le::: of love :1. very high type of hath‘-'...l. love, wine.-.11 v;<>i1‘;«‘-. bless lnummity to 1-ea}- Eze. But t.‘-,:;':t (lay is yet afar oil‘. lam 1)L'l'f(\i'()L‘ com- pelled. to be very brief with my notice of the first part of your letter, in order to answer suirowliat in detail the four questions you put. You say, “ Friend (,;t=o1‘;;'t'-, I want clear answe1's, I1-ilxliirz/Z :xr:swers.” List me tell you here a story to the point in answer to your rigquest for Biblical an- ’ Upon invitation i once attended ameeting of ‘ nus ::<L”fi iﬁflll-J(l “ st:-ul sleepers, ” or "' annihila- tirmists,” who pos.:-'essetl so great reverence for the literal st-1'ipt1n't-:5, that they interrupted me when I was :iii:.:‘.yex-lira‘ one of t‘:w1'r q1un~;.ti4>1:s,;111ll told me they w;:nte<l n»:,~tiiing ea1'tlily—tliey vxautetl nothing but the Clear, tu'.por‘.'e1'te<l “Word of L-'o<,l.” I took Paul’s (Jorinthi;1na.ur,lother L-pistles, and plied so hot and hCuX'_‘,' his <l<)mn1<‘i,atio1:s of l1l‘.<‘lL‘ftllEl€SS, and lowness of the “well,” <:omp::1'e<l with the “better state,” that tlicy ‘wcr-3 soon ,-to warm as to attempt to depart £“rom the ;-trictlettt‘r, and ri:-:0 to 4;-,,\’pl:‘.i1l; but I stop- ped then: by holding them with exaspera.ting' ﬁrmness and pe1'ti1u:eity to their own request. Hold! nothing but the pure “Wu-1'(‘a_ o1'Go(l.” Probably you will ask, wliero tho i'!ppll(‘[‘.tI()}l'.‘ You left :1. work, one fourth or more 01' which is an argument of one of your ablest reasoners on the sub- ject of Baptism. Had he conﬁned hiinself to the un- 78 THE SI-IAKER“ perverted “Word of God,” all the scriptures could have been written. on quite a small sheet. Though my answers, to your mind, may not seem Biblical, I do not at all fear making them plain and clear. Question 1 : “ How do you get rid of water baptism, when Christ in his conversation with i\"icodemus says, ‘Except a man be born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’ ” Your quotation is froin the 3d of John, in which, from the 1st to the *2‘2cl verse, the interview and con- versation are described. We think a. careful reading of the text will convince you that your application of this to \ ':-itcr baptism is quite a forced one. From the let to the 22d verse not once does this word “baptism” occur in any shape or form. Read the 7th and 8th verses in the chapter following. In John iv: 14, a very striking and beautiful deﬁnition of the water here spoken of is given as follows: “But whosoever diinketli. of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him, a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” A lovely description of the process of being “born again,” and its progressive cliaractei-——“a well of water springiiig up into everlasting life,” causing individuals so baptized to become like Whittier’s “Cloud,” which “ Shall, with beauis of light from the inner glory, Be stricken through." It is said that Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples. But that it will not do in every respect tr: follow the exainple of his disciples, one circumstanc( alone will demonstrate suiﬁciently, i. e., that of Paul’.-, circunicising Timothy. And further, even Jesus hiin- self observed many of the Jewish ciistonis which he never enjoined upon his followers to keep. How true it is that people “strain at gnats and swallow camels.” Matt. iii. 6, reads, speaking oi John, “and were baptized of him in Jordan, confess- ing their sins.” The people nianifest a great deal oi tenacity in holding on to the ﬂrst part of this text as all essential, but they drop the last and avoid it as they would fire, which it truly is if done honestly. If we turn to the words of Jesus alone, we find that in John x. 38, 39, he sends his disciples not only t(, teach and baptize all nations, but also to teach tliesc same nations to “observe all things whatsoeverl havi commanded you.” To give up all natural relations. for instance, and last but not least “his own 1i1'e also." Your champion, Elder Franklin, in one of his dis- courses with his opponent, makes this strong point in contrasting immersion with sprinkling or pouring. “My second argument is, that in departing from the appointment of God, it is more probable that they de- parted from the more laborious, inconvenient, and unpleasant, to the more easy, convenient, and pleas- ant,” etc. A very true remark, indeed, and one that is intensiﬁed a thousand fold in its applicability wher we use it in comparing your ceremonial baptism with ours, which burios us with Christ. A burial, my deai friend, naturally suggests a corpse; so in Romans vi. 4. we read: “Therefore ye are buried with him by bap- tism into death." You take your converts down lllt( the water and bring them out alive and safe. \Ve talu ours, ask tlieni to honestly confess their sins, and thei lead them down deep into the waters of the Gospel oi Jesus Christ, but instead of bringing them out wt keep them under until all selﬁsh ties, all selfish accu- mulative (llt“p0Sll'lOll, and in short all the (iOIl]lCCtll]3C links which bind them to the world, are broken, and they who went down alive are brought up dead, (‘,()11j,- pletely buried to the world and its life. They go dowi knowing (after the manner of the world) father, mother, sisters, brotlicrs by the flesh ; they go d.owr. owning houses and lands, wife and children : they come up recognizing these no l1l0l‘0, no matter how loudly they may call. But in their places they find tln hundred fold promised; and in place of wives they know that, like the virgins, they have Christ! Non are not Fi'anklin’s words forcibly applicable here? And last, but by no means the least reason i'or our neglect of water baptism is the follr.-wiiig: Every dis- pensation has had and must continue to have its laws and ordinances. The Jewish law could not, nor would Jesus suffer it to intcrpose any obstruction to the Gospel of Christ, which was superior to the dead letter of the law and its ce1'cnioiiies. .E_\'tl'tl.Cl.l1lg' the very soul and marrow of the law, Jesus had still higher truths to urge, and when occasion required could make people feel that he was niastcr, not only of the Sabbath, but any other part of the Jewish dis- pensation. We claim that we are in a dispensation superior to that of the apostles of Jesus, in that the truths and principles eiiunciatcd by Jesus are more fully carried out now than in their day. Not but that they were faithful, but they could not work before their time. And our dispensation being governed by laws given to it, as Christ gave laws to his followers, and as be from time to time further taught. them, we are as ﬁrmly bound to observe the laws of our day and dispeiisatioii as the apostles theirs. And in this new dispensation, as in the first dispensation of the Christian cluircli, there is a (lcci'e-zise of the cereinonial of the past er.-1, but an iiici-ease of the real and vital, and as a coiiseqii-zgiice a groatci' cross given to men to bear. And among other CC'l‘E5ll‘iOi}lf.llS belonging‘ to the first Christian dispensation, water baptisni has been laid aside (by command) as iioii-is-sseiitial. Do not niisunderstarid us on this point. In the dis- pensation past and gone it has had its uses. it served in its time as “the answer of a good conscience to- wards God," and to those who have received no fur- ther light it will still prove justifying, and, in ade- gree, coinforling. It is the baptism of John, and no more. A baptism to repentance of an uiigodly life. But we say, Christ oIl'ers niore—a. better rite. We might proceed i‘i-om text to text on this subject of baptism. but will content ourselves by adding, that it is one of the iiiisfortunes of liumaiiity to almost iii- variably elevate the cerenionial and mystical above the real—to prefer the shadow to the substance—and while wrangling about hair-splitting diﬂerences be- tween this or that symbol, to lose sight of the all- iieedful, the true ('In'1?st life. ' So much for answer to your first questlon—-an an- swer long and still short—to you a question of great importance, to us a more side issue, serving to hide froin view weigliticr truth, even the. baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ, which, redemptive in its very character and operation, pales, by comparison, its faint symbol belonging to a. dispensation to us past and gone. Questioiiﬂ: “Did God, or any one regarded as a teacher, connnand dancing as an act of worship? ” Answer. My dear friend, there are some things, God be praised, which men and women do without ‘my commanding. Bowed down by sorrow, tears are wrung from ourcyes: moved by compassion, we weep over the sulieriiigs of liumanity. W’-_-. have seen whole asseinl.-lies carried away and crazed by glad tidings of an cartlily character ; there were clapping of hands, stamping of feet, tossing of hats, laughter, and even slicddiiig of tears of joy, niaking a very babel of noise, and creatiiig such an excitement that it would have been dangerous for any one to have made manifest that he or she was not in harmony with the 2lll-})€1'- vading spirit: of the hour. Could any one fully united in the thankfulness of the occasion stand coolly by and criticise the various modes employed to manifest emotion that vvoiild not be coiitrollcd? VVe tell you nay. The idea that after God had bestowed upon us his richest blessings, ﬁlling us with joy unspeakable, he should still ﬁnd it necessary to say——“ I positively command you to rejoice ”-——~l.)UI‘(l€X'S some little on the absurd. The Israelites frequently employed dancing to show their rejoicing for victories gained. The iiistaiic/esai'e so very numerous that we will only give you refer- ences to the texts: Jereniiali xxxi. 13 etc.; Exodus xvi. 20; Judges xi. 3-L; lst Samuel xviii. 6. We be- lieve that these prefigured the rejoicing of the latter day, when people would rejoice in deliverance from their own sins. Read especially in coniicction with texts above re- ferred to: Psalms xlvii. 1; and cxlix, lst, ‘Zd and 3d verses. And now leaving the Old Testament let us turn to the New, and by way of Biblical answer, let us coii- sidcr the parable of the prodiga1’s return. He con- -“esses his sins and begs his fathers forgiveness; he is stripped of his old garb and clothed with the new, a robe of purity and righteousness, then “music and ilancing." But the elder son is not pleased. Why? Because these things had not been done for him. In ’)rief, to modernize the objection, “ they did not do so in the apostles’ day, hence it cannot be right.” Let us be careful not to take the place of this elder broth- er, and lose our union with the father by refusing to rejoice with those who are reclaimed. If it be par- xlonablc in the exuberant expression of earthly joy to forget self—and who can deny that this is done——liow much more excusable are those, who, being delivered from the boiidage of a i":-illen uature—~having returned to their fatlicr—arc led by His spirit “ to go forth in the dances of them that make merry." In conclusioii, I have before said, ours is :1 new dispensation and this is one of the customs, one of the modes of giving exprcssioii of joy 1uispeakal.)le within, introduced by Ann Lee, and piacticod as good by ier followers. Let us ﬁnally quote Franklin, and here say—that neither in this mode of worship have we chosen “ the more easy, conveniciit and pleasant” worship in the eyes of the world. Can we not ask ourselves whicli rcquires the greatest sacriﬁce of self to perforin—the dead formal worship of the world, or THIS in which hands, tongue and feet are all employed? Qziestion 3: “Since God said it was not good forin-an to he alone (meaning, of course, that it was not good to be without a wife), and since he coininandcd them to multiply and replenish the earth, is it not going di- rcctly against the revealed will of God not to marry?” Aiiszucr. God established Adam and his order. Gave him a law which he broke. Sent messenger af- ter niessciiger to his posterity. He also cstablislied the Jewish dispeiisation. lien was Christ sent, and througli J csus for a short time) the first Christian dispensation was G-Sl}:!l.)llSlli3(l; and ﬁnally this the last to date. I n every dispenizatioii from Ailain to Christ, there have been propliei-ics of increase or growth- and every new era has found its bitterest antagonist in the one that gave it l ii-th. But still, in tones of un- niistakable clearncss, to; : here seekei-a1’te.r truth, the voice of God has called ,1 1.: ( '11‘. the old, the new andZiriiz_q1)1'esr3iit.' and well ver - :‘ . you are in the Scriptures, we do not liesitatc to .-,:.:;.'. dint Christ-’s words about the eunuchs, and his testi1ii<=:._v as to his disciples notbeloiiging to the world, “who niari y and are given in marriage,” will be easily recalled. The world was not ready at that time for the first ministration of the Christ spirit, for the testimony so foreign to it, and it was soon driven from the face of the earth. The language of the world has ever been and will ever continue to be: “Keep, if you will, cer- emonies without number, but stay with me, abide in my life, and I will protect you.” But Christ calls, saying: “ Coine ye out from among them and be ye not partal-:ei's of her iniqnities.” The first man (Adam) was of the earth, eartliy—the second man (Jesus) the Lord from Heaven. The first inarried, the second. did not--neitlier do his followers. He came not to geiicrate, but by his example and teaching to regeneratc—-and “as he was in this world, so are we.” Again let me say here, “we have not cliosen the easier way.” VVe will say in addition upon the subject of mar- riage, that it was also discountenanced by Mother Ann, as not belonging to the Christ Life. And we know of no stronger evidence to the truth of this re- mark, than the united opposition which both relig- ious ( P) and profane ma nifest to her pure testimony on this point. No matter whether the objector belongs to the most reﬁiied and highly educated classes of the land, or whether he comes from the lowest dregs oi liumaiiity; no matter whether he be married or un- married; no di1l'creiicc how much they may be sepa- rated by culture and ignorance——here they are one, having one faith and one baptism, even the baptism of the ﬂesh! On this ground they meet as brothers; on this field they will battle valiantly for their coin- inoii cause, and on this plain, we say, “they die to the Christ Life wliich conieth from above,” and proves its divine origin by demanding of the soul that it leave its old camping ground; that it pass through “the valley of the shadow of death” through much suﬁ'er- ing and tribulation into the la.iid of purity beyond. I! is souls who go through this purifying work of whom it is truly said in Revelations xiv. 4: “These are they which were not deﬂled with women, for they are vir- gins. These are they which fol.low the Lamb whither- soever he goetli”—not into inarriage, for he never went there. “Don’t take up so much cross,” says the world. “We are the children of Abraham,” say the Jews; but we reiterate the tcstimon_v to both Jew and Gentile, that in Christ Jesus, “the resurrection and the life, there is neither niarrying' nor giving in marriage.” Que.»-tioii.-1: “ How will you prove, how do you prove, that Mother Ann was gifted with the Spirit of Christ?” Answer. By more positive and direct testimony than we can get with reference to Jesus. “*0 have converscd with those who have talked with others who have had her personal acquaintaiice. Our iii- forinants we know to be people of uiiiuipeachablc truthfulness, and they bore the same testimony with reference to the trutlifulncss of their informants. Tl,-ese made 1191' out a pattern of a Godly woman. But the Sliakcr societies, with their treasures oi precious souls, and their store-houses of heavenly principles, aIl'ord to every diligent inquircr the most incontrovertible proofs of her possession of the Chris! spirit. And we know, though young in experience, that the world lintes her and her testimony, as they hated, and as they still hate the testimony of Christ through Jesus. We know that she was gifted witl: the Christ spirit, because, like Him, she gave her life to benefit liunianity. She renounced the world to meet at its hands the most shameful abuse and persecutions, but with unliincliing fortitude, she “kept the faitli” and ininistered it to others. We know by personal ex- perience that she was gifted with the Christ spirit, because she has left us laws and ordinances the ob- servanco of which brings death to the very nature of sin and makes a clean, a perfect separation from the lil'e—the spii-it—of the world. And still we say, we worship neither Jesus, who said to “call him not inas- ter,” nor Ann, who said “I am your fellow servant,’= but ratlier the spirit which governed them both, and which made thcm—the ﬂrst man and the first woman who received it-—tlie leaders in this work. It is very seldom, indeed, that we enter into so long a review of passages of Scripture referring to cere- monies bclonging to past times and still practiced by the various sects of the land. Before we accepted Sliakerisin, we read, carefully, publications made by the society in defence of its faith; but we were not so atta.olied as some seem to be, to the ceremonial part of Jesus’ testiinony of eighteen hundred years ago. We will say ﬁnally, in concluding, that in reading your commeiida tory testimony to the innocence of our sisters, the honor of our brethren, and the charity of both, and your inquiry :—“But are you on the right track ?-"—we are forcibly reminded of some, who after acknowledging that we were in possession of almost every virtue under the sun, have also been most in- tensely fearful that we were not “right after all.” To all such we would say, we can much better afford to be on the wrong track (?) with the virtues, than on the right one (?) without them. And now, trusting that I have answered you fully, and sincerely desiring your eternal welfare, I will close this long letter by sending you my love, and re- turniiig you my thanks for yours. I remain (paradoxical as it may seem after reading this letter) a hater of theological discussions. Most truly yours, GEO. B. AMERY. Whitewater Village, 0., Sept, 1877. .. _.__..-.........--_A--¢—------—— —-——---- —- - -- Many new years, indeed, you may see, but happy ones you cannot see without deserving them. These, virtue, honor, and knowledge alone can merit, alone can produce. T H E S H A K_l71‘ll9?.. Monthly—6O cents per aiunum. A DUAL ADVOCATE OF CHRIST PRINCIPLES. THE WAY, TRUTH, AND LIFE. VVould any know what these are to the people called Shakers? To come out from the world, by the practice of unworldly habits and re- lationships; beginning with the con~ fession of our sins, accompanied by a repentance which ever means a depart- ure from, and a cessation of sins; to do unto others all the good we can in the relationships of brethren and sisters in Christ; to live purely, as we imagine the purity of Christ and angels to have been and now is, and to live eoiiseci‘at- edly, through hand labor, heart labor, and in incessant works of mercy, chari- ty andjustice. THESE ARE " THE WAY” unto every one who feels called to be a Shaker I To unselﬁslily feel anothei"s and others’ woes; to administer testimoiiy which speaks of Christ and Christ cru- ciﬁed unto 21 sinful world; to deem it duty to keep our life-lamps trimmed and burning, and to let our lights 50 shine that others can see them, and safely ﬁnd a guide by them umo all christian life; to “go preach the king- dom of God, and the power of his Clirist,” tlirougli the word; through THE SHAKER; penny and spare day of devotion to its through every spare circulation; and a d=:termiiiate resolu- tion that knows no such word as 521?’- reiitder, until otlicrs know and experi~ ence salvation. TiiEsE ARE "THE 'i‘uUTH” to every one who is a Shaker! To count life as already “ not of this world,” but as belonging in advance of death to the “ kingdoin of heaven” on earth; fulﬁlling the prayer of *‘Thy will be done on earth as in 1ieaven;” to use life for others’ good, and not self- ishly; to realize life as saved from sin and condemnation, and to be S21VlOl‘S unto others who want present salvation ; to love our neighbors as well, and bet- ter than ourselves: and with it love, chaste, resurrected, unworldly, uncariial and Christly in its every lineament; to so sorrow for the erring, that We will aid them at the expense of all selﬁsh- ness; and in every other character iin- itate the meek, lowly, virgin, peaceablc, self-denyingjesus. THESE ARE “THE LIFE” unto every genuine, thorough- living Shaker I _________,_ “ 4,, _..__ ’* __. ,-,.. _- OVER—BURDENED SHAKER SOCI- ETIES. Many people make visits to our Shaker villages for the purposes of rest, change, recreation, or from curiosity. Vlfliile Vve frequently encourage people to in- quire into our principles, and ever are glad to extend hospitalities to the earn- est, sincere seeker after truth; we are 720;‘ glad, nor able to entertain all who drive out, seeking their own recreation, or for the gratiﬁcation of their friends’ curiosity; and we must not be expect- .1 THE SHAKER. '79 ed to do so, only where there is a pre- vious and 7;2z¢z‘mzZ understanding that we are to do so. T/zere are ]§arz‘z'es, to w/zom we feel ourselves zmder con- stant ami lasting oz5Z'z'gatz'07z.s——z‘oward w/zom, p7'0]>;='z'ez‘_y cmd _/usz‘z'ce demazzd 0/‘us t/zc best we mm: riofor z‘/zem—but none should feel any demand upon us, because of a slight or even intimate ac- quaintance, for an escort over our do- mains; for meals and refreshments; when he or they choose to take a day’s airing or ride. ’ I/Ve camzoz‘ do it‘. Why? ‘Ne have a large property to look after and keep in repair; and while much of this occupies our whole time, it does not return to us any monetary remuner- ation. It is also well known that we keep no house servants; that our sister- hood is severely taxed with many house- hold duties; while those serving in the culinary departments of our oﬁce build- ings are not only taxed to care for those calling on legitimate business‘, but are unreasonably expected to cook, and otherwise care for a small army of hire- lings! and when we say mn'eczs07m(5Z_y, we mean that a due respect for the sis- terhood of our faith would forbid any such use of gospel sisters! There are too many who deem it a nice affair “to drive out to the Shakers and take din- ner ;” who are very inconsiderate of the tax they bring to bear on those already over-burdened. Those wishing to visit us for pleasure or rest, will find that we shall make but few objections, provided these visits something tained with meals, etc. \Ve often utter the prayer of the af- flicted: “' Deliver us from our friends ! ” particularly from those friends who deem a visit very incomplete without so much additional burden to us. VVhile we would be respectful and kind to all, we want none to feel slighted when impiy besides being enter- business or circumstances prevent our inviting them to dine. Such a constant run of company do some families in some Societies have, desirous of full and free entertainment, that tired and jaded as the over-worked sisters are, z‘/zis com]§a7z_y becomes very zzizwe/come ,- and while duty requires that we return gratitude for similar or superior favors, we hope the present, grand majority will take our hint, be more considerate, and abstain from being bores upon us. ONCE MORE: We are not inmates of public institutions——our Shaker villages being our own personal homes. Par- ties, and particularly strangers, often commit a breach of decency by asking to be shown through our buildings, of- ﬁces, shops, domains, etc. “We look upon such demands very much as any private household in the land would; and who would not feel insulted by such? We feel we are doing public duty by the issue of these palpable, but un- pleasant remarks. VVe have been forced to these reasonable considerations by actual, disagreeable experience. VVe believe our :;1‘«;=:.i:iiie friends will be suf- ficiently considerate to acknowledge their propriety, and to help us; while those suﬁiciently unfriendly to fail of! understanding us, must not be surprised if we are_fbrccd to fell 2726722 /2010 very dzsagreeczéle t/zeviy are, in just so many words, as will assure us that we are thoroughly understood. _..%_.¢...-____&_-,._ LIBERAL SHAKER SENTIMENTS. The Allnmy Express recently sent its most talented correspondent to attend our public services; and a lengthy report follows in an early issue, giving complimentary descrip- tions of the music, religious enthusiasm and order of the meeting. He also paid us, per- sonally, some very ﬂattering, and some doubt- ful compliments. VVe copy his concise report; of our address, asking if it is at all “hazy” or of doubtful signiﬁcation? He says : After marching several songs, they stop, take their seats, and the eloquently sedate speaker steps forward and preaches a short sermon, full of vigor and earnestness, and a9 fair presentation of his belief. His text is from Romans viii: 3—4, and he zealously la- bored to show the distinction between Judaism and Christianity, and the superiority of the latter. The following are the strong points of the discourse: Under Judaism, much that genuine chris- tianity abandoned was good, is good to-day, as Judaism. Are there lovers of marriage, war, private property and of the world’s pro—' pensities generally, with us to—day? VVe have only a liberal testimony to impart to you. You are right in such loves. Judaism claimed these as good, and Jesus ever sustained the righteousness of the law. But Jesus present- ed the. betler ways of christianity, and invited as many as were able to accept of them. For marriage, he presented the superior doctrine of life manifested by the celibate for the king- dom of heaven’s sake. And is it not strange that while the vast majority evade this in- struction of Jesus, and the same, as lived and taught by his immediate disciples, all expect to live just as we Shakers are living in the not distant future? Marriage peoples the earth; celibacy populates the heavens, and as christians, praying for heaven on earth, how can we escape being insincere, unless we live here as we believe angels are living there?Are you married? You are doing right therein, as 7:21:25, and now let the_Levitical laws regulate your passions, and we shall see a new earth, blooming with children, honors to their par- ents, having sopnd minds in healthy bodies. But while we congratulate you on the right- eousness of the laws of marriage and repro- ductions, we insist the married are not, can- not be christians. There never was, and never will be a child conceived under the standard of christianity. It is the right of a Jew to marry; it is the duty of a christian to be a celibate, even as was Jesus. Just so with private property; it naturally and righteously succeeds marriage. It is a Jewish institution, but so regulated that were it now in force as of old, there would be none inordinately rich nor poor, as now found under bogus, but pop- ular christianity. The regular partition of goods as practiced by the Jews puts to shame all the sham charities of to-day, though call- ed christian, and is just the panacea demanded for the prevention of strikes, and the large increase of happiness on the earth. But Jesus taught a progression upon the best forms of Jewish partition, by the introduction of an entire relinquishment of all and any private property; and Peter replied, “Behold, we have forsaken all,” etc. Even the sweet ties of consanguinity were severed, and Jesus, setting the example, acknowledged those only who lived as he lived, as his mother, sisters, brethren, etc. W hen Dr. Newman was the keeper of Gen. Grant’s conscience he went to Utah, accom- panied by the moral power of the govern- ment, to convince the Mormons that polyg- amy was unbiblical, but Elder Pratt very quickly “ﬂoored” him, as will every one be i“ﬂoored” who attempts to dispute that mar- riages, either as polygamy or monogamy, are {not sanctioned by the God of the Jews. And iwho will say that war is not righteous accord- ling to the same criterion? Let none deny ithe right of 7e-ws to ﬁght; but who will be ibrazen enough to say that there is any chris- itianity about it! And yet there are, Rev. ‘Christians (?) too! We met one last evening on the boat from New York! This Rev. tgentleman had two young daughters. Alice, running up to him, says, “Papa, Mary slap- ped me!” “What, again?” says the father. “Yes,” says Alice. “Then,” said the pious parent, “Alice, you go and slap Mary!” “And herein,” said he, “was what Jesus meant by turning the other cheek!” And then this minister went on to say that Joe Smith was right when he taught that, turning the other cheek, you were smitten, it was evidence of iintentional insult, and you may “pitch into the fellow 1” Jesus overlapped war by destroy- ing the causes of war and teaching peace; even to “resist not evil,” “do good to those who despitefully use you,” give the kiss for the blow! VVe plead guilty equal to those of old who were charged with “turning the world upside down,” for that is just what the Shak- ers are doing. Christ being “lifted up” as ;our exampler we ﬁnd in the following of him iall the results of the primitive christian ichurch manifested unto us. Those who were ‘married, became, as did the disciples, broth- ers and sisters. VVe are forced, by the con- victions of duty, to lay our riches and pov- erty in one common treasury, and “none pos- sesses_aught he calls his own,” only as shar- ing with brethren and sisters. Hence there is none rich, none poor, but all very comfort- able. We are constrained to ask our friends whether our position is not that of the model church of old? Can marriage, private prop- erty, wars of households or of nations, or selﬁsh relationships be at all christian? Let us present the key to the mysterious problem : The God of marriage, of private property, war, etc., was the God of the Jews. The God of celibacy, of communion of interests, of peace and christian brotherhood is the God of the christians. The God of the Jews is not God of the christians. There was aprog- ress for humanity, and Jesus, under the in- spiration of the christian’s God, left Judaism to live christianity. Hence we, the Shakers, have done with Judaism just as Jesus did, and he lived above it! And inasmuch as we fol- low Jesus are we not christians? And inas- much asJesus practiced our life was not Jesus a Shaker ? Commenting on the above, the correspond- ent says: “ Here’s richness for you,” as Charles Dickens would say. Some of the as- sertions, however, are slarllzbzg, and though the logic to an outsider is a triﬂe hazy, one could not help admiring the frankness of the sermon. The discourse was delivered with a which could be emulated with proﬁt by many christian clergymen. — ———.———_—_—-.-«~—Q_A—___..._._._....,._. . EDITORIAL NOTES. THEY VVANTED SALVATION. Any one who is ever roused to any religious ecstasy, will be able to appre- ciate the feelings of Eros. Andrews and Kulp, as expressed in their articles in this number. VVe have not added to this number of THE SHAKER the next additional answer to the query: “ I/V/zat s/zall I do to ée cz 5/z(z1?er.?” but there may be found, teeming through several of our contributors’ articles, complete answers to the question. ‘Whoever will be a christian, after the pattern of Jesus, ﬁnds an answer to the above question in their own experience. When polish and clearness, quite pleasing, and all other systems shall fail to give the power to live apart from sin-—to expe- rience salvation in every-day life--then, if you would ﬁnd satisfaction to the soul, call on the Shakers, who not only preach salvation, but live in it! None leave the Shakers to ﬁnd a greater sal- vation from sin than our church gives. __.,,..__ RETRIBUTION. The strikes and strikers are taking a nap. Let no one deceive himself by the thoughts that they are ended. They never will end until a greater equality prevails among all classes. The entire armies of states and nation will prove powerless to disarm the millions of poor, crushed, over-worked, less than half-paid humanity. “God moves in a mysterious way ;” and we see God’s judgments visiting monopolists of the land in and through these strikes. '1 he inordinate wealth, extravagance, lazi- ness and tyranny of the few; and the unearthly, squalid poverty of the mul-~ titudes, are things which ought not to be——cannot be in the economy of God. Christianity teaches greater equality than Judaism; while millions of pro- fessed christians do not practice half as much. VVe deprecate strikes, and would prevent them, teaching by precept and Until we are willing to learn to practice equality———to “ love our neighbor as ourself,”—we must reasonably expect such eruptions. The alternatives are before us——either put away the causes of strikes, monopolies and monopolists; giving the laborer the worth of his toil; or "anticipate and experience riots, de- struction of life and property——judg- ments of God on the rich robbers of humanity-——with the very much worse yet to come. Let there be none inor- dinately rich, and there will be none in- ordinately poor; while all would be suﬁiciently wealthy to be very comfort- able. It is useless to ridicule commun- ism; it is God’s arrangement; and we had better accept it through merciful dealings with the poor, than be driven to it through the judgments ofthese pitiless, unmerciful strikes and strikers! example an exceeding equality. ——-o<>o———- SHAKER COVENANT. As we promised, some time ago, we CHURCH COVENANT. It will be com pleted in the November number. We ask kind attention to it, by Believers and "' those not of our faith.” It is the guardian of our rights and privileges; our duties and obligations, under Christ rule. It teaches, aye, demands, an ex- ceeding PURITY, SELI-‘—D1£NIAL, EQ_UAL- ITY, JUSTICE, PEACE, UNSPOTTEDNESS FROM THE VVORLDl Who would truly know this, let them try its discipline. And yet, we do not claim perfection for it. We know wherein it can be im- proved by amendments ; for the greater justice, comfort and satisfaction of its gsubscribers. Such amendments are {already under consideration by the Central Bishopric. But we do claim that whoever lives up to its present re- begin the publication of THE SHAKER A 80 THE SHAKER. J AMES G. RUSSELL. LET TIS GO UP AND TAKE THE CITY. a Enﬁeld, N. H. l 1. Let us go up and 2. Let us go up and 3. Let us go up and true glo - re - rious prog - ress up - ‘ward, God will be with us to sus - tain. We will not ﬂinch, tho’ 0 - _ ver - com ers, Bear - ing the stains of guilt and sin. Washed in the pool of gos - pel ban - ner, En - sign of vie - tory o’er the foe. Wlien We have passed the V take the Cit - y, Let not our zeal and cour - age wane, take the Cit - y, It is the strong in faith who win take the Cit - y, We will sing prais - es as we go N K Nought shall im - pede our None are en - ti - tled Bear - ing a - loft the -9 Know - in g our cause is just and true pent - ance, Clothed in the vir - gin’s blest at - tire, or - deal, Prov - en our right to joys of bliss, LX HI , __, N : _ l gs , I 7 _..g_ M?“ 5 re Vic .. t’ry is ours, if we are val - iant, Ev - or - y e - vil to sub - due. Safe - ly we’ll pass all scenes of dau - ger, VVa - tier - y ﬂoods, or flames of ﬁre. We will re - joiee in our sal - va - tion. D“'°u‘iug in peace and right - eous - ness. C L..__ & 5@-_ 3 9 i C |__'___.___. __ __ l_,,‘_______§____,§___, L _____r T_# 7 F quirements, will curb human nature from making a tyrant or usurper of any one; and teach that he or she that is greatest,‘ must be so by becoming the servant of the brethren, cu‘ 2‘/ze expeizse Q/“ﬂe‘7‘.S‘07Zcl[ selﬂs/mess. Brethren, it is sufficiently perfect to guard it with all possible care, from even small breaches, which never of themselves incline to grow smaller; and as We would defend our /zomes, /zeczrf/25z‘o7zes, a5:mc1'aL‘z'07z5 cmclfa/2'2‘/2, so let us engage in all spir- itual patriotism, and jealously Watch the safety of our COVENANT. _.<..__ CAMPBELLITES AT’l‘ENDED TO. We yield large space to our \Vhite- Water people and their Campbellite The letters usually able; We feeling proud of am‘ correspondent. are un- champion. By a careful perusal of Bro. Amery’s remarks, linked with those of Elders Avery, Evans, and others, we are almost persuaded We present an unusually good number. Fraser Wliitewatei‘ Village, O., may be like “pent- up Utica,” but there is large talent conﬁned there, and we would like much of it to rain on us-not POUR however. RECIPIIOCITY. One of the famous (and justly, honorably so,) Smith Sisters of Glastonbury, Conn., kindly sent us a BIBLE——translated literally from the original tongue, by herself——and it is a wonderful performance byavery modest, but unusually talented woman. We feel hon- ored by the gift; and to the thousands of Bible readers whom THE SHAKER will greet with this intelligence, we can safely predict a new-found pleasure by the procurement and delightful pleasure of this valued novelty. One of the Harvard college Hebrew profes- sors— -Prof. Young—has expressed himself in unmeasured terms of praise, that a woman, unaided by masculine talents, should have been able to accomplish the task so literally and so accurately. It certainly is a wonder- ful work, and is well worth the price—very cheap for so neat and large a volume. Those interested may order through this office. Price, three dollars. There is in Haifa, Syria, a missionary sta- tion, where those interested in its sustenance have engaged in the manufacture of pure, olive oil, castile soap; hoping by the sale of the genuine article to maintain the mission enterprise. Olive oil in Syria is of small ac- count, for reason of its abundance and cheap- ness. It has heretofore been extensively used for illuminating purposes; but petroleum has displaced it. Now, the purest soap imagina- ble is being made of the olive oil—the gen- uine castile—and the samples sent us speak very highly for it. The only agency for this excellent article is that of T. B. Nichols, 71 William street, New York. As the enterprise is a charitable one, let us help it. 4» SOCIETY ITEMS. We get excellent reports of health from nearly all the societies. Mother Ann used to speak of health as “ t/ze second greaiest bless- ing,” naming the spiritual work of the gos- pel ﬁrst. In our report of the curious contagion of injured hips, failure to correct proof, left an unfortunate brother at Enﬁeld, N. H., un- mentioned. We hear gladly of improvement. Several parties from Canterbury, N. H., are giving expression to their zeal, by visiting neighboring towns, preaching the word, and getting additions to the subscription list of THE SHAKER. Mother Betsey Wilcox, aged 81, left for the evergreen shores of the betterland, from En- ﬁeld, Conn., August 6, 1877. She had cele- brated her golden ~weddz'7zg' to Me S/takers, before death came. At Harvard, Mass., Sept. II, 1877, Martha H. Sparrow, aged 63, left, after thirty years for the evergreen shore. Elder Evans preached before an immense concourse of intelligence at Shakers, N. Y., Sept. 2. Those present, give him excellent credit. Some of our neighbors——ﬂori.<ts— proposed crowning him with a beautiful wreath of immortelles; and they may have done so! Greeley Mozéaw/e Grapes, ripened here this year, August 25, ten days later than usual. Beautiful ﬂavor, large clusters, and no drop- ping from the stem. Trustees of Watervliet Society (Shakers, N. Y.), at present: Chauncy Copley, Philip Smith, Henry George, Ruth A. Green, Sa- mantha Borvie, Adelaide Ingham. H v ERRATUM.—In September number, page 66, ﬁrst paragraph of second column, read “the priesthood was dual,” instead of “dead." The meaning was thereby destroyed.
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Subjects: Shaker -- Periodicals
Identifier: yhm-sha-ts0710
Is part of: Hamilton College Library Digital Collections, Communal Societies Collection, Shaker Collection

Title: Shaker Manifesto, vol. 07, no. 11 (November 1877)
Publisher: United Societies
Date: 1877-11-01
Place published: New York
Text: in THE SHAKER. OFFICIAL MONTHLY.—PUBLISHED BY THE UNITED SOCIETIES. “ Q0 ,yre:u‘l( the kingtlum aff Qatll " @712 fmtitnutzg 01' ufertm! frguth. Von. VII. 2G- ; NOVEMBER, 1877. N. A. BRIGGS, PUBLISHER, Shaker Village, N. H. No. 11. WE REAP WHAT WE SOW. For pleasure or pain, for weal or for woe, ’Tis the law of our being-—we reap what we sow; We may try to evade them—may do what we will— But our acts, like our shadows, will follow us still. The world is a wonderful chemist, be sure, And detects in a moment the base or the pure; We may boast of our claims to genius or birth, But the world takes a man forjust what he’s worth. We start in the race for fortune or fame, And then when we fail the world bears the blame; But nine times in ten 'tis plain to be seen, There’s a “screw somewhere” loose in the human machine. Are you wearied and worn in this hard, earth- ly strife? Do you yearn for affection to sweeten your life? Remember this great truth has often been proved, We mu...
Show morein THE SHAKER. OFFICIAL MONTHLY.—PUBLISHED BY THE UNITED SOCIETIES. “ Q0 ,yre:u‘l( the kingtlum aff Qatll " @712 fmtitnutzg 01' ufertm! frguth. Von. VII. 2G- ; NOVEMBER, 1877. N. A. BRIGGS, PUBLISHER, Shaker Village, N. H. No. 11. WE REAP WHAT WE SOW. For pleasure or pain, for weal or for woe, ’Tis the law of our being-—we reap what we sow; We may try to evade them—may do what we will— But our acts, like our shadows, will follow us still. The world is a wonderful chemist, be sure, And detects in a moment the base or the pure; We may boast of our claims to genius or birth, But the world takes a man forjust what he’s worth. We start in the race for fortune or fame, And then when we fail the world bears the blame; But nine times in ten 'tis plain to be seen, There’s a “screw somewhere” loose in the human machine. Are you wearied and worn in this hard, earth- ly strife? Do you yearn for affection to sweeten your life? Remember this great truth has often been proved, We must make ourselves loveable would we be loved. Though life may appear as a desolate track, Yet the bread that we cast on the waters comes back -, This law was enacted by Heaven above, That like attracts like and love begets love. We are proud of our mansions of mortar and stone, In its gardens are ﬂowers from every zone: But the beautiful graces that blossom within, Grow shriveled and die in the Upas of sin. We make ourselves heroes and martyrs for gold, Till health becomes broken and youth be- comes old; Ah! did we the same for the beautiful love, Our lives might be music for angels above. We reap w/zat awe s0w—Oh, wonderful truth! A truth hard to learn in the day of our youth; But at last it shines out as “hand on the wall,” For the world has its debt and credit for all. __ __. __,___ __..‘1_,,,___ TVVO SIDES OF LIFE. MARTHA ANDERSON. Life has two sides; one is sunny, the other shady. Many persons, from mo- roseness of disposition, or a wrong habit of thinking, dwell more or less within the shadows, and incline to see every-- thing in a gloomy aspect. To such, the clearest sky is portentous of a near- ing storm; the calmest sea has folded billows ; the serenest atmosphere envel- ops a tempest; and the fairest morn is surely gathering mists of frowning clouds. Their brows are dark with sullen thoughts of evil that may come. Few are the pleasant words they speak, till the voice grows harsh, like some discordant instrument, and the whole being seems out of tune with the sweet- ﬂowing harmonies of the material and spiritual universe. On the other side dwell those who have the sunshine of cheer in their souls. Dark foreboding shadows ﬂee at their presence. somber and dense, lower upon the mountain Although clouds, tops, they know there is a “silver lin- ing,” and that the glory beyond will shift the darkest scene. Anon the tem- pestuous tide oftime sweeps by, but ever leaves a calm sweetly enjoyable. Fierce winds may mar and blight the perish_- able, yet tranquil the mind reposes amid the wreck and ruin, while peace succeeds the war of adverse elements. Dense mists of gathering vapors may obscure the mellow light of night’s fair queen, and all the shining hosts that si- lent tread the ether space ; yet still they gleam, and only hide awhile that we may better appreciate their glorious beaming. This World is full of pleasant things, if we would only keep on the sunny side. “Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.” There are pleasant words to speak, genial smiles to give, kindly looks to bestow, sweet notes to harmonize, pure gifts to mingle, loving deeds to perform, patience to exercise, charities to scatter. and blessings to gather. Love is the sun of the soul ; let its emanations radi- ate through heaven and earth, till the fullness of its blessing shall be realized by all God’s creation. 1\Iotes by the Illfay. No. 11. HENRY C. BLINN. BE GOOD A\'D DO GOOD. After a long pilgrimage on the jour- ney of life, with a favored opportunity to learn of the ways of man, and an anxiety corresponding to the privilege, I am fully persuaded that to “be good and do good,” takes precedence of all creeds, forms and ceremonies that may have originated in the mind of either the passive or rigid devotee of any religious order. There can be nothing more potent than the word of God to Cain : "‘ If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?” This same ad- dress may, with all propriety, stand ﬁrst on the list of religious obligations over which we may be asking God’s blessing. To anticipate a process for goodness, and to publish its eﬂficacy, is quite dif- ferent from the discipline which is de- manded of those whoiwould walk faith- fully in Christ Jesus. The imaginative principle in man’s mind seems to have been very proliﬁc from the beginning. The sacred historian says: “ Only this have I found, that God made right, and he hath entangled himself And we are further informed there was a man with an infinity of questions.” time when all these imaginations of the Hence the necessity of a ﬂood; but the grad- ual development of the human family in the scale of moral and religious ob- ligations, warrants us in believing that the principle of goodness now stands in the ascendancy. mind were from an evil source. Perhaps the mind in this age may be more proliﬁc, and the imagination no less vivid, but we are learning that the deeper the interest which is manifested in God and in his creature man, the stronger the incentive to “be good and to do gooc .” It is a wise provision of a kind prov- idence that such is the fact; and to all who are learners in the school of Christ, it opens a beautiful avenue for spiritual progression. How like the prophetic Zion’s army the children of light might move on, if happily they could all ac- cept the same revelations of goodness and of God. But the slow process of trying the spirits, of analyzing the as- sumed progressive developments, and the still slower process of disciplining the mind into a receptive state, obliges them to move with measured tread on to the city of Peace. Our beloved Elder Frederic W. Evans would inspire us with a knowledge of an increasing second cycle, heralded, as he says, by the voice of thunder, which shall be to the Shaker order a deeper and more powerful shaking than has ever been realized. To this declaration, every Believer might well say AMEN! as it awakens an inspiration correspond- ing so beautifully with the testimony of those sons and daughters of God who were the pioneers of this gospel work. Whatever this voice may be, that is to usher in a more advanced state of spiritual life, we feel well assured that it will establish us more ﬁrmly in the principles of truth, and enable us to do more good. It is well that here and there these witnesses testiﬁed against the manifold sins of the world. Others may arise and testify, for the better preservation of the church. If their administration disciplines us to a more correct use of language, or opens to us a deeper knowledge of dietetic have arisen and laws, or ascends into the spiritual, and awakens in us a zeal for good works, well may we recognize the hand of a special providence in the timely mo- nition. Christian Oiflture. No. 7. WM. H. BUSSELL. INDIVIDUALISM.——-SOCIALISM. Nature has done much for man indi- vidually, but much more for him as a social being. In the christian economy, which is neither more nor less than na- ture carrying her own work on to per- fection, the individual is always regard- ed as forming part of a united whole, but yet a necessary part of the whole, his individuality being as clearly recog- nized as that of the link in the chain, or pillar, beam or brace in the building. The individual may be complete in himself as such, but in his union to the whole by the spirit of divine love, a far grander and more beautiful effect is pro- duced than can be when detached from it. The individual statues and spires of the Milan cathedral may each claim the admiration ofthe beholder; but only the entire View can charm both heart and eye. “thing of beauty a joy forever.” It is just so with beautiful landscapes. The poet Lamartine, after viewing one of these, might well exclaim, “ If there is so much to see, to admire and be de- lighted with in a single little corner of nature, what will it be when the cur- tain of worlds shall be raised, and we shall contemplate forever the admirable whole?” In association—christian association above all—there must be mutual bene- ﬁts and advantages, or else the associa- tion is valueless. The character of each member must be so molded and formed that every other shall be beneﬁted, and the whole body become indissolubly united. This will ultimately be the state of the christian church; it must be so measurably in the beginning of every association assuming that name. For the individual disciple the Master has prescribed a rule that admits of no exceptions——-“ Deny thyself; take thy cross and follow me.-” For the disci- ples as a whole——-“ Love one another.” Christian love is the necessary result of christian self-denial; it flows from its divine source just as readily and freely as water from the mountain when the way is opened for them to irrigate the meadows of the valley. Mutual con- It is this alone that makes the -and intellectual sort. 82 THE SHAKER. cession is not the christian law, for there should be nothing to concede. The right eye is not to be literally plucked out, nor the right hand to be cut off; but all disease, whether physical, men- tal or moral, must be eradicated, or else the individual himself will sulfer from it, and the whole body, in its measure, be affected. This is the sacriﬁce to be laid on the altar to be utterly consumed by ﬁre; but “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,” and these are to constitute the christian’s life. T/zere can 5e no concession of rag/22‘ any c/zrz'sz‘z'an assocz'az‘z'on, as Z‘/zese are {/2- alienaole; no one /zavzfng any lioerly to concede z‘/zem, nor any one aaz‘/zorz'z‘_y to demand or en_/oz'n 2.‘/zz's concession. There cannot be a right to what is evil ———a vicious propensity, a passionate tem- per, indolence, self-indulgence, envy, hatred, nor whatever is injurious to the individual nor the community. These are to be abandoned forever by each one, as obstacles to all true association, so that when a union is formed, all may enter upon a fuller enjoyment of their natural rights than any state of isolation can possibly afford. There have been many attempts at association, for the sake of a better life than ordinary society exhibits; some of them apparently successful for a while, but ﬁnally failing, for the sole lack of harmony. This may arise from vari- ous causes—from stringent or despotic measures on the part of those who seek a controlling inﬂuence, or from the self- indulgent habits of many or the most of those who make up the community. An association of those who are govern- ed by christian love Will be permanent, though they may be destitute of wealth in the commencement. soon accumulated, both of the material But of what avail are paper constitutions and by-laws where that is wanting? The person who is destitute of it might as well sign his name to them with water; it would be no more effectually null. This may be It is not meant, of course, that in the formation and earlier years of a chris- tian community everything works with the smoothness that is experienced when ripe habits are ﬁxed; yet the christian ediﬁce will, from its very foundation, be christian, and noz‘/zing else, just so long as christian principles form its life. And this is reasonably to be expected; for if a tree, a shrub, a plant, will grow when put into congenial soil, and prop- erly nurtured; if a building when placed upon a solid foundation, and all its parts put together with the necessary care, will stand the requisite number of years, much more will that which is es- tablished by the eternal Architect Con- tinue permanent, when everything re- quired by him is complied with by those who are the workers upon it. These workers are to be a continuous body, not merely in the original establishment, but for all further improvements. T/zey may enlarge, strengz‘/zen and oeam’z'fjr,- w/zatever can add to z'z‘s conz2enz'ence, elegance or splendor, t/zey are at‘ lio- erly z‘o>farnz's/2,‘ it is to be built up a durable habitation of righteousness; “ a house eternal in the heavens.” . , r _, _ JOI-IN’S ANSVVER TO WILLIAM’S QUESTION. TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN. “Is the Church of England Worth preserving?”-— Zlfr. Gladstone. What is the church? Is it a place For holy antic and grimace? A sort of Sabbath opera-bouffe, Performed beneath a Gothic roof? Parade, with priest for fugleman? Burlesque upon the latest plan Of things the most sublime and serious, Where mummery, veiling the mysterious, Yields mumbo—motley as result Of search for an “aesthetic cult?” Is this the church you mean? If so, ]ohn’s answer’s an emphatic “No 1” Is it a stage where bumptious boys May wrangle over gauds and toys, Fuming whene’er some scrap of ﬂummery Is stript from their too ﬂorid mummery? May vent on Luther, or on Tait, Ecclesiastic Billingsgate? Much like an angry housemaid, chidden For ﬁnery that is forbidden; Who strikes an attitude as martyr Because her Sabbath rig’s not smarter. Is this the church you mean? If so, ]ohn’s answer is a ready “No I” Is it a “scene” where cleric pride May be supremely gloriﬁed; And every petty priestling hope To play the part of petty pope, Shining in foolish virgin’s eyes With sacerdotal sanctities; And gently dazzling, now and then, Some mooney and molluscous men; VVhere, gaily decked in stolen plumes, ’Midst pompous rites and fragrant fumes The emptiest daw may masque and mum Ecclesiastic Fe—Favv-Fum? Is this poor thing your “church?” If so, john’s answer’s an explosive “No I” Is it a word of life or death? A sacerdotal shibboleth? A proud abstraction, vague and vast, Veiling the tyranny of caste? A verbal fetish, shaped to rule The ﬁexile fancy of the fool? A web of forms, traditions, creeds, Stretched ’twixt the soul and the soul’s needs? Is church the “priest’s preserve?” If so, John’s answer is——-“Preserve it? No ?” —LoIzdon Pzmc/1. .5 V- WHAT IS GOD’S WORD? HEWITT CHANDLER. In a late number of THE SHAKER, I noticed an ‘article entitled “ God’s VVorc,” by Hervey L. Eades, from which I would make a few quotations, and add a few criticisms: ' “Notwithstanding the subject of what con- stitutes,God’s Word has perplexed the world for ages, and been widely discussed and much befogged by writers, so that agreement has hitherto seemed impossible, still, I think it can be made plain to the common mind. This is the task I have now proposed for my- self. It will ﬁrst be necessary to state what we are to understand by the term God.” The explanation our Venerable and learned elder gives may be all clear to him, but to us it is a little foggy. Sim- ple minds can comprehend only simple ideas. “We understand by the term God in its highest sense to man, Inﬁnite spirit omnis- cient and omnipresent; then to speak of more than one Inﬁnite God is childish, equal to declaring there is no Inﬁnite God, but being inﬁnite in his presence, as well as his power in all worlds and all places, in all hu- mans and all things, at all times, makes all works his own except that which is changed, obstructed or counteracted by free agenis, and for which the free agents are themselves accountable.” If God is infinite in all respects, we cannot see how there can be any ex- ceptions. “All the anti-christian fuss about a ﬁxed throne, located in space somewhere "twixt earth, sea and skies,’ is pure ﬁction, chimera, with no rational basis, as such notions de- stroy the idea of his inﬁnity. This, however, does not conﬁict with the idea of his king- dom in heaven, where Christ is the visible head, who is still directed and controlled by the operation of the Divine Essence on his higher consciousness, and to whom all must bow, angels or men.” VVe would ask teacher where “his kingdom in heaven” is located? 01.11‘ “ If the affirmation that ‘God cannot possi- bly be in any evil work’ be construed to deny the eternal presence, then the aﬂirmation is at fault, because God is either omnipresent or he is not. If he is not, he is circumscribed. If he is circumscribed, he is ﬁnite, and can be measured when inﬁnity disappears. But God is ever present in the cyclone, in the ﬁre that warms, or that which reduces cities to ashes, He is equally in the ﬂint of the wing- ed and quivering arrow of the wild Indians, on its errand of death, as in the heart to con- demn or approve, or in that of angels or men on errands of mercy and love.” In following our teacher around the inﬁnite circle, except where he varies from it, we come back to the starting point; and using the term God to ex- press the idea, we say: God is every- thing, and everything is God; and mak- ing the term God and spirit synony- mous, we say spirit is everything, and everything is spirit; hence, in using the term God or spirit in this sense, we ex- press only existence. Now, as we have a recess, let us, as pupils, make a little trip inside this inﬁ- nite circle. We know there is a force not always visible to our senses, but only as we see its effects on what we call material things. This force is mo- tion, life. We will use the term God to represent this force; and as we go around the circuit, we see all kinds of vegetable, animal and mineral life form- ing and dissolving again. Then we say, motion is life, life is God, and God is life. By this We convey the idea of what appears to us to be an element, or a part of inﬁnity. , ' Now, We will imagine a being in personal form, and call him God; and, as our teacher says a throne located “ ’twixt earth, sea and skies is chimera,” we will locate his throne above the skies; and attribute to him the right and power to rule all things ; and what- ever agrees with our notions, we will call God’s Word, and think it awful if any one slights this Deity. We can, by using the term God, communicate our meaning to those who understand our ideas; but this being is only eﬁﬁcient to those who have the same fancied no- tions. Now, we will combine the principle of goodness and love, and make of them God; not solely incorporated in any particular personality,but acknowledged \/Ve deter- mine goodness by what is beneﬁcial to our being and our fellow-beings; and love, in its highest sense, by the desire to make others happy. This is the God whose voice we hear and can under- stand, when our venerable fathers and mothers kindly exhort us to love God, wherever these are found. do God’s service, etc. This is the God we will worship and pray to——pray that we may learn to live and act in such a way as will best promote the welfare of our being, but not at the expense of others, and that the happiness of all within our compass may be augmented by our efforts. The term God is most commonly ap- plied to the focus of religious worship, each sect respectively declaring theirs the true and only God. Their God is true to all who are true to him; but the combined testimony of all annuls the term “only.” We should judge, from the story re- corded in what is called Sacred Writ, that Moses would have others believe his object of worship———or God, was the creator of all things, and that he was inspired to tell when all was done. “That it has been his will to impart free agency to man, who may do evil or good at pleasure, does not deny in the least degree the ever—existing Eternal Presence.” All beings are free agents in propor- tion to their power of action ; but none are independent, not even the gods. The application of the term God to any compound of ideas, is a pun that does for conceited theologians to quarrel over, but lovers of truth have no time to waste. “The false but popular democratic cry of ‘ Vox populi vox Dez',’.is at variance with the whole genius, tenor, structure, and very ex- istence of Christ’s kingdom, which is a the- ocracy pure and simple, and every iota of democracy that ﬁnds lodgment therein only has the tendency to lower its status, and cause it to interblend with the kingdom and communities of the world, and make it both ‘common and unclean.’ Ours is the antipode of democracy; the one being the government of God, the other of men; the heads of one being appointed by God above them, the heads of the other by men below them.” VVith highest regards for our veteran elder, but none the less distaste for the sentiment. We cannot discover in what sense the phrase, “ The voice of the people is the voice of God,” is false. According to our teacher’s deﬁnition of God, all voices must be God’s voice. In a democratic form of government .the heads are appointed by the people for a deﬁnite space of time. In a the- ocratic form of government, the head, or heads, are adopted by the people, with an admitted right to appoint their suc- cessors. But of what avail is a theoc- racy, or its God, when the people fail to recognize it? The real essence of theocracy is a desire to control others by declaring a Deity. T/ze essence of democracy is a desire to give oz‘/zers egual rz:g/zls wiz‘/z z‘/zemselves. The qualities of our leaders are much higher appreciated when strcngly tinc- tured with the essence of democracy, making them like unto the people they are called to serve; and this element is a counter—balance to aristocracy, to which theocracy is very closely allied. West Gloucester, Me. The gamester, if he die a martyr to his pro fessgon, is doubly ruined. He adds his soul to every other loss; and by the act of suicide renounces earth to forfeit heaven. TI-IE SHAKER. 83 FAITH AND HOPE IN TRIAL. GEO. W. SMART. Now, for the heavenborn baptism of faith, I’m praying, When lifted up from common earthly things. Assurance blest will come to me; my soul keeps saying- There’s no true light but what the gospel brings. I seek the blessed meed of faith; inspiring faith in all things, In fellow man, as well as trust in heaven: And seeking, ﬁnd in every human heart some heavenly well-springs Of truth, and goodness, unto mortals given. The world’s no desert, nor is celestial love denied to all— The heart of man is not innately vile; Germs of the pure living light in every mind, await God’s call, As seeds in earth slumbers, till sunbeams smile. In the rude, rocky waste where thorns and briars are, rich berries grow, Much wealth of gold you’ll ﬁnd, mid sterile sands—— Rich lustrous pearls lie deeply, where the cold, cruel sea waves ﬂow— Clouds hide the sun, that shines on other lands. On eastern plains, where ruined temple walls are mouldering fast Mid dusts of age, the bright green mosses blend-— On Egypt’s arid sands, round old crumbling pillars of the past, I Frail tendrils of the vine, heavenward ascend. So without worldly promise, and from the soul that seemeth vile, Out-bursting freshly from the conscious mind, Unlooked for, radiant with glory, celestial blossoms smile-- Even here, ﬂowerets of Eden, you may ﬁnd. Striving for saving faith, spirits bright, come guide and guard me; And fan to ﬂame/the spark divine within; That I may watch, and wait, and pray, until the end I see, Standing with God, emancipate from sin. Guardian spirits hold their examples ever bright before me, VVho gained salvation in the race they ran ; Teach me, ever through trial, faith and purity, The life of Jesus and our Mother Ann. Trials will surely come—for hearts have ached, and souls have hungered, Eyes have wept blood, and brows with thorns been bound- Prophets, walking through ﬁery paths, have with the dead been numbered, For martyrdom, some godly few have found. . Assured that God’s love and tender mercy has no ending, His ear is ever open to my call; On His all bounteous providence, I’1n de- pending, Supported by His power I cannot fall. I shall yet rejoice—will he my slumbering soul awake? Altho’ salvation comes through toil and pain, Should I but work, and weep, heart of mine but heave and break Beneath His yoke, my sufferings will be gain I Knowing my labors will be blest, and mourn- ing crowned with joy; Sad tears shed now, shall bring me peace and rest; Our God breaketh down to build again, not to destroy; Patient labor ever bringeth faith at last. Heart of mine by trials furrowed, toil sown, watered with soft tears, Under God’s sunshine, shall thy harvest come; Angels shall come and reap, and lay their ' burden at God’s feet, so end my fears, Thy will, my Father, and not mine, be done. Canaan, N. Y. A ST. PAUL’S PIERMISSIONS. RUSSELL I-IASKELL. The apostle Paul in some cases ad- vised certain characters to marry, as a His ad- vice and permissions were in accord- protection against gross evils. ance with the decision of the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, given when a distinction was made between Jewish and Gentile believers; which someyears afterwards was abolished; but not till after the destruction of the temple and Soon after that event, many Gentiles, who were deter- city of Jerusalem. mined on having eternal life, gathered in among the Jewish believers, and united with them in following the good Shep‘nerd’s voice. As Jesus said. “Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold. Them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one Shepherc .” If the apostle had intimated that liv- ing in certain unchristian indulgences which he permitted, would make them heirs of eternal life, he would have cor- rupted the gospel; but he did no such thing. For he said, “ Be not deceived ; God is not mocked; for what a man soweth, that shall he also reap. He that soweth to the ﬂesh, shall of his ﬂesh reap corruption : But he that sow- eth to the spirit, shall of the spirit reap Sowing to the spirit is serving the spirit; bearing the cross, and following Christ in the regenera- tion; and the end is life and peace But lest some should make a mistake, thinking they might at the life everlasting.” everlasting. same time serve the spirit and the ﬂesh, he says, “ They are contrary one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” That mind is enmity against God.” “the carnal Had he stated that the carnal mind is at enmity, the sense of the expression would have been obscure; for in that case a recon- ciliation might possibly take place; but it is enmity itself; and of course never can be reconciled. Yet, to be still more plain, and to put the matter, if possible, beyond all dispute. Paul says, “ They that are Christ’s have cruciﬁed the ﬂesh, with the affections and lusts.” His permissions of indulgence for the time being, were not intended for those who had received the faith of the Son of God, which was to walk as he walk- ed. This faith he did not permit them to cast off; but said, “ VValk in the spirit, and ye will not fulﬁll the lusts of the ﬂesh.” Nay, they were not intend- ed for those Who were looking heaven- ward, and seeking eternal life. A con- ﬁrmation of this is not only found by a general and connected View of the apos- tle’s writings on the subject, but also by an amended translation of the first and second verses of Cor. 7. The learned inform us that the word man in the sec- ond verse is not the same word that is so translated in the ﬁrst verse ; the for- mer signifying man looking upward. and the latter, man looking downward. Therefore the true sense of the original may be expressed as follows: It is good for a man Zoolzziazg zzpgﬁward, not to touch a wife. But because of the fornications among you, let every man looking down- ward, have his own wife, and every woman of like character, her own hus- band. “ I could not write unto you as unto spiritual.” Had he considered them as being christians, those who sowed to the spirit, following him as he followed Christ, he would have found no diﬂi- culty in writing to them as unto spirit- ual; even as unto those who were not How- ever, those who would give heed to the in need of being fed with milk. apostles’ counsel and warning, even if of the weaker class, experienced a de- gree of reformation; being saved from ﬁghting with carnal weapons, from lewdness, from lying, from theft and robbery, or from those debasing, hea- thenish practices which were contrary to the moral law, which would sink them far below the uncorrupted order of nature. Such were held in a meas- ure of relation to those who were spir- itual, and were permitted to unite with And all in an outward sense renounced idolatry, and professed to believe that Jesus was the true Messiah, were, by their heathen neighbors, called chris- tians, whether they were deserving the name or not. them in worship for a season. who Soon after the days of the apostles, Cerdon and lVIarcion, who were con- sidered leaders among the people, form- ed societies that did not admit of mar- riage. They strove to adhere to orig- inal christianity by living a virgin life—— a life of true self-denial. The apostle Paul, after showing to his people the way of the cross, and also the opposite, with the results of each, left them to As if he had said, VVill you serve the spirit, and reap choose for themselves. life and peace everlasting? or will you serve the ﬂesh, and reap corruption and death? For if ye live after the ﬂesh, ye will die to the spirit. Therefore choose life, I beseech you, by following me, even as I follow Christ. The profession of Christianity, in con- nection with the life of a worldling, is There- fore they who do not forsake the earthly order, ought not, by any means, to call Jesus did not claim them as such, but styled them the “All men can- not receive this saying,” (that it is not good to marry,) "save them to whom it is given. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.” “ VVhoever there indeed a great inconsistency. themselves ’christians. children of this world. be of you that forsakes not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” “The children of this world” (not christians,) “marry and are given in marriage :” but christians “ neither -marry nor are given in marriage, but are the children of God, being the children of the resur- rection.” Here, the children of this world are put in contrast with the chil- dren of the resurrection, who are in re- ality christians, or followers of Christ. In the ﬁrst appearing of the Christ, which was the third dispensation of God’s grace, the waters of divine spirit- uality were only to the loins, as repre- sented in Ezekiel’s vision. According- ly, the weaker class among the Gentile believers, who were not strong enough to swim in these waters, might wade; living a married life under certain re- strictions; abstaining from wantonness or the unfruitful works of darkness. But the second appearance of the Christ was to a Gentile nation and in a female Messiah. This was in order. For in all the works of God there is a unity of design, and harmonious relationship, from beginning to end. First the Jews, who were God’s covenant people, were Next in the order of his work were the Gentiles, who were destined, in a subordinate capacity, to render assistance to the Jews. First the man, and after that, the woman. And by this spiritual wom- an, prophetically styled the Clueen, the gospel was manifested in all its pristine purity. And the fullness of that which had been wrought in him, could be administered and take effect throughout the body of the faithful; beginning on earth to be completed in eternity, or beginning in eternity with them who had not pre- This could not be effected in the ﬁrst gospel day; because the visible headship was incomplete, existing only in the line of the male. In the fourth and last ﬂowing of the holy waters, which Ezekiel saw, they had risen to an unfordable river, “wa- ters to swim in.” Consequently, in this last dispensation of the gospel, there must be a complete separation be- tween the earthly and spiritual elements, and souls must be borne up, by the holy waters of life, above the control of earthly attractions; so that not even marriage under any restrictions can have place. For the life of Christ in his people is to them the end of the world. And Jesus said, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness to all nations, and then shall the end come.” chosen to take the lead. redemption viously been called. Although none are christians, only those who follow Christ in the regen- erating life of the spirit, yet there are others who maybe denominated FRIENDS to All who are seeking to honor God by fearing him and doing his will in the earthly or out- ward order, and who are not as yet called of God, by the operation of his spirit upon their souls, to enter into the strait and narrow path that leads to life eternal ; will experience the blessing of the christian cause. 84: THE SHAKER. divine providence for their virtuous course, in obeying their. highest light, and will not be far from the kingdom of heaven. We, however, believe that the everlasting gospel of Christ, which will ﬁnally redeem the soul, not only from all sin, but also from its nature and eﬁbcts, will, in God’s own time, be preached to every human creature either in time or eternity. And every one will yet be convinced by the convicting power of the spirit, that it is the true and saving gospel of Christ’s second appearing. And all those who. will give heed to its merciful call, by the confession and repentance of every known sin, and by consecrating them- selves to the service of God forever, Will be secured in his heavenly garner. Enﬁeld, Conn. A V GOD. [The following beautiful poem is from the Russian Anthology, and was written by the celebrated Derz- havin. This poem is said to have been translated in- to Japanese, by order ot' the Emperor, and is hung up, embroidered in gold. in the temple of Jeddo. _ It has also been translated into the Chinese and Tartar languages, written on a piece of rich silk,_and sus- pended in the Imperial Palace at Pekin. It is a noble composition, worthy of these l1onors.] O thou Eternal one! whose presence bright All space doth occupy——al1 motions guide; Unchang’d through Time’s all devastating ﬂight- Thou only God! There is no God besic‘.e—— Being above all beings! Mighty one! Whom none can comprehend and none explore: Who ﬁllest existence with Thyself alone, Embracing all—supporting—ruling o’er— Being whom we call God—and know no more! In all its sublime research, Philosophy May measure out the ocean deep—may count The sands, or the sun’s rays Thee There is no weight nor measure; none can mount Up to thy mysteries. spark, I Though kindled by thy light, in vain would try To trace thy counsels, inﬁnite and dark; And thought is lost ere thought can soar so high, Even like past moments in eternity. but God, for Reason’s brightest Thou from primeval nothingness didst call First, chaos; then existence—Lord on Thee Eternity had its foundation; all Sprung forth from Thee—of light, joy, harmony, Sole origin—a1l, all beauty Thine; Thy word created all, and doth create; Thy splendor ﬁlls all space with rays divine, Thou art, thou wert, and shalt be glorious! great! Life-giving, life-sustaining Potentate! Thy chains the unmeasur’d universe sur- round; Upheld by Thee, by Thee inspired with breath! Thou the beginning with the end hast bound, And beautifully mingled life with death! As sparks mount upward from the ﬁery blaze, So suns are born, so worlds spring forth from Thee! And as the spangles in the sunny rays Shine round the silver snow, the pageant- ry Of Heaven’s bright army glitters in thy praise. A million torches lighted by Thy hand, Wander unwearied through the blue abyss; They own Thy power, accomplish Thy com- mand, All gay with life, all eloquent with bliss. What shall we call them? Piles of crystal light! A glorious company of golden streams! Lamps of celestial ether burning bright? Suns lighting systems with their joyous beams? But Thou to these art as the moon to night. Yes, as a drop of water in the sea; All this magniﬁcence to Thee is lost! What are ten thousand worlds compared to Thee? And what am I then? Heaven’s numbered host, Though multiplied by millions and arrayed In all the glory of sublimest thought, Is but an atom in the balance; weighed Against thy greatness—is a Cypher brought Against inﬁnity! What am I, then?—Naught. Naught!—but the eﬂ‘luen‘ce of Thy light divine, Pervading worlds, hath reached my bosom, too; Yes, in my spirit doth Thy spirit shine. So shines the sun-beam in a drop of dew. Naught! but I live, and on hope’s pinions ﬂy Eager toward Thy presence; for in Thee I live, I breathe, I dwell; aspiring high, Even to the throne of Thy divinity; I am, O God! and surely THOU MUST BE! Thou art! directing, guiding all, Thou art! Direct my understanding then to Thee; Control my spirit, guide my wandering heart Though but an atom ’midst immensity, Still I am something fashioned by Thy hand! I hold a middle rank ’twixt heaven and earth, On the last verge of mortal being stand, Close to realms where angels have their birth, just on the boundaries‘ of the spirit land! A COMMUNICATION FROM THE SPIRIT OF MOTHER ANN LEE. G. A. LOMAS-—1\Iy Dear Brother: Spiritual 1na1ii- festations of all sorts and gradations, as Shaker vis- ionists and mediums prophesied many years befo1'e the Rochester rappings, have truly gone forth into ev- ery nation, city, and hamlet, as witnesses of the im- mortality of the soul. Accordingly, I ﬁnd spiritualists in all portions of the earth, and even the distant isles of the ocean. Do you not remember Bishop Heber’s hymn, commencing: “From Greenland’s icy mountaiiis.” And then, these lines: “\Vhat though the spicy breezes, Blow soft o’er Agean isles; Though every prospect pleases, And only man is vile.” Well, I am here on the Isle of Ceylon, the land of cinnamon gardens, perpetua 1 ﬂowers, eternal summer, noxious insects and huge, poisonous serpents. How true that: “Every pleasure hath its sting, And every sweet a snare.” I shall hurry away as soon as I accomplish my mis- sion relative to looking up the records of ancient Buddhism. Kaiidii, as every scholar knows, was the fountain-liead of Buddhism 250 B. G. Since leaving my native land I have met a medium encircled by three grades of spirit intelligences, the higher of wliicli were messengers between the world of spirits, and the diviuer realms of celestial life. I inquired of one of these usually controlling spirits while elll3l'1tlli','illg the medium, if he knew Ann Lee in spirit life ? “I do not pci'so:iall_v,” was the prompt reply. is far above me.” Can you connnunicate with her? “I can probably so do by proxy—that is to say,—as she is much hi gliei' and holier than I am, I can ask one of my teachers—n hcrweniy messenger, to bear to and receive from her a niessage, if you so desire.” I am anxious to have her answer me a series of questions. “It will be best to prepare them in writing. Read them to me, and I will telegraph them on, by the law of mediation; and if she is disposed to trust me, I will hear back to you the responses as host I can.” Thus encouraged, I prepared the following: “She To ANN .LEE,_/‘omuicr of that Orrlcr of Bali-everrs known as Shalcers : Pardon me for intruding upon one who has so long summered in the heavenly land of promise. Let me assure you, however, that my object in propounding these inquiries is neither curiosity, nor the selﬁsh gain of knowledge; but, it is rather to possess more of that “wisdom which coineth down from above,” and which as an apostle said, “is first pure, then peacea- ble, and full of good fruits and righteousness.” In all sincerity of heart then, permit me to ask : I. Do you continue to have a deep interest in Millen- nial 13elie22ers—-tliat body of people known as Shakers? II. Do you still consider that your mission was heaveii-appointed, and that the “Secon-(I Comin,(/”— the Christ spirit-—was manifest in and through you? III. Do you consider that the genius of true Shaker- ism, as manifest in and taught by you, and by the pil- lars of the church, contained the principles of prog- ress and the law of unfolding cycles? IV. Is there in the higher heavens a Shaker church triumpl1ant—the New J erusalem—of which the church‘ of Believers on earth is but a faint reﬂection? V. Are not you, Jesus, John and other divinely iii- spired souls, now Christ-angels—ministering to the church of Believers on earth-to truth-loving aspira- tional souls in all lands——and to the more receptive in the world of spirits? VI. If truth is its own authority, should not the teachers and leaders in the Shaker church be govern- ed more by the spirit of truth—tl1e spirit of a living insp1ration—than the letter of the law, or the customs of an antiquated past? VII . Do you from your present position see on earth an increasing necessity for a. governing celihate order—an order whose solid foundation is purity, peace and all things in common! VIII. Are not the present wars, catastrophes, ex- citemeiits, struggles, and general unrest prophecies of a future increasing interest in co-operation, coin- muiiisin, and that quickening of the spiritual nature which must ultimate in a ﬂocking to Zion—a vigorous ingathering of her vested souls? IX. Are you acquainted with that distinguished cel- ibate of earth, Giardiiio Bruno, who was martyred in Rome near the close of the sixteenth century? He resides, I am told, in Pure-love city, and wields great moral power in the world of spirits. X. Have you words of cheer and counsel for me to bear to believers—to those, who, though not having seen, yet love and honor you as Mother‘:' The above questions having been read aloud, the controlling intelligence, putting the medium into a stlll deeper trance, said “the chain ofsympathy is now established; and I will report to you what is given to me.” ANN LEE’S RESPONSES. “Turning my mind to that land of spiritual dark- ness, the earth, I respond through mediating messen- gers to our servant in the ﬁeld of refoi-m—thc one who calls upon me; and through him, if so desired, to those who often speak of me, though yet dwelling in their tabernacle of clay. “To my dear sisters and brothers upon earth, one and all;—the love of God, the peace of heaven, the pa- tience of the saints, and thepurity of the angels be and abide with you, forever. “I. I continue to feel the deepest interest in B6li(31.~- ers, and trust that the stream of purity which has ﬂown thus far may continue to ﬂow in every direction, till all souls are washed, and every heart is cleansed in its heavenly waters. Remember, oh, my children, that purity is the key that unlocks the inner gate of paradise. The pure in heart see God. “II. Most conscientiously do I still believe, yea, I kii_ow, that my mission on earth was heaven-conceiv- ed and divinely directed. And further, it was super- intended, under God, by angels and arch-angels, and was, among other things, for the purpose of revealing the Christ-principle in woman, thus establishing the equality of the sexes. But in this I take no honor to myself. It is God that worketli in us through his min- istering angels, to will and to do. Accordingly, I humbly bowed in submission to the divine decree that so ordained me to be a vessel, an humble instrument for the divine manifestation. “III. The church of Believers on earth, found in whatever land or clinic, has its counterpart in heaven. And this spiritual church, overshadowed by the Christ-spirit, and cared for by the messengers of God. certainly contains the principles of all true spiritual progress. Much that is called progress on earth is not true progress. Fire must try it all. Divine truth is from the heavens, and certain mortals, as well as many in spirit-life, are vessels through which it is poured. Therefore, it is with thanksgiving and with praise that I turn to God, and his holy angels when reﬂect- ing upon the principles that I sought, and still seek, to engraft into you. “IV. There is a Divine Church-—-holy assemblies of brothers and sisters arrayed in white——in heaven, that the dragon cannot hurt! It is the church of purity and progress, and from its life-bearing trees, drop leaves and fruits that tend to the healing of the natioiis. Maiiy full of the pride of life; many accounted rich and great on eartli, have, upon entering the world of spirits, suffered such torments aii(l endured such ﬁery judgments, that they earnestly, yet meekly and tear- full_v, cried to God for help, and at once sought the fold of spiritual love and truth. Oh that the children of men would confess, repent of, and turn away from their sins, before summoned to the suﬂering and dis- cipline that otherwisc await them. God is not to be mocked, nor just penalties to he escaped. Those that sow to the ﬂesh reap corruption, while those, and those only, that sow to the spirit and live the calm, pure spiritual life, reap life everlasting. “V. Jesus, and all Christ-angels, are engaged in the blessed work of mediation and ministration. “VI. There is ever a necessity for reform in all un- clean habits; and for such progressive methods as shall give newness to, and vitalize the past. The most useless things on earth are gravestones; for they neither grow themselves, nor let the grass grow under them. Believers, as a body, may well be compared to a city set upon a hill, a leading purpose of whichis to illuiniiie valley lands below. They are also standard- bearers; and as such they should step into the spirit- ual waters in advance of all others, that the healing waters of life may roll more freely. It is the spirit- the spirit of truth—that giveth life, while the letter killeth. Believers, having been baptized of Christ, and reposing upon the foundation of purity, peace, and a union of inheritance, their principles must nec- essarily contain the very essence of progress, and will admit of both growth and expansion of method. With the widening of thought, the deepening of wis- dom, and the expanding of truth-loving souls, relig- ion, which may be summed up in Zove—love to God and humanity—should keep pace. Conserve, then, all the good that the fathers and mothers gave; but add ye more good thereto, and thus as the apostle coin- manded—‘grow in grace.’ “VII. Looking down upon the world to-day, with its vices; its cloaked containinations and its polluting virus poisoning the infantile fountains of society, I see the greatest necessity for the most rigid chastity-— yca, more, for true celibacy, which is the equivalent of positive purity. Virgin celibacy is as natural to the spiritual, as is polygamy to the animal plane of life. I see pressing requirements for a complete change in the tide of human nature-a change from proﬂigacy, indulgence, and deep-seated worldliness, to the sternest self-denial and virtue. So long as the marriage-beds of earth are the hot-beds of lust, so long will prisons frown, nations ﬁght, the earth mourn, and the ingathering to Zion be stayed. Considering the weakness of human nature, it cannot rest safely half way. To taste is to drain the ciip—to drain the cup is to die. Therefore, my words to the world are, handle not—touch not that which deﬁleth; but prac- tice chastity in its most godly sense, ye who are of the world; and ye, oh ye, who have risen into Christ, practice virgin celibacy not only in deed, but in word and thought. The difference, between spirits and an- gels, is that the latter are pure. We have here in our angel-world of peace a hoine—a Mothers’ as well as a Fathers’ home, where we enjoy all things in common. And we thus enjoy, because we are unselﬁsh ; be- cause we love one another; because our life is pure, and because our souls are united together in the spir- itual bonds of fellowship and holy affection. “VIII. There are prophecies almost innumerable that foretell the coming brotherhood and sisterhood of humanity. All pure ideals are ultimately attained; and, by the means of prayer, will-power and work. From the most primitive conditions of the races to the present, the growth has been towards this blessed consummation. Then work ye well; yea, labor dili- gently, for the time shall come as the fruit of your la- bors, with the additional labors of heavenly teachers when humanity shall have no despots, no kings, no rulers, no cities, no subjects; for it shall have become one vast community, under the united government of wisdom and love. “IX. Yea; I am aware of Briino’s existence; of the martyrdom he suifered in Rome, and the extensive in- ﬂuence he exerts in his heavenly home of love. “X. There are many things that I would like to say to the inhabitants of earth——and especially to the lov- ing brothers and sisters who in private and in public assemblies name my name. Let me admonish them to persevera.nce—-to patience under ti-ials—to continue instant in prayer, and to give little heed to familiar spirits, who while really of the world, stand behind a screen and delight in much speaking. Though spirits, their spirit-world is the earth-plaiie of existence. And every communication purporting to come from me that would loosen moral obligation, or lower the standard of personal purity, is from the adversary. The beloved apostle well said—‘be1ieve not every spirit ; but try the spirits.’ Permit me to further say, what has been often said, yet too little heeded by the world—that freedom is the natural result of virtue, love and harmony, guided and controlled by wisdom. All true ﬁnite freedom is within the limits of divine law; and obedience to law must precede the ripening of the soul. God is inﬁnitely free because inﬁnitely pure. That which worldly men call freedom, mean- ing the full exercise of the propensities without re- straint, is the deepest and most deadening form of slavery. Such putrid waters drown the soul, and such teachings drag it to perdition. Envy, jealousy, lust and kindred passions, are not to be modiﬁed and reg- ulated, as some blind teachers have taught; they are to be extirpated, a.nnihilate(l .’ Freedom, based upon obedience, and practical godliness, with the exercise of prayer, brings the soul into communion with the Christ-angels. And these often draw near to you in your devotions, and shed upon you their sweet and heavenly inﬂuences. The prayed-for increase will come—the invisible forces of heaven are at work- there is a leaveiiiiig power going on in the wide- spread ﬁeld of liiiinanity—the darkness is breaking- and the long, teai'I".il serving shall surely bring golden sheaves to Zion. And then, the fullness of times hav- ing come, shall the church, humble in victory, become the glory of our God. To the families, and all true, unselﬁsh workers on earth, I say, God bless you--let your light shine—continue faithful—be forgiving-— love one another with the love that angels know. And, oh, my children in Zion, think of the depths of a moth- cr’s love—listen to her voice of a«.lmonition—pray in your timesof labor for the presence of heavenly hosts sing with the spirit and with the understandiiig—wo1-- ship, in song and speech, in march and (lance, with en- thusiasm. Shake away allvain worldliness, struggle to conquer the apathy and selﬁshness of yourse1ves— TI-IE SHAKER. 85 strive to be living stones of crystal whiteness in the temple of God, and fruitful branches upon that vine of which Christ is the root. I know your trials and your tribulations. They are triﬂing compared to the sufferings and martyrdom of the 144,000 seen in the Revelator’s vision. Nulnbers do not constitute strength. Jesus trod the wine-press alone. Be pa- tient, then ;—-drink from the fountain that quenched the thirst of prophets and apostles-—abide by the law and the testimony—\valk humbly, trustingly by the still waters—3/ea, walk and worship in the beauty of h0liness—Walk, too, in the ways of sin1plicit_v, and keep the faith, till the harvesters, the Cln'ist-angels of the resurrection, put upon your heads crowns of life, into your hands palms of victory, and upon your spiritual bodies robes of purity, preparatory to a glo- rious and victorious entrance into the blessed and peaceful home of immortality.” Thus ends the message. If true in the past it is equally true in the present, that, “without avision the people perish.” Visions, trances, prophecies, spirit- ual gifts and seasons of worship are all helps to higher spiritual attainments. I believe this communica- tion in the form of answers to my questions, to have emanated mediately from Ann Lee, the blaeksmitlrs daughter, the Christ-appointed Mother! But the very fact of mediations, and fallible channels, implies mod- iﬁcation and non-infallihility. Accordingly all com- munications and revelations necessarily partake of in- dividual idiosyncracies. The Indian chief said of the interpreter, “His much words no just give my mean- ing—bloW through onion stalk, breath smell onion ’tother end.” Though the Indian’s dialect was rough, and his illustration homely, nevertheless it contained a very practical idea. In conclusion, I have to say that in this matter I sought to be a faithful amanuen- sis, taking down the sentences as they dropped from the medium’s lips. Mother Ann’s Words to me personally, while piercing as a two-edged sword, were both encouraging and beautiful. She is cer- tainly an exalted and holy angel of love with the Christ-principle of purity. J. M. PEEBLES. Point de Galle, Isle of C'e_i/lo17., August 2, 1877. Bpitomic History of the Watervliet Shakers. N o. 7. D. A. BUCKINGHAM. CONCERNING DRESS :_ WITH CLOSING REMARKS. Do people commonly change their costumes of dress with a view of im- proving upon the past, making the new more convenient, plain and simple? We could hardly judge this to be the ' case when viewin their otrotes ue a - a b Cl P pearances. Novelty and gorgeous dis- play predominate over consistency-—the rich seeking to outshine their neighbors and the poorer classes, by appearing in garbs which none but they can well afford. These changes are, many times, from bad to worse, and of a very ex- travagant nature. The Shakers do not consider it wise, nor in any degree proﬁtable, for them to compete with the general world in this. They have no desire to make that gaudy appearance, nor outward adornment of their persons, that many people seem to have. VVe choose to be clad decently, comfortably, in a man- ner consistent with reason and good economy. Uniformity of appearance in all things, is what is aimed at. None ric/z, and none poor; all fare and share alike, consistent with needs and circum- stances. The world of mankind every- where needs more of this leveling sys- tcm, to bring it right,—greater equality in all things needful, that the many, as well as the few, may enjoy life. Man, in cultivating the soil economi- cally, has recourse to the leveling proc- ess, taking from the hills to raise the valleys, and both thereby become im- proved. So, also, in the construction of railroads, canals, and other import- ant improvements for the country’sgooﬂ, it is found necessary to cut through or under mountains, and in some way to cause the high lands to aid in the ac- complishment of a level. VVhy not then, the wealthy, in like manner, assist the needy, raise the des- titute and degraded out of their sloughs of woe; and thereby lessen the evils that now exist in society? Cause the naked to be clothed, the hungry to be fed, the homeless to be cared for, and the sick and inﬁrm to feel the sympathy of generous hands. If the people of this enlightened country and christian age are not prepared to adopt the apos- tolic mode of living—community of in- terests, holding all things in common —let them approximate thereunto as near as practicable. We, as Shakers, are enjoying, in a good measure, the beneﬁts of the leveling sys- tem of living; not yet attained to its fullness, but are progressing. VVe would be glad to see thousands and tens of thousands engaged in the good cause, and thus bring on the earth “peace and good will.” When the Shakers have adopted any particular fashion of dress, and have arriven at some suitable uniformity, they do not like to depart from that uniformity. Nevertheless, when we have become convinced that a change is necessary, and that we should be beneﬁted by making it, and such change has the general approbation of the mem- bers of our community, we then move cordially into it; not for display of out- ward appearance, but for comfort and proﬁt, all the members participating. In the ﬁrst establishment of the Shak- er institution, they then adopted the same kind of dress made use of by the common people, and have constantly adhered to the same, with some trifling deviations, until of late years. We are now passing through a change, both in the color of our garments and the manner of cutting and making them. Consequently, we do not appear at present- so uniformly clad; but eventu- VVe are not so superstitious in our notions, nor set in our views, that we cannot alter when we have become sensible that such change will affect us for good. Progression is one of the prominent points of our religious faith, and we endeavor to make it manifest in things spiritual and temporal. ally shall become more so. In some things of a business nature, we have been too anxious to move ahead, and have suffered loss by so doing. Some societies have entered into the factory business, without very proﬁtable results. The banking busi- ness, so far as it was engaged in, proved a failure. Flouring mills, on any con- siderable scale, instead of ﬁnding them adapted to our conditions, have gener- ally proved the reverse. It seems not proper for Believers to be over-anxious about the things of this life-—“laying up treasures on earth ”-—to the detri- ment of their spiritual travel; but to let each have its proper bearing, “seek- ing ﬁrst of all the kingdom of heaven.” This has been the counsel of our worthy predecessors, and we must respond thereto in heart and hand. In closing this, the last of a series of numbers which have appeared in THE SHAKER under the general head of “Epitomic History of the Watervliet Shakers,” the writer would here po- litely remark, by way of apology, that he has been induced to give the brief statements of matters_, in confutation of many current reports of unfriendly per- sons, who seemed to take pleasurein mis- representing the people called “Shak- ers,” as being “ignorant, superstitious and unprogressive——-far, _far behind the age in which they live.” From such remarks, to him seeming so untrue, he was led to investigate more fully for himself, by comparing and contrasting the present enterprising and ﬂourishing condition of the Society, with that of the past, even from its Being in possession of records showing the early rise and progress of the Watervliet Shakers, to- gether with his own personal knowl- edge and experience of nearly sz'x1,‘_y years’ membership thereof, he has been enabled to state, fairly and truthfully, the facts presented. It is true, the Shakers have been un- der the necessity of moving cautiously, guarding on all sides against the evils of the world, both from without and within; temporally, morally and spir- itually. Having fully tested the groufid over which they have traveled, they are now ready and willing to declare to the world what the work has done for them as a people; and leave it for others to commencement. judge of what it may yet do for as many of humanity as are willing, truly and sincerely, to progress therein. To accumulate wealth has not been the prevailing motive and object of the Shaker institution ; but to work out the great social and spiritual problems of “ community life ”—of people dwelling together in peace and harmony, in united capacity, having all things in In taking this step, Believ- ers have found it necessary to do as did the original, apostolic christian church, —seeking to become clad in all heaven- ly graces, that adorn the true christian COl11lTl0l1. character,-—actually commencing the angel life while here on earth. Jesus, the Christ, taught his disciples to pray: "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be To bring about this good state of things, we must not only prczy, but work—— war/e daily, and in Earnest. V ‘ done in earth, as it is in heaven.” CURES FOR HOUSEHOLD PEs'rs.—Rats are said to have such a dislike to potash, that ifit is powdered and scattered around their haunts they will leave them. A piece of rag well soaked in a strong solution of cayenne is a capital thing to put into rat or mice holes, as they will not attempt to eat it. A plug of wood covered with a piece of ﬂannel so pre- pared may be used to ﬁll up the holes. Cock- roaches and ants have a similar dislike to cayenne. and a little strewed about the cellar will keep it clear of them. Abuse, like otffdr pdison, when administer- ed in too strong a dose is thrown oﬁ‘ by the intended victims, and often relieves where it was meant to destroy. SHAKER CHURCH COVENANT. IN TWO NUMBERS. NUMBER TVVO . ARTICLE IV. Of the Elders/zip. SECTION 1. Choice and appointment of Elders : The united interests and objects ofbelievers established in Gospel order, require that Elders should be chosen and appointed for the spiritual protection Of families, whose business it is to take the lead in their several departments in the care and government of the concerns of the Church and of the differ- ent families established in and pertaining to the Society. Their number and order should correspond with that of the Ministry. They are required to be persons of good under- standing, of approved faithfulness and integ- rity, and gifted in spiritual administration. They must be selected and appointed by the Ministry, who are to judge of their qualiﬁca- tions. SECTION 2. Duties of the Elders: As faithful watchmen upon the walls of Zion, it becomes the duty of the Elders to watch over their respective families; to in- struct the members in their respective duties; to counsel, encourage, admonish, exhort and reprove as occasion may require; to lead the worship; to be examples to the members, of Obedience to the principles and orders of the Gospel, and to see that the orders, rules and regulations pertaining to their respective families or departments are properly kept. ARTICLE V. Of Family Deacons and Deaconesses SECTION 1. Their qualiﬁcations and ap- pointments: The oﬂice of family Deacons and Deacon- esses has long been established in the Church, and is essentially necessary for the care, management and direction of the do- mestic concerns in each family, order or branch of the Church. They are required to be persons of correct and well—grounded faith in the established principles of the Gospel, faithful in duty, closely united to their Eld- ers, and of suﬁicient capacity in business. Of their qualiﬁcations, the Ministry and Eld- ers by whom they are chosen and appointed must be the judges. Their number in each family is generally two of each sex, but may be more or less, according to the size of the family and the extent of their various duties. SECTION 2. Their duties and obligations: The Deacons and Deaconesses of families are intrusted with the care and over-sight of the domestic concerns of their respective families. It is their duty to make proper ar- rangements in business; to maintain good order; watch over, counsel and direct the members in their various occupations, as oc- casion may require; to make application to the oﬂice Deacons or Trustees for whatever supplies are needed in the several depart- ments of the family; to maintain union, har- mony and good understanding with the said oﬁice Deacons; and to report to their Elders, the state of matters which fall under their cognizance and observation. But their power is restricted to the domestic concerns of their respective families and departments, and does not extend to any immediate or direct cor- respondence with those without the bound- aries of the Church. They have no immediate concern with trade and commerce, therefore it is not their business to buy and sell, nor in any way to dispose ofthe property under their care, except with the counsel and appro- bation of the Trustees. ARTICLE VI. Prz'z2z'leges and 0blzg'atz'ons of Meinoers. SECTION I. Beneﬁts and privileges members in church relation: The united interest of the Church having been formed and established by the freewill offerings and pious donations of the mem- of 86 THE SI-IAKER“ bers respectively, from the commencement of the institution for the object and purposes al- ready stated, it cannot be considered either as a joint tenancy or a tenancy in common, but as a czmsecraled wlzole, designed for and devoted to the uses and purposes of the Gos- pel forever, agreeable to the established prin- ciples of the Church: Therefore it shall be held, possessed and enjoyed by the Church, in their united capacity, as a sacred and cov- enant right: That is to say, all and every member thereof, while standing in Gospel union and maintaining the principles of this Covenant, 5/Fall en/o_y equal rig/zfs, beneﬁts cmdprivileges, in Me use of all l/zi7zgs per- tai72i7zg to z‘/ze C/zztrclz, according lo 2‘/zeir several needs and cz'rcumsz‘a7zces,' and no dif- ference shall be made on account of what any one has contributed and devoted, or may hereafter contribute and devote to the support and beneﬁt of the institution. SECTION 2. Proviso: It is nevertheless stipulated and agreed that the beneﬁts, privileges and enjoyments se- cured by this Covenant to the members of the Church, shall not be considered as ex- tending to any person who shall refuse to comply with the conditions of this asso- ciation; or who shall refuse to submit to the admonition and discipline of the con- stituted authoritv of the Church; or who shall willfully depart from the principles and practice of those religious and moral ob- ligations which have been established in the Church, agreeable to the primitive faith and distinguished principles of this institution; of which refusal or non—compliance the lead- ing authority acknowledged in the ﬁrst arti- cle of this Covenant shall be the proper and constitutional judges. SECTION 3. Obligations of the members: As subordination and obedience is the life and soul of every well-regulated community, so our strength and protection,our happiness and prosperity, in our capacity of Church members, must depend on our faithful obedi- ence to the rules and orders established in the Church, and to the instruction, counsel and advice of its leaders. Therefore, we do hereby covenant and agree that we will re- ceive and acknowledge, as our Elders in the Gospel, those members in the Church who are or may be chosen and appointed for the n time being to that office and calling by the authority aforesaid; and also that we will, as faithful brethren and sisters in Christ, conform and subject ourselves to the known and established faith and principles of our community, and to the counsels and direc- tions of the Elders, who shall act in union, as aforesaid, and also to all the orders, rules and regulations which are or may be given and established in the Church, according to the principles and by the authority aforesaid. SECTION 4. Duties of the members: The faithful improvement of our time and talents in doing good, is a duty which God requires of man, as a rational, social and ac- countable being, and this duty is indispensa- ble in the members of the Church of Christ. Therefore, it is and shall be required of all and every member of this institution, united- ly and individually, to occupy and improve their time and talents to support and main- tain the interest of the Society, to promote the objects of this Covenant, and discharge their duty to God and each other according to their several abilities and callings, as mem- bers in union with one common lead; so that the various gifts and talents of all may be improved for the mutual beneﬁt of each other and all concerned. SEcTIoN 5. As we,esteem the mutual possession and enjoyment of the consecrated interest and privileges of the Church a valuable consider- ation, fully adequate to any amount of per- sonal interest, labor or service, devoted or consecrated by any individual; we, therefore, covenant and agree, in conformity with an established and well-known principle of the Church, that no person whatever under its care and portection, can be employed for wages of any kind, on his or her individual account, and that no ground is or can be af- forded for the recovery of any property or service devoted or consecrated as aforesaid; and it is also agreed that in case of the re- moval of any member or members from one family, society or branch of the Church to an- other, his, her or their previous signature or signatures to the Church or Family Cove- nant from whence such member or members shall have removed, shall forever bar all claims which are incompatible with the true intent and meaning of this Covenant, in the same manner as if such removal had not tak- en place. Yet all who shall so remove, in union with the authority aforesaid, shall be entitled to all the beneﬁts and privileges of the Order in which they shall then be placed, so long as they shall conform to the rules and regulations of the same. ARTICLE VII. Dedicafioiz and Release. SECTION I. Dedication and consecration of persons, property and service: According to the faith of the Gospel which we have_received and agreeable to the uni- form practice of the Church of Christ from its ﬁrst establishment in this Society, we cove- nant and agree to dedicate, devote, consecrate and give up, and by this Covenant we do solemnly and conscientiously dedicate, de- vote, consecrate and give up ourselves and services together with all our temporal in- terest to the service of God and the support and beneﬁt of the Church of this community, and to such other pious and charitable pur- poses as the Gospel may require, to be under the care and direction of such Elders, Dea- cdns, and Trustees as are or may be appoint- ed and established in the Church by the au- thority aforesaid. SECTION 2. private claim : Whereas, in pursuance of the requirement ofthe Gospel, and in the full exercise of our faith, reason and understanding, we have freely and voluntarily sacriﬁced all self-inter- est, and consecrated and devoted our persons, services and property, as aforesaid, to the pious and benevolent purposes of the Gospel : Therefore, we do hereby solemnly and con- scientiously, unitedly and individually for ourselves and our heirs, release and quit claim to the Deacons, or acting Trustees of the Church for the time being, for the uses and purposes aforesaid, all our private per- sonal right, title, interest, claim and demand of, in and to the estate, interest, property, and appurtenances so consecrated, _devoted and given up; and we hereby jointly and severally promise and declare in the presence of God, and before these witnesses that we will never hereafter, neither directly nor in- directly, under any circumstances whatever, contrary to the stipulations of this Covenant, make nor require any account of any interest, property, labor nor service, nor any division thereof which is, has been, or may be devoted by us, or any of us to the uses and purposes aforesaid, nor bring any charge of debt or damage, nor hold any claim, nor demand whatever against the said Deacons nor Trust- ees, nor against the Church nor Society, nor against any member thereof, on account of any property or service given, rendered, de- voted or consecrated to the aforesaid sacred and charitable purposes. In conﬁrmation ofall the aforesaid state- ments, covenants, promises, and articles of agreement, we have hereunto subscribed our names and affixed our seals, commencing on this day of in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ,_Q» _ ,, Dedication and release of The transmutation of meals is a small af- fair compared with changing shame to glory,‘ reverses to success, sorrows to pleasures; yet true wisdom can do all this. .invented the now common and THE SHAKER. Monthly—6O cents per annum. A DUAL ADVOCATE OF CHRIST PRINCIPLES. OUR INVITATION. A short time since, we wrote of our willingness to cordially unite, in church and life worship, with any other de- nomination, whose theological teach- ings would lead us into more christian love and self-denial; into a more prac- tical work of the Christ spirit, as mani- fested in and through the life of Jesus. As yet we have received no invitations! We therefore invite investigations by the general churches——a most thorough an- alysis of Shaker polity, principles and living results. We invite those who would be better than good lﬂethodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Roman Catho- lics, etc., to engage in more of the practical self-denials of Jesus; and while thereby showing a genuine love for him, they will realize more of the baptism of his spirit. More self-denial is the desideralcz. As Shakers, we ask of all would-be christians: A virgirz celioacy in life, after the pattern ofJesus. love for all who do the will of the A zmiversczl Father, by denying self, faring and sharing all they possess equally and together. A peaceful, zmwarliée, em- worldly spirit‘, as illustrated by that lowly, beautiful, christian, Jesus. A sepczrczzﬂioiz from llze world (md its sins, by confession and renunciation of its evils and its good.’ even as did Je- sus. Such life is to us genuine chris- tian life. Full of crosses, until these are worn into crowns of glory; but are there more crosses herein than Jesus bore, or more crowns than he Wore? We now send an INVITATION to those only cw/zo are dole lo oe llzzls c/zristiavz, for the kingdom of heaven’s sake, on the earth. SHAKER INVENTIONS.' In his history of Watervliet Shakers, our valued correspondent—Elder D. A. Buckingham—related several valuable inventions that originated among our people. It seems to have attracted con- siderable attention from the general Press,‘ and led us to inquire whether the list of inventions was complete. By a little inquiry, we have learned, that ten years before the appliance of the screw propeller system of navigation, it was put into operation by one Thomas \/Vells, of VVatervliet, now Shakers, N. Y. That the ﬁrst matching of boards and plank by machinery in this country, was enacted at Mt. Lebanon, N. Y., by Henry Bennett and Amos Bishop, in I815——they using vertical rollers to hold the lumber straight, and ropes and Windlass to propel the same over cir- cular sczw5—first making the groove, then the tongue. In 1828, VVoodworth im- proved system. Webster, in his Dic- limzar , says that “ Babbitt-metal was This is un- true; for it was the invention of Dan- named after the inventor.” iel N. Baird, of North Union Shakers, Ohio. A few years since, certain par- ties had suits in the courts for infringe- ments; and we remember Bro. Daniel N. Baird to have been subpoenaed as a witness, wherein his claim as the in- ventor of “ Babbitt-metal” was estab- lished. He was also the originator of the rotary, or re'oolvi7zg /zarrow, al- though it was patented by another, after seeing the one of Baird’s. At South Union, Ky., Sanford Russell has in- vented and patented a sas/2 balance, by which one sash is made to balance the other, without the usual cords, pulleys, etc. T/ze Scimzliﬂc Amcricaiz says of it additionally: “ The best z'emtz'lczz‘or known, moved at the touch, and for ﬁfteen cents additional cost, may be locked at any desired point.” M. B. Carter, formerly of VVhitewater Village, but now, We believe, of Union Village, O., invented a very ingenious governor for over-shot water-wheels. And, if we mistake not, an improved wiazd-mill was invented by one of the Canterbury A most beautiful folding slereoscope was, a few years ago, in- brethren. vented, and, We believe, patent applied for, by Nelson Chase, of Enﬁeld, N. H., Society. By those who have seen this latter invention, it is pronounced une- qualed for beauty and convenience. We recall the skill of Bro. G. M. \/Vickersham, as applied to a szmzmer coverz'ngfor cz .s‘cz'd-irmz stove, by which, the hotter the ﬁre, the cooler the room I VVe met Sewell G. Thayer in New York, getting a patent on a stove-cover lifter, which lifter was kept always on hand, always in one place when not being used, and M/indzrg and keeping . its own place, regardless of careless heads! This was a North Union in- vention. The ﬁrst one-/gorse wagon was introduced to the world of travelers by Enﬁeld. Conn., brethren. Let every one using the single vehicle, render due credit. Previous to horse—collars, pads, under the hames of harnesses, were used. These were invented by Henry Bennett, of Shakers, N. Y. And we will close the list of special inventions by naming cm‘ mzz'/5; they being the invention of a party at Shakers, N. Y. ; which assertion we are abundantly able to justify, having some of the original machinery on hand at present time. We might mention, with exceed- ingly large credit, the valuable and indispensable machinery invented and manufactured by Elders D. Boler and D. Crosman, for splint-making, basket- working, and box-cutting apparatus, at l\«It. Lebanon, N. Y. And still the list is incomplete. Shak- er minds tend to the inventive, moral Other inventions will follow. Personal modesty forbids our saying much of a prospective one, which may stir the entire world of let- ters. We will be patient. But we ask, where, among a congregation of so few people, more needful inventions, or those more valuable to humanity gener- ally, have found an outlet? "A_ and spiritual. Hard Words mostly flow from soft heads. THE SHAKER. 87 EDITORIAL NOTES. VVAR, NOT CHRISTIAN, BUT BARBAROUS. We ought to learn an important les- son by the present European war; and this: That war is all brutal, the anti- pode of christianity. On Which Side is the greater brutality manifested? We cannot decide. Both are as brutal as they well can be. Standing aloof from this quarrel, so-called christian Amer- ica should View with a holy horror any attachment of the name of christian to any war whatever. We think it is far more honorable to be a heathen Mo- hammedan in this ﬁght, than to ﬁght worse than a Turk—be a greater brute, while wearing a very, VERY peaceable name! V\/ars, of households or of.na— tions, are without the pale of christian- ity; and any nation keeping a standing army, or a national guard of militia, has not even the smell of Christianity about it; but has much of the odors of the hells! Jesus was Prince of Peace ; all Wars are of the devil. POLYGAMY—-MONOGAMY. VVe must not forget the old adage about “ people who live in glass houses should not throw stones.” Brigham Young is dead. To the ma_l0TitY Of people, his greatest crime was polyg amy. If we ﬁnd any fault with Brig- ham for this, we must also ﬁnd the same fault with very many scriptural characters. David, for instance, was a man after the God of Polygamy’s heart. Brigham had just as much right to ‘his manv wives as David, Solomon, etc. Many wives or one wife are all un- christian—-ﬁnd ‘no sanction in the life of the christian exampler—-Jesus. But we have some good thoughts of Brig- ham. He was, undoubtedly, a man of extreme sensual ‘passions. . Dividing these passions among many wives, far less harm and brutality were done than Very many a so-cailed christian enacts with one miserable woman, called by his name. VVe sorrow for the woman who is subjected, against her will, to the worse than brutal passions of her anti-christian master; and if called on to decide the greater display of merci- ful morality, we would unhesitatingly recommend polygamy. But while nei- ther polygamy nor monogamy are in the least christian, rrionogamy, for the indulgence of libidinous passions only, is less so than polygamy. , ORAL CONFESSION. The excitement of the English churches over the proposed introduc- tion of oral confession, as a sacrament, into the demands of the Episcopal per- suasion, does not die away yet. Why should it? By what authority did the originators of that church do away with the confession of sin? “Confess your sins, one to another The Baptists “baptize ;” but they neglect the weight- ier matter of “confessing their sins.” It may be Roman Catholic to confess orally, but it is nonetheless christian for that. In our opinion, while ac- 1)) knowledging the prostitution of power by the priests, and much dead cere- mony of the Roman church, yet the Episcopal must progress very much before they can present as many chris- tian features as the Romans. Let them progress into oral confession——make priestesses of women, and let each sex confess and be ministered to by its own sex. This will excel the Romans! PLAIN TALKS. Another edition of PLAIN TALKS-- our late pamphlet of 24 pp.—is called for from several directions. VVe are happily disappointed, in that it proves not to be 100 plain. By some, east and West, it is deemed an invaluable assistant, in answering very many ques- tions most likely to rise in an inquirer’s mind. The second edition is entirely exhausted——even novitiate elders we ﬁnd are pretty close with the bait-and we have had calls for two hundred and ﬁfty copies which we could not supply. So soon as we can get sufﬁcient en- couragement to pay for half an edition of one thousand copies, we will trust providence for the means whereby the balance——twenty-ﬁve dollars——can be secured. It will be comforting to any to add a missionary to aid in the spread of our gospel work. Five cents each from one-half of the household of faith would print and circulate a very large edition! Who will take hold of the project? A V ‘ CoNFEssIoN OF.’,SINS.——T/Es’ 1V.,2". Inde- giendem‘ speaks very correctly on the subject in the following quotations. We think that, “whatever is inconsistent with a pure chris- tian life,” will include other practices and lusts not named herein by it.-ED. “ Confession of sin is a chief test of repent- ance, and without repentance there is no re- ligion. If we are sorry we have done wrong, we will be likely to say so, and will be sure to say so to those whom we .ha‘"~ve wrongedi The Bible very frequently insists on confes- sion ifwe would be forgiven. “Even better than confession is the evident putting away of the sins of an evil life, es- pecially where it is at some cost to us. There is not much magic practiced now; but those who repent must put away their sins, of what- ever sort. The Ephesian converts burned their books of magic. Nowadays a convert will destroy his liquors, perhaps his cards and tobacco, or whatever he thinks is inconsistent with a pure, christian life. Thus he gives the best evidence that he is in earnest. It is likely to be a genuine repentance that will conquer our love ofmoney. and will rule our pockets. “A confession and repentance that will do such deeds as these done by the Ephesian converts will have power over the world. Such self-denial attracts attention, and the conscience of everybody approves it. Here is a suggestion to our churches to-day, it they would be successful. Let them put away their sins and be in earnest.” , A V DEAR EDITOR-——I do not know where I cut these lines from, but they are suggestive that permanent peace must rest upon right. F. W. EVANS. WAIT A WHILE. First, there are the poor, mark of every slaughter, Cesspools at their door, sewage in their water; In each crowded dwelling poisoned air and vile So you’ll hear them telling, ifyou’ll only wait a while. Next, there is the drink, licensed source of ruin; For magistrates must wink at what their friends are brewing; Madness, murder, riot—on it all they smile; But tho’ men keep quiet, yet it’s only for a while. Then, too, there’s the land; poor folk cannot get it; Landlords understand too well how to let it; -Farmers, once contented, now begin to rile; Swear they’re over-rented, and they’ll show it in a while. And is there no cure for wealth’s distribution? Here great riches, lucre! there great destitu- tion l Can these camps divided nothing reconcile? So it seems decided, but it’s only for a while. Once I saw a ship on a calm sea swaying, The least ﬁnger-tip at its helm obeying; In the distance heaving rose a cloudy pile, But men unbelieving mocked it for awhile,— But ’twas only for a little, for a very little while. 4-. OBITUARY. At Shakers, N. Y., Sept. 23, 1877, aged 62 years, Ruth A. Green. Beautiful by nature, and made more so by gospel graces, we sor- rowed to part with her. Also, Oct. 8, John Holt, aged 60. At Shakers, N. Y., Oct. I0, 1877, Polly Tifrney, aged 64. She turned her back to the world; lived and died according to her ﬁrst faith. A CoMPosI'rioN.——Here is a composition written by a boy of South Danvers, Mass. Let timid contributors to THE SHAKER take courage. Let us hear from you. “South Danvers is in the United States. It is bounded by Salem and reaches to Mid- dleton. Its principal river is Goldthwaite’s brook, which empties into Salem harbor. Its principal lake is the mill-pond, which is dry in the summer. Its principal produc- tions are leather, onions, the South Church and George Peabody. South Danvers has many religious sects, among which are the Orthodox, who worship their minister; the Spiritualists, who worship everything; and the Unitarians, who worship nothing.” ‘low MANY {PRAY Time’ ?—A work recently published in London, entitled “ English Ec- centricities,” contains the following prayer: “Lord, thou knowest that I possess nine houses in the city of London, and that I have recently bought an estate in the county of Essex. Preserve, therefore, I pray thee, the two counties of Middlesex and Essex from ﬁres and earthquakes. And, as I have an hypothecated estate in Hertfordshire, look als in gompassicen {on that‘ county. As to the therportions of the country, do as thou wilt. Lord, consolidate the Royal Bank, that it may honor its notes. Let all my debtors be or become honest men. Give a prosper- ous and speedy passage to the sloop Mer- maid, forthe insurance of which I am respon- sible. Preserve me from robberies and brig- ands. Make all my servants faithful and de- voted, that they may watch over my interests and relax not their diligence by day or by night.” ———*—._—_—_ﬂ~- 7,7 4-ﬁr- r—‘._.. ___M:__ WORTH KNOWING. BRIMSTONE MATCHEs.—It will pay to save matches. Get a piece of pine plank two inches square, and six inches long. Put one end in a vise——the lower end——and split ﬁrst, into thin slabs across the top. Turn the block in the vise, and split the other way in- to pieces as large as matches. Turn again, as before, in the vise, squeezing harder than before, and it will separate the tops of the sticks. Sprinkle dry sand over the distended tops, and take from the vise. The sand will keep each stick separate. Now, dip the ends, very slightly in melted brimstone, and .you have very good substitutes for matches, wherever there are coals or ﬂames to ignite them. Besides, for one cent’s worth of brim- stone, you can thus manufacture thousands of matches. We use them freely, for light- ing lanterns, etc., from other lamps. SHAVING CUTS.-—Do you shave yourself? If you do, you sometimes get a slight cut, or your beard may pull out, so that blood will come. We have seen, from slight cuts on some persons’ faces, the blood ﬂow unusually free. As soon as cut, take a small piece of the margin of a newspaper—the poorer the quality the better—and stick on dry, holding it for a few seconds. The cut will cease bleeding, and heal immediately. The ﬁrst trial will surprise you. One thousand shingles, laid four inches to the weather, will cover one hundred square feet of surface, and ﬁve pounds of shingle nails will fasten them on. One ﬁfth more siding and flooring is need- ‘ ed than the number of square feet of surface to be covered, because of the lap in the sid- ing and matching of the ﬂoor. One thousand laths will cover seventy yards of surface, and eleven pounds of lath nails will nail them on. Eight bushels of good lime, sixteen bush- els of sand, and one bushel of hair, will make enough good mortar to plaster one hundred square yards. A cord of stone, three bushels oflime, and a cubic yard of sand, will lay one hiindred cubic feet of wall. Five courses of brick will lay one foot in height on a chimney, six bricks in a course will make a ﬂue four inches wide and twelve inches long, and eight bricks in a course will make a ﬂue eight inches wide and sixteen inches long. 4 V TRUE BENEVOLENCE.-——-If it should ever be my fortune to discover or invent anything that can be of lasting beneﬁt to humanity, I am resolved never to turn it to a pecuniary, personal proﬁt. I believe it my duty, and the same of every individual, ever to perform suf- ﬁcient manual labor, to supply my physical necessities.—LEV1N ROBBINS, W/zz'tezuaz‘er, 0. A CONDENSATIONS. Prof. Newcomb believes that the newly dis- covered moons of Mars, are of recent origin; and were undoubtedly supplied from an as- teroidal bollt surroundiilg our planetary scheme. ' A writer in f7‘ourmzZofAmztomy states that at every beat of the heart, the whole body is projected a small, but perfectly observable motion in a direction of foot to head. Herr von Hensen found that each acre of ground contains, on an average, 34,000 earth worms; each worm weighing but 46 grains, and producing in four hours nearly 8 grains of excrementitious matter. The worms per acre weigh 224 pounds, producing a uniform mold of 37 pounds, every 24 hours! Thus can their value be easily imagined. The Scz’em‘z'y’z'c Amerz'ca7z says that a good cement for fork and knife handles may be made of one pound of rosin; half pound of powdered sulphur; melt together; mix in twelve ounces of ﬁne sand; use while warm. The handles of no knives nor forks ever should be put into hot water. Tennessee lady named Ingram has discov- ered that all the mosquitoes of a room may be killed by explodinga small amountof gun- powder in the center of the room, by the force of concussion. Herein is a good use for lire—crackers. There are many patent medicines bearing the name of some prominent root, herb, etc., which do not contain any of said‘ articles. For instances : “Schenck’s Mazzdralce Pills”—- they contain no mandrake! and “Bishop’s Citrate of Magnesia” contains neither citric acid nor magnesia! Would not the cessation of building sol- dier’s monuments be a ﬁne idea, at least, un- til the money could be better spared, by the almost innumerable widows and children? Glue is damaged by frequent heating and boiling. The hotter it can be applied to joints, the stronger it will hold. 88 THE SHAKER. Andante. THE BEACON". :e J 1. Far out up - on Life’s o - cean, We see the com - ing sail-—l Its waves 2. Hold out the bea. - con clear - ly, Sal - va - tion’s glori - ous ray; Not in 3. In vain We cry the bless - ing, Still Wait - ing on the shore; A - Wake to are in the past, nor CANTERBURY, N. H. mo - tion As fut - ure, We ser - vice, And COID. - act - ive -. . as . _ _. ..._ W - . __..s- s........- _ __ __ - K" d I IV — rQ:__ :—::! 1}: _: _ :':i;:3- 3 P N r—+ 1,; J H D :--—~ - .a—— 3 g I p—--——?- P P f‘ F:-~—-—. r F P e .- L +-——- ”‘ 0 ' V 1 I V I B V T T a old tra - di p - tions fail. Let pres - ent rev - e - la - tion Light up the dark - some tide, Un - see its light to day. Sail on brave ship of Prog - ress, Con - tend with craft and creed, Un - ply the labor - ing oar. The na - tions thirst for knowl- edge, Where is the Sav - ior found? Let L .4 e 2 -.2 p 0 .2 *5‘ ‘.34-‘—e—--——e—.¢—e - p-— .2 e ‘ @—-:“b“‘e- ! 5- i P r P i L-i * #19:? : i l 2 ~ P “" ‘b—r‘ P .' P 1 . i‘ 1:! l - B E’ P I _ I V C l or T '— i "it" is 1 I Rig‘ F * ‘ :{,_ ’;,l- ,; d ,1 :3‘ r Q 4- 1 i a _"rv _.._ - L. - g. i ' _ 1. s - 7 " ‘ ' «. d a- 3 3 a ., u §_/ I til our need - y com - rades In har - bor safe - ly ride til the suffer - ing mill - ions By light and truth are freed. vir - gins sing the ad - vent,—— With A no un - cer - tain sound ,2 \. *1‘ 1 x \ ‘ "(W _ ‘. \ I HOME TOPICS. A stable is not complete unless (I). the,a_“«.-r- imals may be safely fastened in a way not un- comfortable to them; (2) unless the animals can be kept dry and clean; (3) unless it is light; and (4) unless one can pass through without coming in contact with the occupants and without soiling shoes and clothing—four important requisites, not expensive, but within the reach of every one whom builds a stable.—Detroz't Tribmze. To insects we owe wax and honey, silks and precious dyes, valuable medicines, food for birds and many other animals, the fertiliza- tion and increase of plants necessary for the subsistence of many creatures, and thus, in- directly, for the preservation of man. In short, the human species, wholly deprived of the services of insects, would fade from the face of our planet. So the husbandman has only to make the best of it, by learning to distinguish between his friends and his foes, and how to assist the beneﬁcent operations of Nature in encouraging the former and checking the latter. ——Boston yourmzl of C/zemistry. The toad as an insect destroyer is becoming quite popular in Europe. Once a week a “toad market” is held regularly in Paris, to which these little animals are brought, care- fully assorted, according to their strength and size, and packed by the hundred in baskets of damp moss. The market is never overstock- ed, and those of moderate size ﬁnd ready pur- chasers at prices ranging from seventy-ﬁve to eighty francs per hundred. The majority of them are bought up for the use of English ‘.14 market gardens, and it is stated that orders are on hand for the purchase, at those rat =-:, of every has-ketfu1‘that reahlids the nu-."’rkct.‘*' BEAUTIFUL WHITE F1N1sH.——A beautiful ﬁnish may be given to parlors or extra work in houses, by mixing zinc white in white dammar varnish. This forms the china gloss of commerce. The secret of preserving eggs is in exclud- ing the air and sealing the pores of the shell. This may be done by dipping the eggs in melted tallow and afterward packing them in bran, layer upon layer, covering the upper- most well with bran. Or salt may be used instead of bran; or water saturated with lime and salt is also good. An English lady, an experienced poultry breeder, has preserved eggs in this solution, keeping them for sev- eral years, without a single failure. WHY SOME PEOPLE ARE POOR. Silver spoons are used to scrape kettles. Coffee, tea, pepper, and spices are left to stand open, and lose their strength. Potatoes in the cellar grow, and sprouts are not removed until the potatoes become worth- less. Brooms are never hung up, and are soon spoiled. Nice handled knives are thrown into hot water. The flour is sifted in a wasteful manner, and the bread-pan is left with the dough stick- ing to it. Clothes are left on the line to whip to pieces in the wind. Tubs and barrels are left in the sun to dry and fall apart. Dried fruits are not taken care of in season, and become wormy. l‘-‘tags, string’, and paper are tllrcvvn into the ﬁre. Bits of meat, vegetables, bread, and cold puddings are thrown away when they might be warmed, steamed, and served as_good as neVv.—-.71/Iilwaztkee Gloée. , ,__ 7%, _,,,T L? _, RE CIPROCITY. Dr. E P. Miller is an author of very worthy note. We have before us awork of over a hundred pages upon “ Vz'z‘al Force: How Wasted and low Preserz/ed.” Also, two minor works; one by the Dr. upon “A Fat]:- er’s Advice,” a book for every boy; and one by his lady, “A Mo!/’zer’s Advice,” a book for every girl. These are valuable treatises upon very important subjects to the young and lov- ers of young people. Address the authors, 41 W. 26th street, New York. T/ze True Cz'z‘z'ze7z : is a mom‘/zly, published by T/ze Nezu Tori’ Merca7ztz'le _‘70ar7zal C0., P. O. box 1919, New York. It is ﬁlled with a useful miscellany of mercantile, political and domestic intelligence, and is conducted with excellent ability. It is the largest, most replete monthly of general intelligence pub- lished for one dollar. Woman’s Words: A mom‘/zly, published at Philadelphia, Pa., No. 625 Walnut street. Its object is to give a complete “review of what the sex is doing,” and is in all respects a woman’s paper. It is neatly printed, ably ed- ited by Lady Juan Lewis, and will assuredly make its feminine inﬂuence felt, in all the no- ble reforms of our day. One of the neatest pamphlets published, giving cuts and explanations of T/ze Im;5rov- eel S/za/Per 3Vas/’zz'7zg IVLJC/§z';ze, with most worthy testimonials of its superior value over all others, is being circulated by our friends of Shaker Village, N. H. It is certainly the rze jllus ultra in machinery. “Da7zcz'7zg as an Amuseme7zz'.” Published by Tiballs & Sons, New York.——The writer of this little work is worthy of extensive praise for so reasonably bringing into disre- pute the common and popular rage of pro- fessing christians for balls, dances at parties, etc. That such dancing is detrimental to the morals of those who engage in them, stirring up the sexual passions irreligiously, who can dispute? The writer calls the attention of linguists to the translations of what is de- nominated “dancing” in the Bible. He seems to admit the propriety of the religious dance; and thinks each sex dancing by itself would soon cure the passion for balls. only 50 cents. Price “ One T/2ousa7zd]lIz'sz‘a/lees Correcz‘ed.”——All our young people ought to have constant ac- cess to the pages of this beautiful volume. Corrections of the commonest, every-day errors are herein made, in such a pleasant, simple manner, that we ﬁnd it a real friend indeed. It is worth, to any one anxious to learn to speak and write correctly. many dol- lars; yet its price is only one dollar! When we think, that with all the increase of schools, there is an apparentincrease of slang, vulgar- isms, as well as badly-pronounced words, we may all “rise up and call blessed” the two professors, Larrabee and Buttz, who have prepared this work. Published by N. Tiballs & Sons, 37 Park Row, New York. -.¢
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Subjects: Shaker -- Periodicals
Identifier: yhm-sha-ts0711
Is part of: Hamilton College Library Digital Collections, Communal Societies Collection, Shaker Collection

Title: Shaker Manifesto, vol. 07, no. 12 (December 1877)
Publisher: United Societies
Date: 1877-12-01
Place published: New York
Text: HE SHAKER. OFFICIAL MONTHLY:-PUBLISHED BY THE UNITED SOCIETIES. “ §_1§a 4;Ir.eaci( the itingdain 01' ﬁnd.’ ” Qhe trstirttuztg a}7' eternal fzguth. C VOL. VII. § Shakers, N. Y. G. A. LOMAS, Enrron, § DECEMBER, 1877. “WHAT l...\L1K I YE’.l‘?" .!A\.rIcs (7.. ‘v.tJs.sF.i.L. Good master, what woul.d’st thou have me to do, That I may have eternal life in thee? I seek a part within thy kingdom new ; \Vhat further sac1'ilice remains for me? The things that thou hast n1entioned—all lrzve 1 Most S{1.(.‘1'€(li_V ohsei-ved, and ever My heart intent on godliness, Wliereby I would in truth be free: what lack I yet? Loved one——t.he goodly master now responds-— ltperfeet thou WOUl:l’st he, go sell thine all, And give unto the poor, release their bonds, Then come and follow me. Most blessed call! And yet behold the sorrowful effect! The sztcritice too grczit, for great indeed ‘vVere earth’s possessions, thus to resurrect — And unto God the mi-ser’d soul to lead. Away the anx...
Show moreHE SHAKER. OFFICIAL MONTHLY:-PUBLISHED BY THE UNITED SOCIETIES. “ §_1§a 4;Ir.eaci( the itingdain 01' ﬁnd.’ ” Qhe trstirttuztg a}7' eternal fzguth. C VOL. VII. § Shakers, N. Y. G. A. LOMAS, Enrron, § DECEMBER, 1877. “WHAT l...\L1K I YE’.l‘?" .!A\.rIcs (7.. ‘v.tJs.sF.i.L. Good master, what woul.d’st thou have me to do, That I may have eternal life in thee? I seek a part within thy kingdom new ; \Vhat further sac1'ilice remains for me? The things that thou hast n1entioned—all lrzve 1 Most S{1.(.‘1'€(li_V ohsei-ved, and ever My heart intent on godliness, Wliereby I would in truth be free: what lack I yet? Loved one——t.he goodly master now responds-— ltperfeet thou WOUl:l’st he, go sell thine all, And give unto the poor, release their bonds, Then come and follow me. Most blessed call! And yet behold the sorrowful effect! The sztcritice too grczit, for great indeed ‘vVere earth’s possessions, thus to resurrect — And unto God the mi-ser’d soul to lead. Away the anxious face with sorrow turns, W'ith feelings ofdisinay and deep regret, Though for eternal life the spirit yearns- Comes forth in xvords ot'g'1'iet'—mztch laiclc I yet.’ Ah, is the sacriﬁce too great to make? A life of Worldliness to lay- aside? The christian pathway cheerfully to take? And in the lovingg‘ grace of God abide? Thou surely shalt have treasures stored in heaven, If cheerfully the price thou’lt fully pa y, If unto God thy time and strength be given, To walk with care the self-denying way, Though worldly riches be the selﬁsh part, That calls for sacriﬁce, though great or small, Or be the idol sinfulness of heart, That seeks indulgence, allied to the fall; Whatever be the part for sacriﬁce, If God’s pure love is all in all to thee, From Worldly loves and pleasures thou may’st rise, And in my kingdoni have a part With me. Q. . W, NOTES BY THE VVAY.——No. 12. H. C. BLINN. I could probably have no better sub- ject for my closing “notes” in our lit- tle missionary of “_Good News,” than that which has for some time past had a growing interest in our mountain home. As strange as it may seem, it is nevertheless true, that a revival of the temperance question. as belonging ex- pressly to our order, has been occupy- ing the minds of both old and young. Quite a number from our family at- tended the State Temperance Conven- tion, and heard many earnest and faith- ful advocates for the cause. VVe also heard, and some of us for the first time, the recital of those wrongs and suffer- ings which arise from the use of alco- holic drinks. VVhile we listened, we piticd, as we knew many were asking others to do what they were unable to accomplish themselves. We knew, also, that we already be- longed to an order that sought earnestly to cultivate the principles of temper- ance through the blessings of the cross of Christ. Privileged, as We are, to live among the “sober, righteous and godly in this present world,” many who are young had not the least idea of the sor- row and shame intemperance was bring- ing to the thousands of young men and women. The sad confession which some made oftheir first steps in wrong by drink- ing beer or cider, and from this going on and on with alcoholic drinks till they ﬁnally ended as conﬁrmed drunkards, has awakened a thought in many young minds of the danger there is, not only in the drinking of beer and cider, but in a habit only a fraction less reprehen- sible, and that is, the chewing and smoking of tobacco. gin. It has been said that “the error of a moment is often the sorrow of a life ;” and perhaps this is never more fully realized than in the cases of those who, from lack of moral courage, yield them- selves a prey to the irreligious or un- principled. . Intemperance has really become a burden in the land. The inordinate desire which many have for external appearances, as the furnishing of their residences, their articles of apparel, the expense of their table, the cigars to be smoked, the liquor to be drank, obliges them to spend large sums of money be- longing to themselves or others. All the injury to others, and the ruin to themselves, arising from this intemper- ate course, is now termed “Liabilities.” The word embodies every form of dis- sipation. But I must bear in mind the Editor’s advice, and not be too lengthy. .______._.._ Better never be- DUPLICITY. ANNA ERVIN. A distinguished divine inquires: “ Who is the prophet that shall uncover the abysses of our acted lies?” We1~e this ever true of those who profess to be christians? When is the rugged, truth- speaking, christian time coming? are queries of no triﬂing moment; when all shall be what they seem, and cease to seem what they are not. Have you ever socially trusted another from ap- pearances implicitly, and afterwards been rejected for no good and suﬁicient reason? How liable are such lessons of experience to make us doubtful of human ﬁdelity. A friend, in whose presence we may not think aloud, should be regarded as an acquaintance, but never trusted as a true friend. Let all earnestly strive to make this life as pro- ductive of good as it shall be when du- plicity, dissembling and hypocrisy are only known as tﬁirzgs Mat were, and are not. GLORIES OF MT. LEBANON. F. W. EVANS. For sixty and nine years I have lived, moved and had my being in this mun- dane sphere. During all that time, I have not seen so perfect a year for Weather as 1877 has thus far proved to be. Lights and shades, heat and cold, rain and drouth have‘ alternated each other, keeping our hopes and fears all the time in action. Yet no harm has befallen us. Neither flood nor rain, frost nor blight, hail storm nor heat has harmed us in the holy mountain. Is our climate improving? progressing? or to what shall we attribute a constant succession of enjoyable days and nights, without a drawback? I am an unfailing‘ friend ofthe weather; never fail to be inwardly thankful for its abundance; never grumble at it, nor call it wicked names; do not complain when it is hot nor cold, nor, under any circumstances, do I utter disrespectful phrases about it; when it is a pleasant day, never call it “a weather breeder I” nor forget the good of to-day in dark forebodings of to-morrow. In fact, I enjoy the weather, more especially Amerz'ca7z weal‘/zer, in our temperate zone——cannot imagine anything more perfect than the weather that we have been blessed with in 1877 I It has been a continual feast of good things, ﬁlling our hearts with gratitude and praise, as water ﬂowing from a fountain. All the elements seem tuned to harmony—— full of blessing. To be in unison with God, with the people of God, with all the visible heavens and earth, is happiness——is life to a devotional, Worshipful spirit. ‘Were I a poet, I would sing the per- fection of Mt. Lebanon Weather, as against all the earth. Mosquitoes can- not live in it——ﬁies are simply harmless scavengcrs—-snakes are a pleasant curi- osity—-—centipedes and gallinippers as rare as wolves, bears, panthers or tigers. The absent evils, that we know only by name, are replaced with pure mountain 5PTi11gS Of Water, 80 good that no ex- cuse remains to us, as is so common to the west and south, to put into our drink some foreign substance, Temperance 1S our normal condition. The air we breathe into our lungs is pure as the love that ﬁlls our hearts. VVhether it be England or Scotland, France or Italy, California or Texas, Louisiana or Kentuckv. or even Maine N. A. BRIGGS, PUBLISHER, Shaker Village, N. H. N o. 12. or New Hampshire, we can still see some inﬂiction to which we are not sub- ject,——something undesirable, that We have not. Is it not good to be so fully establish- ed in our own minds, and to realize that whatever good we do thus possess, it is not at the expense of our neighbors? None are the poorer for it, nor the suf- ferers by it. A NOT BY OBSERVATION. MARCIA HASTINGS. “The kingdom of God cometh not by observation.” By observation, we have found this to be true. Persons do not receive the baptism of the holy spirit immediately and exclusively through the intellect. It reaches ﬁrst in its validity the soul, and there begins its operation. The intellect may and should be a power to Weigh the consist- ency of all tenets of religion which the spirit accepts; but seldom, if ever, does it supersede the soul’s feeling; the non- reasoning, absorbent, faculty of intu- ition. Reason may sit as judge to de- termine the eﬂicacy of bias in con- science; regulate the enthusiasm that commonly attends newly received truths, and help to sift the manifesta- tion thereof. But whoever depends on intellect alone for conviction and conversion, will wait long’ before the illumination manifests itself to effect the new birth. ‘When the testimony of cleansing truth shall reach a sincere seeker after righteousness—a soul sick of sin and weary of the dominance of animal appetites-—-groping in human cipation, then that soul will hardly stop for logic or nice points in argument; yet may proﬁtably obey the injunction to “try the spirit,” and the witness Will appear; will be unmistakably felt, that the kingdom of God is Within reach. “ If ye do the works, then shall ye know of the doctrine;” and if ye will accept the testimony of those who conﬁdently report from experience, this rich knowledge, and conﬁrmation, hap- py will ye be in ﬁnding yourselves in a way to possess the pearl of great price, the inheritance of righteousness, “the kingdom of God which cometh not by observation.” - Canterbury, N. H. Bashfulness is more frequently connected with good sense, than we ﬁnd assurance; and impudence, on the other hand, is often the mere effect of downright stupidity. blindness, and intently desiring eman- ‘ed Within. 90 THE SHA IS THIS CHRIST OUR EXAMPLER? EERMON BY ADIN BALLOU. * * * “ButI am asked, what is there in Christ or his religion so very important and indispensable to human happiness? I answer, A true and perfect righteousness—Godward, manward, soulward, earth- Ward and heavenward. He was righteous in all these directions, righteous in his ruling motives, his principles, his spirit, his conduct and his character. Every human being must become righteous in all these respects, or be unhappy to the extent he falls short of the pattern. Christ’s religion governs man internally. It presides in a region which no human law, power, or system of arrangement, can reach. It deals with the inmost springs of human thought, de- sire, feeling and action—with the loves, affections, passions and sentimental emotions from which issue forth all the external manifestations of life. Its busi- ness is to purify, regulate and reduce to true order the heart, its will, its motives and ruling principles- in a word, to render the soul internally wise and good, and so the outward life. Thus it promotes and insures, what nothing else without it can—absolute happiness. \Vhy are we miserable? Because some law of di- vine order has been transgressed by ourselves or others. But why have we, or others, transgressed? Because some motive, affection or thought inside our souls is out of order. All external sins are germinat- This is Christ’s doctrine, and it is the immutable truth. Therefore his religion begins at the beginning, and insists on making clean the in- side, that the outside may be clean also. If I analyze the internal, when I have sinned and been rendered unhappy, I ﬁnd one or more of the following speciﬁed evils in me: 1. Carelessness, indifference, irreverence toward he Divine and spiritual——prayerlessness, unwatch- fulness, ingratitude, distrust ofProvidence. 2. Pride, self-will, rebellion against God’s law and order, and a disposition to self-indulgence, regardless of the wholesome cross—with a propensity to ignore or disregard the rights, feelings, wants and co-equal welfare of others. 3. A disposition to set up and promote m_v own good, regardless ofthe supreme, universal good, and the perfect law of eternal rectitude, so as to care less _for absolute right, and for the happiness of others, than my own will. 4. The continued indulgence of some desire, pas- sion or lust, which I know to be wrong, and which I abhor, but which I have not yet the virtue to subdue. 5. Fretfulness, resentment or revenge, on account of some wrong done me, whereby I am inclined to re- turn evil for evil, and not to love my enemywith that pure love which seeks nothing but his highest good- also impatience, in some form, with what is offensive or disagreeable to me. These and kindred ones I believe to be the internal springs of sin and misery in all mankind. Jesus completely overcame them all. He recognized, rev- erenced, loved, obeyed and trusted in the Father with his whole heart. He was habitually prayerful, watchful. spiritually minded and conscientiously scrupulous to do the Divine will—to execute and dis- charge all his personal responsibilities. He teaches his disciples to follow him, and do likewise, promis- ing to help them effectually in all their struggles and Weaknesses. He was not proud, self-willed nor rc- bellious against divine law, but humble, meek, low- ly, self-denying for righteousness’ sake; tender-heart- ed towards all, and ever regardful of their welfare- full of self-sacriﬁce in doing good to‘ their bodies and spirits. He went always for truth, for divine princi- ples, for the universal good, and the eternal‘ right, even to the laying down of his life, rather than pre- fer himself, or any selﬁsh advantage. He loved ab- solute righteousness perfectly. He teaches his dis- ciples to take up the cross daily, to deny themselves for principle’s sake, and to follow him as the Lamb of God, if need be unto death—assuring them of eternal life and ﬁnal triumph. He had the desires and passions common to human nature, but he subordinated them all to divine order, in spite of the most seductive and urgent temptations, till it became his meat and drink to do right; though in so doing he deprived himself of many gratiﬁca- tions naturally dear to human nature, to secure a permanent home wherein to lay his head; voluntari- ly making himself a victim of persecution, and poor, that mankind through his poverty and sufferings might be made rich unto eternal life. 0, how unself- ish! Moreover, while he was so pure, so self-sacriﬁcing, so devoted to uncompromising truth and righteous- ness, he was as harmless as he was holy. He in- dulged in no resentment, nor moroseness, nor re- venge against his persecutors. He loved them still, and wept for them, even when he rebuked their wick- edness most severely. He forgave their trespasses until seventy times seven. He returned not evil for evil unto his bitterest foe. He was the unchangeable friend of his worst enemies, and his glorious soul went out from the agonies of the cross, into paradise with prayer for his murderers, saying, “Father, for- give them, for they know not what they do.” Now where is the candid soul that is not prompted to ex- claim with the centurion, “T1 uly, this man was the Son of God!” I am well aware that those who claim to have out- grown Jesus will demur to all this. They profess to ﬂnd defects in his character which unﬁt him to be the religious master and moral model of mankind. Such contend that they reject his personal authority con- scientiously, on account of those defects. But I have carefully examined all their criticisms without ﬁnd- ing a single allegation well founded. In every case, he is misrepresented, or an unwarrantable inference is drawn, or the so-called defect is a real excellence. " 0 WRITE FOR HUl\«IANITY’S GOOD. Beloved Edz'z‘o;’:——I fully recognize the fact that a person may be educated in ideas, but not in letters; and that you desire to have nothing kept back that may be of real beneﬁt to mankind, from the author’s consciousness of his inability to present it in a ﬁtting exter- nal dress. You are amply paid for de- ciphering illegible manuscripts, and re- ducing them to form, when, as the re- sult of your labors, you ﬁnd yourself in possession of a prize. Nevertheless. I cannot be the Worse, and may be the better, for a few hints to guide others in writing for THE SHAKER: I. Not to attempt writing for the beneﬁt of humanity, unless there is something important Welling up in my heart—not my head—and struggling to get out. Until this is the case, what- ever I may z‘/zirzé, there will be no mes- sage to deliver. 2. Be sparing of points. Punctuate no further than is necessary to be un- derstood, and rest to the printer. Dots and dashes, which many writers throw between words wherever they suspect a pause may be needed, are a crying vexation and a nuisance to editor, type-setter and proof-reader. 3. Pack the thoughts. An important communication need not necessarily be long; frequently the ideas of a Whole column of a newspaper might be com- pressed into two inches of space, with advantage to both reader and author. An idea is weakened by being crowded with words. A tremendous thought may be packed into a small compass, made as solid as a cannon ball, and like the projectile, cut all down before it. Short articles are generally more effect- ive, ﬁnd more readers, and are more widely copied, than long ones. Pack the thoughts closely, and though the article may be brief, it will have weight, and will be more likely to make an im- pression. Mv black z'7z/5. Yours, truly, DANIEL ORCUTT. leave the Nora BY THE ED1ToR.—Our thanks are due to Bro. Orcutt for these timely hints. In our new volume, we camzot use long articles. Contributors must “pack their thoughts;” or, if we use their contributions, we must shorten them by erasion or division. Me- mento. A CHRISTIAN LIGHT. MARIA INITIIAM. There is a light which beams from heaven, On life’s short, cvil day; It cheers the pathway of the just, And guides us on our way. How it illuminates the soul With joy, and peace, and love! Disperses every gloomy doubt, Directs our thoughts above! And who enjoys this glorious boon VVhich shineth from on high? The christiazi soldier of the cross, Who does not fear to die. { THE deﬁnition of the Religious Communities given by the Boston Commomvcalth deserves frequent rope tition. It is the best we have come across: “ They; are churches which clothe their members in a material as well as a spiritual sense.” Give a better one if you can. A SHAKER HOME. A. C. STICKNEY. “O the blessing of a home where old and young dwell kindly; The young unawed, the old unchilled. in unreserved communion.” --—]L'fartz'n F. Tapper. Thus the poet sings, and this, perchance, was the ideal picture, at which our friend was looking, when contemplating the kind of a home best suited for her dear niece. We give below a few extracts from a letter ad- dressed to the latter, by her aunt, who had chosen a home for her among the Shakers. “My dear Niece: I received your last letter with great pleasure. Am glad that you like the place and people; hope you will like both more and more, un- til you feel settled for life. I say this, believing your soul will be cared for as well as your body. Remember, dear one, you have a soul to save, and God even, cannot save it for you, unless you repent of your sins and consecrate your life to Him. He re- quires that you give your heart to Him, though it maybe a small and poor gift. You are now away from the allurements of the world, in just the place to serve God with your whole heart. 0 give him your heart, and learn to love your Savior. I suppose, to-day, rat you are dressed like a real Shaker, and I have been praying that when you put on your Shaker dress, God will clothe your heart with its righteousness.” And so He will clothe all hearts, that, ere they assume the Shaker dress, will strive to earn this righteousness, by cleansing the same through confession and repentance for past sins. Verily, “God helps those who help themselves.” A. NOTHING IS LOST. CECELIA DEVYR. Scatter bright jewels like hail on the mountain, Like rain that falls fast on the valley below, Though like the snow that dissolves in the fountain, They pass from your vision, still, still let them go. Nothing is lost in the outward creation, Change is the law that to nature is given, Nothing shall fail in the work of salvation, Progress shall bring us the kingdom of heaven. We may be up and awake in the morning, Doing the work that is needful at home, Or we may sleep through the light that is dawning, Yet unimpeded its glory will come. Who would awake to the light that is blinding? Who would be called to the sluggard’s reward? Who would be sowing in season of binding? Who would be dead in the day of the Lord? Surely not those who are called by the spirit, Heavenly treasures on earth to obtain, Those who the life everlasting inherit, By faith that will cleanse them from every stain. THE SABBATH OF REST. The beneﬁt of a day of rest, in a religious point of view, lies in this: The suspension of a. man’s business for a day is a suspension, more or less, of his temptations to dis- honesty on that day. That makes Sunday to some extent, a. spiritual Sabbath for him. Temptations are removable in two ways: one, through removal of evil desire; the other, through removal of possible opportunity for the gratiﬁcation of desire. The for- mer process is permanent aud brings an eternal Sabbatli. The latter is temporary, and comes to an end whenever temptation recurs. Thus it is that labor of the body comes to corre- spond to labor of the soul, and the body’s struggle 1'0‘- existence to the sou1’s struggle, and the repose of the one to the repose of the other. Sunday may he called with justice a sort of truce day. Not in a bad sense: it does not suggest a com- promise with the enemy; but it does suggestthat the enemy has vanished for the time. One may wish and think and do the bail on Sunday as easily as on any other day. But on the whole and gcne1':illy, he has then far less temptation. \Ve‘n1ust except always those whose consciences are mainly fornied by customs and human opinions, and who got but little from the ‘v’Vord of God direct. It pos- sible that these-—indecd they themselves assert it- ﬁnd on Sunday more temptation than in all the week besides. Sunday is a day for good resolutions. W'ithout irony and in all seriousness, there is nothing so rest- ful as to resolve. In resolves, the ideal has full play: resolution is the Christian’s i"airy-land. All this is well. VVhat is not well is to mistake the Sunday moodlor the eternal Sabbath. That Sabbath is the practical fulﬁllment of the ideal: it is resolution ac- complished in life : it is the imaginary reproduced in the real, and‘ the entrance into that Sabbath is through the six week-days only. It is sometimes said that Sunday’s chief use is in religiousinstruction. This use is very great at the present time, and with our present habits. But the need of a rest-day for the soul's behoof is one which will exist as long as the human race, or as long as man’s only road to spiritual victory lies through spir- itual combat. The time may come when religious in- struction will be imparted as much on one day as another; but the time can never come when all res- pite from temptation can be dispensed with. What will give Sunday in the New Age this value, which it has never generally before been felt to pos- sess, is 2". growing perception that the battle-ﬁeld be- tween hell and heaven is not mainly in the closet nor the church-pew, but in the shop, in the garden, in the bank and at the bar. Six days of the body’s hard work make the seventh really restful: and this isjust as true of the soul. No labor, no rest: that rule is in the nature of all 1hings.—Marston Niles in the N. J. Messenger. ‘-. THE MYSTERY OI’ PUNCTUATION. The art of punctuation is really one of the simplest of the accidents of literature; yet to most people it seems an impenetrable mystery. Many writers of high reputation make the wildest work in attempting to punctuate their own manuscript. Indeed, most of the punctuation in books is that of the proof-reader, not that of the author. This, however, is not wonderful; for if the secrets of the proof-reader’s den were re- vealed, the reading public Would be aston- ished to learn that that useful but invisible functionary often supplies for writers of reputation not only all the punctuation but also a great deal of the spelling and correct English. It is popularly supposed that all printers are accomplished punctuators; but in truth they are not. The best of them will punctuate ordinary narrative tolerably well; but if anything more elaborate is left to their mercies, they are apt to make strange work of it. A good proof-reader can of course punctuate when he understands the sense; but frequently the meaning is equivocal until the proper points are supplied, and he can only guess at the author’s intention. Every one who writes for other eyes than his own, though nothing but occasional letters, should punctuate systematically. The great obstacle to this is the assumption that there is some- thing very mysterious and abstruse iii the proper distribution of those troublesome little dots and scratches. The best general rule for punctuation is this: Read your article or let- ter aloud, making your inflections conform as accurately as possible to the sense you wish to convey; and wherever you make a pause mark a corresponding one in the manuscript. Do not mark one where you do not make one in reading. Nearly all manuscript, and a good deal of printed matter, is punctuated too much. If you can use periods and commas correct1y—-which, easy as it seems, is rarely done——you will get along very well with any simple composition. Semicolons and dashes belong rather to the elegancies of punctua- tion. Three fourths of all the semicolons that ought to be used are required before clauses beginning with “for” or “but,” as- signing a reason for, or noting an exception to, the statement that immediately precedes. Dashes, w/zz'c/1 mrmy 7.urz'tcrs scatler about in such recHessprofusz'o7z, should be used very sparingly. They generally indicate that the sense which is interrupted by some necessary intervening explanation, is resumed farther along. Vi/hen several enumerated particu- lars, taken together, are in apposition with a single word or clause that precedes or follows, they should be separated from it with a dash. These two cases cover almost entirely the proper use of that punctuation mark with whose wholesale abuse manuscripts are so generally disﬁgured. VVhen you are in doubt as to the necessity of a point, by all means omit it. Other things being equal, that is best English which requires least punctuation. ._‘§._”..T_%...._. AND DOCTORS. LAVVYE RS A litigation once arose in the university of Cam- bridge, whether doctors in law or doctors in medi- cine should hold precedence. The chancelor asked whether the thief or the hangman preceded at the execution, and on being told that the thief usually took the lead, “‘.'Vell then” “let the doctors of the law have the precedence, andlet the doctors in medicine be next in rank.” THE SI-IAKER. 91 VULGAR TALK. The hopeful student who translated these words of Horace, “I hate proianeness and vulgarity,” was better posted in ethics than in parsing Latin; for, if he expressed his real sentiment, he (and a great many of him) is badly needed now. The amount of vulgar speech that is to be heard among certain classes of our people is astonishing and humiliating. We do not af- ﬁrm, we do not believe thatthe evil is increas- ing and is greater than in former times; for one cannot do much looking into the past without coming upon this foulness in pro- digious abundance. But, letting alone any such comparison, the mischief is a great one now; greater, doubtless, than most of our readers are aware of. This theirignorance is fortunate and wholesome. It is a restriction upon the plague to keep away from it, and not to know thus what it is. The places and the men infected are not safe for resort or coin- panionship. To hold deliberately aloof from them, besides protecting ourselves, may be also one of the most eﬁective means of put- ting reproof upon the evil where it exists in others. Occasions will arise, however, upon which a man, in spite of his wishes, will learn something as to this abomination. He must take care at such times not only that he is in no wise pleased with what he hears, but also that he does not seem to be. The admix- ture, often made, of wit with vulgarity may place one at some disadvantage in this re- spect, by its provocation to laughter; and there are diﬂiculties here, as everywhere, in drawing the lines of absolute propriety. But, practically and in general, it is not diﬂicult to tell when the point of a story or a remarklies in what is vulgar in it; and in all such cases the treatment is not doubtful. These admix- tures, too, are not to be encouraged; and there is wit enough in the world that is not low; or there may be, and we may help, ifwe please, to make more. Christian men need not be falsely delicate and squeamish; but they ought to be and must be pure and decent and decorous, and, even if they are cast into low company, they should be able to show in face and bearing that they have not left their honor and de- cency behind them. VVe will only add that persons prominent in professional or public life may sometimes constitute very low corn- pany, and that in these cases there is at least as much need as in any other that one should take care of his manliness and self-respect.—— The Co7zgrega2‘z'o7zalz'st. RELIGION on LEGISLATION wAN'rEi).—-_The plain, unvarnished tale supplied by our spe- cial correspondent now among the Pennsyl- vania miners cannot be read with indiﬂierence by any just or humane man. VVe speak of “hard times” when it becomes necessary to forego some luxury, to deny ourselves some familiar pleasure, and to reduce our general standard of expenditure. We complain when pinched to keep up appearances, and repine at the hardship which invades our comfort. In and around the coal ﬁelds of an adjoining state, however, are tens ofz‘/zonsmzals ofzuorb ing men who, wit/z t/zez'rfczmz'/Yes, are on the verge of starvatzlm. A large proportion are unemployed; those that /zcwe work are pczzcl so 5ca7ztz'l_y 2‘/mt what they earn Znzrely keeyﬁs ' soul and body togel/zer. The picture of squalor and wretchedness, of hunger and nakedness, is shocleirzg enoug/z to touch the /zardesz‘ heart. It is made more painful by the fact that some of the companies add to the miseries of their people by the enforcement of the truck sys- tem. There may be reasons for suspending work in some cases, and for reducing wages in others, but the greed which prompts em- ployers of labor to squeeze out of it the beg- garly pittance through the agency of store pay admits of no excuse. It is an infamy which _the law in other countries has sup- pressed.—-ZVew Turk Times. HERE is RELIGioN.——Mysterious is a wom- an’s way. Several weeks ago, a lady, with a bright face and pleasing manner, elegantly dressed, arrived in Columbus, 0., and after breakfasting at a hotel, went to a station house to apply for a lodging. She was given a cell on the ﬁrst ﬂoor, with the privilege of the prison, and she immediately began to brighten the lives of the poor prisoners. She made a decisive onslaught on the cockroaches and on the bed-bugs by scrubbing her cell again and again. When the wood work was as neat as soap and water could make it, she hung some pictures on the walls, and every day she has a bouquet of fresh ﬂowers. She has books in her cell, and sometimes she takes a short walk, but whenever there is anything to be done for any prisoner, she is ready to do it. When a drunken woman is brought in and laid on the floor, the strange lady busies herself during the night in bathing the poor creature’s head, rubbing her hands and feet, and bringing her to her better self. The ex- pense to the city of keeping this ministering angel in its prison is not great: bread and water. She lives on A; V LET US CONSIDER. SARAH A. NEAL. Our earthly summer is past, and our material harvest ended. Providence has blest us with an abundant growth of those substances which we have largely garnered for the sustenance of our physical beings. By exertion, we have saved much of earthly treasures, and, comparatively speaking, perhaps lost little; for all which we have cause to feel truly thankful. But in what ratio does our spiritual harvest agree with our material? During the past seed- time and harvest, how ardent have been our exertions to sow the seeds of truth, that we might realize their growth, an(l harvest the effects thereof? And how great is the realization within our own souls, that we have been saved from worldly sins, that have aﬂlicted human- ity from earliest recollections, and have lost to the various consequences of these sins! Let us consider. Creation is now preparing to enter a season, when its entire forces need to rest on its basic germ, to sustain vitality through a chill- ing test, preparatory to the evolution of a new seed-time and harvest. In this season, life’s foundational principles are strengthened by the return forces, and held in readiness to perform new ser- vice at the dawn of a new seed-time. And surely. this season comes to intel- lectnal creation with no less meaning, than a time for meditation and reﬂec- tion. A time for mental exercise, and deep soul-labor, through which human- ity should become better conditioned to evolve the principles of the new life, first made manifest by Jesus, the Christ. Earth rolls her rapid seasons round; they come and they retire; and each successive year brings with it a new seed-time thafleads to a future harvest; and so are new opportunities yearly coming to those of us who are toiling in spiritual ﬁelds, to sow anew the seeds of divine faith; and to cultivate with care, that their growth may be even un- to perfection and our harvest abountiful yield! Let us consider, while the carth-win- ter lasts, that it is ours, as with all crea- tion, to prepare for the coming of a new seed time, and be ready at its dawn to enter our spiritual ﬁelds, with a zeal truly becoming christian workers; that we may realize, as the season rolls on, a superior growth of virtue, that shall betoken the golden harvest. But now is our time to prepare for more active service; for‘ deeper consecration; and for a fuller sacriﬁce of our entire beings to the cause of truth; and may we be wise and well consider our day. Shakers, N. Y. TIME AS A VVEAVER. MARTHA J. ANDERSON. “How swift the shuttle ﬂies that weaves thy shroud!” —Young. Time with a. swift momentum ﬂies, As through lir"e’s web his shuttle ﬂies; Twining the fibers that fate has spun, All through the years since life begun; Threading the woof of hours and days, Drawn through our devious winding ways ; Gathering the tang;led ends of time, VVeaving them all in rhythmic chime; Bending the broken ends of thought, Each by his skillful ﬁngers caught. Soon shall thy garment woven be, Ere thou shalt enter Eternity. But, 0 thou mortal! be not proud, Time with his shuttle weaves thy shroud. Mt. Lebanon, N. Y. PRAY WITHOUT CEASING. As a number of Ministers were assembled to dis- cuss different questions, among others it was asked how the command “Pray without ceasing,” could be complied with. Various snppositions were stated, and at length one of the number was appointed to write upon the subject and read it at their next meet- ing; which being overheard by a sensible little girl, she exclaimed! “What, a whole month wanted to ex- plain the meaning of that text! It is one of the easi- est and best texts in the Bible.” “Well,” said an aged divine, “Mary, what can you say about it? Can you pray all the time?” “O, yes sir.” “What, when you have so much to do 2” “Why, sir, the more I have to do the more I can pray.” “Indeed! Mary, let us know how it is, for most people think otherwise.” “\Vcll, when I first open my eyes in the morning, I pray, Lord open the eyes of my understanding to be- hold wondrous things out of thy law. And when I am washing, I pray that I may be washed, sane. tilied and jllSllll(’.(l in the name of the Lord. And while dressing, I pray to be clothed with humility. And as I begin my work I pray for strength equal to my day, and when I kindle the ﬁre I pray that the love ofGod may burn in my heart. While I sweep the house I pray that my heart may be cleansed from all impurity. And while partaking of breakfast, I desire to be fed with the hidden manna and sincere in ilk of the word. And when with the children I look up to God as my Father and pray for the spirit of adoption, that I may be his child; and all day, every- thing I do furnishes something for prayer.”--Selected. THE SHAKER REMEDY. AM. SOC-IALIST. One of the editors oi‘ the Albany Jliorning Express, has visited Mt. Lebanon and held conferences with Elder Frederick W. Evans. When the editor asked the Elder to propose a remedy for the political dis- ease “winch threatens the very life of the nation,” the latter said: “In all seriousness, I ask you to look at the material laws and lives of Shakerdom. Here is a village of several hundred people. For fifty or a hundred years we have lived here, prosperous, contented, hap- py. We llil‘.'6 tilled the land, and year after year put back upon it that which necessity and comfort did not require. Now it blooms like the fairest garden. l)uring all these years of our existence, we have never spent a penny for police, for lawyers, for judges, for poorlioueses, for penal institutions, or any of the other ‘improvements’ of the outside world. We have our quarrels, our difi'ere.nces, our ambi- tions, like other men, but we settle them in a loving, brotlierly manner, by gentle arbitration, by cruci- fixion ofthe. spirit and unscltlshness. Therefore, we ﬁnd police, courts of law, and jails, not only useless, but dc-gradiiig. We never have used them, and with God’s help, never shall. But we claim to be no bet- ter than other men or women. Not a bit. We are just the same asany other six hundred you will ﬁnd in any part of the country. VVhat we claim is, that our system is better; and it that which gives us content, prosperity, happiness. If, then, this village of six hundred can exist for a century in peace and plenty, why can not any other village of six hundred, any town of six thousand, any city of six hundred thousand? We have demonstrated it to be possible, and what are we better than any other men?” INDIANS LEARNING THE ARTS OF PEACE. GEN. MOCLELLAN IN N. Y. WORLD. Speaking of the peacefiﬁiethods of dealing with . Indians, have you heard of the success of the little training school at St. Augustine, Fla.? About forty or ﬂftyof the Worst cases for such treatment—Ca- manches, Apaches, and other southern Indians—we1'e brought as prisoners to St. Augustine, and have since been drilled by mi1itary_rule and square. The prisoners were treated kindly but with unmistakable ﬁrmness and decision. I understand that they con- stitute now a well-ordered little colony in the garri- son town. They have been taught to build little cot- tages, to cultivate the ground and to live at peace with one another. They have a printing press among them and all attend school. Some have shown a taste for the simple manufactures and arts, and all are employed in some useful and proﬁtable manner. If these most unpromising cases, at ﬁrst look, could be so trained, I think that there is reason to believe that the condition of other hostile Indians could be as readily changed for the better if they could once be brought under strict military super- vision. A_ SUPERIOR REFLECTIONS. T/ze Ivzterior says that “bigotry” means holding the views of those who are a shade more conservative than ourselves. Nonsense. There are hundreds and thousands in all de- nominations, from the loosest to the strictest, who are not bigots in any sense. Bigotry is the lack of Christian charity toward those who diﬁfer from us in matters of religious be- lief. THE TIME IS SHORT. The time is short; the more the reason,thcn, For ﬁlling it as full as it can hold VVith thrills ofbeauty, yearnings for the truth, And joys of love and labor manifold. Then should it chance, as we would lieve, Life’s glory waits us in some other sphere, It'~: ﬁrst great joy shall be we did not miss God’s meaning in the glory that is here. fain be- HONEY FROM THE ScRi1=TUREs.——Do not think it enough if you learn to spell and read, and to say the words of the "Scriptures, but seek to learn the truth of the Scriptures. Do as the bees do. A bee, when it sees a ﬂower, does not ﬂy round and round it, and then fly off again, like foolish, idle butterﬂies. It settles on a ﬂower and sucks the honey out of it. You should do as the bees do; you should settle your thoughts on what you read, and try to suck the honey out of it. Almost every verse in the New Testament has its honey. Almost every verse contains a spiritual truth, ﬁt to nourish some soul or other. That may be right which is not pleasant, and pleasant which is not right; but Christ’: religion is both.—]lIatz‘/zezu Henry. The sun colors the sky most deeply and diffusely when he hath sunk below the hori- zon; and they who never said, “How beneﬁ- cently he shines ;” say at last, “Howbrightly he set l"——L(mdor. MINISTERING. Pure religion and undeﬁled is “minister- ing”—not that other thing, “being min- istered unto.” It is handing over the morn- ing paper to another for first perusal. It is vacating a pleasant seat by the ﬁre for one who comes in chilled. It is giving up the most restful armchair or sofa, for one who is weary. It is moving up in a pew to let a new-comer sit down by the entrance. It is rising from your place to lower a curtain or close a blind when the sun’s ray streams in too brightly upon some face inthe circle. It is giving your own time and convenience every time, for the comfort and convenience of another. This is at once true courtesy and genuine Christianity. If we mean to copy the spirit of the Sav- ior, we must be ready in every hour of the day. to give up being waited upon, and to practice this self-sacriﬁcing beneﬁcent and “ministering” graciousness of spirit and con- duct.—-Rev. A. L. Stone, in Pacific Metha- dist. 92 THE SHAKER. LOOK PLEASANT, BE PLEAsANT.—If people will only notice, they will be amazed to ﬁnd how much a really enjoyable evening owes to smiles. But very few consider what an im- porta.nt symbol of ﬁne intellect and of ﬁne feeling they are. Yet all smiles, after child- hood, are things of education. Savages do not smile; coarse, brutal, cruel men may laugh, but they seldom smile. It is painful to reflect how seldom the poor smile. The affluence, the benediction, the radiance, which “ﬁll the silence like a speech”—the smile ofa full, appreciative heart. The face grows ﬁner as it listens, and then breaks in- to sunshine instead of words, has a subtle, charming inﬂuence universally felt, though seldom understood or acknowledged. Lord Bacon tells ofa nobleman whom he knew; a man who gave lordly entertainments, but always suffered some sarcastic personality to “mar a good dinner,” adding, “Discretion of speech is more than eloquence, and to speak agreeably to him with whom we deal is more than to speak in good words; for he that hath a satirical vein, making others afraid of his wit, hath need to be afraid of others’ memory.” T H E S H A K E R . Lionthly-60 cents per annum. A DUAL ADVOCATE OF CHRIST PRINCIPLES. THE IMPELLING MOTIVE. We would call to mind the object for which THE SHAKER is published and continued, at an expense much greater than the income derived. Surely it is for no one’s pastime; nor for compe- tition in excellence of anything, except the exposition of a most excellent faith. Our faith is a singular one-——singular, because so few are willing to practice real, unmixed Christianity. Every de- vice that can be offered to excuse indi- viduals from looking the demands of genuine Christianity in the face, are being resorted to by the multitude, and consequently there is but little salvation from sin, active among the people. Real, Cﬁ7*z'.s'z‘z'cz7z life, will save souls from t/zez'r sins now. We feel it a duty to make known this truth; and would preach through THE SHAKER, plain, unvarnished, pertinently christian testi- mony, however unpalatable to ourselves or others. Before us all stands the LIE}; of Jesus, the Christ. In that life is Christianity alone represented——therein alone, is the true christian religion. It matters not to us, nor to others, what this one or that one preached or meant by the preaching, Paul not excepted, but what was the life of Jesus, and his immediate disciples, as Christians? Herein is the security of salvation; herein alone is all the religion worth having. For this alone THE SHAKER contends single handed; while its hundreds of religious contemporaries are preaching a christi- anity not formal in zf/ze life of C/izrisz‘, but in the very opposite of Christ’s life ! Shall we be sustained iizpreaching gen- uine Christianity? VVho will send us the needed encouragement to sustain THE SHAKER, in its unrelenting, deter- mined assaults upon the principalities of evil, the world, the ﬂesh, and every zmc/2rz's2‘z'cm practice~—the devils among the people! We love our fellowmen, and our object only is, their salvation from the evils and the good which are not of Christ———unpracticed by the bean- tiful Jesus ! VVho will lend to the Lord, by aiding the circulation of THE SHAK- ER? M_ CLOSE OF VOL. 7.——OUR VOL. 8. In closing, with this number, Vol. 7 of THE SHAKER, we want to add “ GOD SPEED” to the thousands of readers who blessed our labors, and comforted our spirit, by their active prayers and con- If any have aught but bless- ing and encouragement for the circula- tion of GoD’s WORD and SHAKER TEs- TIMONY by THE SHAKER—-and there may be suCh—-we have only kindness in our hearts for them; they know not what they do ; they cannot, at the proper time, 7'e_'fuse L‘/zeir rewartl. VVe have given to it our best life and endeavors, however imperfect these have been. We feel satisﬁed with the comfortable reward of this consciousness: and the best of courage for the work of the fu- We are unsalaried, but feel well paid. We beg, however, for the im- mediate settlement of past subscriptions, and instant renewal, with an increase. Give the CAUSE a dime, a day, or a dol- tributions. ture . lar ! TAKE NOTICE : Vol. and czz‘l7'czcl2'o7zs. THE SHAKER. friends. ment. tion price ! .5 EDITORIAL NOTES. HOVV NEARLY CHRISTIAN? The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania declares that “Christianity is part of the common law of the State; makes a similar claim. the laws of any State? dealings, after the manner of Judaism in this as Judaism did? We mean to pleas- antly surprise all who subscribe for 8, 5}’ a¢la’2"z‘z'omzl z'77zproveme2zfs THE TESTIMONY WILL BE THE SAME; but there will be a change of form, more space, more de- partments, more desirable information, more of everything that is good. Times are improving ﬁnancially; do not fail to devote SIXTY CENTS for VOL. 8 of Show the first illus- trated number to your neighbors and Send us an acl72er2‘z'se722e7zl, no matter how small nor for how short a period. We will make yearly visitsfree to every one sending us an advertise- So conﬁdent are we of being called to the good work of circulating THE SHAKER, that we believe every subscriber will feel especial blessings; from the heavens for their interests in its behalf. Remember, the music alone will be worth more than the subscrip- and waiving all question of hereafter, it is the purest system of morality, the fore- most auxiliary, and only stable support of all human laws?” We suppose near- ly or quite every State in the Union But wherein can we see any Christianity operative in Is it not an eye for an eye, life for a life, and such like 9 VVherein does any State‘bring riches and poverty upon a level, after the chris- tian pattern? or even does half as well Wherein does any State oppose war or warlike prepa- rations, as taught by Christianity? Does any State encourage the growth of vir- gin ]5m'z'z‘y, as did the friends of chris- tianity? True, almost or quite every State permits these principles to be ob- served by those who would be Christians ; but the States are in no particulars christian in administration of their laws ; nor in the particular encouragement of christian principles. If any State should begin to be as equitable and just in its administration as Judaism of old was, people would think the Millennium come! We urge the trial of it. The editor of Smzalay Sc/zool Times, in an article on Brigham Young, says: “ It is possible for a man to be sincere, and as far from right. There is hardly any limit to the wild fanaticism of a de- luded, religious enthusiast.” Then he goes on to name, as such, several of the most prominent reformers, beginning with Mohammed, ending with John H. Noyes, and including Ann Lee! VVe looked in vain for the name of that dis- tinguished religious enthusiast, Jesus of Nazareth ! but it was not there. Again, we must assert: Ann Lee’s zeal,wild, fa- natical, deluded, religious and enthusi- astic as it may have been, never exceed- ed the same characteristics in Jesus; nor ever aimed at any purer life, through any more self-denials, than were prac- ticed by Jesus. We would ask Editor Trumbull, wherein did Ann Lee’s tes- timony diﬁer from that of Jesus? Wherein, her christian life? Wherein, the testimony she has left for her Chil- dren, or their lives when obedient to it? VVherein do the lives of true Shak- ers differ from the lives of those compos- ing that model church———the Pentecostal ? Until the differences are declared, we ask z‘/ze co72sz'cleraz.‘z'o7z of all men, whether, because we are good enough to follow Jesus and his immediate dis- ciples so literally, we should be ma- ligned and ridiculed? And what a tes- timony the living Shaker is to the whole unchristian world ! T/ze Comm07z Sense, a spicy month- ly, printed at St. Louis, gives up in despair when thinking how very differ- ently professedly christian sects believe. “ The Shaker Christians refuse to prop- agate, while the Mormon and -worldly Christians cannot propagate too much.” It was Henry C. Wright who spoke in New Haven: “I cannot see how any believer in the Old Testament can come to any other conclusion than that of the Mormons; nor do I see how it is possi- ble for any believer in the New Testa- ment to arrive at any other conclusion than that of the Shakers! Jesus and Paul taught and practiced celibacy. We1‘e Paul living to-day, in my opinion, judging from his writings, he would be a thorough-going, ﬁrst-class Shaker!” Our opinion of Christians is, they are such as follow Jesus and his immediate disciples in life——not merely in admira- tion. If Mormons, worldly people, or Shakers, ‘take pattern ofJesus, then are they Christians, not otherwise. The Old Testament treats particularly of the old man——Adam and his descendants. The New Testament as particularly rises up to the new man——Jesus, the Christ——and “old things are done away, all things become new,” like unto Jesus. No man nor woman can, at one and the same time, worship the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New. One teaches human prop- agation ; private, personal interests; re- taliations and wars; politics, etc. The other teaches Celiliacy; universal broth- erhood—-—community of goods-Peace; non-resistance; and separation from the world. VVhich of these two classes is christian? “ Choose ye, which ye will serve ; for ye are the servant of him to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey.” -————ooo——- Some one, zealous in behalfof Shaker principles, has been “contending for the faith,” by writing letters to the Voice of L‘/ac Angels, a Spiritual paper, published in Boston. Just how success- ful their logic was, we do not know; but extracts in type speak very favor- able, and perhaps the weakest portions were printed. z‘/ze silly j)7'czcz‘z'ce of sc7z(lz'7zg cmo7zy- mozzs commit7zz'caZz'oIzs. VVe have no means of knowing who wrote these letters, as Care was taken to leave off even the postal address! honor and propriety so highly among the brethren, that we are ashamed to own that they were indited in any of the Societies. We prefer to believe they were the work of an ex-Shaker. But, whoever it was, let your light Do not engage in the disreputable practice of being ashamed of seeing your name at- tached to any defence of Christ and his words. Brit we rzmsz‘ comlemn VVe esteem shine over your own name. _..<,,__ We hope, that in every issue of THE SHAKER, there will appear evidences of what is true Shaker belief; so that none, getting hold of a stray copy, but may therein find something that will teach “What any must do to be a Shaker.” A VIRGIN CELIBACY : It is the life for christians—the life of the heavens. CoMMUNIoN on INTERESTS: None rich ; none poor ; the whole comfortable. PEACE; NON-RESISTANCE: “Bless, and curse not.” “ Resist not evil.” SEPARATION FROM THE woRLD: From its loves, lusts; from its bad and its good. FoLLow JESUS, THE CHRIST, in our daily life. Natural inclinations prompt us otherwise; make us believe it im- possible, unnecessary. But the “fol- low me” of Jesus means a life like his, —very unlike the ones our natural in- clinations select——-verv unlike the life of the world. M. NoTicE. Any parties desiring fuller information of “THE SHAKERS,” “SHAKERISM,” “ANN LEE AND HER PEOPLE,” SHAKER COMMUNISM AND LIFE,” or on zz7z_yj5oz'2zts not fully zmde7'- stood, may be accommodated by a lecturer, (where expenses in transim will be offered and paid,) on application at this oﬂice. Ifin- consistent to comply ourself, we will secure better speakers, singers, etc. THE SHAKER. 93 SPEAK THE TRUTH. EDITH. I trust that many of us have proved from experi- ence the truth of the maxim, “Honesty is the best policy ;” and have also learned that it is the safest principle upon which to found an honorable charac- ter for life. My little friends, are we not aware that one of the greatest causes for so much sorrow and failure in this world, is dishonesty? Perhaps the first error in a person’s life, was the false statement of some simple anecdote in childhood, which carelessly passed over without correction, led to greater untruths; and so by one step and another, he became habitually de- ceitful and dishonest. Little children, will you take this friendly warning —-Never lie down to rest at night with the slightest misstatement unconfessed. If you have been care- less, repent before it is too late; begin now to be hon- est. If we continue to live dishonestly we shall lose the blessing of God, the conﬁdence of our friends, forget to pray, and ﬁnally drift away from the good and pure. Let us be wise, shun the first temptation, and thus save ourselves years of sorrow and regret. Canterbury, N. H. BOOK TABLE. We would call especial attention to THE PEOPLE, a weekly paper, published by Chas. C. Pearson of Con- cord, N. H. It is an excellent family paper; brim full of news; enterprising in its every department, even in its politics! Our relations with the ﬁrm and THE PEOPLE, have been of a very pleasant character, and we only do duty when we make known to our read- ers, that as a New rumzpshtrc paper, it is unexcelled. The bestfarm, stock and gmvlern paper tn our coun- try, or in any other as far as we know, is THE COUN- TRY GENTLEMAN, published by Luther Tucker <5“ Son, Albany, N. Y. With the farmers who are suc- cessful in business, it is as readily and commonly found as is their Bible, and what the Bible should be to the morals of the community at large, such is the ComLt7'g/ Gentleman to the farm and garden. We will send it and THE SHAKER for its subscription price, $2.50. Send us your orders. Christianity and Inﬁdelity“: A Discussion. Herein are the pro and can of Christianity pretty fully venti- lated. The weakness of the aﬂirmative side, is cer- tainly manifested, because of its being an argument for a christianity, not radical and true, but man- made. Half-way work in regard to Christianity, or arguments in its behalf, leave pregnable the positions of any advocate, to the javelins of the most radical inﬁdel. Pure Christianity is an impreguable posi- tion. Those who are fond of such arguments, send to D. M. Bennett, 141 Eighth street, New York. “THE RADICAL REVIEVV.” for November contains many very interesting arti- cles upon radically humane subjects. Prominent among many others are “ So R(u'.lwa.y kings ttch for an Empire, do they!” and “ The Sp277-it that was of Je- sus.” Whoever is in earnest, as a worker for human weal, will do well to secure a copy of this REVIEW, and they will then feel fully equipped. Send to Ben- jamin R. Tucker, New Bedford, Mass. 92. “NOT IF IT VVAS MY BOY!” Some years ago the late Horace Mann, the eminent educator, delivered an address at the opening of some reformatory institution for boys, during which he re- marked that if only one boy was saved from ruin, it would pay for all the cost, and care, and labor of es- tablishing such an institution as that. After the ex- ercises had closed, in private conversation, a gentle- man rallied Mr. Mann upon his statement, and said to hin1: ' “ Did you not color that a little, when you said that all that expense and labor would be repaid if it only saved one bog !” “ Not if it was MY boy,” was the solemn and con- vincing reply. Ah! there is a wonderful value about “My boy.” Other boys may be rude and rough; other boys may be reckless and wild; other boys may seem to require more pains and labor than they ever will repay; other boys may be left to drift uncared for to the ruin which is so near at hand; but “ My boy,”—it were worth the toil of a lifetime and the lavish wealth of a World to save him from temporal a11d eternal r11in. We would go the world around to save him from peril, and would bless every hand that was stretched out to give him help or welcome. And yet every poor, wandering, outcast, homeless man, is one whom some fond mother called, “ My Boy.” Every lost woman, sunken in the depths of sin, was some- body’s daughter, in her days of childish innocence. To-day son1ebody’s son is a hungry outcast, pressed to the very verge of crime and sin. To-day some- body’s daughter is a weary, helpless wanderer, driv. en by necessity into the paths that lead to death. Shall We shrink from labor, shall we hesitate at cost when the work before us is the salvation of a soul! Not if it is “My Boy,-” not if we have the love of Him who gave His life to save the lost. —The Common People. CROOKED STICKS. One crooked stick in a pile of wood is suﬁicient to disturb the whole heap, and if two or three such sticks are placed together you cannot make them lie : they will tumble down. Nothing can be more trying to the woodman or the housewife than these crooked sticks. Who can abide them? There are some individuals in society who are al- ways ﬁnding fault with everything which they do not originate themselves. They cannot get on har- moniously and help forward any good cause, because something goes wrong. Unless they can manage everything in their own way, they will do nothing but to be perpetually grumbling. They are uncom- fortable bretl1ren—you cannot work with them,- crooked sticks—you can harmonize them in nothing. Such individuals have a mortal disease, of a very troublesome if not dangerous character. Itis diﬁi- cult to trace its origin, but we suppose the moral sys- tem to be aﬂected more or less with the virulent hu- mors of selﬁshness, jealousy, self-conceit, pride of opinion and ill nature. We know not exactly what to call it, but suppose the grumbling hypochrondri- asis may not be amiss. We venture to prescribe a remedy: Take of Humility, 3 grains, Forbearance, é ounce, Charity, 3 scruples, - Brotherly love, 2 drachms, Patience, 3 ounces: Mix in 3 gills of the milk of human kindness. To be kept on hand, and taken whenever the grumbling symptoms appear. If the paroxysms continue, in- crease the strength of the prescription by a little self- knowledge. NOTHINC TO DO. “Nothing to do !” in this world of ours, Where weeds spring up with fairest ﬂowers, VVhere smiles have only a ﬁtful play, VVhere hearts are breaking every day! “Nothing to do !” thou christian soul, W'rapping thee round in thy selﬁsh stole; Off with the garments of sloth and sin, Christ thy Lord hath a kingdom to win. “Nothing to do l” There are prayers to lay 011 the altar of incense, day by day ; There are foes to meet within and without, There is error to conquer, strong and stout. “Nothing to do!” There are minds to teach The simplest form of Christian speech; There are hearts to lure with loving wile, From the grimmest haunts of Sin’s deﬁle. “Nothing to do!” There are lambs to feed, The precious hope of the Church’s need; Strength to be borne to the weak and faint, Vigils to keep with the doubting saint. “Nothing to do !” And thy Savior said, “Follow thou Me, in the path I treat .” Lord, lend Thy help the journey through, Lest faint, we cry, “So much to do.” —The Nation. USELESS EXPENSES. THE Louisville Courier-Journal propounds the fol- lowing: “Why should this government, in times of profound peace, maintain a general and a lieutenant- general and their glittering establishments, at a cost of perhaps $75,000 a year, when a majorgeneral, with his glittering establishment, at a cost, say of $10,000 a year, would do just as well? But if you go on hunting up such conundrums as this, you will rob the government of the luxury of uselessly squander- ing at least $50,000,000 per annum. ____H__¢_________g VVHY THE RICH ARE MISERABLE. In his speech at the recent award of the Montyon prize for virtue, M. Alexander Dumas discussed the reason why rich people are miserable, and came to the conclusion that itis because they do not sum- ciently devote their wealth to making others happy. One of the passages runs thus: “The kingdom she has long inhabited is no longer of this world; it knows no limits or frontiers, no foreigners or ene- mies, no victors or vanquished; all who inhabit it are the children of one father, whose name is Charity.” A POETRY. We have been extremely sorry to learn from our experience as an editor that a very common folly, and one of the most unaccountable, is the desire among a great many people to write poetry. There are many things of literary excellence that poetry may lack; it may be defective in grammar, coined and curious words may be forgiven, fantastic a.nd diﬂicult antitheses and illustrations maybe allowed; but there must be genius. It has been our fate to be tormented by correspondents who have all these things that may be forgiven, and more, too, they lack genius, which cannot be forgiven. As a rule these correspondents mistake a ﬁt of sentinientalism for the divine aﬂlatus ; they are a good, solid, common- sense people with a little bit of “inner consciousness,” which while it does not amount to a poetic frenzy yet gives them a trouble which can only be assuaged by spoiling good white paper and worrying the Edit- or. If this be arelief, we will stand it. But they must not be angry if we do not allow them to parade their folly before a less gentle critic—-the public. —Pac'tﬁc Jlfethodist. ...., 4.7 ..._...._._..____.. - _ Never make a promise when the power of performing that promise depends on another. _ hired men. LIVE-STOCK ITEMS. Mistakes in managing horses, even when of an apparently trivial nature, are often the cause of much needless suffering and perma- nent injury. Of thesea few that are common just about this time are: bathing the feet of horses to cool them off when heated by hard work; watering them immediately after meals when about to start on a journey, instead of waiting :1 while, or letting them drink before feeding; giving them, through mistaken kind- ness, an extra feed before driving them at a rapid pace. and so forcing them to travel on an overloaded stomach; starting to fair or market at a swinging trot, while the animals are fresh and full of feed, instead of letting them settle slowly down to their work; and cruelly omitting to cover them when heated after a rapid drive, and so exposing them to much suffering while the reckless driver is enjoying himself.—RzlraZ, N. 2". The advantage of kindness to cows has been frequently insisted on in these pages, and is well illustrated by the following anec- dote: A man had a ﬁne cow that, week after week, was milked alternately by a couple of He observed that the amount of butter he carried weighed about a pound more each alternate week. He watched the men, and tried the cow after they had ﬁnished milk- ing; but always found that no milk had been left in the teats. Finally he asked the Scotch girl who took care of the milk, if she could account for the difference. “Why, yes,” said she. “ VVhen Jim milks, he says to the old cow: ‘So; my pretty muley; so!’ But when Sam milks, he hits her on the hip with the edge of the pail, and says: ‘H’ist, you old brute! ’ ” Oats for horses should be bruised or crush- ed in a mill before being fed, for by this means their nutritive properties are rendered far more available. When there are no facili- ties for crushing, pour hot water on them, and let them soak for a few hours. The qualities of hay are pithily stated in the old saying: “ timothy for muscle; clover for milk; corn for fat.” Hence timothy is the bay for horses and young stock; and clover for milch cows. People are generally too reckless in feeding cattle promiscuously with whatever they have to give them, with- out taking much pains to make a proper se- lection. The communications of farmers are always the most valuable matter in any paper; they deal with practical details, familiar to the man who comes face to face with diﬂiculties and overcomes them. The editor can select such items of news or general interest as he thinks will be interesting and useful; but to build up a truly useful and practical paper, must rely very largely upon the assistance of practical nien.—Mass. Plozag/mzmz. DITTY. The path of duty is the way to glory; He that walks it, only thirsting For the right, learns to deaden Love of self, before his journey closes He shall ﬁnd the stubborn thistle bursting Into glossy purples, which outredden All voluptuous garden roses, The path of Duty is the way to glory; He that ever following her commands, On with toil of heart and knees and hands, Thro’ the long gorge to the far light has won His path upward, and prevailed, Shall ﬁnd the toppling crags of Duty scaled, Are close upon the shining table lands. To which our God Himself is moon and sun,‘ ——Te7z7z_yso7z. A We must not be in a hurry, when a man falls, to say: “That man is a cor upt old hypocrite.” - -- _-__--_..-__..4;-,..-__ W... H . There are a great many thina‘ which men register in their journals as th : work of the devil, that are nothing but th" work ofa dis- ordered stomach. OLLAPODRIDA. An unpleasant sort of arithmetic—Division among families. It makes a great difference whether glasses are used over or under the nose. The height of impudence—taking refuge from the rain in an umbrella shop. Ignorance has no light; error follows a false one. He is the greatest who chooses to do right at all times. He who lives to no purpose lives to a bad purpose. Severity breeds fear, but roughness engen- ders hate. We may be good as we please, if we please to be good. Whoever conquers indolence can conquer most things. Pleasures come like oxen, and go away like post-horses. Reprove thy friend privately, commend him publicly. Vanity is a strong drink that makes all vir- tues stagger. He that despiseth small things shall fall little by little. Never apologize for a long letter; you only add to its length. Those who know the least of others think the most of themselves. Men sometimes think they hate ﬂattery; but they only hate the manner of it. Be charitable in thought, and give even the worst people the beneﬁt of a doubt. The cultivation of the heart should be like that of the garden, where we prune and weed before we begin to plant. Never speak evil of any one. To neglect at any time preparations for death, is to sleep on our post at :1 siege; but to omit it in old age is to sleep at an attack. Dupes, indeed, are many; but of all dupes, there is none so fatally situated as he who lives in undue terror of being duped. It is better to need relief than to want the heart to give it. He that ﬁnds a thing, steals it if he endeav- ors not to restore it. If the gossip is not in her own house, she is in somebody’s else. To be at once in any great degree loved and praised is truly rare. Greatness may build the tomb, but good- ness must make the epitaph. Everywhere endeavor to be useful, and everywhere you will be at home. There is a certain decorum even in grief; for excess of sorrow is as foolish as profuse laughter. It is good to respect ancient foundations, but we are not, on that account, to neglect founding something in our turn. Vanity, like laudanum, and other poisonous medicine, is beneﬁcial in small, though inju- rious in large quantities. Very few in the world have their passions adequately occupied; almost everybody has it in them to be better than they are. In this world there is one thing godlike——— the essence of all that ever was or ever will be godlike in this world——the veneration of hu- man worth by the hearts of men. To be in company with those we love, sat- isﬁes us; it does not signify whether we speak to them or not, whether we think on them or indifferent things; to be near them is all. The King of Austria has 187 diamonds, yet he can’t make a wood-box, put up stove- pipes, nor paint the kitchen floor. josh Billings says: “Success don’t kon- sist in never making blunders, but never making the same one the seckond time.” 9-4.- _L'' THE SI-I.I&KER. AYankee humorist, who had a hard time ofit, says: “'When a mail begins to go down hill, he ﬁnds everything greased for the oc- casion.” Our most indifferent actions have the im- press of individualit_y; we may convey an impression not to be eﬁ"aced for years, by an unconsidered word or gesture. Revenge is a momentary triumph, of which the satisfaction dies at once, and is succeeded by remorse; whereas forgiveness, which is the noblest of all revenge, entails a perpetual pleasure. The world never keeps faith with the heart that trusts it. Its promises of happiness are perpetually broken. Take it for what it is worth, and set your aﬁfections on what is worth more. A Japanese student, newly arrived in this country, thought we were all doctors, because everybody took his hand and asked after his health. John Ruskin says the art of making your- self rich in the ordinary mercantile econo- mists’ sense, is equally and necessarily the art of keeping your neighbors poor. A French statistician places the number of human beings who have been killed or lost their lives by camp diseases, in connection with the wars of the nineteenth century, at two hundred millions. This is nearly ﬁve times as large as the entire population of the United States. Christians are like the several ﬂowers in a garden, that have each of them the dew of heaven, which, being shaken with the wind, they let fall at each other’s roots, whereby they are jointly nourished, and become nour- ishers of each other. We ought to think much more of walking in the right path, than of reaching our end. VVe should desiie virtue more than success. If by one wrong deed we could accomplish the liberation of millions, and in no other way, we ought to feel that this good, for which, perhaps, we had prayed with an agony of desire, was denied us by God, was reserved for other times and other hands.—C/zamzing. There are a million natural laws of which we know nothing. We are gradually learn- ing them as we ﬁnd out where beans are in the dark—by feeling a thumb, by discovering that there is something in the way When you get an apple that is half rotten, the other half being as good as though the whole were sound, then you can get a Chris- tian that is rotten on one side, who is as good on the other side as if both sides were good. I have seen persons so violently indignant at missteps in others, that I suspected all the virtue they had was at the window. He was as tender as a woman—or rather, I should have said, he lacked the toughness of a woman; for, slender and shrinking as women are, when troubles come they are al- most the only persons who are tough of heart. They are tender of skin, but inside they are strong as iron. Do you know that the way for men to build themselves up is to be ground to powder? It is likewise to be remembered that no man has a right to prophecy good as a conse- quence of deception. Love sits as God’s vicegegent in the soul, and I will not ﬁght with my brethren. It is a man dying with his harness on that angels love to take.——Becc/zer. -2 Tim Trilnzme says, “ An Amherst Granger . oﬁ"ered a young lady a bushel of potatoes if she would wheel them through the village at the hour when the students were loaﬁng. She came to time, wheeled the potatoes home, and asked the Granger to let her know when he had more to dispose of in that way.” Good for her! VVe have no doubt that she is a plucky young lady, and not lesgéa lady on account of her pluck. ‘ ' CORRESPONDENCE. SPIRIT MATERIALIZATIONS. CANAAN, N. Y., Dec. 4. Dear S/zcz/%er:—-Business having called me, in company with two Sis- ters, to Utica, N. Y., and remaining three days, we attended three materiali- zation seances of the Eddy mediums, who were stopping there. As the pub- lic mind is in a state of agitation on the subject, I will simply state a few facts which came under our observations. Seance No. I———composed of fourteen persons, occupied ninety minutes. Fif- teen spirit forms appeared, including three former members of our Society. One, whose obituary appeared in the June SHAKER, I877, being short in stature and much deformed, with pecu- liarities known only to friends, seem- ed a perfect test of identity, especially when she told her name. Seance No. 2-composed of eighteen persons. Twenty-two forms appeared, among. whom were little children, gi- gantic Indians, and a number of our Brethren and Sisters. Some of the latter spoke to us, sending messages to Brethren and Sisters at home, calling us by name and giving their names. Others came across the room, shaking hands with us and others present. Things comical, serious, pleasant and grave were curiously blended. They sang, joked, played musical instru- ments, when there were none in the cabinet,, laughed, and gave good ad- vice to all present. In both of these seances, there came a spirit who spoke audibly and seemed sad and distressed in mind. He want- ed to say something privately, but could not, on account of those present. Seance No. 3——held for us in particu- lar, in the day-time. ‘Only two other persons were present, making ﬁve in all. The spirit aforesaid came early in the sitting, and begged the forgiveness of one of our company, (to whom he had formerly held intimate relation,) for grievous wrongs; and in such a spirit of deep contrition that the scene was truly affecting. The spirit de- clared his inability to progress, or be re- leased, until he heard, orally, the words of forgiveness. Children, two years of age and up- ward; Shaker spirits, in their peculiar costumes; Indians, in t/zeir dress; spir- its with bouquets of flowers in their hands and wreaths of ﬂowers upon their heads, which theyremoved for our ex- amination; spirits with long, trailing hair, divers peculiarities of form, dress, name and mien, helped to make up an unmistakable manifestation of spirit identity, in “ FORM MATE1uAL1zA'rIoN.” 'i‘ne2.:,_.*-.s SMITH. Any person gifted with ordinary common sense can perceive that life is short, that time ﬂies, that we ought to make good use of the present; but it needs the union of much ex- perience with the most consummate wisdom to know exactly what ought to be done and what ought to be left undone, the latter being frequently by far the more important of the two. WAS IT A DREAM? WM. ADLER. About a year since, while a resident of Harvard, 1\Iass., I experienced a very remarkable dream. I seemed to be walking beside the bank of a beautiful river, in an exceedingly straight and narrow, but well-worn path. Feeling unusually calm and happy, I prolonged the walk, admiring, the lovely scenery around, when suddenly my attention was arrested by a large number of snakes, which darted across my pathway, to my great discomfort and alarm. These disagreeable rep- tiles were of every variety of form and Anon, some glided into the water meantime, size. near, while others came out, and some of the most hideous of these confronted me, and darted toward me their forked tongues. Here, then, was a dilemma. from which I saw no means of escape. To proceed farther was impossible, though I was very anxious to do so; and to go back was equally difficult. At my right, still sparkled the beautiful river; at my left, a dense forest stood. What could I do? Absolutely nothing, but stand still, terriﬁed and bewildered, unable to move in any direction. At this point, the dream abruptly closed, and I was left to ponder upon its sin- gular character. However, some six months later, the same dream recurred again, and with it came what I am inclined to consider an interpretation. For, beside the view of the straight and narrow path. I saw, at the end of the same, a most beautiful land; and while contemplating this new feature of the scene, I distinctly heard a sweet voice say. “VVilliam, take courage; turn not back——neither to the right nor left--but press steadily on, and you shall dwell with me in the bright and beautiful land which you now behold.” vanished from my view, and I resolved anew to press onward toward perfection. Perhaps I should remark, just here, that previous to the repetition of the dream, I was becoming somewhat dis- couraged in my attempts to be a real, self-denying Shaker, or christian———syn- onymous terms—-and consequently feel- fng my way hedged up, decided that I would leave the Shaker church and return to the life of the world. But by the recurrence of the dream, I was made to realize that the disagreeable reptiles only represented how loath- some are the passions and appetites of the carnal mind to Him who has risen triumphant over selfishness and sin, and I took heart again and recommenced my journey. Permit me to say, therefore, in con- clusion, to all my Brethren and Sisters, who have commenced to travel in this narrow path: Do not mind obstacles, nor for a moment think of turning back. Let us press steadily on till we reach that bright and beautiful land; or, more practically speaking, till we gain that enviable position for which we should all aspire, namely: perfectionin purity. The glorious scene again THE PENTATEUCH. The first ﬁve books of the Bible are called by this name. It was derived from the Greek words, “penta,” mean- ing five, and “teuchos,” a volume, that is, a ﬁve-fold volume. Universal and ancient tradition declares this work to have been written by Moses. It was the general custom with the Hebrews to designate any portion of the sacred literature by the first words in them. The first word in Genesis, in Hebrew, is “Bereshith,” translated, “In the beginning.” The first book in the Hebrew Bible has no title. The Word “Genesis” was prefixed by those who translated it into Greek. This ‘book contains an account of the creation of the world, and of man, the history of the deluge, and the patriarchs to the death of Joseph, and includes a period of 2133 years. Exodzzsiis so called because it con- tains an account of the departure of the children of Israel from the land of the Egyptians, to the land of promise; the term is taken from the Greek word ex- odos, signifying an exit. The Hebrews call this book Veele Semos/lz, the words which it commences, meaning 2‘/Ease are 2,‘/ze mzmes. Its history in- cludes a period of 145 years: from the death of Joseph to the erection of the tabernacle in the wilderness. The slavery of the Israelites described in the first chapters, is supposed to have con- tinued go years. Levz'Zz'c2rs treats of the oﬁices, rites and ceremonies of the priests and Lev- ites under the Jewish law. The Hebrew term is I/'2'-yzfircz, “and The (the Lord) called,” with which words it com- mences. Maiizéers begins and concludes with the numbering of the people. The word Numbers is derived from the Greek of the Septuagint, Ayﬁzbmoi. Its Latin rendering in the Vulgate is ZVu- mcri, from which the English is derived. ';i.‘l1e history in'this portion of the Penta- tench extends over about 39 years. In the first nine chapters various orders of peo- ple are described, and several laws are given or repeated. From the tenth to the thirty-third, the marches and history of the Hebrews are related. Dczztera/zomy signiﬁes cl secmzd law. This book comprises a series of ad- dresses delivered to the assembled Is- raelites by Moses, when he knew that he must shortly leave them, and they were upon the eve of departure for the It contains his ap- with p1'o1nisr:d land. pOl11tmt‘.~‘=.T of Joshua to succeed him; also, his 7. . ‘b. There n«.. I be no doubt about the authenticity this book, from the fact of Moses’ det being described there- in, as it was 1* W-ably add '._ 3.4,’ Ezra, the transcriber. Canterbury. SHORT sERMoN.—‘Wh;: is blind? He who is bent on doing what he should not. Who is deaf? He who does not listen to what is beneﬁcial. Who is dumb? He who does not know how to say kind things at the proper timer-.Ancz'ent Hindoo Wrz'tz)zg. THE SHAKER. 95 THE CI-IILIDREN’S GROTTO. My dear Children.‘ I have a few good words to say to you, in this, the last paper of the year 1877. When next we meet for counsel, it will be under very improved conditions. I want to suggest to each of you, the good idea of saving a copy of every number of THE SHAKER, keeping it nice, untorn, uiisoiled in all its parts; and at the end of the year, binding, or having them bound for you, making you a yery valuable book. I am aware you love the music; that you sometimes have out the music out to put into other books; nor you alone--some “ children of larger growth”—inen and Women have done tliis—but there will be no incon- venience of form, hereafter to be contended with. I would have you, dear children, study the beauti- ful in all around you—the beautiful in language, form, behavior; and to be most agreeable to those you know or believe to be better than you are. He- member to love the good in every one; for by truly loving this good, we will surely grow and become like unto that which we love. W'ho say they love Jesus, and do not grow more and more like him, are mis- taken, in that they think they love liim.—E1)ITOR. My dear young Friends .- In our little messenger, “THE SHAKER,” I have noticed with pleasure the “ Childrews Grotto ;” in which you have been occasionally addressed by some kind friend, who has endeavored to impart some- thing useful for you to learn and practice. I say kiml friend, because he would not have no- ticed yoii thus, were it not that he loved you, and wished to make you wiser, better and more happy. It has been very truly remarked, that “ To be good is to be h(l])])’l ;” because to enjoy abiding happiness we must become virtuous. You see, there are different degrees of goodness, as good, better, BEST. Strive to attain the highest degree. Some of you may ask: “ \Vhat shall I do to attain it?” I answer, you must simply do rig/hi‘. in allthings; and to do right is to do as well as one knows. As you increase in knowledge, so you may grow in good- ness. All children have not the. same opportunities to receive instruction. Some have more, some less. To become good, dear young friends, you must oe truthful, honest, obedient, peace-ablc, kind and duti- ful. Some children incline to become iniscliievous, and take pleasure in doing naughty tricks. Seine learn to curse and swear, lic, steal and ﬁght. These are very wrong; degrading to your nature! If you do wrong, and are sensible of it, you should confess it to your parents or elders, and strive in future to do better. You don’t want—iiot one of you—to grow up to be like an ugly Tizistle, piercing everybody’s heart or ﬁngers! You must aspire, deal" children, to become intelligent, respectful and obliging; then you will rise in the estimation of all good, honest people. I don’t know of any liariii in cliiidreii being play- some—full of frolic and life, at ‘p]'Upe,)l‘ seasons; but you need not be tumultuous, inzilicioiis nor quarrel- some at any time. The little lambs of the ﬁelds, play and gainbol in the green pastures. Did you ll8V€l‘ notice how they skip about, and run from lllll to dale, and from hill to hill? I presume, you have. How veryliarniless they appear! I don’t think you ever saw two lanibkins tight. I never did, and I am now more than “ Three score and ten” years old. Then why should children contend, and strive to hurt each other? I well rciueinber, when I was a small boy, living in my father’s family, that when he was about to slay a calf or lainbkiii, to obtain fresh meat, I would try to be present. VVheii taking out the tongue of the inno- cent creature, my father used to call to me, saying, “Here, my child, is a ton.gu.c that never told (‘Z1-(7-” This would immediately set me to tliiiikiiig, if mine was as innocent of that fault, as many otliers. Now, if you wish to have people love you, and speak well of you, you must be good children. You can be so, if you will. “ Where there is a will, there is a way.” Your friends are all looking f«)1‘\','a1'il with anxious expectations to see what you will grow up to be, whether virtuous youth, lioucst, upright men and women—brothers and sisters in (:1lI'iSl;—"01' otherwise. Oh! how it makes their hearts ache to see you pur- sue a wrong course! Yea, it causes even the angels to weep! For all that love you, desire your prosperity. And now, my children dear, I’ll stop my musings here; Wipe from my eyes, a tear, And pray for you. In heaven I hope to meet You all in union sweet; Walk there the golden street In friendship true. D. A. BUCKINGHAM. Shakers, N. Y. ADVICE TO BOYS. Whatever you are, be brave, boys! The liar’s a coward and slave, boys; Though clever at ruses And sharp at excuses, He’s a sneaking and pitiful knave, boys! Whatever you are, be frank, boys! ”I‘is better than money and rank, boys; Still cleave to the right, Be lovers of light, Be open, aboveboard, and frank, boys! Whatever you are, be kind, boys! Be gentle in iiianners and mind, boys; The man gentle in mien, Words, and temper, I ween, Is the gentleman truly reﬁned, boys! But, whatever you are, be true, boys! Be visible through and through, boys; Leave to others the shainming, The “greening ” and “ cramming,” In fun and in earnest, be true, boys! -—Leism~e Hour. BOYS’ RIGHTS. I wonder now if any one In this broad land has heard, In favor of down-trodden boys One solitary word? We hear enough of ‘women’s rights,’ And ‘rights of working men,’ Of ‘equal riglits,’ and ‘nation’s rights,’ But pray just tell us when Boys’ rights were ever spoken of? Why we’vc become so used To being snubbed by every one, And sliglited and abused, That when one is polite to us, We open wide our eyes, And stretch them in astonishment To nearly twice their size! Boys seldom dare to ask their friends To venture in the house! It don’t come natural at all To creep round like a mouse. And if we should forget ourselves And make a little noise! Then ma or auntie sure would say, ‘ ‘.1, my! those dreadful boys.’ The girls bang on the piano, In peace, but if the boys Attempt a tune with ﬁfe and drum, It’s ‘Stop that horrid noise!’ ‘That horrid noise !’ just think of it; \Vheii sister never fails To make a noise three times as bad With evei'lasting ‘scales.’ Insultcd thus, we lose no time In bcatiii a retreat; So off we go to romp and tear, And scaniper in the street. No wonder that so many boys Such wicked men become, ’Twere better far to let them have Their gaiiies and play at home. Perhaps tliat text the teacher quotes Soinetiiiie:-:—"l‘i‘aiii up a child’- Means only train the girls, And let the boys run wild. But patience, and the time shall come \Vhei‘i we will all be men, And when it does, I rutlier think Wrongs will be inade right then. RULES FOR (TlE‘.\’EI{.‘iL DEPOR'I‘MEX'I‘ OF THE YOUNG. “ Be kindly aifectioned one toward anotlier.” Always give place to age. It should command re- spect at home and abroad. Use no language in conversatioii that you would be unwilling to have reported before your friends. Always consider yourself in company that you may have but one set of manners to cultivate, and those . should be, true politeness. Aifcctatioii arises from vanity, and should have no place in the department of those who wish to become honorable ineiiibci-s of society. Cultivatioii of the mind is as essential as food for the body. lgiioraiiee and sin are closely conjoined. Be as careful in your selection for reading as in the food you eat. Study to become a blessing to society. Be indus- trious. Be frugal. Be lioncst in all your dealings. lle neat. If you would be pure, ﬁrst be chaste. As the cliaracter of every individual will be esti- mated by an observance of the daily life, rather than by the protestations of innocence, you should always walk circumspectly. A modest reserve in the compa- ny of either sex, will always coniinaiid the respect of the virtuous. Accept with this, my young friends, the prayerful interest of your brother, H. C. BLINK. ANGER.——Cliil(lren, be careful that this enemy of your peace does not become master ofyou. If so, it will govern you with a rod of iron, and drive out of your heart all the peaceful and happy inmates, as love, meckness, kindness, forbcarai.-cc, mercy and forgiveness. Vvatch this enemy, and give it a blow while young, that will stop its growth. Never suffer it to triumph over you, and it will do you no harm. Rev. W. H. H. Murray says that the relig- ion of the future will be a Christianity that shall help the poor, etc., and that the theolo- gians on Andover Hill will be taught how to minister to sick people in city tenement- houses; and the New England churches will learn that christianity is not theology; not thinking and believing, but being and doing good. FORM MATERIALIZATION. [The following is a recent editorial in the Banner of Light. We have expressed our personal conﬁdence in spirit materializatioiis. We deem them, however, non- essentials to salvation. Others among the Shakers, deem them among the highest of providences ; While others again do not believe in them at all or consider them fraudulent and impossible. VVe printa letter, elsewhere, received from a believing company.—ED.] The frequent and sickening exposures attending this phase of spirit phenomena, are quite naturally staggering the faith of thousands of Spiritualists in the probability of such inaterialization in the past, or its possibility in the future. Even now there are old “ dyed in the wool” Spiritualists, whose belief is an- chored to a knowledge extending over a quarter of a century, who not only question the fact of spirit forms ever being materialized at any of our seances, but who are debating whether it is not a sacred duty they owe the cause and humanity, to organize combina- tions to travel the country and, as Spiritualists, ex- pose the fallaciousiicss of the claim of form material- ization. No phase of the phenomena has ever created a tithe of the bad blood and bicl-xering among Spirit- ualists, as has this; needlessly so, we think. The dif- ﬁculties have arisen rather through the ignorance of investigators and the dogmatic proclivities of a few self-appointed exponents. It seems to us, that when all the rubbish which environs the subject is removed by calm, careful, patient students, who are seeking for the truth and not to substantiate some pet theory of their own, which is often born of generations of nar- row creedal training; when these investigators shall be composed of men possessing the zeal, persistency and devotion of some of the present champions of this phase, without their blind iiarrowiiess and want of capacity to comprehend the subject in its scientiﬁc aspects; when they shall bring to the subject abilities capable of mastering its subtle laws; in aword, when the investigation shall be pursued by strictly scientiﬁc processes, then we shall come to a better understand- ing of the matter; and by scientiﬁc processes, we do not wish to be understood as declaring that any writ- ten code of rules mustbe followed; in the very nature of the case, many of the laws governing the action of the stiulent can only be learned by actual observa- tion, and afterwards intelligently applied. The words science and scientific, have come to be looked upon by many Spiritualists with suspicion. They person- ify them in the persons of Carpenter, Laiikester, and Olillelﬁ, and feel that they do not wish to cultivate such narrow acquaiiitanecs; rather let us look to the fount- ain head for their true signiﬁcance. There we ﬁnd that science means truth asccrtaiiied; that which is known; knowledge; pciietiating and comprehensive information, and the like. All of our readers will readily agree, we presume, that only by the applica- tion of science as thus interpreted, can we arrive at any satisfactory elucidation of this phase of spirit phenomena, or any other, for that matter. From our staiidpoiiit, we cannot see how a Spiritu- alist caii doubt the possibility of form niaterializatioii or scout some of the evidences that such materialize- tion is already an acconiplislied fact. ‘V0, all of us, know of our own knowledge that spirits possess the powei' to coniniunicate with us, and uiiderproper con- ditions to do many things whicli are probably as dif- ficult to accom plish as to materialize a form, and would be so acknowledged by us could we fully uiidcrstand the process in cacli case. VVhy should form material- ization be considered so remarkable? It is really only a inecluniical process. Let the investigator be fully imbued with the knowledge that the form standing before him is not the actual ideiiticiil spirit body of his friend put through seine inexplicable process which renders it visible; let him realize still further that the niaterializcd form shown, never belonged to that spirit, and consists only of chemical, electric and iiiagiietic elements gathered from the atmosphere, the medium and the iiivestigato1'; let him coiupreiieiid all this, and tlieinystery diszippears to a great C.\l3(;‘llt. There is another feature of form inaterializatioii, a logical deduction from what lias already been stated, and wliich we also state upon the authority of a spirit, which is that the spirit upon entering the materialized form, experiences the same sensations that mortals sometimes do on entering a strange house, or as one spirit grapliically expressed it, “ we feel as strange as you would if you had borrowed a suit of clothes that didii’t ﬁt very well, to go to church in.” The wonderful fascination of -this phenomenon springs from the heart rather than the intellect of the investigator; all the pciit-up alfectioiis of a sorrow- ing soul cry out for contact with the dear one, the . cords of tenderness are strained to the utmost tension with the thought that the loved form may appear, may be seen and caressed, even though it be ever so light- ly, or the vision ever so ﬂeeting. When the investi- gator can comprehend that in caressing this form, he does not actually touch the loved spirit, nor come any closer, if indeed so close, as when said spirit is con- trolling a medium in the ﬂesh, then will the fascina- tion ﬂowing from the heart and the sacred recollec- tioiis of the past, vanish, it seems to us, to a great ex- tent, if not entirely; and the pursuit of this phase will be, among intelligent people at least, from a purely intellectual standpoint. The Czar of Russia thinks that Turkey hasn’t had enough dressing. \ ELEMENTS OF.FGOD LOST IN COOKING. Food must contain three classes of elements-—those which will feed the brain and nerves, those which feed muscles and tissues, and those which furnish heat and fat. These elements may be found combined so as to be soluble in water, cold or hot, or both, and therefore if cooked in water, are lost. The muscle- feeding elements of all meats and fish consist in ﬁbrin and albumen and in the ﬂesh of all young animals, as veal and lamb, and in all kinds of ﬁsh albumen pre- dominates. Albumen is soluble in cold water, but coagulates and becomes solid in hot water. For example, the white of an egg, which is albumen, may be dissolved and lost in cold water, but on being dropped into hot water immediately coagulates and becomes insoluble. All meats, therefore, lose a portion of their nutrition, and some a very large portion, by being soaked in water, or by being put into cold water to boil, and it boiled at all, should be put into boiling water, unless the water in which they are boiled is to be saved as soup. In that case, the ﬂavor and nutritive proper- ties of the soup are much better by being ﬁrst soaked in cold water and boiled in the same water. Besides albumen, other valuable elements are lost in water, whether hot or cold, as is shown by chemi- cal analysis. If the ﬂesh of animals or 1lsli be cut up ﬁne, and washed and ﬁltered, the water is found to contain not only the albumen, but the osmazoine which gives the ﬂavor, the phosphates which feed the brains and the nerves, and all soluble salts of the blood, while there remains nothing nutritious but ﬁb- rin and the insoluble salts, which constitute the basis of bones. By boiling, instead of roasting or frying meats or ﬁsh, we lose therefore that which gives them relish, much of the true iiourislimcnt, and some other valuable elements. On the other hand, by soaking in cold water, and boiling gradually, and retaining the liquid, we get all the valuable properties of meat. The liquid contains all the soluble properties, and indeed all the important properties necessary for sickly or sedentary persons; and the solids contain the ﬁbrin and lime which are wanted for muscular power and strength of sinew and bone. Another practical error in regard to soups, relates to the nutrition in the gelatinous portions of soup ob- tained froni the cartilages and tendons of the joints of meat, which are usually selected uiidcrtlie impression that the more gelatinous the more nutritious the soup, whereas it is found to be true that gelatine is in no sense nutritious. Its only use in the living system seems to be mechanical, forming protection to the joints as a kind of cushion, and attaching the muscles to the bones, and food, answering waste materi- al to keep the bowels in action. This is true of all animal jellies, as cali"’s foot, isinglass, etc.—1’hi‘-losophy of Eating. OBITU:}RIES. At Alfred, Me., JOSIAH BANGS, aged 84 years, 7 mos., on October 20tll, 1877, and blessed is the nxeino ry of such! At Mt. Lebanon, N. Y., Oct, 19, 1877. LEWIS, aged 64 years. At Uaiiaan, N. Y., Oct. 10, 1877, HANNAH BRYANT aged 9?. years. [Besides being a bea.utiful mother in Israel, she was physically noted for never having taken an emetic, nor the loss of tooth!—[Ei)I1‘oR.] At Hancock (}hllI‘Cll Family, Oct. 19,1877, POLLY BEERS, aged 73. The two following notices shoul have been sent us sooner. Will our friend make it convenient to do better in future? At West Gloucester, 67 years, on Aug. 19, 187 At Eiiﬁeld, Coiin., PERSIS STEBBINS, aged 83 years,’ on Aug. ‘.23, 1577. A believer for sixty-four years SARAH ANN Me., CELIA SANDERS, aged 7. -—s.. --—— —.——.——-—--¢‘\———— During a recent thurider—stoi‘m near Mem- phis, Tenn., a negro was severely kicked by a vicious mule, and just as he was picking himself up, a stroke of lightning hit the mule and killed him dead on the spot. “Well, dar!” exclaimed the negro, “ef dis chile hain’t got powerful friends to ’venge his in- sults, den dei'e’s no use tryin to hab faith in anything!” 4 TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS.——Il1 a recent nuni- ber of the .E7zgZz'$ﬁ VVorA=ma7z, Richard A. Proctor bewails some of his typographical misfortunes. One journal speaking of his charts of 22,434 ﬁxed stars, made it " chart of 2,223; stars." This mishap he forgives in censideration of the dullness of a composi- tor’s life; but the following he thinks a se- vere test of any one’s good nature. He wrote ofthe solar spectra, “lines, stripes, and bands of the violet end of the spectra,” which ap- peared when printed as “lines, stripes, and bonds for the violent kind of spectres.” “7 Horse doctors, according to their own re- ports, are increasing and doing splendidly. But how about the horses ?——N. 2". Herald. What does it matter about the horses 80 long as the doctors thrive? 96 TIIE SHAKER. HEAVENLY HOME CANTERBURY, N. H. I cov - et not earth’s To ob - tain /5 a home in __P__' v treas - ures, They fail be - fore my heav — en Is worth the sight ; H I would re - new my ex spir - strife Of for — sak - ing the earth - ly, To live the it Un - to the Vir - gin life. an — gel life. /5 THE “BATTLE OF LIFE.” AGNES E. NEWTON. The battle of life is not encountered upon aﬁeld, where human beings con- trolled by thirst for power and fame meet, and fall in deadly conﬂict. It takes place within the human soul ; no one can escape it——all to a greater or less extent, must participate therein. Our Savior ably illustrated this when he said: “A man’s foes shall be they of his own household.” Truly these. are sutﬁcient in might and strength to con- stitute a battle, requiring the utmost courage to engage. Strong as are the enemies which be- set the christian’s path, if clad in truth’s bright armor, the battle of life, to him, will be a success; the laurels of victory not imaginary attainments, but present realities. How insigniﬁcantly slight will seem the battle, when the glorious end is achieved, and the Savior’s words are the christian’s to repeat: “I have overcome the World.” 0, that all could be wise, old and young, especially we who are just en- tering life’s battle ﬁeld, and choose for our armor the one thing needful, the active principle of truth. Canterbury, N. H. PURITY. L. CLAPP. “ Pure as the crystal waters, White as snow my soul shall be; When the struggle is completed, And from earthly troubles free.” This was the aspiration and happy thought that ﬁlled my mind while in sacred Worship this morning; a cher- ished hope of freedom and releasement from sin; a triumph over the earthly inheritance; with a robe made beauti- ful and pure by an upright life, of hon- est endeavor to do my christian duty before God. 0, Purity! in the depths of my soul thou hast an abode, the germ of a spir- itual life imbedded in the heart’s deep soil; beneath the light and brightness of heavenly beauty, mayst thou blossom as the beautiful rose of Sharon. As a star in the ﬁrmament, ever con- stant and enduring in its course, so would I have purity the all-controlling power of my life. I would be ever as- piring, through the sunshine and storm, up, up to the heights of virgin excel- lence; to an atmosphere where the spiritual element matures into the love- liness of the angel life. Camterbury, N. H. g g THE PHYSICAL RESURRECTION. You may see, kind friends, that the world of mind is moving correctly, and pretty fast too. VVe clip from the AZ- éczrzy Express, and expect to hear of many similar departures from error unto reason : “This was the subject of a sermon preached last Sunday evening by Rev. lvlr. lvlorsc, pastor of the Tabernacle Baptist Church. The purpose of the discourse was to show that there is no resurrection of the natural body, or the body that is put into the grave. The positions taken were sustained by ap- peals to reason and scripture. The discussion of the same subject will be continued to-morrow evening.” A v It is one of the striking facts of christian experience, that sometimes the purest joys, like jewels in the mine, are to be found where all to the outward eye seems dark and forbid- ding. This is one of the wonders of divine grace. There is a “good,” independent of outward conditions~—a good which “ moth and rust cannot corrupt,” which bereavement and aﬂiiction cannot quite rend away. The soul holds it by a grasp that the fear ofdeath cannot dissolve and by a title that no human decision can set aside. And it ﬁlls the soul; it satisﬁes the cravings of its immortal na- ture; it endures the testwhen all things else, —-—the prizes of effort, the triumphs of genius, the successes of enterprise,-—mock the soul’s cheated anticipations. To the very last, its value is undiminished and its luster is un- dimmd. It is a pearl of great price; it is the good part that can never be taken away. -_l_4,,.___._____._ TROUBLE.-——In ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, mankind make their own troubles. It is not in the nature of things that it should be otherwise. And yet we might be the most happy people that the sun shines on, if we pleased. Life would run smoothly in the grooves if we would only let it; but we are not content to do so——in fact, contented with nothing! From the cradle to the tomb we are continually fretting about something. We are living at altogether too fast and too reckless a rate. We inﬂate the balloon be- yond its capacity to bear, and then wonder that it collapses, and we get a fall. Content- ment-——to let things take their course—-is a condition we have yet to learn. But how can we expect to be free from the trouble, so long as we are seeking for it! We are much like the son of the Emerald Isle, who was “niver at peace widout he was at war wid somebody.” We constantly make trouble- get into hot water—and then grumble. But the world wags on just the same, and will unto the end, although we hasten our end by constant restlessness. .,,,,_______¢______.__ There is a structure which everybody is building, young and old, each one for him- self. It is called c/zaracter; and in it every act of life is a stone. Ifday by day we are careful to build our lives with pure, noble and upright deeds, at the end will stand a fair temple, honored by God and man. But as one leak will sink a ship and one ﬂaw break a chain, so one mean, dishonorable, untruth- ful act or word will forever leave its impress, and work its inﬂuence, on our characters. Then let the several deeds unite to form a day, and one by one the days grow into noble years; and the years, as they slowly pass, will raise at last a beautiful ediﬁce, enduring forever to our praise. A V PRINTING AND JOURNALISM IN CHINA.--A Chinese printing oﬁice is a greater curiosity than one would think. The alphabet num- bers way into the thousands, and a cap and lower case goes all the way round the inside of a two-story building, and half way up the roof. It takes an apprentice twenty years to learn the case, and then he has to use a step ladder to get at the higher branches. A case was pied once in Canton, and it took ﬁve days to remove the type from the body of the foreman. They punctuate Wherever they can drop a dot, without regard to the prospective. When the editor coins a word, the printer whittles out a new character with his jack- knife. The journeymen set type by the square foot,Aand never belong to a union. They do their press work by hand, and use boxing gloves to ink the type. They have one paper in the empire a thousand years old, and the bound volumes half ﬁll a pagoda. It is ru- mored that Bennett has started to edit that venerable paper. The editor’s head is re- sponsible for all items published in the paper, and is taken off whenever an article of news is published. Not an editor has been behead- ed in China for the last ﬁve hundred years. The Chinese have just invented a twenty-ﬁve cylinder press for printing tea chests, with which they are able to print one a week.—- San Frcmcisco Zllmzitor. I ,_ .. } ~————«---—-—» -——- N «.9- DRESSING WITH PL.—\INNESS.——It would lessen the burdens of many who ﬁnd it hard to maintain their place in society. It would lessen the force of the temptations which often lead men to barter honor and honesty for display. If there was less strife in dress at church, people in moderate circumstances would be more inclined to attend. Universal moderation in dress at church would improve the worship, by the removal of many wandering thoughts. It would enable all classes of people to at- tend church better in unfavorable weather. It would lessen, on the part of the rich, the * temptation to vanity. It would lessen, on the part of the poor, the temptation to be envious and malicious. It would save valuable time on the Sab- bath. It would relieve our means from ‘a serious pressure, and thus enable us to do more for good enterprises. A BEAUTIFUL THOUGHT.—-God knows what keys in the human soul to touch, in order to draw out its sweeter and more perfect harmo- nies. They may be the minor strains of sad- ness and sorrow; they may be the loftier notes of joy and gladness. God knows where the melodies of our nature are, and what disci- pline will bring them forth. Some with plaintive tongues must walk in lowly Vales of life’s weary way; others, in loftier hymns, sing of nothing but joy, as they tread the mountain tops of life; but they all unite without discord or jar, as the ascending an- them of loving and believing hearts ﬁnds its way into the chorus of the redeemed heaven. HOLD ON, BoYs.—-Hold on to your tongue when you are just ready to swear, lie, or speak harshly, or use an improper word. Hold on to youijfoot when you are on the point of kicking, running off from study, or pursuing the path of error, shame or crime. Hold on to your temper when you are an- gry, excited or imposed upon, or others are angry with you. Hold on to your heart when evil associates seek your company, and invite you to join in their mirth, games and revelry. Hold on to your good name at all times, for it is of more value than gold, high places, or fashionable attire. Hold on to truth, for it will serve you well, and do you through eternity. Hold on to virtue, for it is above all price to you, in all times and in all places. Hold on to your good character, for it is, and ever will be, your best wealth. (-1
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Subjects: Shaker -- Periodicals
Identifier: yhm-sha-ts0712
Is part of: Hamilton College Library Digital Collections, Communal Societies Collection, Shaker Collection

Title: Shaker Manifesto, vol. 08, no. 01 (January 1878)
Publisher: United Societies
Date: 1878-01-01
Place published: Shaker Village (N.H.)
Text: “ . H‘ _— 4.,“ “ M , : 60 Cts. per Annum, POST PAID. SHAKE MANIFESTO. {OFFICIAL I\I0.\ITHI.Y.) > ‘x. _."h ... A_*;.,r..§..»..(..~_I .n ~».~....-‘ - PUBLISHED BY THE UNITED socnmas. ‘:3 OUR HOME AT CANTERBURY. N. H. ‘V -“ G0 PREAOII 1'11); KING1)0J[ op‘ GOD.” « ~ ~ ~ A ' ‘ .........____:.._.A,-..- "W . ~.. - 1878. PU.]'%I.1SHF.]) .~\N]) I’i<l.\I'I‘F.D .\'l‘« SH.-\}\'.13LR \"Il.l..\(}lC, ll? N. A. BRIGGS, Publisher. ti 0 L; i TERMS OF ADVERTISING. N. A. Briggs, 7 _SliakerVillage, Mer. Co., x.11. ii‘ For one ineh, one insertion ‘ 5 1. 00 ” one luilf column, ” ” $ 3. 00 - h T’ i one i " ”~ 7 8 6. 00 ' 7’ ” A page, . ” ” 15 12. 00 ., - Continued insertion for three months, ‘20 per at. discount. ’ ” i . ﬂ” ~ ”\ six ‘” 25. ” " ” ‘i’ ” ” one year, 33§ ” ” ” Address, . Subscription -will begin when order is reqeivcd.—-l\“'o back nmnbcrs. CONTENTS. MEDAL. MACHINES. 5 »\ I NEW YORK STATE AGRICULTURAL WOEKS. -. . }‘.\_ 3;.$7...
Show more“ . H‘ _— 4.,“ “ M , : 60 Cts. per Annum, POST PAID. SHAKE MANIFESTO. {OFFICIAL I\I0.\ITHI.Y.) > ‘x. _."h ... A_*;.,r..§..»..(..~_I .n ~».~....-‘ - PUBLISHED BY THE UNITED socnmas. ‘:3 OUR HOME AT CANTERBURY. N. H. ‘V -“ G0 PREAOII 1'11); KING1)0J[ op‘ GOD.” « ~ ~ ~ A ' ‘ .........____:.._.A,-..- "W . ~.. - 1878. PU.]'%I.1SHF.]) .~\N]) I’i<l.\I'I‘F.D .\'l‘« SH.-\}\'.13LR \"Il.l..\(}lC, ll? N. A. BRIGGS, Publisher. ti 0 L; i TERMS OF ADVERTISING. N. A. Briggs, 7 _SliakerVillage, Mer. Co., x.11. ii‘ For one ineh, one insertion ‘ 5 1. 00 ” one luilf column, ” ” $ 3. 00 - h T’ i one i " ”~ 7 8 6. 00 ' 7’ ” A page, . ” ” 15 12. 00 ., - Continued insertion for three months, ‘20 per at. discount. ’ ” i . ﬂ” ~ ”\ six ‘” 25. ” " ” ‘i’ ” ” one year, 33§ ” ” ” Address, . Subscription -will begin when order is reqeivcd.—-l\“'o back nmnbcrs. CONTENTS. MEDAL. MACHINES. 5 »\ I NEW YORK STATE AGRICULTURAL WOEKS. -. . }‘.\_ 3;.$7;? : 4:4“ 3-, T\V*}IEELER 86 LVIELICIK CO. MANUFACTURE RS OF Threshing Macl1ines,Horse Powers, Shingle Machines, Horse Forks, Sulkey Horse Rakes, &c. .;\_LBA_I\'Y, N.Y. ‘. . _ =£*’~3Q§:‘ﬁ-= [The Sourcciof Ilappiness - . . . 1 God's hand to help us - . . . 1? Christian Culture No. 9 . . . 2 Is there a demand for run .\lANlPE’h"l‘u 14 Sin No. 1. . . . V . . . h . 3 Editorial Notes . .7 . . . 15 The New Year \ . . . . . » 4 For the Children . . . ‘ . 16 '{‘houg'hts for Today . . . , 5 Selected . . . . . . 19 To The Evange-l~ . L . . . 6 How to be Somebody . . . i ” M Curiae and Effect .- i L . 7 If we had lut a Day v . . . 2U "Elle Dignity of Humanity . . , . 8 Work cheerily, Boys . . . . ” Procrastination . . . . . ” Farm & Garden . y . . . . ” M .-“Whit was original Sin . . . 9 Home Topics . . _ . . . 21 Liberal iLeag.r.ue Convention . . 10 Cures for Fits . . . . . ” Unleavened Bread . . . ‘ ” To "remove marks from Tables . . ” To my pupils . . . . . 11 Obituary . '. T. . . . ” The Lord‘s Prayer - . . . . 13 Music. C"hrist_ian Pilgrim’ . . . 2‘: -» snmtzn sews BY mun G1;‘NL'L‘\‘E S1!.1K,EI.’ GARDEN SEEDS. Farm‘ ers :mdGnrdener:< get your genuine SHAKER GARDEN SEEDS directly from the grower. Send for ('ArALoaUE and PRICE LIST ready by Fol). 1. -W'e will send the B351‘ Sr:1~:1as of all kinds at very lowest cash prices, prep-aid'by mail. A—tteutiou, Farm- ers and (iardencrsl Try us,-Address ’ PHILI]? SMITH. Shakers, N. Y. ﬁx‘ Mention “The Shaker Manifesto" in replying to advertisements. 3 .. ‘Q r 5'53. THE SHAKER MANIFESTO, AN OFFICIAL MONTHLY. G. A. LOMAS———Ed1tor. VOL. VIII.—-JANUARY, 1878.—No. I. THE SOURCE OF HAPPINESS. Wishing every one 9. “HAPPY NEW YEAR,” w_e bring up for consideration, what is most needed by all to make this, and every future year a happier year than its predecessor. To the vast ma- jority, the various indulgences of the senses mean happiness; and with such, there is no propriety in putting limits to the products of those titillations, that reach no higher than the senses. It is nevertheless true, that the perverted in- dulgences of the senses are the causes of all unhappiness, and are, in reality, none other than “the broad road that leadeth to destruction.” Pleasure added to pleas- ure, until nature is exhausted; and na- ture, even then, pines at its limits, and does not thank God for the boundaries. To “take care of ourselves” means large- ly, to “beware of ourselves ;” and the cup of true pleasure, and the years of real happiness are very strongly tinctured with “touch not, taste not, handle not.” In our unusually free country—in Amer- ica——true freedom, and its happiness are terribly misconstrued I To the infant in the cradle, obedience to parental control is to be of infantile length only ; and then, to do as it pleases, is considered its inal- ienable right; while the silver years of age, if ever reached, too commonly are left to teach the serious truth, that who- so follows inclination to do as he pleases, becomes the slave of the basest ty- rants—the passions. The experience of individuals and of nations ever testiﬁes that the valuable and sacred of all institutions, are made and maintained by the denial of selﬁsh- ness. By the exercise of self-denial, prosperity ensues. With an increase of self-denials, happier years begin ; a high- er life is begun, and a Christian char- acter established. Self-denials make the good citizen; the excellent government; while the want of them, invariably ﬁlls our penitentiaries, State prisons, and brings hundreds to the guillotine or gal- lows! Self-denial makes peace, and keeps it lively in families and in nations. The more self-denial, the more happi- iness ; and we may measure the happiness of the year before-hand, even as we mete out to ourselves “the narrow way” of self-denial. Such was the life of Jesus ; se1f-deny- ing and heavenly; and “heaven on earth” means sufficiently more self-deni- al to make it so. With our wish of hap- piness for the year, we point out SELF- 2 DENIAL as the true source of all happi- ness. To those who are lovers of the world, and sufferers of the penalties it inﬂicts, we plead you, for an increase in your daily lives of self-denial. Is there trouble where ome should be? Use more self-denial. The more you use, the happier home will be, until there will be established in the households of the land, heavens on earth begun. Let us write “SELF-DENIAL" over our door- caps; and whoever enters with it, will leave all discomforts without. * * onnisrun OULTURE. N5. 3. WM. H. BUBSELL. Acrrvrrr. Life is action; death, the cessa- tion of action. But, in its strictest sense, there is no cessation of action, hence, no death. Every particle of matter in the uni- verse is instinct with activity. It enters into combination with other particles, producing the vast variety of forms in the mineral, veg- etable and animal worlds, and constituting the vast assemblage of spheres where Divine Love and Wisdom hold limitless sway. There is no limit to growth. Change, or progress from lower to higher forms of life, is incessantly going on. Action is an essential attribute of beauty. The decaying tree gradually ceases to charm, because that which constitutes its life is retir- ing. The human form may please by reason of the regularity of its various parts, but the magnetic, intellectual, moral and spiritual forces serve greatly to heighten and intensify the beauty arising from regularity of form and features, and, in fact, not only to conceal. positive defects, but to cause them to be regard- ed by many as beauties rather than blemishes. “Bury the dead out of my sight,” is the lan- guage of even the intensest aﬁ'ection. And why? Because that is not the one that was loved so ardently. The smile, the merry laugh, the kindly word, the eagerness to please and be pleased, in a word, all that constitutes the living and active soul, are gone, and one THE SHAKER tcanno be satisﬁed with the mere shadow. MANIE‘ESTO . The dead are mourned because that which had power to charm has departed, apparently for- ever. “The friends of my youth, where are they?” is the cry of many an affectionate hearts and to many only echo answers—“Where are they?” Not so with those whom the divine in- breathings have aroused to a consciousness of the life beyond the seeming death. “They mourn not as those who have no hope.” To them the so-called dead are still the living and active, endowed with a higher form of life, and favored with conditions of existence supe- rior to those of the present state. The life of the christian in its highest stage corresponds to the life of God, which is action in its suprcmest sense. The Divine action evolves worlds and systems of worlds and sends them forth on their never-ending jour- neys. It develops therefrom the various grades of life, both material and spiritual, and carries them forward in their continually as- cending course. The apostolic injunction,- “Be ye imitators of God as dear chil(1ren—” applies to christians as active, creative beings. God never made a hermit, not even a fasting. praying Simon Stylites. “Those who live in pleasures, or lusts, are dead while they live," and so also those who under pretense of great- er sanctity, lead indolent lives. The Divine Providence has always performed its part in behalf of man. How capacious, and fertile, and beautiful the earth which has been be- stowed upon him! But how many indolent ones still occupy it! Is it a matter of won- der at all that so many thousands are destitute of the means to sustain the physical existence, which is the foundation of all life and activ- ity? Is it a matter of astonishment that the grand metropolis of France should for a time have been under the control of those who knew well that themselves and offspring had been wronged, though they knew not how to rectify their wrongs? Or that society even in this land of equality! should sometimes be startled out of its sense of propriety by what so many are pleased to style the foolish move- ments of the laboring classes? Granted that they are foolish and criminal even, some of them, yet where shall we lay the blame of the manifest folly? When all persons, whatever their rank in society, shall put their hands, heads and hearts to useful work, and keep TI-IE SHAKER STO. 3 them to work, there will be no strikes nor any necessity for them. Universal activity will bring universal wealth—wealth that is worthy of the name-—uch as blesses man corporeal- ly, intellectually and morally. The church in the apostles’ day had an inkling of this truth; and the words of Paul, “If a man will not work neither shall he eat,” are v in accord- ance with the soundest principles of justice and economy. If an individual employs his hands in useful labor, he is entitled to bodily support; if he applies his mental faculties to the acquisition of useful knowledge, he is en- titled to the beneﬁts arising from such appli- cation; if he gives his heart to God in the cul- tivation of every virtue, he will reap the re- ward of such devotion in “the peace of God which passes understanding;” in power to subject his inferior inclinations and passions to those more exalted and unchanging disposi- tions that belong to such as have arisen to the serene heights where truth and purity forever reign. All these are the especial prerogatives of every christian. But, at the present time, there are obstacles to the universal attainment of these blessings. How many thousands are willing to employ their hands in useful labor and yet are unable to do so through no fault of their own. Be- ing destitute of this primary means of culture, they are, as a necessary consequence, depriv- ed, in a great measure, of those that appertain to the intellectual and moral powers. And yet the world is in pursuit of glory and the immortality that accompanies glory! From the grand heights built of human ﬂesh and bones and ﬂowing with human gore, the con- querors of the world look down upon it with apparent satisfaction ! With what complacen- cy the rich man looks upon his possessions! “These are all mine, the result of my ingenu- ity and skill; I have made me an everlasting name, I want no more 1" Yet it is true that he “who had not where to lay his head,” and who bid his disciples to sheathe every sword but that of truth, now sits upon the throne of inﬁnite love, of peace, and of a stability never to be shaken. His disciples attain to the same throne by the same means that he did; by an activity that subdue: the world of selﬁshness; that makes the hand the instrument of a clear head and a pure heart; that works for the purpose of making the whole earth a garden ﬁlled with whatever is delightful to the purest sense, and will not cease until the reign of peace and love shall become universal. Graceland N. Y. . SIN. No. 1. ALONZO HOLLISTER. The Apostle says, “Sin is transgres- sion of the law, for where there is no law there can be no transgressions.” God is subjection to law, for there can- not be order without law, and where or- der is not, there cannot be heaven. The existence of heaven depends upon obedi- ence to those laws, that produce happi- ness. When Jesus the Christ began his trav- ail in the regeneration, by obedience to the law of eternal life, he commenced to “create a new heaven.” Hence, he is the beginning of the new Creation of God, and all who follow in his steps, are co- workers with him, in forming the new heavens, or heavenly order. Confused elements mingled together without order and laws, are called chaos. If it is admitted that God is the fount- ain of order, it will follow that the nearer we come to God, the more order He re- quires; and by so much as we depart from the laws that God ordains for the regulation of our conduct, just so much we depart from heaven, and transgress against the universal economy of sentient life, of which each individual constitutes a part; and transgression is sin, whether willfully, or ignorantly done. Among God’s typical people, the High priest was required to make atonement once a year ‘for sins of ignorance. We presume that for their known sins, they made their own atonement, by con- 4 fessing and forsaking. Sin obstructs the channel of God’s blessing, by interpos- ing a barrier between the sinner and his Source of elementary spiritual life ; there- by cutting him oﬁ‘ from the tree of life. Hence, said a certain seer to the trans- gressors of old, “Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you. MEANS or ATONEMENT. The only way God has provided in compassion for frail humanity, even through His beloved Son, is by confession and repentance. “Not one soul may be forgiven, except he repents,” and true re- pentance includes forsaking the wrong con- fessed. It is evident that the spirit which causes a soul to honestly confess sin, is directly opposed to the disposition to commit sin. Consequently the tongue when moved by an honest spirit to confess, becomes as a sword to slay the evil ; and so long as the spirit of truth keeps the control, the evil disposition has not power to act; and the certainty of exposure, lessens the power of temptation in many points, al- most to cipher. BUT WHY CONFESS T0 MAN? We do not confess to man, but to God in man. When Ananias deceitfully kept back part of the price, while pro- fessing to consecrate his possessions, the Apostle told him he had “not lied unto man, but unto God.” Ananias and Sapphira lied unto God, by acting a lie before His appointed or- der, with intentto deceive His ministers, and were taken away in their sin. By bringing all our sins and useless burdens, and laying them open before His order appointed to hear confessions, we feel them removed, and a new clean spirit comes within, which restrains us THE S STO. from sinning, so long as this honest spir- it is preferred. WHY SHOULD MAN OR WOMAN HEAR OUR CONFESSIONS? First; because the Spirit of wisdom and justice requires it. Second; because no soul can ﬁnd God, and be truly join- ed to Him, except through union with his fellow man. “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto ‘ the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me,” said the son of God. Hence, if we ﬁnd -a true spiritual union with the Brethren and Sisters of Christ, we ﬁnd it with him, and through him, draw nigh to God the Father. And there is no other avenue of access to God; for the Son declared, “None can come to the Father, except through me.” Jno. xiv. 6. Mt. Lebanon, N. Y. ,,, .. THE NEW YEAR. DANIEL ORCUTT. Commence the new year with the de- termination to turn over a new leaf in the volume of your existence, and be- come a self-reformer, and’ let the deter- mination call forth daily cross-bearing ef- fort. Some persons _-are always reform- ing, but never reform; they are always learning, but never “come to a practical knowledge of the truth.” A reform, to be genuine, must be deep- rooted, throughout. The whole duty of man may be comprised in two precepts, viz; Do that which you should do, and omit that which you should not do. You have a self-denying work to perform in this probationary life. Begin now. Let your chief aim, your guiding star be pu- rity of heart, otherwise you will fail to THE SHAKER 1\%NIF‘E}STO. obtain real happiness——heaven. Success in the christian warfare is the result of heart labor, the right improvement of time, the application of energy. “God helps those who help themselves.” “Well begun is well half done.” Then start fair, that is the ﬁrst point, and keep in the right path ;——it is plain. Upright walking is safe-Walking. It is a ﬁxed, steady aim in the overcoming Work that subdues sin, and gives power to triumph in the higher life. Be ﬁrm. The winds and waves may beat against a rock, ﬁrmly planted in the troubled sea, but it remains unmoved. Be like that rock. Vice may entice. Beware, stand fast at your post. Let your self-denying principles shine forth unobscured. There is glory in the thought that you have re- sisted temptation and conquered. Your bright example of virtue will be to the World, what the light-house is to the mariner on the sea, it will guide others to the way of safety. Did you ever see those who have ap- peared to be the very embodiment of virt- ue and goodness, in whose presence there wasaheavenly atmosphere? They seem- ed to you “like an oasis in a dreary de- sert, like green spots on a barren waste.” You have desired to be like them, as good and pure. You can be, if you will make the effort; you can adorn your soul with such purity. You can make your life so virtuous that you will possess the power most heavenly and divine! Constant self-denying struggles will enable you to do it. When you have striven earnestly, and felt at the close of the day, that you have been made better by those strivings, when you have over- come some mighty temptation, what a ﬂood of happiness ﬁlls your soul to over- ﬂowing! Strive to so live, that “life’s 5 little acts” will have no remorseful shad- ows over them. Your life will then be real; for only as you grow better, do you really live; only as your heart ad- vances in purity, does your spirit move on, over the rough sea of nature, to the haven of peace. Enﬁeld, Conn. -———<o>———Z~- THOUGHTS FOB. TODAY. DANIEL FRASER. As a man feels, so he thinks; as he thinks, so he is. Therefore, watch your heart, your emotions with all diligence, for out of your emotions are the issues of good and evil to yourself and others. Keep physiological law; moral law can then be easily kept. The destiny of nations, communities, and individuals, is in their own hands. Their history is but a chapter in physi- ology and morals——a photograph of the results of compliance witl1 good or evil emotions. The perpetuity of just governments can only be maintained, by every person being a land-holder; and land limitations being enforced. Land monopolies breed discontent ; they ruined the Republics of the past. Financial laws, schemes, and customs, that enable any man, or set of men to change the value of labor, or property not theirs, are ruinous to -private and public morals: they even strike the land with sterility. Why? A high rate of interest tempts the farmer to skin his land, and invest elsewhere than in his farm. Tramps are the results of hard-heart- edness;.usurious speculations; corrup- tion, and blind selﬁshness. They are a Force, and may become terribly so. 6 THE SHAKER STO. They render life and property noW,\ev- erywhere insecure. It is cheaper to feed, than to ﬁght them. Christian sentiment demands that they be decently provided for. Make them and their children land- holders, and they, even they, will become the bulwarks of free institutions, useful and productive. Ignore them you can- not; neglect them, drive them from your doors, and you may be driven from your own doors. Up and be doing, avert the coming storm! Secure the welfare of others, and your own will be sure. Gentleness, is better than Force. Illt. Lebanon, N. Y. — ———————~o>————:- TO THE EVANGEL. J. it. rsnsms. ELVAI-I F. COLLINS. Speed! Zion missionary, speed The gospel light to spread! Afar in distant, heathen lands 0, break the living bread! Those lands, where nature sweetly smiles, And rich response is given, Those lands, where luxury wealth outvies, And earth seems almost heaven. Fair lands! in all that there could teem To make it paradise. Blest homes! where man might holy live, And in redemption rise. But ah! the blight that ﬁnds him now In idle sin’s disgrace, Has spread its dark and shady pall O’er all the human race. We love to sing of spicy isles, Or Afric’s burning clime, Of India’s brilliant coral reefs, Of Asia’s glorious prime. But soon our song is changed and sad, The pensive strain soon hushed, To know that where earth’s Eden lies, The higher life is crushed. Cruhed in the multitude, where Ignorance has ne’er let in The glowing light of truth that shows How progress climbs to win. We know that hearts in every land Have sought to live to God, Preferring sacriﬁce, to sin’s Relentless chastening rod. But angel mercy, would reclaim The many prone to wrong, And swell in heaven 9, song of joy That earth might echo strong. All blank were life, without the hope Of immortality, That’s born within the human heart, Though buried it may be. God bless the hand that takes the plough To break the solid clay! And delve to ﬁnd the precious ore, Long hidden far away. God bless the sower, and the seed That germinates for good! And bears the fruit of holiness, The soul’s sustaining food. We bless, and angel spirits bless The missionary true, And oft on silent wing we go To help, and comfort you. We place the cord of sympathy In ﬁrm and friendly hands, They hear it over ocean wave, And desert-whitened sands. They twine it round your spirit form That often seems alone, Amid the apathy of heart, That knows not meat, from stone. With steady unremitting grasp, We’ll hold this cord of love Till to its limit you have gone, And turning, homeward move. We pray, in blended prayer, for heaveni To shroud you in its power, We sing, to call the angel choirs To cheerthe lonely hour. And then we send the message glad Across our cable strong, And fancy We can hear you say, “How thrilling is the song!” 0, bright the oriental stars That stud th’ ethereal dome! But brighter are the golden gems That light our Zion home. THE SHAKER MANIF‘ESTO. I '7 And fair the fruits that grace the land That eastern breezes fan, But fairer are those angel gifts, That Mt. Zion’s mountains span. So, we would draw your toiling soul From labor’s weary ﬁeld, (When you have seen the truth take root, And pruned till errors yield.), To share the blessed recompense Oi‘ peace, and harmony, Where nota ripple breaks, to stir The calm untroubled sea. Mt: Lebanon, N. Y. CAUSE AND EFFECT. T. WATSON ANDREWS . If the forty days fast, the years of travel in suﬂ'ering, the agonies of Geth- semane and death-throes of the cross of Jesus, were necessary, being causative for the production of the first Pentecos- tal wave; and the long years of similar toil and sufferings of Ann Lee until her excessive labors in the works of God oft- en reduced her to the helplessness of an infant, were similarly producing causes of the second; can 'we reasonably ex- pect a third, and as we hope a far great- ter out-pouring of the spirit and power of God, without similar labors and prep- aration, by those who are to be the min- istering agents in such an important e- vent? Verily the storm rages and the ship is engulfed in the waves. If the Christ is asleep, is it not our duty to awaken him ; if we do not, whose fault will it be if we perish? We have reason to hope a far more wide-spread work in the coming Pente- cost, as the number of qualiﬁed agents is far greater. But if when the “mid- night cry is heard,” the work of supply- ing our lamps with oil has to be entered into, should we not fear that the doors will be closed before we are ready? If separation from all worldly inﬂuences, and untiring labors for the love and pow- er of God, together with the purity of life and self-denying habits of the found- ers of this gospel, scarcely suiliced to give us the victory; and the seekers of to-day can hope for no other means by which to gain their salvation than the a- doption of christian life practices ; where is the safety for any if we relax our la- bors or our zeal? If our zeal has already so cooled that we are satisﬁed with but one meeting a week, instead of one or two meetings each day, as in the early years of our travel was found a necessity for protec- tion ; and if our spiritual tastes have be- come so perverted that business, politics and worldly amusements can satisfy, in- stead of “that bread which cometh down from heaven ;” shall we be able to give that bread to others ; can we hope to cul- tivate those tastes in others, which we, by neglect, have lost? Can we minister what we do not pos- sess? a love we do not feel? a zeal we do not manifest? Or has human nature become so changed, that now, self-indul- gence is to be the means of salvation, in- stead of self-denial? Brethren and Sisters, “let us not de- ceive ourselves with such delusive hopes ; what we sow that shall we also reap.“ Like will produce like, every time, at least in spiritual organisms. Do not tell me that we are aged and weak, that we cannot engage to much purpose in the worship of God: “Bodi- ly exercise proﬁteth little ; but God seek- eth such to worship him as worship in spirit and in truth.” Though we can but barely crawl to the church room, if Tum SHAKER MANIFESTO. we come there full of the love of God and for one another, (instead of the last newspaper gossip on our minds,) which was gained by a full, hourly consecration of all our energies to the cause ; depend upon it, each one so coming, will add a glowing brand to the burning, and all so uniting, will ere long produce a ﬁre that will “kindle the dry leaves afar off.” North Union, Ohio. 4,; 7 THE DIGNITY OI‘ HUMANITY. ANDREW BARRETT. Is there any joy greater than that experi- enced by any one when they unselﬁshly help another? There are some men so low down in the scale of humanity that it is said they would not have the smell of their clover go into the high-way, for fear that othas will get something that they own without paying for it. Others it is said envy the bees the honey they ﬁnd in the ﬂowers, grown on their land and take without leaving some pay. But we may call this imaginary. A man whose heart does not respond to any act of kindness of his neighbor is no longer a man. He has passed the line of manhood. And we must give him a place at the stall with others of his kind. True dignity of character and manliness through all the vicis- situdes and trials of life, are very different things than a generous nobility at the hour of death. Let me see the man who takes life’s burdens upon his shoulders early in the morning, and travels with them until nature calls for rest; without a frown upon his countenance, nor a murmuring word from his lips, working mere- ly from the sense of duty. Don’t we respect that man ? Don’t we look with hope, to see him ﬁll some important station in the drama of life ? Though his coat may be patched, and his trowsers made of two kinds of mate- rial, what of that! We see the mind, and that speaks louder than broadcloth, velvet or satin. It must and will have a place. Out of the humble stations of the blacksmith, the tailor, and the shoe maker what have we seen rise up? We have seen minds who have governed the destinies of nations! Mt. Lebanon, N. Y. <0: PROORASTINATION. DANIEL ORCUTT . Procrastination is a besetting sin. Putting off, putting off! How many things are lost or periled by putting off. It is never safe to de- fer until tomorrow, that which should be done today. Of all the losses in consequence of delay, the greatest is the loss of the soul ! The Holy Spirit, and the still small voiceof conscience, warn us of the danger of delay; and we see there is danger. We are on the stormy sea of life; we see the darkness gath- ering round, and the waves rolling high. We look for refuge, and hear the cry, “Come un- to me I” “Now is the accepted time ;” “now is the day of salvation.” Do we heed the call of Christ, the good pilot ? or, are we waiting for “a more convenient season ?” It will nev- er come. We will not be saved unless we are anxiously willing to be saved. Put oﬂ‘, and we will go down, we will be lost! Hesi- tate not. Today, if we will hear his voice, “harden not our hearts.” He nowhere prom- ises to receive us tomorrow; tomorrow may be too late. He insu‘res a safe passage in the “Gospel Ark,” which is provided with “bread of life and waters of salvation” in abundance; but He accepts only “working hands.” “Work out our own salvation.” The voy- age is from time to eternity, and the Ark nev- er “puts back.” There are billows of Pride, rocks of Inﬁdelity, quick-sands of Destruc-. tion and whirl-pools of Mammon to encounter, but the great Pilot knows them all, and He will safely guide us to the port of rest—a1l who put their trust in Him. Enﬁeld, Conn. %O‘ﬁ Removing Stains. If you have been picking or handling any acid fruit, and have stained your hands, wash them ‘in clear water, wipe them lightly, and while they are yet moist, strike a match and shut your hands around it so as to catch the smoke of the sulphur and the stains will disappear. THE SHAKER MANIF‘ESTO . 9 JCI$l$l¢IQl$lCIQI®l—Cl$I$b A : coulsroxnnavcr. igcblbl—lQl¢lDIC1l9s—I¢ICI9D What was Original Sin? Off) [The following extracts are copied to show our readers the leaven that is working among those not of our body. The writer has been a reader of THE SHAK- ER, and we leave all to witness how well he sustains his scholarship. Ex>.] In relation to his creating a certain individual, plac- ing him in a literal garden, a few years ago, and calling his name Adam, and giving him a law, and saying to him if he disobeyed he should surely die, I would say that the Garden of Eden is to be considered as the va- rious powershnd passions of the mind of each one of us in our primeval state. The command is that we are to cultivate and cherish all the powers of mind to his honor and glory. But to go out of this state or condi- tion of innocence and purity, or Eden-like state, is to transgress a plain law that God has written in letters of living light upon the heart of every intelligent creat‘ ure; and the whole story of Adam and his family is a ﬁgurative representation of us in our entrance into be- ing. The Garden of Eden, then, is only a condition of soul, a paradise, and not a piece of ground, for it is said that a ﬂaming sword was placed at the gates to guard the tree of life. This ﬂaming sword is the sword of God's spirit, and not a literal sword. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil explains itself to any intel- ligent mind. The knowledge of good or evil can only be understood in a spiritual sense, and it is represented in the ﬁgure as a tree bearing fruit, and eating fruit therefrom is the gratifying of our lusts; and if we put our minds upon those gratiﬁcations, they become cor- rupt, and die a spiritual death, or separation from that purity and innocence which we were in when we came into the world. If we thus alienate ourselves from the blessings of God’s spirit, we fain would eat the husks that the swine had leﬂ. I believe there are just as many Adams now, and ever have been, as there were prodigal sons, literally, and no more nor less. The meaning of prodigality is the Adam-like or rebellious spirit in man. Each of us has two natures, and our spiritual life is controlled by whichever nature we cultivate. These two natures are represented in the persons of Cain and Abel. The first characterizes a wicked, cruel and murderous spirit, full of sin and transgression. The second represents a meek and quiet spirit, obedient to the teachings of the holy spirit, a state or condition of acceptance with God. So it is plain that if we choose to go down to ruin by earning the mark of Cain, the fault i our own. All of us can fall or rise, as we choose, and the theory that an- other individual has fallen for us is entirely groundless. Therefore, the text, as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive, means that as many of us as practically emulate the character of a rebellious, or Adam-like spirit, shall die a spiritual death and that e- ternally, unless we accept the offers of divine grace, and return with a penitential heart to our Father’s house. (I mean by death, an eternal separation from the joys of heaven.) It is impossible for us to get in- to that typical Adam, literally, in order to sin, so it is very plain that we only get into the spirit represented n the type. But we must all personally know of get- ting into the spirit of Christ practically, in order to be made alive again after we have sinned. When I say Christ, I mean the law of the spirit of life, that was in Jesus of Nazareth. That is the only power that can set us free from the law of‘ sin and death, and this spir, it of Christ is our Savior, always has been the Savior of the world and is universal in its character, eternal in its duration, inﬁnite in power, is with God and is God. and was fully manifested in his son, or is in all his obedient sons and daughters. This spirit of Christ is dispensed as alight shining bright in the inmost recesses of the heart of everyone who will receive it. Each one of us then is an Adam to all intents and purposes, and sgbject to the law of God individually; and if we eat forbidden fruit, the ﬂaming sword will cut us oil’ from the never-ending joys of the paradise of God. A. L. Gaxrnn. Richmond. Ind. _,,,_ ___4”_:___.___- Snaxlms, N. Y. Dec. 22, 1877. A. Gaxrrm, .l{yfriend:—Your welcome letter of the 10th inst. is at band, also the article on Original Sin. Tlie views expressed therein, so nearly coincide with my own, that I have little disposition to cavil. Truly, we fall by yielding to the corrupt propensities of a ﬂeshly mind, which are the greatest Devil we need to fear; or we rise into newness of character, by aspotless life of virtue; even as Jesus overcame'the nature by which he was tempted in all points, even as we are. That we are all Adams and Eves by nature, and that we need the resurrecting power of the second Adam, to elevate us above our rudimental conditions, are seLf-ev- ident truths. The germ of this quickening Spirit is the breath of life, breathed into the intelligent part of every rational being, as an aspiration for a higher life, aided by the redeemed Spirits from the heavens, which will at some period, prompt man to become a living Soul. In your article, on “ Original Sin” you explain death. (spiritually) as an eternal separation from the joys of heaven. Do you mean the old theological heaven, in some perpendicular height? Or, do you mean the heavens of virtuous souls, united in the bonds of gospel love, as children of one household? These Heavens are not conﬁned to location. Nor is hell conﬁned to some extreme end of the universe. In- dividuals and societies, create their own heaven, or hell, whether on Earth, or in the spirit world. Again dear brother, what provision do you make for the beneﬁt of degraded spirits, who enter the spirit world unregenerated? Are such eternally separated from the joys of heaven? Are they not rational, ac- countable beings, still free agents? Have they no op- portunity for growth or reform, by retracing their 10 THE SHAJKER MANEF‘ESTO. missteps, and rectifying their wrongs? This subject is inexplicable, in the light of general sectarianism; an inexcusable defect in common theology, but deeply in- teresting and important, to all who sympathize with mortals in unfortunate conditions. Our conceptions of the Parental attributes of Deity, forbid us to exclude the most fallen penitent, from a part in the tender mercies of God, either here or here- atter. I am your friend, CHAUNCY Dxnnnn. -_ .4; LIBERAL LEAGUE CONVENTION. En. SHAKER: As you are aware, I attended, with Bro. Emil Bretzner, the CONVENTION at Rochester. It was a very interesting assembly. It was composed of repre- sentations of all parties, sects and creeds, religious and anti-religious——yet, in real- ity, it was religion, goodness and truth that brought them together and rendered the Convention a truly harmonious Con- gress of Liberals. And the greatest vari- ety and contrariety of theological and antitheological views and feelings—the most extreme presentations of opposite and antagonistic problems and proposi- tions—Inﬁdel, Spiritualistic, Orthodox and Christian. In one thing all were united—that all theology, in the Civil Government, is a violation of true, pure Americanism. All agreed that the founders of our Government intended to form a CONSTITU- TION that was not Church and State Chris- tianity, nor Church and State antichris- tianity, but simply Humanitarian, as free from any thing offensive to a Jew, Mohometan, Materialist, Atheist, Hin- doc, or Chinese Pagan, as to a spurious, or real Christian. F. W. Evans. P. S. On Saturday, a Spiritual Medium (fe- male) spoke in a trance state for an hour and a quarter. Good, sound, Shaker theology. Does not this show that Spiritualism and Or- thodox Inﬁdelity are one and the same? Babylon is fallen. The Rochester Rappings have done good service in the course of human progress. F. W. E. Mt. Lebanon, Dec. 2. -77. Dear Brother G. A. Lomas, I inclose Recipe for making unleavened Bread. The wheat is the starting point. The wheat must be home ground, or you will not have home made bread. We might as well go to Moody and Sankey for pure christianity, as to go to a worldly miller with our wheat to grind; much less to buy the flour to make Shaker whole wheat, or coarse ground, nnleavened bread—-That is the bread I talk about. The Sisters insist that the unleavened bread cannot be made of the ﬁne ground, or mer- cantile ﬂour—I believe it. I quite agree with the God of Israel, that the ﬁrst step inthe work of human redemption is to make and eat good bread. “Beware of the lctwen of the Pharisees” should not be made of no practical effect by a pretended spiritualization—- ' Give u the physical and physiological good of the Law, as a basis, or substance for soul truths—I want something solid and substan- tial—want to inherit substance—I want to see the redemption of the Stomach, redemption of the land; and the redemption of the creative forces of man and woman. F. W. Evans. Unleavened Bread. 1. Good clean wheat, coarse ground in a Centennial Hand Mill. 2. Scald one third of the ﬂour in boiling milk. When cool, mix in the remaining two thirds of flour. 3. Mold lightly, with a little dry ﬂour, add- ing a very little salt. 4. Bake in a hot oven, on the oven bottom. TI-IE1 SHAKER MANIE‘ESTO. 11 TO BCY PUPILS- My Dear H—, I am pleased to know that whatl have writ- ten respecting God's word has drawn forth some criticism from, at least, one of my pupils; in replying to which, the opportunity is afforded me of addressing them all. It will never do for Shakers to cros words, or write merely to controvert another's statements, or to appear smart; but always to enlighten each other: In this spirit I propose to partially analyze what you have written and show its distinctive feat- ures—not only for your sake, but for other pu- pils who have desired a further word from me on the subjerts embraced by you. I would ﬁrst advise all of moderate reading and educa- tion, to adopt the hypothetical and interrogatory mode of criticism if they wish to avoid expos- urc. What I mean by hypothetical, is conditional; thus: “If I understand you, do not such cop- ditions follow? If your first position is true, is not the second false? It seems to me that both cannot be true etc." By this mode of criticism any subject may be discussed without offense, exposure or breach of union, and full as much light shed, as can be by the categori- cal or dogmatic mode, which is generally of- fensive: I hope all my pupils will bear this in mind. I will further add that none can be absolutely certain of the legitimacy of their conclusions on complex subjects, without con- forming to the canons of logic, which demand that we never impute a word to the criticised that was not used by them: never sum up conclusions until the proposit-ion have been reduced to their simplest elements. That nothing new be added—-and no phrase used ofa merely sarcastic nature etc. Had my pupil and criticiser observed these few rules—it would have been of much bene- fit to him. It now becomes my duty to point out some of the mistakes made in the criticim under review. (1.) In your quotation of the ﬁxed throne be- ing a chimera; it seems you failed to observe that it was only applicable to the Inﬁnite; but admitted in the ﬁnite. (2.) In reply to the question: “Where is God's Kingdom?" I would repeat the words of Christ: “It is within you”-—in all humans. God is ever there to direct, to approve or con- demn every word or act of the earth life. But there is another Kingdom: Christ says, “I go to prepare a place for you" This place is doubtless his Kingdom in the spirit world—of which, the one we enjoy here, is but the shad- ow. . Two conditions are absolutely necessary to the existence of a Kingdom; ﬁrst, a King, second, subjects; it cannot exist in the ab- sence of either. We have Christ and Ann for our King and Queen, who must ever appear in their vicegerents and appointees——reign and rule, so long as God’s Kingdom shall exist on earth. This is impregnable and as unchange- able as Deity himself. Any person in the Kingdom, who aspires to lead, and prates about personal rights, in contradistinction to the gift. of God in the Lead, has need to go to school bodily; such are not out of their a. b. abs—— have not yet learned to spell Baker, Brier nor Cider, and should at once go to the foot of the class. (3.) You speak of “following the teacher a. round the inﬁnite circle,'ouly where he varies from it." The teacher must inform his pupils, that an infinite circle is an absurdity,—space is inﬁnite, but with a circle around it, it would be ﬁnite. (4.) Are you not mistaken in asserting that your teacher says: “God is everything and everything is God ?” He has uniformly en_ deavored to impress his pupils with the fact; that there are two and but two substances in existence—Spirit and matter. That thought wa the attribute of one, and extension the attribute of the other; they being contradictory and not interchangeable. (5.) My pupil now proceeds to the task of God-making. (Excuse me, I would avoid say-« ing this ifI could.) He firstly speaks of a “force not always visible," should have said, never visible Secondly: he says. “this force is motion, life." We may here ask, if this force is the mo- tion, what caused the motion? Thirdly: he then uses the term God to represent this force or motion,and further says it is God—then ays, this God appears to him to be an element or part of iufinity”(!) Is not this, when ana- lyzed,sirnply declaring that force is an ele- ment—motion is an element—life is an ele- ment and God is an element and only apart 0' inﬁnity? 13 This part then, is God No. 1. Next in order comes God, No. 2. whom my pupil sets up in a personal form and locates him in the skie, in order to show his contempt for him, when, a personal God, is the very one whom he should first respect and obey 2 For “he that receiveth whomsoever I send, receiveth me, and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me."- C/trist. Thus we see the immediate personal comes ﬁrst—tbe remote personal second-—the imperonalthird: This is God’s order: Thus is the ﬁnite swallowed up in the inﬁnite: “Hid with Christ in God." Thirdly my pupil gives us the modus opcrandi, by which he makes God No. 3. whom he tell us he recognizes, and to whom he bends the knee in worship and prayer. This {eat is performed by taking only two of the attributes of Deity,which he per- soniﬁes. Now if my pupils prefer an Attributal God, instead of the being who possesses them, I would suggest the propriety of adding a few more. Humility, might come in along with the attributes of Justice, Mercy, Charity and others. But in choosing two qualities only, for his God, he has secured himself from pun- ishment—perhaps this was his object. He says: “This is the God whose voice we hear* * * Thll is the God we will worship and pray to.” A God that can neither hear, speak, un- derstand, reward nor punish(!!) I would much prefer the God of Moses—the author of the Ten Commandments. In fact, I would prefer a fetich at once; and bend the knee to the rising sun! I would really be glad to know how many of my pupils were included in his plural pronoun we, would hope not many. (6) But further; he says: “The applica- tion of the term God, to any compound of i- deas is a pun that does for conceited theologi- ans to quarrel over; but [over which,] lovers of truth have no time to waste." This sarcas- tic ﬂing at theologian is not in good taste; seeing my pupil has placed himself in their category, by compounding his God of two i- deas—the very thing he ridicules; and, being a lover of truth, it logically follows, that he has no time to waste over the God of his own creation ! We should all be careful nﬁer hav- ing set a trap, not to put our own hand in it. (7.) After quoting “V01: populi Von: Dei." THE SHAKER STO. He says: “With highest regard for our vet- eran Elder, but none the less distaste for the sentiment, we cannot discover in what sense the phrase is false.” And then mistakenly adds: ‘.‘according to our teacher’s deﬁnition, all voices must be God’s voice.” Except if you please, the free agent man, who can speak either God's word or his own : of whom Locke says, if not wholly free, is free enough to do or not to do, to speak or not to speak—to o- bey God or disobey, and is thus accountable for every act or word. It is God's word when directed by the operation of his spirit on the higher consciousness—and man’s word when induced by selﬁshness or the lower propensi- ties. Jesus spake from the former, hence his word was the word of God. It seems to me this is plain enough for the “simple mind.” Now, what is really meant by Democracy and a vox populi government, is, the popular vtice of the people as opposed to the unpop- ular-3-the majority against the minority. Two voices either singly or in the aggregate, that are opposed to each other, cannot both be God's voice. It will not be disputed that there are more persons, the world over, who speak from the selﬁsh stand-point, than those who do not, whence it logically follows that “ Vow populi, is not Vow Dad” or the voice of God. This conclusion is irrefutable. Does my pu- pil now see the point ? It was the popular voice that cruciﬁed Christ, and today it is op- posed to his kingdom on earth. (8.) My pupil’s deﬁnition of Democracy and Theocracy is obscure and unsatisfactory. I will try to deﬁne them. First: A Democracy is a government of men, with the power lodged in the body and controlled by the popular will. Vulgaris quotidiarz us : hence the protcmporc head is appointed by the power below. It is a gov- ernment in which every man ‘wants to be on his neighbor's shoulders; and the aspirant for headship, who has the most money, and is the most skillful in manipulating the vulgar herd succeeds, whether he be best or worst. It is a scramble for the top shelf, governed entire- ly from the selﬁsh stand-point, and in the e- vent of equal forces, wan comes in as a nec- essary adjunct and ﬁnal arbiter, with all the passions of the Beast and where let loose up- on the world. This is Democracy with its THE R STO. 13 clothes oif. Do we want any of it in Christ’s kingdom? Second: A Theocracy is the government of God, in which the head is appointed from a. bove. A government in which the selfish and passional nature of man‘, can have no voice, nor controlling inﬂuence. “Even to this man will I look, saith God, who is of an humble spirit and contrite heart.” The head- ship is thrust on him against his will—He seeks it not. He lays down rm; life for God and his fellow-creatures. Party and division are the life of Democracy—but the same is the death of Theocracy. They are antipodal; what is life to the one is death to the other. But I am asked: “Of what avail is a the- ocracy or its God, if the people fail to recog- nize it?” Ans: Such as fail to recognize it, have no business in it. It is a day of freedom——either accept the kingdom and be subject to it, or re- ject it and depart from it. These are the kind spoken of by the Apostle whom he says : “Not discerning the Lord’: body, eat and drink damnation : for this cause many a/re [spiritually] sick among you, and many are asleep.” 1. Cor. ii. 29.—-Six persons joined together forming the Lord’s body, with a God- appointed head, are better than 600 or 6000 with a van: populi head. You think “Aristoc- racy and Theocracy are closely allied,” when they are asunder world-wide. The one seeks power of his own will, the other shrinks from it. The one rules by his own will, the other by the will of God. The one gratiﬁes the pas‘ sional nature. The other cruciﬁes it. In ﬁne they are unlike in everything,‘ allied in noth- millet me notice further: you say, “the quali- ties of our leaders are much higher apprecia- ted when strongly tinctured by the essence of Democracy, making them like unto the peo- ple.” Should the head seek to be like the body, or the body like the head? Should Christ's followers eek to be like him, or he seek to be like them? Should Christ bear rule, or the body bear rule ? O! blind infat- uation! as well allow your own body with its passions and carnal desires to control your head, as to allow the popularrvoice of the multitude professing membership, to be the governing power of the body of Christ. But I am asked : “Suppose the head should fail ? what then ?” Even should this occur, it would only hasten entire dissolution to make a head of the ﬁngers and toes—this done, it would not squirm long. We have examples enough in typical Israel to fully satisfy this inquiry. But I must close. What I have writ- ten has not been prompted by any selﬁsh mo- tive; my days, yea even my very last hours Of earthly existence, seem fast closing over my head; and I trust all my dear pupils will ac- cept these words from me kindly, as they are kindly given. HERVEY L. EADES. South Union, Ky. -———————<O>————— The Lord’s Prayer. Did you ever think, short though it is, how much there is in it ?—Oh! it is beautiful! And, like a dia‘ mond in the crown of a queen, it unites a thousand sparkling gems in one. It teaches all of us—-every one of us——to look to God as our parent—“Our Father.” It teaches us to raise our thoughts and desires above the earth—“Who art in heaven.” It tells us that we must reverence our Heavenly Father—“Hallowed be Thy Name.” It breathes the saints’ reward—“Thy Kingdom come.’ ’ And a submissive and obedient spirit—“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” And a dependent, trustingspirit—“Give us this day our daily bread.” And forgiving spirit-—“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” And a cautious spirlt—“Deliver us from evil.” And, last of all, an adoring spirit—“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory. forever Amen.”—Nature’s Arcana. .. ff’? God's hand to help us. What is the hand of God, but the power that is with- in us from Him? The power to will and to do what is right; to stand fast in the front of temptation; to walk securely in the strength He gives us? We grasp his hand, when we use this power. The true order of life is the government of reason- This must rule over all the lower things of sense. The appetites and passions must be held in complete sub- jection. God is with us and in us; gives us of His strength, and keeps us in safety so long as we maintain this true order of life. If we will not maintain it. He cannot do it for us; and the same law must rule in restoration and cure. as in normal order. We must use the strength God is sl. ways giving, and use it for ourselves. We would be on- ly machines. if He merely lived in us the msinsprlng of all our actions.-— T. 8. Arthur. THE SHAKER MANIFESTO . \/\/N/V J\/\/'~l\/\/\/V \f\f\/\I\./'\./‘-\./\./\l\.f 3 THE SHAKER MANIFESTO. I GEO. ALBERT LOMAS, EDITOR. BKAKER3 N. Y. @nr\/\ Is there a demand or a necessity for it ? Among the thousands of publications, periodicals, and general literature, print- ed in modern times, there is not any- thing of a religious character,*that bears any comparison with the entire testimo- ny of THE SHAKER MAN1EEsTo. There is not one that we know of, that encour- ages sexual purity, to the extent it de- mands of every follower of Jesus, the Christ. Does not the world need a more radical Christian testimony than any other religious periodical has as yet pre- sumed to advocate? Are not the lusts of the ﬂesh, through sexual impurities the roots of all the deviltry operating in the world today? And are not these impu- rities winked at by the general churches of the land? and a stillness that can be felt operating with the religious press, repre- senting these churches? Where this side of Mosaic statutes, can be found a se- verer denunciator of the perverted uses of the generative functions, than in Shaker testimony and its organ THE SHAKER MANIFESTO? Where will be found more manifest rebukes, that more are not born with sound minds in healthy bodies, than in the poverty of material necessary to make good Shakers? Where else is the or- gan that testiﬁes of the two natures of humanity, patterning the ﬁrst man Ad- am, and the second man Christ? or which teaches that the generation of the species human is of the earth, earthy— yet unchristian? or that makes celibacy on the part of the whole church of Christ a necessity with all its Communicants? We cannot point to such a periodical. We are familiar with the fact that the Roman Catholic Church has an enforced celibacy in several of its orders ; but that it as truly deals with marriage and the propagation of the species as sacraments of the Chrisdan Church, and implies a necessity that the Church shall make the marital bond l THE SHAKER MANIFESTO is the only exponent of the gospel of that radical Christianity which declares human prop- agation right-—rightly conducted—by “the children of the world ;” and against this propagation, by these parties, guided by Mosaic statutes, utters no word of pro- test. And it is the only advocate of the superior life, that the kingdom of Christ, of heaven, is peopled with celibates for this kingdom’s sake; that while “the children of the world marry,” and en- gage in human generations, however properly, the children of the resurrected Christ neither marry nor propagate, but live as did Jesus, strictly, virgin celibates without exceptions. There are other periodicals that advo- cate community of goods as does THE SHAKER MANIFESTO, but none more so ; none advocat'e the measures of peace more strongly, nor as radically, when viewing all contentions and wars as the consequences of “the lusts that war within your members.” Still there are numerous organs of societies God be praised, advocating more brotherhood and less inequalities; less of wars and their causes; and more of the heavenly relations on earth. But until there shall burst forth a herald of testimony, as deep and deeper in all that constituted the Primitive Christian Church, with the TI-IE} SHAKER MANIF‘E STO . 15 added self-denials, economy and organi- zations of the Second Appearing of the Christ Spirit, than does THE SHAKER MANIFESTO proclaim, we hold its issue a necessity demanded for a fuller salva- tion of the people. CONGRATULATION. We bow respectfully to our patrons, appearing as we do in Vol. 8. with form and features expressive of improvement. We congratulate all our readers upon the signs of our progress, and are happy to state that all is the work of Shaker hands. ‘We ask for a thorough perusal, kind criticism, and happy reﬂection. Our object is to do good alone. W'e have no right to harm any one’s feelings nor would we do so. Our first object is to promote radical, Christian religion a- mong all people, regardless of name or denominational persuasion. We con- gratulate you and ourselves that we have been vouchsafed the encouragement _that permits us to go on rejoicing in the good cause. j.¢.__. SPIRIT COMMUNICATION. The spirit communication published in Nov. SHAKER, purporting to come from DIOTHER ANN LEE attracted very wide attention, and has been commented upon most profusely, and always favorably. Had the most astute Shaker of today written that message, it would not have embraced more of the radical, early faith than it did. Many mediums have persuaded themselves to believe that MOTHER ANN inﬂuenced them to write out messages for her. These would al- most invariably contain clauses that would imply recantation of her mission, instruction to “progress” out of so much sexual purity; aiming at the destruction of the foundational pillars, etc. But here is one we can afford to believe to be genuine, because it agrees with the communications we receive from time to time ; and the fact that it came through a boy-medium, an entire stranger to us as a people, out on the Paciﬁc Ocean, yet true to the letter of our principles! Spiritualists and Spiritist Free-lovers, take notice l ._.o.__ A CONTINUOUS THANK OFFERING. That was a beautiful paragraph in N. Y. State Governor’s Proclamation, that suggested, amid “religious services, hap- py family reunions and social enjoyments incident to the occasion, the poor and unfortunate be remembered with gener- ous liberality.” ‘When our love and thanks to_God shall alway take this form of expression, there will be more prac- tical religion in the world than Bibles, Prayer Books or Churchal ceremonies can ever inaugurate. “I pray thee then, said Abou, Write me as one who loves my fellow men; And the next night he came again. With a great awakening light, Showing the names whom ’_‘., love of God had blast, And 10! Ben Adhem’s name led allthe rest!" _._.¢.___ ANGELS or JUDGMENT‘. The signs of the times indicate that the detective and judgment angels are active, and are spreading their warning cry to the yet unexposed defaulters to honest instructions. The various cities of the Union are being visited, and we hope for the continuance of abode to these ministrants of justice. Let all 16 THE SHAKER STO. “ﬂee from the wrath to come”—let the honest remain so; and let the dishonest confess and repent. “God is not mock- ed 1” Strange that men and women will commit themselves to a career of crime, which, if concealed from mortal eyes for a few years, works in them corruption of humanity, and is sure of exposure at immortal. courts 1 .___.°.__.... LIBERAL LEAGUE. An account, too short however, of the doings of the Liberal League Convention, from the pen of Elder F. W. Evans, will be read with a curious pleasure. As we fol- lowed the proceedings, in type, we could not well help thinking of a menagerie of noble, wild animals. Each had his or her roar, and nearly every tone and col- or was presented. We are glad to learn, there was one chorus, which they all had learned sufficiently well to sing together——Distinction of Church and State Goive'r1zments—and may that chorus and its reverberations never be hush- ed 1 ’ :—O0o—— “A RARITY.” “A good Shaker is a rarity ;” was the remark of a kindly disposed neighbor. Wonder not at it. “A good Shaker,” means, synonymously, “a perfect chris- tian l” One who lives in a state of contin- ual self-ab_asement, self-sacriﬁce, in behalf of others. No desire nor time for self- gratiﬁcation nor recreative pleasure, until serving God by saving souls becomes gratifying and recreative. Picture to yourselves the most thorough type of a follower after Jesus; one walking in the footsteps of Jesus’ life, and you may safely point out such as “a good Shaker” however rare. MOODY AND SANKEY. Elder Evans means no disrespect. we are sure, by the remark upon their kind of christianity. Any party who aims to resurrect humanity, and does make them better shall have a “God bless” from every Shaker heart; just as Paul does in his attempts, and those who follow Paul. But Paul, Moody, and Sankey are apologists for the ﬂesh ; and the genuine life of Christ is not found in the gospel they preach. Paul found the people un- equal to a full cross against the ﬂesh, and for a virgin life ; so he “ﬁxed up” a gos- pel that has better pleased the worldly mind ever since. Just so with too many evangelists today. They preach part of Christ, and adulterate the true gospel. Let Moody live the life Jesus lived, and Sankey sing the self-denials and hates of the beloved Apostle, and in these, preach from the spirit of Christ, and the world at large, so stirred by their appeals now, would soon get over the curiosity and look upon them as they now look upon the Shakers—vcry good doctrine. but very unpalatable I BE NOBLE. BY THE EDITOR. The children are not forgotten by any means; neither through neglect nor through an abundance of else to do and to think of! They must have a department in every num- ber. We will begin the series in this volume, by saying, that your friends are desirous you should be interested and proﬁted. One of ' the children’s friends has written, that “the ISEIE B. MANIF‘ESTO. 17' first step towards being instructed in any good thing, is to become thoroughly inter- estcd.” I am confident you all would like to be con- sidered noble; and the first step towards be- ing so, is to be true to think and act, as you have been taught is right; and while making few or no mistakes, you will grow up to be noble men and women. The little boy who raised a stone to kill the toad, thought he heard something speak to him, “that it was a wrong act,” and he did not throw the stone. It was conscience that spoke to that boy, and it will speak to you too. One boy was at work in a linen shop, and his employer want- ed him to help stretch a piece of linen, to make it longer, so as to get more money for it. “I cannot do itl’.’ he cried, “for it is wrong to do so !” His employer discharged him, stating he would never make a salesman; but he grew up a godly man, and was none other than Dr. Adam Clarke, of whom your friends can tell you, a great deal of nobility for which he was noted. Be kind to those who need help; and who cannot easily help themselves. Not long since, a School-house in the city of New York caught ﬁre. One noble boy remained, until he saw all the little fellows were safe, and then. choking with smoke, carried in his arms a poor, crippled boy, whom he induced to sit still, under promise that he would save him; and he did save him! The School authorities summoned this no- ble fellow before them, spoke very many good words to him, and presented him with a valuable medal! But the noble feelings he can always have that he so helped the needy, are worth more than all medals! It was a noble little girl, (who after became avery no- ble woman,) who begged that some naughty boys would stop teasing and stoning a deranged woman, telling them that “it is somebody’s dear mother, may be!” And not another stone was thrown, nor any further disrespect shown. Conscience will be near you, if you do not drive it away by many acts of disobedience; but too oft this is the case, and it is left to stand afar off, like a reproving angel, ‘who cannot get nearer because of repeated acts of rebellion. See what happens, oftentimes to those who are not noble enough to be obedi- ent to what they know is right: Three boys stood close by the Hudson riv- er; one boy suggests that they all go in swimming; two agreed to do so, the other said he had promised his mother he would not go in swimming unless she knew of it. The other two laughed at his noble stand to obey hi mother. They went in swimming; and thence into an old boat; the boat turned over and both boys were drowned. It was afterward learned, that these two boys had given their parents the same promise of the noble boy who kept his, and saved his life. Be noble, dear children in all things. - mam _ Shaker Village, N. H. Dec. 1877. Dear Elizabeth, In reading “THE SHAKER,” I observe many good things for grown people; but little chil- dren hardly come in for their share. Be sure, the editor has a “0'hs'ldren’s Grotto,” and some other little ‘tokens that childhood is remem- bered, but would not a short story be nice for some weary mother to read to her little ones, for pleasure to them, and a much needed rest to herself? You have oﬁen promised to help those like me——and I am only a little larger girl— when I would knock, so I want to write a story out of whole truth, and then knock for criticisms; but I will only tell what my eyes saw, and ears heard, as wise folks say. To be sure I interest the children, I shall imag- ine many of them clustered about me in a lis- tening attitude: Little friends, I will repeat to you what I have just told my teacher. I will tell you only truth, for I was there, and saw and heard all I will tell you. Just in front of the house where I lived, when about ten years old, were some low spruce trees ; low, because they had not grown tall since placed in the yard for a shade. In one of these, a little brown sparrow had built a nest, in which she had laid three tiny, spotted eggs. You may be sure I watched the old bird, and saw all she did that young eyes could see, for I knew that dear little birdlings were the natural result of those eggs, and don't you think I laid many girlish plans of feeding them, and coming into self- ish ownership of the little family. I was 18 THE SHAKER STO. -never:apt to be behind when selﬁsh pleasures were to be enjoyed, so you can see how much I am like the little boy or girl before me, who wants to own something all to his or her- self. One quiet Sabbath morning, when stillness was as real as noise could have been, I heard the sparrow mother making decided notes- shall I call it scolding? that is not apretty word, but a robin was striving to get posses- sion of the nest, and I tell you, the brave mother sparrow, was stoutly defending her rights. The conﬂict was short, and sharp, when the naughty robin, as I then thought, ﬂew away. My poor, dear sparrow, how she panted, and how good she seemed to me, that she would not desert her little eggs, though sadly persecuted. That is just like any good mother who loves her children dearly. I was still at the window in an upper lott, when three. robins——instead of one—returned, and oh, such a battle as followed! Well, the re- sult was, in a very short time, my sparrow was vanquished, and hanging by the neck outside the nest. When peace was restored, for the robins leﬁ the premises at once, as if guilty, or in fear of the Sheriﬁ"—several small branches were taken from the tree, and what do you think we found? The nest secure upon one, and the poor mother made fast thereto, by several horse hairs, securely twisted about her neck, and fastened to small twigs! She was dead, for in some Zmysterious manner she had lost her life while seeking to defend her home against those bold intruders. Would you have thought it? Others examined the case, but if I had not been present, I might have felt just as you; so been left to wonder how it all came about. My dear little listeners, I would like to talk longer, but our editor makes us afraid to write long stories; but this is a true one how- ever short. Now run and do some good thing for the dear mother who is with you, and I will talk with you again, if you will like to have me. Jnsxsarra Fonssr. 44> Shaker Village, N. H. Dec. 1877. Dear Editor, As my age places me among the fathers, and as good fathers always love to please the children, I have wondered if the boys and girls would not be interested with some account of my former life, as a sailor, and the events which conspired to bring me to my peaceful home with the Shakers. I offer some inci- dents connected with my experience, hoping, by so doing, to do a little good to those for whom I feel a father’s love and interest. We will commence with the description of one little Coral Island in the midst of the Pa- ciﬁc Ocean on which we staid about nine weeks. Its position is about 4 deg., North latitude, 157 West longitude, from Greenwich, London, in England. The width of the Paciﬁc Ocean is stated by Geographers to be ten thousand miles, and its entire length from North to South nearly or quite a thousand miles greater than its width. 0, it is a vast Ocean! We have sailed on its waters, weary days, months and years; from the latitude of sixty degrees South, in doub- ling Cape Horn, to that of ﬁﬂy-two degrees on the North West coast of America. But to return to our Coral Islands whose existence we ﬁrst learned when a boy, about twelve years of age, from reading “Fanning’s Voyages.” Fanning, as perhaps some of the boys know was a Seal-man from Stonington, Conn. and visited many of the islands in the Paciﬁc Ocean, situated in the South Temper- ate, and South Frigid Zone, for the purpose of obtaining the skins of the Fur Seal and oth- er fur-bearing amphibious, animals, that were very plenty in these islands. These Seal men used to take their furs to China, and exchange them for teas and silks, which they shipped to Europe and America at an advanced price. It was while making a passage from the islands where he had collect- ed his cargo of fur seal skins, that Fanning discovered the island that now bears his name. He went ashore in his small boat, and found the cocoa nuts growing so near the shore, and so abundant, that his boat’s crew by forming a line, were able to pass the nuts from one to another, until their boat was ﬁlled. He re- mained but a short time at the Island, and proceeded on his way to China. Fanning’s brother, afterward visited the isl- and and remained three months; collecting Beech dc Her, or Sea Slug; a substance that looks very much like an old india rubber TIIE SHAKER MAN1F‘ESTO. 19 shoe. We have read that the Chinamen put it in their soup. After this preface we will re- late the cause of our being on this island, and what transpired there; classing our future correspondence under the title of the Autobiography of a Quondam Sailor. WILLIAM G. LIBBEY. CHAP. I. We belonged to a whale ship, called the Wm. C. Nye, of New London, Conn. She was one of the ships destroyed by the pirate Shenandoah, in the Paciﬁc Ocean, after the close of the Southern Rebellion. At the time we were in her, she was a ﬁne, strong ship, well ﬁtted, and manned by acrew who were mostly young men, and natives of Connecticut. Their intelligence, and general good conduct was above the average of whale- ship crews, with whom we have sailed. We visited a group of islands in about 9 de- grees South Latitude and 137 degrees West Longitude, where we remained about a week, obtaining a good supply of bananas, sweet potatoes, crook-neck squashes, cocoa-nuts, bread fruit, and a large number of swine. The last mentioned, were the occasion of our calling at Fanning’: Island. We sailed from the group of islands, whose position we have already given, towards the Equator, working to the westward under easy sail, a strong current setting the ship in that direction. We fed our swine on cocoa-nuts, and having only enough to keep them for a few weeks, a fresh supply must be procuredto keep them alive. Knowing that cocoa-nuts were plenty on Fanning’s Island, our oﬂlcers ‘decided to visit it and procure a supply. As Soon as we learned that our ship was to call at this Island, I felt a strong desire to make a home among its trees, which we had seen in passing on a former voyage. Let me now respectfully ask liberty for a more frequent use of the personal pronouns, I and my, not so much to express selﬁsh pos- session, as to make my story more familiar. Our island settlement was on a . community basis, for all things there were free, and very common too. My reasons for leaving our ship for this desolate island, were of a relig- ious nature; while there were other causes ihat had some weight in my decision to leave the ship, my religious motives were the most weighty, tipping the reasoning scale in favor of forsaking all my little earthly gear, and go- ing, nearly destitute upon this speck of a Cor- al Island, uninhabited, desolate, and more than one thousand miles from any human beings, civilized, or savage. With so many miles be- tween me and all others of my race—with my little Bible too—from which I could get so much religion-——wou1dn’t I'be good? Ah, but I did not realize then, that desolate islands could never hide one from his own thoughts! I had intended to go alone, but wishing my brother John to have my chest, books, clothes, tools, bed, &c. I informed him one night, in our watch, of my intention to leave the ship, and become a hermit on the island we were then approaching, and asked him to stay and take possession of my outﬁt. He seemed sur- prised at my undertaking. I shall never for- get with what scorn he rejected my proposal for him to pursue the voyage! His answer came squarely: “I won't go any further in this ship unless you do. If you go on this island, I will go too.” [To be continued] ensue.-= E Selected. to-=e—4===/-3.9-6 #4; 39:9 When a man chooses the rewards of virtue, he must remember that to resign the pleasures of vice is part of his bargain. {:- To think kindly of each other is good; to speak kind- ly of each other is better; but toact kindly one towards another is best of all. To}. The love which does not lead to labor will soon die out; and the thankfulness which does not embody itself in sacriﬁces is already changing to ingratitude. ._—.¢.:... How to be Somebody. Don‘t stand sighing. wishing and waiting, but go to work with an energy and perseverance that will set every object in the way of your success ﬂying like leaves before a whirlwind. A milk and water way of doing business leaves a man in the lurch every time- He may have ambition enough to wish himself on the topmost round of the ladder of success. but if he has 20 not the goaheaditiveness to pull himself up there, he ‘will inevitably remain at the bottom, or at best, on the very low rounds. Never say I can't, never admit there is such a word; it has dragged its tens of thousands to poverty and degradation, and it is high time it was stricken from our language; but carry a whole lexicon of I cans and I wills with you, and thus armed, every obstacle in the way of your success will vanish. Nev. er envy your neighbor his success, but try and become like him, and as much better as you can. If at ﬁrst you don't succeed, don’t wilt down with despondency and I can’t, but gird on the armor of I can, and my word for it you will. :_.°.__. If We Had But a Day. WE should ﬁll the hour with the sweetest things If we had buta day; We should drink alone at the purest springs In our upward way; We should love with a life-time’s love in an hour If the hours were few; . We should rest, not for dreams, but forfresher powe, To be and do. We should guide our wayward or wearied wills By the clearest light; We should keep our eyes_on the heavenly hills If they lay in sight; We should trample the pride and the discontent Beneath our feet ; We should take whatever a good God sent With a trust complete. We should waste no moment in weak regret I! the day were but one, If what we remember and what we forget Went out with the sun; We should be from our clamorous selves set free To work or to pray, And to be what the Father would have us be, If we had but a day. [Mary Lowe Dickinson. ’ {com We ought asmuch to pray for a blessing upon our daily rod, as upon our daily bread.—Dr. Owen. If we accustom ourselves to seltidenial, we break the firce of most temptations.—Bond. -——4IOO-T From the Ohio Farmer Work Cheerily, Boys. Do your work bravely and cheerily, boys, Whatever the duty may be; Work thoroughly done, without bluster or noise, Is the kind that's delightful to see. Then rouse in the morning with never a plea For ‘a few minutes longer’ in bed; But up! like the wide awake boys you should be, With so many pets to be fed. Your chickens have called you, and called you in vain To come with their oats and their corn; And the masters proclaimed in their cheeriest strain that their breakfast time comes with the morn. THE S MANWESTO. And the little white rabbits with tender pink eyes Look tirnidly out from their nest: I know they are watching for two little boys To bring them what rabbits love best. Then up and be stirring! I care not how much You whistle and sing at your work: If you throw your good-will into all that you touch, You will never be tempted to ‘shirk.’ So whatever you do, boys, though hard it may be, Do it cheerily, bravely and well; Then you will be boys most delightful to see, And men who will make their deeds tell! OIIIG Wﬁ % @&R@E[l€1i 2 Improved Bloom.—Powdered charcoal strew- ed thickly at the base of plants in bloom, will increase the richness of the ﬂowers to no inconsiderable extent. Lice on Plants.—The fumes of tobacco is the best curative of lice and other insects on house-plants. Set a little smoking tobacco on ﬁre under the plants, and let the fumes be directed thence to all parts of the plant. 0wrc1dz'o—We tested the plan of strewing tomato vines under plum trees, as a prevent- , ive of the curculio; and on a tree that we have invariably lost all, or nearly every plum, we had a nice quantity of most beautiful fruit. We shall practice the simple provision. Melons.—A dry, warm season has proved the very best to develop melons, in size and ﬂavor. We wish to render praise, in especial man- ner to the variety of muskmelon known as. “Sc'll’s Hybrid,” as foremost in the estimation of all who tested it hereabouts. Cut the %'eed.—A recent test of the differ- ence of cut and uncut fodder, resulted in fa- vor of one ton of cut hay, straw and stalks being worth a third more than the uncut, as food; and the waste saved by cutting, pays for the cutting. ‘ Potatoes as Cattle Food, will probably come into common use this season, in those districts where heavy crops glut the local markets and THE SHAKER '1\(ANIB'ES'1‘O. 21 heavy freights preclude distant ones. In this «connection the results of a series of experi- ments by Dr. Wolﬁ‘, a German chemist, may be proﬁtably instructive to some of our read- ers. He experimented in raw and cooked potatoes to two cows, together with hay and rape-seed cake. When fed on cooked pota- toes theanimals did not give as large a quan' tity as when fed upon raw; but the milk made nearly a third more butter, forty-two pounds of milk having been required to make a pound of butter in one case and only twenty-seven pounds in the other.—Rwral New Yorlccr. To prevent moss from growing on young fruit trees it should be removed by washing with weak lye, or thin lime whitewash, or strong soapsuds; or it may simply be scraped off, if thick, and the bark then washed with soapsuds. A reader of the Maine Farmer makes a statement respecting the value of ashes as a fertilizer; and says he is‘ acquainted with an instance in his own vioinityﬁwhere unleaclied ashes were liberally applied to aﬁeld more than twenty years ago; and their good eﬂ‘ects. over surrounding land, to which they were not applied, are still plainly visible. If every farmer made it a rule, rigidly ad-. hered to, to keep stirring the soil not onlyxto destroy weeds, but to improve the land. farm- ing would be so suddenly advanced that it would amount to almost a revolution. Three important advantages are secured by this sim- ple operation; clearing the land of weeds, mellowing it and enriching it. r~~ C ~~~~ ~ = ‘ ‘ L HOME TOPICS. -K-L on-400$ Ventilation.—All the disinfectants that can be used in sick rooms, unless accompanied with good ventila tion, are useless, or at least comparatively useless. Ventilation ﬂrst, in all cases ; this is of primary impor tance and should never be forgotten. —?O°Oj-' 0atmeal.—0atmeal contains the largest amount of nutriment of any cereal. A man could live and grow {at on a quart of milk and six cents’ worth of oatmeal- per day. Persons who wish to live economically can thus reduce their expenses to seventy-iive cents per week. -s-.g°.:_ If the sufferer from sore and enlarged joints in the feet will bathe the parts with iodide of ammonia he can be relieved as speedily as I have been.—[American. Farm Journal. mmm We are not innocent when we do anything to harm ourselves. L. C. jgcgj. Why are cultivated ﬂowers called Florist’s ﬂowers? ‘Because they owe their variations to the skill of florists, and not to the ordinary processes of nature. U. S. Agri. Report. .__..°.j A Paris Journal states that the bad smell and taste of Butter may be entirely removed by working it over in water mixed with Chloride of Lime. Take a sufficient quantity of water to work it in, add twenty-ﬁve to thirty drops Chloride Lime, for every ten lbs. Butter. When thoroughly worked in this solution, it shanld be worked again in pure water, when it will be as sweet as when ﬁrst made. j Cures for Fits. 1. F01: A rrr or PAsSION.—W&1k out in the open air: you may speak your mind to the winds without hurting any one, or proclaiming yourself a simpleton. 2. Fons rrr or Innmuzss.-—Count the ticking of a clock: do this for one hour, and you will be glad to pull oil‘ your coat the next and work at anything. To Remove Marks from Tables. Hot dishes sometimes leave whitish marks on var- nished tables, when set as they should not be, careless- iy upon them. For removing them, pour some lamp oil on the spot, and rub it hard with a son cloth. Pour on a little spirits, and rub it dry with another cloth, and the whole mark will disappear, leaving the table as bright as before. W tot-Io-——o——-or CO-‘OI-§- O-"5 30: 5 onnuansr- O0-—-no-OH~——0——~HoH+~—0—-H00 Bctsey Littleﬂeld, at West Gloucester, Nov. 6, aged 76 years and 7 months. John Styles, Poland Hill, Maine, November 1, aged 62. Clinton Yarrington, 34 years of age, while crossing the c-Rail-Road track was struck by the cars and instantly killed at South Union, Ky., November 17. 28 THE SHAKER MANIFESTO. CIEISTIAN PILGBILI DO NOT FALTER From the Spirit of John Bu/nyan. ——-co-o——— Jums G. RUSSELL. ENFIELD, N. H. E§1%:,_;_::;:! Chris-tian pil-grim, do not fal-ter: Dost thou dread the tower-ing ;___3e—e .’5—:Pr:_ e-12 4 2 .:e—— 5 “J: 1‘’—';___.___J2__ :: —— «-4-—o -— ——I ~ - —u——- —-— ‘V W - VJ? {a Cross? Take it quick-ly, bear it meek-ly, And thou wilt in truth re- 'z- I _,_.__ Q. ____a.___. joice. One has borne the cross be - fore thee—Tast-ed %€?%,;*3—3t d L _.___ ._- TI-IE SHAKER STO. 23 death’s most bit - ter cup, Give thy - self, like 2. Christian pilgrim, do not falter: 3. Christian pilgrim, do not falter: Are there Lions in the way? Is Apollyon coming on? Heed them not, they cannot harm thee, Seize thy sword, prepare for battle, Let not fear thy heart dismay. Here's a victory to be won. Thine Example, bright and lovely Tho’ the strife be ﬁerce and bloody, Passed these dreaded monsters here. Keep thy zeal a burning ﬂame ; Be like him in faith abounding, One has conquered this Apollyon— Pass them without doubt or fear. Thou canstnow achieve the same. 4. Christian pilgrim, do not falter: 5. Christian pilgrim, do not falter : Hast thou reached the Shadow’d Vale? Dost thou fear the river’s ﬂow? Tho’ with death-like terrors streaming, One has entered here before thee. Let not now thy courage fail. Thro’ these waters thou must go». He who walked this vale before thee, Oh! the glories that await thee Braved its dangers all alone ; Just ahead on yonder shore 1 Trust in God thy Heavenly Father, Christian, great is thy deliverance, He will now protect his own. Thou art blest. forevermore. TEE STO. Editorial Notes. Meneeley Co. of West Troy N. Y. are competing with the U. 8. government in civilizing the Indians! Gov- ernment sending destructive, horror making cannons ; Meneeley Co. sending sweet sounding Cntmcn Bums! Meneeley Co. were along way ahead at last accounts. —-2}.- We are using a number of Tim Brcxr-onn Kiurrme Mncnxxss; and they are very satistactory indeed. Being among“the wonders in this age" of machinery, theirutility and expedition in business should be expe. rienced by all, at so small cost. ::”:_: Material for FENCES of wood variety is getting scarce. We must soon accept the alternative of no fences, or rely on the metal ones offered us by WASH. suns, Monaco. ——.1.°..——. Please read advertisement of Wasson and Mum! several times. Thy form an enterprlsig and reliable ﬁrm. .—.o.—'_ Tim Earn? 0.30»: scarcely, needs our, praise. We, have many of them in our Societies, and every one is a “Home Delight.” We further say, that CLUn'r'r has furnished us. j_.°.j. We are at a loss to speak as yet, of the but WATER Wnnsn; but we are at no loss to say that the ﬁrms of Lefel & Co. and N. F. Burnham, who enter into friend- y competition in our columns, are both most honorable. . Every farmer will yet be his own Mxnnnn; grinding out his “religious bread” as Elder F. W. Evans would say; then they will send for one of. Sedgebeer’s “Non. pareil.” Send for a ‘circular now. .——%§:— Van Deusen’s Tun Luann and “Business Cards” are a desiderata long looked for. Send for a Circular and sample. —-—&O-—- Tn] U. S. PIANO Co. enter a challenge to other man_ ufacturers and salesmen. we mean to make ourselves more acquainted with their instruments. People will have Pianos, and they will look where to get them, in Tim Sinxsn MANIFESTO. mgoyj By reference to our Br. Philip Smith's advertise- ment, it will be seen that Farmers, Gardeners, Ama. ‘curs, and “the rest of mankind” can get genuine S!IAK_ nnGa.1u>1:x Suns by mail, at the very lowest cash prices. ’I‘rythe seeds, coming immediately from the grower; it will pay you. maj- The Hon. Clute Bros. of Schenectady, N. Y. present most excellent encouragements for parties wishing En_ gines,‘Boilers, etc. We know, also, of the “CLUTE Pnouon" being the best plough yet created, for al} kinds of cross ploughing. .—:&Q——:u Q-Parties answering advertisements: please mention Tm: Siuxnn Mann-as-ro? Will you We have been acquainted with F. T. Van Patten for more than twenty years, and assure our friends, who need Broom Machinery, or anything in his line of busi- ness, that they will receive the best of satisfaction. Send for his Circular. —:——¢j—- A Usnrm. Apussrus: John Bunyan said, that “an idle boy’s or girl's head was the devil’s workshop.” Get them the “Keystone Self-Inker" with’ complement of type. See Adv. gm Oitentimes, we are led to regret, that there are un- scrupulous persons, who, realizing the solid beneﬁts of judicious advertising, will use it most freely on some useless or worse than useless articles, and soon retire with fortunes of ill-earned gains. But we ean still‘ point to thousands who by a wholesome judicious judgment, have used advertising to their exceeding profit! and to the'most creditable advancement of use- ful materials. Such, we believe our patrons to be. 40% NOTICE. We repeat, any parties sincerely de» sirous of learning more of “THE PEO- PLE, CALLED Snaxnns ;” “Ann LEE, and HER PEOPLE ;” “Community Principles,” etc. may be accommodated with speakers, by reference to this oﬁlce. ~ ewe Steadiness of Purpose. In whatever you engage, pursue it with a steadiness of purpose, as though you were determined to succeed. A vacillating mind never accomplishes anything worth naming. There is nothing like a ﬁxed, steady aim. It digniﬁes our nature, and insures our success. Who have done the most for mankind? Who have secured the rarest honors? Who have raised themselves from poverty to riches? Those who were steady to their purposes. The man who is one thing today and math‘ er to-morrow—who drives an idea pell-mell this week, while it drives him the next—is always in trouble, and does nothing from one year's end to the other. Look ’ at and admire the man of steady purpose. He moves noiselessly along, and yet what wonders he accom- plishes. He rises, gradually we grant, but surely. Dipping nails in oil, or even wetting them with water or spittle greatly prevents splitting of the lumber, and the bending of the nail. The longer linseed oil is kept for painting purposes the better, in regard to its drying qualities, transparency and durability. Almost any sting—except the sting of conscience- may be cured by applying Spirits of Turpentine. SHAKER’S "VV'I'.'N']30'VV' S_A.SI_-I LOCK. A new device for securing ventilation. ,,»__,,.., ,%.>j?,.__ . SIMPLE AND EASILY IVIANIPULATED, ADJU. TABLE TO ALL WINDOW’ SASII, SAFELY HOLDING EITHER AT ANY POINT. VVITIIOUT MARRTNG PAINT OR VA RNISII. ———O<>o———-—- It consists of a clamp bar let loosely into the. left side of the window frame, having two small lever eccentrics attached thereto by a. screw or rivet, at the center, i where the sash comes together. The strip which holds the sash in place islet on the eccentrics, the lever or points only being visible. If a parting strip is used it should be cut off at the bar, so that the top may be used at pleasure. By pressing on the points the position of the eccentrics are changed so as to press against the lower sash, causing the catch on the end of the bar to pull against the top sash, thus locking them so tight that it is impossible to move either without opening the points. Also, the eccentrics, if desired, may be put on the left face of each sash frame, in which case they will perfectly lock and tighten the sash and destroy all shaking and rattling by winds or otherwise. In this case the eccentrics are visible. The strip must he sawed off from the lower eccentric upwards, the thickness of the eccentrics, so that it will work against the under frame. When the sash is too loose to be tightened by the eccentric, tack two bits or a strip on the right-hand edge. In short, it is the simplest, safest and best sash lock in existence. and needs only to be seen to ‘be appreciated. Sample sent by mail for twenty-five cents. South Union, Logan 00., Kg. S. J. RUSSELL. 1 I (42 mm" Enos. are 30.. I l SOHENEOTADY, N.Y. l E C ﬁuilder: of ./Marine, Slaliomngyrmd 77arIabIe I . ' 6‘!eam Engine: and ﬂoilert. Shaker Broom Handle Lathes, (the but Lathe in Market.) Engines for Farm work, cutting and steaming feed, driving |ThresMng Machines, cj‘~c.. from 1 horse, to 10 horse power. Send for Price Iiist. 87 P‘ . on 187 Q I I o1_‘I_T(:L0TH. I AaPET1NG.”"’“‘* WINTEEHSTYLES RECEIV ED DAILY. _>‘_: 53 State street, ALBANY, N. Y. TIIE POOR OLD TRAMI’. Is the title of a new and beautiful song and chorus, by VVill L. Thompson. Author of the famous “Gathering Shells from the Sea Shore.” Dealers are ordering it by the thou- —-~—O<>o——— The second, third, and fourth ﬂoors, made as accessible as ‘; the ground ﬂoor, bya new 0 °m\i1J;:i.11IVo i and handsome Hydraunc sand. The whole country will soon be sing. ‘ygggmgnn }‘,LBVATOB_ ing “The Poor Old Tramp.” Price, with A A_‘7_ _ handsome picture title, 40 cents.——Pz'ttsburg ,,,l 7 I OIL CL0TH- |1878| Dispatch. Published by w.1.. THOMPSON I l I I & CO., East Liverpool, Ohio. Washburn & Moen Man'f'g co. wonczsrsn, muss. sac xuumum me or Chicago. at . Jllilll STEEL lllﬂll lillillﬁ. co--p —: 1 y r 4; A_h A 81';-tr-.'1:"rnom Hedge. No 01119; rend; so cheap or _t up so quickly. Never rusts. stains. 500113. not warps. Unaﬁhcted by tire. wind.orﬂood. A complete barriortothomost 'l‘KO!’J:A.°cNkl5 '1‘ NB PU'1‘T¥'g DURING THE LAST YEA'l‘!.m Fgr ado at‘tll1: landing hudwuo sums. trauma mania-. Bnndfotmustratod runnm. " Also Manufacturers of all kinds . IRON AJVD STEEL WIRE. A Speciality made of TINNED BROOK WIRE. of M uumi..muuu;l.uw-» ~~-‘ PERFECT BALANCE AT ALL POINTS. Shaker Sash Balance, A -.:op.1o go qua JOAOE pun '1uzuaumu.Io‘o[q9.1nq ‘saxog 2 su|9gaM sapasladng Satisfaction guaranteed. Samples by mail for $1.25. Agents wanted to canvass in all parts of the United States. Address S. J. RUSSELL, Patentee, South Union, Ky. A rnr SHAKBRJS connnrrvs SABSAPARILLA, For Purifying the Blood; best Medicine at all Sea.- Ions. Ask for it at your Druggists. Maynard & Noyes Boston. SIIAKER FLANNELS & KNIT GOODS, com: BROOMS & BRUSHES. Address, i23,1877, N. A. Briggs Shaker Village, N. H. ‘out! coauuoum POLISI-IER, > Paton ted J an . Tool for Cutting. Leveling and Polishing Furrows in a Mill Stone. \Vith the use of this tool the miller can make a uniform, level and smooth furrow, and do the work in one-tenth the time required to do it with a Mill Pick. It is acknowletlgt-(1 by millers using them to be the most practical and labor-saving ’l‘oo| for the miller’s use. The frame is iron, with wood handle. The cutting face is a composition of recently dis- covered mineral, the hardest and fastest cut»- ting material known to the scientiﬁc world. One of these tools will last, in an ordinary mill, from one to two years, and can be reﬁlled at ll cost of $2. By sending amount you will save expense. PRICE $3, 50, Manufaetured by & CO.. DAYTON, O. 1iROOl\I MACHINHJRX' Wheelbarrow Factory, ' F. T. VAN PATTEN,‘Proprietor, MANUF.\(‘.TURER OF BROOM WINDERS, VISES, SCRAPERS, TR IMMERS, PLANT1:1:.x‘ AND WHEEL 3.43120 WS. SCHENECTADY, N. Y. 9. 0. BOX, 26. NOTE. I desire to call attention to the extreme simplicity of all machines made by me, also to the fact that they are all made by experienced workmen. and from the bent seasoned timber. §’Answering advertisement: Please mon- tion Tm-2 SHAKER MANIFESTO. V‘ M. Improved Shaker Mangle. This Mangle is very heavy and strongly built}: runs smoothly, and performs EXCELLENT VVORK ANIDIB EASILY KEPT IN REPAIR. Even to Laundries already supplied with STEAM CYLINTJRICAL MANGLES. This machine is a very necessary addition, as it is more economical. We confident y recommend this as the ' BEST BOX MANGLE IN THE COUNTRY. N. A. BRIGGS, Shaker Village, N. H. "OX 06’) J 7.50 SAVE Q It is so simple in construction and runs so easily that a. child can operate it. 1? It has the straight, seq/lsetling needle, out im- zrroted shuttle, with a. 1m_'fectte7L.~i(m., which does not change as the bobbin becomes exhausted. Ki‘ All the wearing points are adjustable, and it combines every desirable improvement. 1? Every Machine is sent out ready for use. after being thoroughly tested. Notwithstanding the GREAT REDUCTION IN PRI(‘.l<]s we continue to use the best material and exercise the greatest care in their manufacture. » s VICTOR SEWING MACHINE ‘.30., Western Branch Omen, 381 West Madison St., Chicago, Ill. PZIHCZPAL OFFICE and Manufzctories, lliddetown, Conn. . ED SHAKER WASHING M C “,,\9v.0" Wm ml‘ caaaca victim’ "”A/5, . u H I l . i Improved Shaker Washing Machines. For La1u.ul1'ies, Ilotcls, Asyluins and other la1';_r;e Institutions. Pref'eron(-e gin-u in Report of J udgt-S at the ("eiitcnnial Exhibition, l\I«r(lal and Diploma Awarded. N. A. lhigggs Shaker Village, N. II. I’¢1tcn.fed July 23, 1377. A Practical Christmas Present.- I ’""‘N}:VH'TEL"“" anufactnrer of $2 Self-ink” KBWOHG :s‘IIAKER BR OOMS, Press, 100 Punting Letters, Roller, Ink, 9] . _] ‘"11 W ;, _A ~ Rcglets, Loads, C:n'd.~‘, Type, and Outside ‘ 1” Cy 1 age? 1 I355‘ ‘-—-,—:9' Case. All for $3, Stump for Catalogue. ' ¢\GE NT FOR w_~C_ ].;,.,ms, 50 N_ Nim1,gt,_ P1111,“ p,,_ “ l‘he Sliakc1"‘—monthly—G0 L-ts. per annum. “Tho Divine Aﬂluti1s”——1O cts. per copy. “'I‘ho Sliukc-1"s unswg-r"—6 cts. per copy. N. A. Sl€R1I{GG%,_n N H ] “Tho Divinity of IIumanity”—-3 cts. pcrcopy. . In or i ago, '. . Tliberal (lit,-)(‘.()1,lYl('2 in qtunititic,-5:. J. SEDGEBEEWS PATENT NONPAREIL St-lf - Sharpening, Reversible Motion Cl'llSilllI}.'l\l‘ld Grinding Farm, Bone and Drug Mills. 12 sizes. Semi for free illus- trated descriptive Catalogues - and Prim‘-list. Address I. SEDGEBEEB. Paine.-wille. 0. ' A 5 ' V 1 T W 3 'V M MN LELY S BE lib. The ,r.:cnuim- TROY CIIURFII BELLS known to the public since |826, which ll:l\'(' nvjuirr-(I :1 r(-pu‘.a- tion unequaled l,r_v nuy, and :1 sale (-xx-(-etlivg that of all ntht-r.~'. No :lg‘(‘Il(fi(‘S. I’. O. zuldrt-.~'s, (~i‘.l1e1' ' Troy or west Troy, N. Y. MENEELY &. GO. Ii sell :7. first-Class rm. cheaper than any other ‘ ‘—,-, lvuurc in Amrric 1. Have nu ii-J_l;rAuev1ls,l»lIt «:1 umacr T0 ‘FAMILIES AT FACIORV l PRICL and warrant 5 years‘ \ I’i;mr>s sent for trial at our ' ’ expense. lllustrated Circular Free. giving full nart'cular<. and names ofovcr 2,00‘! l:mker<, l\le1cl\;mI~' and F.-milirs using our Pianos in every State anal Terrimry. A(idl'C\'§, U. S. PI IN" "Nu 8 '0 Brntulwﬂllo N. Y- .e$”2TiWllI'TTTllGill1ACHlNE.l The NEW BICKFORD FAMILY KNITTING MA- CHINE all complete for $20. (former lowest Price $303 Delivered at any Express oﬂice in the U. S. or Game. 9' Free, on Receipt of Retail Price. Send for New De- scriptive Circular. A splendid chance for AGENTS! ' one wanted in every Town. Exclusive Right of Sale given FREE. Address. l<lI(‘KFOl{D KNITTING M.\(‘lIl.\'l-‘I MF(’r. (T()., BnATr1.1»;_:-n_Im. V1" LABELS. ]’uf€/It Mim- 1"ar¢:d I.(l]A(‘].s' for 'I'1‘cc=s, S/1 rz/Ils, I-Wiles, I’IaIzf.~', dc. "‘;Tllllllit< (l by . 13.-ﬂiau Hur- ti(-ulturi.~*t.-, to he the host Imporvixms to the cLAPP‘s FAVORITE . AU G. lll\’t'l1t(’(i. Lulu-l c\'(*l' wontln-r. and in 11-:1llit_\', an v.\'c(-llcnt znrticlo. l’l‘l('0 .30 (.'0llir~‘ pcl‘ (i()Z(‘ll. $33017) per hundrt-(]_ all ()l‘1i(’l‘.\‘ tn he:LL-L-(m1p:|niL-<1 In’ (in: Cnsli. Am’ nmnc dc.<ix'(-<l. Szunplcs sent to parties sund- 1ngt.\m3 cunt stznnps. Orders prolnptlv oxe- cutcd. l)i1‘e(:t to ll. VAN I)EUSEN', 2’»u1o. Sllzlkcl‘ Station, Ct. 2«:m1n\'1-zn Sr. 'l‘l{(')Y. N. Y. “lL'r( Iu.vi(‘r*_ .-lg/<1:/" f r ’ Sieinway, Chickering’s 85 ' HAINES’ PIANOS. 80 Iilstx-y ()1-;_.-;an:s. nil /‘5' Mix‘. F.’B1'n.\'}1.x.\1's 18751 VV:ti(4)' WHEEL Is 1»1«:«'I..\m-:1» tho ‘STANDARD TURBINE,’ lv_\'u\'r_‘.R 601) pl-rsons wlm l»on;.:hta1nl nw tln Ill wi 11 l’.\R'1‘2m«l P‘l7I.I. (iA'l'l$ ()]l(‘ll. IlllI.~'tl':1t(-(1 :lll(i1ll‘- svriplivo Pzunplxls t, free. AIl(l1'(-‘~'.~' N. F. BURNHAM, 1’. 1). Box 5123. York, Pu. Gmring/for Fm~!nr£a.v, Flouring Jlills, I’r,qu:r illillx db Saw mill» a s]m~1‘aIl_z/ by Bl?00J1EI.L ct‘ 1)’('I;’.VII.lJ[, ("l:rr'.~'-ta'mzII. _____________*_ V*I:{/In (1 1 1-7C0., 1317. t I"(II€ '1'/Igl 7' [fl/I'.'('.lI:l '['].\'.ll'. 'I'ry l)r. I)«-:ln'.~x Rlwnlxinxtitr Pills. llu-nlal, pnpnl;u' stiunlzml and Ask for lllvm at ymlr Dn|;:;,ri:~‘t.~'. MAYNARD 8:. NOYES Agts. BOSTON. x 1 — h..aFi‘.‘ EL WATER WHEELS. 4% ‘Nith recent improvements. __,‘ Prices Greatly Reduced. " 7000 in successful 0l)Cl11ll'\)ll. .-‘IN! new PAMEELET rc:.1z77..” Lent free to those interested. ~‘ gr V’ James Leffel 85 Co. ‘ Springﬁeld, 0. W0 7"‘°**v Sr... N. V. (‘am If in .-uatlm-ll nffirst Class Bargains in I’I- .\N(lS. nr ()R(w'.-\NS. aunl <l(-.~'ir(- zl ClI()l(?l£ from lhu Best|11a1nI1f:n-tun-<l at 1110. nmst ;mr:u-li\'(- P1-icegfor Cash. Do not full to (-all upon (‘lli(,':l('l()ll.~‘ rt-nn~1l_\'. 7A'»'.7l,§V.~,;iI;1).iis11ed71;¢; _., Tim l~'or-ivties at (‘zlntc-rl»ur_v and \\'atm'\'livt lmvv mu-«l tlIi~' I.\'1Ci'«r1I1:11l_\‘ _\‘4-:u'.i.andtheyunl1csit:1tin;_:. l_v l‘(‘(‘0l]ll1l('ll(l it as:L;:uml.1'eli:1l>lo article; of g(1otl\'nl« or, ﬂows fl‘(‘(‘l_\'. and «luvs nut ﬁnk-. .VIu'ynu1'd A’; No3'0s, Ikoston. I No. 160.—-Front View. Chapels, etc., is proving a. Be sure to send for full ; purchasing any other. THE LARGEST wax: (or Tm: AI.}'iA*.'\".1' R(')()l<‘ING AV!) GALVANIZED IRON WORKS. Vlfill furnish on application estimates on all styles of ROOFING! Slam-, ’I‘in & \\':u‘r(,-n‘s Grzlvt-l Rooﬁng. ALSO‘ Galvanized Iron Cornices, Window Caps, Conductors, &c.Lightning Rods a. specialty. A, large line of Rooﬁng Material, .\‘licatl1- ing Paper & Felt always in stock. i KVASSON 3: MARTIN. Nos. 7 and 9 JAMES STl1'lCI'l'I‘. . 1 ; BRATTLEBORO, VT. ‘- V Our new Organ, expressly designed for Sunday Schools, G-IE{E.A.'.'.l'.' SUCCESS. Illustrated Catalogue sent free. No. 160.-Back View. descriptive Catalogue before THE KIND) [ill IHE BUJHE. E. .12. 4:» W’. W’:2v'4mEsz*zK’5 FAMILY SOAPS. 1 fr By C. BERKLEY JOHNSON, Sunfor member of s_- the late nm of E. A. a w. WINOHISTER. _,‘ . . ~ . The (-lm1'm,~t«~r and qnnlity of E. A. & VV. ‘Vim-lu-Sb (-r'.< Soap is fully equal. in o\'(-ry.1'o.<p(m-t, to its: fmunc-r Stamlzml. Its Style is plain. It is not gzlrnislxotl with .- S11ow_v L:1ln-ls. It1'm'o111m(*1ulsitself by its oxm-llvnx-(‘. H Itis(losign(-(lfu1' fannily use more than for trzulv. Trzulo gmwmlly (lcmmuls .~3om<-thing chezlpcr. r.-u11so- 7' ) quomly inﬂ-x'im'. " I -‘I .'1¢7z/zws‘, C. 1»’EI?lx'I.EY JOILVSOX, l.'_ 15 C’/((1!/1(I77l St. 1:05 Toy, JIASS.
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Subjects: Shaker -- Periodicals
Identifier: yhm-sha-sm0801
Is part of: Hamilton College Library Digital Collections, Communal Societies Collection, Shaker Collection

Title: Shaker Manifesto, vol. 08, no. 02 (February 1878)
Publisher: United Societies
Date: 1878-02-01
Place published: Shaker Village (N.H.)
Text: I "Wrj“i , V Vol. VIII. uu.2.% ,___"...__.._._,- __, -, _. _-.r-2 FEBRUARY} I V . (OFFICIAL MONTHLY.) PUBLISHED BY THE UNITED sd%cIEIIEs.I I ‘ OUR HOME AT CANTERBURY, N. H; , g.,,___._.._...‘_.._._.._____?,_ .. “GO PREAGH THE KINGDOM OF GOD.” . 1878.’ 60 Ots. per Annufn, ’ O T ’ . POST PAID; ‘PUBLISHED AND PRINTED AT SHAKER VILLAGE, N. 9&0.» I N. A. BRIGGS, pubiisher. SH ER LMANIFESTO. , CONTENTS. Are the Shakers Christians? . . ‘25 New Year’s Greeting Character , . ' .« .' . . 26 Ann Lee . Christian Culture No. 9. C . . - r . 4 27 I)r..J. Peebles Facial Inﬂuence ' ' e . 28 Correspondence. Sin N o. 2. 29 Let uscarn ourPay Shaker Criticism Selﬁsh Property 4 . Death of the Wicked Sun-rise Address to the Young, ‘ . l Innocence ' Salvation . Hang out the Lights Our Activities Indians No. 1. Warning . Plain Christian Dress 30 31 32 33 34 . '35 36 77 Tim SHAKER MANIFESTO :— Its Worst Enemies Editorial Notes V For the Children Farrn & Garden ...
Show moreI "Wrj“i , V Vol. VIII. uu.2.% ,___"...__.._._,- __, -, _. _-.r-2 FEBRUARY} I V . (OFFICIAL MONTHLY.) PUBLISHED BY THE UNITED sd%cIEIIEs.I I ‘ OUR HOME AT CANTERBURY, N. H; , g.,,___._.._...‘_.._._.._____?,_ .. “GO PREAGH THE KINGDOM OF GOD.” . 1878.’ 60 Ots. per Annufn, ’ O T ’ . POST PAID; ‘PUBLISHED AND PRINTED AT SHAKER VILLAGE, N. 9&0.» I N. A. BRIGGS, pubiisher. SH ER LMANIFESTO. , CONTENTS. Are the Shakers Christians? . . ‘25 New Year’s Greeting Character , . ' .« .' . . 26 Ann Lee . Christian Culture No. 9. C . . - r . 4 27 I)r..J. Peebles Facial Inﬂuence ' ' e . 28 Correspondence. Sin N o. 2. 29 Let uscarn ourPay Shaker Criticism Selﬁsh Property 4 . Death of the Wicked Sun-rise Address to the Young, ‘ . l Innocence ' Salvation . Hang out the Lights Our Activities Indians No. 1. Warning . Plain Christian Dress 30 31 32 33 34 . '35 36 77 Tim SHAKER MANIFESTO :— Its Worst Enemies Editorial Notes V For the Children Farrn & Garden Home Topics Society Record Bookt\Table Music Selected ‘Obituary 87 88 40 -4o 41 41 43 446 47 48‘ 48 ’ 49 “so 51 i TERMS OF ADVERTISING. S For one , inch, one insertion $ 1. 00 ” one half _ column, ” ” ‘ $ 3. 00 ” one ” 4”‘ f?’ $4 6- 00 ” ” page, ” 12.00 C Continued insertion for three months, 20 per ct, discount. ‘ ” ” ”* six ” ' 25 ” ” ‘ ” "’ S ” ” one year’ n ‘)1 n Subscriptions, Sixty cents, per year. Address,‘ N. A. Briggs, ' Shaker Village, Mer§ Co., N. H. S'ubscr'ipt/ionitzuill begin when 07"de7”is 'received.—-No liac/cgnumbers. \ , SHAKER TIANIFESTO. AN OFFICIAL MONTHLY. G. A. LOMAS Editor. Shakers, N. Y. VOL. VIII.——FEBRUARY, 1878.—No. II. ARE THE SHAKBRS OHRISTIANS? ELDER ABRAHAM PERKINS. In a recent number of THE SHAKER, I was peculiarly impressed with the ques- tion in one of its columns : “ lVas Jesus of Nazareth ct Shaker?” The interroga- tory was clearly, candidly and ably an- swered. From it, grew the thought, that the question should be reversed; that the subject should be investigated, and proclaimed what the Shakers are; whether Christians or inﬁdels. _‘_To the Shaker sect, the terms Shaker and Christian are synonymous. If Jesus was a Shaker, a Shaker is a Christian. The life and doctrine of the Nazarene are precisely what the Shakers consider necessary to produce christianity. He was a celibate; and in his life he practically carried out, purely virgin principles. So do the Shakers. He was the Prince of Peace, ignored war, declaring that those who used the sword should perish by it. The Shakers are peacemakers and take no part in shedding human blood. Whereas the ﬁrst christian church formed at Jerusalem was established on commu- nistic principles, agreeably to the prac- tice of Jesus and his disciples previous to the organization of a church, thus is the Shaker churchestablished. Con- fession was practiced in the apostolic church; the same ordinance is required and carried out in the Shaker church. - The primitive church took no part in earthly governments ; so the Shakers a.c— cept no oﬂice of State, side with no par- ty nor meddle with politics. As in the days of the early ehristians it was a re- quirement that they should owe no man aught but love and good-will, so it is a. violation of Shaker principles to vary from that principle. Jesus required justice and honesty in all the dealings of life. So do the‘ Shakers. Meekness, gentleness and truth marked the life and character of Jesus: so do these graces conspicuously adorn the life of the Shaker. Simple language, plainness of speech, free from vulgarism and profanity characterized the habits and manners of Jesus: so they do the same of the Shakers. Temperance was the doctrine of Jesus: it is also that of the Shakers. Pride, arrogance, selﬁshness, error and vice of every kind was wholly abrogated by Jesus; so they are by the Shakers; and whoever of the sect varies in any one of the princ_iples, as lived by our Master, fails in sustaining Shaker life, 26 TIIE SHAKER l\dCA.NIIE‘ESTO. however strongly he avows christian prin- ciples or however much he glories in the name of Shaker; and in his disobedi- ence, he deservedly‘ merits the severe rebuke both of his own order and the outside world. "What then are our obligations? Sim- ply to live soberly, honestly, justly, truthfully. “Be what we seem to be, and seem to be what we really are.” Not clouds of darkness, obscuring the sunlight of truth; obstacles in the Way of reformation and hindrances to prog- ress: deceivers, truce—breakers, and mockers of God. And would we see the progress of souls in gospel trav- el, We would be strenuously exacting in our lives, giving no place for Satan to Work destruction and loss. This is consecration: no other than Shaker life, christianity. Can we be christians in the truest sense, but in squaring our lives by these principles? “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear:” and he that will live in Christ, let him bring himself strictly to the spir- liars ‘it of his life and example, and depart from all iniquity. Enﬁeld, N. H. ~——?—«o+j~- CHARACTER. SARAH A. NEAL. To improve character requires some- thing more than the simple desire to be- come better. Our ideal of a true char- acter may be of a very exalted type, and we may desire to become like unto it; but unless we plant four desires in the soil of active services where they can grow unto fruitfulness, we shall realize to our sorrow that blight will soon bring them to death and decay. Actions form the character; While desires often van- ish with the sounds which give them expression. Character, like principle, maintains a. positive indiﬁference to all things save facts and realities ; and though we may often attribute our neglect of character to those peculiar inﬂuences which cir- cumstances sometimes associate with us, yet those who so love their character as to live for it, guard it so well, that cir- cumstantial inﬂuences cannot improperly‘ affect it. All have not suﬂicient moral courage to do this; but such as have not, live largely for reputation, leaving character in the shade of careless neg- lect, only to be regretted in the near fut- ure. The acquisition of a true character is no mere business speculation, neither does it particularly embody political pol- icies ; but embraces in life the verb to do something, with an honesty of purpose that will stamp indelible impressions of goodness on our entire life-record; and thus character becomes the volume that contains this record; for on its sad or pleasant pages we ﬁnd the impress of our thoughts and actions; and those who would review a delightful account therein, must live a righteous life. Character is eternal; it lives when all ﬁnite forms turn into dust; hence the necessity of commencing in childhood, continuing in youth, nor forsaking in more mature years, that life which will cause us to feel, as the shadows of age creep over us, and the evening of our earth-life draws near, that we have in possession, a character free from all blemish-—one that will recommend us to friends above, and by which we shall be recognized as members of that home, wherein dwell the pure in heart Who always see God. Shakers, N. Y. THE SHAKER MANE‘E STO . 2'7 CHRISTIAN CULTURE. No. 9. WM. H. BUS SELL. REASON : This may be deﬁned as the power of perceiving truth. It matters not whether the perception be immediate or the result of long investigation. The inﬁnite Mind is the inﬁ- nite Reason; for “all things are open to him.” The human mind is necessarily limited and perceives truth only by degrees. The plain inference, therefore, is that the human reason is the subject of culture. An essential requisite of correct reasoning is knowledge. “Of God above or man below, What can we reason but from what we know?” The child and the savage are alike at fault, often, in their inferences drawn from objects of sight. They need to correct them by (their individual experience. But the lapse of years, and sometimes of ages, is necessary before that can be done. But it matters not. Truth will ﬁnally reward her votaries. “The eternal years of God are hers.”. The heaven in which the star-gazers of olden . time located sun, moon and stars, was too far away for them to be able to rectify any mis- takes of their untutored reason. It was re- served to the modern astronomer, aided by the enlarged vision which the telescope has given, to show that the heaven of the an- cients, gods and goddesses all, has been re- moved “beyond the bounds of time and space,” where a poet of modern orthodoxy has located “the saints’ secure abode.” But though that “heaven has ﬂed away,” yet the sun, moon and stars shine with no less brill- iancy than ever. The sun of truth remains steadfast, what- ever human conceptions of it may be, show- ing itself little by little through cloud and mist, over hill and mountain, and will con- tinue until the effulgence of high noon shall illuminate the enraptured soul on the plains of immortality. The human imagination is fertile in inven- tions. Reason is too slow for it; all its de- ductions are speedily outrun. The thousand and one fables of Arabian story bear no com- parison in absuiﬁity to those which have been imposed upon human ignorance by persons professing to be teachers of truth, especially religious truth. And what seems the stran- gest of all ,there has been no invention of hen. then priests, however absurd and horrible, but has been more than matched in absurdity and horribleness by many who have claimed to occupy the seat from which Jesus dispensed the teachings of divine love. There is no need of quoting passages to prove this assertion; ihey have been repeat- ed so often within the present century by the opponents of such doctrines that the ear has become weary of hearing them. In fact, the legitimate successors of those who once used them so freely now rarely even “mention hell to ears polite,” much less depict it in its for- merlu rid colors. What then ? Is the imag- ination a useless faculty in the human mind? Rather, has it not, like all the other faculties, often been perverted from its normal condi- tion and use ? VVhen not controlled by rea- son, it is fond of extravagant things. It loves to conjure up “Gorgons and hydras and chi- maeras dire.” It resembles then the pervert- ed physical appetite; the more injurious to the health that which is taken into the stom- ach, is the greater the craving for it. The healthful appetite is satisﬁed with that which maintains health; that which is perverted never is satisﬁed. The mind fond of strange imaginings is, to say the least, partially insane. This will ac- count for many of the outrageous supersti- tions and fanaticisms among savage tribes. These have been imposed upon ignorant minds by the terror that half insane talent knows how to excite, more especially when it professes to have intercourse with the gods. So among many of the christian sects, the most excited and loud-mouthed revivalist has created the greatest furor among excitable people But there may be enthusiasm and yet not extravagance. The mind governed by the principles of the soundest reason may be also actuated by the warmest and kindest feelings. Some have represented reason as cold, stern and repul- sive. But this is altogether misrepresenta- tion. Reason is allied to the highest and purest love. It walks hand in hand with hu- mility. It is the companion of gentleness. It is the most ardent lover of the beautiful. 28 THE SHAKER MANIFESTO. It is the enemy of tyranny and slavery of every kind. It is the opponent of wars and contentions among men. There is no genuine reform that it does not favor. Let it be untrammeled by ignorance, bigotry and ha- tred, and soon it would make the earth the garden of God. Thomas Paine, in the last century, styled his book which created such a furor among theologians “The Age of Reason.” But it was rather a herald announcing a stern con- ﬂict about to arise. The age of reason has not yet commenced, if we are to judge by the wars and strifes yet prevalent. Yet its precursor has come. Passion still bears sway in multitudes of minds, but principle is beginning to assert its rights. There is no longer the “darkness that may be felt,” but such an intermingling of the light with it that objects may be distinctly seen. One may, if he will, distinguish truth from error, though Paine’s book scarcely aids him to do it. It lacks discrimination. It aimed powerful blows at theological errors and thereby aroused the ire of their defenders; but he made an indiscriminate slaughter of inno- cent and guilty. It is the province of reason to discriminate between the precious and the vile; to spare the truth when aiming to de- stroy error. What matters it to the gold-seeker if the precious metal be found mingled with the hardest granite or various other minerals and metals? When he has discovered it, he knows how to free it from all alloy. This is his reasoning process. The moral reasoner as well as the scientiﬁc should be able and candid enough to acknowledge every truth and see that it does not suffer by his manipu- lations. G/rolveland, N. Y. 44; vvr FACIAL INFLUENCE. EMMA J. NEAL. Meeting a friend not long since, I re- marked to myself as I passed: “What can be the matter with sister S. 1 she looks so gloomy, and acts in such a reti- cent manner, when we are such genial friends and our tastes so generally con- cur? VVhat can this mean?” A voice seem- ed to interrupt my ponderings saying; “You beheld the visage of your sister: had you been able at that moment to have seen your own countenance, I think the sight would respond to your inquiry. At this kind admonition of my men- tal guardian, I tried to reproduce the ten- or of thought, in which I was occupied when passing my sister; and soon suc- ceeded in painting the whole scene that was then agitating my brain. I hasten- ed to my room ; placed myself before the mirror, and strove to repeat the ex- pression of countenance, which 1 im- agined to have seen, to see how I should be affected at a sight of my real self; but dear reader I need hardly tell you the result. In entire disregard of my efforts at self examination, mirthfulness predomi- nated; and if sister S. -had seen me, the seeming coldness would have melted into a genial laugh, at the strange eontortions of the facial muscles, ﬁrst moulded by my former thoughts, then suddenly twisted into a broad grin, at the real sight of my ugly self. It is in this way, great evils are often created ; and many friendships broken or cooled ; being unmindful of the inﬂu- ence that even a look may sometimes have upon our surrounding friends. While our faces should ever be set as a ﬂint against wrong, and the ﬂatteI'er'8 smile, we should be careful not to rob them of the sunshine of virtue, as we may, by a sullen countenance, and thus, unintentionally perhapsﬁclose the ave- nues of love; but on the contrary we TI-IE SHAKER MANIF‘ESTO . 29 should create affection, by kindly words seasonably spoken. In all the great duties of life, let us be mindful that, “Sands form the mountain and little acts make up the sum of life.” Mt. Lebanon, N. Y. SIN. No. 2. ALONZO HOLLISTER. WHOM DOES MAN INJURE BY SINNING? Not that Almighty who dwells in in- accessible light; which no earthly man can ever approach unto——and in whose power the united strength of the inhab- itants of earth is reputed as nothing—— and to whom mere mortals are “unprof- itable servants,” after doing all that lies in their power! What can a man do tilting against the Sun? Nay, against the wind? Then how much less against the inﬁnite and viewless One, whose servants these are 3 The soul that sins, is injured by transgression, and also the interest of his neighbor, who is entitled to our sin- cere conﬁdence and service; to our un- blemished gifts and untarnished sympa- thies. And since without him, we can- not hold relation to God, common wis- dom teaches that here is where the Wrong must be repaired, and the best relations cherished, that can be, in our rudimental conditions. From whom does the transgressor seek to cover his sins? Not from the omniscient One, whom man places so far distant in his fancy that the thought of Him has no place in the mind, in transgression, and therefore cannot exert restraining power, although He is abstractly believed to be every- where present, “beholding the evil and the good.” It is evident that the sinner fears the detection and scrutiny of just men, more than God; and so long as he has any sense of propriety left, or fear of pun- ishment, he seeks, to hide from men, his low, mean, dirty acts ; particularly those beastly acts of uncleanness, which tend to destroy all self-respect, self-conﬁ- dence,——undermine self-hood, dethrone intelligence, and stamp the visage with an idiotic stare. Such cannot know God, except through the distortion of a corrupted fancy, until the covering of hy- pocrisy is taken off, and the criminal returns to the rule of a pure conscience; not until by suitable atonement, he re-es- tablishes true and healthy relations to the general economy of universal life, to which he is justly indebted to the extent of his active powers of service. All sins are works of darkness, which league the sinner with the powers of darkness, and bring death not only upon the doer. but also upon those with whom he is socially connected, until the evil is put away by confession and repentance. Hence it is the right and duty of the children of God, to know those whom they receive into their communion ; both their internal and external history, and how far they can be trusted ; what their weaknesses are, and wherein they need assistance, as much as it is for a physi- cian to know the habits, constitution, and irregularities of his patient; and if these have been wrong, he is expected to change. . “God is Light, and in,Him is no darkness,” and those who dwell with God, dwell in light, and have no fellowship with works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 30 THE SHAKER MANIF‘ESTO . And “if we walk in the light, we have fellowship one with another,” with Christ, and with God. And the life of the inﬁnite and holy One, ﬂows through us, and cleanses and nourishes us in the growth of God’s kingdom of eternal peace and righteousness. Mt. Lebanon, N. Y. 4;; <vr SHAKER CRITICISM. ELDER F. W. EVANS. Winter Shakers and temporary Shak- ers, still seek a place in Shaker Commu- nities. They come, desiring the advan- tages of the Community without obeying its Rules and Orders, or really believing in its principles. iWere there not a spiritual power, be- hind the throne of government in the Society, its extinction, so often predicted by outsiders, would speedily occur. Here is a man of large, worldly expe- rience who possesses a little personal property, but he clings to it as with the grasp of death. He wants the individ- ual freedom of la worldly man ; and also to enjoy the collective results ﬂow- ing from individual sacriﬁces, made by other and nobler souls. He wants to be serveol by two masters, whereas, masters expect to be served. He does not yield himself to serve either. The Elder appeals to a higher power- to the Spirits———for help. They impress another person, who knows nothing of the circumstances, with the following communication. We withhold the names of the persons who took part in the following visionary dream, because they are so graphically represented and well known. Their)" fac-similies exist in many families, not in all Communities.‘ A very little pri- vate interest like what Achan reserved, may cause much trouble, in a family where all things in common is the organic Law. Be what you seem or profess to be, and profess anal seem to be what you are, is wisdom for Believers. Then, the win- dows of heaven may be opened, and blessings unnumbered flow from compa- nies of redeemed men and women in the Spirit w0rld—like showers in early Spring. Here follows: Selfish Property. A Visionary Dream by one of the Shaker Sisters. It seemed the family were in meeting for Worship, when suddenly there came some- thing like a tidal wave of spirit power, which spread over the whole assembly. Some who had never before been baptized, were touched, as with a live coal from God’s burning altar of truth. I noticed one particularly, who was shaken powerfully. He seemed something like a. whipped child half subdued, wondering whether it would be better to give up his will or retain it. He fell back against the wall and cried bitterly, his secret feelings, unbidden, came to the surface, and he was forced to express them. He said, “Here I am, I have forsaken fath- er, mother, wife, children, houses and lands, everything, and have worked well;” then holding forth both hands, in which were $2.25, he said, “See, this is all the reward I have received!” He cried with a loud voice, “Is this just? Can I bear it?” One‘ of the sisters said, “You are mistaken; that is not the kind of reward offered. Were you even a happy, contented man while in possession of earthly riches and friends you talk about?” He said, “Nay, but I have given up so much for so small an equivalent!” The sis- ter replied, “It was the lusts, inseparably connected with the generative life and order, that made you an unhappy man there. The THE SHAKER MANIFESTO. 31 reward offered in this gospel, to those who forsake that order, is not the paltry surnof $2.25,—not even one cent, as private, indi: vidual property—but the ﬁre of truth, that will burn up the lusts pertaining to that order, that make you and are still making thousands of others unhappy. Dry up your tears, turn your thoughts away from ‘dollars and cents, and be consistent. Cease mourning for the past and doubting the present, be willing to accept God’s terms and the reward He is pleased to give, if you would be happy.” Mt. Lebanon, N. Y. ~~—:————+o»———~—~~— » Death of the Wicked. JAMES G. RUSSELL. The wicked must d2'e—is the warning decree, For death is the price to be paid ;— Tho’ many would seek from its grasp to be free, The summons they cannot evade. O’er mountains, thro’ valleys, o’er rivers and seas, In hamlet, in desert, or cave, The guilty may wander, their fears to appease, From death no endeavor can save. Yet God hath declared that no pleasure he hath In death of the Wicked, but would That sinners return to the straight, narrow path, That leads to the fountain of good. The caviler—heretic like—may deny That death is the doom of the vile; "But christian and sinner as equals must die, Though workers of goodness or guile. For God sendeth rain on the just and unjust, His sun shineth clear upon all; That we are his childre.n—created of dust; He careth for great and for small!” Then how may we know that the wicked must die, Though wicked indeed they may be? How may we the interpretation apply, That all may discern and agree? “The wicked shall not live out half of their days,” We read in the Record of Truth : That such as persist in their own evil ways, Shall die, though in spring-time of youth. In what, then, doth wickedness really_ consist? The word is in meaning deﬁned As law-violations; those laws which exist Of God and His nature, combined. We cannot the laws of our being discard, Whatever our reasons might be ; We know that the way of transgression is hard; That in it we cease to be free. Our penalties correspond with the oﬁ'ense: If mental transgressions are ours We suffer with mental prostration, and hence, Our shipwreck of reasoning powers. The body, at alliance close with the mind, Must share the aﬂliction in part; Our physical organization we ﬁnd, Is destined to suffer the smart. Again, do we violate physical law, Inhaling unpuriﬁed air; Betimes from the fount of Intemperance draw. Thus death-dealing weapons prepare! With appetite morbid, and brain all ablaze, Indulgence, then darkness and gloom! Thus life being spent in intemperate ways, Destruction is surely the doom. “The wicked must die,” then, the pena1ty’s sure. The reason we plainly can see, If we to our full term of years would endure, We must from transgressions be free. The laws of the spirit, the body, or mind, If we with indifference slight, Aﬁlictions—diseases of every kind, Our ev’ry enjoyment will blight. Perfection consists in maintaining the right, In body, in mind, and iii soul; Thus living, our days will be happy and bright, And Death will resign its control. Enﬁeld, N. H. SUNRISE. EDITH D. CASWELL. It was my good fortune not long since, to witness a most glorious sun—rise; and al- though this is by no means a rare opportunity for early risers, yet, my attention was unusu- ally held to the phenomenon. As I observed its slow but sure ascent above the horizon I thought thus: “This glorious sun but sym- bolizes the testimony of truth which I, with many other companions, have been early blest to understand. A testimony which in spiritual power and brightness, by far exceeds yon rising sun, whose beams will one day il- lumine the darkest portions of the moral and religious world. A testimony which has power to justify the good, or condemn the bad. 0 that I may be as steady in my upward progress, as ﬁxed in holy purpose, as the sun appears, to me, in its course—that I may ful- ly perform the mission to which I have been called is my prayer; and here, let me pledge before God, that I will never yield the strife against evil, nor cease to watch and pray till I rise in purity to my heavenly home; where my freed spirit shall shine by the light of truth, as clearly as the sun, which so en- chanted my vision. Oanterbury, N. H. . you. ADDRESS TO THE YOUNG. ELDER HENRY c. BLINK. It is with much satisfaction and pleasure that I take the present opportunity to address Designating me, as you are pleased to do, a gospel parent, I shall speak as to be- loved children in the Lord’s House, those who have shared in the privileges and bene- ﬁts of a beautiful, christian home. Although you are still young, and your baptism into a spiritual experience corre- spondingly limited; yet I have the assurance in the manifestations of your lives, that you most fully comprehend the order of the work into which you have been called. You have proved by many trials that you are able to conquer the adversary of your souls. Therefore, rejoice in holy trust, while pass- ing through the ﬂames, that they cannot con- sume, and through the waters, that they can- not overwhelm. It is not well to think too much of the errors and troubles of the past; learn from them a lesson, and watch well the course of present action. See that pure aims underlie every undertaking in life. You have many years before you, in which to do good and to be good. Let me advise you to accept the kind word of the poet: “Look on the sunny side, ye who are youthful, Gather the light that will ever abide; The way to be hopeful, and healthful, and happy, Is to keep right before you, the bright .5-mmy side.” The traveler who ascends the lofty mount- ains, does it at the peril of his life. His tri- umph is to overcome all“ obstacles. When he has reached the anticipated height, all that he has passed through, is considered of the least consequence. The separation from near and dear friends, the fatigue, the deprivations of the comforts of life, are now all lost in the attainment of the one great object. It should be the same in your case. Keeping your union in the pure spirit of Christ’s testimony, carries you above the elements of a mere worldly life, where you may stand in conﬁdence with all your beloved, christian friends. Do you not remember the journey of our old brother Pilgrim, who was beset with al- THE SHAKER MANIB‘ESTO. most every conceivable temptation and trial, while on his pilgrimage to the kingdom? ‘In- deed, it would be diﬂicult to determine which in the extended list was the worst! One may be as effectually ruined in the building of air castles, as in the commis- sion of some crime; through ignorance, as through willfulness. Any trespass against the spiritual convictions which one has re- ceived, if persisted in, would ultimate in the ruin of the soul. It matters not whether it is a transgression that has received an opprobrious name, or a trespass that may be looked upon with seem- ing indiﬂ'erence. Read what the apostle says concerning the commandments: “If we break one, we mar the beauty of the whole laW.” But my beloved young friends, you are learning to beautify your lives by careful- ness; to make perfect the spirit-offering which it is yours to give. In our seasons of worship, I listen with great pleasure to your renewed resolutions to walk more circum- spectly before God and your associates and seniors, thus living so as to develop substan- tial characters. I know full well how essential all this care- fulness is, to insure your protection in the christian strife. These testimonies and the many good works which they inspire, are the power of preservation which serves you for the time being, and inspires you to look for- ward with joy and love, to a day of greater light, and to a deeper understanding of the work of the cross. ' I am impressed to speak as I do, because of the earnestness which you manifest to maintain your rectitude and pure association. You certainly will never have reason to re- gret your steadfastness. All the treasure of this world could never purchase for you a pure spirit, a life in God. Whatever it may have the power to give, it also has the power to take away. Be very careful how you ac- cept of its many ﬂattering gifts. So far you have kept good faith; for it is nothing less than faith in God, and in the spirit of good- ness, that can work so effectually for good in your youthful minds. To the young, the buoyant and hopeful, it is by no means strange that mysterious phases should arise in the THE SHAKER Va... ..A , mind, as the most gorgeous phantoms present themselves for acceptance. “How smiling the world's prospect lies, How tempting to go through! Not Canaan to the Prophet’s eyes, From Pisgah, with a sweet surprise, Did more inviting show.” How fondly we may stretch forth our hands ‘to receive this world’s proffered gift; but we reach only to grasp the air. You have al- ready gained too much, have been too deeply engaged in the angel work of harvesting the soul from the earth, to have all this precious treasure and labor lost. “Hold fast that which thou hast gained, and let no man take thy crown.” ‘ As triﬂing as the gain may be, it is your crown of life. It is the consciousness of do- ing right before God, regardless of the frowns or ﬂattery of this world. By and by, the force which these may now have, will all fade away, but the maintenance of the principles of truth and right, will dwell with you, an- everlasting reward. This same truth you must be able to give to others, quiekened into life by the testimo- ny of a pure spirit, as it has through the tes- timony of the cross been given to you. For the consummation of this spiritual gift, to the renewal of your whole life, and to the establishing of your feet upon a permanent foundation, I shall earnestly pray. Canterbury, N. H. 4A. wvr INN OGENGB. I P‘ Innocence! a brighter pearl Than ever Monarchs wore; A treasure far surpassing The earth’s most valued ore. I’d not exchange thy beauty For purple robes or gold, To wield a kingly sceptre Or his vast riches hold. When done with transient glories These all must he resigned, The soul will be divested The tenement consigned; But innocence and purity Retained, will sit enthroned Forever, throughout ages- A living virtue crowned. (bnterbury, N. H. MANIFESTO. 33 SALVATION. rumor G. DANFORI). There seems to be an idea, prevailing in many minds, of saving the soul independent- ly of the body. This is erroneous, as it can never be done while we dwell in clay tene ments. When the soul is savedlfrom all sin, the body will also be saved from the indul- genees of low passions, and appetites. Not only will it cease to be an instrument or me- dium for the worst vices, but every wrong habit will be laid aside. With this view of the subject, it will read- ily be seen by every one who realizes how hard it is to leave old practices, which may have been strengthened by the growth of many years, how impossible is instant salva- tion. The conviction that some favorite pleasure is wrong, may be, and often is, instantaneous; but the power to leave it forever, comes by slow growth attained through sacriﬁce, at- tended by constant watchfulness and prayer. When we have gained power sufficient to keep us from falling into temptation, this may be called sal/cation, but not redemption. This is only obtained when we have so far overcome the world, that we cannot be tempt- ed of evil. When Satan cometh and can ﬁnd nothing in us, whereby he can excite evil de- sires, then shall we become like our Lord and Master. When the lore of God reigns supremely in the heart, it will manifest itself by love and kindness to those around us, thus inspiring them to love and good works. In this Way shall we see salvation wrought out through the organism of the physical body. Hence our faith in the resurrection of the body from all evil and wrong habits, pertain- ing to the laws of this life, and through this medium, can the soul be resurrected to that which is higher, even unto life eternal. Canterbury, N. H. AA. Vvr Life.—The secret of prolonging life is not to abridge it by any excesses. Live regularly, eat regularly and slowly. Take enough sleep; most people require eight hours, at least, of sleep. Don't eat just before retiring to rest. 34 THE SHAKER MANIFESTO. “HANG OUT THE LIGHT.” JOSEPHINE E . WARE . Once upon a dark, rainy night, two of my younger sisters after completing their day’s toil, were about to repair to their rooms in a distant dwelling. The way leading thereto being over a somewhat dangerous path, they desired me to stand in the doorway till they had reached their destination ; that, at least, they might realize my presence, although they could not see me. I readily complied with the innocent wish, and while I thus stood gazing into a darkness that might be felt, yet seeing nothing and only faintly hearing their quickly receding footsteps, I chided my- self severely, as well as others of our household for neglecting to “Hang out the Light.” Finally, I began soliloquizing thus: Indeed! how often we poor short-sighted mortals fail to “Havng out a Light,” to illumine the path of our own dear friends ; and meantime render the same more cheerful for the lonely stranger al- so, who may chance to pass us by,—one who may have neither friends nor home, but to whom a faint ray of light even, is such an expression of benevolence and friendship, that percharrce his memory shall not only carry this fact into the dim future, but persuade him to believe, that real friends do yet exist. _ And how often may he revert to the pleasing incident, so glad a thing is a beam of light to the benighted traveler I As I still remained standing, surrounded by darkness, my thoughts again turned to my sisters, and I mentally exclaimed: Shall I be blessed to wait and watch for them thus, in the spirit land? Can I be to them as a spiritual beam of joy and gladness? O can I? But list I from out the darkness comes a welcome sound: “Safe over! All’s well I” A thrill of gladness entered my heart, and with tearful eyes and deep-drawn breath, I closed the door, thinking, how thrice welcome will be the sound of their voices to me, when haply I shall stand in the doorway of my “Father’s House” and discern by the light of heaven, these dear companions coming home ! These, whom I have known from childhood to maturity; have seen them climb bravely up, by the plain cross and self-denial, to a more exalted condition than nature ever knew. VVhen I shall realize that “all is right” with them, and they are safe in heaven, what a. bliss will be mine I Let me not fail, then, always to “Hang out the Light.” It costs but little ; it blesses many ; and this life is too short, and much of it is rendered far too bitter, to those who live for self alone ; or Who fail to hang out a light fed by the oil of good inﬂuences, and a Christ-like ex- ample. Cainterburg, N. H. OUB. ACTIVITIES. F. While reading the beautifully written ideas under the heading of “Be good and do good,” the thought Was suggested that it was by and through our activities that we accomplish the little deeds of goodness, and by which we shall consummate the great good of our life. When We admire the ﬁnely Wrought golden chain, do We suﬂiciently appreciate the thought that it is by successive, tiny links, the perfect chain is formed? Just so our lives are but a chain wrought of the little activities, the kind deed, the genial THE SHAKER MANIE‘ESTO. 35 word, the cheerful smile, the emanations of apure, unselﬁsh heart. Being one of the youthful readers who has taken much pleasure and derived lasting ben- eﬁt from “Notes by the Way,” I value it as a privilege to tender mine and our grateful thanks to the author of these gentle refresh- ings. May he reap in return the richness and fullness of heaven’s blessing now and for- ever, is the prayerful wish of one of his daughters. 0a.nte'rbwry, N. H. INDIANS. No.1. JAMES S. PRESCOTT. Who will plead the cause of the IN- DIANS? Many were raised up to plead the cause of the Africans ,and continued for a. long series of years, until it ulti- mated, in the entire emancipation of 4,000,000 of the race, from bondage and oppression to the rights of citizenship under a free government. But who will plead the cause of the Indians, a- gainst their oppressors? Were they not the original proprietors of America? Are they not entitled to the sympathies of every one located on their soil? It is called free soil of America. If it is free soil, then does it not belong to the Indians, as much as to the whites? Which was it, by right of discovery, or by conquest, or by purchase that the whites ﬁrst claimed the soil? or, was it by the wrong of power and might over right, that the whites ﬁrst took posses- sion and still hold it, without rendering an equivalent, or a just compensation? If it was the latter, then the Indians still have a just right to the free soil of ' America. It was indeed free soil before the Whites took an illegal and an unwar- rantable possession of it; and monopo- lized it to their own selﬁsh purposes and But this is not all, of It is the aggrandizements. which the red man complains. bad faith, broken promises, and the’ treachery of the U. S. agents. employed to deal with them. Who are the Indians? Are they not human beings, a distinct race, as much as the Africans? possessing redeeming qualities, capable of improvement, self- culture, and progressing from lower to higher conditions? Have they “no rights that white men are bound to respect?” Must they be annihilated, or crushed out of existence, because they are in the ini- nority, weak and powerless? We an- swer emphatically, N ayl Unless there is a change of policy of the U. S. Gov- ernment towards the North American Indians, the invisible hosts will ﬁght their battles for them, and will prevail, as they did when the late Gen. Custer was slain, whose untimely death was so deeply felt and lamented by the U. S. officers and their subordinates. But, Gen. Custer returns and speaks for him- self. Hear him: “I now return to send a warning to our people and nation, and urge them to deal justly by the Indians, or they will do more mischief to the whites. The warriors in spirit life are inspiring their brethren to resist and avenge the wrongs perpetrated on their race. Do not seek to annihilate them. but try to make them better if possible.” ‘ Who made the Indian? Did not the same God that made the white man, make the Indian also? And is he par- tial towards any part of his Creation? Societies are formed and forming ex- tensively in our country and throughout the world, receiving legislative aid, and are beginning to become national, for “The prevention of cruelty to Dumb 36 THE SHAKER Animals.” This is right; showing that the Angel of Mercy is at work——we re- joice in it——we hail it as the harbinger of a better day, wherein “nothing shall hurt nor destroy in all God’s holy mount- ain,” not even the Indians beyond the “Rocky Mountains,” nor this side of the name. Why cannot similar societies be form- ed for the prevention of cruelty to the Indians, as well as to our Dumb Ani- mals? What have the Indians done that they cannot be forgiven and receive mercy, as well as the brute creation? When Gen. Custer entered the spirit World he saw his mistake, that he had been engaged on the wrong side—he re- pented and said, “I have wronged my red brothers, and I am sorry for it.” Here is something which speaks volumes in favor of the Indians. How quick did they forgive him, and opened their ranks to the right and left, permitting him to pass through their midst unharm- ed. W'hy cannot white people professing to be christians, and civilized, be as magnanimous towards a vanquished foe as those called the wild savages of America, and forgive the poor Indians and stop killing them? Fair dealing, generosity, and kindness, will do more towards conquering the In- dians and making them our fast friends, than all the armies of a Napoleon. North Union, Ohio. ;A. xvr WARNING. Impressed by £711.‘;-1ther’e Spirit. Why clad in sackcloth-sorrow’s garb-— When God’s free light encircles thee? What sin has so deﬁled, or marred, That God, in truth, ye no more see? What snares have thine own ﬁngers wrought To rob thee of thy robe and crown? l\IANIFES'.FO . Is not my love of greater worth Than all earth’s wealth—could it be found.’ 0 brother, sister, where art thou? Still wrestling for thy sordid self ? Art thou so fattened in this love, Thy birthright goes for worldly pelf ? Look yonder—canst thou bear the sight- Thy name wiped from the Book of Life- Because thou didst not strength implore, And weakness conquer, in the strife ? O favored child! confess, repent! And J ordan’s waves will make thee whole; Fear not to plunge, throw off thy weight. And thou shalt save thy sinking soul! 0, if the wretched lives of those Wl1o’ve put afar the evil day, Could be unrolled, what deep regrets Those truthful records would convey! J usiice may wait ; yet sure as God Has called souls from the broad highway, So sure, will his unchanging law Be felt by all who disobey. Life unto life, death unto death, The savor of his work shall prove; This joy, or wail, shall yet be heard From all who’ve shared his boundless love- Oanterbury, N. II. ___4..,________,_%__. Purim, CHRISTIAN Dnnss. RUTH WEBSTER. A modest unassuming woman clad in simple apparel is like a beautiful ﬂower whose perfume gladdens the sense of the beholder; but a woman who wears un- necessary trimmings and ornaments, is like the artiﬁcial ﬂower; it may please- the eye, but it yields no perfume. The outward adorning is a pretty sure index of that which is within. If in our dress we conform to the fashions of i this world as nearly as we can, does it not show the state of the heart? It is commendable to give as much attention to dress as the nature of the case re- quires ; but as there is but a step be- tween virtue and vice—between the sub- lime and the ridiculous ; would it not be- well to watch closely, lest we over step» the mark? . I am reminded of an anecdote which TI-IE SHAKER I will repeat: Some years ago when our Methodist friends dressed much plainer than now, a young lady came to an aged minister and asked him if he thought it any sign of pride for her to wear a feath- er on her hat? He made this reply : “When I was a young man I used to go fox hunting. IVhen I came to a hole - and found the fox’s tail hanging out I was pretty sure that the fox was there 1” Beware of the little foxes for they have ruined many a ﬂourishing vine. Union Village, Ohio. nAL ‘V7 Brother Albert, We know our manuscript is late, having stepped over the threshold of 1878; yet we have felt the desire to greet our Parents of the Householdof Faith, withA Happy New Year. Worthy Fathers and Mothers, ' Greeting; Let 11s Wish you a Happy New Year. Not the repetition of a stale hackneyed phrase, but a bright, honest expression of soul-love Welling up from the ﬁlial hearts of your many dutiful children. Most glorious parentage! Again and again we come to the salute, and ring out in these cheery words the issue of our fervent prayers and hopes for your com- fort and preservation throughout the year, which is so kindly opening to the household, with full sheaves of love and confidence between parents and off- spring. ,Look up, dear ones, from your sever- al localities in Kentucky, Ohio, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maineand New Hampshire, and catch the silvery tones as we repeat, God bless you, a. Happy New Year! Let us beseech you to treasure the es- sence of our words in your hearts’ tem- N[ANIF‘ESTO. 3'7 ples, sacred to prayer, in our behalf as an abiding rest, as a joyous song agree- ably to the text: “Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry thou that travailest not: for the deso- late hath more children than she which hath a husband.” Gal. iv. 27. “Sing, 0 barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.” Isaiah liv. 1. As an invigorating cordial let us press the inspiration of our love to the lips of those valiant souls, who have wrestled, and suffered more than physical pain, while watching and waiting our maturity, never once distrusting the genuineness of our efforts to attain to full stature in Christ, or their ability to bring forth sons and daughters unto God, worthy heirs to greater than earthly inheritance, loyal standard-bearers of higher than ma-nmade creeds. What an impression that unshaken conﬁdence has made upon our souls! “My Fathers and Mothers expect me to conquer.” How we have broadened and deepened to meet this expectancy! You have given us the beneﬁt of your experience, precept and example, and ask in return that we add thereto the out- growth of our stewardship, so inwrought with the truth of the past, that a per- petual increase may be ours, and we be able to present an untarnished name for integrity and obedience, to the sacred faith committed to our trust. And shall we disappoint you? Disappoint God? For, to what {Ether source shall we ascribe the paternal and maternal prin- ciples which have been our nursing fa- thers and mothers, until we have found , . 38 THE SHAKER MANIFESTO. the new birth, or life in the spirit? Nay I Fathers and Mothers of the South, you expect your children at the North to keep their garments “unspotted from the world." We will ripen this expectation into a reality. Fathers and Mothers of the North, you ask like honor and victory, from the warm hearts of our comrades in the South. We have accepted our measure, and will not be found wanting. We come as so many rays of love, light and truth, to be caught and held in the prism of your affection. Ah! this mutual conﬁdence will outlast the perils of ’78, upon which We enter with true humility and Vundaunted cour- age. One more word, or gentle entreaty, and we will away to the battle of life. Don’t make haste to go among the ev- ergreens on the other shore, as our broth- er Albert terms the closing of life. Are there more beautiful evergreens than your own children? Associations dearer than those you have helped to create around you ? Wait with all patience and cultivate perpetual youth, and a growth of ever- green principles here on earth. While working-—not waiting—should the reap- ing angels require your aid in other por- tions of the vineyard,—and We can’t blame them for wanting our parents, if they have learned your worth, for “there are none like unto you,"—-remember we part not, but ask your continued remem- brance of us in our varied duties until We, too, have taken our measure of trial in this sphere, and have thereby ripened for service in the land beyond. In behalf of the children. Canterbury, N. H. never I Hear the response : Suifer little children to eome unto me and forbid them not for of such is the kingdom of God. ANN LEE. Her Work, her People, and their Critics. FIRST PAPER. I purpose to Write a few, short papers upon the above subjects, believing the information they will contain, to be timely and desired. Out from the mists of obscurity have aris- en many of the world’s workers and saviours; and out from the mills of Manchester came “a good thing”—-one, of Whom, We feel war- ranted in speaking by quotation : “Many daughters have done virtuously; but thou ex- cellest them all.” It is an easy matter to chronicle the past; to state the beginnings of eras, and of conse- ‘ quences as they have occurred, and occur up to to-day. Who shall tell us all that may re- sult from the smallest, humblest beginnings? The most meek of men became leader of Israel’s hosts! a peasant girl, Maid of Or- leans, rising out of seclusion, dons an almost superhuman power, and baptizes an army of men with an irresistible force ! and Within the memory of our children yet in their teens. a long,‘ lank, homely member of the rail-split- ting department, rises to sit at the head of affairs of our nation; to be the adored of the people; and completing the grand act of e- mancipation, is called unto and crowned by the angels! Going back again in memory, and We recall the familiar sayings of “the Carpenter’s Son” in all their wonderful and powerful simplicity ; and now witness millions praise-struck at the name of Jesus! nor would we be unmindful of the efforts for the world’s good——the accomplishments of a Blacksmith’s beautiful daughter in behalf of mankind. For so sure as “ever the right comes uppermhst, and ever is justice done,” so shall this daughter receive her “recom- pense of reward.” WHO WAS ANN LEE? She Was the daughter of very poor, hum- ble, but industrious parents; who came hon- estly by their ignorance, and transmitted the same “bliss of ignorance” to a large family of children. Ann was early placed in a fac- tory, where she soon earned and more than earned her own livelihood ,but always remain- ed pquite ignorant of letters. TI-IE SHAKER MANIF‘ESTO. 39 She was a staid, quiet girl, not given so much to play, common to children of her age, but chose in preference a retirement from her mates, where, removed from public gaze, she became the subject of heavenly visions, many of which were far above the compre- hension of her juvenile mind. - In these vis- ions, being instructed of the depravity of hu- man nature, in mankind generally, and that God would soon open away for the deliverance of the people——airest for the weary and heavy laden-—she would go to her mother, tell of her visions, and sobbing, as with a breaking heart, ask her to explain them. Her mother, mother-like, tried hard, and variously, to dispel these vagaries of a dis- torted imagination, at the same time joining her daughter in tears, that told of the truths of vision, actiye in her own, daily experi- ence. While there was no cessation of these visions, her parents and friends coun- seled marriage to change her thoughts, a.nd give a new and they hoped a happier phase to her existence. She was married to Abraham Stanley, a blacksmith by trade. From this union four children were born; all, however dying while infants. Her marriedlife was aught but happy ; but not on the very common ground of in- compatibility of temper, but because she now began to experience the fulﬁllment of many of her visions; and hers became a troubled soul, and she an earnest seeker for a refuge from a life that brought her spiritual freedom under a bondage, worse than physical slav- ery,-—the engagements in lusts of the ﬂesh, that were “death unto death” to her already quickened conscience. The story of her spiritual sufferings about these times, as given by her own month, were so graphic and affecting, as to cause all who heard her to Wonder and Weep ! A woman, called to such spiritual experi- ences, should never marry nor engage" in any passionate indulgence. VVe herewith add our sincere commiseration for her kind heart- ed husband, and the same for any having a wife spiritually affected as was Ann Lee! He was, from all accounts a sympathetic husband; considerate of what he deemed her hallucinations; charitable to what he deem- ed her whims; and yet, while being the ex- alted prophetess, she made a very disagree- able wifel He was a worldly man, having hopes of increasing worldly prospects, and to a long life of worldly happiness with one of the kindest, prettiest of nature’s noblewomen. She was a woman of medium height, rath- er robust, sound in health, capable of great endurance, and quick to recuperate after ex- treme exhaustion. There was no reason why she should not have been the mother of healthy and long-lived reproductions, unless that reason is found, in the positive incompe- tency of an extremely spiritually—minded woman to reproduce healthy earthly offspring, regardless of the adequacy of cvery other es- sential necessity therefor. Stanley’s prospects, so far as Ann was concerned, were ruined; and he shall have for this period of his life our sympathetic memory. About this time, there was a class of revivalists active in Manchester—come- outers from the Quaker Order—under the leadership of a man and his wife, named Wardley. The revival seemed to embrace the necessi- ty of all would-be Christians, returning to the government and life of the primitive Christian Church. And when Ann learned that the Wardleys and their followers—called “Shakers”—(by which it will be seen that Ann Lee was not the first, so called,) lived in virgin celibacy, confessed and forsook sin, etc., she was moved in spirit to come into close communion with them, and by the con- sent of her husband united herself to them. Now, Stanley had a deal of trouble with Ann. Ann asked her elders how she should live with Stanley and keep her faith? Jane Wardley said to her : “I am James’ wife; we lodge together; but we no more touch each other sexually, than we would handle coals of ﬁre!” Ann was happy and determined; while Stanley now, was a most miserable husband. * ((;o1~:Tu<1;ED.) _ 44; xvr Rise early, if you wish to become rich and conquer an enemy. What is the most beau- tiful thing? The universe. The strongest? Necessity. The most difﬁcult? To know ourselves. The rarest? A true friend. THE SHAKER MANIF‘ESTO. “Kjl&JkMlLIlCTJl(Jdl(.:{l{ JIKMICKK J)! JNTJJ - é'@E‘.E”E§".P@JV.DEJV@E’. 3 Augusta, Mich. 12th. Mo. 1877. CHAUNCY DIBBLE, Friend, Your letter of the 22nd. ult. is at hand. I see you are one of those can- did seekers after truth. We are all subject to its divine laws, and must answer for our own conduct individ- ually. Our relation to Deity is found by humble prayer, which is the key to heaven. None but the virtuous and godly can enter there. You ask my idea of the unregenerate in the other existence. If there is a condition of salvation, there is also a place of destruc- tion to be saved from. There is a burning of soul to all who re- ject the truth. There is no device nor re- pentance in the grave. No returning to acceptance with God after death. It is casting a stigma to insinuate that our time of probation here is insufﬁcient. It is no injustice if a soul is tormented in hell; for We all have our own choice. We make our own condemnation; We are judged according to the deeds done in the body; they that are wise are wise unto life eternal. The wicked go to everlasting punishment. The doctrine of repentance in the future was invented by man, and suits his animal nature. It prevents many from obeying the spirit of truth now. All of every nation are invited to partake at the spiritual fountain—the liv- ing Christ—the inward Teacher—the only begotten of the Father. Born in our souls this spirit enables man to comprehend things divine. A. L. GRIFFIN. 4;; ‘V7 Shakers, N. Y., Jan. 1, 1878. A. GRIFFIN, My fr/"z'end:—Yours of 4th ult. is at hand. There seems a decided difference in our views, of the condition of the people of the other world. -The future destiny of the innumerable multitudes each with souls as precious as ours, is a subject too vast to be decided by the dogmas of the past. Heathens, Idolaters and religious persecu- tors, have their hells of retribution as I Weapon to frighten sinners into the church. The character attributed to Deity by such, is outrageously disgusting and has made more self-righteous hypocrites, and inﬁdels than it has saved souls. ‘ That Jehovah was a man of war; inspired his servants to persecute heretics; instituted a church to damn all who did not belong to it; that He has created a heaven at some ex- treme height to which all, who belong to the church, or have faith in imputed righteous- ness, are wafted at death, there to exult in the eternal misery of the wicked——these are doctrines too crude to have a place in an en- lightened mind. . God will never deprive man of the gift of free agency; yet all who willfully transgress, must learn obedience by suffering. The attributes of Deity are parental. He is not limited in the exercise of his mer- cy to ten years or an hundred years. He is the same God in the future. The separation of the spirit from our bodies does not change our relations to Him nor our own moral conditions. Spirits out of the body may still be virtu- ous or vicious; and their heaven or hell will be as they make them. We cannot indulge our selﬁsh propensities here, and be wholly released there; only so far as we have puriﬁed our hearts by absti- nence from ﬂcshly lusts. Yours in love, CHAUNCY DIBBLB. DR. J. MJPEEBLES. We have received a letter from Bro. Peebles, from Madras, in which he expresses his delight with the amount of mediumsliip, rnagic, and psycliolngmzil phe- nomena he has witnessed. “C-astiiigout devils.” he says, “It is as common in Southern India as it used to be in Palestine in Jesus’ time.” He is much saddened by the sights of suﬁ“eri_ng incident to the DYGVHXIIIEF famine, and expresses his deep sympathy for the s_ . ferers. The following is from the illadras Dazly Times :— t -. “Three weeks ago we announced the arriv- al in Madras of Dr. J. M. Peebles, formerly an American Consul in Asiatic Turkey, and the author of several books. During the period that he has been in Madras he hall I-"‘l‘ TI-IE SHAKER MANIFESTO. 4.-1 I been most industrious in obtaining informa- ion from all sources, and the chapters of his rthcoming work, devoted to Southern India, ould be most interesting. Dr. Peebles ils on Monday next by the Suffolk for Na- tal and Cape Town, en route to England. The Doctor, during his stay here, has exhib- ited that push and energy which is character- -istic of Americans. Though he has been, as we have said, hardly three weeks in Madras, he has managed to visit the famine camps, the Leper Hospital, the museum, libraries, all the public buildings and burning ghauts. He has witnessed the clever feats of magicians, seen the devil priests professedly cast out de- mons, looked into a higher class of psycholog- ical phenomena, diﬂicult to get at and more diﬂicult to comprehend, and met a good many native gentlemen of various castes. He has also received from the Chief Secretary to Government much kindness in the way of a sight of public documents, and in every conceivable way has had the opportunity of seeing all sides of our social life. Dr. Pee- bles was at the breakfast in the Banqueting Hall yesterday in honor of the Viceroy, and was charmed with the almost Republican freedom evinced. They have nothing of the kind in the West, he says, and he thinks he has a wrinkle from the ancient civilization of India to bring before the century-old Repub- lie of the New World. We shall look for- ward to the publicaton of Dr. Peebles’ forth- coming work with interest.” Let us Earn our Pay. A common share in the toils and {burdens of life, whether of a temporal or spiritual na- ture, always enhances our happiness. This is a life of toil; let us not leave our portion for the ever burdened. Let us each make the most of our own capital, that we may not Let all that wepossess be justly and truly earned. Then have to beg, borrow, nor steal. we shall have nothing unpleasent to reﬂect upon when our accounts are cast up. EUNICE BATHRICK, Harvard, Mass. © E THE SHAKER MANIFESTO. E @ @ GEO. ALBERT LOMAS,EDITOR. ITS WORST BNEMIES. That Christianity ﬁnds its worst ene- mies among those professing the stron- gest and most affectionate allegiance to it, is our assertion, and our most sorrow- ful regret. That there are (liiierences of opinions, theologically, will never be matters of surprise, when our various organizations and constitutions are duly considered. Theology is a talk upon God, dictated by the mind of him or her who possesses ideas of theology. Hence, it is not strange, that there are as many theological mills, and roads thereto, as there are individuals with theological grists to be ground. Theological differ- ences may always exist, and none be harmed thereby; for whether this or that is the best theology, we opine God cares very little. With religion, and religious life, the results are very different; for theol- ogy and religion are but distant rela- tives at best. The advent of Christian- ity into the world, was to bring new, practical lessons for its believers to learn and obey. The lessons prior to its com- ing had been good; suflicient for the progress of the people, who knew not of any pleasures above the world of ﬂeshly indulgences—who were truly a carnal people, and justified, in the absence of Christianity, in all their regulated car- nality. Now, let any man or woman, or they twain, engage, as did the children of 42 THE SHAKER MAI.¢IF‘ESTO. Israel, in all the gratiﬁcations permitted and restricted by their Grod—let them learn and sing the song of Moses to per- fection—and they are only good and perfect Jews at best. Will any rational thinker presume to_ say, that there is only an additional theology, belief or admission to be made by these parties, that they may be Christians? That merely acknowledging that Christ came to save sinners; and believing in the su- perexcellency of his blood, will change them from good Jews to good Chris- tians? Can it be, that such acknowl- edgement and belief are the means of building up a “New Creation of God?” Such is the sincere teaching of the vast majority of the clergy; who, however sincere, are the worst enemies of the Church of Christ! We wonder not at the differences of opinion, active among the apostles in their day ; and did we know of more of such differences we should not be sur- prised. That Paul overcame Peter’s scruples of religious christian life, was the most natural thing in the world; but at the same time, it was the triumph of darkness, which blotted out the pure, practical elements of primitive Chris- tianity; hence, the “falling away I” We say, “most natural ;” we add, the most unspiritual circumstance of seven- teen hundred years, was the conversion of Peter from following the life of Jesus, to engage in the philosophical reason- ings, apologies, and wholesale conver- sions after Paul l ~ Had Swedenborg, with his eloquence, learning, tact and reasoning ability, con- verted Ann Lee from the necessity of such a degree of purity of life; such denials to general human selﬁshness; licenses, that and permitting such human nature should not feel pressed, restricted unto the death of the works 0 the old creation, there would be now the same “darkness covering the face 0 the earth” that accompanied the falling away of the ﬁrst Church. Sweden- borg, was undoubtedly the most superi- or man of his day, in intellectual and moral attainments. There were elegan- cies of diction and habits about him, that wrought great attractiveness among the early disciples of Mother Ann Lee. So much was this the case, that under the slow progress* of Shakerism; under its severe cruciﬁxions of the ﬂesh, and iconoclasm of the old domestic rela- tions, many recurred to the easements, let ups, and half-way crosses of Sweden- borg; and consequently, for ﬁfty and more years——until the eﬂicacy of a full cross against the ﬂesh and its concomi- tant relations was satisfactorily estab- lished, Swedenborg and his writings, were kept “without,” among the sor- cerers. We have paid Pau1’s life, the high tribute of being very superior to his unchristian theology—his life was close- ly following that of Jesus. His vic- tory over the “head of the Church”—— Peter-—and the rest of the apostles— unless we except JamesT—has given *The progress of the Shakers is necessa- rily slow, as they take up a cross too heavy to be borne by ordinary men and women of the worZd.—Henry Vincent. 1-But Luther far surpassed the zeal and conﬁdence of his fathers, in changing and corrupting everything sacred. In order to maintain his inconsistent and pernicious sol- iﬁolian system of Imputed Righteousness, he rejected the whole epistle of James, and called it “an epistle of straw.” See the be- ginning of Luther’s Works, Barclay’s Ap. p. 80, 81. Armi. Mag. Vol. II. p. 288. TI-IE SI-IAKER MANI]§‘ESTO. 43 he clergy of today, the opportunities of eing apologists for all ﬂeshly indul- nces, through unchristian marriages, grivate possessions, with their ever-ac- companying catalogue of contingences; and with only the fear of a future—— “the time will come when these things will be done away”——and with the apparent encouragement of “Go it, while you may!” And the clergy are unhesitatingly selling Paul’s permis- sions, while their multitudinous follow- ers are most eager to buy 1 But there is no Christ in these indulgences. EV- ery marriage, however proper for the world, and its children, cruciﬁes Christ afresh; every sexual congress of the twain, however necessary for the peo- pling of the earth, pollutes the Christian temple; every departure from “all things common and equal,” and to pri- vate, personal, selﬁsh aggregations, drives the third nail, by which the life-blood of Christ——the true Christian religion—ebbs entirely away I These same clergymen (honorable in their sincerity, zeal and fervency; but how inconsistent and cruel practically I) do not differ with us, regarding what the life of Christ Jesus was! They admit its virgin celibacy ; they know of its living testimony of abstinence from sexual conbinations and lusts; they are one with us in admission and admira- tion of the plainness of Jesus’ dress 'and habits; they differ not that “they were together and had all things in com- mon ;” they are our equals in speaking of his peaceableness, in crowning him the Prince of Peace 1 in keeping himself and little Church distinct from the “manners” and governments**» of the **Luke xx : 25. World, and in praising. Now, why all this “beating round the bush?” Why not come out boldly, and say: “Such was the LIFE of Jesus Christ, we know; but we cannot live it ; our congregations will not live it! hence, while aclmitting such to be genuine Christianity it is too oner- ous, too orossingfor us to bear! Some noble clergymen, have come out thus boldly, and have renounced the name of “O'hristian.” even as their But knowing the grand contrast between the life of the world, and the life of Jesus, the Christ; realiz- ing that the people will stay in Egypt, indulging in the world, ﬂesh and devil; the clergy, in evading the commands of the Christ, to teach his words, and to “follow him” in life, do so under the encouraging applause of the people and lives are not. the pay of the devil! And amid their , own desires for human, but unchristian pleasures ; Paul’s permissions to be half- way christians; and the unreserved consecration of the entire life of Jesus, the Christ, all looming up to be chosen from : “Choose ye I” And while contin- uing to hold the pure, peaceable, unself- ish, unworldly life of Christ, a subject of admiration, and not as a life-like pat- tern for all true disciples, we arraign such clergy and converts——professors of Christianity——as inimical to the cause of Christ, and the Worst enemies that it has. In this issue of THE MANIFESTO will begin a series of papers on INDIANS; written by our kind, zealous and vener- able friend, James S. Prescott. More 44 THE SHAKER MANIFESTO. than ﬁfty years ago, he was employed by the Baptist Church of Hartford, Conn., to go as a Missionary among the In- dians ; and began his labors as a teacher of a school of forty scholars, at Oneida Castleton, N. Y. ; since which time his sympathies have been very active in be- half of all Indians. VVe hail this se- ries as timely. And now, while the In- dians are creating such excitement, we Want to quote the latest noble assertion - of General Miles, conqueror of the Nez ' Perces tribes : “I do not -blame the In- dians for ﬁghting with such vengeance. They have been so wronged by govern- ment agents, even to the amount of hun- dreds of thousands of dollars annually, that the wonder now is, that they have been as peaceable 1” Others, former captives among the Indians, have on be- ing released, borne similar testimony. _.°.___ “THE QUONDAM SAILOR.” The children’s friend—-—Bro. Wm. G. Libbey, will continue to accompany us through the year. Although he will prove no “Robinson C'rusoe,” nor “Rod- erick, the Rover,” yet he will be an enter- taining and instructive story teller; and the best things about his stories are, they are all true to life. We hope also all will be pleased to read and remember the bean- ties of' Elder H. C. Blinn’s “Address.” We deem there are limits to the pro- priety of free speech—-a time when free- dom of speech may be abused, by the utterance of profanity or obscenity————but we feel assured, from certain, recent ar- rests, that a spirit of hate, from anti- theological reasons, has been aroused; and the consequences will be a repetition of Inquisitorial times and deeds, unless this spirit and its agents are rebuked‘ It is one feature of the combination, a mal-administration of Church and Sta governments. To this combination we are eternal opponents. Keep the gov- ernments of Cesar and God apart forev- er ; while rendering to each its just dues. Our Shaker testimony cuts crosswise many of the world’s idolatrous prac- tices; and for this testimony, uttered with respectable, dictionary language, are we to look for arrest, incarcerations and fine? citizens, to awake to the positive necessi- ty, of keeping Church and State forever separate; to keep God, Christ, Virgin Mary, Ann Lee, and every other theo- logical representation out of the Consti- tution of our United States, and to give to every other the same rights to “life, liberty and pursuit of happiness,” which we desire to exercise for ourselves. Again, we call on American ___.°.__.. We call particular attention to Elder A. Perkins’ article “Are the Shakers Chris- tiansf?" As a deﬁnition, of what used to be duly considered Christianity, it will be diﬂicult to excel. The points raised, are well cleared up: Was the life of Jesus, that of a virgin celibiate? So is that of all true Shakers, or Chris- tians. Was his household government based on an equality of goods? Was he apeacemaker? Did he and disciples separate themselves from the social and sexual practices common to the world? A Thus do the Shakers live. -Until We are convinced that the coveted practices of the world———the congress of sexes for propagation or mere pleasure; personal riches, inequality of this 1ife’s good things; controversies, contentious and wars; and the general engagements of THE SHAKER MANIFESTO. selﬁshness are christian or best, we mean t)» be Shakers, and hurl against these principalities of the world our christian testimony. '_.°.___ The works of scientiﬁc men, reform- ers, ecclesiastical canons, and such new lights and liberals, as prefer the spirit of truth to theological errors, are creating a Babylon——a confusion——among so-called “orthodox” creeds. Robert Ingersoll is doing his iconoclastic work well; Merriam is already very heretical to ear- ly, established opinions; Canon Farar wipes out, with his linguistic lore, “hell, damnation and everlasting torment” from future editions of the revised, sacred scriptures; Sir Draper adds a liberal page to present church doctrines, thereby throwing a bomb among ecclesiastics, making confusion, worse confounded, and an irremediable rent to the errone- ous philosophies of religious opinions; then come Munger, and ex-president Hopkins disavowing what they early swore to believe and sustain ; only to be excelled by the Beecher, into an exten- sive tumble-up into very much more lib- erality, almost amounting to Univer- salism! “Let us be patient, these severe aﬂlictions “Not from the ground arise; “But oftentimes. celestial benedictions “Assume this bright disguise.” Let us be prayerful: “Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth,” just ' as angels and just men and women are doing, wherever heavenly conditions are. While the old creation is toppling and falling; while the old theological arks have lasted out their latest endur- ance; let us be wise in the presentation of principles, of a never-fading charac- ter-—of Jesus, the Christ. A virgin 4:5 character; eternal Peace; the commun- al relations of brethren and sisters in the spirit of Christ,—-these form the heavens, there is no progress without them, and though the heavens and earth pass away, these will endure forever! __.,,.___ We cannot rejoice, that so many are- agreeably roused to the belief, that there is no hell. mind are likely to dash against the real truth of the case, for some time to come, because so much inﬁdelity of there be- ing a hell in the great hereafter, is be- ing sown with unsparing voices and hands. There are hells upon earth; there will be hells in the future; and as well may any deny that effects follow their causes, as to deny that evil thoughts, words and acts are followed by the most uncomfortable conditions. There are hells ; and the escape there- from, is to ﬂee from the conditions that make us uncomfortable, here and here- after. We do rejoice, however, that this subject is awaking in many thou- sands, the blessed hope, belief, and the certainty of all having as long a proba- tion in the future, as they may desire- to live in tormented conditions. That here, and hereafter, there is a way out of sin and its effects. And just as soon as we are willing to cease to do evil, learn to do better, and turn our faces away from the hellish conditions of worldly life, then will we ever and for- ever, time, and eternity without end, re- alize a loving. parent, ready to fall on our necks, forgive us and redeem us. Thanks to Almighty God, that this glo- rious light of truth is so fast breaking upon the peopl

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