The New Hampshire Gazette

THE GAZETTE.

THE SHAKERS.

While on a visit to Alfred during the summer of 1827, curiosity led us to visit the Shaker Village in that place. It was on the Sabbath day, and we arrived there just in season to witness the morning services. We were struck with the beautiful arrangement of their garden and fields, as well as with the air of neatness and simplicity every where exhibited. Their Meeting House was a small, plain, unostentatious building, opposite their dwelling houses, and somewhat elevated above them. When we entered it, there was but one person within, and we consequently had an excellent opportunity to witness the surpassing cleanliness of every thing about us. The unpainted floor bore a polish scarcely inferior to that of mahogany, and the well washed wall, without spot or blemish, was the fit emblem of purity and innocence. We had been seated scarcely five minutes when the little community, arranged in two divisions entered; the males at one door and the females at the other. They seated themselves at the opposite ends of the room with an air of quiet devotion that surprised us not a little, for we had always been taught to consider the sect as one plunged in the very depths of vice and impiety. But our prejudices were fast giving way to better feelings. The similarity in the dress of the males; the uniformity and sweet simplicity of the female habiliments was particularly imposing. After singing a hymn, in which the whole fraternity joined, one of the male members delivered a short extemporaneous address, replete with natural eloquence, being a brief defence of their doctrines and the necessity of resisting the evil propensities of the human heart. When he had finished, the males arranged themselves in pairs, the oldest occupying the front, and were immediately succeeded by the females in a similar order, and then commenced what is called "the dance," it being nothing more nor less than a measured, monotonous, limping (though not ungraceful) step; the whole congregation, at the same time singing at the very top of their voices. As they performed their circumgirations we noticed their countenances, particularly those of the females, and though they were unusually pale, they nevertheless appeared to be contented and happy. Among the rest was a lovely girl, apparently about sixteen, whose laughing blue eye spoke anything but an interest in the services of the day, or a belief in their solitary doctrines. She was a priestess of Venus rather than of Diana. One of her eloquent glances completely undid all that the preacher had said. We were ready to say to her as Agrippa said to Paul, almost thou persuadest me to be a Shaker! When the services were ended the congregation left the house, observing the same order as in entering it, and proceeded to their dwelling, not however, before some of the males had invited us to partake of their hospitality. When returning we pondered upon what we had seen.—The deep devotion and single-mindedness exhibited in every action of the members of this little community, was the guarantee of their honesty, and we mutually promised never again to pre-judge any sect whatever.