Show i A VERY PECULIAR SECT s Who and What Are Shakers and I Their Practices PROMINENT MEN SHAKERS Interview With a Shaker DoctorA I Bit of Instructive Reading Wherein Shakers Differ From Quakers I entire In view of the fact that the city of Salt Lake city seems topsy turvy regarding the wonderful work and being done by the Shaker doctor his thinking our many readers might like a short sketch regarding who and I of are a reporter what the Shakers I The Herald called on the Shaker doctor at the Walker house and one making his wishes known was given I pleasant reception We found the a educated I doctor to be a highly courteous gentleman well informed topics of the day and 1 the general kindly upon consented to submit to an interview I in-terview which we are sure will prove of as much interest to our readers as it was to the reporter In answer to the question Who and what are the Shakers and in what do they differ from the Quakers of WIllIam WIll-iam Penns time he said The Shakers are seceders of the Quakers and differ from them in many particulars The Shakers are I communists in the strictest acceptance of the term but muist not be confounded confound-ed with anarchists as communism means to protect every member of the community anarchism means to teardown tear-down the present state of society Communism I Com-munism protects the most humble In I health sickness and burial of the dead The property is all held in indi common no man owns a dollar viduaTly but it is all held in a common com-mon fund The first law and our laws are all unwritten is to give your heart to God and your hands to labor every man woman and child is placed in their proper sphere according I accord-ing to their talents Some upon farms some on dairies and some in our workshops While the world has wit nosed the rise decline and fall of the numerous organizations which have proved failures the Shakers of today stand as a monument to the first fruits of communism Doctor what is the factor of their success In the first place our belief is following fol-lowing in the footsteps of the Master as we worship the same God as the Hebrew and the same Saviour as the Christian As Christ is our patron of all virtues among which is celibacy I or not marrying I I Do I understand you to say the I Shakers do not marry I II They do not marry Neither are they given in marriage and I will give you my honor there is no free love practiced among them I Doctor you suprise me How do you maintain your numerical strength We take childr2ni of worthy pac pa-c If cOO I rents and educate them In our peculiar beliefWhat What stress do you lay on celibacy or why do you practice it They can lead a more quiet peaceful peace-ful life as celibates In what way In this way There are many passions pas-sions aroused in matrimony which are dormant in celibacy among which are I avarice selfishness and jealousy In regard to avarice the Shakers believe there are no pockets in shrouds In I selfishness it has no place among us as everything is on an equal footing We are not jealous but proud when one sister or brother shows superiority to the other j What relations do the sexes occupy to each other i The same relations as existed in your family until you left home The positions of brothers and sisters While you severed your relations when you left home we continue as long as life lasts with the relation of brother and sister Can men and women maintain their superiority to old age by living the life of a celibate Were I permitted I would refer with pride to the number of prominent men of America who were raised a Shaker and remained a Shaker until death I might mention Samuel J Tilden who was raised a Shaker and was buried as a Shaker in Shaker burial grounds One of the judges on the supreme oench today was raised a Shaker and is still a Shaker Asa Gray the botanist botan-ist was raised a Shaker and died one iDo you believe in education Yes we believe in education moral physical mental and musical Our system of physical education consists in regular habits eating drinking etc and enables us to show the greatest great-est longevity of any people on earth as we have numbers who have attained attain-ed the age of eighty ninety and a hundred What do the Shakers manufacture Brooms jeans satinets Shaker flannels preserved fruits canned fruits and botanical medicines Why do you claim superiority for your medicines We have taken the medical plants that are rare from all parts of the earth and in our botanical garden by cultivation and acclimation have brought them to the greatest perfection perfec-tion What are the politics and who is the Shakers favorite candidate for president The Shakers are noncombatants believing that if you take their coats to give them your jacket also They are nonresistant opposed to wars never fighting the battles of any flag under which their lot may he cast asa as-a community As individuals we furn ished the Union army generals who made their mark We believe as Shakers in living in peace with all mankind We pay our taxes never vote Here is a direct case of taxation without representation and today the Shakers are worth fifteen million dol larWhat What do you think of the city of Salt Lake I have found its citizens warm ihearted courteous and hospitable people peo-ple and well represented from all over the world Mine host of the Walker house stands second to none as a homelike caravansery in Salt Lake city as he and his worthy assistants assist-ants have just what a traveling man needs just where he can find it to 1 make life pleasant and agreeable under i his hospitable roof Ye scribe not wishing to trespass Y further upon the time df the worthy A doctor withdrew with many regrets and with many thoughts new to him 1 and many thanks for the interview 1 |