protection and support guaranteed to other citizens. The income of their manufactures, together with their agricultural products, yields their temporal support; and what they become possessed of more than is necessary to their wants, they devote to charitable purposes, agreeably to their church covenant.

'Fifty-four persons, old and young, have departed this life in the society since it was first organized-a period of forty years. This number is small, in comparison with the mortality of other parts of the state; and furnishes strong proof how much temperate habits tend to prolong life.'

These remarks in the historical collections serve as a preface to a short account of the faith and discipline of the Shakers, furnished by two respectable individuals of the community at Canterbury. It contains little or nothing new on the subiect, and a considerable part of it is taken up with a notice of the alleged misrepresentations of their sect in Merrill's Gazetteer of New Hampshire, and President Allen's Biographical Dictionary. As a contribution toward the history of this sect in New York, we shall quote the last paragraph in this statement. Valentine Rathbun, there mentioned, was a baptist minister, who in 1780 in the time of the general awakening, became a convert to this faith, but in about three months relapsed, and published a work, entitled Brief hints, against the new faith. D. Rathbun, as well as Taylor and West, mentioned also in this paragraph, have likewise published accounts of the Shakers.

'It is evident however, that he [President Allen] has drawn his description from the accounts of Valentine and Daniel Rathbun, Taylor, West, and others, whom we well know to have early apostatized from our society in New York, in consequence of having been disappointed in their views of obtaining pre-eminence among them; and through whose instigation, several riotous and lawless mobs were afterwards excited to commit the most inhuman and cruel outrages on the society, whose profession and conscience forbade them to resist, or render evil for evil. In defiance of all law, these mobs were frequently led forward by those infuriate apostates, by whom many of the society, both men and women indiscriminately, and in their own dwellings, were often scourged and beaten with savage barbarity. In one of those crusades, a son of Valentine Rathbun, being a member of the society, of lawful age and a married man, was struck by his father with a large cane, inhumanly beaten, his skull laid bare for three inches in length, and at last left weltering in his blood, with doubtful apprehensions with regard to his fate! This is that civil authority, as it is called, by which our assemblies

are said to have been suppressed! Yet strange as it may seem, the libellous productions of these apostates from truth and charity are not only credited, but transcribed and held out to the public as a standard of undoubted authenticity.'

The editors of the Historical Collections make the following remarks at the close of their article on the Shakers of Canterbury.

'It should be mentioned as a practice highly creditable to this sect, that the members of their societies never make use of ar dent spirits except in cases of sickness, being aware of the evils intemperance brings upon society. Another practice not unwor thy of imitation is, they refuse to be trusted even in the smallest They transact their secular concerns with much probity and uprightness; and though they may have suffered reproach from their singularity of life and manners, they have become a proverb for industry, justice, and benevolence.'

sum.

With regard to the number of Shaker settlements in the United States, it is stated in the Connecticut Gazetteer,* that there are at least fourteen. We have reason to think however that at present there are a few more. The following are

all of which we have heard by name :

We have reason to think that there are a few settlements of Shakers in the western states, in addition to those here enumerated. The size of these communities varies from two to five hundred members. We have heard their whole numbers estimated at 6000, and the value of their lands at 800,000 dollars. With respect to the religious opinions of this sect, they complain like all other sects of the misrepresentations which cir*p. 70.

New Series, No 13.

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culate in regard to them. In the preface to the work before us the authors tell us, that nothing has hitherto been published which meets their approbation, except a small pamphlet, entitled A concise statement of the principles of the only true church, written to a deaf man, by particular request, and printed at Bennington, Vermont, in the year 1790, and a pamphlet published last year under the title of The Kentucky Revived.' It may be observed in general, that they claim the name of christians, and acknowledge the authority of the bible, of which their interpretations rival any thing, which the grossest ignorance and wildest fanaticism ever conspired to produce. But the deliberate worship of Anne Lee as a person of the Deity, throws at once an intolerable air of blasphemy and horrible ridicule over their belief, which we have no disposition to contemplate. We will only quote one of the least offensive of the speculations on this subject, of the work before us, that our readers may not think we speak with undue harshness. The authors of the work adduce the words of prophecy, 'I will shake all nations and the desire of all nations shall come,' and comment upon them, in the following manner.

'The effects of Christ's first appearing were far from fulfilling those promises in their full extent; for in reality that heaven, which was to be shaken, had not yet been built, neither was the appearing of Christ in the form of man, so properly the desire of all nations. But as his second appearing was to be manifested in that particular object (namely woman,) which is eminently the desire of all nations; therefore it was that the present work of God began in shaking, both as a preparatory and an increasing work for the full and final manifestation of Christ.'

With respect to most opinions in controversy among christians, the Shakers can scarcely be said to be on one side or the other. Their own language is so very peculiar, and is a jargon so completely sui generis, that it is difficult to reduce it either to the affirmative or negative of common theological questions. The work before us is filled with unfriendly allusions to the popular orthodox theology, but a favorite theme of discourse in their harangues is the doctrine of regeneration; and it is possible that they would admit some of the Calvinistic tenets; reserving to themselves peculiar explanations of them, by which they could be strained to accord with their mythology. Upon the whole, though we are not in favor of denying

the name of Christian to any, who esteem it an honor to wear it, yet we cannot but think that those who call Anne Lee, Mother, in the same sense that they call God, Father, and sing praises to both, are christians of a very curious kind.

There is no one, who has not heard of the mode, in which the Shakers perform the duty of religious worship. Were it becoming to be amused with any thing which refers to such a subject, one would be amused with the ingenuity of their defence of their mode of worship. We cannot but extract a few sentences, from the work before us, on this subject.

4. The manner of worship in the first appearing of Christ was not reduced to any form, but according as true Believers were moved by the Spirit, in various circumstances. They worshipped God in prayer, vocal or silent, in praise, in thanksgiving, in exhortations, and in feasts of charity, by which they expressed their love and union to each other.

5. This various manner of worship continued, mostly, with all the true witnesses until near the time of Christ's second appearing, when many, like the guards of the night, sat in solemn silence, waiting for the break of day, denying their own wisdom and judgment, and performing no act of worship but such as they were moved to, by the inward light and evidence of the quickening Spirit.

6. Being thus wholly cut off from the fruitless inventions and precepts of men, and wholly dependent on the author and fountain of life, they devoted themselves to do his will in all things wherein it might be made manifest. Hence the light and truth, and revelation of God increased among them, until, by the special operation of his power, they were moved to go forth and worship God in the dance: which had been expressly signified by the law and the prophets, as the peculiar manner of worship to be established in the latter day.

7. And as the work of full redemption, and the worship of God attending it, were to be introduced in the line of the female; therefore it is particularly worthy of notice, that through the order of the female, both the example and promise were given, through all the law and the prophets, which may evidently appear from what follows.

'8. The deliverance of the children of Israel from under Pharaoh, and their escape through the Red sea, was a plain and striking figure of the day of full redemption, from the bondage and dominion of sin, as may appear from the song of Moses and the children of Israel. And therefore it was that Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her, with timbrels, and with dances.

10. The first abode of the Ark of God, was in Shiloh, and it was there, at the yearly feasts of the Lord, that the virgins or daughters of Shiloh, went forth to dance in dances. This, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh, was an abiding figure of the true worship in Christ, at the bringing in the Ark of the Covenant of God in the latter day.

11. Also when the king of Israel returned, after the victory over Goliah the Philistine, (a type of Antichrist) The women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing.

'12. Again the final establishment of the Ark of God and his Testament, was prefigured when the typical Ark was removed from Shiloh to the city of David, being accompanied with the same solemn exercise.-And David and all Israel played [that is danced] before God with all their might, and with singing.

16. But in the time of their captivity at Babylon, this sacred exercise was entirely lost from the people of God, and like the vessels of the sanctuary, profaned by the wicked in the service of the Devil. And hence the lamentation of the prophet Jeremiah. The joy of our heart is ceased, our dance is turned into mourning.

18. The promise that this mode of worship should be restored to the people of God, in the latter day, evidently appears from the most express and pointed prophecies, given in the time of the captivity. Thus the Lord, by the prophet Jeremiah: “Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have mercy on his dwelling places:-And out of them shall proceed thanks-giving, and the voice of them that make merry :—In the latter days ye shall consider it.

22. But as these things could not be fulfilled in Christ's first appearing, therefore he renewed the promises which were made through the prophets, saying, "All things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me." Which, in this particular, was more expressly alluded to in his parable of the younger son, who returned to his father's house, and being stript of his old garments, and clothed with the best robe, there was Music and Dancing.'

If any one think that the dancing of the Shakers resembles the worldly exercise commonly called by that name, he will widely err. We suppose that when their church was first organized in Toad lane, their corporeal exercises, which gave them the name of Shakers, were of a violent and boisterous character, like those sometimes witnessed in camp-meetings. But as we have had occasion already to hint, the character of Shakerism has wholly changed since the emigration to America. The name remains, but the thing is changed. The dancing now practised in their assemblies, if not as our authors