Concise Statements concerning the Life and Religious Views of the Shakers. North Family
Mr. Lebanon, NY: North Family, c1896. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Wraps. Format is approximately 3.125 inches by 5.25 inches. 24 pages, plus covers. Includes a List of Publications and Post Office Address of the Several Communities. Cover has some wear and soiling/staining. While undated, one reference states it was published in 1896 and another posits 1880?. Rare surviving copy. This little tract containing a brief citation of the religious views, customs and regulations of the "United Society of Believers," usually known as "Shakers," has been written with the hope of answering collectively, the questions most frequently asked by strangers, who from various motives seek information concerning us. Having been especially designed to enclose with letters, brevity became a necessity. If, after careful perusal, the reader should desire further information upon particular points pertaining to our history, life, or religion, we have pamphlets and tracts that treat these different subjects separately, and larger publications giving fuller information. We kindly request those who receive any of these writings to circulate them among friends. Among the topics addressed are: Origin and Early History of the Shakers, Organization, Social Arrangements and Employments, Hygiene, Recreation, Literature and Correspondence, Form of Worship, Concerning the Bible. The tract states that the Shakers have a "Parental form of government." The tract also states that "All correspondence will be subject to the examination and advice of the Elders." The United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, more commonly known as the Shakers, are a millenarian nontrinitarian restorationist Christian sect founded circa 1747 in England and then organized in the United States in the 1780s. They were initially known as "Shaking Quakers" because of their ecstatic behavior during worship services. Espousing egalitarian ideals, women took on spiritual leadership roles alongside men, including founding leaders such as Jane Wardley, Mother Ann Lee, and Mother Lucy Wright. The Shakers emigrated from England and settled in Revolutionary colonial America, with an initial settlement at Watervliet, New York (present-day Colonie), in 1774. They practice a celibate and communal utopian lifestyle, pacifism, uniform charismatic worship, and their model of equality of the sexes, which they institutionalized in their society in the 1780s. They are also known for their simple living, architecture, technological innovation, music, and furniture. During the mid-19th century, an Era of Manifestations resulted in a period of dances, gift drawings, and gift songs inspired by spiritual revelations. At its peak in the mid-19th century, there were 2,000-4,000 Shaker believers living in 18 major communities and numerous smaller, often short-lived, communities. External and internal societal changes in the mid- and late-19th century resulted in the thinning of the Shaker community as members left or died with few converts to the faith to replace them. By 1920, there were only 12 Shaker communities remaining in the United States. As of 2019, there is only one active Shaker village: Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, in Maine. Consequently, many of the other Shaker settlements are now museums. As pacifists, the Shakers did not believe that it was acceptable to kill or harm others, even in time of war. As a result, the Civil War brought with it a strange time for the Shaker communities in America. Both Union and Confederate soldiers found their way to the Shaker communities. Shakers tended to sympathize with the Union but they did feed and care for both Union and Confederate soldiers. President Lincoln exempted Shaker males from military service, and they became some of the first conscientious objectors in American history. Condition: Fair.
Keywords: United Society of Believers, Shakers, Religion, Utopian Society, Pacifists, Worship, Belief, Faith, Mother Ann Lee, Bible, Social Arrangements, Recreation, Hygiene, Government, Censorship
[Book #82668]
Price: $500.00