﻿502 
  ANNUAL, 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1922. 
  

  

  bered 
  chant 
  rolls 
  forth, 
  " 
  in 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  Father," 
  deep 
  toned, 
  

   thrilling 
  with 
  fervor, 
  and 
  a 
  thing 
  moving 
  even 
  to 
  a 
  neutral 
  observer. 
  

   At 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  terminal 
  prayer, 
  a 
  deacon 
  or 
  assistant 
  grasps 
  two 
  

   of 
  the 
  bells 
  and 
  begins 
  to 
  shake 
  them, 
  as 
  Indians 
  do 
  a 
  rattle, 
  one 
  

   in 
  each 
  hand, 
  in 
  a 
  pounding 
  rhythm. 
  The 
  bell 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  Shakers 
  

   is 
  not 
  the 
  soft, 
  tinkling 
  bell 
  of 
  the 
  Catholic 
  ritual, 
  silver 
  toned 
  

   and 
  sweet 
  in 
  a 
  distant 
  chancel, 
  but 
  a 
  substantial 
  dinner 
  bell, 
  its 
  

   note 
  a 
  brazen 
  clangor 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  heard 
  half 
  a 
  mile. 
  The 
  progress 
  

   of 
  this 
  deacon 
  around 
  the 
  premises, 
  in 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  crow-hop, 
  followed 
  in 
  

   Indian 
  file 
  by 
  the 
  devotees, 
  is 
  accompanied 
  therefore 
  by 
  a 
  consid- 
  

   erable 
  din. 
  Meanwhile, 
  a 
  song 
  mounts 
  up 
  in 
  time 
  to 
  the 
  clang 
  of 
  the 
  

   bells, 
  and 
  as 
  each 
  dancer 
  passes 
  the 
  altar 
  he 
  (or 
  she) 
  revolves 
  once. 
  

   This 
  exercise 
  or 
  parade 
  is 
  repeated 
  as 
  often 
  as 
  necessary 
  or 
  conveni- 
  

   ent. 
  The 
  worshippers 
  often 
  in 
  going 
  by 
  the 
  altar 
  pass 
  their 
  hands 
  

   through 
  the 
  flame 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  candles, 
  trying 
  to 
  purify 
  themselves 
  

   by 
  driving 
  away 
  sin. 
  At 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  dance 
  or 
  parade, 
  every 
  

   worshiper 
  shakes 
  hands, 
  or 
  touches 
  hands, 
  with 
  every 
  other 
  wor- 
  

   shipper 
  and 
  with 
  every 
  spectator, 
  sometimes 
  blessing 
  his 
  vis-a-vis 
  with 
  

   the 
  sign 
  of 
  the 
  cross. 
  In 
  all 
  these 
  performances, 
  rhythm 
  is 
  very 
  

   strongly 
  marked, 
  the 
  subject 
  making 
  many 
  voluntary 
  gestures, 
  which 
  

   pass 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  into 
  the 
  tremor 
  or 
  shaking 
  spell 
  which 
  has 
  given 
  

   the 
  sect 
  its 
  name. 
  

  

  Already 
  the 
  curious 
  mixture 
  of 
  acts, 
  symbols, 
  and 
  ideas 
  is, 
  I 
  think, 
  

   apparent. 
  The 
  mixture 
  is 
  even 
  more 
  conspicuous, 
  however, 
  in 
  the 
  

   performances 
  by 
  which 
  these 
  people 
  set 
  about 
  curing 
  disease. 
  The 
  

   sick 
  or 
  ailing 
  person 
  (man, 
  woman, 
  or 
  child) 
  is 
  put 
  in 
  a 
  chair 
  or 
  a 
  

   bed, 
  and 
  the 
  operators 
  gather 
  about. 
  A 
  general 
  situation 
  appro- 
  

   priate 
  for 
  a 
  cure 
  is 
  brought 
  about 
  by 
  arranging 
  candles, 
  crosses, 
  and 
  

   religious 
  pictures, 
  and 
  by 
  singing 
  and 
  praying. 
  The 
  assumption 
  

   on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  believers 
  is 
  that 
  sickness 
  is 
  produced 
  by 
  sin, 
  sin 
  

   being 
  something 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  bodily 
  removed 
  from 
  a 
  person 
  by 
  

   manipulation. 
  When 
  the 
  patient, 
  for 
  example, 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  proper 
  

   frame 
  of 
  mind, 
  they 
  pass 
  their 
  hands 
  over 
  his 
  body, 
  gradually 
  work- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  sinfulness 
  to 
  his 
  extremities 
  and 
  then 
  gathering 
  it 
  in 
  their 
  

   hands 
  and 
  " 
  throwing 
  it 
  away." 
  The 
  pantomime 
  is 
  often 
  very 
  clever 
  

   and 
  convincing. 
  On 
  occasion 
  they 
  may 
  vary 
  proceedings 
  by 
  passing 
  

   a 
  lighted 
  candle 
  along 
  the 
  patient's 
  limbs, 
  to 
  burn 
  away 
  the 
  sin. 
  

   It 
  is 
  conspicuous 
  that 
  the 
  " 
  shaking 
  " 
  exercise, 
  in 
  its 
  most 
  noticeable 
  

   form, 
  usually 
  seizes 
  the 
  persons 
  who 
  are 
  curing 
  the 
  sick. 
  I 
  have 
  

   observed 
  some 
  " 
  shaking 
  " 
  during 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  Sunday 
  service 
  in 
  

   church, 
  though 
  a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  movements 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  volun- 
  

   tary, 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  inviting 
  a 
  shaking 
  spell 
  or 
  trying 
  to 
  induce 
  one. 
  

   The 
  people 
  who 
  treat 
  the 
  sick, 
  however, 
  very 
  often 
  have 
  the 
  shaking 
  

   visitation 
  to 
  such 
  a 
  degree 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  completely 
  lifted 
  out 
  of 
  

  

  