232 THE GREAT NORTH-WEST 



advent of the Christian era; indeed there is nothing 

 very new in the doctrines of any of these mummers. 



That many of these fanatics, though their state of 

 mind seems to border on insanity, are perfectly genuine, 

 so far as their personal conviction is concerned, it would 

 be unjust to doubt. But I think their leaders, if not 

 what the law would denominate " incorrigible rogues and 

 vagabonds," at least have taken advantage of their hold 

 on their followers to serve their own private ends. It 

 seems that even fools must have a leader, but I very 

 much doubt if the fool who leads fools ought not properly 

 to be considered a cunning rogue. If he can only throw 

 a little dust in the eyes of the world he is safe, and is 

 sure of support from Christian bodies in general ; and it 

 may be seen that the leader of a sect of ranters, even of 

 the most outrageous class, has generally cunning enough 

 to perceive this important fact, and act accordingly. In 

 all these (what shall I call them? abnormal Christian 

 communities ?) there is always one man, at least, who 

 benefits personally more than the others. Does the 

 society profess community of goods ? No one individual, 

 except the leader, can take what he wants from the common 

 stock without permission of that leader or his adjutants. 

 Where then is the community of property ? I can best 

 illustrate the impressions forced on my mind concerning 

 the Shakers and similar sects in America by giving an 

 account of one of their communities. 



I choose that at Lebanon, in the State of Massa- 

 chusetts, because it is one of the oldest, though the sect 

 has branches in Ohio and elsewhere in the States, as well 

 as at several places in Canada. The Shakers have been 

 established at Lebanon about a hundred years. They 

 came from England, where they were first established by 

 a sort of Lancashire witch, one Mrs. Ann Lee, who, of 

 course, like Messrs. Joe Smith and Brigham Young, " had 

 a revelation." It is quite possible that this woman really 

 believed that she had had a divine revelation ; a certain 



