SHAKERS AND RELIGIOUS MUMMERS 241 



yell, in every sentence uttering the request to come to 

 the Lord, till he fell to the ground in an ecstatic fit, 

 foaming at the mouth, and screaming appallingly. The 

 bystanders, who seemed to worship the poor wretch, 

 said that he was " in the spirit " ; and I was informed 

 that he had " wonderful gifts from the Lord," of which 

 " the gift of tongues " was not the least. His flying at 

 me was described as a special Providence, which I was 

 entreated not to neglect. It was " a call " which I should 

 commit awful sin in refusing to obey. 



I got away from this blasphemous mummery as 

 quickly as I could. 



Of the skill of the workmen engaged in the shops 

 there could be no question. They were admittedly the 

 most skilful mechanics in this district of Massachusetts, 

 and the farmers for many miles round sent all their iron- 

 work to be done by the saints. They could do anything 

 shoe horses, forge a ploughshare, turn out a dozen 

 miles of iron palings, or make a handsome pair of en- 

 trance-gates. Other work was also done for outsiders, 

 all at the most fair prices, for a saint takes advantage 

 of no man. Only the work must be brought to them. 

 They will not fetch it, nor will they go off their own land 

 to work. The stockings and jerseys knitted by the women 

 are in great demand among the unredeemed outsiders. 



It is not to be supposed from what I have said of the 

 industry of these people that they suffer themselves to 

 be overworked. That is not the case. All of them have 

 plenty of spare time, which they seem to idle away or 

 devote to religious mummery. Everything about the 

 settlement is kept in such apple-pie order, is always so 

 neat, prim, clean, that it is child's-play to keep it con- 

 tinually so. As to outside works, the saints say, truly 

 enough, that they are under no need to perform them, 

 but they do not wish to be idle. They have a super- 

 abundance of everything ; and they look on it as a favour 

 done to the outsider if they accept his work which, as a 



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