141 
in one file opposite the table of the sisters. After which they 
all fell on their knees making a silent prayer, then arose, took 
hold of the benches behind them, sat down and took their meal 
in the greatest silence. I was told this manner was observed at 
all their daily meals. They eat bread, butter and cakes, and drank 
tea. Each member found his cup filled before him—the serving 
sisters filling them when required. One of the sisters was stand¬ 
ing at the cupboard to pour out the tea—the meal was very 
short, the whole society rose at once, the benches were put back, 
they fell again on their knees, rose again, and wheeling to the 
right, left the room with a quick step. I remarked among the 
females some very pretty faces, but they were all without ex¬ 
ception of a pale and sickly hue. They were disfigured by their 
ugly costume, which consists of a white starched bonnet. The 
men likewise had bad complexions. During the whole evening 
I was visited by the brothers, by whom I was completely exa¬ 
mined; among them were two Frenchmen of the name of Con- 
chon, father and son, who told me they were very well satisfied. 
The son had perfectly adopted the humble manner of the monks, 
did not open his eyes, and in explaining the principles of 
their sect according to the bible, he maintained that they were 
the only Christian sect who followed the true spirit of the gos¬ 
pel. Respecting their political regulations, they are entirely 
founded on perfect community of goods, and renunciation of all 
private property; they live in a perfect equality. It will be 
found that Mr. Owen has borrowed the greater part of the laws 
of his new social system from the Shakers, with this difference, 
that the Shakers'are united by the tie of religion, and the hope 
of a better life, which is entirely disbelieved by Owen. 
It is known that a part of the worship of the believers in mother 
Ann Lee, as the Shakers call themselves, consists in dancing. The 
bible gives us several examples of worship by dancing—king 
David danced before the ark. Mother Ann Lee, founder of this 
sect, taught that God should not only be worshipped with the 
tongue but with the whole body, and in consequence she intro¬ 
duced jumping and dancing in her divine service. This is prac¬ 
tised publicly in church, accompanied by the singing of hymns 
composed for the purpose—strangers are admitted as spectators. 
Their church consists of a plain and spacious room, but not 
near so large as the church at New Lebanon. On the morn¬ 
ings and evenings during the week, there are private dancing 
prayers in the dwelling houses. The walls of the rooms of the 
brothers and sisters consists of large folding doors, which, when 
opened, form with the corridor one large room, in which they 
dance and jump. Our presence putting them under some restraint, 
there was no dancing in the evening, which was a great disap* 
