A SHAKER'S TEA MEETING

Waikato Times, Volume II, Issue 90, 26 November 1872, Page 3

A SHAKER'S TEA MEETING

Tuesday was a great day with the Shakers in London. It was celebrated by a tea meeting, which was largely attended by friends and inquiring visitors from far and near, ai it was publicly known that the mother of the sect, or their "dearly beloved mother," as they call her, was going to take tkc opportunity of relating what she saw whilst in a trance in her three extraordinary vision?, when she was carried away in tho spirit, as .St. John was when at the Islu of Patinos. Throughout the week there have been several special services in their new hall, which they have recently taken, and which is called Ebene/.er Hall in Chelsea. A great display took place at one of the evening meetings during tho week. As they entered, the Shakers all kissed each other. The men kissed each other, the women kissed each, other, the-u the men ran about kissing the women, and the girls then ran and kissed the men. Their kisses were uot mere single kisses or mere salutes of love and peace ; they were regular running (ires of kisses and clip chirps, which lasted for several minuted. Their arms were first round each other's waists, then round each other's necks; then they were looking into each other , ;; eyes, and then laying their on one another's shoulders, and then kissing again, as though entirely lost to all around in feelings of the most exquisite ecstasy- It is no exaggeration to say that the mou aiu.l girls hugged each other in the most passionate manner. After perhaps u few minutes' embracing of this kind, some of the younger girls wyuld sit down apparently nearly overcome with hvsteria Tho man would make a run,-and seize hold of another girl or woman, and embrace and kiss her in the same frantic manner, whilst the other voting women, partly recovered, would make a sudden dart "across the° reserved space to some man on the opposite side, and throwing her arms round his neck, kissed him as vigorously as before. During the time these proceedings were taking place, most of the audience were standing on the benches to see what was going on, and many and varied were the remarks made, some of them very ludicrous : "That ain't fair to to havo all the kissing and shaking down there ; why don't you come and give us a few up here '! " Others among tho audience loudly called out, " You all ought to be ashamed of yourselves, you ought : it's disgraceful ;" whilst a few of the older ladies reiterated the sentiment expressed by the old woman whose husband was staring at the statue of Venus in the Fine Arts Exhibition, and seemed inclined to stay—"Come along, do ; come along, do. What are you staring at '! do ciime along, do." These scones, during the whole of which time the audience kept entering, lasted half an hour. It was now 7 o'clock precisely, at which time Mrs (Jirliug, of Ipswich, the mother of the preacher of the seel, entered the room, but before she could ascend the platform they all set to and kissed her, an ordeal which she stood very well, amidst the sharp lire and laughter among many of the audience. A ftcr waiting for a few minutes for the laughter and derision to subside, she gave out the first hymn. A young woman who was said to be the elder's daughter, after having gone through all the kissing, now asccjided the platform and took her place by the side of her mother. After the singing of the lirst hymn, one of the elders offered up a prayer. Mrs Girling then gave out another hymn, which, had if not been for tho determined interruption, would havo hoin well sung, as it was the popular hymn "Shall we gather at the river." The audience, however, started a>l opposition tune, being a parody on " Old Brown's " : —

'Therelives an an V party At the end of -vieh town Who keeps a lilt , reaching shop In Chelsea co o town. She li.as got an y daughter, Such a party tever saw ; By jingo !1 sh I like to be That vromac jn-in-law. Cries of " Chorus, gentlemen . .. Chorus — Mother Girdling'* n proper sort of girl. Mrs Girling then proceeded to read a portion of Holy Scripture, taking her text from the 9th chapter of llomans, from which she preached a sermon far above mediocrity, bringing to bear great earnestness and energy, interspersed with many well chosen and eifective illustrations. At the close of this another hymn was sung, with similar interruptions to those which had taken place during the singing of the others. She then herself made a very forcible prayer, at the close of which a number of spiritual manifestations and scandalous scenes took place. The proceedings were kept up till a very late hour. The phenomena displayed were the most extraordinary and varied ever witnessed. Numbers of people were thrown into trances, from which they were not aroused, and apparently could not be aroused, at the time of leaving. In their apparently mesmeric state they related various and prophesied must startling events. While in their unconscious state they danced and violently jumped to a height of several feet. They also spoke and sung in unknown tongues. There wore puvertil professed spiritualists present, and friends were invited to come again.