Darrow School - Shaker Post Yearbook (New Lebanon, NY)

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TI i5fPOE?BO6B fd A 19 3 6 Photograph by Winthrop B. Coffin, '36 Photograph by Winthrop B. Coffin, '36 BOARD WALK AND DIAGONAL BRACING THE CEILING SEEN BETNVEEN TIE BEAMS F- 4:5 K 5 ,...o.1..N.,.L. W. -sig - A-nl! IQLDIQRS' WINDOXV FOUNDATION AND PIERS ,.. l uv' Photograph by Winthrop B. Coffin, '36 Photograph by Winthrop B. Coffin, '36 PRINCE POST AND ROOF THE FORET

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1936 The Peg Board on a stone foundation. The joists under the main floor are flattened tree trunks. All the frame- work that carries this floor, on which the dancing and marching prominent in the Shaker ritual took place, is exceedingly strong. At the south entrance are three doors. The one in the middle was used by the Ministry, the one on the right by the Shaker women, and the one on the left by the Shaker men. The women's door leads into the women's cloakroom, the men's door into the men's cloakroom. Around the walls of both, as in many Shaker rooms, run triple rows of peg boards. The world's people, as those not belonging to Shaker orders were called, entered by doors on the east side of the building , Above the cloakrooms are the quarters occupied by the Ministry until 1875, when the brick Ministry House was built. The Ministry was composed of two elders and two eldresses. The two elders shared a study and a bedroom on the second floor, directly over the cloakrooms, while the two eldresses shared a similar study and bedroom on the third Hoor, directly above. The Ministry did not attend those services at which the world's people were present, but there were latticed windows on the second floor through which the elders could look on, and narrow slots through the walls at the third floor for the use of the eldresses. The auditorium is eighty feet in length, and sixty-five feet in width. The lightly constructed segmental ceiling twenty-five feet above the floor stretches across the room in one clear span. Most interesting is that which is above this segmental ceiling and hidden by it. Seven two-ply laminated beams form lintels spanning the distance between the posts to which are fixed the lateral walls of the building. The segmental ceiling is hung from and the roof supported by these massive beams. The ceiling has a radius greater than the roof. To maintain the relation be- tween these elements, and to offer support to them, sixteen radiating prince posts are mortised into the laminated beams. The ends of these prince posts are anchored by pegs into the ceiling rafters and principal roof rafters respectively. In the central portion of the building where the ceiling almost touches the cross beams, the prince posts ,are kept firmly in place by diagonal braces. Between the two vertical central prince posts runs a boardwalk, the full length of the building. Further particulars in the structural elements of the Meeting House are shown more plainly in the blue print reproduced by the kind permission of Messers A. K. Mosley and D. C. Stoll. We are also indebted to Professor Karl Weston of Williams College for his analysis of the functions of the various parts of the building. Perhaps more interesting than the material description of the Meeting House would be a description of the use for which it was erected. An article from the July 1857 issue of Harper? Magazine written by an eye witness provides a vivid account of a meeting : Opposite my lodgings was the house for public worship, a spacious frame building, painted white, with an arched roof. At its southern end is a smaller building, which they call the Porch, in which the chief ministers, two men and two women, reside. This edifice, built about thirty years ago, is a few yards from the first Shaker meeting-house erected in new Lebanon, and which is yet standing. The hour for the commencement of worship was half past ten. Half an hour earlier a long wagon arrived, in which were two brethren and several sisters from the East Family, who reside partly over the mountain. At the same time vehicles came with visitors from Lebanon Springs, and soon the seats between the entrance doors, called the lobby were filled by The Gentiles, the sexes being separated, the men on the left of the women. The floor, made of white pine, was as clean as a dining table. On the side of the room opposite the seats of the strangers were rows of movable benches, and upon them the sisters who came from a distance began to gather, after hanging their bonnets upon wooden pegs provided for the purpose. In the ante-rooms on the left, the brethren and sisters of the village were assembled, the sexes being separated. At the appointed hour they all came in in couples, stood a moment in silence, and then sat down, the men and women facing each other. Adults and children were dressed precisely alike. With the ex- ception of the resident elders and some visiting brethren, the men were in their shirt sleeves. 49

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1936 The Peg Board The worshipers soon arose, and approached from opposite ends of the room, until the two front rows were within two yards of each other, the women modestly casting their eyes to the floor. The benches were then instantly removed. There they stood in silence, in serried columns like platoons in military, while two rows of men and women stood along the wall, facing the audience. From these came a grave personage, and standing in the centre of the worshipers, addressed them with a few words of exhortation. All stood in silence for a few minutes at the conclusion of his remarks, when they began to sing a hymn of several verses to a lively tune, and keeping time with their feet. In this, as in all of their songs and hymns, they did not pause at the end of each verse, but kept on without rest and with many repetitions until the whole hymn was completed. Elder Evans then came for- ward, and addressing a few words to the audience, asked them to regard the acts of worship before them with respectful attention. This request was unnecessary, for there was nothing in the entire performance calculated to elicit any other than feelings of deepest respect and serious contemplation. After two other brethren had given brief testimonies, the worshipers all turned their backs to the audience, except those of the two wall rows, and commenced a backward and forward march, or dance, in a regular springing step, keeping time to the music of their voices, while their hands hung closely to their sides. The wall rows alone kept time with their hands moving up and down, the palms turned upward. The singing appeared like a simple refrain and a chorus of too-ral-loo, too-ral-loo, while all 'the move- ments with hand, foot, and limb were graceful. The worshipers now stood in silence a few moments, when they commenced singing another hymn, with chorus like the last. When it was ended, they retired to each end of the room, the benches were replaced, and the men and women again sat down opposite each other. Elder Evans then came forward, and, in an able discourse of almost an hour, expounded the peculiar doctrines of the Shakers, especially that which relates to the duality of God as male and female, and the second advent of Christ upon earth in the person of Ann Lee, the founder of the Society. When he had ceased all the worshippers arose, the benches were removed, and they formed themselves into serried ranks as before. Then, with graceful motions, they gradually changed their position into circular form, all the while moving with springing step, in unison with a lively tune. In the centre stood twenty-four singers in a circle, twelve men and twelve women, and around them, in two concentric circles, marched and countermarched the remainder of the worshipers, the men three and the women two abreast. A brief pause and they commenced another lively tune and march, all keeping time with their hands moving up and down, and occasionally clapping them three or four times in concert. The women were now three and the men two abreast. When the hymn ceased, with a prolonged strain, they all turned their faces toward the inner circle of singers. After another pause the worshipers commenced a hymn in slow and plaintive strain. The music was unlike any thing I had ever heard, beautiful, impressive, and deeply solemn. As it died away, the clear musical voice of a female was heard from the external circle, telling, in joyful cadence, how happy she felt as a member of that pure and holy community. To this many among the worshipers gave words of hearty concurrence. Another sweet female voice then commenced a hymn in which Mother Ann was celebrated. The entire body of worshipers formed into a single line, marched slowly around the central circle of singers, and as the strain ceased their hands fell gracefully to their sides, their bodies were inclined gently forward, and their thin hands were slowly raised and clasped over the waist. After a brief pause they commenced singing a lively spiritual song. The worshipers now formed four circles, with the singers as the central one, and held each other by the hand, the men and women separately. These circles symbolized the four great Dispensa- tions-the first from Adam to Abraham, the second from Abraham to Jesus, the third from Jesus to Mother Ann, and the fourth the present, which they hold to be the mil- lennial period. In this hymn they sang of Union, as exhibited by their linked handsg and when it had ceased they all lifted up their hands, and gave a subdued shout-the shout of victory-the final victory of Christ in all the earth, and the triumphs of the Shaker, or Millennial Church. 51 A