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About The morning Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1899-1930 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 24, 1907)
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1007. THE MOllNING ASTORIAN, ASTORIA, OREGON. Jm - - ; : Revival of Freak Religions; !! ,t ' . m .. t. . . a ... t C tjiuirt ytii,t.Hy ,,f iim .i.iiiv, ilmi wan runtlnuwl for hour urnl nt tirM ntnnot Imvo fiillmt to no Uu- nl tho floor wn "covori"! with th lliw 'tho Iimt.-Iii numbof dl'tln," ThIr crM for mnrcy wr l.ir- i.f frtmk culu Unit iu MprltiK- rlll m Injur. H-wif found foritlvonos out tunny vynt away "jiiuriiuuiiy wuun.lml" nnd nulfrrlng uiiMurr?mliI HK"tiy 'f soul. Thin wn tho beginning of n ri'vlvnl Ihnt hn no pijunl In tins hin(ory of t'.ie country. Tb wlti'inwit spronl llko ft jirnlrlo Are throuichnut th Mtat. Men flii"1 tholr wngons with food ami provision, nnd trnvdnd fifty irillcB M rump upon tho ground anil hour tti Ing up throughout tho iouii try. J'rm'tliiilty ovory Hut I fur nishing ("ntrllHitlou. Ciilmigo Im It Olui'hlti-H, with thi'lr Mw of ptr children n u solution of th world's HI; Ohio, Kun nnd Tt-x. hnvo within thu ywir pant InmibHtwl fvt.inl pohinlioi, Imludlng twfl at tempt t n AdainluM VAn, nd In Now Jniy nnd Ntw York enthusm tic m-lnllst htvi tin-Mod tho proh- ntOKnothr tin-nclmr pwtk. Otbt-r mmp- km In a, vurloly of wy. Th "Holy noltorn" continue to flour lnh lit various ports of the Rnuth nJ hnw, litck of h-.uw.ii, nor sCBrdty of Wont, Theonophy clulin nn iih-tiis-tntr numlwr of itdhi-rimts, nnd tho va rious ulr.tngo mills of Nw England art) slum-lug nnd tmiunulng In tin wftvo of monil unrfnt Hint nppr ti I-' wHplnf ovit thu country. No (Moctiltm no humblo but II cin finil mtp-p..rt-ri; no prophet m ernssy hut h. citn iittrurt convert, An.! It I nIkiiI flntnt ihnt thl ffrnxnt iumoiir the un mnhl. mln'ln l Iho In vlib'iuft In o ClHy fimwrvntlv tmrwr, both p III lent nml t .'lllou,. It l the Inevita ble rcui llon froiii un xtc-'it of mntfrliit prip rlty. nnd tl U -''n not only In lh. tivlt! ivwokonlnK In t'.tc o-tiilld war on I ho ihn trunt find urn "tiow. 1 iilno In th wnitrkiible rollnlou r.vlvuln that nro boltiK nirrlod on In fervent itpi'(ll In 'v'""y lmrt of country. Wlwn, rtMintly In Ch-ve-land. nnn l"llV, ""-lr bunlin4 tomnrih In huK" priHcuxlonii chuutlnB 'hyniiiii nnd pmitn.n, It ho tlmt tho rnov mniit In mote (p'.ini'-ril "inn ht'r U. Ktntueky' Orit Rvlvl. Whlln thu proKr-ioi of thl nntlonnl wido r-vlviil l Mdit !m.lm td In th Ur clthm with conm-rvntlvo ititha Iiihih, it, report from lolftl.l coun try dldtrlcu "how n tendency toward th finiwlounto fri'nuy that thnrncter U'd th nmp niM-llnici of tho firm half ct'niuiy of h. niitlon. In the country pro now nod then, one find rf..r.iu'fH to ihf "Jerk"" nnd to th "holy hiUKh" In d. x.rlptlonii of uc CfHrul revlvnK nnd other ctontrUI tl nr mMitltiunul a h'Kltluinto nnd comni'nihie. TlK'Hf uncouth word nrc tho initio' of pructlcn that hnvc pt.iwlMti'd with fnimcrvnllve tcnnclty In tin. more backward portion of the country for more thnn 11 century niidj the no-ntiil mute- they d"tiot.j nre n hluhly prlwd by f.n- belh vcr nn Mr-1 Vnna by tho lluHdhlnl. It wh In Kcrtucky In the curly day of thu nineteenth century that the "JetkH" Imd their origin. Then, (in now, a wave of moral unieM whh (iweeplim over tho country. Tho war of tntlependeiiee ha.l nhitttcrcd old idonl" that had died n ntubborn doftth with 1'Vdenillnm. French Iconoclartm hud made thoufind of convert In tho new nation, and the old Purltnn and canto landmnrkn wore nubmergod, Tii.n n now. a multliudo of fronk W-lnl ownUntlonn nprnnn up llk nNjiMhroomn, tholr lendorn : preaching dispensations and now Idonln And of courno, lcnltlmnt' rollgloun ac tlvltloH wero Vitally quickened. A Stronghold of Satan. No ncctlon of tho country hold out lean promlno of bocomlnn a rcllRloun vineyard thnn Kentucky. The Inhabi tants were tho cowboyn of 1800. Ploun visitor wore horrltlod at tho vloo, drunkonnenn, KnnihllnK, fltlnif and cndlcnn ducl. Tho boatmen, nayn Mc AUIntcr, wnn moro dreaded than the Indian. Ho was recklon. foarle, nnd law-desplBlnsr, and wa commonly doacrlbcd a half how, hatf alltBator, and tipped' with a unapplnjr turtle, rroachor callod Kentucky tho strong hold of Satan. ' In 1799 a young mln!tar on Wa way to Ohio, turnod anldo to attend a nac remental dorvlco on the Kod Rim. Ho wa uflkod to preach, and did so with aBtonlshlns fervor. His audi tor wore strangely moved. Tears streamed down their faces and-one meeting wore cntabllnhed. Illntorl- nn of thl pftHod nny that neither din- food nor dally occupation, prevailed to keep tint peoplo away, Kttinlllin of evi'ry l'rotmtnnt denomination hur tled to th camp ground leaving crop half gathered, every kind of work un done. (Vibln were diverted and In Homo liugu eettlotnenu not nlntjle oulrinnlnel. Campi In the Fortat. Tho camp meeting wu always liet( In the foiM near mmm church. A rudo elagn wn erected at the end of 11 ch aring and around It the ctump and fullen tree were utilised' n bwu he for the auditor. About the eh-ni-InK t. ttt and wagon were arrayed to row like street, The praying, prem h log, and exhorting would sometime nt for seven days, nnd would bo pro longed every .lay far Into tho night. Men, women and children .took part nn ex dorter. The old records tell of 11 Utile girl of seven who sat upon the shoulder of a man and preached to the multitude until she sank ex hauled on the benrer head. It I related that at Indian Creek a boy of twelve mount ed u stump nod exhorted until ho grew weak, thereupon two men sup ported him, and ho continued his jiSeaehlng until further speech was Impossible. Kcore of "sinners" fell prostrate before him. It was nt these meeting that the "fulling exercise" the "Jerk." 'and th holy laugh had their origins and be came part of the religious worship of the lime, persisting In Isolated loon I -Itles down to tho present day and breaking; out with fresh vigor In the new wave of revivalism. The "falling exerelHe Is thus described by Mc.Mas er from Investigations of tho origi nal documents. 'At no tint wn the 'falling exer else' ns prevalent ns nt night. Noth ing won then wanting that could strike terror Into minds weak, harassed and timid. The red glare of the camp fire rellected from hundreds of tents nnd wagon, the dense hlnekno of the flickering shadow, the darkness of the surrounding forests made still more terrible by the groan and screams of the 'spiritually wounded.' who had tied to It for comfort; the en treaty of the preachers, the nobs' and shrieks of the dovvnenst still walking through the valley of the shadow of death, the shouts nnd songs of praise from tho happy ones who had crossed tho PolocUiblo Mountains, had gone through tho Fogs of the Enchanted Ground, and entered the Land of Beu Inh, were too much for those over whoso minds and bodies lively Imag ination held wny. The heart swelled, thenerves gave way, the hands and feet grew cold, and motionless and speech less, they fell headlong to tho ground." Fell by Thoundi, Thl was the "falling exercise." nnd In a moment crowds would gather around them, praying and shouting. Some lay still nn denthj others- passed face and limbs. At one camp meeting so many fell that, lost the multitude should trend upon them, they were ta kken to the church and laid In rows. At another onmpmcetlng It Is record ed that S, 000 people had tho "falling exercise" at the snmo time. Some beat tho floor with thotr hecln; some shrieking with agony, bounded about like live fish out of water. Many rolled over and over for hours at a time. Others, recovering would spring woman' began to shout. The exhorta- wildly to their feet, Jump over atumps Astoria & Columbia R. River R. Co Effective Sunday, September 9. lDOU-Pacifle Time. at. 'M. 'V'l. "n. '.. "ifl. 't. 87. a.m, i 8;1B 8.HTi 8'8(l 8.4ft H.l M 9.261 p.m a-m ft.SOU.4il 6.1011-56 Vim 8.aii2.ao a.89 6-40 Pin 7.11 8.10 8. a. in 8-00 9.10 ll-2:t I.0S 10.05 10.85 If&l! 11.35 ,U.M 11.55 Lv. POIlfbAKI) GOlthK RAUOIKll CLATOKANIB Ar ASTORIA LV. Lv. ASTORK Ar. Ar.WARKENTONLv Lv.WAHHKNTON Ar. Ar. FT. HTKVRNS Lv. v FTrSTKVKNH Kf Ar. WAKRENTON Lv. Lv.WARRENTON Ar. Ar. 8KABIDK LV. Ar. a. in ll.M 10.15 10.S0 .4h 8.20 8.15 7.55 7.W 7-42 7.41 in 7.27 6.601 p.m W.OU 8.40 8.25 7.40 urn 11.20 B.05 5.05 inn p.m i.46 10.45 2.20 0.25 2.15 10.25 2.0010.1 10.14 10.05 10.05 .80 p in Is, n nnd benches nnd disappear In tho for est, walling, "Lost! IoBtl" Twenty thousand people at time would be present at one camp mooting. 1, wa not long before tho nervous excitement took mora torrlbl forms, oxlinustlfig Itsself In tho "Jerks," the holy laugh," and the barking exercise, The "Jerk began In the head and spread rapidly to tho feet. Tho head would then bo thrown from side to ld o rapidly tlmt !" feature would be blotted out and tii hair would mat p. When the "Jerking" reached the other part of the body tho suffer er would be hurled over hindrance that came In hi wny and finally lashed upon tho ground to bounce about llko a ball. It 1 said that at many of liio cnmpmeetliig, npllng were cut off breast high for people to "jerk" by. Many marvelou tales are uro told by coffers and cynic, par ticularly physician, who were at tacked by retributive "Jerks" and bounced and dashed about until they cried for mercy and were converted. Entlrn Community Demented. ' Traveler In Kentucky nt this time say that the n tire community seemed demented. Tho high nervous tension nnd the morbid excitement drove ma ny Insane, Men dreamed and saw vis Ions, A peculiar prevalent form of mental disorder was "treeing tho dev il," Men and women who had been aroused to tho highest frenzy of ex citement fancied themselves dog and went down on all fours and barked until the voice refused to act During this outbreak. It was a Common sight to see half a dogen or more men around a tree barking and yelping. They had "treed" the devil and were driving his Hataulc majesty out of the community. One of the wclrdlst and most un canny feature of thl strange revival was the "holy laugh." Sometime umler the strain of exhortation, the preacher would suddenly break out Into uncontrollable laughter. In a mo ment, us If by contagion, hi great crowd of auditors would follow him, until thousand would Join In a Titan ic laugh that shook the depths of the foieM with boisterous guffaws. U be came a recognized part of tho revival service after 1S03. and can be fount In Isolutod districts of the South even now. A strip of territory extending from Vermont, on the east, through Central New York to Pennsylvania, was during the tlrst fifty years of the republic a remarkiibly fertile breeding ground for nil manner of freak cults. The lake country In particular was saturated with the bacillus of Innovation. Innu niernble prophets sprang Into the limelight and Issued clarion calls to converts, for a new dispensation, In practically nil of which new relations of tile s. xes were declared by "divine Innplrntlon."' In this district Dorrlll Ism, MVmonlHm, nntl-Manonry, tho Koehester Brotherhood, Spiritualism, the Oneida Community, the Pilgrims, and a host of forgoteu minor cults germinated and throve. And it was hi this district that the great . reforms voiced in prohibition, abolition and woman suffrage found courageous leaders and aggressive converts. It constitutes a remarkably Interesting problem In effect of environment that would have fascinated the genius of Buckle. Thrashe'd The Holy Prophet. norrllllsm was one of the tlrst of these fungus growths. A stout cane wielded by a vigorous veteran of the War of the Revolution put the waxing colony out of business and cut short the career of a prophet whose propa ganda. If undisturbed, might hnvo out rivaled, If It had not been prevented, tho birth and evolution of Mormonlsm. is alleged that Dorrlll's cotempora- ry success wns Inspiration for Joseph Smith. Soon after tho close of the War, of the Rovoolutlon there appeared In the neighborhood of Oullford. Vt., a de sorter from tho British army by the name of Dorrlll. Ho was a man of little education, but of considerable personal magnetism. . He had been, endowed with a powerful aversion to hard work, and had acquired a smat tering of Bible lore. In addition to this, he had a strange Influence over women, and his tastes, like those of viost 'prophets,' were strikingly po lygamous. Tho rapidity with which he gained converts, particularly among the worn en, was a cruel shock to the conserva tive New Englanders of position and substance. He preached the " doc trine that there was no hell other than the one on earth, and produced many Bible texts to prove that men were froe to act as the spirit moved, partic ularly in their relations with women. The Dorrlllites wore wooden shoes, because their leader declared that leather was injurious to-the nealth. Milk and vegetables were their only diet; to eat meat was a contamination and a sin. Opposition to war was one of their tenets, derived from the Bib lical "Thou shalt. not kill" :":! Thlr Worship at Orgy. " Their weekly worship wa describe by their critic, as an orgy, Htranga religious observance fvoro mlxod In with feasting and dancing, for Proph et (Dorrlll was something of an epicu rean withal, riddling, singing and embracing, were also features of the cult's religious ceremonies, Innovation Unit particularly gi-anMi'M tho sus ceptibilities of tho ploun Vermoh'.cm As the cult grew by leaps an! bounds, Dorrlll' vaulting ambltlojt outdid Itself, He declared that ' both h and his followers were Immortal, and tlmt he himself possessed super natural power nod attribute. HI word wa absolute law. Soon h es tablished a communism In which all land and property, and women to a certain extent, were, held In common, with Ijorrlll a tho high priest andV Iri reality, the only owner of the oorn joune'H property. He was an absolute dictator, but with craft enough to keep his duper satisfied and pleased, by providing for their physical comfort and pleasures, but at the same time exacting arduous labor from them that made It possible for him to live on tho fat of the bfhd. Hi disciples made the colony prosperous, and a large number of churches were built. As time passed he attracted Into the ranks of his cult, not. only the hoi po". lol of the countrjido , but also he made many converts among the re- cctablo farmers and prosperous townspeople. tut at the height of his success as a prophet he wa rapidly nearlng hi Canowsa. His colossal egotism was his undoing. Declaring that he was pos esse.l of supernatural powers, he boast ingly asserted In his sermons, which attracted great crowds, that his body was invulnerable as well a Immortal. Neither ' bullett nor blow, billet nor bludgeon, could harm or even touch him, wa hi oft repeated defiance from the' pulpit, while his converts be lieved and wondered. Stout Cane Hi t'-womg. One fateful Sunday, 0-,iiaIn Ewslkel porter, of Guilford, attracted by cu riosity, attended DorrlU'i service. Por ter was a scarred 'eterai of the Rev olution, and was mentally equipped with a rude cynical logic. When Dor rlll preached, the dramatic climax of his sermon, with the words, "No arm can hurt my flesh; no weapon can take my life," Capt. Porter. was ready with a still more direct antl-cllmax in the shape of a startling argumentum ad homlnum. With a stout rattan cane in his hand, Porter strode rapidly up to the pulpit, gripped the astonished professor by the slack of the prophetical breeches, stood him on his head In the twinkling of nn eye, nnd "while he was In this un dignified position, bestowed upon him anatomy several vigorous kicks. Then Porter yanked Dorrlll to his feet, grabbed him by the coat collar, and gave him such a drubbing with the rattan cane, that the prophet, writhing in agony at every whack of the stick, shrieked for mercy. When Porter was satisfied with' his logical demonstration, he made Dorrlll confess to the stupefied audi ence that he wass an impostor, fraud, and nn all-round scoundrel. A yenr afterward It was difficult to llnd a single person who would confess having had any connection with Dor rilllsm. The cult was as dead as the worship of Osiris, and the erstwhile "Immortal" and "invulnerable" proph et settled down to the real business of life as a humble cobbler In a neigh boring village. First National Bank of Astoria, Ore. KSTAULIHIIKf) 1884), . Capital $100,000 SB ASTORIA IRON WORKS JOHN FOX. Free. V L KISHOP, Secretary ;Nelson Troyir, Vice-Pres. and Supt. ASTORIA MAVINGB BANK. Treat Designers and Manufacturers or THE LATLriT IMPItOVED Canning Machinery, Marine Engines and Boilers, Complete Cannery Outfits FumishtJ. ORRESPONDENCE 'S01JCITED, Foot of Fourth Wtreet yTTTTTTTTTTmVTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT To Be Happy and Gay Means not only good things to ut, but alto tho best of things to drink, and tht best of all good drinks is Sund & Carlson' Rye and Bourbon Whiskies, Choice Wines and Champagnes. THE COMMERCIAL 609 Commeroial 8t : WW J t " I It I M 1 1 M 1 1 1 Hi 1 1 1 1 ' t M' 1 1 M 1 1 I Reduce - Expenses, Get a copy of our ECONOMY EXPENSE BOOK and see when you , spend unnecessarily, 25c to $1.50 each. Keep a record of the articles you have insured against fire in our INSURANCE RECORD,, 25c to $1.50, and you will have no trouble about get ting paid. 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We dispose of our wares only in bulk, bottle and package. A wholesale line on wholesale terms. American Importing -Co. Successors to Foard & Stokes, 589 Commercial Street, Phone Main 1883. T.M0 12.80 p. ml .m p.m