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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (June 9, 1907)
THE OREGON ' SUNDAY fOURNAU PORTLAND, SUNDAY t MORNING. JUNE 91907 F-EL1G n w . w lows .Wi Old m How Wealth HusPoared in (ii TS ofOddMissioffM I ' 'Vis 'lit I: ' Ml ''' tflh 1 1 i t ,is.4e4l v F AVE' you ever thought of religion as a money-mahng proposition! . Has it ever occurred to iou that through jht ' promulgation (of a new faith, you or anybody else might wax rtchfj ?i ' ' Within the last decade , manf new and strange religions' have sprung up in various -parts of the United States religions that, judging from results have been tainted with the dollar I mtrk just as much at fictitious western gold mine securities. '-And tney have been successes financially, v I : r : Leaders I have-grown . rich magnificent tabernacles have' marked the climax of their glory, and some have passed away ) leaving the unfortunate devotees broken in purse, as well . as in spirit;- -jy '' r.';fvu Mark the ipseyf-Dowlel'oynhlng ' in America almost .without' cent,; but with . a new religion built a. fortune estimated at one time, at $20,ood,00oj established, a city, ". and made himself a more absolute dictator ;,- i a'-;-'!'.''.'.-,-- -, i':;-V S'v f , MM Ar 'Ml A ' 1 v w m V 'vat M dll I 'L . Ill II 1 1 aim 7 9, V V 'I I I f A AM 1 If: ft K 9 3f !2s WA V ' vk .1 s m. . .it j t7, ft "ft if HE r ru 1 iM m m r a. i J?c Jlwaa 9szd Jtome ' JitJ SCoJy Jumpers. than ever occupied a throne.) Little more than ten year'Cago "Rev." Frank Sand ford, ex pounder of the "Holy Ghost and Us Society" vegan building a' tabernacle on 'a sand hill near Durham, 'Maine. He possessed little more than a wheelbarrow, and picks and shovels.? ' ',- ' !" , BelteVtnr htS declaration, that he WaS ' mUnlonarr tur. At Iurhamfl wm permitted the reincarnation of Elijah, and that God had 'decreed, that he should have charge of all property of the faithful several hundred con verts, who banded together under him, relin quished torfAy'W'VMy:powi. As "vice regent of God": Sandford accu mulated Drotertv at Duthamjvalucd at $200,- ooo, in Boston at $26,000, and in Liverpool, iT? . . A. t J ' ' & Mk MAI 6 ' ' In 3enton Harbor, Mtch ts a colony f Flv'mr Rollers, and at their head are Ben-' , iamin and Mary, the "angels," who control- thVd&Va7itit. p, aid ot a. all the troterty of converts. Their wealth is Lfc m2-th rt.turnf.d- from a trilt to Australia ' t ? Pop1 her wh ha? mousy, recently wun fuu,uvv,'H fvn ... and improvements estimated at nearly iff. fZOf ml mm J?owzcjJ2&j j Kafirs of OJficc. SiaF 'ti 2 ""-"ir"' i' 7- I 1 Bffl I society. , intra ar i cnuon ou nini i ,nd children &1I o( whom hav srlv y eonal property to Sandford. What , with thalr money or whera It la ne Thera are at Shlloh 450 "alnta" men and women riven op tneir per aaa been dona no ona knowa or Inquire. A rreat deal haa bean Inveetad In real estate in Yanona parte or tne country, war oanaiora to die all of the "aainta," It ia aald. would be caat pennl- -lea on the world. - . ; The religion which Sandford teaohea la calculated to make all the adberenta abaolutely dependent upon ; -him. He haa oeeiarea that it ia amiui xor a, "aaini" "T Ma brought the old blue wheelbarrow from tha prayln tower, entered tha courtyard and began : hovcllnar dirt. He aald that, pennileaa, ha would ex cavate the courtyard, juat aa ha had begun the Bhllob with only 1 cent In hla pocket ' A photograph of him at work and tne atory of tha , dtaperaal of the flock appeared ' in the newspaper. ?'hrourh the advertlaement mora than $17,000 was aent n by Shllohltea within ten dayi. Tha pllgrlma were 'told to return. Sandford'a prayer had been anwered through the advertisement, and there wa great re joicing. bellow "Glory to Ood" la a tona that aeemed " otrong enough 'to lift tha tent r finally av woman would burl her hymnbook Into tha air. , An anthualaat would give vent , to a wUd "Wow I" , And . thn . everybody would JMgln to lump. -'-. - ' '. -' ..' J" ' ' Tha wJTutnpara'reot too bolay tot Chicago. They looked around for Quarter and decided to buy tha. old Fountain ' Spring Hotel, at 5Vaukeha,-'Wloonin. They purchased thla for 80,000. paying $20,000 eah, with tha balanca pay . able la tuaulmenta, ; There are 300 believer at present at tha hotel They cultivate eighty acre of land. a Considerable money ia required to maintain tha colony, but o far It has poured to ia an Illimitable atream. 4 F. : M. Meaaenger. the aupertatendent or the oom munlty, hat refused a poaltlon a manager of cottoa ttUia at U.OOO a year. ' Edwin I 1 Harvey, vloa prel dent, gave up a lucrative position and aacrlaced. a for tune to the work of the colony. . Some time ago 4 Check waa received from a . "ympathlaer" tor $1500. Aad tbua UnS'iaU'th of Fran.dwa' 'craMoV tha "Joshua" of the "Holy RoUera,,, things ware boomuig with the aect in the far Wt , Crefeld founded the aeot oft the ahorea of take Ca nandatgua, in western New York. One of the chipf tenets of the religion waa tha doctrine of hell. Ihs convert,, to ld thamselve of the devil, were required to lie on the floor and roll until they were exhausted. Then, the authorities of tha religion asserted, the devil waa rolled out ot tnem. The aect reache In 'Washington state, Crefeld. For awhile l the auccess of Dowl. The aect reached a flourishing condition near eeattie. Ington state, ano money rontxi imu "" v Crefeld. For awhile it looked aa tnouga ne migni acmeve ku,r a Aimr man aonearea at tne nenn- quarters. He waa George Mtchell, trother of two girii who had Joined the aect, -When he aaw Crefeld he shot him dead, declaring that ha had ruined hie young ltr. Later Mitchell himself waa ahot a killed by .the itc whose honor he had defended. ,.; Thla waa a aevere blow to the religion on the Faelflo coast. Publlo eentiment became ao wrought up against the Bollea', that they found it wlaa to reUnquiaa for time the peculiar practice. , , ' . GIVES UP SOCIETY1, . A religion which will cause men to aell their farm, un well-paying poaltlona and Inspire women to caat rlngg from their nngere and Jeweled necklace Into the of "prophets" must nave some potent appeat. when Vie woman ox weaitn ana In Boston aoclet: - to lay claim to any earthly possession. Those, who persist In holding claim 1 erty the "60-per-cent." brand are requli pennllesa to their home. Rev. Sandford waa leading a great pilgrimage to the Holy Land. On two yachts and a brlgantlne, Sanford sent 150 "saints' to Joppa. On an ocean liner ho went to Lon don, where h purohased a gold harp for $1000. He met the "saint" and a T'triumphal march" wa made into Jerusalem. Meanwhile the people of Shlloh were aufferlng frota want of food. , . :-" ' Utterly penniless, Sandford arrived at Durham in 1891. He had been ordained a Baptist minister, and was noted for fiery, magnetic preaching, When he announced the alleged revelation to him of a new faith he gave up all of his property and atarted on a missionary f)ur. At Durham ( he was permitted to aDeak in- a little Quaker meetlrt house, and within a few weeks bad converted half the membera. ! - - v Among the converts waa John Henry Douglas,, who gave Sandford half hla farm , after hearing , bis plan of building Shlloh. High up on the blurt the two men began to dig the foundations of the building. ' Sandford had one cent, in his pooket, v The farmers laughed at him. i , ' Meanwhile the new leader went among villages nearby preaching. He won converts, and acquired money, although be declared he never asked for it Early In his career Sandford announced that God had appointed him Hla earthly custodian. Person : who gave all their property to God t o., to Sandford . were 100-foid Christians, or th elect worthy of living among the "aainta" at the new abode. , - . ? , The craven souls who hesitated at giving up au they posseased" were dubbed 60-per-cent Christians. These were compelled to remain on their farms and ware prohibited from entering the sacred tempi oa th sandhill.' -: '! ..'.:.:" - - "0,. . ask for money. This .? the early building v in to pay a tenth of their Income to the "prophet' !ff r sinn nnn. -Aud there are others who, have reaped fortunes from expounding strange religions. , 4 ' 1 1 , x-.'- H IGH upon th summit of a sandhfli abbva th Androscoggin river, near Dnrham, Main. aUnda . Shlloh Sandford monument to hi power wrer- ; -- hi ' treduious' flock, 1 .-.;,-J;r While Governor Cobb, of Main, wa Investigating londlttons In th "holy place" torn time ago, and !while scores wer deserting th faith and returning' their pockets which belongs to God. I know It b ie uoa nas ioi It belongs to God. cause od ha told me. I don't want your money, but a to God. Here Ha haa riven vou everything. but you are ao mean that you are keeping that paper mn piece oimeiai wnicn oetongs 10 mm. i( it to and can't give leoe of metal which belong to him. me, but you can restore It to Him." "SAINTS" SURRENDER EVERYTHING ou A little old Woman, in a faded and "thin calico dress, aros timidly in the tent where the exhortation ; waa made, and ehambled up the alale. In her ahaking hand waa a little bag. With brimming eyea, downcast for very shame, she handed It to the preacher, and In .a tremulous voice, muttered: . - "Mr. Sandford. t want to be right with God. t old my house and got 1700 for It I meant to give the money to you, but thought I'd wait until I had 'sold my furniture and then I would have ao much mora. I see I was wrong. I should' have given it to you at once, x wm repeal ana want to p rignt to their trot- quired each year ''prophet" Even ' then they are In danger of "hell-flre." v one ot- tne' enter tenets or tne religion ia -m. take nd thought of the morrow." - To gather wood and 1 dry It for kindling purposes Is regarded aa sinful, ' and each day the religlonlsta gather fresh wood. : No V matter If it does burn badly so much less will be th flames In the next llf. - -.-.-, v-' ' A chief ingredient of the faith il th "faith cure." Physicians and drugs are tabooed sy the "Holy Ghost- era." Sandford claims that not only can he heal the sick, but can raise the dead to life. HI people be-.-lleve him.- t . Although the farm land at the foot of th sand hill ts of th nneat tew crops are raised beoaus of th "take-no-thought-otth-morrow" Idea, 1 : At the foot of the hill 1 a splendid farm with three hothouse for forcing early vegetable. 8. W. Car- i penter,, convert from , Topeka, Kaa- was put In . charge of the hothouse. . He proceeded to raise early ; vegetable and put wet, 'green wood near the fire to . dryv He waa rebuked. ' ' ; . -,!-.--. ' - ,r . V He remonstrated, saying the plants would freese- If -wood waa not dried for the Are, "Take no thought for th morrow," h waa told, and bis plants wer torn . i from th bed. --, ,:,':- Sometime flour or meal run out at the colony. Then ther are prayers for food. While they are pray ' Ing wagons arrive with barrels of flour. Sandford,; : who, It 1 aaid. had ordered the supply before com manding the prayers, points, exultantly to the barrels, and the people about and cry joyously, believing their : prayers have been miraculously answered. Often, It is said, the people at the colony gO hungry. Some appeal to relatives and food ia aent to them. The colonists do little work, spending their time fasting ' ' and praying. ' And, Indeed, they have reason to faat v" At tlmea the "Holy Ghoster" believe they are be et by evil spirit.- Then they rush to th armory. Men seise great knives and buoklers and sword. They rush through the hall, slashing furiously at the air, shout ing and praying. After them run the women, sweeping the floor sweeping out the remain ot the slain evil pints. ' x. . . r From the center of Shlloh rises Jerusalem tower, : at the top of which la th praying turret. This la aur- y mounted by a great, gilded crown.- In th turret are the shoes Sandord wore during his first tour of the , world and tne wheelbarrow In whlah were hauled-the first loads ot dirt from the foundation of Shtloh. , There Is also a hospital, Bethesda, where the sick are treated by exhortations. If they recover, there Is . t rejoicing the demon ot disease la supposed to be con- -quered. , When Sandf ord's mother died he' declared the v demon had conquered. ' , s'. - Shortly after Sandford declared that he waa the reincarnation of Elijah there was no money in th ' treaaury. He called his people together and told them to go forth Into the world, with staff and script, two , by two., 4--v l ':--'r--f : v.r,. .-'.:. j :,.ii t Penniless and hungering, the believer left the tern- ' pie, begging their bread. Sandford sumaaoned a news- papr reported to Durham, , ... . .. . . . , .. . ' .--..r-..'. coffers Early In the sixties John -Wro founded a aect. known aa th "Flying Rollers," in Australia. The pe culiar dootrlnea spread like wildfire, and in a ahort time more than 100,000 person had banded together ; under th aew faith. - " .s..-.-'-; -. Th sect called Itself th Tribe of Israel, and claimed to possess "th Flying Roll," which contained th name of th "elect1 Juat a quickly as th religion prung up it died out In that country No more was beard of it. until Benjamin and Mary Purnell, a couple of the middle classes, proclaimed in , Richmond. Va., that they had beea converted to the faith. They atarted on a missionary tour, over the country, distributing a little booklet. "The Star of Bethlehem," containing their alleged revelation. They traveled in a team, stopping wherever peopl would listen to them.- Their efforts wer not very suc cessful. Finally they arrived at Benton -Harbor, Mich, and in one year enrolled 100 oonverta. .v-.- Wlth money which wa given -them they went to Australia, where they gathered together the 'remnant of Wroe'e cult On their return to America they . brought eighty-one convert with them. They left be hind thousands of proselytes. They had made on their tour. It Is said, 200.000. v In , Michigan the strange faith epread. Convert came pouring into Beaton Harbor. Perhaps the proph ecy of Benjamin and Maty that the world will come to an nd In 111 hastened, believers la giving up all 'claim' to earthly things. - v. At Benton Harbor Benjamin and Mary are absolute rulers. All the property of the "elect" Is In their names. Canning factories), workshops, printing houses ' are all controlled and run by the two leader. On gala . occasions th women wear jewelry.- This they get from Mary, who ha In her possession all the gem and ornaments of which th women once. proualy Doastea. Tne women iq not ask for the Jewel mm hAl nwn npfliuftv. hit InnU unnn I mm X.f a w' mr. A Ther was a furor culture. Joined the Spirit Fruit Society. -Miss Norwe.l was ot a family of wealthy and Influential people, hersmf a graceful and educated woman. Upon her profeesloij of faith in th Oult-Mis Norwell left her family and Joined the colony at Overbrook, near Boatoiv , . , At the head of the Overbrook colony if Frederlok Reed. 'Mr. Reed Is a graduate of Harvard, where he won many honor, and wa a classmate of ffeaMent Roose velt When he waa converted to the Spirit Fruit cult i wa head of th fashionable Latin School, ot Boaton, drawing a salary of 4toO a year. f- ... . Giving up thla place, he took position , aa floor walker In a department stor at ll aweekrlater he resigned this, donned overall and went to work for hla former hired man. He began by"howlng hi humility." Mr, Reed- own the magnificent estate of Over brook, near Boston, but the door la open to whoever will enter. The membera of the cult who hav Joined Mr Reed bellev absolutely In the Inspiration ot th spirit, and act upon whatever Impulse they may re celve. A frequent -visitor to th colony, 1 Jacob Bell hart ot Ohio, a lehder ot-the cult , . Belinart eaiis P"twr U'..I VJTriY-. rormeriy s piniu uj Aui.ium Ot the CUll at iaaooh. me nr-i- most humbly return the trinket to her after tha feasts,' with thanks. -.-, . .-. - ; --. -K:- Although, Benjamin and Mary teach that those whO would be prepared for judgment must possess nothing, . they have built a luxurious palace the House ot David- bank account and own valuable stock and property la different parts of the United States. , ; , QUEER BRANDS OP BELIEF . . v ' Besides th 'Flylng Roller," there are "the Holy Rollers," the "Holy Jumpers," 'the Goldea Rulers" and other species of atrange religions. At the head of the Holy Jumpers is Duk M. Farson. Instead of collecting money from the member Of the cult ' Mr. Famoa himself ha given freely. o - Starting In Ufa as a bank clerk In Chicago, Mr. Far son amassed a fortune. He waa a Methodist and amaxed even the most demonstrative of the faith by his wild enthusiasm at meetings. Finally he broke away from the Church, and with a little party of believer carried on a missionary campaign through Chicago. - By their peculiar manner of neprensing "glory" they became known aa "Jumpers."- When in rcilvloua ecatasy they iuniD for minutes, without t"1" ' th- r knees, and on flat feet ; The louaer tneir pier they feet At a meetinR f-' 0 glory" that could be heard a I ' ry the hap- 1 snout at r woui-1 Ohio. He was Among the members Quarters or tne ,. - who "give freely." The cult teachee that "sufficient ; for the day Is the evil thereof." and the running ex penses of the colonies are paid from a general fur. 1 called the "widow', oruta. pfh Lisbon colony la ai-i oYflrdfg"ouef'leato John Alexander Dowl wa th great master, but In tin h fell Betor he died hi own . banks Refused t cah hi check and his religionist repudiated him Hla wlf ; spurned him. , ; He waa disgraced by dru tumor. j' height ,of power not achieved by another rellgiou leader la a century. Thousands trembled under ..the thunder of h f iirr -nation. Th people of hi city obeyed htm Implicit: when he wa In power, and hi reign wa uprr.r.., HI annual income from hi propertle ometlnv -. amounted to I850.00O. At one time, it la ald, he h- under hla nam and in hla power property and ur ' Drlaes valued at 120,000,000. - -J . ' Another aelf-atyled "God-appointed" leader . b i been going about th country proclaiming . new r -liglon: This I "Pope' August -Sohrader.Althotu- . Bcbrader claim to hav m.M following of 1.jU i- -sons, there I no evidence of o large a following, t tara his "Vatican" 1 at Jerusalem, near Aiouquri New Mexico. If bia atatement are oorrwet. nr la making a "good thing" of hi sect, tor be i "often get check for 10.000." , Hav you ever thought-of retlglnn asa rnf making proposition! No, not if you are iner, h-. and reverent ot sacred things. In man's rlut . bis Maker there la omthlng aer-"t. M'wn i of the thing- which, wheth-r "... ,r i , Inyoluntarlly looks upon wit.i r- 'Yet tor centurle man's f ' material of which felu-li l . and attained Ill-gotten i air to believe in tha have been mad ( " dram of tha "V played drama!' '. mtnattons ' ; i f i X . v .. .
