Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

106 EFFECTS OF RELIGIOUS TOLERATION.

dissolved; and, believe me, no one was behindhand in effecting a retreat for the purpose of breathing fresh air."

Would any one think such fanatical scenes possible in the nineteenth century — in enlightened times like ours? The religious toleration generally observed in the United States prevents government from putting an end to a sect whose creed is as unreasonable as its ceremonies are ridiculous; and, as long as the Shakers continue peaceable, and abstain from violation of the laws, no American President can compel them to discontinue dancing, or reject their belief in Mother Ann's equal divinity with that of the Redeemer.

This liberty of conscience, every where prevalent in North America, and on which I will touch more hereafter, gives rise naturally to a number of sects, many of which are as extraordinary as the one just mentioned. In the year 1832, for instance, a man in New York assumed the garb of a Jew, and preached that he was nothing less than the Messiah himself. A great many persons flocked to the room where he delivered his discourses, curious to see and hear this modern prophet; and all returned perfectly disgusted with the

THE NEW MESSIAH.

107

individual and his doctrines. As long as his sermons had a peaceable tendency, he was left undisturbed; but at length his follies and absurdities went beyond the limits of endurance, and he was not permitted to continue his ravings. The end of his prophetical

career was a residence in a madhouse.

CHAPTER VI.

Glens which might have made even exile dear.

BYRON.

FROM Lebanon I directed my course through the heart of the flourishing state of Massachusetts. My first day's journey terminated at Northampton, a distance of about fifty miles, which it took nearly twelve hours to complete. The roads were certainly very rough; in some places so bad, that travellers ran a risk of coming in collision with each other's heads, and breaking their limbs ; but, upon the whole, they may be called tolerable, particularly when compared to the roads in the Southern and Western States.

Our slow progress was not to be attributed either to the badness of the roads, or to the horses, which had an appearance of strength, but entirely to the drivers. They were

[blocks in formation]

changed several times in the course of the day; but, to the regret of all present, little was gained by the alteration. One, in particular, was excessively slow in his motions, and rather abusive. I do not know if I was the unfortunate cause of it; my companions pretended I was, for having inadvertently — and certainly without intending, or even supposing, it would give offence-addressed him by the disreputable title of " Coachman," always used in England, and which I thought was also applicable here. Enough; I discontinued the word from that hour as long as I remained in America; and never forgot, upon subsequent occasions, to call republican coachmen "drivers."

The part of the country I now traversed was very rich and fertile. Wheat, rye, and Indian corn, were growing abundantly in every direction. Fields, intermixed with sand, were seen here and there; and in these places the crop appeared rather indifferent. Large tracts of land, particularly in the neighbourhood of Northampton, lay waste and uncultivated, although some are considered good. This I can only explain by supposing that the farmers are either satisfied with what they already possess, or that they cannot

110

ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY.

extend their agricultural pursuits for want of sufficient hands. They are, however, all in easy circumstances.

The eastern part of Massachusetts cannot boast of so many substantial farmers as the western; the soil is not near so rich; and many of the natives are, therefore, obliged to abandon farming, and take to manufacturing.

The country presents, upon the whole, a very variegated aspect. Hills and mountains succeed dales, woods, and fields. The former delight the traveller with the finest prospects. From the top of a mountain not far from Lebanon, the beautiful foliage of the trees, grouped together in the midst of luxuriant fields, formed a rich picture.

us.

The country houses are generally two stories high; the walls are built differently from those in Sweden; the planks are laid on the top of each other along the ground, and not raised vertically, as with They are mostly painted white, with green blinds fixed outside, giving them an appearance of cleanliness and neatness seldom witnessed in Europe. The interior arrangements, if not costly, are invariably tasteful. I often saw houses of farmers so comfortably

« ZurückWeiter »