STRANGE SCENE WITH THE SHAKERS.

Globe, Volume V, Issue 563, 7 April 1876, Page 3

STRANGE SCENE WITH THE SHAKERS.

An extraordinary scene, amounting almost to a riot, took place at a meeting of the New Forest Shakers, at Exeter. Mrs Girling was accompanied by eight young women and four men, and whilst she was in the midst of her address one of the girls commenced to dance. This caused some excitement, as the dancing was prolonged, and was pronounced by Mrs Girling to be due to religious iniluences. One of the audience got up and denounced the vs hole thing as a blasphemous farce. This expression was loudly cheered. Mrs Girling invited anyone who wished to speak to come on the platform, and at last one gentleman went there. At the same moment another girl commenced to dance, and the excitement increased. The audience moved as a body to the platform, and a large number sealed it. Indescribable confusion fo'lowed, in the midst of which attempts were made to stop the girls, but they resisted, one of them shouting, “ 1 will rejoice !” and “ Touch not the Lord’s anointed !” The male members of the community were remonstrated with for permitting such an exhibition, but they expressed themselves powerless to stop the dancing. Thegirls wereatlastforcibly stopped. Someone threatened to give one of the male Shakers a thrashing, upon which he commenced to dance, and the disturbance was only ended by the whole body of Shakers being forcibly ejected.