Shakers and movers
震教徒和行动者
Frances Carr, the last person to be raised as a Shaker, died on January 2nd
弗朗西丝·卡尔是震颤派的最后一位终身信徒,于公元2017年1月2日逝世。
Jan 14th 2017 | SABBATHDAY LAKE, MAINE
2017年1月14日缅因州安息日湖
“I’M GLAD I am a Shaker”, sang some 300 people in the chapel of the dwelling house of the last active Shaker settlement in the world. They clapped and stamped their feet on the wooden floors during the hymn’s chorus. “O Brethren Ain’t Ye Happy?” is an old Shaker song and one of the few “motion songs” still in the Shakers’ repertoire. But only two people in the packed chapel were actual Shakers. The rest had come to the Sabbathday Lake, a Shaker village about 25 miles from Portland, Maine, to say goodbye to Sister Frances Carr (pictured), the last lifelong Shaker, who died on January 2nd. But since the two remaining Shakers, Brother Arnold Hadd and Sister June Carpenter, are aged 60 and 78 respectively, some wondered aloud whether this was a prelude to a funeral for the entire sect.
在世界上震教徒活跃的最后一个定居点,300多人聚集在教徒宅区内的教堂里唱着:“我很高兴我是一位震教徒。”在赞美诗的合唱声中,人们在木地板上“手舞足蹈”。《哦,兄弟们不开心吗?》是震教徒的一首古老摇滚歌曲和为数不多的保留曲目“运动歌”之一。不过,在拥挤的教堂内,其实只有两人是真正的震教徒。其余的人员从离缅因州波特兰约25英里的安息日湖赶来,同震颤派最后一位终身信徒弗朗西丝·卡尔(如图)告别。弗朗西丝·卡尔于公元2017年1月2日逝世。自此,震颤派仅存两名信徒,分别是60岁的Arnold Hadd和78岁的June Carpenter。有人大呼吃惊,这是不是整个震颤派的葬礼前奏曲。
At their height in the mid-19th century, Shakers numbered about 6,000, with 19 settlements, mainly in New England, New York and Kentucky. An offshoot of Quakers, the Shakers began in England in the 1740s. Seeking religious freedom, they left for the colonies on the eve of the American Revolution. Their rise coincided with a religious fervour sweeping the frontier. Decades before emancipation and 150 years before women had the vote, Shakers practised social, gender and racial equality for all members.
19世纪中期,震颤派发展至最高峰,会众发展到6000名,定居点多达19处,主要分布在新英格兰,纽约和肯塔基。18世纪40年代,震颤派从公谊会分出并在英国产生。为寻求宗教自由,教徒们在美国革命前夕前往英国殖民地。震颤派的崛起正好赶上席卷边疆的宗教狂热。在黑奴解放的几十年前和妇女拥有投票权的150年前,震教徒已在提倡社会平等,男女平等和种族平等。
Shakers believe in the three “C’s”, celibacy, communal living and confession. They do not marry, so must rely on conversion to fill their ranks. Men and women live as brothers and sisters. Recruits must give up their families, property and worldly ties. Stephen Stein, author of “The Shaker Experience in America” compares them to a monastic group. In many ways theirs is an American creed. Shakers value hard work, seeing labour as a form of prayer. They strive for perfection, which earned them a reputation for well-made simple furniture. Shakers dress plainly and might be mistaken for Amish, but they do not shun society. Since the sect’s earliest days, members sold goods to outsiders and shared oxen and other equipment. They also like technology: the Sabbathday Lake Shakers are on Facebook.
独身,集体生活和作忏悔是震颤派的教义。因不行婚配,震颤派只能依托皈依者来壮大自身。男女像兄弟姐妹一样生活。入教者要放弃家庭、财产和世俗关系。斯蒂芬斯坦是《震教徒在美国的经历》一书的作者,他将震教徒比作修行的僧侣。震颤派在许多方面的教义也是美国人的信条。震教徒注重辛勤劳作,视劳动为祈祷的一种式。对完美的极致追求使得震教徒在简单家具上赢得良好声誉。尽管衣着朴素,也很可能被误认为是阿们宗派教徒,但震教徒并不回避社会。自从教派创立伊始,震教徒就向外人出售货物,分享耕牛和其他设备。他们也喜欢技术:安息日湖的震颤派教徒上脸谱网。
In Sabbathday Lake as in other former Shaker villages, Friends of the Shakers raise money to preserve archives and buildings. Many Friends attend Sunday services, but few opt to join the faith. Presumably they will want to continue worshipping even after the last Shaker is gone. In the meantime, the Shakers continue to look for recruits. Over the past 40 years, a few dozen have joined, but only a handful stayed. A decade ago there was a fourth Shaker at Sabbathday Lake, but he left when he fell in love with a visiting journalist. More recently, a young man joined, but left after a year. The Shakers pray for new movers.
在安息日湖以及震教徒生活过的村庄,震教徒之友在筹资保护档案和建筑。许多震教徒之友也参加周日礼拜,但很少有人选择皈依震颤派。即便在最后一位震教徒去世后,他们也可能只是想表达对震教徒的敬奉。与此同时,震颤派也在寻求加入者。在过去40年里,有几十人加入,但只有少数人坚守下来。10年前,安息日湖迎来了第4位震教徒,但他在爱上一位来访记者时选择了离开。最近,一位年轻人加入了震颤派,但一年后就离开了。震教徒在祈求新的行动者。