AFFAIRS AT UNION VILLAGE. - A large majority of Warren County people have a warm corner in their hearts for the little community where all are equal, the Shaker Village, and word from them is always welcome. The following letter from Elder Oliver C. Hampton will be a pleasure to all:
Shaker, March 12, 1886.
Editors of Gazette, we are moving on in our usual winter routine, although
we have reached the blustery month of March and winter is gone, "to
mingle with the scenes beyond the flood." The robin, blue bird and
black bird have appeared and "the voice of the turtle is heard in
the land." Our divine service was well attended to-day and we were
faithfully exhorted to spiritual mindedness by Elder
Charles, after which a short poem was read entitled "Forgive
and Forget," which was edifying to all. Our community has been increased
by the addition of nine persons within the last two weeks, and of a standing
and character which is encouraging. They all live in the center family.
Broom making still flourishes and we make the best broom ever made at the center or any where else hereabouts. We have a good shoemaker and also a No. 1 blacksmith; we are now pretty well organized and begin to feel a little better than at times heretofore. We are hauling out manure on our sweet corn land for this year and are about to clean up a filed for potatoes, of which our crop of last year was nearly an entire failure. We have a wire fence machine and have made enough fence lately to fence our garden. Your correspondent is teaching school and has about thirty scholars from seventeen down to six years of age. Elder Isaac, at the North Family, is sick but I believe noticeably convalescing. Among the Shakers the interest of one is the interest of all, but whether any of these items will interest the editors of the Gazette I can't tell but "draw this bow at a venture," and if it glances off from them it may possibly "hit some of their readers between the joints of the harness."
O. C. Hampton