vague and
incalculable shapes that we can only compare them to clouds that float
across the sky on a windy day; but there are, all the same, signs of
kinship to be discovered even between the sects that appear to be
furthest apart.

The _Chlysty_, from whom the religion of Rasputin was partly derived,
show some resemblance to the "Shakers," and to the Christian
Scientists, both of whom have evolved along lines diametrically
opposed. The "Shakers," direct descendants of the Huguenots, teach
that the end of the world is at hand, and that all men should repent in
preparation for the coming of the heavenly kingdom. Their meetings
have always been characterised by visions and revelations, and they
sing and dance for joy, leaping into the air and trembling with nervous
excitement--to which fact they owe their name.

In tracing out their history we find many striking analogies with the
sects of our own day. It was in 1770 that the "Shakers" believed
Christ to have reincarnated in the body of Anne Lee, the daughter of a
Manchester blacksmith. Although married, she preached--like Mrs. Eddy
a hundred years later--the benefits of celibacy, the only state
approved by God. Her convictions were so sincere, and her expression
of them so eloquent, that when charged with heresy she succeeded in
converting her accusers. The cult of virginity was adopted by her
followers, who considered her their "Mother in Christ," inspired from
on high; and when she counselled them to leave England and emigrate to
the New World, they followed her unquestioningly, even to embarking in
an old and long-disused vessel for the Promised Land. Arrived there,
however, their lot was not a happy one, for they met with much
persecution, and Anne Lee herself was imprisoned. But after her
release she preached with greater force and conviction than ever the
end of sexual unions and the near approach of the Kingdom of God. Her
eloquence attracted many, and even today her religion still has
followers. Among their settlements we may mention that of Alfred,
Maine, where a number of "spiritual families" live harmoniously
together, convinced that the Kingdom of God has already descended upon
earth, and that they are existing in a state of celestial purity like
that of the angels in heaven. They refuse to eat pork or to make use
of fermented drinks, and dancing still plays a part in their religious
services. Sometimes, in the midst of the general excitement,