A Preliminary Examination of the Shaker Attitude toward Work

A Preliminary Examination of the Shaker Attitude toward Work ROSEMARY D. GOODEN I work thirteen hours, in each twenty-four Or more if necessity call; In point of distinction, I want nothing more Than just to be servant of all.I peaceably work at whatever I'm set, From no other motive but love, To honor the gospel and keep out of debt, And lay up a treasure above.-Richard McNemar, Union Village, Ohio Therefore our labor is to do good, in our day and generation, to all men, as far as we are able, by faithfulness and frugality in the works of our hands.-Shaker Memorial, 1816 THE CENTRALITY OF WORK and the process of industrialization in America have been thoroughly documented by historians, from John R.Commons and the Wisconsin school of labor history to studies by contemporary labor historians of workers' culture. 1 In contrast to the work of Commons and associates, concerned primarily with the worker as wage earner and with workers' conflicts, the "new" labor