The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1872-07-26
sSaisreIIaneOns Selections.
pennsylvania DUTCH"
The Works and Ways of a Peculiar
People.

A volume has recently been pub
lished, DEVOTED to a description of
the pennsylvania Dutch" their
customs and modes of life, which is
of much interest.
The language spoken by these
primitive Christians, who inhabit the
county of Lancaster in Pennsylvania
is dialect of the German, although
they generally designate both it and
themselves as Dutch. For the ma
tive German who works with them
on the farm they cherish feeling of
contempt. With certain grim recol-
Ilections of the Yankee tin peddlers,
who swarmed over the country some
fifty or sixty years ago, the term
Yankee is used by them as the ira
ditional synonym for cheat. The
vocabulary in common use is an old
mixture of the dialects of South
Germany, brought from the region
of the upper Rhine, including Switz-
erland, with an infusion of broken
English. In their religion, they are
branch of the Mennonites, in
plainness and simplicity of speech
and raiment resembling the Society
of Friends, although not attaching
so much Importance to the inner
teachings Of the Spirit in the still
ness of the soul. Their meeting
house is a low brick building, with
no sign of ornament to minister to
the ''lust of the eye or the pride of
life" The men with broad brimmed
hats and Quaker-like garments, sit
on benches on one side of the house,
and the women, in prim hats and
black sun bonnets, are ranged on the
other. The services, which are con-
Quoted in Dutch" consist of prayer
and exhortation, and a kind of rude,
unmusical chant by the congrega-
ton. A pause of about five minutes
is allowed for private prayer. The
preachers are not paid, and are cho-
Gen by lot from a number of candi-
dates previously named by the peo-
pie, both men and women. The
ministers are not expected to take
part in public affairs, but the least
rigid of the members usually vote at
elections, and are allowed to hold
such Offices as school-director and
supervisor of roads, but not to be
members of the Legislature. They
cannot bring suit against any one, nor
hold judgment bonds. They do not
take oaths, nor deal in spirituous
liquors. If one of the members is
disowned by the Church, the other
members of his own family are not
allowed to eat at the same table with
him, and his wife withdraws from
him. They retain the ordinances of
Baptism and the Lords Supper, to-
gether with the ancient feet-washingI
and the greeting of one another
with holy kiss"
On Sunday morning. huge ark-like
wagons, covered with yellow oil
cloth, may be seen moving toward
the house of the member whose turn
it is to entertain the meeting, which
seems in some places to be held in
private dwellings, instead of separ-
ate meeting-h house. Great have been
the preparations beforehand-won-
derful the whitewashing, the scrub
bine, the polishing of tin and brass
to make ready for the occasion. The
young mothers do not stay at home,
but bring their babies with them.
After the services, the congregation
remain to dinner. Bean soup was
formerly the principal dish, but the
well-to-do-farmers Of the present day
are no longer content with so rustic
diet.
The greatest festive occasion, or
the one which calls the largest num-
Der Of persons to eat and drink to-
gether, is the funeral When death
occurs, the neighbors take possession
of the house, relieving the family
from all labor and care. Some Of
them put the rooms in order for the
reception of company, after the inc
vitable neglect in the progress of a
fatal disease, Others repair to