The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-08-02
THE MENNONITES.

".' THE MENNONITEs.
IaNy. S'H . E1'i u = = t~.. g.. .'...
A Description Of a Peculiar Scot in Pennsyl-
Fr.r vania--How they 1.-Two and Dress.
t., A. correspondent writing from Ian
caster, Pa, draws this picture Of the
| Mennonites, noted sect there: A rep
resentative Mennonite is an object of
curiosity. Travellers going through this
valley are puzzled to know what to make
of them. Mennonite men are nearly al
ways above the medium height. They
are tall, straight, and angular. They
wear their straight, black hair rather
long, until it nearly reaches their shoul-
ders. Their coats are cut straight up
and down. The material is of gray
wool, and is homemade: There are no
buttons on their clothing, hooks and
eyes being useI instead. The vest is
cut high; so is the shirt; and around
their necks they. wear black scarfs or
stocks. Vests, and wide, long, straight
pantsloons, looking more like q pair Of
bags than like pantaloons, are of brown
jeans coarselys and srudely made up.
There sis no style about them. The
Mennonite costume consists of a black
slouGh hat With avsry wide bsim, which
Is worn ! part M summer dall win.
ter The men wear}heavy oowhide boots
in iwnteE This style ofdrsss was worn
by their fathers in this valley over two
hundred years ago. and has been worn
ever since. Tie women wear black
sun fbonnets, > Laed with pasteboard
woolen cpes Or shawls. Their feet are
cowfsf With blue Stockings knit at
home from wool raised on the farm, and
rough kip shoes. s..,,.y
The women lafe, as a general thing,
small as compared with the stature of
their husbands. Young and old dress
alike, so that unless a close inspection.
is made q man twenty years OF age can
hardly be,told, from one fifty years old.
They stand quite ierect, and; like the
Cinnamon, resemble each other very
nauch.l The married women become
plump and sluggish, and the young
ladies may be ever 30 handsome, yet
they always look plain in their domestic
earb, and their black eyes and rosy
cheeks are hid away under the flaps of
their uncommonly large sun bonnets.
They are quiet, and rarely smile. The
old folks are more loquacious than the
young. A fair daughter will 60 to
church with her father and mother. She
win sit between them, and look neither
to the right nor to the left. At the close
of the services all OF them may stop in
leaving the building to recognize and
speak to friends for short time, but
the conversation is very limited.
Ivisited one of their farmhouses- "a
small,s two-story, stone house, with four
fpaalI rooms and . Etchens There was
no carpet on the floors, and the furni-
ture was neat and. plain. The boards
we're scrubbed fresh and clean; the win
1dows up sstairss were open; the beds,
puHGd up with bouncing feather boil
sters, looked sweet and ciean; extra ap-
parel hung on pegs in corner, and
chest served for wardrobe for the
other clothing. The walls were white
as the driven snow, and the pleasant air
of the shady grove without bulged in
the common paper curtains. Their diet
is principally eggs and vegetables. They
eat very little meat. ''' 4
Abont fifty Hardssfrem theirdwelGngs
are their immense barns, large enough
to hold d dozen! Of the houses they live
in. These barns contain the remains of
the crop of last year. The stables are
filled with horses and cows, and in the
outbuildings tarey theTplaia family car
riage, wssons, @plo oWs, ,and other imple-
mente. These men are hard working
farmers, ,snn- Drowned and honest, car
ing nothing at all about politics, and
lifting only toS Till the soil, deal honesty
with their neighborsrand cave money.
The husband is the sole manager of his
household, the wife and children doing
his bidding in the most minute particu-
lar. They are people of remarkably few
words, speaking only when it is abso-
luGely ueCessaly' AuCJ "OuAo hoe hho"
ingly wrong anybody. Their religion
Jembraces the doctrine OF; the golden
rule. One; of their leading men, who
has acquired a large fortune, will not
take more than four per cent. for the
use of his money, because, as he says; it
is not fair, right, just, nor honest to re-
ceive any more. It is certain, also, that
there are plenty of them who loan
,,noneylto their, friends and neighbors
s@ho dn, not ask even Aa3 bonds note, or
collateral, nor do they ask for or receive
any interest. They sell nothing on
credit. They keep no accounts. Their
verbal promise to pay is as good as a
first mortgage or a government bond.
They never go to law, and crime is un-
mown among them. = fQATI