Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1878-02-11

thing with him, no matter what or how
much he contributed to the s~ociety's treas.
ury when lie joined.
Since purchasing the Burleigh farm, which
contains $500 acres, the society has erected
additional dwelling houses, achurch, school
house, steam Touring mill, blacksmith chop,
barns, graneries, &c. All these improve.
ments are made Of chalk rock. The mill
is two stories and a half high, and contains
the best modern machinery, including n
machine for the manufacture of patent flour.
The building cost $4,000 and the machinery
5 5000. The mill was completed and com
menced work on the 81 of January, 1875.
The first year the net profits Of the mill
were $4,000, and the second year, ending on
lie I'd of January last, the amount made
over and above all expenses was $4,000.
The horse and COW stable is u building
about 200 feet long with two tiers of stalls
the entire length. Among the large herds
owned by the community are many fine
blooded and valuable animals. The hog pen
is also about 200 feet long, with a row of
stys on each side ofa railway track in the
centre upon which food is dis ributed to the
animals from Il large tank mounted
on wheels. The number of hogs now on the
farm is $50, all of the Poland China breed.
A So. ghum mill, blacksmith shop, car
penter shop, bakery, wash house &c, are
scattered around the main buildings. 3
Some ofthe customs of these people are
peculiar, and would not be taken to kindly
!, by progressive Americans. There is no
courtship, or swinging on the gate between
the young folks. When a young man ar.
, rives at the proper age to marry, which is
from 10 to 20, his elders remind him of the
: fact, and select a wife for him. II the wo'
man selected is a widow and twice his age
r he makes no demur, for he is taught to be
i lieve that as God created all human beings
q he created all alike, and that while live re
d mains one is as good as another. AS 500,
r as a child arrives at the proper age to b.
weaned it is taken from its mother an.
placed in the common nursery, which i
presided over by a number Of women VIII
5 are too old for any other service. Agail
when the child arrives at
!. proper school age, 1t i
u taken from the nursery and placed in charg
+ Of the school master, where it remains unit
old enough to take part in the labor of tn
u farm. The school life of the child i
y without interruption. Thereare no holidays
; even on the Sabbath there is no intermissior
for the Sunday school lasts from mornin
till night. The childhood of these peopl
is cherries and without recreation. al
their studies are in solemn, religious books
and all their exercises in music are tn
singing Of serious, long-metred psalms an,
hymns. The children have their meal
brought to them in the school room. Their
! life is Il cherries and m~onotonous routine.
The dwelling houses are divided i
apartments about 10x12 fectin size, whic'
:. are heated by furnaces built in the walls, i
which hay is burned. One furnace heat
, two rooms. These apartments are only oc
cupied at might, except by sick and iniirm
as during the day all the men and womel
= are at work ~ the farm, in the workshops
laundry, bakery and kitchen. Two larg
ovens are employed every day to provid
q bread. The wash house employs about
. dozen women every day. One old man doe
- nothing but cut bread, which Keeps hir
busy from morning till night. A dozen Q
more women do the cooking. There are tw
, large dining rooms adjoining the kitchen
one of which is used by the men, the othe
h by the M
The head man Of this colony is Josepl
Whippf Michael Waltner is the preacher
aud Joseph Wortz the boss farmer. Samue
Kleinsasser was the head man ofthis colon
when it came here. but for some reason h
was deposed, and Joseph Whippf elevate
to that dignity.
Rev. Waltner invited US into his room
which is in all respects similar to the other
where we meet the former head-man and tw
members of the Wolf Creek colony.
bottle Of homemade wine. {
good quality, was drank with due solemnit,
II The brothers drank one glass each, Will
5 your correspondent, to keep up the dignit
: Of the profession, drank two. Mr.. Wal,ne
y showed US two manuscript books, one {
which was written in 1899, and the o,he
C in 1875. The one dated in 1899 is in a
d good a state Of preservation as If it ha'
been in use but a year, instead of2s0 year,
+; The penmanship is excellent, and the in
is as clear and bright as ifwritten but yestel
day. Nearly all the books owned by til
colony are manuscript, and are bound b
one Of the members, whose workmanshi
is after the style ola few centuries ago. .
A colony ofthis sect is located at a plac
called Homestead in Iowa county, Iowa.
numbers 1900 persons. That colony ha
i large herds of sheep. anda all the wool i
carded at home, spun and made into sock
d and mittens by the children Of the colon,
n cIs onn 4, vo,, =, dorivo1 fron, III, ~