The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-10-31
In "THE LAND OF REFUGE. "
QUEER LITTLE COMMUNITY IN
OHIO.
People who Keep to ThcmsclveS-Thc
Founder OTthcScrt of Oaritcs and
His Views,

of Refuge" n stout German boy told me
it meant, and anyone who has been here
can see why the name was chosen. One
can not travel much in Northern Ohio
without hearing of the Zolrites, and so
| came down to see them. In 1917 n
band of about $50 Germans from Wurtcm-
burg landed in Philadelphia. They were
under the lead of II man named Pimler.
who appears to have been a remarkable
character. They belonged to the sect
known as "Separatists, who ac-
knowledged no other authority
whatever than Jesus Christ and
held all things in common.
1t is clear that they had no very happy
time of it in the fathcrland. In Phila-
delphia they found a man who had 8, 900
acres of land out here TO sell, He asked
them $15, 900 for it, and as they wanted
to get far away from everybody as
possible, they scraped all their money to-
gcther and bought it. Only three of
those who made the trip over the noun
tains are now alive. When the colony
arrived here no money was left and they
were about broken down. The first thing
done was to build big brick house for
Pimler, with walls twenty-five inches
thick, which is known all the country
round as the palace. Then they went
to work clearing off the wood, building
houses and shops of all kinds, until they
could boast that not one thing
necessary in their simple life did they
buy.
If the world had let Zoar alone, PIN
Ter and his followers would have been
happy. But the country round about
them filled up The boys and girls who
had been taught only German in the
little village school. had to lean Eng
lish, while some of them showed a de.
sire to get out of the hum-drum little
village, where they could look forward
to broader life. Contact with neigh
bors had its effect and the old Zoarltes
mournfully told me that things are going
to the bad. Zoar is not what it used to
be, but it is interesting even now.
Pimler's idea was to isolate the colony
from anyone else. So wooden mills were
built, a flour mill, a smithy, and among
the men were always mechanics of differ
ent trades. lie intended to keep his
ranks full by additions from home, but
after the first lot of arrivals in 1888, he
gave that scheme up and introduced in
stead marriages, which up to that time
had been forbidden. His associates, or
rather servants, seemed to take his
orders without question. For a time
he tried taking Americans, but the
Zoarites found that they were too rest
i've to be good for much, 50 that in late
years their numbers have been kept up
al, l,,- h, rIo L.
ment has numbered as high as 300, but
to-day there are not over 250, and they
are slowly decreasing. While Pimler
lived he was the government; he
settled all the disputes, held the
money, picked out boys to marry
the girls, and preached in church
on sunday. 1t was a nice time that
Pimler had. The religion that he
taught them was simple. They were to
acknowledge no other authority outside
of their own magistrates, than the Bible.
The former, since his death have con
sisted of three " trustees elected for
three years, subordinate to a committee
of five, which meets only occasionally,
and the trustees really have things
their own way Before his taking oil,
he prepared a constitution which is
carefully kept from public view, and by
which this little republic is governed,
His chief feature is that so long as three
of the society keep together the prop
erty is indivisible. In the courts, some
of the discontinued ones have tried to
have it divided, but it has been settled
that this cannot be done while three
hold out. In 1853 Pimler died. For
good many weeks little else was heard in
the village save the click of the wooden
shoes of the people as they went slowly
about their tasks. Now the oldest men
sit around their houses at night and
mourn for him. One of the trustees
lives in the palace, but Pimlers rooms
are not disturbed. While the children
are taught both German and English,
nothing is spoken among themselves
save the former So far is this carried
that some of the young men have for
gotten how to speak English. One of
them, a sly chap, told me that he hoped
to be trustee some time, and it was good
policy to pretend not to like English.
This is the way they live. No one
has any money except the cashier. lie
is one Of the trustees. Everything that
Is raised Is brought to them and put
into the storehouse. No one sells a
cents worth but these same trustees.
Once year man is sent to Philadel-
phia to buy the annual supplies. They
are displayed in large store, tended by
two of the young men. If one wants
shoe-lacing, bedstead, or bushel of
corn, no matter what, he goes to a trus-
tee and gets an order. The trustees take
care that no one overdraws his fair al
lowance. If a young couple conclude to
marry, justice is called in, the trustees
assign them to a house, and they begin
to draw their supplies from the store
Perhaps they have baby. The trustees
give an order for a cradle, if none of the
old ones happens to be out of use at the
time. When death occurs the carpen-
ter makes the same kind of wooden cof-
fin that the Zoarite have always used,
and they bury him in the little graveyard
with wooden cross at his head As |
said above, while Pimler lived he
preached to them. Since then they have
had his old sermons read end re-read in