Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1885-04-23
A LAND OF REFUGE"
A QUEER OHIO COMMUNITY AND
IFS DULL LIFE.

IT'S DULL LIFE
The Founder Of the PatriaFelial Sect
ETY. his Peculiar Ideas--Fhe To-
arfte Philosophy and its Salts factory
Pseuniary Results. -
Letter IN Boston -aaBerttser.
About midway bstwsen Colum bus,
Cleveland, and Wheeling is Zoar.
" Land of Refuge stout German
boy told me it meant, and any one
who has been here can SEQ why the
name was chosen. One cannot travel
much iii Northern Ohio without hear
ing Of the Zoarites, and SO I came
down to see them. In 1877 band Of
abeut $50 Germans from Wurtem.
burg landed in Philadeiphia. They
were under the lead of man named
Pimlsr, who appears to have been
rather remarkable. They belong to
the sect known as "5eparatists," who
acknowledged noothef authority what
ever than Jesus Christ and held all
things in common. It is clear that
they had no very happy tine of it in
the Fathefland. In Philadelphia
they found man who had 5000 acres
Of land out here to sell. He asked
$4,000 for it, and as they wanted to
ge' as far awayi from everybody as
possible, they scraped all their money
together and bought it. Only three
of those who made the trip over the
mountains 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 brick house for Pimler, with
walls twenty-five inches thick, which
is known all the country around as
the palace. Then they went to work
clearing of the wood, building houses
and shops Of all kinds, until they
could boast that not one thing necess-
ary in their simple life did they buy.
IF the world had let Zoar alone
Pimler and his followers would have
been happy. But the country round
about them slled up. The boys and
girls who had been taught only Ger.
man in the little village school, had to
learn English, while some of them
showed desire to get out of the hum
drum little village, where they could
look forward to broader life. Even
in their rather stupid craniu,ns con.
tract with neigfbors has had its effect,
and the old Zoarites mournfully told
me that things are going to the bad.
Zoar is not what it used to be, but il
is interesting even now.
Pimler's idea was to isolate the col
| ony from any one else. So WOODEN
mills were built, flour mill, smithy
and among the men were always me
chanics.. of different trades. He i'll
tended to keep his ranks full by addi
tions from home, but after the frs
lot of arrivals in 1888 he gave tha
scheme up and introduced instead
marriage, which up to that time hat
been forbidden. His associates, o.
rather servants, seemed to take hi
orders without question. For time
he tried taking Americans, but th'
Zoarites found out that they were tot
restive to be good for much, SC that il
late years their numbers have beer
kept up almost entirely by births. Th
settlement has numbered as high a
800, but to-day there are not over 25t
and they are slowly decreasing. Will
Pimler lived he was the Government
He settled all the disputes, held tn
money, picked out boys to marry th,
girls and preached in church on Sun
days. 1t was nice time that Pimle
had. The religion that he taugh
them was simple enough. They wer
to acknowledge no other authorit,
outside of their own magistrates thar
the Bible. The former, since his death
have consisted of three trustees,
elected for three years, subordinate t
committee of FIVE, which meets onl
occasionally, and the trustees reall
have things their own way. Befor
his taking off he prepared constitr
ton which is carefully kept from put
lie view, and by which this little re
public is governed. Its chief featur
is that so long as three of the societ
keep together the property is indivis
BILE. In the courts some of the dlscoI
, tented ones have tried to have it d
yided, but it has been settled that th
cannot be done while three hold on
In 1858 Pimler died. For goo
many weeks little else was heard j
! the village save the click of the WOO,
en- shoes of the people as they wei
: slowly about their tasks. Now tt
. older men sit around their houses /.
f night and mourn for him. One of IL
, trustees lives in the palace, but Pr
! ler's rooms are not disturbed. Viii
3 the children are taught both Germa
: and English, nothing is spoken amor
: themselves save the former. So far
/ this carried that some of thesyour
4 men have forgotten how to speak %
| glish. One of them, a SLY chap, to
/ me that he hoped to be trustee son
f time, and it was good policy to pr
n tend not to like English.
i This is the way they live. No ol
e has any money except the cashie
S He is one of the trustees. Everythil
G that is raised ia brought to them al
n put into the storehouse. No one Sc
Il q cents worth but these same truste,
y Once year naa is sent to Phi
delphia to buy the annual suppl
They are displayed in a large sto
tended by two of the young men.
one wants shoe-lacing, hedstead
h q bushel Of corn, no matter what,