, 1885-07-24
Ga aln.aNLgrg q p.NNgYLv5NIA


Noni .tnwn Dhinl CIR tliea % Herald
There has ALWAYS conferred about the
sect Of sIarmonists a halo OF interest
because Of their pcouliarities and seglu-
sive tendencies Tho founder OF this
rich colony. located at Economy, on ;he
ban Of the Beaver river, was George
laA. who was torn ia Wurtemburg in
70. Believing he had a divine call
and was charged with u restoration
OF the Christian religion to its
original purity, he organized
led a colony on the model Of the prin-
iti,c church. with goods and chattcls in
colnnion THIS soon involved him and
his follower IN trouble with his govern
menl, and compelled him to transplant
thr community, IN isOj TO the nlted
tatcs. They settled first on the Con
nequenessing creek, in Butler county,
wlrre they founded the village OF Har-
muuy and employed themselves IN agri-
culture and manufacture. by industry
and thrift they uircd considerable
wealth and in isl5 they removed in a
body to Indiana, where They purchased
and located upon 900 acres OF and
along the ranks o the Wabash river.
The settlement oil New Harmony was
even more prosperous than the I rst had
been, hut the climate was not satlsiac'
tor and n ls2 after numerous coun-
ellis, they sold out and moved back TO
Pennsylvania, this time locating in
Beaver county, on the right bank OF the
Ohio river, where they purchased $50
acres Of beautiful farming lands an
where they soon afterward laid out the
town of Economy. Here ia where they
are located at present, surrounded by
peace and plenty They are a strange
people do not believe in marriage. bat
all i've together MS brothers and sisters
and practice tho s~trictest morality.
In 1888 the question OF marriage was
the leading one in the community and
about 20j members withdrew because
the favored marriages and established
the town OF hillipsburg but the new
colony did not prosper, and after a few
years struggling they sold out and dis
banded, dividing the proceeds OF their
sales equally among all the members.
In the meantime the Harmonists were
gradually becoming more and more
wealthy, until at present they own
.ointly and in common iands, stocks,
bonds and herds, the value OF which is
estimated at s 1000, 600. loside5 own
Ing al Of economy and a large pait of
Beaver. they " an entire county in
Dakota, in the valley Of the Lei River
of the North
ut OF their surplus moneys they
built aud equipped the ittsburg Lake
RE railroad, running through n rich
and fertile country from ittsburg TO
oungstown. and owned the controlling
interest in it until the road was old to
the anderOiit-. 1t is said that on this
deal alone they made . per cent. OF
their investment, as the road turned
ont to be n of the best-paying lines
in the country. 1t is a matter of his
tory that at the time the war broke out,
in 1861, they converted all their honda
and available property into money and
buried it, using the treasure afterwards
in paving Tor the building of the rail
road. The payments thus made put in
circulation an immense amount of sill
YER many of the pieces dating back to
1900. ar1r
Owing to the Law prohibiting mar
riage the sect has gradually diminished
until at present it consists of only thir-
teen men and forty women, all of them
well advanced in years. They employ
over 900 servants and farm
hands, and these, with their families,
make quite a village. Everything is
owned in ommon. The grocer, the
baker, the butcher and the milkman go
the rounds every day and supply the
different families with the necessities
and a few OF the Injuries Of life. Moth
ing can be fought in the lillage of icon
omy, and 1t Is PROBABLY the only town
in the world where a man cannot. even
if he desires. spend money They are
extremely liberal and philanthropic,
and are constantly doing acts of
beneyolence. Their houses, which
are all exactly alike, are an c ual
distance apart, aud are at e.
uniform distance from the village street.
They are painted pure white and have
no front doors, claiming { at ii they
had these conveniences the women folks
would spend too much time looking at
and gossiping with passers- by.
y good story IS related in this connec-
ton that the president OF the commun-
ity n score Of year ago imagined tlat
there was too much familiarity between
the yolus men and maiiens, and so
promulgated an or er that all females
appearing on the street after dark mus
carry lanterns, but still the merry max.
ing continued, although no lanterns ap
peared. This caused an inyestig ttiJn.
which developed the fact that the
worthy old gentleman had neglected to
order that the lanterns should be
lighted.
As stated. there are now only thirteen
men and forty women 10 I Of tho once
large colony, and they bong old it is
likely that the law against celibacy will
cause the extermination OF the colony in
a few years more. According to their
laws, as long as three OF them hold to-
gether the property is to remain intact,
but when M Of tho final trio dies the
other two lose Ail right to the property
and must leave. As there are no heirs
the 80, 600, 600 which they possess in
real md personal property will come
into the possession of the state Of Penn
sylyAnia and will form a handsome
legacy.
Tirtures 4 m @hort Notfce.