Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-01-10
fre @lAnO OF aEFuos.-
The Qaeer Community and ils Dan Llfs
ia zoar. 0---Its FoaudsF And kils PssaiLa<
fdsas.

fFcr Boston Advert1seEl
About midway between Columbus, Cieve-
land and Wheeling is zoar. Land Of
Refuge" stout German boy told me if
meant, and any one WIN mas been here can
see why the name was chosen One can
not travel much Ia northern Ohio without
hearing Of the Zoarites, and 50 J came
down 90 see them. 10 1917 band Of about
two hundred and hfty Wurtemburg Ger
mans landed ia Philadelphia They were
under the lead OF a man named Plmler, who
appears 70 have been a remarkable charac-
ter. They belonged 10 the sect known as
-Separatists, !" who acknowledged no other
authority whatever than Jesus Christ, and
held ali things ia common. 1t Is clear that
they bad no very happy time Of it in the
fatherland. Ia Philadelphia they found
man who had five thousand acres OF land
out here 10 sell. Hs asked them fifteen
thousand dollars for it, and as they wanted
70 get as far away from everybody as pos
sitle, 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 10 build
big brick house for Plmler, with walls
twenty two inches thick, which is known
all the country round as the palace. Then
they went 20 work clearing of the wood,
building houses and shops of all kinds, un-
til they could boast that not one thing
necessary in their simple life did they buy.
Pimler's idea was TO isolate the colony
from any one else. So woolen-mills were
built, a hour-mill, a smithy, and among
the men were always mechanics of differ
ent trades. He intended TO keep his ranks
full by additions fr,Nl home, but after the
first lot OF arrivals in 1888 he gave that
scheme up and introduced instead mar
riage, which up 10 that time had been for
bidden. His associates, or rather, serv-
ants, seemed 70 take his orders without
question. For time be tried taking Amer
leans, but the Zoarites found that they
were too restive to be good for much, SO
that in late years their numbers have been
kept up almost entirely by births. The
settlement has numbered as high as three
hundred, but day there are not over two
hundred and fifty, and they are slowly de-
creasing. 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 Sun
day. 1t was a nice time that Pimler had.
The religion that he taught them was SIM
pie enough. They were to acknowledge
no other authority, outside of their own
magistrates, than the Bible. The former,
since his death, have consisted of three
q" trustees" elected for three years, subor-
dinate to a committee of five, which meets
or,lx~ oil tba frt1c cfa
really have things their own way Before
his taking off he prepared a constitution
which is carefully kept from public view,
and by which this little republic is gov
erned. 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 discontented ones have tried TO have it
divided, but it has been settled that this
cannot be done while three hold out. In
1888 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 trus-
tees lives in the palace, but Pimler's rooms
are not disturbed. While the children are
taught both German and English, nothing
is spoken among themselves save the for
mer. So far is this carried that some of
the young men have forgotten how to
speak English.
This is the way they live. No one has
any money except the cashier. He is one
Of the trustees. Everything that is raised
is brought to them and put into the store
house. No one sells q cents worth bus
A.
sent TO Philadelphia to buy the annual
supplies They are displayed in a large
store, tended by two of the young men. IL
one wants a shOe-lacing, bed-stead, or a
bushel of corn, no matter what, he goes to
a trustee and gets an order. The trustees
take care that no one overdraws his fair
allowance. If young couple conclude TO
marry. Justice is called in, the trustees
assign them a house, and they begin to
draw their supplies from the store. When
a death occurs, the carpenter makes the
same kind of a wooden coffin that tho
Zoarites have always used, and they bury
him in the little graveyard with wooden
cross at his head. AS 1 said above,
while Pimler lived be preached to them
Since then they have had his old
sermons read ana reread in turn, so that, il
any of them ever stopped 60 figure it up, he
coul1 tell to day just when the turn OF
each would come. But on Sunday not
mors than half the village ia out to the
trim brick church. Iwent 20 one of their
services. It was really touching TO hear
the Did German songs. and those hard
headed. gray headed meu listening TO the
remarks that PimIer made TO some of them
fifty years ago. They say no ministers
now come up 90 him, and bewail the in
difference Of the younsters.
This sounds like the story Of gloomy
plac-. So it would be to most people, vet
they seem to be happy. At sunset, the one
hundred cows are driven home from
pasture and all the unmarried girls take
their pals 20 so milk them. ] watched
them do il. Some were pretty. They said
they were happy aud well contented.
though one confessed she thought il a trifls