The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-06-14


LCor. Boston Advertiser-l
About midway between Columbus, Cleve-
land and Wheeling is Zoar. Land Of
Refuge" a 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 Zoarites, and so l came
down TO see them. In 1877 band of about
two hundred and fifty Wurtemburg Ger
mans landed in Philadelphia. They were
under the lead Of a man named Pimler, who
appears to have been a remarkable charac-
ter. They belonged TO the sect known as
''Separatists," who acknowledged TO other
authority whatever than Jesus Christ, and
held all things in common. 1t Is clear that
they had no very happy time Of 1T In the
fatherland. In Philadelphia they found a
man who had five thousand acres Of land
out here TO sell. He asked them fifteen
thousand dollars for it, and as they wanted
70 get as far away from everybody as pos
sible, thew 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 a
big brick house for Pimler, with walls
twenty-five inches thick, which is known
al the country round as the palace. Then
they went to work clearing off the wood,
building houses and shops Of all kinds, I'M
til they could boast that not one thing
necessary in their simple life did they buy.
PimIer's idea was to isolate the colony
from anv one else. So woolen- mills were
built, -four mill, a smitby, and among
the men were always mechanics of differ
II 70 lie la
full by additions from home, but after the
first lot of arrivals in 1893 he gave that
scheme up and introduced instead mar
rage, which up to that time had been for
hidden. His associates, or rather, serv-
ants, seemed to take his orders without
question. For time he tried taking Amer
leans. but the Zoarites found that they
were too FESTIVE to be good for much, so
that in late years their numbers have been
kept ND almost entirely by births. The
settlement has numbered as high as three
hundred, but to-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 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
trustees" elected for three years, subor-
dinate to a committee of five, which meets
ONLY occasionally, and the I" trustees "
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 or
the disconnected ones have tried to have IL
divided, but it has been settled that this
cannot be done while three hold out. In
1853 Pimler died. For a 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 a cents worth but
these same trustees. Once a year man Is
sent TO Philadelphia to buy the annual
supplies. They are displayed in large
store, tended by two of the young men.
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, a 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 the
Zoarites have always used, and they bury
him in the little graveyard with wooden
cross at his head. As l said above,
while Pimler lived he preached to them
Since then they have had his old
sermons read and reread in turn, so that, II
any of them ever stopped to figure 1t up, he
could tell to day just when the turn OF
each would come. But on Sunday not
more than half the village is out to the
trim brick church. ] went to one OF their
services. 1t was really touching to hear
headed, gray headed men listening to the
remarks that Pimler made to some of them
fifty wears ago. They say no ministers
now come up to him, and bewail the IN
difference of the yOunsters.
This sounds like the story of gloomy
place. So it would be to most people, yet
thew seem to be happy. At sunset, the one
hundred cows are driven home from
pasture and all the unmarried girls take
their pals to go milk them. watched
them do it. Some were pretty. They said
they were happy and well contented,
though one confessed she thought it trifie
dull. She had been allowed to visit friends in
Pittsburgh. Occasionally a boy runs away,
but the girls do not dare to. Why, with
their beer-making, mills, shops, and other
industries, the Zoarites are obliged TO hlre
most of the farm work done. Each morn
ing the fifty laborers meet in the square
and are told off to their work.
This community has grown to be very
rich as an organization. 1t owns t,2UO
acres of land. which, with the improve
ment.s is worth $500, 900 The live stock and
earnings variously invested are OF equal
value.
Young woman VINO TTas sun.
New Orleans Times-DemOcrat.l
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