Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-05-21
A STRANGE COMMUNITY.
Economic AZ social Features Of . Flour
isl.3.ig Colony in Iowa

isi..,is Colony In Iowa
Probably the most prosperous com
munistic society in this country is in
Iowa, nearly 100 miles west from
Davenport. on the line of the Milwau-
kee and ST. Paul road There are no
saloons in the colony and every man.
woman and child is worker. There
are no oilers, 10 caucuses, no politics
Marriage is looked upon as II OF
the necessary evils, but II is not re
garded by any means as a meretorious
act Children must be had and any
~looseness Of morals is sternly frowned
upon, yet the lot Of the newly mar
ried couple is not in any sense a happy
one. The religious standing OF young
married people is very low until, by
patiently bearing the yoke Of matri-
mony, they demonstrate their fitness
TO enter into the circle Of the elect
Despite their costumes there are
many remarkably pretty girls in ANA
ma. In form they are straight and
slender. Many Of them have clear
cut features, and their compilations
are beautiful beyond description.
The costumes of the women are Sc
verely plain, and at the same time are
picturesque. A print kerchief, MANI
featured in the village. is folded zero
the bosom so that the waist of d
loosely fitting dress is hidden. IT,
villagers manufacture all the iannels
and calicoes worn. and each has a
wide reputation. A black cap of some
thin material is worn rather far back
on the head, being gathered into a lit
tie bag at the back, narrow black rib
bons tying il under the chin. Knit
stockings and broad slippers or coarse
shoes are worn, wooden shoes being
reserved for field work. Neither age
nor condition in life brings any
change in these garments.
No social intercourse is allowed be-
tween the young men and the maidens,
and they e each other at intervals,
and even then at q distance. The as
ISOLATION Of the sexes is forbidden. On
Sunday afternoon the boys and girls
are permitted TO walk in the fields, in
opposite directions, though sometimes
they come together.
When a young mar signifies his de-
sire TO marry a maiden he is put on
probation for a year or more. Once a
week he is allowed TO see the object of
his affection. and no encouragement
is given his suit by any one. He is
never allowed TO see her alone, how
ever. When the marriage finally takes
place it is made the gloomiest Of festal
occasions.
There are no wedding clothes and
no wedding guests. Two or three
elders meet at the home of the brides
parents and read hymns and lead in
prayers. The chapter in Paul's epistle
TO the Ephesians. wherein the apostle,
with %untlinching severity, describes
the duties of husband and wife, is
read, with somber comments. After
the lecture there is a dead cold supper,
and every n is made TO feel us mis-.
cradle as possible. Whep once mar
ried, however, there is no hope for the
couple, as divorce is unknown.
These communists are rich, vet
they go without amusement of any
scrti ell musica! Instruments save the
flute are tabooed and there are nc
brass band contests to disturb the Sc
renity of their even existence.
A small colony came 10 the United
States from Germany ia 1912, headed
by Christian Me;z, an inspired in,
stTumeDly" and settled pear Buffalo,
y, Y, tile name OF Ebenezef being
given TO the colony, As the colony
prosPered beyond ali expectation il
was necessary to secure more land,
and the present peaceful valley @as
Selected. The old name was left be
hind and Amana was chosen as the
title by which the colony should b,
hereafter known. Seven villages
sprang up and are known as Amana
East, West, South. Middle and Higl
Amana and Homestead. Anything
more peaceful than these little vii
lagos cannot be imagined.
The inhabitants are pietists, or
rather, insplrationists, but they do no
look happy. They are puritanical u
the last degree and the children ar,
as sedate and staid as their elders.
Christian Metz, their leader, diet
twenty-five years ago, and Barbars
Heyneman, who "a also an ''instru
menL" led the people for fifteen year
after, when she. too, died. Since ther
there has been no one prominent o.
holy enough 10 succeed them and Their,
is in consequence no leader. Good
pure and virtuous as Barbara was
however, she came under the ban once
though she finally regained her stand
ing as an instrument"
She fell in love with a comely you'll
named George Laudmann, aud MARI,
him she would and did. though SD,
suffered expulsion for it. As she wa
a power in the community, she sue
ceeded in getting back. but she wa
never really and heartily forgiven 70
having taken to herself a husband.
There is a community OF everything
No cooking is done by families, tn
meals being prepared and served /
kitchens maintained for that purpos,
There is an abundance Of everythin
and no n ever goes hungry |
Amana, for instance, where there al
perhaps Eve hundred inhabitants, III
teen kitchens are maintained. Tn
proportion is the am ~ the other 81
villages. philadelphia Times.
Too Much Reading.
II was said OF some one, His syi
lnun II unnl..n ...naEn ~ IL 81