Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1889-09-27
A QUEER HARVEST HOME.
The Economic Community of Penn
sylvania-Their Singular Gus
toms and Beliefs.
A Strange People in the Midst of Il
Busy POpulatiOn-Their First
and Latest Festival.
Chicago journal.

| Economy. Pa.-Harvest home in Ar
eadia. Quaint scenes wholly foreign to
| American manners. ideas and customs.
| Scenes that waited the beholders-not to
| the manner born-far away over the sea
| and the long lapse of years to the time and
| place when and where Gabriel and Evan
| geline enacted their love romance among
! the farmers of Normandy. That was what
| witnessed to-day in this unique village
| among the mystical celibate communists
who built, own and occupy it.
Eighty-four years have rolled away
| since, the last sheaf of summers golden
| grain having been garnered up in their
barns, the Harmonists, or Economics as
they are most popularity called, celebrated
their first harvest home. That was in 1905
in Butler county, Pa, fifteen miles from
the now great city of Pittsburgh. Six
months previously these good people had
stood on the banks of the Consequences
ing a stream as crooked as its name,
strangers in strange land to which they
had fled to escape religious persecution in
their German Faderland, and to carry out
unmolested the singular doctrines and
practices of their peculiar faith.
Seven hundred sturdy, rosy Germans
men. women and. children gathered
around George Rapp, blue-eyed enthu-
slast 4S years of age whom they rever-
enced as their leader and the founder of
their faith, and gave formal assent to his
plan of organizing.
TIFF HARMONY SOCIETY.
They cheerfully agree to throw all their
possessions into a common stock, those who
had wealth agreeing as readily as those
Irbp 1aI nptbin,r 10 acknowledgements Sbara
all things together. They regarded COM
munty if goods. practiced by the primitive
Christians, as d normal fundamental prin-
ciple in the organization of the Christian
Church. and deemed its observance a duty
imperatiyely binding upon all disciples of
Christ. The fact that they daily and hourly
expected as they still continue to do, the
second coming of Jesus and the end of the
world made them more Indifferent to the
possession of individual property than they
might otherwise have been.
Gathered from the vineyards and work
shops of Wurtemburg. in far-of Bavaria
poor. even with their combined possessions,
but rich IN faith. they went earnestly to till
ing the soil and patiently awaited that
glorious second advent In the last days
OF the following August they celebrated
precisely as | have just seen them do it,
their first harvest home.
Many changes have taken place since
then and the good Harmonists have under
gone many vicissitudes in the long years
that have passed. Twice have they
changed their place of residence. First to
Indiana, then back to Pennsylvania again,
where they built, in 1925. the quaint Will
age from which write.
But the greatest trial which they were
ever called upon to endure was the adop-
ton of the rigid
PRACTICE OF CELIBACY
in 1907 two wears after their first harvest
home Those who had wives were thence
forward required to be as though they had
none, and thus the tenderest of earthly
ties was virtually sundered among them
Father Rapp taught his simple-minded
people that through special illumination
from God he now saw that the marriage
relation, even in its present FORM was in
compatible with that perfect sanctifca-
tion required of the elect in view of the
approaching second advent of Christ, and
the rigid practice of celibacy at once be
came IA sine qua non of membership in the
Harmony Society. Husbands and wives
were Immediately separated. and the
male and female members thereafter lived
together like so many monks and nuns.
When the sun rose on the day set for
their harvest home this year, the grass
had been growing above the grave of their
venerated founder for forty-two years
and of the original signers of the cove
nant which established the Harmony So
ciety not one has been left these many
years to tell the tale The twenty-five
aged, almost bed-ridden men and women,
ship. are descendants, relatives and
friends of the original members, who
joined the society some years after its
formation. for the Harmonists have al
ways been, as they still continue to be.
willing and anxious to receive as new
members any persons of good moral char
acter who will subscribe to their rules of
faith and practice and throw all their
| possessions into the common store
But it must not be supposed that these
few feeble ones were the only participants
in the festivities of this years harvest
home. The 400 work people whom the
Economics employ to carry on their great
farms. and their oil. natural gas and lum-
ber interests. and who dwell here In Econo-
my with their wives and children, came
troOping out of their houses at the first
notes of the military band maintained
here among them. which. according to the
invariable custom on all festal occasions,
greeted the first beams of the rising sun
with strains of sweetest music from a bal
| conv built above the high steeple of the
| Harmonist Church. Those same work
| people crowded the sacred edifce at both the
morning and afternoon services of Thanks
| giving for a bountifuI harvest They
| formed the principal factor in the m.,ke-up
| of the procession which marched after each
| service from the church to the large ban
| quet hall in which the Economics feast
| solemnly together on all their HOLIDAYS.
| The menu at these banouets is hardly
| calculated to please an american palate.
| 1t seems very strange that though these
| good people set a much better table In
their own home. than the average Penn
| Sylvania farmer. their banquets are sing
| ularly devoid of richness, delicacy and
variety in the viands with which they are
| supplied. They have an unvarying round
| of
| QUEER OLD GERMAN DISHES
which are served up at every feast year after
| year. Rice soup. made from a German
formula which these good people brough
| from Wurtemberg in 1906; sauerkraut
"Schnits or stewed dried apples. which
! they regard as the choicest of delicacieS
and as being much preferable to any can
ned or preserved fruit. roast beef. lamb
mutton and veal; cheese and small ginger.
cakes, make up the bill of fare. which /,
washed down by eopious draughts of rare