Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-02-16
A QUAINT CEREMONY.
Economics Celebrate the Anniyer-
sary of Their Organization
WITH PRAYERS AND A BANQUET.
Peculiar Social and Religious Customs Of
the Harmonites.
COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE TABOOED.
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM 10 THE DISPATCH,

forest region OF Butler county, tnls CIdle,
there was solemnly and formally organized
the most remarkable and unique theocratic
community that the world had ever seen
since the days of that famous old Grecian
philosopher, Pythagoras Its originator
and founder was George Rapp, an humble
German farmer, who, with some 600 of his
fellow countrymen had fec thither to escape
religious persecution in their 'Fader-
land"
Absolute communism was the most i'm
portant feature of their creed, and those
who had wealth agreed, quite as cheerfully
as those who had nothing, to throw all their
possessions into a common stock. To-day,
in this most quaint and curious village of
Economy-a place absolutely without a
parallel, and tar richer in novelty and in
terest for the stranger than any town on the
continent of Europe, or in the far Eastern
orient-was witnessed the unique ceremonies
with which the simple minded communists,
celibates and pietist-mystics, who comprise
its sole owners and inhabitants, annually
celebrate the anniversary of the founding Of
their community.
SOUGHT AN ABIDING PLACE.
The Harmony Society, as Father Rapp
called his newly organized sect, has passed
through many vicissitudes in the "a years
that have rolled away since the hour that
gave it birth. Its first town In Butler
county to which the Harmonists gave the
name OF Harmony, they abandoned after
ten wears residence because of its distance
from navigation in the days when railroads
were unknown. Removing to the banks of
A. IT,
diana, they built q new Harmony which
they again abandoned at the expiration of
another ten years, driven away by the
fever and ague which prevailed throughout
that region. Then it was, in 1925, that tthey
built this town of Economy, where to-day
were enacted the quaint scenes described.
1t is one of the most picturesque villages in
all the world, standing in the midst of an
elevated plateau which extends some four
miles up and down the Ohio river and
slopes gently back to vine-clad hills which
skirt it at the distance of nearly a mile.
Two church services, procession through
the principal streets and two elaborate
bsnquets or feasts were among the chief
features of to-day's celebration.
THE BANQUET HALL.
One of the first buildings erected at
Economy was large auditorium or public
hall with a seating capacity of about !, 900,
and there it was that the Harmonists, as
they call themselves, or the Economics, as
they are popularity called, solemnly feasted
together. All the women and girls in the
community had devoted several days to a
thorough cleaning of this editice. Many of
the choicest calves and beeves had been fat
tened and killed expressly for this occasion.
All the Oldest and most experienced cooks
in the community, some of whom had as
sisted at more than so previous anniversaries,
were on their mettle and had fully de-
termined to make on this occasion "the
greatest effort Of their lives"
Down in the great wine vaults beneath
the hall went Elder Ernest Woelfel, phys
ically the beau ideal of old Simon, the
cellarer, who has entire charge of all malt,
vinous and spirituous liquors in Economy,
where immense quantities of all three are
manufactured. All the darkest, remotest
corners were thoroughly ransacked for the
choicest vintages in the society's vast col
lection. The beautiful garden, with its ex-
tensive conservatory, attached to the "Great
House." as the residence of Elders Henrici
and LEM, the leaders and chief dignitaries
of the society, is called, had been denuded
of its finest flowers to form bouquets and gar
lands for the adornment of the hall in gen.
eral and the banqueting tables in particular.
UNIQUE COSTUMES.
Though the vanities of the flesh are Sc
verely frowned upon in this calm retreat,
many a good old brother and sister brought
forth some specially favored garment to wear
upon this occasion. The dress of the Har-
monists is precisely in accordance with the
fashion of provincial Germany in 1906, the
wear of their immigration. The men all
wear long-tailed blue coats and broad
brimmed stovepipe hats, while the women
dress in high-waisted, plain-skirted blue
gowns and high-p pointed caps of blue satin
Their costume is as uniform as that of
company of soldiers, or Of the inmates of a
charity school.
At daybreak this morning was awakened
by strains of delicious melody, which pro-
ceeded from an altitude so great that to the
half-slumbering fancy they seemed to come
from heaven. Looking from the window of
a room in the great rambling hotel which
the society still maintains here, in the high
tower of the quaint old church in which
Father Rapp used to preach and pray every
Sunday could be seen the members of the
excellent military band which has existed
ever since the society was founded, distend-
ing their cheeks as though determined to
blow their clarionets and horns all to
pieces. Everybody hastened to the great
hall, where a procession was soon formed to
march through the streets to church.
GOING TO CHURCH.
First came Elders Henrici and Lenz
both bowed by the weight of more than S3
years of life, and each with long curling
ieeks-white as snow-hanging nearly to
their shoulders and floating out upon the
winter winds. They were followed by the
other nine elders, who assist in governing
the community, while after them came the
members of the society and their work peo-
pie in most quaint procession.
The streets through which they passed
are 60 feet in width, crossing each other at
right angles. Upon their corners and mid
way on the intervening sides are erected
the dwellings-frame or brick, two stories
high, and all Of precisely the same unique,
economic style of architecture, having but
one door-entered from yard at
the side. Each house is surrounded
by q large garden. When the procession
finally terminated at the church, the scene
presented within its walls was q sad one.
Death-princlpally from old age-has re-
duced the membership of the Harmony
Society from ], 900. which it once numbered
in the days of its founder, to less than 25
very aged men and women. The society's
adoption, in 1907, of the rigid practice of
celibacy, which they have ever since
strictly obeyed, checked its natural increase,
ard the accession of new members from
Germany, which for time maintained their
numbers, ceased many years ago. The
church was well filled, however, by some
four or five hundred work people whom the
Harmonists ars compelled to employ TO farm
their $500 broad acres, to develope their
rich oil and natural gas territory and to
carry on the various handicrafts necessary
to render Economy independent of the out