Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-01-19

schools, but connned their reading 10
the Bible hymn books and their pc.
culiar religious publications. They
all abhorred slavery. They were in
dustrious, peaceful, law abiding citi-
zens.
''The first sect which emigrated from
Germany To this country were tho
Labadists In 1879 the Labadist con
gregation of the town of Wieward, in
frisia, sell Jasper bankers and Peter
Schluter 10 America To seek "A place
where they could settle and exercise
their religion. These emisSarieS SCI
lected a place in Cecil county, in the
colony Of Maryland, where religious
liberation had been proclaimed. In
their report over 100 persons emigrat-
ed and purchased, in August, 1854,
from Augustin Hermann $3.50 acres
of land ON the Bohemia river, in Cecil
county. Here they erected a monas-
terry, a brother and a sister house,
where. by hard work and frugal life,
they il. few years built a rich plan
t~ation, raising large crops of corn, TO-
bacco hemp and flax, with a good
stock of cattle. Their colony was
strictly communistic, under a most
rigid discipline. The sexes were sep
arated. Men and women ate separ-
ately in large rooms. They would say
their prayers only when moved there
10 by the Spirit, and hen in silence,
without uttering words. The holy
Scripture they expounded among
themselves. Their superior was Peter
Schluter, a former merchant of Wesel.
He made his wife the superior of the
women, and he made them work hard
OH meager fare, without distinction Of
rank. The learned doctor and scholar
bad to follow the plow, stand at the
washtub and sit at the weaving
loom. The mere spiritual ecstasies
under such severe life we're not sufli-
cient in the length of time for the
poor human souls, and they left one
after the other TO partake again of the
sweets Of common life among their
fellow men. Schluter sold part of the
land TO Isaac and Matthias Van Bib
Der, who had immigrated from Gre
field TO Germantown in 1854. Schluter
died about 1872, and with him the col
ony, as well as the sect of the Labadists,
went out of existence.
I'm 1853, the Quaker congregation
VI Crefeld left for Pennsylvania to
settle in that province. which lately
had become the property Of the found
er of their sect. They founded Ger
mantown, which soon became a pop
ulous aud prosperous German settle
ment. The Quakcrs of kriesheim
Don joined them. In l6SS they pub
lished their protest against slavery.
Among these Quakers were the Van
Bibbers, the Cassells, Hendricks,
Franz Daniel Pastorins, Hyden Gratis,
Rittenhausens and other families, the
descendants whereof are now widely
scattered over all the states Of the
Union.
In 1855 came the strange sect to
Germantown which was called the
Women ia the Desert about forty |
men and wohlen, among them a num-
Der Of doctors Of theology and learned
men. Their leader was the learned
Dr.. Kelpins. They believed hat the
end Of the world was near, and desired
to settle in the wilderness Of Penn
sylvania 10 prepare themselves and
await tue coming Of Christ. They
did not marry, nor want to be mar
ried. Anew miles from Germantown, |
on the WisSahicon, they erected their
monastery, secluded and apart from
the rest Of mankind. They waited in
vain for the coming of Christ, and
when DR.. kolpins died, in l70S, the
sect soon thereafter separated. "-Balti-
more American.