The Portland daily press., 1890-06-27
AaoUr the ECONOMIES.
graphic Sketch of a Peculiar Peo-
pie ane their Homes.

looking the beautiful valley of the Ohio,
eighteen miles below Pittsburg, is a
peculiar village, inhabited by peculiar
people. Although possessed of many
millions OF dollars, the people and their
town are precisely where they were forty
years ago. Economy is the name of this
town and its people are called the Econ
omites," although they, themselves, pre-
fer to be known as the Harmony COM
munity.
The Harmony community was found
ed by George Rapp and his band of fol-
lowers, numbering nearly 1000, on Feb.
Is, 1905, at point in Butler county, Pa,
twenty-five miles north of Pittsburg,
near what is now Zelianople Driven
from Germany by religious persecution
they decided on binding themselves in
perfect harmony and living only for
themselves. All their possessions were
to be held in common the proceeds of
their labor to go into one common treas
ury. For ten years they were a pros
porous and happy people, but began to
realize that the selection of the site of
their town had been i'll advised, as it
was twelve miles from the Allegheny
river. After mature elaboration it was
decided to go west, SO the 5000 acres of
land and their little town were sold in
the spring of 1918 for 100000, and the
colony moved toward the setting sun,
finally purchasing 10000 acres of land
on the Wabash river in what is now Po-
sey county, Ind. A new town of Har-
mony was started. Ten years was spent
there, but the country being new was
unhealthful, and another move was de-
cided upon.
Strangely enough, the Indiana land
was sold to another colony possessed Of
peculiar views. Just about the time the
Economics had fully made up their
named Richard Flower, who represent
ed Robert Owens community, of New
Lanark. Scotland, appeared on the scene
and purchased Harmony and 10000
acres for $3.50, 900 cash. 1t was a great
sacrifice. A steamboat was built and
the greater portion of the band, now
numbering about 700, started for the
Keystone state. Several points were ex-
amined, but finally the location they
now occupy was decided upon. This was
in 1926. Some $500 acres of land was
purchased, and ON a commanding plateau,
fifty or more feet above the highest
waters of the river, the town was laid
out.
The question of a name was serious
one. Harmony was getting to be too
common, and although large proper
ton of the community favored the name
for the third town, the name Economy
was decided upon, it being very sugges-
tive of the one great cardinal principle,
to the practice of which they largely
owed their prosperity.
From the very first, the third and last
settlement of the Harmonists was a sue
cess. Their cattle increased, the crops
brought forth an hundred fold and the
health of all improved. Thousands Of
grape vines were planted, and many
acres were set out with fruit bearing
trees. AS time rolled on wooden mill
was erected.
1t was followed by cotton mill and a
-four mill. The -four of the Economics
was always the whitest, the cotton the
purest, and the blankets and broadcloths
were not equaled. 1t was here that the
first silk ever made in the United States
was produced. The silk worms were i'm
ported and a factory built and filed with
all the necessary machinery, but it was
not success on account of the difficulty
in producing the cocoons. However, the
silk was of such an excellent quality that
garments made nearly half century
ago are still to be seen in the quaint old
town. Fifty years ago all was activity.
Today everything is as exactly the op-
posite as can be imagined.
A hotel, commodious and well kept,
was one of the attractions, and half a
century ago its corridors and piazzas re-
sounded with the merry laughter of sum-
mer boarders, who for an extremely small
sum obtained the best the market afford
ed, and at night found perfect rest in the
large, airy rooms. In winter sleighing
parties made the Economy hotel favor
tie rendezvous, and many old people Of
the Ohio and Beaver valleys remember
with pleasure the winter suppers before
the big, old fashioned fireplaces. But
time changes all things, even the young
folks. With no more summer boarders
or winter sleighing parties, the hotel was
often for weeks without guests, although
always ready for them. To the Econo-
mites "the stranger within thy gates"
was charge entitled to the best, but he
was invariably entertained at the hotel
and not at private house. AS time
rolled on the tramp took advantage of
these unsuspecting people, and one win
ter the hotel was maintained solely for
the entertainment of dozen of these
nomads, who lived on the fat of the land,
without money and without price"
Tramps are not. now entertained, the in
nocent old people having discovered that
they were being imposed upon.
For number of years one of the at
fractions to Economy was the museum.
In the great public hall, three story
building on the main street, was mag
nifcent collection of old paintings, and
museum of rare minerals, birds, shells,
insects, etc, besides a large number of
Indian relics and several treasures
brought from Germany by the older
members, When the museum became a
burden instead of pleasure it was sold
to the Western university in Allegheny.
On the outskirts of the village there was
maintained for years a deer park, and
near by a curiously constructed labyrinth
of closely trimmed hedge, in the center
of which was a summer house. All are
of the past.
The thousands of grape vines soon bore
beautifully, and enormous vaults were
constructed in which to keep the wine.
These are of the present, and so also is
Elder Ernest Wollfel. the keeper of ne
cellars.
The most distinctive feature of the
religious creed of these worthy people is
their condemnation of the married state
and their practice of celibacy. During
the first two years of the society's exist
ence number of weddings took place
solemnized by Father Rapp himself.
Among them was that of his own son
John, whose daughter, Gertrude, presid-
ed at the organ for sixty-five years and
died Dec. 90 last, aged 81 years. In 1907
there was religious revival in the COM
munity, and soon after it was decided
that the married state was incompatible
with the purity of the soul which they
desired to attain. They finally decided
that those who had wives should be as
those who had none, and that celibacy
should be the sine qua non of member
ship.
Feb. ID, the eighty-ffth anniversary
OF the formation of the society, was cele-
brated with the usual ceremonies that
have marked the passage of the wears.