The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1896-07-24
A Queer People.

occasionally lltlt di' T''h -"
our streets some odd looking peo-
pie with quakerish hats and clothes, y ::
Isouare-toed boots, long beard ana !,
hair cut in peculiar fashion. =
They never seem TO display any a"
emotion, but take every occurrence : :
as n matter Of course. They move ,
deliberately in groups OF three or =
four, and seldom speak one to an, {
other. When they have had
Ienough of it they climb into well
PAINTED wagons and drive away.
/ They belong to the Amish sect OF
IMennonites, and are the followers
!, lof Jakop ANA, great preacher ana
header who lived in Pennsylvania
sixty or seventy years ago. Their
fathers came from Eastern Ger
+, many, on the Russian border, ana
Ithev are famous for their THRIFT
their tenacity of purpose and many
: peculiarities. There are good
!, many in northern Daviess county
;. and they make excellent cltizens'
although they are not progressive
and do not believe in education.
, Their children are sent to schooi
y until they can read, write and ci-
! pher. which they think is the ex-
:. tent of useful knowledge. All else
Ais vanity and vexation OF splrit.
of They have no newspapers ana no
y, =. hooks but the bible, which they IN
a. a. lterpret literally, and follow the
= : teachings of Christ, who is their ex'
+ ample. They never shave their
i y faces because He is supposed te
r. = have worn beard, but the uppel
~ ~ lip of every man is bare, which may
ha m have some peculiar significance
~ ~ which we are not able to discover
-, 1.-THE hair is cut at the nape OF tn
" neck. squarely and evenly, an,
80 people say that they put crocl
~ ~ over the head to get the prope
lns 80 length and regularity. The wome
I'a Ie do not cut their hair at all, bt
~. braid it both in front and behlnt
~s and they never wear colors, the
" Downs are either white or blacl
@ "',a and entirely without trimming
az other ornament. And one OF u
-, funniest things about their clothil
.i i that they never wear button
Wy The clothing of both men and "
m 'ou men. is fastened by tape or hoo
NV and eyes. :,
!. -; - They render unto Caesar WI
: 80 : belongs to Caesar, and pay the
pI,v hv taxes promptly and without que
,or ~ ton: they oppose lawsuits ana s.
'o 'ol lie all differences by arbltratlo
,nL IN. thev are extr, mely hospitable ur
, - IS strangers that perchance they IN
~ ~ entertain an angel unawares, a
~. ~ never charge a wayfarer Tor eitl
ri bed or board. Their houses are
va, built upon the same plan; they
their cooking over open fires IN
10, 10. old fashioned way, and have plel
su;y of wholesome food, which they ra
nana 'nln themselves. They seldom !
IL AZ ANYTHING at a grocery or MARI
49,. ~. and weave their own cloth. IL
ees 'aniss5 have high four-post bedsteads, v
'po,y ,c, a tick Of feathers under and anot
az, 49, upon them when they sleep. III
IL =, ~, are no carpets upon their iio
II lIer: - and they seldom use stoves,
inha, ,S heat their houses with open fires
'''o' The Amish do not have churc
have or paid preachers, but meet ior
en;,ls na votional exercises and religious
~, - struction at the most conven
poly. house ~ NJ ". ~ ne ,ynrsb;n and te
.anna N the young. They wash each OIL
csd ' 70 feet, and have religious dances
..u aau. ~ no sports or games, and take
rm , of very seriously.-Washlngto
!, vertispr