The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-04-04
SEPARAI|STS OF ZOAR
Strange Sect Threatened With
Legal Extinction.
YOUNG BLOOD LACKING
And the Lender of Borrowed
Funds Does the Rest.
YOUNG BLOOD LACKING

New York. April 3.-The Herald saws:
Now comes the news that the "Separ-
atists Of Zoar," who four score years ago
turned their steps westward to enjoy re-
Llgioustreedom not granted them in The
Old World, and who, with a pro pi,ious
beginning, settled in Tuscarawas county,
Ohio, are threatened with dissolution Of
their organization. A scattering of their
members is imminent. Lack Of young
blood and burden of debts are the causes
Zoar Of old was spared the fate that
desolated the other four "cities of the
plain" but the modern Zoar Of Ohio, not
not so fortunate, must disappear under a
shower of legal fire and hrImstone that
follows the sin of debts long left unpaid
Zoar of the ''Separatists'' is now totTer-
ing. The new blood of the society has for
years been carried away by the young lren
and maidens who have SOUGHT broaCer,
more varied and more active fields Of &C
ton, leaving behind the aged and inhIm.
These that are left-the sages of the COM
munity and once its mighty men of Drawn
have for years advised the young to
stay, and live and toll after the manner
of their forefathers. but under the impulse
of western civilization the young id not
heed The result has been that ;he Sc
ciety, deprived of the necessary energy
from active brains and able Drawn, has
had to rely on borrowed means, and now
the banks are clamoring. The day of
accounting has arrived, The society must
render an account Of its stewardship,
debts must be paid, and the balance Of as
sets, if any, will be divided among the
members of the community and the So
ciety will be a an end.
A PLACE OF REST
Rest is to be had a Zoar. It is better
fitted for rest than for modern energy. It
was to Zoar that William Mckinney, can
didate for the presidency, went in Sep
TENDER, 1896 Two months o. post-romi-
nation worry and work had been his
share, and two months OF fierce political
campaigning was before him. He thought
of the needed rest. and he thought OF rest
full Zoar, only three hours carriage ride
from Canton.
Truly more complete and picturesque
retreat could scarcely be devised than this
old-fashioned Bavarian like settlement
nesting among the Tuscarawls county
hills, with its clay roads, broad porches
gable roofs and shady stretches among
half deserted walks of the red tiled VII
lagos But it was not these things that
the new generations that have arisen in
Zoar for the last half century have want
ed. To live in community that owned
1000 acres of land, under the direction of
a board of managers, who attended to the
making of clothing, flour and beer for
the people, might be wen enough for The
founders of the colony and for their i'm
mediate descendants. but not for the lat
ter day children. full of the spir, Of young
America; 50 the exodus began, and the
final end is near.
RISE AND FALL OF ZOAR.
It was in 1917 that little band Of goo
German separatists. who had left the
Lutheran church on account of the same
objections to its mild cere nOnlals that
Luther had for the Church of Rome. came
TO America TO enjoy the religious freedom
denied them in the Old World. Under the
advice of their leader. John NJ. Riemerle,
they decided to join their forces, and Sc
cured a grant of 800 acres OF land in 1us-
caravans county.
Behold. it IS Zoar. Is it not a little
placer" they said and the quotation gave
the diminuative community is name.
Riemerle was both religious and tenn
poral leader. He was conservative; his
people were the same, and the sermons
he preached are repeatd year afr year
i'll
ligious services are still held.
The community kept the even tenor of
Its way, and prospered materially as we'll
as spiritually. Great -four mills were
erected along the banks of the boat ~ den
canal; wooden factories we're built, where
the 9eeces of the fiocks could be converted
into clothing. and granaries teemed with /
the abundance of annually Increasing
crops.
THEN CAME 4 CHANGE.
The march OF Improvement invaded
Zoar in its advance. The Ohio canal /.
touched the land The engineers Of TIE /
Wheeling and Lake Erie railway invaded F.
the farms and began to connect the rich .
coal fields of jefferson. Tusca,ewas ard F.
Stark counties with the lake, Toledo and
huron Inc ZoarlteS opposed Tie -l,ru- 2
sion. They were approached With free 1
passes and other tempting bids THAI Mann /.
mon had to offer. and fnally consented (
10 the building of the railway.
Those were the days of Zoars greatest /.
prosperity. The treasury then had nearly /
Il O0O. 900 to its credit in the banks, ard .
eontentment and happiness reigned. Then /
the serpent entered Edeu-it crawled 4
along the pathway of the railway. II was .
ihe serpent Of discomfort and avarice
With the railway came the summer
risitor. artists roamed the fields and the .
summer hotel was erected, where the
people of society, literature. travel and .
commerce exchanged experiences. The
little community heard Of the outside .
world. II plucked Of the fruit. It sought .
the tree Of knowledge. With knowledge /
gained of the great outside world The
members of the once isolaJe5 community
became tired of thir monotolous humdrum
lives and sought individual preferences
elsewhere.
GERMAN STEAMER MAGNET