Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-04-03
THE new AMIsH SECT.
A Religious Community in Illinois
whose Chief Trait IL
Honesty.

From the Chicago Post. =
In these days when many new religious
beliefs spring up the little tow of Forrest
points with pride to the fact that among
her citizens the church of the New
Amish" claims many ad%herents. The
church is officially known as the Apostolic
Christian church. but is technically named
the New Amish." The word new is to
distinguish the sect from the old Amish.
a form of worship originated several hun
dred years ago in Germany and SwitZer-
land. The followers of the old Amish have
many queer beliefs. one Of them being that
buttons are an invention of the devil. who
contrived these useful articles in a moment
Of relaxation, and that all who wear them
are on a certain and easy road to hell.
the old Amish could be detected by the fact
always being fastened With hooks and
eyes.
The new Anish have discarded this and
similar ridiculous beliefs. and cling only
to the vital principles Of the religion Of
lively recent years that the believers rath-
things, hence the prefix new" The sect
Enised states. ba apt i. v Weil k sa5Sns in m G sas
many and Switzerland. the cradle of the
faith. Perhaps the largest settlement Of
Livingston county. The townships Of For
rest. Indian Grove and Chatsworth are
populated with them. and there are four
miles of Forrest-three in the country and
one at Fairbuiy. There are probably 300
families in this section. or between 1,0W and
LOO indiyidual.: who are members of the
The most noted characteristic of a be-
lever In this faith is his absolute, and
when an Amishits contracts a debt and
agrees to pay at a certain date, dismisses
all doubts; the money will be forthcoming
happens. The word Of an Amishite is bet
ter than many mems bond. In fact, during
the t,t thirty years they rave pssopled this
case in which one of the sect failed to do
as he agreed. They live together as one
great family Serious disputes are almost
tied by a board of arbitration composed Of
the older men, whose decision is final.
Courts and lawyers are unloved and un-
mostly Of German and Swiss extraction,
and are remarkably clannish and exclusive.
e CO. n0saib,a b1 Isl a;h tra n aSeti as much
When a newcomer wishes to join the
sect his past Is rigidly examined. II even
the shadow Of ~vrongdoing attaches to him
er Is an unknown quantity among the AM
ishites. Their minister is a man of the
people, He works on his farm during the
enters the pulpit. His words are not pol
ished, perhaps. but he deals with homely
truths in a homely but effective way. The
next Sunday some other man, also gifted
with the power of expressing his thoughts
orally, does the preaching. and SO on. They
draw no salary. In the country churches
two services are held Sundays-one in the
morning and one in the afternoon. The
city churches also have an evening service.
Each recurring Sunday a different MEM
Der Of the church entertains the brethren
and their families at dinner. until all have
played the host in alphabetical order. The
fare is plain. but there is plenty to eat.
Bread and butter, meat and c~offee-black
and strong as only Germans know how to
make it-are the staples. and they disap-
pear in immense quantities. Fancy enter
tanning all your %neighbors for miles around
to dinner! Yet that's what the Amishites
do. In turn, every Sunday, and they are
glad of the opportunity to exercise their
These people dc not NEEDLE with politics
and never vote, Despite the fact that they
always pay thei.' debts, every Amishite Is in
comfortable circumstances and Is steadily
growing weather.. This may seem para
doxical to people who lie awake at night
thinking of new schemes to defraud their
creditors, but it is a fact, nevertheless.
saving that honesty Is the best policy.
The founders of the Illinois colony of
Amishites came from Liverpool county in
1868. They took adjoining farms and
worked at odd times until a place of wor-
ship was erected. immigration and births
swelled the little colony to its present di-
mansions. John n. Geiger, one of the
founders, is a well known and highly re-
spected merchant of Forrest.