The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-01-01

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effect OF their removal on the bewltchod cir
was / have never heard.
But outside and apart from their super.
%stltious belief In witches. spooks. charms
SPELLS. and the like. there Is not n more curious
people under the sun than these same Penn
~sylvania Dutch farmers. They are not Dutch,
by the way. Their ancestors came from north
ern Germany aud Switzerland. Their Ian
Ruage Is not n language at all. but n dialect,
made from a quaint mingling OF German.
English and other languages. all the words
more or less crtailed and corrupted In the
adaptation. Their forefathars we're the pio-
neer settlers In the region now included In
Bucks. MONTGOMERY, Berks. Lane aster, Leb-
anon. NORTHAMPTON. LehiGh and Monroe
counties. The sons foster the superstitions of
the fathers and cling to their odd customs. an
tipathies and traditions. / can remember when
very few of the PeDnsylvania Dutch farm
ers would trust a dollar to a bank. regard
ing banks with the utmost suspicion. and there
are many OF them to-day who hold that same
distrust Of banks, and store the annual re-
turns from their splendid farms where their
wealth may be constantly under their eyes.
They make the stocking. the salt bag. the old
coffee pot. and the like the repositories OF
their boards. Only a few weeks ago a we'll
known Pennsylvania Dutch farmer died. and
from different parts OF his house. slowed away
In Just such receptacles. more than $4,000
In gold. silver and bank notes was taken by his
family. That this large sum OF money was
thus lying about the house was no secret to the
family. and its uncovering caused no great
common among the neiRhbors. All seemed
to approve of the farmers way Of taking care
Of his wealth. His father and grandfather had
done the same before him.
Before the civil war the old Dutch farmers
held to the custom OF their fathers whi,h
prompted them never to refuse to extend pe-
cuniary aid to another, and that without ex-
acting written obligations or interest. II ono
farmer needed money he made his need
known to any neighbor who he knew had the
money TO snare. The loan would be at once
forthcoming. the borrower naming a certain
day on which the money was to be repaid. If
he failed to keep his word he was forever in
disgrace and no one was bound thereafter to
respond to any request OF his for aid. Default
in payment OF these unsecured and unre-
Enumerated loans was very rare. so sacredlv
was the verbal contract held and kept, The
scarcity Of money that came with the early
years OF the war and the premium that gold
commanded sent spectators through the
Pennsylvania Dutch farming regions. They
were not long in arousing the cupidity OF the
farmers. and the farmers, for the first time.
began to realize profit from the use OF their
money. Then the old custom OF helping one
another without return for the favor gradually
ceased to prevail among them. and the bond
and mortgage took its place. As these farm |
ers. as a class. are seldom in need Of borrow
ing. and are suspicious of outsiders in making
loans. the not infrequent existence OF fortunes
in stockings and coffee pots may be further
explained.
In the early days Of politics in Pennsyl-
vania the Pennsylvania Dutch farmers. with
the aypaDtiOD If fhnSa in Taprnetar county
were Democrats of the Jackson school. and
their descendants in the Delaware River coun-
ties OF Bucks. Berks. Northampton and Mon
roe still cling to that robust political faith.
They opposed the civil war stoutly. and those
counties. during the first two years of the war.
were looked upon by outsiders as hotbeds OF
disloyalty. But It was not disloyalty. 1t was
the stubborn Pennsylvania Dutch fealty to
their idea OF Democracy that led them to op-
pose the war. and 1t is no on thing to
find a stanch old States Rights Democrat
among them yet, who will insist vigorously that
the war was all wrong and utterly at variance
with the Constitution. It 10 an old story
that many of these jewellers in tradition vote
for Gen. Jackson to this day. The war did
much toward dispellinR traditions and chang
ing customs among the Pennsylvania Dutch
who dwelt In towns and cities. but IL you 60
among them In the way back districts, where
the farms are isolated and the farmers mingle
only with their fellows similarly situated, you
will find thom still firm believers in spooks,
witches. and charms and still strong in their
doubt about the necessity of common schools.
THAT doubt is an honest heritage. for when
the common school system was first pro-
posed two generations and more ago. although
1t was the scheme OF a Governor who was him
self a genuine Pennsylvania Dutchman. and
was supported by Pennsylvania Dutch legisla-
tors. the farmers were almost a unit in oppos-
ing it. After 1t was authorized and pre-
soribed by law. its machinery in many OF the
Pennsylvania Dutch counties passed neces-
sarily into the control Of its opponents. and it
Jared i'll. In Lancaster county such was the
with which the introduction OF the
common school system was resisted that 1t led
to open defiance OF the law, and also to the
first instance on record OF boycotting. This
happened before the mar who gave that meth
cd OF coercion a name was born. The great
Of the Pennsylvania Dutch OF Lam
caster county were and are adherents OF pc
culiar religious doctrines. the Acknowledged
having the largest following. They. in COM
mon with most Of the PENNSYLVANIA Dutch did
not believe in book learning. When a hoy
learned to lead German and write his name he
regarded as completely fitted for all pur-
poses in life. As to a girl. it made no differ
ence whether she learned to write her name
Or not. ability to read her German Bible be-
Lng all that was required OF her. These ac-
embellishments were taught by some one in
,he community who was not able TO do man
nal labor. teaching, being considered q waste
IF time II a person could do other work.
When the Common School law was first
passed in Pennsylvania the inhabitants OF
township. Lancaster county. and
II other townships as we'll. refused to accept
t. A few years later. because Of this resist
Ince to schools on the part OF the Pennsylva-
Tia Dutch. the maintenance Of public schools
~ local taxation was made compulsory. and
he taxpayers OF Brecknock mobbed the tax
who first attempted to collect the
AK. and no money could be raised to support
school. There were a few friends OF the new
chool F. system In the township, and they
school at Brownsville. The teacher I
vas. a son of the Lutheran preacher at Bow {
He had a dozen pupils. One day I
he anti-school people Of the township raided {
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