The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-02-25
A CoMMUNISTIC COLONY
INCREASING PROSPERITY OF SET
ELEMENT AT AMANA, IOWA.
Established Many Years Ago, This
Few Out Of Many TO Succeed.
New York Evening Post.

Ia. appears still 10 nave DeIOre IL many
years Of prosperity and growing member
ship. The Amana community owns some
5000 acres of rich bottom lands along the
Iowa river, a short hours ride by rail from
Cedar Rapids. and it's picturesque villages
there are seven OF them-crown the low
slopes two or three miles distant from
each other. These groups of houses are of
wood and unpainted, and their gray-black
walls. with their drapery of vines, set
down in quaint geometrical gardens, have
3 charm as distinctive and restful as il is
difficult TO describe.
Each village OF the Inspirationists sug-
gests a bit of the fatherland transpIanted
IN bulk TO the middle West, and with rea-
son. for the sect sprang from a little band
OF people who some eighty years ago used
TO gather at the house of Christian Metz.
a carpenter at Strasburg. Converts to the
mystical teachings Of Boehmen and Kock.
they called themselves Inspirationists. and
prOfessed to hold direct and personal COM
munication with God
Christian Metz was one of those inspired
Instruments; another was Barbara Heine-
mann, in many respects the most remark
able person ever connected with the So
eiety. and 1t due mainly to their in
huence that the Inspirationists formed their
first settlement in America in 1S43 Metz
and three other members OF the society
sent over to select a situation bought sew
eral thousand acres of land near Buffalo
n. Y. calling their first village Eben-Ezer,
this with reference, doubtless, TO the stone
Set up by Samuel as a memorial of divine
assistance. In due time two other villages,
called Upper and Lower Eben-Ezer, were
laid out, and the end of the decade saw
more than 1000 Inspirationists prosperously
settled in their new abiding place.
Community OF goods was not thought of
first, but the difficulty the craftsmen
among the lnspirationists experienced in
finding employment in newly settled
country, combined with other causes, soon
made ii evident that only by associated
efforts could the best results be obtained.
and so, about 1S47, they were commanded
TO hold all things in common and labor
together for the common good. Five years
later came another inspired command
for them to move westward-more land
was needed by the community, but could
not be had at a reasonable price near
Buffalo. So, in obedience TO the dictates of
the spirit, the site for new home was
purchased in Iowa. That in the sum-
mer Of 1855, and before winter came the
first village had been laid out and built.
In choosing a name for IL the colonists
again went TO the Bible, and selected
Amana, the name of the hill described by
Solomon; nor, as the other villages We're
built, did they depart from the original
name, but instead devised constant va
riations OF it. as Old Amana, High Amana.
South, North, East, West and Middle
Amana.
A WISE POLICY
The wise policy. begun at Eben-Ezer and
continued at Amana, of dividing the coll
ony into separate villages. has had much
10 do with the success of the society, which
numbers about 1850 members; it con-
tributes TO the quiet and simplicity sought
by the Inspirationists. and at the Same
time lends greater variety to the communal
life than would be the case were there but
a single large settlement. The distance from
the most easterly settlement TO the most
westerly village is six miles, but excellent
roads and telephone lines render commu-
nicatiOn easy. The young people in the
winter skate from one hamlet to another on
the canal, or walk across the fields in sum-
mer. When there is harvesting to be done,
the great creaking wagons Of pattern Pc
Culiar to Amana carry their loads of work
ers, of all ages and both sexes, out in
the morning and back at night, zest being
always given to the days labors by the
possibility of working in the next field. to
the force from some other village, and the
chance of the midday luncheon being TAX
en- under the trees together.
Farming is, of course, the chief industry
of the Inspirationists, but-and herein lies
another secret Of their successfully also
conduct wooden mills, grist mills. calico
print mills hominy mills soap factories,
and book binderies, while each village has
fits own sawmill, machine shop and store.
They own many thousand head of sheep,
but they turn out so many hundreds of
yards OF WOODEN goods daily that they have
10 buy raw wool in large quantities.
They have also their own chemists. doc
tors and schools. As soon a child born
IN the community Is I'VE years old, IL Is
sent to school-to a regular school in the
morning and to an industrial one in the
afternoon. Here they are set to work knit
ting the thumbs of the great Amana nit
tens, which are famous through all the
country round. When the small girls
reach the age of seven or eight years, they
are advanced to the main body, so TO
speak, of the mitten. the boys being mean
time put through apprenticeship at
various trades. German is the language of
the colony and the one used in the schools,
although English is taught in the higher
Classes Here, again, the managers have
shown their sagacity, il not their loyalty
TO their native country. for the use of a
about them Is clearly a strong tie among
the members.
SOME OF THE CUSTOMS.
AT the head OF THE Community of True
Inspirationists.'' the society is officially
known. and exercising general supervision
over its affairs is board of thirteen trus-
tees. chosen once year by ballot. Control
OF the spiritual and temporal affairs OF
each village is vested in board OF elders
whose members, selected with great care
by the central board of trustees, meet ev-
cry morning TO confer together. select the
1oremen for the different industries. and
assign the task of individual members, eff.
Tort always being mao> TO give the Iaborer
the employment that will be most con-
genial 10 him. The Inspirationists never
handle money save in their dealings with
outsiders. Once a year the elders grant
each family, or adult member of the so.
clety- credit corresponding to their wants
al the village store, against which they arr
permitted TO make purchases. IL a member
does not spend all of his annual allowance
the balance is added TO the next years
credit or can be given away. Each villag,
has its own laundry. bakery. butcher shop
ana butter and cheese factory, and wagon:
from these places make their daily round:
as they do in cities.
Meals are taken in what are called "tht
kitchens, where the males and females eat
at separate tables. There are sixteen kitch.
ems IN Amana proper. with its $50 inhab.
itants. and the food furnished at the five
daily meals is good and abundant. Each
family has its own house, with a plot OF
ground around IL. and the satisfaction OF
the members with their state OF life is indi
tod h.-f h. hot ,lfI,. .. ali