The St. Louis Republic., 1901-02-24

sible for a Christian to attain to the height
| Of perfection in this life.
| AUTHORITY EXTENDS OVER
SMALL DETAILS OF LIFE.
The Amish branch of the Mennonit,
! Church is an exceedingly prosperous one
il Is communistic I'm many ways, and 4
| governed by the laws of the church NOR,
than ny by the laws Of the state.
that preachers should not be paid. tba;
war should not be taken part in. that tithes
and oaths are against the teachings of ths
apostles. are still adhered to. In addition
several precerts. the outgrowth of modern
life. have been added, as follows:
tograph taken.
There shall be no sumptuous furnishing o.
homes, eren wall paper with figures in 1t
and pictures on the walls being prohibited.
No carpets are allowed on the floors
The church is a severely plain building.
and very plainly furnished
clothes. buttons NOT being allowed az ar.
ticles OF personal wear.
Members are forbidden to go to law.
Property. although In the name of ind:
member of the community Is without
money or lands. all must help to secure
them for HIM.
Bearing arms, tale-telling and taking of
oaths are forbidden.
Even the superstition of courtship and
marriage is provided for by the creed of
the church.
A man or a woman must allow the
church community TO select wife or hus-
band.
After the marriage ceremony has been
performed. the couple must separate for a
week, and not see each other in that time I;
afterwards they must live together
until he has confessed all his sins. and as
far as possible made atonement.
At the celebration of the Lords Supper
the feet OF the participants must be lit
erallv washed
Bishops. preachers and elders are chosen
by lot, and they are not allowed TO accept
pay for their services.
IdIeness on the part of any man. woman
or child of the community Is prohibited.
And 1t is forbidden that any man shall
kiss or fondle his wife or children in pub
A SECTION FROM
MOsER's CONFESSION.
II Is this last-named rule which. accord
Ing to Moser's statement. caused his perse-
murder Of his family. In a confession
made after he had been captured in Salt
Lake City and brought back to Pekin'
"The services in the New Amish Church
had lasted for about two hours; l holding
my little baby on my lap and he became
him, toss him up and down upon my
knee. / heard some one call cut In church.
but didn't know my name was called;
by Reverend Rudolph Witzig. who said; ;
Sam Moser. you are making an idol of
your child; you are going against God: Ii
Is against the teachings of the church: you
must acknowledge your sin before God
didn't think II was wrong 70 play with my
child and / told Mr.. Witzig that didn't
think had anything to repest for. He said
/ had sinned and | must repent. l didn't
think so and told him would not repent,
and then he said / would be expelled"
In controyerting this statement. the MEM
bers of the Amish faith claim that Moser's
action was not prompted by love for the
child that he was fondiing, but wholly by
desire to annoy the congregation and defy
the rules of the church
M0ser claims that he, together with all
the younger members Of the congregation.
had been Impressed from earliest life with
the all-powerfulness Of the church, aud
warned that violation of any Of the rules
placed him in the ranks Of the sinners and
the lost, from which IT was possible for
him 10 escape only by making whatever
atonement might be decreed by the church
Failure to comply with these rules rem
dered the offending member liable to ex-
pulsjou and in that case he must be cut
Of from all communication with such
friends or members of his family as re-
mained members of the Amish community.
A QUOTATION FROM
THE AMH1H CREED.
Noser thus quotes from the A1aIzh creed: