The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-12
BNANA COMMUNITY SPLIT.
-ur ,OI NGER ELEMENT WANTS
IRIS MILLIONS DIVIDED.
sru nronsht In an Iowa Court That May
terminate a Sociallstlc Experiment OF
worldwide Famc-llalf Century OF
Prosperity Of the Mennonite Colony.

=. n.. District Court for the dissolution
., nh, famous Amana Community The
,,,,arH. are chiefly the younger men and
.,. who are not willing 10 endure the
,..,l.Y,u, prescribed 10y the society and
,,,s,nt their share of the millions which the
..,.e,y d. supposed to possess Thus after
,uy wears Of prosperity may come about
,to dissolution Of the most successful eA-
ample # rurc communism in America II
not in the world
rh. Amana colony. like most II not all
s.,ai,tic enterprises that have had a
.,.,.ura Of success. is based on religion.
Abe ,alorists are Mennonites They prac-
TO the doctrine of non-resistance They
llra' bcararms. They do not proselytize.
Tbcv deem 1t wrong to force their religious
mr. economic system on any other people.
Their system does not encourage mar
rara Rather it places a premium on
c,.Iitacv and makes the old maid and the
sl-ary haired bachelor especially honorable
,,su,bers of society. In this it is very
similar 10 other communstic organizations,
which seem Jealous Of the next generation.
that must inherit the wealth of the present
one
e.t In politics. They seldom vote. They
viIl not serve on juries Otherwise they
are model citizens.
The foundations OF the colony we're laid
forty-cist wears ago in johnson county
The founders we're men and women who
came ou' from Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Now. when the third generation has come
into management Of affairs, everything
around them has changed but the Mennon-
ties themselves have not changed greatly,
With them the world has stood as nearly
still as was possible. To-day they are
still quaint. old fashioned, sincere relig-
ious community. living as their fathers
before them lived. They have accumulated
wealth and have grown in numbers; other
wise thew are much the same as they were
To-day instead Of the original twoscore
who founded the colony there are about
20 Of them.
Wealth has grown with their numbers;
indeed it has far outstripped the increase
IN mere numbers, and il IL largely owing
10 this increase in wealth that the disruption
Of the community is threatened.
The wealth is too apparent, too obvious.
The younger men and women, chahng
under the restraints Of the simple life here
,Tered TO them. the limited careers. the
fav1ress existence. want to break out
into the world At last, a. they believe.
they have found a weak place. They be-
love they know how they msy break out.
ard they are going 10 try
From 100000 to 1000. 900 is the current
estimate of the wealth Of this Mennonite
community. 1t is divided into two groups,
the Amish and the Amana colony, Of which
the Amish group is not strictly commu-
nistic in its organization.
The Mennonite settlements in johnson
county embrace a region about twenty by
ten miles in extent. For church and adj
ministrative purposes the community is
divided into four districts Upper Deer
Creek Lower Deer Greek, North Sharon
and South Sharon. In these four districts
the Mennonites own about 10000 acres
OF land on which the most moderate COM
putation places a value considerably in
excess Of 100000. The State assessment
has commonly credited to these people
personal property equal TO about 40 per
cent Of their realty holdings; 80 that the
inside figure on their property holdings
would be close 10 81, 500 900. A more reason
s1ie estimate, it is thought. is $5,0oo,o 900
This i, the stake, then, in the lawsuit
that has been started for dissolution OF
the community The object Of those who
would have il broken up is easily explained.
The regulations Of the society permit
those who would withdraw from the Amana
group 10 take about SIS for each year OF
their membership. This is a very low
Il. a ~
entitled - withdraw with 81 COO; whereas
computation for the entire membership
shows that in a general distribution a per-
ION at forty should be entitled to about
500 Unwilling 10 withdraw and leave
behind so much Of what they think them
selves entitled to- yet anxious to get out
some Of the younger men and women are
ead TO b., back Of the litigation that pro-
poses dissolution.
They have alleged however. simply
's5at ihe iuaua community is exceeding
i- corporate powers. Il violating the State
Jaw and is practically carrying on a great
pu-ine-- without authority. For, the law
yer explain the society is incorporated a
religious and benevolent body; it has the
general powers conferred by the State or
'.4..i '..i''Nt bhi y has Nv BDNfl ~
carry on general land ownership. opera
uanoi mills factories. water powers, stores
shops aud trading establishments, ware
house commission dealings. &c. Therefore
Il i- asked that the society be dissolved.
l'i- further alleged that the society, beint
taxed As a religious and benevolent organi
patton has long escaped large share o
lbs just dues 10 the State in the form o
taxes
It Is interesting to note here that thu
identical cause which was the downfall
OF The Community OF Icaria is causing The
attack on the Amana community: namely
the impotence Of the younger members
The beauties Of a socialistic State. in which
nobody yeans for wealth because every
body has all he needs in which there is NJ
mad race for wealth, because wealth il
not the standard by which success is meas
ured 10 which poverty is unknown anc
equality reigns-al these things appea
powerfully IN theory; but in practice, a
mo l1arians and the Mennonites in low
have learned they will not hold their people
together az against the lures and attraction
Of the world
10 Amina nobody has long working hours
seldom, even in the heat and pressure o
harvest time that the Amanites work NOR
nan ten hours a day Their neighbors VIII