The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-08-06

of them holding that business and
 town life are sinful. All of the older ones believe implicitly in a full brother hood of mankind and when one has
 urgent need of something he does not possess, he goes to his brothers barn or larder, and gets it without asking.
 They stand out resolutely against the photographer's art--a protest against
 'graven images and pictures of them can be made only when they do not know it. They do not believe in swear ing or affirming, and several years ago the State of Indiana had to proceed against some of them at Berne for re- fusing to make tax returns. Suits were also brought against certain of them for failing to make marriage returns. They read nothing but the Bible, and, most of them being of German or French descent, they hold to the Ger man language. In fact, as soon as the
 winter public school is over, the school houses are opened again for German school, which lasts through the sum mer
 They refuse to let their children be taught geography, as 1t teaches that the world is round. They say it is a great plateau, else how about the ('four corners of the earth" spoken of in the Bible? A local photographer, who went out to a last day of school celebration in one of the conservative Amish settlements recently, to take a picture tof the children, only got about half of the school The youngsters get set against the photographic art as early as a duck becomes addicted to the water, and when the photographic machine was put up in the school. the little ones began to demand to be ex- cused.
 and he took several pictures, all which revealed the conservative Amish in the act of "ducking'- getting out of range of the camera.
 It is not known exactly why these churchmen are called "black" Amish. somse ay it is because of the monotonous black clothes that men, women, and children wear when they are not at work. Others insist that they are called "black" because their leader Is Joseph Schwartz, and Schwartz is the German for black. They were called Schwartz Amish until the word black was substituted for the Schwartz.
 The black" Amish are an offshot from the Mennonite church. They are, in fact, the the last remaining land mark of the old Mennonite church. All of the others seem to have passed on and after a succession of splits, which has resulted in eight or nine various Mennonite churches, the majority of the membership of the Mennonite church is at last thoroughly up to date,
 The "black" Amish is that faction which has stood most resolutely against any progressive movement. There are probably less than 1000 of them left, and they are strongest around Berne. The Aamish in this country, as a rule, are more progressive and they are windmills and thrashing and harvest with modern equipment
 Queer as they may be, the 'black" Amish as well as all Amish-have many good points They are frugal, upright and honest. They are very charitable and kind, except to those who break from their particular beliefs, and to them they are most relentless fathers even refusing shelter to chil- dren who differ from them. Though men, women, and children in their sev- ere costumes look most forbidding and gloomy, they are after all a happy, contented lot and are rather free hearted. They are seen in their lighter moods at marriages, which are celebra- ted in true old German and French style A great deal of wine and beer is imbibed
 The great period of festivities is at Christmas, and at that season one again catches glimpse of old Ger many. All kinds of fancy cakes, great supplies of candy and lighted candles make it the great festival of the chill dren, While modern religious revolu- tion may be against medicine this old people hold firmly to the patent medicine bottle and the doctor seems to be the patron saint.
 It is said that some of their physical are due now to the fact that intermarriages are tending to walk en the stock of what was once a sturdy race. They have lived aloof from the world around them and of necessity their marriages, which largely are lar ranged" as in the old country, by par ents and religious advisers, have been among theselves.
 Though this sort of life seems to be it is surprising to see the hold that the older people have on their Few of them break away from the stiff poke bonnets that the girls get in infancy; few seem to long for their "graven images" being struck off by the photograph man, and all seem to be very well satisfied with the hooks and eyes three good meals day and the peaceful life. There now seems to be no great tendency shown on the part of the young of these peo- pie to get into the strenuous life. though when there was a break a few