The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-07-08
OF Interest to Women
By wInona Evans Reeves.

4 u
II BY Winona Evans Reeves.
One day two weeks ago,
returning from Des Moines IN
company with three other keo-
kuk women, Mrs. .. A. Col
lier, Mrs. ]. N. D. Dickinson ana MISS
Anne B. Davis, we visited Amana,
that unique community which II me
nearest approach to the realization
of the Utopian's dream, ana Wnlcn
has not duplicate in all the world.
Along the Iowa river, the colony owns
| twenty-six thousand acres IN one OF
| the most beautiful spots in Iowa, the
farms surround seven villages in
which the colonists live. Many people
have crossed thousands OF miles and
over seas to visit historic spots ana
to see interesting people and have
missed altogether this ''bit OF Europe
in America, this voice out OF the past
on the worlds western frontier. IN
1912 there landed in America eight
hundred men and women "Separa-
lists" who were driven out OF Ger
many for their non-conformlty. They
were thrifty Germans and had some
money with which they purchased
the Senaca Indian reservation in New
York near Buffalo, tract of 5000
acres. They named the community
Ebenezer, which means Hitherto
hath the Lord led u.s." While we
were at the East Amana village,
boy Of perhaps eighteen years came
to the car in answer to our inquiry
as to why the store was closed at
four o'clock in the afternoon. He
told us it was closed because every
body was supposed to have their trad
ing done before that hour in the
day" We asked him some questions
about the community and its history
and he said: my grandfather was
an Ebenezerite yet" No place else
three generations from Germany who
spoke with the same marked German
accent with which his grandfather
spoke. All this was because the
Amanaites live to themselves and
their manner Of speech and of life
has remained unchanged.
The EbeneZerites lived in New York
state until 1854 when their colony
had grown too large for the tract of
land. Buffalo had become city and
the price of land had 50 advanced
that they could not afford to buy
more and SO they sent committee
west to select new location. Iowa
was chosen and eighteen thousand
acres were purchased on both sides
of the Iowa river, and the colony was
named Amana. which means Believe
faithfully" There are now 1900 mem
bers of the colony and they own
twenty-six thousand acres. The vii
lagos are named according to their
location, East Amana, West Amana,
High Amana, Middle Alnana, ETC.
Amana is essentially a church, re-
ligious belief and organization, the
idea of holding their pos
sessions in common having come frou.
a desire to hold together those hav-
ing a common faith. All who join
Amana give their real and personal
property to the trustees for the COM
mon fund. In return for this, wheth-
er the amount be small or great, he
received for himself and family,
sum annually sufficient for clothing
and other necessities. All members
Of the community eat at common
table. All give their lahcr for the
maintainance of the various indus
tries by which the colony is support
ed. The villages are all built after
the same plan and consist of from
fifty to one hundred houses built
along one street, with an occasional
house on a side street, after the
fashion of European villages. All the
houses are built ON the same plan,
two stories high and are implanted.
A lattice is built six or eight inches
from the walls of the houses and on
these are grape and other hardy
vines. This gives a beautiful effect.
Back of the houses are the gardens,
wonderful in the variety and luxuriant
growth Of flowers and vegetables and
fruit. The houses are furnished sub
stantially and comfortably. Original
ly the furniture was all made by the
village cabinet makers, but in recent
years the furniture has been bought
for economic reasons. The houses
have in them only living rooms and
bed rooms since the meals are all
prepared and eaten in the kitchen
houses"
The affairs of the village are gov
erned by elders and the whole colony
is under the government of a board
Of trustees known as the Great Coun-
Gil of the Bretheren.
TLey have a more sane electorate
than has this state itself. Their law
provides that 1.-The voting members
snail De dll Lldlc VI luc So-
ciety who have signed the constitu-
ton, all widows and such female men,
bers as are thirty years of age who
are not represented by some male
member"
The work Of the colony Is appor-
toned to the strength and ability Of
the members. All are given some
task in the mills or factories, gar
dens, fields, schools or kitchens.
Among the industries are Touring and
grist mills, wooden mills where fan
mel, blankets and cover lids are made
and cotton mill where calico and
heavy cotton cloth is made. The pro-
ducts of the wooden mill and the
calico, are sold in all parts of the
United States and Canada. We went
through the wholesale house and it
was the cleanest place we were ever
in. The stairs and floors were
scrubbed white as a New England
kitchen The merchant asked us