The Gentle People
  
       The men wear beards, but not mustaches.  The women wear dresses that come down to their shoes.  Their hems do not go up and down with the "latest styles."
       These are the Amish.  Their way of life has changed very little since they came to this country 250 years ago. 
       There are several Amish communities in the U.S.  One is in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  And two men, James Warner and Donald Denlinger decided to show others what this community is like.  As a rule, the Amish do not like their pictures taken.  But Mr. Warner got to know some families and, with their permission, took photos on them.  Mr.  Denlinger, who grew up around this community, decribed how his neighbors live.  Together they put a book called The Gentle People.  Here are some facts from that book.
        Most of us are interested in new styles and new inventions.  We want to be  "successful" and "get ahead."  The Amish are different.  They do not put much value in change.  They still live by the religious rules of their forefathers.
        Some will not wear buttons, for example.  Buttons were first used on soldiers' uniforms, and the Amish are against any kind of warfare.  Instead of buttons, they use hooks and eyes. 
        Most of their clothes are handmade.  Married women wear black bonnets and long, black aprons.  Single women's aprons are white.  All women appear in white prayer caps.  The men wear dark suits and shirt of a single color.  Outdoors, they always wear hats.  The rims are never more than three inches wide.
       Amish houses are also very plain.They have no raidios,television  sets,or telphones.There is not even electricity or modern plumbing.Gas lanterns provide light , and the kitchen stove provides heat.
     The home is the center of Amish life.Here the children learn to speak Pennsylvania Dutch a mixture of English and German.Girls learn homemaking,and boys learn how to run a farm.Church services,"singings",weddings and funerals all take place in the home.
      Some Amish children go to public school.Others go to little school houses where grades one through eight meet in a single room.While the first graders study English,the fourth graders might study German.(German is the language of thier Bible and church sermons.)
      Like stutents everywhere,they learn reading,writing, and arithmetic.But few go beyond eighth grade.To the Amish,a highschool education is not important.Instead,teenage girls learn to make clothes,briad rugs,cook,can,and bake foods.The boys learn to raise animals,plant and harvest crops,and handle farm finances.
     Teenagers may get trianing outside the home,as well as from their parents.Boys are hired out as labore¹s or carpenter¹s helpers.Girls work as cleaning maids.They turn their wages over to their parents until they become eighteen.Then they usually keep half of what they earn until they marry.
      It may sound like Amish do nothing but work.The Amish enjoy fun as much as anyone.But their entertainment dose take simple forms.
      Checkers and chess are faviorite indoor games.Girls make rugs, quilts,and lace.Boys are given a calf or hog to raise.Wood carving furniture making are also hobbies.
      In winter,almost everyone goes sleighing and skating.When it¹s dark and the chores are done,groups light lanterns and skate along the frozen streams.
      Throughout the year,they gather at different farms for ³singings².Couples sit in one area,single girls in another area,and single boys in the third area.Together, they change hyms.No musical instruments are used.
     But afterward,when the older people have left, some of the boys bring out fiddles and,guitars, and mouth organs.And the young people pair off for a square dance.The oldorder Amish do not allow dancing,but most do not think of these folk games as dances.
     Sixteen is a speacial age for Amish teenagers.If a boy,you would get a²courting²bugy and a young horse.You might work on these the way other boys work on cars.On Sunday afternoons,you¹d drive by your best girl¹s farm.Or you¹d meet her at a nearby farm for a singing.If you were a girl,you wouldn¹t flirt with a boy.He must make the first move.If he is shy,he might get a friend to speak toyou or one of your friends.At the next yuong peoples
gathering,they would probably put you together.
    Once dating starts,the youg man uses his buggy to take the girl to singings,church,and other gatherings.Soon he may visit her home to meet her parents.
    If they decide to marry,thier wedding will probablly be held in November.This is a happy time,because the harvest is over.
    The wedding takes place at the bride¹s home.Friends and neighbors arrive the day befor to prepare a feast.The ceremony starts at eight-thirty the next morning and lasts until noon.The guests,who may number 500,spend the rest of the day eating,talking,and joking.
    The bride and groom do not move into their new home untill the following spring.Meanwhile they live with their parents and visit relitives on weekends.
     Friday night they spend with one family,staying for breakfast.They have lunch with another family,and supperwith a third.Then they spend the night and have breakfast with still    another family.Monday morning,the groom returns the bride to her home untill the next weekend.With the gifts they got during their visits,the se up housekeeping by spring.
    Almost every part of Amish life is guided by religous rules.For example:Horse-drawn buggies or wagons are used for transportation.If an Amish person must travel a great distance,he may hire a non-Amish driver to take him.Otherwise,machine-driven vehicles are frowned apon.
     Electricity should not be used in the home.Small gas engines may be used to shell corn and churn butter in the barn.Steam engines may be used to steam tobacco beds-to kill insects.But most farm work is done with horse and human power.
    The Amish do not belive in social security or insurance.To buy life insurance is to gamble with the life span that God has given them.To put lightning rods in their buildings is to try to change God¹s will.
     Do young people ever rebel against these rules?Some do,not many.If a young person breaks away from the church,he¹s no longer accepted by his family and neighbors.
      What happens if some leaves the community,then want¹s to come back?This true story gives the answer.
      A young Amish man wanted to live in the outside world.He joined the U.S. Air Force and became a jet pilot.He enjoyed his new life.But when his tour of duty was up,he suddenly felt lost.He missed his home and childhood girlfriend.
      Finally,he went home to see if she had gotten married.She had¹t but he was not alowed to visit her.
      He managed to meet her elsewhere, and tey fell in love again.  They talked with the Bishop, who let the man back into the church  The couple were marrid, and today this man, who once flew jets, is happy driving a horse and a buggy.