These "plain people" of the soil are members of groups who have a strong sense of community and aversion to the temptations of worldly ways. They are mostly descendants of the followers of Jakob Ammann, a Swiss Mennonite bishop in the 17th century. Largely farming folk, they maintain strong values of church, family, and honest labor. Besides farming, they also work in fields such as forestry, carpentry, furniture and cabinet making, and other trades associated with rural life.

Although now settled in various parts of the country, the Amish in America early on moved into the fertile farming areas of eastern Pennsylvania around Lancaster. When asked their origin, the standard answer was that they were "Deutsche," the German word for "German." Small wonder that other locals dubbed them the "Pennsylvania Dutch."

While stories abound of Amish people having nicer barns than houses, the truth is that both are likely sturdy, clean, and plain. Certainly, no one who knows the Amish would doubt for a minute that an Amishman would allow either his animals or his family to live in less than decent conditions. Neither would they doubt the Amishwoman's concern for cleanliness and the welfare of her family.

Still, you won't likely encounter such amenities as electricity and, certainly, nothing that is other than utilitarian or pertinent to their beliefs. Because the Bible (Romans 12:2) admonishes man not to be conformed to the world, the Amish lifestyle ("Ordnung") seeks to separate from the world and maintain self-sufficiency. Accordingly, Amish leaders decided many years ago that connecting to power lines was undesirable as it would constitute worldly conformity and introduce temptations to stray from the simplicity and self-denial that they value.

Yet these remarkable people have had great success. They may drive buggies instead of cars and walk behind horse-drawn plows instead of riding tractors,but they generally get to where they're going and their farms prosper. Their tools may not be electrically driven and computer controlled, but the products they make will have smooth edges and the nails and screws will be driven straight. They may end formal education at the eighth grade and introduce children to work and responsibility at an early age, but their people can read, write, and calculate; and most all turn out to be sober, hard-working adults and caring parents. They may be clannish, frugal, and austere, but they freely help each other and care for those among them who suffer misfortune, illness, or the infirmities of age. They may look strange to others with their beards and plain dress, but poverty, crime, and disorder are virtually unknown amongst them. We might all take a lesson from the Amish.

Information provided to you by the Cedar Store. Specialists in Pennsylvania Amish Handcrafted Red Cedar Outdoor Furniture and Porch Swings.