and computerized living, who could imagine that
about 50 000 Americans do not use telephones,
eledric lights, or cars,nat because they are poor,
but out of choice? As hard as this may be to imag-
ine, the Amish, or mare properly, the Amish Men-
nonites, still live a traditional, rural lifestyle dired from
17th century Europe!
To understand these unique Americans better, it
is necessary to understand their history. Beginning
with the revolution start;ed by Marlin Luther, leader of
lhe Protestant Reformation in Germany in the 16th
century, Europe was wracked by religious wars for
several hundred years. Modem Europe is a predud
of these wars and of the political and religiousphilosophies of those times. The main figures in this
tragic period were the Roman Catholic Church and
the Protestants, those who rebelled against papal
rule from Rome. Among the lhousands oJ splinler
groups fo~ outside of Rome's religious rule were
the/V~ennonites, a group of parlicularly conservative,
rural Christians situated in what is today Switzer-
land, part of eastern France,and southern Germany.
To make a long stow short, the Mennonile
Amish were se conservative that they mede more
enemies than friends. In order to preserve their pe-
culiar lifestyle,they began to immigrate to the British
colonies in North America in about 1720 (before
Canada and the United Slates were formed as inde-
pendent countries). There they found the religious
freedom they had sought. Amish settlements sprang
up in the colonies and lerritories of Pennsylvania,O-
hio, and Indiana as well as in Ontario, in what is to-
day Canada. Surprisingly, there are no Amish groups
today/in I~uroj0e.All the men wear large brimmed black hats, beards
(but not mustaches), and clothes mode by their
wives. The women wear a hair covering called a
bonnet, long dresses, and black shoes. Even though
all Amish men and women marry,you will nat see a
wedding ring,for even this simplest type of jewelry is
banned among them. The Amish are primarily farm-
ers, and good ones, despite the fad that they do nat
use modem farm mochinery. Their children are edu-
cated in local primary schools, but secondary educa-
tion is in the home. Sundays are spent mostly in
church. An old dialed of German mixed with English
is used in church and at home. Their lives are un-
complicated and few Amish leave their homes to en-
let the moinstream American society.
Rural Pennsylvania where most of the Amish
live is beautiful counlryside, if you have the opportu-
nih/to drive lhrough the gentle, rolling hills amidst
lush farmlands, perhaps you will see a horse and
buggy driven by a family dressed mostly in black.
These are the Amish, an enduring and endearing
people. 在摇R乐!航天器和电脑化生盾的国度里．啦会想到有大约5万S美国人
不用电话；电t／或汽车，不是因为他们穷．而是出于选择呢”同样令A椎IJ思
幸的是，亚水希人?或更[确的称呼——Ⅱ木希·川诺耶特人，如今仍d着[?
世纪欧州延续下串的传I：2$ft生活方式呢!
思更遭一步／解这些独特的美国人．找0]必须Y解他们的历史：自●6咀
吐转国欣牲徒改革领础马厂·略磨所发起的革命之后效百年间，欧洲就泡受宁
性战争的催残-现代p》洲是这些战争相当时政冶和宇教哲学帅产物。这毁悲
剧时期的‘角足罗马天±弛全和反9马教皇统盾的稣敦徒01．庄效lJ干汁脱
禹g马宗教统肤而形成的支脉中，门诺邪特入呈其?廾别保守，属于$问基督
徒的一支，他t1当时聚居在今天的瑞士．法国车部的-·部钉地[阳德国南郎一
带。
托活悠，n．Ⅱ术希·门诺耶，／f人由于太过f9守u敢伺l的敌人真L立到／，，)
朋友吐多．为丁保存他们浊持的生店》式，他t1于●72u斗左右：庄加拿大扣
英国成为蚀i国家之两j开始榣目到北美的苹L6殖民地-在耶儿他们找到追
求已X的宅教目由；Ⅱ米希A的韧逮打落出现覆宾西唐尼Ⅱ州．澉聂败州扣
印苹g耶州，I<及砚今的bu拿大s大略自等殖民cID顿地．令人惊讨的是，欧
州现在苋股有Ⅱ米希＼的团体。
自v0K时候／fcdf，他们的生活月式几乎殴百改立．{水希人到底有多：
保千’一群Ⅱ术猪入看起来髓像圣垃电影中的一十场罩；男人部戴昔有帽暗
儿的黑色大帽子!留胡子(但下留人字胡，，穿妻F亲手做的衣服。女＼aC戴着
一种绑带子的色土软帽，窖连x裙和黑色的鞋丫；牛晋Ⅱ米希人电男嚼女嫁?
你却看不到一只结婚戒指，因为即使这种形式最简单的珠宝．在他们当中tsl是
IBc禁止的．Ⅱ米希入主要是农民．^且¨管不<d：用田代农耕机械，他们还是把
农事做得狠好-他们的孩子正当地的小学受牲育，旧r等教育却在家单教授．
礼拜天大多庄性童里度过、上教童扣在家叶．他们使闲—种腥合德汤和英晤
的吉琶方言c他们的生活{复帮，而且很女有巫术希入离家进八美国I疏社
会；
B园式的§西法尼Ⅱ州有蓍美tn的；间：大部分的巫米希AeC居住于此．
如果怀亩机会开车穿过那些绰油曲农曰中静酲．卢庙的山丘，也i．Yfq<会看cll驾
昔四抡马车大部，>部穿着黑色R眠的—家＼-辽些就是Ⅱ米希人，一个屹立
不动／令人喜爱的民腋．
