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No, this column has nothing to do with Steven Spielberg’s fascinating
movie, A.I., which stands for "Artificial Intelligence."
For me, A.I. is for "Amish Intelligence." To be precise, I’m
talking about your Amish I.Q.
When most of us visit a foreign country, we go with many stereotypes and
misconceptions. In many ways, coming to Amish country is not unlike a visit
to another world. For years, the local Convention and Visitors Bureau
encouraged people to "visit another country – Pennsylvania Dutch
Country." Many visitors come with preconceived ideas about the Amish.
Some of these may be true, such as the Amish driving a horse and buggy, or
married men having beards. But others prove to be incorrect, such as Amish
parents arranging marriages, or all teenage boys having "courting
buggies."
We pick up our misinformation from various sources, particularly
newspapers, TV, the Internet, and movies. (See our series on "The Amish
in the Media.") A columnist for the New York Post recently wrote
that "everything I know about the Amish I learned from the old Harrison
Ford movie, Witness." This is a disturbing, but honest
confession. Perhaps it is even true for you!
Following are a few questions to test your Lancaster County Amish
I.Q. True or false?
- Amish don’t use mirrors.
- Amish dolls never have faces.
- Amish men wear straw hats in summer and black felt in winter.
- Amish men can’t wear buttons.
- The Amish live the same way now as they did 100 years ago.
- Amish are not allowed to ride in cars.
- Amish like to decorate their barns with hex signs.
- Most of the Amish are farmers.
- The Amish cannot have telephones.
- The Amish population is decreasing.
ANSWERS:
- Amish have mirrors in the house and, of course, on their carriages.
- While in the past dolls often didn’t have faces, today many Amish
buy commercial dolls and dress them in Amish clothing.
- There is no "rule" about when to wear a particular hat. One
older Amishman lamented to me, "Why, some men even wear straw hats
to funerals nowadays!"
- The formal dress coat and vest have hooks and eyes, but work coats,
shirts, sweaters, and pants have buttons.
- The Amish continue to change and most here have bottled gas stoves and
refrigerators. Many Amish enterprises have machinery operated by diesel
engines, compressed air, and hydraulics. Car batteries are used for
lights on the carriages.
- Although Amish church members do not own or drive cars, they are
allowed to ride in cars, buses, and trains, especially for long distance
trips.
- Traditionally, the Amish have not used hex signs or barn decorations.
- By now, less than half of Lancaster’s Amish are farmers, largely due
to the increasing population and the scarcity and high price of
remaining farmland.
- The Amish may use phones, but they are usually outside the house and
often shared by two or more families. The use of cell phones has become
more common.
- With large families and most young people joining the faith, the
population here doubles about every 23 years. There are more Amish now
than at any time in history.
If you said all the answers are false, you have a
high Amish I.Q. Congratulations!
Amish Country News
Publisher's Message by Brad Igou (2001)
Return to the Publisher's
Messages page.
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