Plain and Amish: An Alternative to Modern Pessimism

For the Amish the world is divided into two types: unbelieving Englischers and von unsrer Sort Lut (``those of our kind''). And the greater the distance between the two, the better. Langin begins his enjoyable and accessible study by making it clear that he is a ``man of the world who has drifted into the company of the devout.'' That notwithstanding, he was made a welcome guest of the Allen County, Ind., Amish community, in part because Langin is well-versed in their 400-year Anabaptist history in Switzerland, Alsace and the Palatinate, in part because the Amish retain sentimental ties to the language and land of their forebears--and while Langin is an Englischer , he is a German Englischer . This book was intended for a German audience, which can make for some quirky reading (``that old cliche anchored in my subconscious: `anyone can become a coachman, but when it comes to driving, only those in Vienna can' '') and New World readers may also find the author overgenerous in his explications of the Old World Anabaptist past. But these are minor flaws. For the most part Langin is a respectful guide to Amish religious observance, daily farm life, interactions with outsiders and differences between the various American groups, but he is not without some healthy skepticism about the ignorance and prejudice that are an inevitable part of their seemingly blissful insularity. Photos not seen by PW . (May)