Bowling Green Sentinal Tribune reviews Cast a Blue Shadow
Jenise Fouts, Sentinel Staff Writer
Raucous rap music blares from a boom box in file vehicle traveling through tile sleepy Ohio village while a passenger laughs into a cell phone.
A few of the bearded Amish men on the sidewalks grimace at the noise. At least if it poured forth from a tourist's car they'd only have to hear it a few short seconds.
But the youthful driver is one of their own, and the music's jarring notes stretch into minutes as his horse's rhythmical clip-clop slowly carries the plain black buggy down the street.
Welcome to Holmes County, the largest settlement of Amish in the nation.
But good-bye to a religious community which is losing its distinctive 17th century lifestyle to intrusions of the 21st century.
Aspects of that loss were shared by Dr. Paul Gaus when he-spoke last week at Owens Community College. A chemistry professor at the College of Wooster, Gaus is also a nationally-known author of three murder mysteries set in Ohio Amish country. His visit was sponsored by the college's Literacy Committee.
Gaus' first book, "Blood ol' the Prodigal: An Ohio Amish Mystery," was ptiblishcd in 1999. Following it were "Broken Ernglish" and "Clouds Without Rain," while the fourth book in the series is expected this fall.
In addition to chemistry, Gaus has taught for 20 years on alternative American cultures, including Holmes County Amish. Though the perception is that Arnish pcople are "tucked away in quiet Holmes County" with no problems, Gaus offered several true stories to illustrate some of the issues facing them today.
Jonas Knicely, a member of the old Order Amish, gave up farming so he could divide up his land for his grown sons. Over the years he took correspondence classes on electronics, microchips, computers, etc. Today Knicely installs sophisticated home security systems for nonAmish people. It has made him a millionaire.
Because of his faith he cannot own a car, but he's driven from state to state in a car belonging to his chauffeur. Because of his faith, Knicely also cannot have electricity wired to his hoine, so his personal high-tech security system is powered through batteries charged by gasoline generators.
Though land is the most important commodity in Holmes County the Amish can't afford the taxes on it any more. As a result, it is being gobbled up by developers who've built fast-food chains, malls and discount stores. And because young people can't live off the land as their ancestors have done, they are working in factories and having contact with the 21 st century world electronics.
While bicycle riding on a back road, Gaus was offered a drink of cold spring water by Mony Shetler an elderly Amish little person who was missing all the fingers on his right hand. When Shetler was 11 he caught his hand in a threshing fnachine. While he was recovering in the hospital, his 13-year-old brother was brought in after being kicked in the stomach by a Belgian Oraft horse. He died a week later.
"Life on an Amish farm is dangerous for children," said Gaus. As a result, the local children's services office has started to take an interest in child labor. While tile Amish depend on their large families to help with work, rulings have been made that children cannot run the cash registers in their parents' bake shop, assist on the farm or make baskets sold to tourists.
"Child labor oil the farm is being put to a halt. Amish farmers wonder. how to bring in crops in when they can't use their children's labor. Child labor laws have had a severe impact on life there."
Martha Shetler learned how to weave 'elaborate baskets, and her brother built a shop so she could tell them herself. Today, the gravel road leading past her basket store is paved, allowing busloads of tourists to visit it.
Tourism is another issue changing the Amish way of life. They "have responded to this in great measure. The money being made is staggering. Mahy Atnish people feel they're the exhibit in a zoo a county wide and a county tall. Tourists are poking into their private lives in many ways."
"This is changing Amish culture. The Amish know what's out in the world." Gaus added most of the Amish youth he knows want to be "part of that computer world" and will be drawn away from farm life.
"There is a strong danger for the future: Tradition will not win out for these people in Holmes County. The youth are adaptable to change as any people I know."
Bowling Green Sentinel Tribune
