As noted in an earlier RPK posting (here), some of our very best neighbors here in Lewis County are Amish. They add a great deal to the quality of our lives and detract from that quality in no ways that most of us can discern. So, it comes as something of a surprise to learn that Amish immigrants don't always receive the welcome they have here. Such is the case, evidently, in Schuyler County, Missouri, according to a news feature by Phillip O'Connor entitled, "Curiousity, criticism follow Amish in Midwest migration to Missouri." Soon after the first Amish settled in the county, rumors began to circulate that they "hated government, didn't pay taxes, and wouldn't fight in a war." They are not, that is, loyal and patriotic Americans. There were other uglier rumors as well. Others continue down to the present to criticize the way the Amish raise their children, supposedly make women work too hard, and refuse to use electricity.In other areas of New York as well, the Amish have fallen foul of local codes and people object to horse manure on their streets and roads. Sometimes, according to one survey of the Amish in New York (here), these differences have ended up in court. It is the most conservative Amish groups that often have these problems. Still, the Amish living in the Lowville area are reputed to be one of the more conservative groups, and there still is little complaint if any about them.
It's hard to believe, in fact, that anyone could object to the Amish in the ways described above. While it is true that some Amish are somewhat stand-offish and many are apparently shy, others are easy to chat with and happy to sit and talk a spell. And, frankly, they contribute to the cultural richness and diversity of places that are otherwise a bit monochrome when it comes to such things. Sure, the rest of us have to meet them half-way or even a little more on some things, but there's far more good than harm that comes of it. The practice of kindness is its own reward especially with neighbors such as the Amish who themselves provoke little else but kindness.
