In this final decade of the twentieth century, a life-and-death struggle is being played out in Lancaster County: between land speculation and land stewardship, between material wealth and moral worth, between unrestrained growth and "the ties that bind." The Amish are at the center of the conflict, trying to maintain their unique community in the face of increasing encroachment from the outside. Randy Testa stands as a witness to their struggle, telling "the story of a people on the verge of conflagration". [from the publisher]
This unique narrative about I. N. Glick who started Glick's Seeds at Smoketown, Pa., includes stories of life since the beginning of the century such as raising tomatoes by the acres, family gatherings, copies of ads in a 1905 seed catalog, grandfather clock, cranking the Model T Ford, a trip to Niagara, among other things.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 285-300) and index.
Summary
This book addresses questions such as: Why will the Amish ride in cars but refuse to drive them?; How can their old-fashioned farms turn a profit while many modern farms go broke?; Do they ever change their customs? Who decides, and how?; If they'll use pay phones, why not have a phone in the house?; and Why will they use electronic calculators but not computers?
