| I sat out on my porch one night, thinking of articles | | | | educated not only in studies such as mathematics |
| to write about and mentioned to a friend how the | | | | and history, but they are also taught to follow a |
| popularity of Amish furniture had seemed to be | | | | trade when they are young - often a family trade. |
| growing. I thought maybe I should check it out. He | | | | "What does that mean?" he pushed. "Well, I told him, |
| scoffed at my mention of Amish retail. "It is an | | | | they have this tradition of letting their teenagers at a |
| oxymoron!" he said. "Especially if they sell Amish | | | | certain time, explore outside the community before |
| furniture over the internet," he added. "The Amish | | | | they are baptized . . ." I went on to explain that |
| don't even believe in the internet!" | | | | almost always the youth will return to the safety and |
| I admitted that my friend had a point - but "just | | | | sanctuary of his or her own home, family, and |
| because furniture is, say Victorian-style" I told him, | | | | community. The other option is banishment. They |
| "does not mean it was made in the Victorian era." He | | | | must sever themselves completely from the flock, |
| admitted that I had a point too. And we concluded | | | | so to speak. |
| that the allure of the Amish simplicity had become | | | | THIS, I explained, could account for some actual, |
| quite a modern interior decorating fad of-sorts. | | | | traditional Amish furniture available in retail for |
| Therefore, non-Amish people were studying the | | | | corporate gain. If the Amish furniture were made by |
| design and creation of Amish furniture in order to sell | | | | men trained in Amish carpentry, by Amish fathers, |
| it to contemporary, or non-Amish people as retail | | | | uncles, brothers, grandfathers, or other members of |
| merchandise. | | | | the community - it would thus be authentic. There |
| "So, you are saying it's not authentic Amish | | | | are, as I mentioned, few Amish teens who explore |
| furniture?" my friend asked me. I wasn't sure. I | | | | the world outside the haven of all they have ever |
| suppose it would depend on the seller. If it is a small, | | | | known and decide to remain there. However, there is |
| independent seller they may trade with actual Amish | | | | still that minority - therefore, there is still that |
| craftsman on a regular basis for their wares - but | | | | possibility. |
| certainly not warehouses full of "vast selections at | | | | This article is all based on a conversation and |
| great prices!" | | | | speculation based on what I know of the Amish |
| "No," I told my friend "authentic Amish furniture | | | | people and their traditions. Nonetheless, I thought it |
| would likely be sold on a much smaller scale. | | | | would be interesting to write about. It is funny that a |
| "However, there is another possibility . . ." I | | | | culture having as little to do with the outside world as |
| considered out loud and trialed off. I wasn't sure how | | | | possible would become so much a part (if not |
| much more he wanted to draw out a discussion of | | | | spiritually, at least stylistically) of our world. |
| Amish wares - but surprisingly, he had not grown | | | | Considering that we are outsiders to their tradition, |
| tired of the subject. "Which is . . . ?" He asked after a | | | | lifestyle and the nature of their entire society. |
| long pause. I explained to him that the Amish are | | | | |