everything totally unknown.
Amish Women Quilting, unknown photographer, 1981
Original caption:Sarasota, Fla.: Wearing the traditional Amish attire for women, a group of them holds a frontyard quilting party. Every place is a meeting place where anything from the state of the farm to the state of the union is likely to become a topic of conversation. Talk often turns to the young, a source of prude and of concern to these elders who rely upon their precious few to carry on the beliefs. Problems of alcohol and drugs, sadly common in the outside world, also have intruded into the Plain People’s society. These elements have added a frightening dimension to “sowing wild oats,” a phrase with youth which generally has been tolerated among Amish and Mennonites—so long as it is reasonably brief and followed by baptism into the church and responsible adulthood.
