As economic pressures and a scarcity of farmland fuel a shift from farming to small business, the Amish see a fast-growing need to train teenage boys in woodworking. The Amish, who number more than 150,000 in rural communities in 25 states, predominantly Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana, have persuaded several allies in the US Congress, including Senator Arlen Specter, to introduce a bill that would let Amish children aged 14 to 17 work in sawmills and woodworking factories. An Amish farmer with his team of mules navigates his harvesting rig in early morning traffic in Georgetown, Pennsylvania, last Tuesday.
PHOTO: NY TIMES
|
