Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1876-10-26
THE DUNKERs.


cinnati Commercial, comes from the German
verb dunken, to dip or duck, . word used in fa-
miliar, conversational German. The German
Baptists immerse their converts in q manner
wholly peculiar. They take the convert to the
waters edge, always to a river OF running
stream: none of your new tangled warm church
cisterns, and have him kneel down Ia the
water. Then the preacher takes him by the
back of the neck and dips him under the wa
ter, face foremost, you understand not back
ward as do other Bsptists. They dip him
under three times, once in the name Of the
Father, once in the name Of the Son, and
once in the name Of the Holy Ghost, thus
giving him q triple or triune baptism. Hence
the nickname bunker or Ducker. 3
The men of the church part the hair IN the
middle, wear both hair and beard quite long,
and look like pictures of the old Bible pat
riarchs. They wear long hair and beard be-
cause the patriarchs and 'postles did, and are
forbidden to crop their hair short OF to shave
their beard. S@i s. .a '1s.}si9 s5'.I::z
The religious ceremonies which particular
" distinguish this from the other Chr!stian
churches, are kissing, feetwashing, and soup
eating. In various places in the New Testa-
ment, the "holy kiss" and the "kiss Of cha1i-
ty" are mentioned; therefore,, when these
brethren and sisters meet at church, they
shake hands and kiss. When abrother comes
into church he shakes hands with and kisses
all the brethren sister ditto the sisters. /
confess that it nearly upset my dignity to see
those grey.bearded old fellows come in and
kiss one another, with a sounding smack, all
around. dare say one could get used to it
though. The brethren kiss the brethren and
the sisters kiss the sisters. s. s;5, 4,
But they never kiss across. +.
In the matter Of greeting colored brethren
with the holy kiss, the church rules say that
inasmuch as some white members have weak
ness against kissing colored folks, it is "con-
sidered advisable" that the colored brethen
put up with that weakness for the present, and
excuse the holy kiss until such time as the
white brethren become stronger in the faith.
The German Baptists take their children to
church, babies and all, in ancient pioneer
fashion. There we're people in the little meet
ing.house from seventy years TO- six months
old. The old bunker women have the peace
ablest, prettiest faces ever saw on any old
lady. The faces Of the women, from the old
est to the youngest, are all fair and sweet
looking. There sat venerable grandmother
with snowy hair and calm, fair face. Beside
her beautiful young mother with her baby,
the cunningest light bright-eyed bunker baby,
q perfect picture of the Madonna and child.
And, ifyou'll believe me, even that Bunker
baby wore on its face the Bunker look of in
edFable calm and peace, too. IS. -
You won't be surprised that the bunker
sisters faces look fair and unwrnkled and
sweet tempered, when I tell yon how they
dress. Their dress-up church costume is q
plain.cut calico dress and cape, and q gray
calico sun.bonnet. The mems dress is Of the
very plainest cut, too. Only think Fit, friends.
Suppose We could, one and all, suddenly cut
away everything cumbrous and uncomfortable
from our dress and from our lives, and have
no more overskirts, bustles, rufies, tight boots,
tight dresses, tight coats, tight heads or corn
doctors; no pearl powder, false hair, false
smiles or false hearts, no worry and heartache
and scheming to dress as well as this woman
or that one, and no wicked envy or spite in our
hearts because we can't do it suddenly to
throw all this rubbish aside forever. and be
simply natural and comfortable. The very
thought Of it makes woman's heart ache to
fly away and be bunker sister, too.
!; It must be something in the peaceful, SIM
ple lives Of these women which makes them 20
pleasant to- look at 1t appears to me never
saw so many silk dresses together in my life
as saw in Cincinnati congregation last
Sunday, and yet, among all these elegant la
dies, failed 70 Gee one face g serene and fair
and pure as the faces 81 many Of the bunker
sisters that Sunday in thefnds little church.
Il must be there is some hidden spell TOO, in
a straight light calico dIsss sna sun
bonnet, for the young dunk r93s 6h6Most-
II wore wore the world 4 dsess ioo| |ed cSsSss sa and
commonplace besids their mothers ID the
bunker costume. - e.
- Alitsie fys.ye somewhat surprised
his smother aifeW days since with the renark {
God 10 everywhere; he is al over me-