, 1876-09-17
tns 1am,l5 H. church let there be strong cyng
not m1s arm must bring the salyation # E
THE DUNKERS.
THEIR HISTORY AND pR.T1rrc


the "Dunker," or German Rant;st hrath ~. ~,
worship God, in box-like little brick ,oeo.,,,1
mouse On the corner OF Jackson and Van Rnro,
streets, Dayton, o. Tie rea, name Of tb;. al -
lanaule ana one OF the least known Of all tht
uut'ess lehg1ous sects in the United States /:
uci'nail-naptlst." The name "Dunker' is {
,A44at'e' ',e' gwen them in derision of their pc.
cailar mode OF baptism.
"Dunker'' is from the German verb dunt-n
10 CUP or duck, word used in familiar CONVEX
satlonM German. The German-Baptists i'm.
merse their converts in manner wholly necu,
Aaf. Ihey take the convert down to the waters
eoge, always to river or running stream. nonf
OF your new-fangled warm church cisterns,-
aud nave him kneel down in the water. Then
the preacher takes him bv tbc
back Of the neck, and dips him
under the water, face foremost, you understand
not backwards, as do other Baptists. They din
nm under, face foremost, three times once il,
the name Of the Father, once in the name Of the
con, ana once III the name Of the Holy Ghost.
thus giving him a triple or trine baptism
Hence the nickname bunker or duckcr.
The ignorance Ut the world in general with ra
gard to the German Baptist brethren is simply
lhnh1te- measure other peoples IGNORANCE by
my own III making that statement. Tic name NJ
Dunker,"' itself only nickname is corru,ted i
INTO "Dunkard' BY many persons, and from
"Dunkard" again into "Druukard, until there
are actually people, not few, who believe the
right name Of this sect to be IS DrunEa:d,' and
tnat tncy are SO called because they have a habit
Of frequently being Intoxicated. Anything more
unlike the reality could hardly be invented,
1he simple dignity and beauty Of these peo-
pies ways, their strange unlikeness to any Sect
had ever met with before, impressed me so
strongly that began at once to hunt 10 some
tllNr their I[SfnrH IF iS hc+h >l,,.
and very ancient They are older than the Ref
ormation, older than Martin Luther himself
Luthcr changed the mode OF baptism Of the
primitive Christian Church, the: say.
APOSTLES, u number OF Christians srttled in
Tnracc and Greece They were called the Paul
lclaiis, and III their obscure regions preserved
the simplicity OF tic primitive Christian Church
Us opposed to the Church Of Rome. The Paul
leians were accused by the Romish Church of
statement founded On the accusations of their
theological enemies, and your theological euemy
is the Ui1teEest- most conscientious cuemy On
earth. In course of time the Pauficians, driven
w wars from their hone in Thrace, cnisrate.l,
like nearly all cInigrants since the historic agc
begun, to the westward, and scattered over the
south OF Europe, through Italy, Switzerland,
and France. There they bec4mc the Albigenscs
a,ld the Waldeuscs,-wiile history lasts names
which Will stand IT'S monuments to the unknown,
altar OF the demon OF theological hate.
From these albigenses, who appeared in great
numbers in Southern France 300 Years bcfore
the Kctor1nation, are undoubtedly descended, in
Gay. They first appear under that name about
the year 1870. Their early history is history
OF flames and martyrdon. So late Is the reign
Vi Queen Elizabeth, two German Daptists were
publicly burned at The stake.
The German Baptist Church in America was
ntf3 hIiG he'd liz ot orfc
Pa, by Alexander Mack and his associates
They lied from Germany to America OIL ac-
count OF religious prosecutions in their native
land. Alexander Mack aud seven other persons
Germany, i'll 1703 For this dire of1ensc they
were tined, imprisoned, aud Impoverished at
last, and at length compelled to fec to the w1ds
Of America That one man OF this little band
Of eight might not be held in more honor than
another, they entered INTO a covenant never to
reveal the name OF him who first baptized, or
was first baptized, and to this day it Is not
known. That little circumstance is au exponent
OF the character Of the German Baptists. A
strict avoidance OF al ostcntation and OF
worldly honors, even to the extent of refusing
to hold political office, is a1uoug their most dis
tiuguishing traits.
They do not baptize children. They say it is
not commanded. The central sun anu principle
OF their religion is this: They study the New
Testament, and claim to take it literally, word
for word, as their guide III all the transactions
OF life Their members are forbidden to take
I'D oath, to go to war, to collect debts by law,
Or to GO to law in any case whatever. All their
difficulties md differences must be Il worked
through in sp1rit,'' and settled between man
and man, or BY aid Of the Church Council.
Whatever evils cannot thus be removed are en-
joined simply to be endured, in the spirit of love
and patience.
debts, he is sunlmarily dealt with in the Church.
They are forbidden to let any Of their members
go to the County Poorhuuse, and their members
are forbidden to 81 begging. Oh the authority Ut
the Bible text There shall be no bcggar
among you" They find q rule for everything
Their preachers do not take the name Of
= Reverend They do not find it in the Bible,
they say. There seems to be no formula or ar
bitrary authority among them. Their very
:: Considered that it is not adysable,'' etc, the
printed rules say. It is wonderful, though, the
authority this gentle advice has over their peo-
pie. The whole manner OF the Dunkcrs I saw
seemed SO gentle, tolerant, and sweet, that
could scarcly believe it MAS real
"Do you mean to tell me that they really live
up to ali these fine principless" asked Of d
gentleman, Presbyterian, who gave me my
lrst Information in regard to these people.
81 Yes :; they do," he said; at least more than
any other Christians do"
They really are moro honest than other people
in their dealings, and they do not take adpan-
taee OF people IN bargains like the rest of man.
kind. II people would live rs the Dunliers do,
tell you, it would be q different sort of world.
l learned much of them from conversation
with their preacher at Dayton, Elder George
Hallcr.
~ observe your Church rules forbid members
to 60 to war;" said your correspondent. "Ddn't
any Of the Dunkers fight in the Union arnly"
Elder George Halicr smiled a smile which was
partly to himself and partly to me. & Yes, they
lid,'' said he, ''and they went in spite OF the
Church rules"
"Were they turned out OF meeting?"
Elder George taller smiled again. III |
couldn't say that they we're, to any great ex-
.ent. There was my sou, whom you saw to- |
lar, 4 preacher himself, who served through |
hc War. He said lie felt called to go, rules or |
10 rules, and go he did, and the Captain told |
ne he was one Of the finest soldiers in the rcgi-
nent.''
| wouldn't take my oath that there' wasn't
title carnal pride in Elder George Haller's eye |
Is he said that last.
"Wcll, they didn't turn my son out Of meet
ng," continued the Elder. "Thcy didn't do
nything about it, one way or the other. They
,1st let it alone" I
Doubtless the young mans case was one OF /
hose irremcdiabie evils which the brethren
imply bore with sin the spirit Of love and |
All of which at length brings US again to the
little church around the corner" A singu-
ar calm and peace somehow seemed to
all m fhe visitor the moment he enter