The tribune. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1876-12-13
AMONG THE DUNKERS.
A Description of tho Yearly Meeting OF n
Peculiar Sect.

u
Peculiar Sect.
There are about 15O, 900 of the Ger
man Baptist, or bunker Brethren, in
the United States. Their religious
faith is about the same as that of the
stricter orthodox churches of the day,
with certain peculiar Bible observances,
certain exceedingly stiff notions of
baptism md of Christian morality
thrown in. They have thoroughly
we'll defined orthodox belief in the devil.
When they baptize q convert they dip
him under three separate times, face
foremost. The baptism is the entrance
to new religious life, they say, and
they do not wish to enter into a religious
life backward.
A correspondent, who lately attended
a yearly meeting of the Dunkers, says
that as the spectator entered the church,
the meeting house full of we'll fed peo-
pie with square mouths, made striking
impression. Rows of snow white caps
on the one side, and of long boards on
the other, greeted the eye. The faces
all looked kin to one another, so much
alike was their expression. 1t was an
expression Of devoutness, of peace and
Of meekness. The sisters looked too
meek, indeed, to me, far too meek MY
soul instinctively rebels at the sight of a
meek woman. It's constitutional
weakness and can't help it. It did ap-
pear to me that If the bunker sisters
faces had just been touched up with the
least little bit more of get-up- and fight
in them, it would have improved them
past description. It's matter of taste,
though.
The brethren always attend q yearly
meeting. 1t is the custom to feed
everybody that comes to these meetings,
Bunker or outsider. Sometimes
whole beef is killed and all eaten up
during q meeting. From the immense
pyramids of loayes of bread aud the in
Vulnerable toothsome looking pies visi-
bic, should think the bunker sisters
would be glad this meeting only came
once year.
at five o'clock the brethren began the
services of singing, preaching and Bible
reading again. just after nightfall the
feet washing began. When all was
ready the brethren brought the water
In, and the procession of long bearded
men carrying foot-tubs of water, one
after another, looked not little singular
to me.
The sweet faced bunker sisters
whipped off their shoes with incredible
rapidity, then one carried the little foot
tub and washed the sisters feet with
her hands, kissed her, and went on the
next. just behind her came another
sister with the towel tied about her
waist. This second sister wiped the
feet the other had just washed, also
kissed the sister and passed on to the
next. After these two had washed and
wiped the feet of two or three, two more
a ka fhnx
down the long rows. The dear old
ladies kissed one another with infinite
tenderness. Meantime, during both
the feet washing and the supper follow
ing, there was no end Of speaking and
preaching by one elder after another, a
steady flow of "good and wholesome
discourse"
In much less time than one would
think for, Six. hundred feet were washed.
wiped and reinvested with their proper
coverings. / tried to see which got
through with the feet washing first, the
brethren or the sisters, but am bound
to say they finished about the same
time. The sisters got their shoes laced
up quite as soon as the brethren could
drag their boots on. 81
When the feet washing was ended.
after appropriate singing, speaking and
giving of thanks, the brethren and sis
ters ate the Lords supper. It was al
ready cookedin the basement below, and
was arranged in this manner: The seats
were so constructed that the backs could
slide over upon the top and make tables,
which were spread with white cloths.
The brethren and sisters sat at different
tables. To each'member was given a
steel knife and fork and tin cup and
spoon. Pieces of bread were strung
along upon the tablecloths, tin pans
heaped with pieces of boiled beef were
placed at intervals, and other tin pans,
deep ones, were filed with beef soup |
and crumbled bread, and placed also
along the tablo-one pan of soup to |
about four persons. The meal was eaten |
in silence, except for little quiet whis-
pering.
It is the universal Bunker fashion to
take babies and children of all sizes to |
church. There is continual galloping |
out and in doors of young ones, and in |
some places they have acradle in church, |
to be handy. Fancy the thingi The |
yearly meetings are tough on the babies,
and as nine p. N. drew on, and the poor |
things were still at bunker meeting, |
miles away from their little beds, their
sufferings became intolerable. First a |
weenty little thing started the tune,
then an alto Dunker baby joined in, and |
after little sturdy bass baby set up
a roar along with the others, till at |
times the thread of the good and whole
some discourse was quite lost. But the |
Dunkers, preachers and people, regard
ed it with the utmost composure, as
they regard everything else. They are
wonderfully self controlled people, and
their babies are very pretty.