Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-10-18
The Drinkers.
fCor. Cincinnati Commercial. ]

tcor. Cincinnati Commercially
bunker is from the German verb
dunken, to dip or duck, word used
in familiar, conversational German.
The German Baptists immerse their
converts in manner wholly pecu-
liar. They take the convert down
| to the waters edge, always to riv-
| err or running stream, none OF your
newfangled warm church cisterns,
| and have him kneel down in the
water. Then the preacher takes
him by the back of the neck and
dips him under the water, face fore
most, three times, once in the name
OF the Father, once in the name Of the
Son, and once i'm the name Of the
Holy Ghost, thus giving hima triple
or trine baptism. Hence the nick
name bunker or Quicker.
The men of the church part their
hair In the middle, wear both hair
and beard quite long, and look like
pictures of the old Bible patriarehs.
They wear their hair and beard be-
cause the patriarchs and apostles did,
| and are forbidden to crop their hair
short or to shave their beard off.
The religious ceremonies which
particularly distinguish this from
other christian churches, are kissing,
feet.washing and soup-eating. In
various places in the New Testament
the "holy kiss" and the "kiss Of
| charity are mentioned; therefore,
when these brethren and sisters meet
at church they shake hands and kiss.
When a brother comes into church he
shakes hands with and kisses all the
brethren, q sister ditto the sister. ]
confess 1t nearly upset my dignity to
see these gray-bearded old fellows
come in and kiss one another, with
sounding smack, all around. i dare
say one could get used to it though.
The brethren kiss the brethren and
the sisters kiss the sisters.
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, 1t
is considered advisable" that the col
ored brethren put up with that weak
ness for the present, and excuse the
holy kiss until such times 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
were people in the little meeting
house from seventy years to six
months old. The old bunker women
have the peaceablest, prettiest faces
i ever saw on any old lady. The
faces of the women, from the oldest
to the youngest, are all so fair and
sweet.looking. There sat a venera-
BILE grandmother with snowy hair
and calm, fair face. Beside her n
beautiful young mother with her
baby, the cunningest little bright
eyed bunker baby, perfect picture
of the Madonna and child. And, IL
you'll believe me, even that bunker
baby wore ON its face the bunker
look of inefiable calm and peace, too.
You won't be surprised that the
bunker sisters faces look fair and
unwrinkled and sweet-tenpered,
when / tell you how they dress.
Their dress.up costume is plain cut
calico dress and cape, and a gray cali
co sun-bonnet. The mems dress is
Of the very plainest cut, too. Only
think of 1t, friends. Suppose we
could one and all suddenly cut away
everything cumbrous and uncom-
Portable from our dress and
from our lives, and have
no more overskirts, bustles, rufiies,
tight boots, tight dresses, tight coats,
tight heads or conductors; no pearl
powder, false hair, false smiles or
false hearts, no worry and heart
aches 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 ii; suddenly to
throw all this rubbish aside forever,
and be simply natural and comfort
able. The very thought of it makes
a woman's heart ache to fly away
and be bunker sister, too.
1t must be something in the peace.
full, simple lives Of these women
which makes them so pleasant to
look at. /. appears to me never
saw SO many silk dresses together In
my life as / saw in Cincinnati con-
gregation last Sunday, and yet,
among all these elegant ladies I fail.
ed to see one face rs serene and fair
and pure as the faces of many OF the
Bunker sisters that Sunday In tht
rude little church. LII must be Their,
Is some hidden spell, too, in straigh
light calico dress and gray sun-bon
! net, for the young bunker girls
who mostly wore the worlds dress
|, looked coarse and commonplace be
! side their mothers In the Dunkel
s costume.
q Imagine the felin's OF Hartfort