River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-07-24


day to the nearest bunker settlement
in time to see the quaint people in thei
homes, but to late for church.
Maitland, the bunker settlement, lie
Just off the Pennsylvania railroads maiI
line, deep down among the iron treighteC
hills that wall apart the Juniata and thu
fertile Kishacoquillis valleys. The little
hamlet looks unreal--at any rate IMAM
erican- it is so scrupulously white ant
neat, and seems to possess so many oper
houses and so few locked doors. A cider
mill, !: sawmill, and another large build
ing stood open, although the road wa
close at hand, and any one might easily
walk otfwith its mercantile and manufac
turing interests.
The door of the bunker church stood
open, and one Of the six ministers of til,
parish invited his guests to enter. From
him, from observation, and from inter
views with Others, the following intor
nation was obtained:
The Dunkers will not take an oath
and are not allowed to hold office
although where they comprise nearly al
of the population of settlement they
perform agreeable duties, like those o.
an overseer of the poor One of the
preachers naively suggested that the
government did not miss the Dunkers
from its council fires, as Americans have
not all got similar computations against
office-holding. They do not fight or en-
gage in war They do not sue or appea
to the courts for any sort Of legal settle
ment; that can be arranged by the church
If one brother owes another and cannot
pay, all the brethren sustain equal shares
of the debt and wipe it out. If 6
brother does not pay, but can do so,
first one, then three, then all the
brethren labor with him, and if he is
still stubborn they cast him out of the
church. This seldom fails to bring the
sinner to his senses. The same course is
pursued when a bunker offends in any
way; but such cases are very rare. If &
brother fails or desires to start in bust
ness, all the brethren club together and
set him on his feet. They do this three
times If he does not then succeed they
consider him no longer worthy of help,
and he has to look out for himself. They
are severe upon liars and dishonest per-
sons, and profess to have hardly any in
their ranks. Their condemnation falls
upon outsiders, also, in this respect, and
the tradesman who cheats one bunker is
hunned by all forever afterwards. They
are kind-hearted and hospitable, and are
eerfully obedient to the law that com
pels them to lodge and feed and clothe
whoever calls upon them for assistance.
"But tramps are pretty plenty here.
What do you do with theml' the visitor
asked of a Bunker.
1--WE take EN- in, said he, ''but we get
fearfully imposed on. Day before yes
terday tramp called just as we were at
supper. l gave him place at the table.
| could have sent him to the county
house for his lodging, but | didn't like
to, and he didn't stir; so | gave him a
he'd and his breakfast in the morning.
Soon afterwards an impudent, half tipsy
tramp came along He had been sent, as
many are, to enjoy our hospitality. He
wanted me to point out bunker to
him. might have sent him to a neigh
Dor, but that would not have been right;
so | told him was one. Then trot out
pair of boots, said the tramp, and he
showed me that his left boot was abso-
lutely worthless His right boot was
sound. | happened TO have good left
boot, and SO | gave il to him. 1t was of
more good to him than to me-
You do not fight, but you are strong
and human; suppose some one struck
YOU"
Il cannot say what / would do an
W cred the Bunker; 'that has never oc-
cured"
You do not sue TO recover money; sup
pose some one owed you and laughed at
you, haunting you with your peaceful dis
position, and refused to pay you"
II fear / should be obliged to sue in
such case" the bunker gravely replied.
sEYou do not wear gold, am told, but
how about a gold watch, or are watches
"No. watches are necessary, and as a
bunker usually buys the best OF what he
uses, suppose if gold watch was be
lieved to be better than silver ore, it
would he unhesitatingly purchased. |
wear silver watch" The preacher ex-
hibited it. 1t had no guard or chain.
bunker services are interesting. The
church edifice is invariably a simple,
structure. white, with drab shut
tiers without, and fitted with plain pine
benches and kerosene lamps within. The
or believers, occupy the
middle; the benches face the centre and
are raised one row above the other, as in
theatre There is no pulpit. The preach
pr is a farmer. and draws no salary. He
is chosen for his piety, eloquence and IN
telligence, from among his brethren,
and. as there are many at each
central church, one remains
each Sunday while the others are sent
about the country to other worshipers
would call emissions The church pays
the expenses of the preachers while they
are Mt work The bunker men are all
seated together on one side of the edifice,
the women are together opposite. The
men are uncovered, because st. PBul said
men should be while at worship. The
women wear linen caps because OF the
same authoritative suggestion. The men
wear then hair long and parted IN the
middle because the Saviour is So repre-
sented. For the same reason their boards
are never shaved. They wear short frock
fOdlS, IOuilItAl at iltI tOihtiS, ftts.essN h9AN
original emigrants TO this country wore
a similarly shaped garment, and it is not
fashionable to pay any attention to fash
ons. The women wear plain, tight-tit-
ting dresses, and cover the fronts thereof
with white aprons. They are nearly all
happy.
a0ur most serious trouble" said
preacher Awas over the admission OF
ioops; but while we argued with the wo-
men about them they went out OF fashion
md were no longer desired. The women
rad declared them to he necessary, but
his proved them to be mere vain orna-
nents. You see, we adopt whatever we
believe is useful. as we adopted buttons
when they we're invented, although the
Omish' have not done so yet
A Dunker Sunday service is like q
Methodist observance except on commu-
aion Sundays; then the form observed Is