Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1879-06-05

AM0s A00E&Ms A4&%N MAM #& 4faRN
and cities As iending = Iee6 AI
extravagance, fashion au|l 4N
they 20 much deapises IN hII
OF country 50 largely occuNi sNfa
extending from Lancaster Rn-
MIA, through PennsyIyaa1a and
and The Shenandoah and PSI egs
10 Lexington, Virginia Tiers e14
fiourishing towns. but these
are largely supported by t'.k 6s
from The surrounding eonnt
to trade u home, llaHe saH
| izens.
The Dunkssz lie 5s.Isst ] ~ ).
ton and seldom permit their children %
secure more than the elementary branch
es. The three RS are considered suf-
ficient to enable their sons 10 carry on
the ordinary avocations Of life. For
their daughters they think even less
than that - sufficient. Education, they
believe, makes the young men lazy
and begets pride m the young women.
Besides, they say, when the children
are big enough to 20 to school they are
big enough to work, and work is the
all-important matter with them. Some
Iof the families of the Shenandoah Val-
ley. however. educate their children
well, and few of them have sent their
sons and daughters to colleges and SEM
| inaries.
The section Of the valley in which
the great conference is to be held is
thickly settled with Dunkers, The most
Of whom are the descendants of emf
grants from Lancaster and other coun-
ties of Pennsylvania. Many Of them
whose fathers before them were
born in. Shenandoah and Rocking
ham counties, Va, cannot speak word
of English. A German dialect, COM
monty called Pennsylvania Dutch, il al
most universally spoken in their fami-
lies, and at church this language is large
ly used. The Dunkers usually have
large families, and this is illustrated
BY the large number in Virginia and
Maryland, who bear the same name
There are the Neifs, Bowmans, Klines,
Wines, Fences, Lindamovds, Skaters,
Coffmans, Showaltcrs, Brooks, Zeiglers,
Hoovers, Drivers, Wamplers. HolsIn-
gers, Brenners, Bears, Stofers, EarleYs
and Funks, comprising the names OF a
majority of the families in "The For
est" and living on Linville's creek,
Mill creek, Holman's creek, and the rich
bottoms OF the upper Shenandoah river.
II must be admitted that their preju-
dice against education Is the parent of
much superstition. The D6n4 ~ -be-
lieve in ghosts and omens, though this IS
not part OF their religion. A wealthy
old farmer named Driver, who. owned
fine farm of many acres, once bought
lot of bricks 10 build house. While
colored man was unloading the bricks
he asked Mr.. Driver If he were count
ing them. No, said Mr.. Driver, 81
was never witch enough to count a
thousand"
In politics, before the war, the Dun
kers of Virginia, OF Maryland and Penn
sylvania were Democrats. They were
the devoted followers of Andrew Jack
son. HIS hatred of banks especially
suited their views. Some of them were
Abolitionists. but these mostly removed
10 the West before the war. They still
adhere to Democratic doctrines, and
cannot be easily induced to vote any
other ticket than that of Jackson and
Liberty" Very few ofthem ever held
slaves, but this was more because they
did not like negroes than on account Of
any scruples of principle. They sell
dom employ negroes in any capacity
about them, and have a dread OF living
near them.
A Bunker is fixed in religion and
conservative in his principles, ''As dad
dy did. so did j, is his motto, and this
he carries out almost to the letter, ex-
cept in reference to his farming. He
is always ready to adopt any plan that
will make two blades of grass grow
where only one grew before, and Is a
large customer to the reaping machine
and agricultural implement agents. In
morals the Dunkers are very correct
The rules of their Church strictly pro-
hibit immortality. Drunkenness, fight
ing, swearing and crime are pnnished
by expulsion from the Church. This
is disgrace which few Of them like TO
incur, as it means not only exclusion
from communion n0s s0Uiaa -
Penitence and reformation, however.
are accepted as evidences sufficient to
Justify restoration 10 membership.
In trade the Dunkers are close, but
honest, and scrupulously exact in car
rying on. contracts. They require set
Element to the last cent, and. on the
other hand, are Just in discharging their
debts. There have been some extra
ordinary instances Of conscientious pie
ty among them. When the writer was
a boy there lived an old Quaker preach
er named Slower. commonly known a.
Daddy Slower, who preached once a
month at Mt. Jackson. in Shenandoah.
Everybody went to hear Daddy Slower
out Of respect and confidence il bis sin
cerity. He was tall, venerable look
ing man, with very long whIte beard,
and he preached in plain and very
solemn manner.
There also lived in the sane neigh
borhood gentleman Of some wealth
and influence, bat well known for bis
careless way Of doing business. This
gentleman bought horse IRON Daddy
Slower, for which he paid Slu0- One
| day the two met on the road, when
Daddy Slower surprised bis neighbor by
handing hIm SIS saying be bad received
that much more than the actual value
of the horse. The gentleman refused
to receive the money at first. but was
finally induced TO do 50. aHs honest
as Daddy Stover" became aby-word in