Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1879-06-05
Tl.e D;snEze- Meeting.

TAa gIcGt Du1kor mcc!5g is in Iroeress u2-I
BroadWay, in Rockingham equity. y :sEgc
! ;tachc!tIt OF police arc 90 tho grounds 10 en-
foIce the law prohibiting disturbance OF divine
worship, or the selling, giving or dI5poslng OF
any spirtuous or fernepted lin1ora within
distance Of three miles. The cntertalnmen!
given is % the most extended sc,!e. A large
dining ball in the centre Of the grove seats eight
bundled persons at time. ln i! arc employed
two hundred Bunker waiter girls, the daughters
Of farmers from all the couutry round. Near by
is az extensive kitchen fitted up With boilers
Arrangements have been made Tor cooking
| 900 pounds Of bacoa and 10000 pounds OF
beef. There has been provided 300 pounds
OF butter, 500 jars OF pickles, 400 piuads OF
coffee. 900 pounds Of sugar, $50 gallons OF
apple butter end milk ard eggs al !lbitum.
| Twelve thousand loaVts OF bread were baked
before the meeting in neighboring fern houses
| Three meals arc served each day, making o
probable total Of over one hundred thousand
meals 10 be served before the meeting olcse7.
| There arc no sleeping Accommodations q con-
! sequerco on the grounds. Every DuDker
in the valley undertakes TO shelter from
twenty. five 10 eighty visitors. The houses
are given up entirely to tho women folks,
Whie the men content themselves with slcop.
ing in the barns. The barns arc we'll
ventilated and have plenty OF clean straw
At horn blowing they arise aud make their
way from ty.ry quarter to The meeting ground,
where they take all their meals and stay III
early candle lighiOg' as they call sundoTn.
No religious meetings are held on tho grourd',
DOR is thero any preaching done there. All
this takes place at night 10 different sections OF
the valley where tho Moderator makes zap
pointmcnts" for ministers Just like any other
large religious body. A Duukcr sernoG does
not differ much from Methodist sermon, only
it is little quaint sometimes. The sight OF
tho ceremonial dinner 10 the grove ID very
curious Directly the doors ara opened the
vancc. As each mao sits down ho places his
hat on The ground beneath his seat. There are
four wide tables. When the eight oog rows
| ct seats ore filled, eEch man sits still, aud the
great assembly grows 50 silent that whisper
could b. heard. Az elder then takes rod
and strikes o tremendous gong which hangs
from the roof at inc head Ct the minister y
table ''Brethren." he says. I'VE will now
make free" For fall five minutes thr5 vas
stiffness. except that four or five ministers CT
either side keep turning Que to another and
ssyiup, INV bc free, or, Make free, lrjih'
cr." This is q collcquialism regarding prayer,
applied rcsiousIy. as Make yourself at home
l. s.cally. Directly a brother arises and re-
p:a!s two ices of the dtxoIogy, whlsh the
whole ASSEMBLY sing in unison, triuslyg GU;
| c3ch word with Gr;Gt energy, auG hnShiGg It
abruptly with s5rt Of inf Give jerk. Thru
be repeats two more lines, Thlcn they also
sing, and then he prcys.
| The table was SGT with platter; OF cooked
beet, steaks Of b3ied ham, leaves e bread,
dishes Of buttor and plentiful supplies Of that
essentially Dupk"r delicacy known as apple
butter. Then there filed in Two HUNDRED Dunk.
ereirls They wcrc dressed exactly alike. had hair
Alike, eyes alike. The Sane expression, AID were
| OF tho same height. The bread WIS the y-ry
| b3st, and the tuttcr almost better. The Eeat
and ham we're cuy tolerable. When tie neal
was ended another trothcr prayed. aud then
| the tables wlro filed a second time, aud third
time, aud 80 or. Everyone, aud everyono's
horse that comcs along. whether they be Dunk
crJ or rot, are f,d. AS di$ti yIes they feed
| tho multitude"
| The business meeting Was corGned mostly to
the consideration Of tho missionary question.
1t is dts:red, as f5r as possible, to coLvsrt the
Jews. The propliety Of establishing mission
10 Conslantiuople to cbtislianizo tic Turks is
| also being discussed. Il native CT Armenia,
| from Ucsr tho beadHalcrs of the Enphrates.
vas recently baptized 10 Texas, aud hu has
been preparing himself for missionary work 10
| the East. 1t is proposed to establish mission
for Two years and the cost is estimated at
50 900 year.