The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-07-23

you, haunting you with your peaceful dis
position, and refused to pay you
~ fear should be obliged to sue in !!
such case, the bunker gravely replied. |
.You do not wear gold, am told, but |
how about a gold watch, or are watches
fo1bidden2'' s l65
"No, watches are necessary, and as
Bunker usually buys the best of what he
uses, suppose if a gold watch was be-
lieyed to be better than silver one, it
would be unhesitatingly purchased. I
wear a silver watch" The preacher ex-
hibited it. It had no guard or chain.
Bunker services are interesting. The
church edifice is invariably simple,
barnlike structure, white, with drab shut
tiers without, and fitted with plain pine
benches and kerosene lamps within. The
professors" or believers, occupy the
middle; the benches face the centre and
arc raised one row above the other, as in
theatre. There is no pulpit. The preach
er is 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 paws
the expenses of the preachers while they
are at 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. Pgul said
men should be while at worship. The
women wear linen caps because of the
same authoritative suggestion. The men
wear their 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
coats, rounded at the corners, because the
original emigrants to this country wore
a similarly shaped garment, and it is not
fashionable to pay any attention to fash
IONS The women wear plain, tight-fit-
ting dresses, and cover the fronts thereof
with white aprons. They are nearly all
happy. t...
"Our most serious trouble" said a
preacher. twas over the admission of
hoops; but while we argued with the wo-
men about them they went out of fashion
and were no longer desired. The women
had declared them to be necessary, but
this proved them to be mere vain orna-
ments. You see, we adopt whatever we
believe is useful, as we adopted buttons
when they were invented, although the
'Omish' have not done so yet"
A bunker Sunday service is like a
Methodist observance except on commu-
Mon Sundays; then the form observed is
truly novel. After preaching, prayers,
and song, two deacons grid themselves
with towels, as the Saviour once did, and
two others carry large tin basins of water
-Four women on the other side of the
house act similarly. In groups of half a
dozen the brethren and sisters advance
to the front bench, divest their feet of
shoes and stockings, and those members
are washed and dried by the basin and
towel bearers. The feet are clothed again.
the six men and women retire, and anoth-
er group comes forward and receives the
same treatment, with the washing and
drying of all the feet the ceremony ends.
Then brethren and sisters assigned to
the service descend to the basement and
prepare (by the help of a well-filled lar
der and roaring log fire. great basins
of beef soup and platters of boiled beef
and sliced bread, and bring these edibles
up into the church, where the backs of
some Of the seats have already been I'M
belted and laid upon the backs of other
benches, so that number of long tables
have been formed. Cloths are laid, the
bowls and plates of soup and beef and
bread are distributed, and love-feast
is begun. None but Dunkers
are permitted to take part in this devo-
ton, tor they are very strict, close COM
munionists. The sacrament proper (the
drinking of wine and breaking of bread
terminates the feast. At the close of the
services the preacher kisses the nearest
brother, the brother kisses the one near
est him, and so they 'pass it round" in
protane parlance, until the last and full
thest brother has received the salutation,
when he completes the ceremony and the
circle, by advancing and kissing the
preacher. Then woman kisses another
sister, and the operation is repeated on
the other side of the house. In the even
ing meal is spread in the basement for
all who choose to come, and for those
who wish to stay all night, Bunker or
not, beds are prepared and breakfast is
furnished in the morning.
The Dunkers baptize by immersion,
dipping the convert three times forward,
instead of backward, as the Baptists do.
The Dunkers are very numerous, and
starting from Philadelphia, where they
have a large church, have journeyed
westward into nearly every Western and
Southwestern state and territory. They
are most numerous in Central Pennsyl-
vania ..r. .:-r. ......- ,.. -.
.. The Way 1t Works. -