The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1881-04-22
oellanrnns.
Queer Sects,


A Hummelstown, Pa.) correspondent of
the New York Sun, tells of II loyc.fcast re-
Gently held at that place by some of the GU
rious sects of the Keystone State. TO the
stranger these various PENNSYLVANIA German
sccts all look alike, but upon close inspection
their beliefs, forms of worship, habits and
customs are found to be different. One sect
baptiZes by plunging the convert three times
in the water forward another sect plungcs
its converts into the water backwards. One
uses no buttons on garments; another uses
buttons. The no-buton people use hooks
and eyes only. The dress of one of these
farmers is usually q very broad brimmcd,
black wool hat, stiffand strong a dark brown,
cutaway coat, with small collar and no lap
pels; hooks and eyes in row down in front :;
dark pantaloons, cut straight up and down
mo spring bottoms.) His hair is always
worn very long, and cut straight, like brush
Generally they are dark haired and dark eyed
Their style of dress has not changed in
hundred years, and their tailors have used
nothing but the regulation patterns since
thir ancestors first crossed the sea. The
young men follow closely in the paths of
their fathers, and the make up of sixteen
year old boy is generally the same as his fifty
year old sire.
The women wear the plainest of garments
Coarse brown or dark grey frocks with very
narrow skirts; dark silk handkerchiefs over
their shoulders; black silk and pasteboard
bonnets, stitf1y made on the scoopshovel pat
perm a pair of rough calf skin shoes. Thus
aturcd, they are ready ior II meeting, the mar
ket, or marriage rs me case may be. The
seVentecnyeaf Ola girl dresses IKE her moth
er ana grand mo'her' ohly lhe chlld some
tlme wears SILK kerchiel vi coior brighter
than mat worn by her molher' 10 sec their
pretty black eyes u Is necessary 10 get look
at them from me front
The assemDlnge AT thc love least was made
up oflust this class OF people, Some OF them
came twenty miles, and lhelr conveyances
covered several acres. these farmers gene
rally own nrsCclass hoTscs, ana lney take
PRIDE IN driving 10 the 1easI IN lhelr very pest
turnouts An ample STOCK OF leed Is Drought
with them, ana tne horses are llcd along the
fences. -Four ministers or speakers were
present The teet-washlng was at night
These services take place once a year before
harvest, ana are hclu To give praise to the
LORD Tor Ills goouhesS III schalhS them
abundant crops. Inc ceremony OF washing
the feet is usually priVa'c. me men GRID
themselves WIN towels anu, WIN paslh III
the hand, wash TIE lect OF thclr DfolhcrS rs
n lesson in humanity. The women wash each
tisms are public. Ihcn follows n general re-
loiclng ana Il roasted OK IS eaten.
~ GU are welcome, SAD Droauhrlm to
his city visitors. ~ on are welcome to par
take ofwhat we have All strangers are wei
come
In the conversation that followed The old
gentleman said ave very rarely engage in
lawsuits; never among ourselves. we SET
tie our own grievances between us, stick to-
gcthcr, intermany, keep honest, and that's
about the way we get along lfyou want to
find the Omlsh people you must go down INTO
the Concstoga Valley IN Lancaster county
The Dunkards live over III Berks and Lancas-
ter counties, the Seventh Day Baptlsts about
Ephrata, which is sometimes called Dnnkard-
town the Moravians are oyerin Bethlehem,
and also in l.itiz, Lancaster county. We are
all pretty much out of the same cloth, but
there are many writers who get US mixed up
i'll their descriptions. yesterday | attended
the funeral of a very old Momvlan over in
Bethlehem. His name was Blckel and he
was nearly eighty years ofagc. Forfiity years
he was a member of the trombone quartet of
the church. Their trombone players, every
Easter morning before daylight, go about
the village playing suitable anthems. In their
gravcyards are no monuments, fancy ratings,
or fences. They are buried in rows rich and
poor alike, men with men, and women with
women. A small flat piece of marble placed
on each grave. The graves are numbered,
and the record kept in the church book, As
they die they are buried, so that families are
separated in the burying- ground. AT first
sight their cemeteries look like empty grass
fields
1.-The OmiSh people are very strict
They have no churches, but they meet at one