News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-10-23
TIE DUNKERS.
Tno deterioration OF n Peculiar People.

Ino DeteFiOEutioh W I" . ASS''~A &SoPA'''
While we were passing out to Waynes.
boro, says Gath, we could see the Dunk.
ers going to church in every direction.
Off to the lett, at the edge of a woods,
was a small church with many grave
stones around it. "There," said the
driver, sis Prices bunker meeting,
where they hold their biggest love-feasts.
You probably cannot see bigger love-
feasts in all Pennsylvania, or Maryland,
or Virginia. :"
The railroad underneath US running
through the Antietam valley was speed
ing toward Mount Alto. We came to a
small schoolhouse, around which car
riages were hitched, generally smart
looking buggies with plenty Of varnish,
and inside we could see the Dunkers
sitting, the women in their little caps,
the men in their long bearSg unshaved
except upon the ppehearings Il Was s:.Ia Is
N, and approved. ~~
mns1caff Instruments -
'It was against their doctrine, but
their daughters are bringing in pianos
and organs now. There was time
when they would not have an accordion
in the house nor a mouth-organ. But
their sons are getting to be pretty hard
cases. Sometimes at the bunker love-
feasts you can see the worst fighters in
the children of the Dunkers, who are
eating the Passover supper. They did
not used to vote. Now they vote pretty
sharp, 1 tell you. There was a time
when they never went to law with each
other, but now the lawyers say nobody
enjoys a suit more than Bunker"
Thus talking, we began to descend a
beautiful piece of road, shaded by great
oak trees and hickory trees, with a hill
on the right, while directly underneath
us could be seen another road coming
through valley, the two apparently to
meet close by. Looking to the right
and through a grove of oaks and other
trees we observed kind of triangular
meadow in which was white plastered
church and a very long, red brick
house. "That is Snow Hill." said nay
acquaintance, "where the Seventh Day
Baptists have nunnery. The railroad
station here is called 'Nunnery.' See
them now working in the fields and
mills on Sunday"
I Hooked with interest and surprise on
this strange settlement The house was
about 13O to $50 feet long, and seemed
to have been extended from time to
time, and it had on the top a sort of
small cupola and bell, with wheel to
ring the bell, while the nunnery
crouched under the hill. Close by
were the beautiful Blue Ridge Noun
tains, looking SO inviting with their
green and blue sides, and little white
settlements and patches of mountain
pasture and fields. I then recoIlected
that Snow Hill was an offshoot of Eph-
rata.
"Ah," said my friend, ''this old settle
ment is on its last legs. They haven't
got half dozen people there now, and
they don't agree with each other. The
monastic life does not suit tllis railroad
age. The Seventh Day Baptists, desir-
ing not to be outdone in the character
of their love-feasts by the regular Dunk
ers, offered great entertainments for
years, but the rowdies finally molested
them. Some years ago their spring
house was invaded, the milk drunk and
all the crockery broken at love-feast.
When the followers of Conrad Bissel
sued these rowdies a counter suit was
brought against them for breaking Sun
day. 1t is said that the court decided
against the Seventh Day Dunkers.