News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-06-26
AMONG THE DUNKARDS.
DESCRIPTION OF THEIR PECULIAR
RITES.
Their Love Feast and Method of Celebral
ing the LORDS supper.

| Their Love Feast and Method of Celebrnt-
| ing the LORDS supper.
| The church was divided down the cen.
| ter by long table, and this table was
divided in the center to allow passage
between. At one end the men sat on
benches ranged along the table; the
other end or division of the table was in
like manner occupied by the women. A
strip of plank with pegs in it was over
the mems table, and was hung full of
their immense hats. A staircase in one
corner went up into the loft above,
where all the congregation who have to
come any distance sleep on the floor and
in hunks they bring their bedding
with them, and, as they do not insist
upon the separation of the sexes, a
great many can be accommodated in
| this garnet. People acquainted with
their habits said that they slept in sack
cloth and ashes while here for several
nights. A door at the foot of the stairs
led into the kitchen, in which tremen-
dous fire cracked under a great iron pot
hanging ON crane in a spacious chin
new that would easily burn a cord of
wood uncut. From this pot a savory
steam escaped and made its way through
the open door, pervading the atmos-
phere with a most appetlz1ng odor of
beef. Soon there were prayers from
| first one and then another of the men,
alternated with exceedingly brief and
crude addresses. Hymns were also
lined out and sung to very monotonous
tunes. During all the time the men and
women at their respective tables were
embracing and kissing each other. 1t
looked rather strange to see two men
with Tisau-like boards kissing each
other. There we're several negroes at
| the tables, who were embraced and
kissed Just the same as the other mem
| bers, and bestowed their kisses equally
as freely.
After these addresses, prayers and
hymns had gone on for an hour or more
some of the men and women brought
| little wooden tubs and towels. Then
| one man or one woman, as the case
might be, washed the feet of another
after their boots or shoes and wooden
stockings were removed, kissing them
| both before and after it. Another, with
his coat removed Gf a man), and
towel about his waist, wiped the feet
after bestowing the kiss of brotherly
love. as it is called; then gave up the
| towel and tub to some one else, who
performed the same office for them in
| turn. This custom, as one of the
preachers explained, twas to show their
humility and brotherly love-, and also
to follow Christ at the last supper
After this office had been concluded,
praying, singing and speaking went on
as before. A man now entered bearing
! a great basket of bread, a slice of which,
about nine inches long, five wide, and of
| an indefinite thickness, was laid in front
of each person next spoon was put at
each place then dishes of soup with
square bits of bread broken in it were
placed so that there was one for every
| four persons then appeared huge
pieces of boiled beef. Everything being
! thus prepared, one of the preachers ex-
planned that according to their reading
of the Scriptures the communion did not
mean simply the taking OF the elements
| of bread and wine, but that the last sup
per of Christ was feast, and their aim
was to initiate Him exactly. After q
blessing had been asked in the ordinary
way, with all standing around, they be-
gan to eat heartily. Without waiting to
clear up the table, they proceeded to
complete their communion, by taking
the latter part of the feast. This con-
sisted of what appeared to be unleav-
ened bread, made into long, thin strips
eight inches long, an inch wide, and
about the thickness of a newspaper
when folded. An explanation of the
ceremony was made by minister, and
a sort of informal blessing of the ele-
ments was pronounced. The slices of
bread were lying in napkin, while the
wine was in two patent medicine bottles
| labeled oliver corrector."
The bread was distributed, one per-
son taking strip with two of his COM
panions, and breaking it into three
pieces, thus again following out their
| idea of a preservation of the Trinity, as
they do on every possible occasion the
wine, or oliver corrector," was next
poured into tin cups, and likewise dis
| tributed, both among women and men,
as the bread had been. During and
after the ceremony there was much
kissing and embracing, and after the
communion singing, praying and speak
ing were again resumed Washington
| Star.