Wichita eagle., 1888-12-01
A PECULIAR PEOPLE.
THE HARMONISTS AND THEIR CElE-
BRATlON OF THE LORDS SUPPER.

! Tho Singular Religious Sect OF Economy
Pa--Some Pecaliarities Of Belief and
Practice-AIusic ON the sacramental
Day-Dipping the Sop.
Every one has heard Of the Harmonists or
Economics Their fame is world wide The
story of how, to escape religious persecution,
they fed from their German Faderland to
| this country and established here in 1905
theocratic, communistic religious society
upon the principle of holding all things in
common, is a familiar tale. Their adoption
in 1907, wholly from religious motives, of the
rigid practice Of celibacy, which they have
strictly observed down to the present time,
has had wide notoriety, and has even been
COMMUNICATED in one of the poems Of Lord
Byron.
! close intimacy with their religious lead
ers and residence Of many years in their
immediate vicinity have given me unusual
opportunities for the observance Of these
things The frequent misrepresentation OF
them by newspaper and magazine correspond
ents have aroused in the breast of the Har-
monist leaders a desire that they shall be
truthfully stated 1t is owing to this combi-
nation Of circumstances that / am able to
give correct account Of the manner In which
the Harmonists celebrate that most sacred OF
all religious usages-the Lords Supper.
AN ANNUAL SACRAMENT.
These singular people partake of this sacra-
ment but once year. They believe that as
it was intended to replace an annual observ-
ance-the Feast Of the Passover-it was our
Lords intention that it should be celebrated
but once in twelvemonth, and that it is q
direct violation Of his wish and will to keep
it oftener. 1t is the only sacrament they rec
ognize. They believe that at the Lords
table the true body and blood of Jesus Christ
are verify present in the eternal symbols Of
bread and wine, and that they are there
communicated and received. They attach I'M
usual Importance to the scriptural saying
that damnation tthe revised version substi-
tutes "condemnation'1 shall be the portion
OF him who eats and drinks unworthily.
The worthiness which they deem essential
includes not merely q change Of heart. No
one must approach the Lords table with feel
ings Of enmity in his heart toward any of his
brethren. Before coming to communion
they are careful to first privately and then
publicly reconcile all variances which may
have arisen among any of their members, so
that they may all participate together in true
Christian love and fellowship. They claim
that this practice is strictly enjoined by our
Saviour in bis sermon on the Mount as re-
corded by st. Matthew v, %, "a: There
fore if thou bring thy gift to the altar
and there rememberest that thy brother hath
aught against thee, leave there thy gift before
the altar and go thy way; first be reconciled
to thy brother and then come and offer thy
gift"
AN OCCASION OF JOY.
But notwithstanding the very sacred and
mystic character with which they invest it,
the Harmonists' celebration of the Lords
Supper is largely a social as well as a relig-
ious observance. 1t is an occasion Of joy, not
Of sadness or gloom. Every dispute having
been amicably settled and every sin atoned
for. so far as lies within the power Of the
transgressor, all the members of this singular
community are at peace with each other and
with themselves Music plays a most impor-
tant part in their celebration Of the sacra-
ment, as in all their other social and religious
observances Father George Rapp, the
founder Of the Harmony society, was great
lover of music and thoroughly understood
its influence over large bodies Of men. He
caused great attention to be paid to its cult
walton by oil the members Of bis community.
On the sacramental day music is heard on
every hand-not sad and somber melodies,
but airs Of the gayest, nveliest character,
seeking to give fit expression to the e1uber-
ant joy of these devout and simple minded
Christians. AS is their custom on all their
great feast days, the town is awakened at
sunrise by the music Of the band playing
from q portico constructed for the purpose
around the high steeple Of the church.
Marching back to breakfast still playing,
the bandmen have no sooner finished their
meal than they are on the street again,
awakening the echoes of the sleepy, grass
grown old town, and blowing as though, like
the winds in poor King Lear's time, they
would 'crack their cheeks" From house to
house they go, arousing the inmates and
summoning them to church, where all are r.
quired to assemble to hear a sermon from
Father Jacob Heinrich, the venerable man
who has been the absolute civil and religious
head Of the community-its prophet, priest
and king-for more than twenty years past.
DIPPING THE SOP.
After the preaching comes the observance
of the sacrament. This does not take place
in the church, but in q large public hall
specially erected for such purposes Only
members Of the society are permitted to COM
municate or even to be present. The Har-
monists do not confine their celebration Of
the Last Supper to partaking of bread and
wine. They have an elaborate feast prior to
receiving the sacred clements In the char
acter Of the viands for this repast as well as
in the preparation Of them, they strive to
initiate as closely as possible those partaken
of by the Saviour and his disciples when they
ate the Passover for the last time Unleav-
ened bread and a large dish Of a peculiar
kind Of soup are placed in the center Of the
table.
In connection with these they perform q
peculiar ceremony which they term dipping
| the sop" At given signal from Father
Henrid ell the members present simultane-
ously dip into the soup piece Of bread, thus
converting it into a sop. This they do in
memory Of the Saviour's words when asked
by his disciples who should betray him
Matt XVI, %, and John xiii, 26-"He that
dippeth his hand with me in the dish, tho
same shall betray me-" and HE ii is, to
whom l shall give . sop, when 1 have
dipped it,
This dipping the sop" the Harmonists
deem most sacred ceremony, and they per-
form it with the utmost solemnity, regarding
it as an humble confession thet they have ell
betrayed Christ many times by their sins
against him After this ceremony the bread
is broken and the cup prepared by Father
Heinrich He blesses both, and 81 partake In
silence Then they pass one by one from the
great hall, and tbs celebration of the sscra-
ment is fnished.-Econony Pa) Cor. New
York Herald
A Change In Appetite.
Y