The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-09-16
way into print to the injury of a meek,
intelligent and law-abiding people.

way into print to the injury of meek,
intelligent and law-abiding people.
The church was organized in 170S by
Alexander Mack and seven others In
Germany, and Mack, with his compan-
ions, after corresponding with II lillian
Penn, then governor of PENNSYLVANIA,
came to America and settled in what is
now the city of Germantown. Here
the first church was built, and here
today the second church, built in 1740,
still stands in the midst of the most
fashionable district Of the PHILADELPHIA
suburb. The growth Of the church
was necessarily slow. The peculiar
doctrines laid down by this band of
strongly to the Puritans Of New Eng
land. the Quakers Of Pennsylvania or
the Catholics Of the Virginias And
through the century and a half that
has followed, the growth of the Dunk
ard church has been slow but steady
along the lines of longitude, the pio-
neers of the early church reaching ont
into Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and Mis-
souri,. few were attracted by the
fertile valleys of the Virginias and in
more recent years the establishment of
colonies In Iowa and Kansas was ac-
complished. AS a class the Dunkards
are farmers and far from aggressive,
L,
growth and comparative obscurity as
sect is due.
Alexander Mack and his handful OF
followers banded themselves to study
the Scriptures, and, as far as possible.
TO found church based upon apos-
tolic precedents They were not sat
isfied with existing creeds and deter
mined to establish church accepting
the New Testament literally Accord
ing to their belief baptism should be
administered in three acts, and they
established triune dimensions as the
cardinal act Of their faith. They oh
serve the Lords Supper as full meal
at the close Of the day, and partake of
the bread and wine as a separate func-
ton, connected with and immediately
following the supper. 1T is at this time
also the ceremony of washing of feet
is observed.
dress are rigidly prescribed and fol-
lowed. The church government en-
braces almost every known rule or law
that human conduct requires to keep It
within bounds of the Dunkard idea of
propriety. Fashions Of the world are
strictly prohibited. Women may not
wear hats, but plain sunbonnets of sub
stantiaI but not rich material, and de-
void Of hounces or ribbons. The dress,
too, must be plain in make and quiet in
color. Jewelry of any kind may not
be worn, and the little bits of finery
so dear to the feminine heart are pro-
hibited the matron and maid of Dunk
ard faith.
The men are not so rigidly circum-
scribed In their dress. but are expected
to wear their hair long and parted in
the middle or combed straight back
over the head. The beard must be
worn full length and the mustache
must be shaved. Soft hats, broad of
brim and low of crown, must be worn
and the standing collar and cutaway
coat constitute the main peculiarities
Of the male uniform.
These peculiarities are sought for by
the people of the faith. They aim to be
of the world apart in their religion
They are as rigid in enforcing the rules
OF dress as In the laws of morality So
trivial a matter as dress led to a
serious church quarrel and the separa-
ton Of a body Of the Dunkards who
tended toward liberality in dress and
the use Of choir and organ in their
services. These progressive Dunkards
were expelled from the church and
form smaller body of their own, ad-
herring IN every other way to the tenets
Of Alexander Mack.
The true name of the church is the
German Baptist Brethren and the title
Dunxard was given the organization
because OF their method Of baptism