Evening star., 1897-06-07
THE DUNKERS IN SESSION
Estimated That $4,000 Members Are As.
sembled Near Frederick, Md.
The Annual Conference - Arrange
ments for the Erection of n House
of Worship In This City.
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

FREDERICK, Md, June g. 1897.
1t is a conservative estimate that not less
than 10000 persons were in attendance at
tcday's meeting of the annual gathering OF
the German Baptists, or Dunkers, of the
United States, now being held near this
city.
Although religious services have been
held daily for nearly a week, the business
sessions of general conference, which IS
composed of nearly 500 delegates, each
representing a church of the denomination,
will not begin until Tuesday morning at 9
o'clock. 1t is expected that the final adj
journment will take place Thursday even
ing.
One of the most important matters to
come before the conference will be the re-
port of the mission beard. which has al
ready made preliminary arrangements for
the erection of a church in Washington.
For this purpose a large lot of ground at
the intersection of North Carolina avenue
and 9Th street southeast has been pur-
chased and paid for at a cost of 5000. The
plan of the building which is to be con-
structed there has been adopted by the
board, but work viii not be begun until
the estimated cost, $1,000 is in the hands
OF the committee, as it is against the policy
of the church to go in debt.
1t Is expected, however, that the actual
construction will be begun very soon, as
enterprise recently sent out to the mem
bershp generally have already been re-
ceived, and the donations were quite as
liberal as were expected.
The Washington Membership.
The Dunkers already have a small mem
bership in Washington, which is in the
pastoral care of Rev. Mr. Hollinger but
they have no regular meeting place of
their own. and it is felt by the mission
board that the erection and dedication of a
house for divine worship would be followed
with excellent results.
Were 1t not for the aversion of the Dunk
ers TO all unnecessary or apparently
wasteful expenditure of money it is prob
able that the new church in Washington
would be among the finest structures of
the kind in the national capital.
Among other important subjects to come
before the conference are: Election of min
listers: care of disabled missionaries: the
most Srriptural plan of holding love feasts:
communion meetings: to make increased
efforts to have the Sabbath day more sac
redly regarded: that nothing but the merest
necessities be sold or furnished on the con-
ference grounds: that the post office be
closed on that day: that the sale of news
papers be also prohibited: that the people
in going to the conference be urged to make
their arrangements so that they shall not
arrive on Sunday, thus removing any en-
couraSement on the church's part 70 the
that the general conduct of the day, in So
cial minglings, be as much in keeping with
the intent of the church possible; that
it may be quiet and spiritual Sabbath.
The conference opposes life insurance,
because it is selfish, in that It gives 10
benefit to the really poor and needy, robs
the church of true Christian charity; be-
cause II is a childish savings bank, and
thus kills the ability to properly take care
of means: because 1t is a lottery. and be-
cause it is an incentive to covetousness and
murder" The question will be discussed
at the gathering here.
Conference Reports.
The conference will be called to order by
Rev D. p Price of Illinois, the retiring
moderator, following which Rev. Galen b.
Royer, secretary and treasurer of the mis-
sion board, will make his annual report,
which, In a condensed form, will be as fol-
lows: Receipts, worldwide, s.. O629o;
India, sl,39632; Asia Minor, $o9.l4: or
phanage, 81, 1869; another source, 81, l1i.13:
total, S17. .4Oo.7:;. Expenditures - United
States. S. 16S. II; Denmark, s64104; Swe-
den, SS1661: India, 81 600; Asia Minor,
81, ,4G6.S0: Asia Minor Orphanage, Sl,24t-23
Washington city lot, $GO1I.64; committee
travelling expenses and secretarys salary,
s32I63: endowment expense, $5ls.iO; total,
S.021O.11.
Continuing Secretary-trcasurer Roger
will say: Through the endowment ex-
pense, the assets of the committee were in
creased from $40 5SS6.3O to s22i,0l7.16. The
earning power of the increased assets will
much more than cancel the expenses, hence
of every dollar expended, 9S.4 cents actual
ly did mission work, while 1.6 cents was
used in expense of same.
THE receipts account of book and
tract work amounted to 81. 1D.51, and the
expenditures to 4,04l.3. These eXperdi-
lures cover the publishing and distributing
Of nearly 2UO0,OOO pages of tracts, besides
books and Bibles.
Assistance was given to eight state dis
tr:cts, amounting to $1,750; loans were
made on seven meeting houses, aggregating
81 80, and donations were made on nine
meeting houses, amounting to 81, 1850. As
sistance to eighty-nine meeting houses has
been rendered since the present plan was
adopted.
The committee has under its care mis-
sions in Washington, d. c.; Chicago, Ar
kansas, southern Missouri, Florida and Ala
bama, in the United States, and, in the
foreign fields, in Denmark, Sweden, Smyr-
ma and India"
History of the Sect.
THE Brethren, or Dunkers, incorporated
as the German Baptist Brethren Church.
said Rev. d. L. Miller to the representative
of The Star, "are large body of Chris
tians whose faith and practice are not
generally known outside of their imme
date localities.
"Thc statements that the Brethren are
that they do not marry outside of their
own fraternity; that they keep the seventh
day Sabbath; that they live in communi-
ties, and other charges set forth in books
written on the subject. always have been
without foundation. These misstatements,
which to be found in nearly all the
standard works. show lack of care in OBJ
tanning correct information which is far
from commendabie.
Ever since the decline of primitive
Christianity IN the early age of the church,
Gcd has had people who protested against
the departures from the usages of the
apostolic faith. The Brethren come In this
line of succession, and the movement
which resulted in their closer organization
grew out of the great religious awakening
which occurred in Germany during the
closing years of the seventeenth century,
when large numbers, becoming dissatisfied
with the lack of spirituality in the state
church, withdrew from its communion and
met together for the worship of God.
These were called separatists, and they
were bitterly prosecuted by the adherents
OF the state church. Finally a few of the
separatists met together and mutually
agreed to lay aside all existing creeds, con-
fessions of faith and catechisms and
search for the truth of Gods book and,
having found 1t. to follow in wherever 1t
might lead them. They were led to adopt
the New Testament as their creed and to
49, >v~- - IL