The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-03-05
JUMP With FERYOR
The Jumpers a Strange Religious
Sect, Now at Work in Min
neapolis.
They Say Their Eccentric Antics
Are Dancing Inspired by
Holy Zeal.

Z The Holy Jumpers" were jumping
again last night in the lodge room above
Fourth street S. crowd Of men and
boys filled with songs and with "break
down steps the hallway outside the lodge
door. Say, miss, we JUS wanter see en
dance we does" the boys pleaded with
the blonde doorkeeper. But the merry
lads We're not admitted, for the Holy
Jumpers are earnest, if CHEEKY folk, and
they were conducting religious service,
not popular entertainment.
Beyond the blonde the light was dim
but hardly religious. 1t beamed rosily
from a dozen Japanese lanterns, and was
reflected downward from three immense
Japanese umbrellas, red, yellow and blue,
upon three men in black, one man in
brown, one bareheaded woman in white
and gray, another woman with a, red and
gray hat, all kneeling or half lying upon
low. red-carpeted platform, along the
edges thereof. or across the red-carpeted
fhoor near at hand. 49,
| These are the Jumpers but they. are
not now jumping. The chief jumper
premier danseur religieux, as q manager
would write it--kneels on the floor with
his black coat tails sadly tangled, his
black beared, ascetic face uplifted, his
eyes closed, set smile exposing his teeth.
His gaunt hands, revolving about each
other, are washing away" invisible in
4 iquity. Soon he raises both hands on
high, crying then more loudly, in fren-
zied pharases, the Swedish invocation that
he has been repeating faster and faster,
with sing song cadence, as he cleanses
/ his soul. Beside him more youthful
jumper in pastoral garb, with a square
face, light mustache and even a jolly
smile, kneels upon the floor and swings
. his trunk backwards and forwards, bend
ing at the waist, and sweeping his long.
pendant arms to and fro in time with
ohe "a in
shaggy headed, cravatless laborer, lies
bumped up on all tours at the edge of the
platform. The woman in white, cast
adrift far out on the floor towards the
: aisle. kneels, her forehead on the carpet
her companion with the red and gray hal
holding that ornament somewhat distant
from the dust. At the beginning of the
chairs may be seen, after a while, facing
the CONGREGATION. the red and Wr1nkle(
features of a mustached man, his eye:
closed in a scowl, his head falling ant
rising again above the seat Of a chair be-
fore which he is kneeling.
All the 9lneelers are chanting occasional
IL, after the pastor, they raise their arms
tappealingly and bark out fragments o
emotion Many Of the onlookers keel
time with their feet ON the floor, especial!
when the pastor, or one OF his assistants
burst out into short strains from a hymn
| One onlooker laughed. The pastor rise
and drops his smile. 'You have not man
ner," he exclaims in defective English
you who laugh there. You shall get n
good of this service. You shall go out
= Your soul shall be damned If you laugh
= Yes, you'll be damned as sure as yo
Il live!"-
Now an old, fat woman in black wit
lgrizzled hair, wrinkled, sunbrowned face
,, rises hysterical from the front row OF tn
worshippers and begins, in Swedish an
a high falsetto, All incoherent appeal for
: to come forward and see the Lord. Tn
IS merry assistant glances at the pastor
o Both smile. But a blonde girl on tn
n fright, beside an unused melodeon, drink
: from a tin bucket and starts a swingin
;, Ffhyrnr;; II Am Going to See My Savior Fac
stfto Fate..s'Sst fhe aKnee1ers rise. The paste
nflftge lihhis2 hands IT, sh9hts,s
eif eh0of66s f6uhd afheH tIoh tg56{
g The boot 1feaf5s retobfhfddh thf1ighdut" III
ae n!& Bs aG Sg5 bSlsg ri &se'
II BOUT their chief. - Their arms Slows y ia
Il lower, and, begin a balancing moVemen
eIITherl the. pastor rises, the broad toes
This, dull CATERS. :. His arms, flop winglik
p. = He leaps upward, once twice. and soon
. is: Jumping as far, towards the ceiling
his age and weight permit. Jumping /
. shouts Jesus! Face to face-Thats 81
- I'm. coming!'' The jolly assistant is hol
i is ping off towards the shouting crowd. No
70. he goes on one leg, now on the other. h
- - black coat ballooning like a eoryphee
= skirts A shrill scream from the platfor
w the dancers are silent on their knee
K But the piano below continues, Goo
p Coon, Coon' -.
If mo, we are not Dowieites.' eXplain
J" Melvin Charleston, the assistant, after II
Nv meeting. 1--WE are very much opposed
oe Dowie. We belong to the holiness churc
IT. We do everything the Bible tells us. v
K. dance when the Holy Spirit comes to o
I'd heart. We can't help it; we are so g1a
ne Our sect IS t"enty-three years OLD. =
a. we've been in Minneapolis only a fl
nv weeks. Our pastor is Otto Braulin. '
Nj have services every night in eth
= Swedish or English"
"Can't Be Denied" Youman's The Hal