Los Angeles herald., 1907-05-17

Ln0 Styles ana 1aSnlOnS OF Inllauy Ol
the world are ever changing, she of the
Dunkard faith wears the same garD
all the time. Her sleeves are not big
as balloons one year and skin tight the
next. They are the same through all
seasons in spite of the DEGREES OF
Partisan modistes.
Women Not Gossipers
The Dunkard woman has no gossip
to spread, for Mrs. Grundy is not al
lowed to walk In Dunkard circles. If q
Dunkard woman discovers that some
other woman of her church has said
something about her or has done
something to injure her, she goes to
the woman and asks her about it, and
together they have 1t out as peacefully
as possible. They reason with each
other and IL they cannot come to terms
one or two other members are called
into consultation and all three reason
with the offender. If these efforts fail
1t becomes church matter and the
church deals with the one who has
committed a wrong or wounded the
feelings of a sister.
If the sister continues in her refusal
to apologize, she is expelled from the
church. The church goes upon the
principle. IF your hand offend thee,
cut it off,"
Among the Dunkards there are doc
tors, dentists, merchants and farmers,
but there are no lawyers and no saloon
keepers, and even the man who raises
grain to be used in making liquor Is
barred from the church.
No Use for Lawyers
There are no lawyers, because
Dunkards do not believe in going to
law about anything. Theirs is the doc
trine of non-resistance. They do not
believe in war of any kind and every
thing must be settled by arbitration.
If a point at law cannot be settled
between two Dunkards 1t must be
brought before the church court and
the verdict of the church is the final
one.
The Dunkard does not approve Of
tl.eater going, card playing, gambling
or other like amusements These things
are of the world They are the things
that tend to draw men down and the
Dunkard believes In lifting men up, SO
lie says.
The women wear thin white wells
or caps, called prayer wells, whenever
they pray, and they believe that in
this way their prayers go direct to
God instead of through men, as they
would otherwise. They believe that
woman fell and that 1t was only the
coming Of Christ which raised her, but
without the prayer veil, the prayers of
women must go through man to God,
as without 1t woman cannot approach
the throne of God.
For this they take as authority
Corinthians, Ill, and Peter, 1 to 3.
They believe that the Old Testament
should not be taken literally, but
should be used as the schoolmaster or
key to the New Testament.
Salute with Kiss
When one of the brothers meets an
other brother on the street or any
where else he kisses him and the sisters
go through the same salutation with
each other. The kiss Of charity and
the handclasp of fellowship are being
extended on every hand this week.
One of the ceremonies not observed
by other churches is that Of feet wash
ing. Before the taking of holy COM
munion the Dunkards sit down to
meal together, the men at one table
and the women at another. They dine
and their feet are washed. They give
the kiss of charity and join hands all
around the room in the handclasp Of
good fellowship, and then the sacra-
ment is administered.
They are not baptized in infancy, as
are the children of most other sects,
| but are taught first and then Immersed
three times. face downward in the
water.
The denomination numbers about 100,-
900 and maintains ten colleges and
Bible schools. A large publishing
house at Elgin is also owned by the
sect and paper called the Gospel Mes
senger is published there.
Celebrate BicentenniaI
| The bicentennial of the sect, which
was started in 1908, will be celebrated
next year Though the sect was
started in Germany, prosecutions drove
it's members to America, and they set
tied in Germantown, Pa. They now
have missions in India, France, Swift
zerland, Denmark, Sweden, Smyrna ana
Asia Minor.
The standing committee, which is the
working organization of the conven-
ton, held sessions all day yesterday
and elected Elder L. Y. Holsinger of
Piedmont, Ind, moderator. Elder s. N.
Mccain of India was elected writing
clerk and Elder John Hickman of Polo,
ILL.,, reading clerk.
This convention means more to the
people of the sect than does the usual
church convention, for at it the laws
that govern the entire lives of the peo-
pie are made.