Los Angeles herald., 1907-05-17
DEvOUT SECT
LIVE IN PEACE
and HARMONY
Untouched by Worlds
Giddy Whirl
Dunkard Maids Care Nothing for
Fashion and Dunkard Men Es.
chew the Flesh and the
Devil
.What is a Dunkard 2"

"What is a Dunkard?"
AT least nine-tenthS of the popula-
tion of Los Angeles is Just now ask
ing this question. At least one-half
of the other tenth is trying in vain to
answer it.
The truth of the case is, a Dunkard
isn't, or If an alleged Dunkard is a
Dunkard, he will not admit it.
A great many years ago in a little
town in Germany, so the story goes,
eight persons who were dissatisfied
with the church and their understand
ing of the Bible, went upon their knees
with their Bibles in their hands and
prayed for light, On their knees they
studied the Bible and from their study
sprang the church of the German Bap-
tist brethren.
From the new testament they read
and interpreted literally.
In their reading they gathered that
people should be baptized in much
water and dipped three times forward
in the water. From the old German
word bunker, meaning to dip, some one,
also long time ago, conceived the
name Dunkard as a nickname for the
sect, and it has stuck with them ever
since.
Five Thousand Coming
Five thousand Of these people are on
LhCil way W LUIS AHBtlGS. AlTGduy LnO
advance guard has arrived and the
basement Of Temple Auditorium, which
is to be the convention hall, was the
gathering place for many of them yes
terday afternoon. In this basement a
lunch room, information bureau, bag
gage room and general headquarters
have been established.
Five thousand bonneted women and
bewhiskered men will soon crowd the
r%v- 4f 11n
women will be seen in the theater and
none of the men will be seen in the
barrooms. The women will not even be
noticed looking in the show windows
of the big stores like their sisters. The
things contained in those windows are
of the world and the DunkardS are
not.
Theirs is another world-a world
wherein the things of the flesh and the
devil have no part-a world wherein
vanity doth not dwell. A world with
set of laws foreign to those of any
other world.
Their Religion Their Life
To the Dunkard religion is not an
incident Of life or even a garment to be
put away in moth balls on week days
and taken out for an airing on Sun
day 1t Is all of life.
to the world. The standing committee
now holding preliminary meetings in
the Auditorium Is tribunal from
which there Is little appeal.
That committee is even now receiv-
ing evidence and passing on the acts
of man. 1t is composed of men with
long boards and black coats buttoned
up to their collars-men who have been
long tried in the doctrines Of Dunkard-
ism and have not been found wanting.
Men who are so far above the world
that they can sit in judgment on their
fellow man and punish him as they
see fit.
If a Dunkard is found guilty of lead
ing an immoral life he will be excom-
nunicated or expelled from the faith
and turned back to the world to live
as he wills.
Disapproves of Lodges
The Dunkard's church is a world all
sufficient.
He does not believe in lodges, for he
thinks that there is nothing in lodge
or a society which a man cannot get
in his church, if it is right that he
should have 1t.
The women of the sect do not belong
to women's clubs. They have no pretty
gowns to show off, no new hats save
now and then new black bonnet no
gossip to tell to one another, no ques-
tion to debate or argue upon.
In dress they have no interest but
to dress plainly. Neatness, comfort
and economy are the three things for
which they strive in dress and it is un-
necessary to show these to ones neigh
bor to have a proper appreciation of
them.
The women who are in Los Angeles
are all dressed much alike, with plain
bonnets, gowns of dull gray, black or
brown material, inexpensive, and cut
with as little material as necessary to
conform to the idea of neatness, COM
fort and economy There is no change
in fashion for the Dunkard woman and
the storekeepers would never get rich
If they had no other customers. When