The daily sentinel., 1908-04-08
THE "HOLY JUMPERS"
Queer Religion of Saints in Black
Shirts and Helmets-What
They Believe.

The Holy Jumpers, hidden away
on little New Jersey farm, but with
about 60 converts in New York, who
commute regularly once week, pro-
hibit the use of medicines and ply
sicians. Their only treatment of dis
ease consists of prayer and amounting
the body with oil
"Zarephath! reals the sign at
the entrance to the Holy Rollers set
tlement on the Delaware and Rari-
tan canal, 60 miles from New York
Lower down, at the entrance to the
door-yard, was an arch bearing the
legend. "Pillar of Fret
All the men in the community are
saints" and all the women isis
ters.' A saint passed On a bicycle,
wearing uniform of the sect-a
black shirt and helmet. The sister
who received us on our visit wore a
miiar dress. In the reception room
of the tiny farmhouse there could
be heard but one sound, that of the
hymns pounded out on a piano, per-
81 tently. monotonously, endlessly.
until the visitor thought of the most
maddening Chinese tortures, the
steady drip of water on a mans
shaved head.
Then developed the facts of the
sect The members call it '"The
Pentecostal Union,' the neighbors
THE Pillar of Fire the public "The
Holy Jumpers The sister who re-
ceived us called it "The holiness
movement, the Method t church as
it was in the days of Wesley. before
people thought of worldly things,
and the ministers of preaching and
prayer for wage"
"And what are your ceremonies, ,"
we asked.
"We march and dance. In the
Bible it tells how David danced be-
fore the Ark of the Covenant, yea,
and who was exceeding glad Did not
Miriam dance with Joy when Israel
was delivered from the hands of the
Egyptians and the Red Sea flowed
back and confronted the enemies of
the Lords people?"
Why These Are Jumpers"
so you sing and dance when
the hay is brought in, and when the
hens lay fresh eggs, and when the
pain goes out of your back at
nights? Is that it?"
"Yes. l never thought of it that
way, but that is what we do"
"And you use cymbals and
shawns?" We quoted.
Not shawns. What's shawns?
Just cymbals and drums and guitars
and banjos and the piano.
And harps?"
mo. Just autoharps. But most
of the music is on the piano. We
sing and dance as they did in the
old days, marching about and jump
ing up and down in our gladness.
That is why they call us Jumpers" p"
AS the sister continued her con-
versation in that tiny parlor, the
monotonous tones of the piano in
the next room ceased. There came
instead the click of the windmill. the
hum of the bees, the chatter of chill
dren. Then a man and a woman be-
gan to talk in the next room. They
might have been quarreling. Their
voices were pitched high, both speak
ing together unintelligibly. There
was silence for minute, then a
single voice in great excitement:
"Oh! Help us! Show us the way
oh! we've done wrong-we thank
Thee! We bow before Thee! Help
-help-help-us! Oh, Lord"
Looking from the door We could
see them in the backyard. clasping
each others hands, which were rails
ed on high, and dancing together in
the fading afternoon light, a curious
light quickstep, animated with some
of the sensuous swing of the Cuban
dantzon, their faces aglow, their
voices pitched in hallelujah.-
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