GERMAN BAPTIST BRETHREN, known also as °Dunkards,* °Dunkers') or °Tunkers,p bodies of Christians of German origin, consisting of four divisions. (1) Con servative, (2) Old Order, (3) Progressive, (4) Seventh. Day. The movement, a distin guishing feature of which is baptism by trine immersion (candidates are dipped at the utter ance of each title in the Trinity — Father, Son, Holy Ghost —in the formula), arose in Swartzenau, on the Oder, in Germany, near the beginning of the 18th century (1708), Alex ander Mack, a miller, being the founder. It was mystical and pietistic in character, and its members, rejecting formulated creeds, turned to the Bible as their only rule of faith and practice, and for nearly two centuries strict adherence to the letter of the Scriptures has been observed. Religion is carried into all the affairs of life and business and social relations, as well as into all church matters; and fellowship, worship, work, conduct as individuals in all things were regulated by decisions of the annual con ference, based upon passages of the Word of God. Nonconformity to the world was applied as a principle to the whole body of the Brethren in the United States, until the last quarter of the century, when the influence of other Christian bodies and of general education broke down exclusiveness, and let in some of the spirit of the world, giving rise to the first three divisions, Conservative, Progressive and Old Order, described below. Under the dominance of this principle, the costumes of both men and women, the manner of wearing the hair and beard were prescribed, and fashion's decrees set at naught. Bonnets for women, hats for men, carpets for the floors, pianos or organs in the house, and many other things were resisted successfully for many years, in one way or another. When articles of wear and use be came common the rule was gradually relaxed. At first colleges were forbidden and for a time high schools were under the ban, the text sup porting it being Romans xii, 16, °Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate." Nevertheless, high schools and colleges came a little later, and are carried on both in the Con servative and Progressive branches. Like the Mennonites and Friends, the Brethren are op posed to war and to the taking of juridical oaths and restrain their members from litiga tion.
The Dttnkards suffered persecution in Witt genstein and removed to Crefeld and to other places in Germany, Switzerland and Holland. But their practices differing from those gen erally prevailing, the atmosphere became un friendly almost everywhere, and emigration to the United States, beginning in 1719, soon brought large companies of the Brethren to this country. Most of them settled in Pennsyl vania, whence they found their way gradually to the South and West. One of their number set up a printing house in Germantown, Chris topher Saur, from whose press was issued the first Bible in German printed in America.
Among the peculiarities of the Brethren is the observance of the communion as an even ing meal, accompanied by the ceremony of foot washing, the giving of the holy kiss, and the use from the first of unfermented wine. Participation in slavery, in the making, selling or drinking of intoxicants, was forbidden be fore the close of the 18th century; also the nse of tobacco, membership in secret societies, the taking of juridical oaths, and activity in politics.
The Brethren are simple, plain-living, de vout Christians of the evangelical type, carry ing on their church work in much the same way as other denominations, their form of church government being congregational among the Progressives and Old Order Brethren, with some modification among the Conservatives, who give some ecclesiastical power to the an nual conference.
The customs, manners and methods of life of the communities of which the Brethren formed a part, gradually took effect among them, giving rise to differences of opinion on questions relating to nonconformity, and finally precipitating divisions into Progressive, Con servative and Old Order branches. The Old Order Brethren, the strictest of the three in matters of discipline, withdrew in 1881 as a protest against relaxation; the next division occurred in 1882 when the Progressive Breth ren withdrew because the main body was not sufficiently liberal in discipline, according to their thinking, and especially because it had departed from the congregational principle of church government.