Mr. Gladstone has himself recently increased the family interest around Hawarden by purchase. About five years ago the state of his finances were the talk of the town, and a number of people, especially of the Conservative party, avowed themselves in a position to assert from personal knowledge that he was ruined. There was no just ground for such a statement, and like so many other absurd rumors it died out. None of Mr. Gladstone's daughters are married, nor is his eldest son.
WHITSUNTIDE AMONG THE MENNISTS.
Certain great festivals of the Christian Church which were ignored by the Puritans and Quakers have always continued in high repute among the Pennsylvania Germans. Christmas, Easter, Whitsuntide and Ascension Day are celebrated not only in the Lutheran, the Reformed or Calvinistic and the Moravian churches, but among the descendants of those Swiss Anabaptists who, being driven from their homes by religious persecution, finally took shelter in that part of the land of Penn now called Lancaster county, these quiet sectarians being known among us by the names of Mennists and Amish (pronounced Menneests and Ommish).
The movable feast of Whitsunday or Pentecost, which occurs on the seventh Sunday after Easter, is a solemn occasion in the Mennonite meetings, for at this time is held one of the great semi-annual observances of bread-breaking and feet-washing. The ensuing day, Whitmonday, is a great secular festival. All the spring bonnets are then in readiness for the "Dutch" girls. The young farmer of eighteen or more, whose father has granted his heart's desire in the form of a buggy, or who has otherwise attained to that summit of rural felicity, harnesses and attaches to it one of the horses with which the farm is so well supplied, and takes his girl into the county-town. Here they walk the streets, partake of simple refreshments, meet their acquaintances or talk with them in the tavern parlor. Sometimes they visit a circus or menagerie whose managers have made a timely visit to our inland city.
On the ensuing day, Tuesday, while the Dutch boys are working the corn, you may perchance hear their father's voice raised to a higher pitch than usual, which circumstance he explains when he comes in sight, thus: "The boys is sleepy to-day. Yesterday was Whissuntide, you know. They got home late." For custom forbids their leaving the girl of their choice before the small hours, and allows them, nevertheless, no remission from labor on the succeeding day.
The people, however, whose religious services I am about to describe impose upon their members a stricter rule of earlier hours, etc. They are called New (or Reformed) Mennists.
It was on Whitsunday, May 31, 1868, that I paid a visit to one of our New Mennist meeting-houses, and found before nine o'clock in the morning that the services had already begun. The first apartment we entered was a sort of tiring-room, where along the walls hung the shawls and black sun-bonnets of the sisters. Here were also traveling-bags, and a cradle stood ready to receive one or more of the babies that were in attendance. In the adjoining room were heard the familiar notes of "Old Hundred," and "Du bist der Weg" was sung pleasantly without any instrumental accompaniment.
When we entered the whitewashed apartment in which the meeting had assembled I saw upon a small platform at the farther end five men, who were apparently preachers or elders. At the same end of the room were seated the soberly clad members of the sect—the men on one side of the apartment, with their broad-brimmed hats removed; on the other side the sisters, with their extremely plain book-muslin caps and otherwise sober attire.
A portion of the services was in English. Dr. ——, a practitioner of medicine and a bishop in this Church, spoke extemporaneously in our language. He gave a long account of the ordinances of the Jewish Church, and then of those which the "Lord Jesus instituted in the place of these—the baptism that was celebrated a week ago, and this Lord's Supper, this feet-washing, this kiss of peace, this manner of visiting offenders;" the last phrase being an allusion to the severe rule which forbids the New or Reformed Mennists to eat, etc. with those excommunicated by the society.
The Mennists, as I understand, hold in general those doctrines that are considered evangelical. The services were much prolonged, and the congregation became restless. But at length, while a younger brother was speaking in "Dutch" or German, there came in another bearing a parcel wrapped in a white cloth. He was followed by one carrying something tied in a blue-and-white cloth, which being opened disclosed a demijohn. The white parcel was received by the preacher upon the desk, and when opened showed a great loaf of our beautiful Lancaster county bread divided into slices. After prayer several preachers took slices, and passing around among the congregation broke off bits which they gave to the communicants. The wine in the demijohn was then poured into small, bright tin cups, like milkmen's measures, and was distributed among the members. A hymn in the German language was sung, two lines at a time, while the wine was handed round.