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