Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 February 1889 — RELIGIOUS FEET-WASHING. [ARTICLE]

RELIGIOUS FEET-WASHING.

Description of a Ceremony Still Practiced • by the Meimoiilte «. Twenty three Mennonili.it of the new reformed church held tucir annual ee’.vbnttjon of the Lord’* supixr ind feet-washing recently, iu Baltimore, Aitl. .Mr. » Lehman, from cLambendtttrg, ■ l'a., preached and gave the communion. .Mr, Henry Shoemaker read chapters from the Bible. Mr. Lebtnah explained Why they washed feet. He said It was done ns symbplic of keeping the body being easily defiled bj? putting I hem into that which defiles. It was also emblematic of humility. Il represented a spiritual washbig. He explained that they Would not vole or have anything to do with law-making, while they were good Citizens and obeyed the laws. One <jf ; their principles is never 'to go to law. Fif- ’ teen women, dressed in their neat, small, white linen caps,and ten men took off their shoes, socksand stockings and wash .'•<! each other’s Rvt. The feet of the older ones were washed first. Mr. Henry Shoemaker girded himself with a while towel, and was busily engaged for some fifteen minutes washing the men’s feet. The .men sat on one side and the women on they other side of the hall. The Mennonites differ froiu the Dunkards, or German Baptists, in not baptizing by immersion., ana in some other respects. There are only twenty-five members in Baltimore amt Baltimore county, but in Pennsylvania they constitute a \ large denomination. They claim to follow the direction of Jesus, that he washed his disciples' feet, so they should wash each others’ feet.