"VI. We render to no mortal honors due only to God, as to uncover the head or to bend the knee. Also we ad- dress every one as ' thou' — du.
"VII. We separate ourselves from all ecclesiastical con- nections and constitutions, because true Christian life re- quires no sectarianism, while set forms and ceremonies cause sectarian divisions.
"VIII. Our marriages are contracted by mutual con- sent, and before witnesses. They are then notified to the political authority; and we reject all intervention of priests or preachers.
"IX. All intercourse of the sexes, except what is nec- essary to the perpetuation of the species, we hold to be sinful and contrary to the order and command of God. Complete virginity or entire cessation of sexual commerce is more commendable than marriage.
"X. We cannot send our children into the schools of Babylon [meaning the clerical schools of Germany], where other principles contrary to these are taught.
"XI. We cannot serve the state as soldiers, because a Christian cannot murder his enemy, much less his friend.
" XII. We regard the political government as absolute- ly necessary to maintain order, and to protect the good and honest and punish the wrong-doers; and no one can l)rove us to be untrue to the constituted authorities."
III. Practical Life. — The members of the society are divided into two classes, the novitiates and the fidl as- sociates. The former are obliged to serve at least one j-ear before admission into the latter class, and this is exacted even of their own children, if on attaining ma- jority they wish to enter the society. According to the constitution, all officers are elected by the whole societ}', the women having the right to vote as well as the men. They manage, with the consent of the soci- ety, all its affairs, cases of disagreement being referred to the " Standing Committee of Five," as a court of ap- peals. Before 1845, children remained with their par- ents until three years of age, when they ceased to be under their exclusive control. Since then the custom of the society taking care of the child ceased, being found inconvenient. The Zoar people read little ex- cept the Bible and the few pious books brought from Germany, or imported since. They belong to the. peas- ant class of South (Jermanj-, are nnintellectual, and have risen but little in culture.
In their religious observances they studiously avoid forms. On Sunday they have three meetings; in the morning, after singing, one of Biiumeler's discourses is
read ; in the afternoon the children meet to study the Bible; and in the evening they meet to sing and listen to the reading of some work that interests them. Dur- ing the week tiiere are no religious meetings. Audible or public prayer is not practiced among them, neither do they have any "preacher." They use neither bap- tism nor the Lord's supper. They address each other by the first name, and use no titles of any kind. They wear their hats in a public room, and seat the sexes separately in Ciiurch.
Se'phar (Ileb. Sephar', "IBS, a mimhertiif/ ; Sept. 'Ea(pr)pd V. r. Yio<p}]pc'i), " a mountain of tlie east," a line drawn from which to Mesha formed the boundary of the Joktanitic tribes (Gen. x, 30). The name may re- mind us of Siiphar; which the ancients mention as a chief [ilace of South Arabia (Pliny, //. A', vi, 23-26). The map of Berghaus exhibits on the south-west point of Arabia a mountain called Sdhher, which, perhaps, supplies the spot we seek (see Burckhardt, .1 rabid, p. 23(3). If this be the case, and IMesha be (as usually supposed) the Jlesene of the ancients, the line between them would intersect Arabia from north-east to south- west. That Sephar is called "a mountain of //le eaut" is to he-understood with reference to popular language, according to which Arabia is described as the "east country." See Baumgarten, T/ieo/or/. Commen/ar znm A. T.i, 152; Bochart, Phalft/. ii, 20.— Kitto. The im- migration of the Joktanites was probably from west to east [see Arabia ; Mesha], and tiiey occupied the south- western portion of the peninsula. The imdoubted iden- tifications of Arabian places and tribes with their Jok- tanitic originals are included within these limits, and point to Sephar as the eastern boundary. There ap- pears to be little doubt that the ancient seajiort town called Dhafiiri or Zafari, and Dhafar or ZaiVir (now Jo- Jar, i. e. ez-Zofar), without the inflexional termination, represents the Biblical site or district: tlius the etymol- ogy is sufficiently near, and tlie situation exactly agrees with the requirements of the case. Accordingly, it has been generally accepted as the Sejihar of Genesis.
But the etymological fitness of this site opens out another question, inasmuch as there are no less than four places bearing the same name, besides several oth- ers bearing names that are merely variations from the same root. The frequent recurrence of these variations is curious; but we need only here concern ourselves with the four first-named places, and of these two only are important to the subject of this article. They are of twofold importance, as bearing on the site of Sephar, and as being closely connected with the ancient history of the .loktanitic kingdom of Southern Arabia, the king- dom founded by the tribes sprung from the sons of Jok- tan. The following extracts will put in a clear light what the best Arabian writers themselves say on the subject. The first is from the most important of the Arabic lexicons :