Tunis, Jewish Mission at. As early as the year 1833, the London Society for the Propagation of the Gospel among the Jews commenced missionar\' oper- ations in Tunis. The first missionary to that jilace was the late Rev. Dr. F. C. Ewald, who arrived there June 30. He found a Jewish population from 30,000 to 40,000, all living in their own quarter. There was also a large number of Roman Catholics, who had their own church and convent, a (ireek community with church and priest, and about fifty Protestants without the means of grace. Mr. Ewald at once commenced divine service, which was attended by almost everv Protestant. The Jews being accessible in that place, opportunities were afforded to the missionary to preach unto them the word of God. The Biljle in Hebrew was eagerly sought after and bought by them, and thus the work could be carried on. In 1855 Mr. Page, who succeeded Dr. Ewald, established a school there, which proved a great success. Owing, however, to the removal bv cholera of Mr. Page from the scene of his labors, mis- X.-0 o
sionar\' operations had to be suspended for a time, to be resumed again in 18G0 by the Rev. Mr. Fenner. In July, 1861, a school was opened for Jewish boys with six scholars, whose number had increased by the close of the year to ninety-nine, all .lewish youths from seven to eighteen years of age. In 1802 a girls' school was estaldished through the benevt)lence of a Christian lady in the north of England. Since that time missionary operations have been carried on there regularly, and in spite of the efforts made by the Israelitish Alliance to counterbalance the work of the mission, there were 100 boj-s and 305 girls in attendance at the mission schools during the year 1878-79. Since 1802, 1000 girls and 960 boys have passed through the schools. The popu- larity of these schools may be best seen from the fact that a notice of the opening of the mission-schools after the summer vacation was put up in the principal syna- gogues of Tunis. In connection with the two day- schools, Sunday-schools have also been opened there of late, besides a night-school which seems verv promis- ing. Some years ago the society built a chapel, where the Protestant community of Tunis is now gathered regularly for divine service, and where the sacraments are administered. According to the last report for the year 1879, there were fourteen persons engaged at this station, viz. two ordained ministers, a colporteur and depositary, a schoolmaster, four assistants, a schoolmis- tress and four assistants. (B. P.)
Tunkers (Germ. tunJcen, " to dip"), a sect of (ier- man-American Baptists, called by themselves Brethren. Their name is sometimes erroneously spelled Dunkers. The sect is said to have been founded by Alexander Mack at Schwarzenau, Westphalia, in 1708. Driven from Germany, some of them emigrated to America in 1719, and settled in PeHns3-lvania. They formed a set- tlement at Ephrata, Lancaster Co., under the director- ship of Conrad Peysel. Here they built a town in the form of a triangle, the houses being three stories in height, and each of them a kind of monastery. They dressed much in the style of monks and nuns, men and women lived in different houses, and they used a vege- table diet, practicing considerable mortification. Al- though marriage was not forbidden, when couples mar- ried they were required to remove from Ephrata. They subsequently settled in Ohio, Indiana, Maryland. Vir- ginia, and several other states. Their doctrines are similar to those of the Mennonites (q. v.), and in dress and manners they resemble the Friends. They use the kiss of charity, feet-washing, laying-on of hands, anoint- ing the sick with oil; are opposed to war, and will not engage in lawsints. They hold love-feasts, an<l an an- nual meeting about Whitsimtide, which is attended by their bishops, teachers, and representatives chosen by the congregations. Universal redemption, tliough not an article of faith, is commonh'^ held by them. Some of them are strict Sabbatarians, observing Saturday as their daj' of rest. They oppose statistics, which they believe to savor of pride, and, therefore, trustworthy statements as to their lumibers cannot be given; they are supposed to number about lOO.WJO. By reason of their quiet and peaceable lives they have retained a name which was given to them at first, that of ■* The Harmless People."
For the denomination there are now published four weekly pajiers — the Primitive Christian, the Gospel Preacher, the Brethren at Work, and the Progressive Christian. This last is published at Berlin, Pa., by the liberals among the Brethren or Timkers; and its posi- tion is defined (in the Independent of May 8, 1879) as follows :
"We are in full accord with the Chinch on all Gospel doctrines and |)ractices; but do not believe in any tradi- tion as being worthy of comparison with a divine injunc- tion. In fact, we do not regard a custom one hundred or five hundred years old, whether it originated in tlie Church '<\- in tlie world, as possessing any claims upon the aiten- lioii of Bible Christians. We believe in "iioiiconformitv to the world" from all its sinful practices ; but we hold
TUN NELL
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TURBAN
that the earth is the Lord's and. the fulness thereof, nnd thai tlio mvonlions and dii^coveries of man are simply the products of the wisdom uf God, and should be applied by the Christian to the glorifying of his name. We believe that the time now is when" we shall neither in the garb of a hundred years ago nor in the style of the present age woi>hip the Father; but when the "true worshippers shall worship him in spirit and in truth. We believe in self- denial, but not in stoicism; we advocate close communion, but not esclusivei'iess. In short, we hold that the Word of God is our perfect law, which if we obey we do well." See BAfTisTs. Gkkman.