Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-07-10
MORE MENNONITEs.
The Stresn, of Thrifty German Russian
Quakers Still Flotoing Into THIS Cou,,-


The Stream of Thrifty Characterization |
ONakers Still FlOtcing Into THIS Cou,a-
try.
New York World.
The steamship Harrisburg, of the North |
German Lloyd line, arrived yesterday from
Bremen, having on board five hundred and |
nineteen Mennonite immigrants from the
interior of Russia in families averaging six
persons. They are all of the class of agricul-
tural laborers except one or two blacksmiths
and several carpenters. The ocean voyage
was made without any mishap, and there
were no deaths or sickness of any kind on
the ship. The party is to be divided into
three sections, going to Minnesota, Kansas,
and Nebraska, where they intend to farm it.
Most of them have some money, and some
of them are well off. They started last even
ing for their respective destinations by the
Erie railroad.
During their brief stay at Castle Garden
they awakened much interest. and were the
source of much amusement to the emigration
officers. They were marvelously attired in
garments of the most fantastic shapes and
Of the most remarkable fabrics. Alpaca
shirts extensively figured with flowers were
much affected by the men, and the women
were dressed in the picturesque peasant
costume of Russia, wearing high leather
boots like the men, but discardine them and
going barefooted as soon as they landed.
One of the oldest of the Mennonites was a
yer. old, gray-headed, one-legged man, with
white hair and beard cut loose round his
large square head and face. With long
pipe in his mouth and pair of old-fashion-
ed, heavy, brass-bound spectacles on his
nose, he amused himself by trying to make
out the inscriptions on his railroad ticket to
Minnesota, which he held at arms length in
his hand. The children, many of whom are
very pretty, ran about the place laughing
around an old Irishwoman who was trying
to sell them cakes, and speaking to them in
her native brogue.
The luggage of the Mennonites was i'm
mense, including large, heavy, wooden boxes,
ornamented without by rude drawings of
flowers and animals, bundles and parcels
without number, and cradles in use and
ready for emergencies. Nearly every family
group camped on the floor of the room in
Castle Garden had an old-fashioned kettle
| out of which they drank from the spout
some beverage which they seemed to enjoy.
Altogether, they seemed to be enjoying
themselves very much, and altogether they
made as pleasant, promising, and picturesque
group of emlgrants as has been seen in
Castle Garden for long time.
Mennonites are Protestant denomination
| who reject infant baptism and baptize adult
Persons only on profe of faith, prac-
ticing also non-resistance and abstinence
from oaths, thus combining some of the
| of %ho Do
of the distinctive views of the Friends
though historically they preceded both. The
Anabaptists, to give them the title originally
though they called themselves baptizers
| (tuutsr,) formed their first church at Zurich
IN 1925, and rapidly spread through Switzer-
land. Persecution drove them to south
Germany, where more than three thousand
of them were martyred; flying to Morayia
they greatly increased till the Thirty Years
war drove them away. 1t was one long tale
of massacre and outrage-their history
Under Philip H. about six thousand of the
Dutch Mennonites, Gas the Anababtists
were called after their reorganization and
indoctrination by Memo Symons) suffered
death; when William of Orange rose, the
leaders of the reformed party opposed them
and not till 1851 did they secure federation
in the Netherlands. Internal dissention Their
beginning harrassed them until the recon
citation of 1901, since when, though thei1
numbers have decreased from 100000 Cr
1700) to 10000 they have prospered greatly
ILL the middle of the present century the
Swiss Mennonites have not been tolerated
their children being taken from them to be
baptized. The colonies from which the EN-.
igrants to-day described come are situated in
southern Russia, near the sea of Azov anc
along the Dnieper. Thither went their an
cestors from West Prussia in 1888, acquiring
considerable wealth, and increasing to some
10000 souls. Russia specially exempted
them from military duty, but in 1871 notice
was given that all must undergo CONSUMPTION
who did not emigrate by 1880.
This, however, Is not the first Mennonite
movement to the United States. Mennonite
were among the first Dutch settlers of New
York; they organized their first church i,
1858, near Germantown, and in 1903 large
migration began to Lancaster from Switzer
land and the Palatinate. They are now te
be found in numbers in Pennsylvania, Ohio
Indiana and Ontario under different name.
Old Reformed, New, Evangelical, Amist
or Omish, which latter discard buttons il
favor of hooks-and-eyes, and practice feet
T.!
age of eighteen, almost invariably by pour
ing The Lords supper is celebrated twice
a year, usually preceded by feet-washing
and manner are inculcated no public Office
is accepted which necessitates taking an oatl
or indicting punishment; they never 60 tx
| law.
Within the last seven years the movemen
of Mennonites to this country and the Do
minion of Canada, where they have estab
| lished strong colonies in Manitoba, has been
very notable-so notable, indeed, that the
Russian government has made special con.
cessions to induce them to remain at home,
such as permitting them to perform theil
military service in hospitals, or in capacities
where arms ara not borne. Throughout
Minnesota, Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, and Ne
braska, numerous Mennonite settlements are
found; the inhabitants, from their peaceable-
ness, thrift, and industry, prove remarkably
valuable additions to the community. AS q
rule they bring with them considerable sums
of money, amounting sometimes to thousands
of dollars. On one recent occasion at q
western railroad station husband and wife,
| quarreling and desiring to part, separated by
the off hand ceremony of dividing piece for
piece their money between them, the share of
each exceeding $1,000 Already they have left
their impress on the social life of the wes-
tern plains in one really important detail
the warming of their houses by the combus-
ton from time to time, during the cold
weather, of large quantitis Of straw and
similar substances in large furnaces or ovens.
The temperature thus obtained is more
agreeable and healthful than that resulting
from more expensive fuel--fuel, indeed,
being very rare on those treeless plains. In
deed, not a few American neighbors of the
Mennonites have borrowed from them this
idea. and found it admirable and economi-
cal.
Tenck;yn he