Morning journal and courier., 1880-04-16
Haennonftes In Manitoba.
-'NSEAHKUHAHGCb t1HAHIUUdGo Iaenry J. Van Dyke, Jr,, in Harpers Magazine
 MaY.1

Iaenry J. Van Dyke, Jr, in Harper's Magazine fo.
 May.l
 Some miles west of Pembina, on the Brit ish side of the boundary line, there is a large settlement of Russian Mennonites. About 7,G00 have come to Manitoba, where the Gov ernment has reserved 500, GOO acres for their settlements. It was 8 beautiful morning when we set out on 'iprairie yacht" behind pair of quick stepping horses, to visit the Menno- mite Reserve. Our road lay along the north bank of the Pembina river, skirting the edge of the timber, and occasionally cutting across point of woods which ran out into the open prairie. We passed many thrifty-looking farms, where the men were still working at the remnant of the harvest. At Smugglers Point there was log tavern, and we stopped for little dinner. The landlord was a iron tiersmau who had tried life in many territo- rieE. We asked him whether the Mennonites were good settlers, and how he liked them
 ''Well,' he said, ''they're quiet enough and some on 'em lives pretty white; but they ain't no good to the country. They live on tobacker; and when crowd on 'em comes in hsre to drink, each man steps up and drinks, and pays for his own Iiquor."
 Such conduct as this of course, is subver- sivs of the very first principle of American society, which recognizes ''traating' as the true medium of friendly intercourse.
 4 few miles farther on we found the farm village of Bumenort. It is not the largest of the villages on this reserve, but it will serve as type of the rest. The high road was simply well worn wagon track over the bare plain. An irregular line of 8 dozen low matched houses on each side of the road and steam saw mill made up the village The farms radiate from this centre. Every man culti7ates his own land and the four-and- twenty families have the advantage of living close together, and making common front against the hardship and loneliness of frontier life. Each village has it's head man, or Schulz its school -mester-who teaches in German and if the village is too small for a church, the Pfarrer comes over from some larger town to preach at stated times.
 We sRt on the steps of the mill, talking with some of the villagers, and eating water melon, which was passed around from man to man for each to cut of a slice with his pocket knife. The Mennonite German is a barbarous dialect; it has not been improved by ninety years sojourn in Russia. But it served a medium of communication. They told us that their village had been unfortunate that they had been forced to move twice on account of the wetnes5 of the land. The present situation seemed to be better. They like the country better than Russia. But one of the men, who had not yet taken up his al- lotment of land, complained greatly that T. der the new law, made this summer, he could get only eighty acres of homestead. He thought of going to America q. e., the Uni ted States). where he could get one hundred and sixty acres. 'But how about the oath of we asked. He shrugged his shoulders and grinned, from which con- ciuded that he must be 8 Buttoner of the looser stamp.
 Tha men expressed some anxiety to know if Sitting Bull were coming to make war in Man 1toba They had heard that he was marching with four thousand braves to attack Emerson. They seemed much relieved to hear that he was many hundred miles to the west of them.
 On the other side of the road I saw clay threshiDg floor between some wheat stacks, and an old man driving team of horses over 1t to tread out the grain. The method YVES enough to be quite novelty. I went over to watch it, and thus chanced to make the acquaintance of the proprietor of the stacks and the horses. He was pleasant, takatiye old man, who had come from Russia within year, and was just beginning to make a home for himself This was his first crop, and he thought it would average over twenty bushels to the acre. Three or four barefooted girls, ruddy and strong, were brushing up the grain ns the horses trod 1t out and winnowing it. The scene was picturesque, and called Cad over to make sketch of it. But some thing in his dark and rolling eye, or some net- ural tmidity sent the maidens scampering of to hide behind the stacks, from which they made rapid sallies to gather up little wheat in their aprons. Meanwhile the old farmer was asking many questions He was
 
 Russian money in New York, for he still had a little stock of roubles which he had brought with him from his old home. The Mennon- ties are, almost without exception, well-to-do people What is the mysterious connection between the doctrine of non-resistance and worldly prosperity? Why do they aways go together?
 After while Brother Peters asked us to go home with him, and see his house, which was but 8 few yards away from the threshing- floor. It was built of logs, plastered with clay and matched with straw. The chimney was square hole in the roof. The inside of the house was rough, but comfortable, or at least 1t might be made so. The floor was made of clay. Peters was particular to impress up on us that the house was not fnished he had bought the shell, as 1t stood, from another man, and he pointed out with admirable pride how he-proposed to wall of 8 Gastzimmer here and Speisezimmer there. The central point of the establishment was the great oven, which answered at once for purposes of cook ing the food and warming the rooms. All in the place the old man in- tended to make with his own hands at his workbench, which occupied ons side of the living room.
 As we sat there in that rude room talking with the old Russian, pulling away quietly at a pipe of the peace-making Indian weed, we seemed to have entered quite into the circle of his domestic life. In one corner of the room sat the old Hausfrau combing her scan ty locks. The eldest daughter was very busy with some household work, while the little played on the floor beside the workbench. In the middle of the room was the dinner-table; presently three or four girls came in from their work, and we were cordially asked to sit down with them to their Vesperbrod of black bread melons and coffee.