Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1880-05-08
Among the Mennonites in Manitoba.

British side Of the boundary line, there
is large settlement of Russian Men
nonites. About 1000 have come to
Manitoba, where the Government has
reserved 100000 acres for their settle
ments. IL was a beautiful morning
when we set out on ''prairie yacht,
behind pair OF quick-stepping horses,
TO visit the Mennonite Reserve. Our
road lay along the north bank Of the
Pembina River, skirting the edge of
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 Smuggler's Point
there was log tavern, and we stopped
for 4 little dinner. The landlord was a
frontiersman who had tried life in many
territories. We asked him whether the
Mennonites were good settlers, and
how he liked them.
"Well," he said, "they're queit
enough; and some on 'em lives pretty
white; but they amt no good to the
country. They live on black bread and
melons, and raise their own tob& cker;
and when a crowd on 'em comes in here
TO drink, each man steps up and drinks,
and pays for his own liquor
Such conduct as this, of course, is
subversive of the very first principle of
American society, which recognizes
Z" treating" as the true medium of
friendly intercourse.
A few mile farther on we found the
farm village of Biumenort. Its not the
largest of the villages on this reserve,
but it viii serve as a type of the rest.
The high-road was simply a well-worn
wagon track over the bare plain. An
irregular line of dozen low matched
houses ON each side of the road and a
steam saw-mill made up the village
The farms radiate from this center.
Every man cultivates his own land, and
the four-and-twenty families have the
advantage of living close together, and
making common front against the hard
ship and loneliness of frontier life. Each
village has its head-man, or Schulz--its
school-master--whot teaches in German;
and if the village is too small for Il
church, the Pfarrer comes over from
some larger town TO preach at stated
times.
We sat on the steps of the mill, talk
ing with some of the villagers, and eat
ing n watermelon, which was passed
around from man to man for each to
cut off slice with his pocket-knife.
The Mennonite German is barbarous
dialect; it has not been improved by
ninety years sojourn in Russia. But ii
served as 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 wetness
OF the land. The present situation
seemed to be better. They ike the
country better than Russia But one of
the men, who had not Yet taken up his
allotment OF land, complained greatly
that under the new law, made this sum-
mer, he conld get only eighty acres of
homestead. lie thought of going to
America q. c., the United States),
where he could get one hundred and
sixty acres. '.But how about the oath
of allegiance?" we asked. He shrugged
his shoulders and grinncd, from which
we concluded that he must be Button
er of the looser stamp.
On the other side of the road saw
clay threshing-foor between some
wheat-stacks, and an old man driving
team of horses over it to tread out the
grain. The method was old-fashioned
enough 10 be quite a novelty. Invent
over to watch it, and thus CHANGED to
make the acquaintance of the proprietor
of the stacks and the horses. He was
pleasant, talkative old man, who had come
from Russia within a year, and was Just
beginning 10 make home for himself.
This was his first crop, and he thought
ii would average over twenty bushels to
the acre. Three or four barefooted I
girls, rudy and strong, were brushing
up the grain as the horses trod il out, |
n nd ,vippn.viurr :. The soa,o ,,-ay ~,