Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-09-05
PEOPLE WITHOUT A HOME
MennoniteS Unable To Find HaV(n
Of Rest.
CONsCIEHCIOUslY OPPOSED TO WAR

Peculiar People Who Had Their Origin
In Holland In Tho Fifteenth Century,
Migrated To Russia For Liberty
Of Conscience, And Then To The
United States For The Same Reason
Nov They Turn To Argentina,
In the midst of an epoch of intense
nationalism and the struggle of those
who are striving Loyalty to preserve
1t. this contingent is confronted with
the struggle for seif-determination of a
people without country, and here in
the midst Of our own people.
Nor are they new comers. The
Mennonites came to the United States
in 1888, at tho invitation of William
Penn, and founded settlement ct
Germantown. They had started their
wanderings in Holland, in the fifteenth
century. spreading into Germany and
from there. to Russia. 1t was from
Russia that they came in 1888, to be
I followed by q continuous. stream Of
their brethren, all seeking the haven
in which they could live the one way
they chose TO live. 4
Dwell Within Themscives.
From the first they have dwelt wholly
within themselves, taking but little in
tefest ins politics. and deeply concerned
only in their own religion and their
own schools. In'1S7s they Sent COM
mittee to congress with a memorial
which set forth that:
"For three generations our denom-
nation has lived in south Russia un-
der their own control, free to enjoy, as
separate coloI.y. our own religion,
language and customs, the Russian
government only interfering to punish
crimes and collect its revenuesy Now,
by recent edict of the Russian gov
ernfnent, passed the 4th Of June. 1871,
we are deprived of all these rights,
liberties and privileges which had
been granted to us forever, and the
choice is presented to us of leaving
Russia within ten years from the
above mentioned date. or after thar
becoming Russionized in LANGUAGE and
f.....t
religion.
"In Prussia, where we lived for more
: than 200 years in the liberty Of con-
science, the government acted the
same We have therefore determined
to emigrate to some country where we
can enjoy civil, social and religious
liberty. BY examining your const!tu-
ton and country we find the full as
surance that under your constitution
and laws we shall find the liberty we
SO earnestly desiIe. and the sentiments
expressed by President Grant, in his
!. message on March 8, 1873, give us
great encouragement"
-. 1t Is not known that congress took
any action on the memorial. but the
Mennonites proceeded with the belief
that their expectations were in no
danger Of being questioned. In 1874
they began going to South Dakota,
which territory, being sadly Fip q eed'
of settlers, made cordial efforts to at
tract them. The South Dakota Men
nonities call themselves the Huttereich
Bruder Gemeinde. They took up land
in colonies of fifteen or twenty fam
ilies-some even being as large as
forty families-and proceeded to live
practically the same community life
and teach the same doctrines as those
preached by their religious founder,
Simons Menno, in Holland, in the fif-
teenth century.
One of the first things that each
community built was a mill. Some
times all the families of a community
live in one square, barnlike, house with
many windows. and sometimes each
one has cottage of its own. They
use a common pasture, with a COM
mon shepherd, and they still burn fuel
made out of manure and straw. There
Is a huge community barn, and q
church and school in one. No pleas
ures or adornments of life are per-
mitted. Especially forbidden are jew
elry, buttons and ornaments Both
the men and women Of the Mennonite