The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-01-15
M E N, /, w o M EN
 A N D T HIN c s

A IN U 1 Il l IN G D | | have been asked to give some facts about the Mennonites. their origin, creed and habitat l am going to attempt 1t, and Yet ] know full well how hard it IS | fer a member of another sect. denomna- tion or church to do so without being lnisunoerstood or giving offense. !
 It's hard enough to get the straight of secular history, but from years of study ] of church history I know that it is ever, iinore difficult to pick ones way through it. for without wishing to be over-critical CT Treverert. much of it will not stand the acid .est when it is examined ny stu dents with true historic sense
 
 strictly speaking Mennonite is lleember Of a Christian denomination which originated in Friesland in the early bart cf fine sixteenth n.u1y. and holds Doctrines of which Memo Smons G4g2- i5) wts tie chief expon m He Nss born Witmarsun, in Friesland, and was not man of learning, nor had he many books. or Lis knowledge of cariy Chris- tian writers he was partly indebted to the Chronica Of Sebastian Franck. 1 At the age of 2i he entered the priest hood, aecoiu ns one of the two curates under the incumbent of Piusjum, a viii lage near his birth place He accused iinsef, with the other clergy of lax and |
 self-indulgent living. Doubts about tram !supstantiationf made him uneasy; some Of Luiher's tracts fell in his way, and he was ccmforted by Luther's dsctnm that salvation does not depend upon human New Testament
 Through his studies he was induced to become an evangelical preacher, and left the Catholic church in which he was an ordained priest He now married his change in faith having superseded his VOW of celibacy, and began to travel as an evangelist, not only in Friesland, but throughout Holland and Germany as far as Livonia. Being persecuted from place to place. he finally settled in Oldesioe, ih iioisteii, where ne clOSeu nlS ministry with the consciousness that he had founded a large and flourishing sect
 .E
 But just word about Friesland in order to get the environment into which he was born II is a province of Holland, which includes two small islands. Even to this day it is in a backward state, and poverty is rife in many districts The ownership of lands being largely in the hands of absentee landlords the peasan- try have little-interest in the land, the profits of which go to enrich other prov i;ces. These conditions have given rise to social-democratic outcry on account of which Friesland is sometimes regarded as "the Ireland of Holland"
 The Fresians were first mentioned by Tacitus and Plny. For centuries cattle raising and cheese and butter making have been practiced. as will be gathered from the old rhyme:
 Butter. bread. cheese.
 Are good English and good Friese."
 Friese is the language spoken by the Friesians, Memo Simons being one Of the best known men ever born in Fries land.
 I believe it is pretty generally conceded that the Mennonites are the successors Of the Anabaptsts, a name given to the i sea ttered elements of a party which | arose in Switzerland about 1923. It was  terest the mere name of which brings back to me a delightful summer spent | there in study. that a small community 1 left the state church and Crom January | IS, 1525) adopted believers baptism. The l movement was directed chiefly against 1 rebaptized; hence the name Anabaptists. |
 
 Far be it from me to here under | take to unrave the history of the Ana bsptists, but I'll state that of recent l years much of interest has come to light l through the efforts of men who have | dug deep into the records. They were | persecuted from the first The | martyrdom of Sicke Snydert at Leeuwar- den for Anabaptism was the impeling l cause which sent Memo Sinaons, the | Dutch religious reformer, to consider the | scriptural grounds of infant baptism But | Tn not going to introduce here a tractate on baptism
 The Anabaptists early divided intoftwo l branches. one branch going off into mys- ticisn, the other into the widest fanata cism. Bear in mind I am not attempting to set down here the history of the sect. but am only giving background to explain the actions of Memo Simons, the Mennonite. as he was finally con verted to the cause of the Anabaptists. but never sympath'zed with the excesses of Munger and wrote diatribe against Jchn of Leyden.
 The fanatical branch of the Anabaptists undertook to establish the kingdom of God on earth by force. The city Of Munster was forcibly taken, and made the center of the proposed kingdom. A community of goods was instituted po- lygamy was adopted. missionaries were sent out, and threats delivered to the I governing princes of surrounding states to surrender on pain of death Under King John of Leyden, whom Memo Simons denounced the Munster fanatics |