The L'Anse sentinel., 1922-05-19
Mennonites Ever Seeking Haven
Where They Can Follow Reli-
gious Beliefs in F.eace.
MEXICO NOW PROMISED LAND
Interest In the Sect Aroused by Their
Exodus From Canada to Mexico,
u Taking With Them $15,o0o,o00
In Goods and Cash.

ashington.-"Invited to Russia and
exempted from taxes and military
service because they could farm. then
banished because come Of them estab-
llshed u commdnistlc colony; obeying
the laws of many lands. but refusing
to take part in making or enforcing
them; frownlng upon science, buttons.
life Insurance and tobacco-such are
various branches of the MennOnites.
whose exodus from Canada to Mexico
adds smother chapter in the centuries
old anabdsis Of this quaint and goodly
people.
while geographers are studying hu-
man migrations on the basis Of eco
nomic determinism, here is a consider
ghle group who defy any such chart
lnH, and move about solely upon the
basis OF the best opportunity TO follow
their religious beliefs" says a bulletin
from the Washington headquarters of
the National Geographic society.
"From Holland TO Germany, thence
to Moravia, Hungary. Rumania and In
to Runsla-so runs the earlier course
Of Mennonite wanderings. From the
bAnkg Of the M0lochnaia TO Bonhomme
county I'm South Dakota was not too
long trail for the most home-staying
people In the world--so long as they
bre not disturbed. They seldom travel
Individually. Just before the war "a
trip to Washington was offered as an
agricultural prize to IL young men Of
Lancaster county. Pennsylvania. one Of
fhe oldest American Mennonite strong
holds. aud of the II winners not one
had been outside his own county be-
fore!
Now about 1900 Mennontes are
leaving Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Canada. for Durango, Mexico. and the
productive loss their going will mean
Is only slightly Indicated by the esti-
mate that they take along with them
some Si5,00O.000 worth of goods. farm
Implements and cash.
Schooling Begins at Three Years.
Compulsory education requirements,
Including the teaching Of English.
which could easily be adjusted by
more compromising people. caused the
migration from Canada. In some
branches Of their church every Menno-
mite child must begin his schooling
when he Is three years old. From
that time until he Is six the Bible and
the Mennonite catechism are used for
his instruction. After three years he
takes up the three RS but In the
more orthodox branches of the church
Ill science, as <uch, Is frowned upon.
In farming, however. the Mennonites
are efficient and practical scientists.
European countries have profited by
their example. and to them western
Pennsylvania owes much of Its pros
perity
There are various gradations OF pol
tcy Smong the various groups. such as
Hutterians, the Amish. the Wislar, the
Defenseless and other branches. All
bold against taking oaths and to non
resistance, which led to their exemp-
ton from the draft without any such
stigma as attnched to many types of
conscientious objectors.' Their like
ness to the Quakers led william Penn
n invite them 10 his colony where they
FIRST established themselves at Ger
mantown. spreading thence to Lancas-
ter, Berks and Bucks counties in Penn
sylvania, and later into Ohio. Indiana
and Illinois.
Hsvs Quaint Dialect.
sIn Tillie.' Mrs. Fiske disclosed
some of the peculiarities of custom
and dialect Of the Pennsylvania Men
nonites. Their adherence to teaching
German in schools is not so much that
they love that language as because