sn , 177 
English Song Birds 
By Theodore Booseve/l 
• «*/ "nr" 
T 1 ?? Outlook 
volume: 95 
JULY 23, 1910 
NUMBER 12 
bride, whereupon sne arose ana carmiy 
indorsed his statement (her composure 
that of a veteran club woman), adding a 
cordial invitation for all present to the 
wedding, including the strangers present, 
the pastor thereupon addressing his guests 
personally, expressing the wish that they 
would accept. Ho\Ncan the Spectator or 
his friend after that ever believe again 
that the Mennonites are too clannish for 
ordinary courtesy ? In fact, the Spectator 
lost several fixed impressions concern¬ 
ing the Mennonites that Sunday. An¬ 
other was that they are utterly devoid of 
the sense of humor. “ What will happen 
to us Perizzites, and Girgasites, and Hjt- 
tites, and all of the other ‘ ites,’ when you. 
Mennonites get full possession here in 
this valley ?” the promoter had asked in 
friendly conversation with the brethren 
after the service. “ Oh, we’ll see you 
running round barefooted,” was the reply. 
B 
Now any good reference library, the 
Spectator is well aware—or any good en¬ 
cyclopaedia — furnishes ample information 
about the Mennonites. But what he 
wanted most was to be gained only in 
social converse with the brethren (they 
belonged mostly, they told him, to the 
branch Des Bundes Conferenz dcr Men¬ 
nonites Briidergemeinde). Many of them 
were from Kansas. The pastor came to 
the United States with the large Men- 
nonite immigration from Russia follow¬ 
ing Russia’s annulment in 1870 of her 
pledge to exempt the sect from military and 
civil service — the immigrants mostly Ger¬ 
mans, their second exile for conscience’ 
sake ; the Mennonites of the United States 
contributed generously in paying the cost 
of the transportation of their brethren, 
who were soon settled in our Western 
States and Canada. Three emigrations 
mg au iiic Mine. arty granaiamer was 
an old hooks-and-eyes; with him wear¬ 
ing buttons and to have buttonholes was 
a sin. My mother wears the Amish cap 
and cape; but my sisters! well, you 
saw diem in our choir.” . . . “ Oh, no, 
they never read novels," most emphati¬ 
cally ; nor did they ever dance or play 
cards. The discipline of the Church was 
very strict; rectitude of conduct more 
important than knowledge of doctrines; 
suspension or excommunication a not 
infrequent penalty for violation of the 
severe exactions of the code. Did the 
Mennonite boys go to the Sunday ball 
games ? The question shocked the breth¬ 
ren to an extent unanticipated. 
S3 
What a contrast between the two settle¬ 
ments meaning so much to the future of 
the valley ! Would there ever be “ a uni¬ 
fication,\ as Hegelians would say, in the 
conflicting'notions of each ? Which of the 
two was likely to prove the greater bless¬ 
ing ? The Spectator’s friend had resumed 
describing the attractions of the new town- 
to-be : a picnic grove, a dancing pavilion, 
a ball-ground— 
“And, of course, \ a church,” rather 
faintly suggested the Spectator. 
“ Perhaps,” after a paivse. “ But there 
are churches enough in this valley already 
if the support they get me^ns anything. 
There’ll always be a Mennonite service, 
you see, and that will be an attractive 
novelty—a good thing on the\Sunday 
programme. How those Mennonites do 
sing!”—the hilarious greetings frohj a 
passing tally-ho on its way to the ball gain 
interrupting his low, sweet rendering of 
the old German hymn that the Spectator 
will not soon forget. And did the Spec¬ 
tator find a name for the new town ? 
He has not as vet. Selah. 
