Feeding the Hungry, P. C. Hiebert, 1929

ar he was soon drawn into active work; and has since served in various capacities, such as, Chairman of the Emergency Relief Committee of the Mennonites of North America, Secretary-Treasurer of the Information Committee, Chairman of the Relief Com- mission of the Mennonite Brethren Church of N. A., and Chairman of the Mennonite Central Committee since its organization in 1920. Soon after an agreement had been reached with the Russian Soviet government, which permitted the entrance of that country for the purpose of bringing relief to the starving people he was asked to go across to help organ- ize relief operations. He accepted and sailed from New York on the Steamship Centennial State on the 21st day of February, 1922. On his way to Russia he passed through Holland and Germany making contact with the Mennonite Relief Committee in both countries with a view of preparing for an advantageous coordination of the common work in Russia. From Germany he pro- ceeded through the Balkan countries to Constantinople and assisted in closing up the Mennonite Relief work there in favor of the greater need in Russia. Crossing the Black Sea on a U. S. Destroyer he landed at Theodosia, Crimea on the 27th day of March; proceeding inland, he reached Halbstadt, Russia on April 2. While in Russia he visited most of the larger Mennonite settlements that were in special need of assistance, encourag- ing the brethren, gathering information for the committee and the public in the homeland, and assisting the American Mennonite relief workers wherever possible. After a final conference at Moscow with Director Miller and sey- eral other relief workers he left for America in July and reached home August 12, 1922. Since his return he again assumed his duties in con- PERSONNEL OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE 379 nection with Tabor College, but continued his interest and work with the Mennonite Central Committee. Tue Famous SIxtTy-Two One of the unexpected duties that fell to the lot of the Mennonite Central Committee developed in connection with a larger number of the Mennonite refugee men and boys at Constantinople, most of which had served in Wrangel’s army against the Bolsheviks and therefore were ineligible to reenter Russia. These young men, who were now without a country naturally turned their eyes to America, the famed land of freedom, the land that for- merly refused a home to none who were willing to work for an honest living. When a larger number of the young men staying in our Mennonite Home in Constantinople, requested the good offices of the Mennonite Central Committee to assist them in coming to the United States of America, two diff- culties immediately confronted the committee. These were, first, that of financing their trip; and second, that of se- curing passports for them to enter this country. For the first of the problems there seemed to be a remedy at hand in the idle funds that had been give