Feeding the Hungry, P. C. Hiebert, 1929

ves. The people were well taken care of, but the agricultural work was being done under very adverse conditions, in soil that to us Americans would hardly seem worth cultivating. In fact they had to fertilize the virgin soil before they put out the first crop. Nevertheless with the German capacity for intensive farming they might raise something. After a short service in one of the barracks, we departed for Berlin. At this place there was an urgent request from the Holland Mennonite Committee for me to come and give them a report, which to my regret I could not do, because the day of my return was already set, and could not well be changed. Leaving Europe with all its woe and its bitter fruits of the “World Cataclysm’ behind, I was glad to return to the land of the Stars and Stripes, to the land of plenty, to the land that is dearer than any other in this world, because it embraces home and loved ones. The passengers on the Steamship “Mongolia” seemed much interested in THE MENNONITE CENTRAL COMMITTEE 83 the work that we were doing in Russia, so I was asked to give them a report of how things had been in Russia, after which they took up an offering for our relief fund. In New York I was well received by the officials of the A.R.A., who requested a confidential opinion of the whole relief operations in Russia. On August 17, I was glad to meet the members of our Executive Committee, for the purpose of reporting and making further plans. 6. In Conference with the Executive Committee at Philadelphia The Brethren kindly acquainted me with the work they had done in my absence, and I was indeed glad to learn of the increase in the budget to a maximum of $30,000 for July; further they had agreed to offer the services of the Committee in forwarding individual cloth- ing packages to friends in Russia. (This however could not be carried out as planned, and led to considerable grief and disappointment. It was however not due to any fault of our committee, who had acted in good faith; and who did their best to carry out instructions, nor of our field- workers; but was due rather to unanticipated social and po- litical situations abroad.) Later at an Executive Commit- tee meeting they had agreed to venture upon the tractor movement which resulted in the purchase of two shipments of 25 tractors each, as will be reported more completely in the chapter on reconstruction; further they had agreed to accord the Canadian Committee the right to select a member of the field-workers from their constituents. I gave to them the report pretty much as given in the preceding pages, which was received with sympathetic interest. After this, it was decided to accept Bro. and Sister D. M. Hofer as relief-workers and ask them to prepare to proceed to Russia as soon as possible. On my way home from Philadelphia I had the privilege of stop- 84 FEEDING THE HUNGRY ping for a few days at Chicago, during which time I