THE MENNONITE BROTHERHOOD IN RUSSIA (1789 - 1910), P. M. Friesen, 1911

aucasus . . .” [instead of the threatened expulsion]. 6. Letters of Otto Forchhammer, Claassen’s Companion, Concerning the Earliest Impressions at the Beginning of their Work in St. Petersburg. a) Forc hhamm er— to the brothers and sisters in the Molotschna. “St. Petersburg, November 28, 1860 .... The next morning [after arriving on Nov. 20] Br. Claassen visited Br. Plonus, a Baptist and by profession a master tailor, who, despite his cramped quarters, gladly received us into his home. [They did not stay there very long . . . .] We first called on Br. Meier [bookseller, and an old acquaintance of Claassen from the time that Claassen travelled in the interests of the Brotherhood School]. He received us cordially, but his response to our account about what we really wanted to achieve, was a shrug of the shoulders and occasional sympathetic exclamations. Before I continue, I must say that I too, from a human point of view, really have no good news to report. However, we know that it is not the Tsar nor his ministers who rule [in the sense of Proverbs 21:1 and Psalm 33:15], but Christ. We also know and believe that it is He who directs our affairs so that all honor come to Him even when events seem to go counter to all of our desires and hopes! Well, I must continue! Upon leaving Meier, we went on the same day to see Pastor Nielsen, the pastor of the Moravian Brethren Church. He received us warmly and to a certain extent also as brothers. Strictly speaking, Pastor Nielsen is not a man according to our taste. As well as being an eloquent man, he is very clever and reasonable, and so tolerant that it is a pity [as Forchhammer was himself soon to become! Actually he was always like that at heart, but now he tries to speak entirely in the spirit of W. Bartel and Kappes. But see Bartel’s letter to him and our comments on it, as above XVII]. However, he has one good quality which is his readiness to serve. He demonstrated that to us [which is really the best evidence of a brotherly spirit!]. Years ago, especially in connection with the issue of Wuest and the Mariopol brethren, he proved that he had influence with the authorities of this world, ,45 on behalf of the brethren. Well, Pastor Nielsen listened to our cause sympathetically. His comments, however, revealed that he was not on our side in this, but rather on that of our opponents. Nevertheless, he gave us an interesting 360 THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH explanation as to how things are done in the large government departments. But to go on! Pastor Nielsen was friendly toward us and made an appointment for us to discuss the whole issue thoroughly with him the next evening. The next morning we first went to see Neumann, but we were not immediately admitted. We had to try three times before he received us. Meanwhile we had been back to visit Nielsen the evening before, who earnestly admonished us to seek reconciliation in peace. He urged us to abandon