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

he latter had requested a supporting document from the mayor’s office in Liebenau. However, this was denied him because the Rudnerweide Mennonite Church had excommunicated him (Harms) because of his new faith. The mayor insisted on a document of permission from the elder of the Rudnerweide Church. Harms, who had paid all district levies for the current year and [for whom] there were in fact no obstacles in the way of his leaving the colony, requested that the mayor at least give him a written statement to this effect. But even this was refused him, and thus Harms was not able to take part in the journey to the Kuban. Another person had to be selected in his place— one who had previously belonged to the Gnadenfeld congregation. Gnadenfeld, however, had rescinded the ban it had placed on all the members who had joined our church (it had probably not imposed the ban in the first place?). Along with Harms, Abraham Wiens was also forced to stay at home because of the ban. Thus our church is constantly reminded that the elders of the church as well as the area administrative officers and the village mayors attempt to damage our cause at every opportunity and wherever they can, and to keep us in subjection even though we jointly [NB] enjoy the same privileges in Russia. Everyone appeals to and places the blame upon everyone else, as the contradiction between the church elders and the administrative officer makes apparent. In the meantime we suffer many hardships: politically we are not given the rights of free citizens; our domestic economy has been severely curtailed because travel and trade both within our district and to points outside have been adversely affected; and our attempt to purchase land elsewhere has been made extremely difficult because the local administrative office as well as the church elders will not allow our members to obtain any travel passes, or if they do, only after a great deal of trouble, as the above makes clear. In like manner the Area Administrative Office seeks to hinder us in our religious affairs. This has been recently demonstrated by the Administrative Office in that it gave a verbal command to the village officers at Elizabethal to hinder the marriage of our Minister Jakob Becker with the Documentary Supplements 405 step-daughter of Franz Klaassen of Elizabethal (a member of our church), which was to take place on September 30 in Elizabethal, a command that was obeyed. Later Becker was detained for a whole week in the Rudnerweide Colony under police supervision, and the Area Administrative Office sent a written statement to village officers directing them to make every effort to hinder marriages between members of our church. [Compare XVII, ‘Marriage.’] The ministers of the church, Heinrich Huebert, Jakob Becker. October 10, 1862, Liebenau Colony.” [A further comparison should be made with the document of December 30, 1863. ] 3. Further Difficulties and Travels in