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

of Flemish and Frisian (although one hardly knows the term anymore) between Mennonites from the Molotschna, Chortitza, Volga, Ohrloff, Gnadenfeld and Lichtenau, although they are united into one ‘‘General Conference,” were always felt more or less. However, at times more, at times less, knowledge, power, weakness, light and darkness could be found in the various congregations of the M.B. Church, d) The chairmanship of the annual meetings was held for an un- interrupted period of at least five years by Br. August Liebig who was invited for each of the conventions. 4) The income was quite substantial for the membership at that time: in 1874 with a membership of 800-900 an income of 2778 rubles, with expenses of 2225 rubles for the itinerant ministry. B. In learning to know the character of the itinerant ministers and their activity, the nature of the spiritual life of the congregations in their power and weakness, their congenial and antipathetic characteristics, their diaries and reports can assist us. We have referred to the first "diary” by Christian Schmidt and Jakob Jantz in #196. Some parts of the reports of A. Unger and Christian Schmidt of 1875 and 1876 have also already been quoted. We cite writings of: 1. Brother Jakob Dirksen 312 of Muensterberg (Herzenberg) who for years together with Christian Schmidt represented the most intelligent and the most eloquent of his ministerial associates. We have to empha- size that, almost without exception, the itinerant ministers in their written reports underestimate their personal effectiveness, their pene- trating eloquence in their sermons and their general activity. They were not men of the pen, and the Mennonite fears every exaggeration and every diffuseness of the written word. This fact is applicable to the vast majority of the reports, accounts, recollections, etc. of Mennonite Brethren. The Mennonite is the taciturn, reserved “Boer” with the exception of the fact that he does not fire guns or cannons; Boer and Mennonite also have the same ancestry, pre- dominantly Dutch. a) Brother Dirksen reported on the first and second quarter of the conference year of 1876-77: “That was, indeed, your essence Since days of yore That you selected the quintessence Of the weak, the frail, the poor; That your work you have completed With broken staff or rod ; With flighted vine defeated The foe— upon him trod.” 516 THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH “If the truth of this saying were not confirmed many times over even in our own days, and the Word of God would not point frequently to the fact that it is not we who speak and act, but that God would like to work through us, it would not be possible for me to accept an assignment such as the Conference has given to me. But because it is this way, especially also in our community, experience has corroborated the words of Paul in I Cor. 1:21, so I too have dared, even though not without inner conflict, in Go