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

d of the Russian language in order to speak with the Grand Duke. I do not consider the personal delivery, however, to be of absolute necessity. “What I have already said to you orally I must repeat here. It is of greatest significance that your petition to the Imperial Council be in the form of an all-inclusive general declaration on behalf of the Mennonites, that it not be signed by only a few individual congregations or elders but, rather, that it give the impression of a collective petition which expresses the opinion of the total Mennonite community. “Should your viewpoint, meanwhile, have changed in the sense that the preponderant majority of your congregation and its members would want to comply with the mild form of military duty as it has been afforded you— then, of course, such a petition to the Imperial Council would become unnecessary. “You know, dear brothers, my position toward you and your cause. I repeat that I would rejoice with all my heart if you would remain in Russia. Russia needs you and the responsibility which you have received from God for this country is a great one. “Well, God counsel you with His Holy Spirit concerning this question and guide your decision for your best interest and for the honor of His Name. Greet your congregations with heartfelt love from your brother. Theodor Hans, Minister of the Brethren Church” 2) “Memorandum of the Mennonites to the Government” presented by their deputies to the Adjutant General, the Count von Totleben, in St. Petersburg, November 15, 1875 (Taken from the same source as # 278 ): "Based on the truly paternal favor shown to us by Your Majesty, our most gracious Lord and Emperor, through the gracious acceptance of our petitions and desires, which we had the good fortune to present to Your Majesty through His Excellency, the Adjutant General von Totleben, and based upon the permission granted our most humble petition, to be able to voice our desires in a separate memorandum as to which form of service, among those permitted us, would be most suited to our conditions and most preferred by us, we venture in the name of our Military Service and Emigration 603 congregations to voice our most humble desires and petitions in the following: “1. After due consideration we and our congregations have arrived at the conclusion that the service in the forestry camps of Southern Russia would, for our conditions and abilities, be the most suitable form of service, and we would send our youths to serve in this fashion without hesitation. We would find it especially desirable were we to be able to plant new forests and administer them according to the regulations determined by the government through administrators drawn from our own midst. First of all, this would contribute greatly in calming our congregations, for we dare neither to hide it from ourselves nor keep it a secret from the government that the question of emigration is,