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

psge- zinde minister. ( Zondagsbode , 1899). a) I imagine they acted like the man with whom Frederick the Great occasionally stayed when on maneuvers. Informed that his host, because he was wealthy, would not accept any payment, Frederick asked him: “Are you wealthy?” “Yes, your Majesty!” “How did you become wealthy?” “By always paying a penny more than the market price for everything and selling everything for a penny less.” The king deemed the joke inappropriate, but the man explained it to him: “It is nevertheless the absolute truth; when the grain was inexpensive I always paid a penny more per bushel and then stored it in my granary; when the price rose, I sold it for a penny below the current price.” Habbertsma says the same of the Mennonites: The simplicity of their way of life made it possible for them to be satisfied with half the commercial profit required by the others. They were careful in their treatment of the materials and their sorting of the goods, and punctual in the delivery of orders. Thus they gained a high degree of trust— something that is a prerequisite for any advantageous business transaction. They were highly regarded by princes who understood the well-being of their state. The House of Orange in this regard has a great claim on our gratitude. Over the centimes, many enterprises and industries in the Netherlands testified to the proficiency of the Anabaptists. b) And once they had acquired money, much money, what did they do with it? In order to maintain their non-resistant status they were forced to pay out huge sums. I do not wish to mention all the pretexts— such as head money, guard money, ransom, etc.— used to make them pay. But a few incidents from their history in Friesland are in order. Who does not know of the three loans by the state of 1666 to 1676 amounting to a total of 1,032,943 guilders? The sum was large enough, especially when one compares the value of the money at that time to ours! Nothing was ever heard about a repayment. c) They also paid out large sums of money freely. [This holds true especially for the period 1650 and later.] This offended the more conservative among them as well as the secular and ecclesiastical rulers outside their circles. They resented the fact that Menno’s disciples also wanted to share in the enjoyments of the world. The Anabaptists assumed in their simplicity that since God had blessed their handiwork they should 78 DUTCH-PRUSSIAN ANABAPTISTS be allowed, like anyone else, to enjoy the fruits of their labor: houses and lands, furniture and art, fancy foods, all of which they regarded as existing for them as well. This naivete on their part, however, was maliciously interpreted by others! They should be satisfied that they were allowed unhindered to serve their God in secret and in their own way. But they should not be allowed to build a church on the public highway or indulge their pleasures in any way where their paths