Preservings $20 Issue No. 26, 2006 - Home at Plett Foundation

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Altona Echo, etc) placed themselves in the middle of this activity, often supporting the war effort explicitly (with ads they ran, if not editorials directly), sometimes dodging the issue to a degree, but carefully avoiding opposition to the war which would endanger their existence and bring speedy reprisals. We do well to ponder how the normally tolerant and benign governmental powers of Canada quickly metamorphosed into another much more threatening face (as often the general public did also) when it chose to be part of the war itself. What really is the essential nature of governing authorities, wherever they are to be found? Friesen has produced a very readable and thought-provoking sketch of something really important that calls for more discussion and research. As intimated earlier, the recent CO conference has indeed set such further studies in motion. The published papers, scheduled to appear later in Journal of Mennonite Studies, and perhaps elsewhere, will demonstrate how this theme is continuing to be creatively pursued in our own circles and beyond. ________________ Werner, Hans, Living Between Worlds: A History of Winkler (Winkler: Winkler Heritage Society), 2006. Reviewed by Ken Reddig, Winnipeg This is one community history book that has got it right. Most often community history books fall into traps and seek more to accommodate the members of the community who they hope will purchase the book rather than properly telling the story. The need to tell a story somewhat objectively and “critically” is not often understood. It is the quick recitation rather than the long-term impact of the book that is sought. What makes for a good community history? There is no easy answer, but in part it is an initial critical understanding of the community, trends, people and issues that the community has encountered and addressed together. For a community such as Winkler this can be hampered by the fact that it is a community that over a long period of its history it has been largely dominated by a particular group of people with a common history and religious perspective—namely Mennonites. Where this book has it right is in highlighting the relationships both within and outside of the many different kinds of Mennonites that made up the community as well as the relationships with those non-Mennonites who from time to time played an integral role within the economic, social or religious life of the community. A well-told story within the book is of the interaction between early Jewish peddlers and the conservative Mennonites who made up the community initially. Of interest is the fact that the economic relationship was largely based on a barter system and it was between the Jewish peddlers and the Mennonite women. As the peddler would make his rounds in the villages outside of Winkler, he would trade cloth, pots and pans and other household necessities with the village women for eggs, chickens and garden produce that they would have grown. Later this relationship continued as some peddlers set up stores in Winkler. Of note is that Jews within the community even had a Synagogue with a Cantor. However, the Jewish community outgrew the smallness of Winkler and they began to move to other provinces or to larger urban centres such as Winnipeg in order for their children to be able to avail themselves of the better opportunities for higher education. The book does not follow a timeline as such, but rather is broken up into thematic chapters that interweave with each other while at the same time are spread over selected time periods. This methodology allows for good interaction between the various aspects of community life and does not necessarily restrict the author from pursuing a theme to its present-day conclusion. Where often such an approach can enhance the possibility of the author engaging is repetitiveness, the author clearly takes great pains not to fall into that trap. One of the major themes of the book is the initial beginnings of the community with a good discussion of the importance of the coming of the railroad. For communities on the prairies their survival was measured by whether or not a railroad came through their community. It was the necessary ingredient for a community to flourish on the western Canada landscape—and where it was missing it often spelled death or disaster to a new struggling and growing community. Entering this story was of course the competition with other nearby communities who either had or did not have the railroad. While the railroad was vitally important its presence did not ensure success. Nearby towns with railroads would compete for commerce particularly with the agricultural business of the regions farmers. This competition could become intense and with Winkler it was intense especially with nearby Morden. It resulted in tensions which still exist to this very day. The book contains numerous stories and anecdotes that illustrate these tensions. The book has a good blend of text and photos. Of course, everyone would like more pictures, but the blend between good history and just another picture book of a town is well balanced. Often in reviewing some community histories one gets the sense that current inhabitants have lobbied for the picture of their grandfather, business or home and certainly name to be included. Some community histories are best-sellers because they have done just that—and their sales are not at all indicative of whether or not they are good histories. To some extent the author has acquiesced a bit in this direction when he lists all the early families and also the civic leaders. But for the most part he has developed a fine mix of photos and text that are rarely matched in histories of other communities. Immigration played a role right from the very beginning of Winkler—and in a fascinating way immigration remains a vital ingredient in the everchanging culture of the community Winkler today. Initially it was with Mennonites from Ukraine in post 1870 and later 1920 waves. Today it is with Mennonites from Mexico and also people with distant Mennonite backgrounds, but now largely Baptist in orientation, from Germany. In all phases of these immigrations, they have proven to be a necessary ingredient for economic survival of the community. Initially they fit into and played a significant role in the development of a thriving agricultural economy. Today it is in the skills they bring to a well-diversified manufacturing environment that has amazingly complimented the rich agriculture region within which Winkler finds itself. Another good balance within the book are stories of how the community survived and was affected by outside influences such as the World War’s and the global depression. While significantly impacted by these influences, the author notes how the community pulled together. It was during the intense economic constraints between 1920’s and the 1950’s that the arts, mostly in the form of performance music, flourished and gained a lasting foothold within the community through the dedicated efforts of such choral conductors like K. H. Neufeld, who eventually led workshops and conducted choirs across Canada. The arts were aided with people such as John Konrad who helped launch music festivals, orchestras and himself was a fine violinist. A humourus anecdote related the fact that during these hard times there was also renewal within the congregations that made up the town and its immediate environs. This had its effect upon a local Jewish merchant who noted that following a particular series of revival meetings within the community, the merchant was pleasantly surprised at the number of people coming into his store to pay for goods that they had taken or to settle old accounts. The author notes that evangelist was achieving what the police and courts could not. This response so affected the merchant that he himself attended the meetings one evening just to find out what was affecting the local church attenders. During the economic turbulence of the 20’s and 30’s most of the town’s businesses survived, though many farmers went bankrupt. Corn became the favoured crop - as it was reasonably drought and heat resistant. Corn and other new crops and related industries sustained the agricultural community surrounding Winkler, but by the 1950’s it no longer was able to keep the community vibrant. The town was “falling behind” economically. It could no longer grow without greater diversification beyond the agricultural economy. What was needed was industrial growth. This slowly began happening and then gained momentum. Perhaps its greatest boost cam through the promotional activities and ideas of Henry F. Wiebe. As a former school teacher, then Credit union manager and later mayor, Wiebe was the promotional fire within the Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber - previously the Board of Trade - had long been composed of reluctant followers, who feared the displeasure of the town. Wiebe, the author notes, was the masterful promoter and industrial expansion began on a pace that to this day is the envy of small towns and communities across Canada. The key to this expansion was making sure there was always well-serviced land available for industrial expansion. Wiebe’s genius was to apply promotion with good business sense that today is the textbook standard for good community development. The combination of good writing and good anecdotes within an engaging narrative sets this book apart from most others. Whether or not you have a connection with this vibrant community, reading this book is a delightful adventure that sweeps you up in the passage of time within one prairie community. I highly recommend it. 106 - Preservings No. 26, 2006
“The Singel Mennonite Church, Amsterdam. Note that it is a “hidden” church. Photo credit: Jan Gleysteen.” Preservings No. 26, 2006 - 107
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D.F. Plett Foundation Names Executi
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Interior of the church in Witmarsum
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An engraving of Menno Simons by Pie
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this first wave of persecution. Som
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The Frisian-Flemish Division Causes
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practice actually prevailed, such a
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Inter-church conversations with the
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concerning the Points of the Christ
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to their children, for all inherita
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Dutch-Flemish Words in Mennonite Lo
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Henkel und Deckel. goblet, mug with
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According to definition, any means
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The history of Mennonites in Amster
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Rembrandt van Rijn 1606-1956 . Van
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Wife of Cornelis Claesz Anslo. Deta
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Some Rembrandts In America John F.
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Biographies Aeltester Johann Loeppk
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Old Colony delegates to Mexico in t
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Old Colony Mennonites departing to
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give heed first to the son, then th
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Tribute to Aeltester Herman J. Buec
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mass emigration. In 1872 Jansen pub
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was involved in confession before t
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Hamm Family Journals Translated by
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