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

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Articles The 1920s Migration of Old Colony Mennonites from the Hague-Osler Area of Saskatchewan to Durango, Mexico Bill Janzen, MCC Ottawa Presented to the Annual General Meeting of the Mennonite Historical Society of Saskatchewan, Hague, Saskatchewan, March 3, 2006 It is a privilege to be invited to this occasion and to speak on this topic. The topic has been close to me for a long time. I remember, as a child in the 1950s, the letters that came to our home from my maternal grandmother who, as a widow, had moved to Mexico in the smaller 1948 migration, with seven of her adult children. Her letters seemed always to speak of hardship and the sadness of her family’s separation. Later, in my University studies, I came across papers about the 1920s school crisis - papers that confirmed the stories that my mother and father had told me about how their parents had paid fines for keeping them out of the public schools in those years. Then, in my MCC work, I was able to help returning Mennonites whose parents came from here, with their residual claims to Canadian citizenship. These and other things have led me often to reflect on this topic. It is not a simple topic, with one side being completely good and the other bad. Nor is it easy to place ourselves in that context, almost one hundred years ago, when so many things were different. Nevertheless, our task is to try to understand. To help with that, I have broken the topic down into five time periods, each representing a particular phase of the story. I should also explain that I will use the popular name “Old Colony Mennonite Church” even though its official name in the 1920s was “Reinlander Mennonite Church”. 1. 1892 - 1908: Two School Systems With a Little Friction Even before Saskatchewan became a province in 1905, the law allowed for public schools. People in any given area could organize a school district, hold a vote, and if a majority wanted to set up a public school then the land in the district would be taxed to help pay for it. Also, the government would then provide an inspector to check up on the school and give some other assistance. But attendance was not compulsory; nor was it compulsory to organize such districts. As a result, the Old Colony people were free to continue with their German language private schools. There the curriculum included reading, writing and arithmetic as well as Catechism, the New Testament and the Old Testament. The “sacred” and the “secular” would be held together. And children would attend until age twelve or thirteen. The purpose of these schools was to prepare children, not for life in the larger society, but for the Old Colony way of life. For that purpose they were not bad. It is not surprising, however, that some people living on the edges of the Old Colony settlement would want something different. In the Rosthern area where, starting in 1892, Mennonites of different backgrounds had settled, the prominent Gerhard Ens, who later became a member of the provincial legislative assembly, complained that the Old Colony people always voted against getting a school district and a public school. Finally, in 1899, when an Englishman came and built a mill in Rosthern, they quickly organized an election and got all the construction workers that he had brought in to vote. With that majority Rosthern got its first public school. 1 In the Osler area in 1902 a certain Mr. Wilson also complained to the government about the opposition of Old Colony Mennonites. The response he got back from the Department of Education advised: “if at all possible … arrange the boundaries of the district [so] that when the vote ... is taken a majority [will] be in favour of it.” 2 Soon thereafter when the Hague school district was formed they used a similar approach. The boundaries were drawn so as to include much land owned by people in nearby villages but not the villages themselves, thus gaining their tax money but not their opposing votes. 2. 1908 - 1917: Public Schools Gain Supporters One Old Colony person who wanted to send his children to a public school was Isaac P. Friesen. He lived in Rosthern where he had a store and where he had also begun to attend the Mennonite church. He had decided that at some point he would join that church. Also, once his children reached school age, he would send them to the public school in Rosthern. In other words, his mind was no longer oriented toward the Old Colony. But he had been baptized into that church and he wanted, very much, to avoid getting excommunicated from it, partly because if that happened then many members of that church would no longer do business in his store. To prevent that from happening I. P. Friesen visited the Old Colony Aeltester, Rev. Jacob Wiens, and asked if he could withdraw his membership from that church. Later he told government officials, “I begged and prayed Mr. Wiens more than I ever did any man for any favour.” 3 Even Rev. David Toews, the minister of the Rosthern Mennonite church, visited Aeltester Wiens to ask about this. But the theology of the Old Colony church at that time held that once people are baptized into the church they could not be released - excommunicated yes, but not released. This will seem unusual to us but some other churches also held to this position. Another person in a such a situation was Jacob J. Friesen. In 1908 he wrote to the provincial Education Minister, J. H. Calder, stating: As I am one of the excommunicated Mennonites I think it very necessary to tell you briefly my experience in this matter and hope that it might stir up the Government…. I lived in Warman until last spring and my business connections were principally with the members of the so-called Old Colony Church; and as I had two boys of school age I was sending them to the public school in Warman,…As soon as the leaders of the Old Colony church got notice of my steps they excommunicated me and forbade all the members to have any more dealings with me. The consequence was that I had to give up my home, my business, and everything for the sake of giving my children a better education. 4 What was the government to do in the face of such appeals? It set up a Commission of Inquiry headed by the Deputy Ministers in the Departments of Education and the Attorney General. These two senior officials held hearings in Warman on December 28 and 29, 1908. They heard more than a dozen such excommunicated people. They also interviewed Aeltester Wiens and two other Old Colony leaders. These church leaders explained that they were following the teachings of the Bible, referring to Deuteronomy 6:7 about the sacred calling to teach children, and to Romans 16:17-19, 2 Thess. 3:6 & 14, and 2 John 10, about church discipline. They also referred to the Privilegium, meaning the fifteen point letter from the federal government, given to them in 1873, on which they had relied in their decision to leave Russia and move to Canada. That letter promised them unrestricted freedom in the schooling of their children. How could this situation be resolved? The Saskatchewan government threatened to cancel the right of Old Colony ministers to solemnize marriages if the church did not give its people the freedom to attend public schools. But the government did not carry out that threat. Indeed, it appears not to have taken further steps at this 66 - Preservings No. 26, 2006
time. Meanwhile, the Old Colony church held a “Brotherhood” meeting, in accordance with a promise it made to the Commission of Inquiry, to review its practices. The decision at that meeting was not to change their practices. In January 21, 1909, Aeltester Wiens reported on this meeting to the government stating: “May the Spirit of counsel, the Spirit of wisdom, knowledge and understanding rest upon you, [as noted in] Isaiah 11:2, to enable you to administer your office as God’s servants. This is the wish of your poor and weak people. God be thanked that hitherto under your wise Government and under your protection, our belief, according to God’s word, has been left undisturbed,...We, therefore, thank the Government with all our hearts and pray God that he may provide you with wisdom and strength and be your protection and shield in this life and your great reward at the end [Genesis 15:1]... We, therefore, ask you, fully trusting in the above mentioned freedom, to enjoy your protection in the future, and pray you ... to leave our belief undisturbed....When we remain true to our promise [at baptism] we feel ourselves forced not to accept the claims made upon us by our rebellious brethren. This was unanimously decided and voted on at the meeting, which was promised you in Warman, and which was held on the 19 th instant, and at which more than 300 brethren were present. ... we cannot accept [their] claim without transgressing God’s word and commandments. ...we would ask you kindly not to consider us disobedient and troublesome people. No, we wish to obey you in everything insofar as Jesus teaches, in Matthew 22:21, ‘Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s.’ We trust that you will not deprive us of this right. And we believe that when the books of judgement will be laid before the Judge of Judges, as shown in Revelations 20:12, that many of the accusations against us will not be found to be as they have been represented. We now commend you to the mercy of the Lord and pray that he will guide and lead you and ourselves as your subjects to the inheritance of eternity...” 5 Even though the government did not take further action at this time there were other significant developments. In 1910 the government introduced a physical training and drill program into the public schools that was not only patriotic but militaristic, so much so that even Mennonites who had accepted public schools asked that their children be exempted from it. 6 Also, by 1915, in a few areas the provincial government imposed fines on parents for not sending their children to public school. 7 Meanwhile, more public schools appeared on the edge of the Old Colony settlement. The Lily and River Park schools on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River were started in 1911 and 1912 respectively, and the Heidelberg and Reinfeld schools, north and east of Hague respectively, were started in 1914. 8 Also, a number of prominent individuals called for an expansion of the public school system. This is understandable. The prairies were filling up with settlers from A Mennonite with horse-drawn wagon in the City of Nuevo Ideal, Durango in 1999. Delbert Plett. many parts of Europe. There were Ukrainians, Poles, Germans, French, Icelanders, and many others. It was not wrong for the government to try to build a certain common ground in the schools and to ensure that all newcomer children learned one common language. J. S. Woodsworth, who later became the national leader of the CCF, wrote, in 1909, about the importance of the public school “to break down the walls” which separate the different cultures. 9 J.T.M Anderson, who later became a Conservative Premier, wrote: The children in the public schools to-day will be the fathers and mothers of the next generation, …it is essential that they …be given an insight into our Canadian life and ideals, so that they in turn may impart these to their offspring…. Unless we gird ourselves to this task with energy and determination, imbued with a spirit of tolerance, the future of our Canadian citizenship will fail to reach the high level of intelligence which has ever characterized Anglo- Saxon civilization. 10 Another proponent of the public schools was the Rev. Dr. E. H. Oliver, Principal of the Presbyterian Theological College in Saskatoon and Vice President of the Saskatchewan Public Education League. In 1915 he conducted a survey of schools in several immigrant settlements including 32 Old Colony Mennonite schools in the Hague and Swift Current colonies where, altogether, some 800 children attended. These, he said, “are receiving what no stretch of the imagination can designate as an adequate education, …[they] are learning nothing of our literature, our history, or our language …, Can this state of things be allowed to continue? … What is the function of a school? … I venture to state that the function of our schools must not be to make Mennonites, nor Protestants, nor Roman Catholics, but Canadian citizens.” In his view the primary function of the school is to turn a child into “an intelligent and patriotic citizen”. 11 Interestingly, the Deputy Minister of Education was more moderate, despite the onset of World War I. He responded to Oliver’s campaign by saying: “Just at this time when it is easy for any agitator to rouse the prejudices and the passions of people on racial matters it behooves our better men to require from others calmness, deliberation and foresight … Those who shout on [public] platforms about Canadian citizenship being endangered because 800 children in Saskatchewan are being educated in Mennonite schools are hysterical fools.” 12 The deputy minister of education may have been moderate but in the atmosphere of “The Great War” there were increasingly strong feelings in support of everything British and against everything German, especially Germans who did not serve in the military. This is not all that surprising given that Canada was intensely involved in that war, more so than in World War II. On a per capita basis, almost twice as many Canadians were killed in WWI. And since few French Canadians served, the burden on English Canada was heavy. Also, in that war there was no Alternative Service Program, as there was in WW II, where Mennonites could show that, even though they might be exempted from military service, they were still willing to render a substantial service to the country. And as the law then was, Mennonites could gain exemption on the basis of a church leader’s signature without having to personally appear before a judge to explain their faith. All these things contributed to the strong feelings against Mennonites. The unwillingness of Old Colony Mennonites to accept public schools was one more factor. 3. 1917 - 1919: Forcing the Public Schools In this war-time atmosphere the provincial government, in the spring of 1917, passed the School Attendance Act. In effect this law made it compulsory for all children between the ages of seven and 14 to attend a public school where English was the language of instruction, if the children lived within a public school district. The government now also had the power to create public school districts if the people living there did not want to do that on their own. Further, the government could expropriate land, have schools constructed, appoint official Preservings No. 26, 2006 - 67
Page 1 and 2:
~ A Journal of the D. F. Plett Hist
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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
Page 15 and 16: Inter-church conversations with the
Page 17 and 18: concerning the Points of the Christ
Page 19 and 20: to their children, for all inherita
Page 21 and 22: Hamburg (after 1641 the Danish mona
Page 23 and 24: Dutch-Flemish Words in Mennonite Lo
Page 25 and 26: Henkel und Deckel. goblet, mug with
Page 27 and 28: According to definition, any means
Page 29 and 30: The history of Mennonites in Amster
Page 31 and 32: Rembrandt van Rijn 1606-1956 . Van
Page 33 and 34: Wife of Cornelis Claesz Anslo. Deta
Page 35 and 36: Some Rembrandts In America John F.
Page 37 and 38: Biographies Aeltester Johann Loeppk
Page 39 and 40: Old Colony delegates to Mexico in t
Page 41 and 42: Old Colony Mennonites departing to
Page 43 and 44: give heed first to the son, then th
Page 45 and 46: Tribute to Aeltester Herman J. Buec
Page 47 and 48: mass emigration. In 1872 Jansen pub
Page 49 and 50: me no de ole tit.’. . So this col
Page 51 and 52: was involved in confession before t
Page 53 and 54: Hamm Family Journals Translated by
Page 55 and 56: that was for a small one. Sugar is
Page 57 and 58: etter return until the parents agai
Page 59 and 60: The Wiebe Family. Grandmother came
Page 61 and 62: The Von Stauffenbergs and the Klass
Page 63 and 64: the rapid Allied advance. In total,
Page 65: Throughout his life, Mr. Froese’s
Page 69 and 70: They also considered the US. Land a
Page 71 and 72: for those older teens who wanted to
Page 73 and 74: such a group, why we should raise o
Page 75 and 76: Teaching Staff of Barnaul School fo
Page 77 and 78: collectives continue to this day an
Page 79 and 80: were also assembling to travel at t
Page 81 and 82: different areas have such varied we
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Page 85 and 86: Another Look at the Creation-Evolut
Page 87 and 88: Hutterite Life Hutterite Christmas
Page 89 and 90: Graduation Address At The Oak River
Page 91 and 92: Our Christmas Wonder by Linda Maend
Page 93 and 94: Mennonitische Forschungsstelle Gary
Page 95 and 96: For the 3,000 dead in the fall of t
Page 97 and 98: Material Culture Passing on the Com
Page 99 and 100: or Paraguay and again for safety in
Page 101 and 102: questions that deserve consideratio
Page 103 and 104: sadness. The first sadness is that
Page 105 and 106: sive collection of data. Trafford P
Page 107 and 108: “The Singel Mennonite Church, Ams
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