Townsman, 1991-07, Page 40A peek inside
a Mennonite
life
Horst, Isaac R. Separate and Peculiar.
Mount Forest, Ontario. Published by
author, c. 1979. 75 pp. ISBN 0-
9690978-1-6.
All of us have sten the Old Order
Amish or Mennonites in their horse-
drawn vehicles and their 16th -century
clothes and we understand that they
have rejected many of the modern
conveniences and ways of the world.
They have long been a part of life in
Waterloo and Perth Counties. Now
they are moving away from the grow-
ing cities of Waterloo and Kitchener
and into areas such as the north end of
Huron County where they can more
easily pursue a rural way of life.
We don't, for the most part, howev-
er, know why they have clung to this
way of life and why they have reject-
ed much of our culture and mores. It
would certainly be easier to accept
more of the 20th century in order to
survive in our socicty.
Isaac Horst, who would seem to be
a Mennonite and who has written
other books, sets out in this slim work
to outline the biography of a fictitious
but typical male of the Waterloo
North or Old Order Amish Mennon-
ites. The activities of women are also
described but to a lesser extent.
These people are mostly descen-
dants of immigrants who came from
Pennsylvania in the 1830's looking for
land and the freedom to pursue their
pacifist way of life. The reasons for
leaving are not made clear here. They
are, for the most part, descended from
a very few families and are mostly
interrelated and tightly knit. They still
have strong connections to their co -
religionists in the United States and to
other Mennonite groups although
there are deep differences in religious
beliefs and way of life. For instance,
the Waterloo North and Kitchener
38 TOWNSMAN/JULY-AUGUST 1991
groups split into different churches
over the issue of Sunday School
according to the author.
Menno Martin is a baby at the start
of the book and comes as the first
child in what will be a large family.
His care at first is by his mother and a
succession of "hired girls" although as
soon as he is able to work he is taken
to the barn while his parents do
chores. Indeed, even before entering
school, he is doing farm work. There
is play but there are no toys bought in
stores, no television and no instru-
mental music.
When school does come it is only
for eight years and at a parochial
school since there is dissatisfaction
with the public school system and its
values.
Menno's adult baptism is described
and explained as are the regular meet-
ings of the congregations. Services are
long and plain. There is more than one
sermon, there is prayer and there is
singing but no accompaniment. The
entire service is in German.
By the time he is 20 Menno has a
farm of his own with the help of his
family. With the aid of his fellow
church members he soon has a new
barn. Then he fixes his eye on a like-
ly candidate for marriage and the
courtship and wedding processes are
detailed. Eventually, Menno is nomi-
nated for the ministry and he is select-
ed from nine candidates by lot.
Ministers have no special education or
training as it is felt that all male mem-
bers of the church are worthy of con-
sideration for this office and capable
of studying the scriptures on their
own.
For the most part, the book is a
description and an explanation of the
Amish religion and way of life but at
times it becomes a defence. Horst
finds it necessary to justify the lack of
divorce or any way out of an unsatis-
factory marriage by saying that there
is no such thing if one wants and is
determined to make a relationship
work. The issue of shunning is not
mentioned nor is the fact that this
"democratic" religion has no way of
settling disputes except by total sub-
mission or else splitting off to form a
new church. This latter process has
happened many times.
Even if the reader cannot accept
these and other arguments and beliefs
the book is very useful and helpful in
explaining the way of life and religion
of a highly visible minority in the
coverage area of this magazine. Those
who know little of the Mennonites
should read the work and even those
who think they know a lot could bene-
fit from the book. The illustrations of
buggy types and of the clothes as well
as diagrams of the meeting houses and
of wedding arrangements are very
useful. The book is recommended as
as source of information rather than a
work of fiction.
Jerry McDonnell is a high school
librarian and avid reader who has
reviewed books for several publica-
tions across Ontario.
Revealing
hidden folk
art treasures
REVIEWED BY
RHEA HAMILTON-SEEGER
True folk art is often a hidden trea-
sure created to brighten a spot at home
or infusing new life into a broken
`whatever'. Some clever people use
their basic utilitarian mailboxes and
dress them up while others utilize
wood and scraps of metal and fabric
to create both the whimsical and the
beautiful.
In recognition of this work and to
commemorate Huron County's 150th
birthday the Blyth Festival Gallery in
co-operation with the Huron County
Museum, Goderich, have produced a
most delightful book titled simply
Folk Art Treasures of Huron County.
Truly unique in content it is a pho-
tographed catalogue of a three part
exhibit: a contemporary folk art
exhibit at the Blyth Festival Gallery;
historical folk art pieces on display at