Page:Mennonite Handbook of Information 1925.djvu/108

 bless and so direct the rulers of our land that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, in the full exercise of our religious convictions; that we, as His children, may be faithful to and contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints; that God in His wise providence may overrule all to the glory of His name and the strengthening of His cause among men, we humbly subscribe our names to these declarations and pledge our powers in devotion to the principles herein set forth.

This statement was signed by 54 bishops, 110 ministers, and 35 deacons.

Preparations were also made for looking after the interests of the young brethren who had been drafted into the army but who could not conscientiously have any part in military service. These young brethren, as a rule were kept in detention camps, and before the War was ended several hundred nonresistants (many of them Mennonites) had been sent to military prisons because their conscience forbade them to have any part in noncombatant military service. These were visited regularly by the brethren who had been appointed for such work. Among those active in this work were Aaron Loucks, D. D. Miller, J. S. Hartzler, E. L. Frey, A. G. Clemmer, J. C. Habecker, I. B. Good, D. H. Bender and others.

In the light of all other events in the history of this country, there had never before been a confiict of arms in America that more generally affected the Mennonites, or brought to them more widely extended disturbance than at the time of the great World's War.

There were cases also where officials of the Mennonite Church were arrested, arraigned in