A Man May
Wear Suspenders and Remain a Christian. . . Such Is the Holding of an Ohio
Judge
By Bert D.
Strang
Columbus, Ohio—A man may wear suspenders, even suspenders with
rubber in them, and still be a Christian. And no one has the right to blacklist
him for it, either.
This Solomonic decision has just been rendered by Judge E.B.
Kinkead, of this city, in a case which arose in Holmes County involving the
beliefs and practices of the Amish Mennonites.
Judge W.N. Crow of Millersburg, east of Holmes County, in whose
court the suit was instituted, felt that he was disqualified from hearing the
case because when a young man he had taught school in the district where the
Mennonites live. He had lived among them, had eaten at their tables and had
slept in their beds. They were all his friends. So it was embarrassing to him
to be called upon to decide a case in which they were all so vitally
interested.
Judge Crow knew that Judge Kinkead was unbiased as to religion,
and he felt that he was without prejudice, too, in the matter of suspenders. In
the winter time Judge Kinkead wears suspenders, in the summer a belt. And it is
said that he even has been seen walking about the spacious grounds at his home
in the Indianola district of this city wearing neither, merely trusting to
fortune and the little clasp which tailors put in the waistband of a man’s
trousers.
And now that we have established the absolute impartiality of the
trial court we may proceed with the case.
Eli Ginerich is an Amish Mennonite farmer of Holmes County. He is
52 but looks like 70. He is more progressive than his brethren. He believes in
wearing suspenders. It is no one’s business, he says, how a man holds up his
trousers, so long as he holds them up. He is not a union man, either, because
he doesn’t believe in boycotting. He is opposed to the “meidening” or
blacklisting, by the Church.
Ginerich persisted in wearing suspenders. He also discarded the
little peajacket which true Amish Mennonites are supposed to wear. It is
possible, too, that he rode in a buggy with a dashboard and a whip socket. He
defied the Church rules, and the Church punished him by “meidening” him.
Life Grows
Unbearable
Life becoming unbearable in the Miller church to which he
belonged, he transferred his membership to the Martin’s Creek church, which is
more liberal and progressive. He said that he had the consent of the pastor of
the Miller church to do this. This good man is now dead, and Ginerich could not
prove his story. Later Ginerich joined the Bunker Hill church, and in this
church the men may hold their trousers up as they please, and even own and ride
in automobiles.
In the old Miller church neighborhood Ginerich had become
ostracized. He was unable to obtain help on his farm. The cider mills refused
to handle his apples. He was even denied the privilege of attending his
daughter’s wedding and could not attend the feast that followed. He became
estranged from his child. “If the church sites father,” the young woman said on
the witness stand, “it is my duty to shun him, even if it means a denial of our
relationship.” His wife stood by him, however, although there had been trouble
between them. His brother remained true to him, and because of it he, too, was
“meidened.”
Then Ginerich went to court to establish his rights in the eyes of
his fellowmen. He brought suit against seven bishops and elders of the Amish
church. Judge Kinkead, who went to Millersburg, heard the case with the aid of
interpreters and granted Ginerich the injunction he asked for, but denied him
damages. Although the defendants in the case had an attorney of record they
prepared their own answer to Ginerich’s suit. They cited the Scriptures in
defence of their action of shunning or “meidening” and closed with this prayer:
“We hereby beg the court for the freedom we and our forefathers
have heretofore enjoyed under the government of our country, which we hereby
acknowledge.” The Amish people are very sincere in their beliefs. “We have our
church rules and they must be obeyed,” declared one of the preachers from
behind a luxuriant growth of whiskers while on the witness stand. All viewed
the wearing of suspenders as a crime against the church; a crime that might
endanger the wearer to eternal punishment.
Interesting
Legally
The trial of the case was not without its interesting legal
aspects. A court cannot take part in a church dispute unless the civil rights
of the parties are involved. Judge Kinkead in an extended review of the case
declared that religious liberty granted to Ginerich under the Constitution had
been interfered with. His home had been broken up through his daughter’s having
practically disowned him. And he had been boycotted contrary to law, he having
been unable to carry on business relations with his neighbors. Many refused to
buy from or sell to him, and in this district of between 6,000 and 7,000
Mennonite people he was helpless. The question of damages was not pushed in
Ginerich’s suit, but the opinion has been expressed that had the action been
brought under the law invoked in the famous hatters’ case he might have
obtained a good sized judgment.
The Amish church is the old-fashioned straightlaced faction of the
old Mennonite Church of the Protestant Christians which arose in Switzerland
several centuries ago. The name Mennonite was taken, however, from the name of
Mennon Simons, who was the church leader in Holland. Most of them speak low
German and in the trial at Millersburg an interpreter was required on several
occasions. They believe in discipline rather than dogma, and declare discipline
more important than learning. They are opposed to the vanities of the world,
take no part in civic affairs, love peace and despise war. Jacob Amxen became
the head of one of the branches of the Mennonite Church in Europe years ago,
and the Holmes County branch faithfully adhere to his teachings. With them
excommunication from the church dissolves marriages and divorce is refused
except on the ground of adultery. The first settlement of Mennonites in this
country was made at Germantown, Penn., under promise of religious freedom given
by William Penn.
The Amish Mennonites have no church buildings, but in each dwelling house there is a room large enough to accommodate several hundred
persons at service. The bishops and elders and preachers are chosen from among
the wisest men of the denomination, and their word is absolute law among the
people. No man is permitted to become a full-fledged member of the Church until
he has grown a beard or has given evidence that he can grow one. These beards
are never touched by scissors, although each man bears a clean-shaven lip. A
girls is not admitted to church membership until she has proved her womanly
qualifications.
Games
After Service
After religious services it is customary for the young men to
engage in athletic feats, while the girls look on. The young women ponder on
the masculine beauty of the participants in the athletic performances, and this
often leads to courtship and marriage. Attracted by the manly form of a fellow,
the girl picks him out as her future husband, and if when he starts for home he
finds her seated in his buggy he knows he has been tagged for the wedding
ceremony.
The Amish men do not court as other men do. They never see their
prospective brides, except at church, until the minister of the flock has
obtained the consent of the parents of both and has arranged for the wedding.
In the course of time the wedding ceremony takes place, and this
is followed by the feast, to which church people come for miles around. Eli
Ginerich was denied the privilege of giving his daughter in marriage or partaking
of the feast that followed the ceremony.
The peace and dignity of man depend much on the way in which he
holds up his trousers. Eli Ginerich will be blessed through the ages as the man
who caused the courts to rule that one may wear suspenders and still be
entitled to public respect, that he may wear suspenders and still walk down the
golden streets of Paradise.
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