A crowd of 52 people turned out for the first public meeting of the Harriston Historical Society on Oct. 26.
The Basement Café room of the newly renovated Carnegie Library was full as Dr. Carol Homuth, president of the society, welcomed everyone and reminded all that on the upper level is the John Webb Gallery which is constantly changing. The current major display features Harriston’s one-time largest employer, Canada Packers.
Speaker for the evening was Barbara Draper of Elmira. Draper was raised in St. Jacobs in the Waterloo Markham Mennonite group but now is a member of Floradale Mennonite Church. She enjoys local Mennonite history and her informative talk traced her ancestral heritage, plus that of the various groups, back to the early 1700s. She explained how church groups split, the hardships they endured, and how the coming of the railway to the Waterloo Region in 1866 made life much easier (public travel plus new goods available such as dry goods and fabric for sewing rather than homespun material).
It’s not that the Mennonites are reluctant to progress, said Draper, it’s that the rest of the world has changed much more, and faster, than they have.
In her book The Mennonites of St. Jacobs and Elmira (Understanding the Variety), Mrs. Draper sums it up by stating, “There are many different types of Mennonites. To distinguish the groups, outward differences such as dress and the acceptance of machinery or technology are the most obvious, but the rationale from these variations are often difficult to understand. There is no simple explanation.”
“Despite outward differences, the deep roots of faith unite the Mennonites and each group or community has grown out of a commitment to Christian beliefs centered in the teachings of Jesus.” A lengthy and diversified question period followed. The old fashioned aura of community togetherness and visiting was evident as the audience remained for quite some time to socialize with refreshments following the presentation.
