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of congratulations from the same man."

Older residents of the Mennonite and Amish communities in Pennsylvania and Ohio still remember how their church buildings and the homes of some church leaders were "decorated" by flags placed there by hostile neighbors. For example, one Sunday morning during the war, worshipers going to the Oak Grove Church near West Liberty found paper flags pasted on every window of the church. Two large flags had been fastened by ladder on the corners of the church building." Here, as in other communities that experienced similar "decorations", the members and leaders responded with restraint and a degree of understanding. The flags were usually not removed, but allowed to weather away.

A study of Wayne County conscientious objectors made in 1962 reveals how this large center of Mennonite and Amish population found its way during World War I. Wayne County was strongly patriotic and its draft board was aggressive in supplying manpower for the armed forces. It was difficult for its members to be sympathetic with the position of the conscientious objectors in the county and at times they pointed to inconsistencies in the conduct and life of those claiming exemption on religious grounds. Some of the "incidents" in Wayne County were as follows:

In July 1918 a Mennonite man was "kidnapped" for not supporting the war bond drive, but released the same evening." An Amishman was taken to jail overnight since the sheriff feared a mob would harm him because of his refusal to buy war bonds." The Wooster Daily Republican of February 23, 1918, reported that the town of Dalton was "a hotbed of conscientious objectors."" The August 1917 statement on war by the Mennonite General Conference which received a wide distribution was considered seditious, causing a "world of trouble not only to the local board, but to the officers at camps where these various so-called conscientious objectors were sent."The records of the Ohio Branch Council of National Defense

contain much data on the statewide war efforts in food production, allocation of fuel, war chest drives, patriotic education, registrations, and a host of other activities during those strenuous days. However, the Council's reports and records contain scarcely any references to the Amish and Mennonite communities. A Mr. J. D. Fair of the Holmes County Relief Chest said in a questionnaire dated November 30, 1918, that "The eastern part of the county is owned