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thousand. A few of them were exceedingly prominent.... The pacifist movement of the twenties and thirties carried right on through the war with remarkable strength. On this point Dr. F. Ernest Johnson comments: "The number of objectors has been extremely small in view of the strength of the pacifist movement, but they constitute a symbol of religious freedom, and the churches in general seem so to regard them."15

Disaster Service

One of the expressions of concern for the well-being of their fellowmen by Ohio Conference Mennonites has been the organization of Disaster Service units. The Eastern Ohio Mennonite Service was organized at Hartville, Ohio, on March 26, 1955, when seventy representatives from various branches of Mennonites from eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania gathered "to determine whether the Mennonites of this area should organize for relief and reconstruction, should disaster strike anywhere in our part of the state.""' The decision was made to organize, and a committee of five was chosen to proceed with plans. The committee consisted of George Falb, A. J. Miller, Abe J. Yoder, J. Elmer Witmer, and L. C. Kreider.

Other Disaster Service units are organized throughout the state. The Archbold community in Fulton County had been a leader in such a program before the Hartville meeting. The Disaster Service units render help in time of tornado disasters, floods, or similar catastrophes. They have also helped to rebuild bombed Negro churches and frequently cooperate with the Red Cross and similar groups.

Their organization is geographical, with contact men in each area who can be reached in case of a disaster, and who in turn can reach numbers of men who desire to serve in the emergency service.

Interest in Mental Health

The Mennonite Church acquired an interest in the relation of religion to mental health as a result of World War II when hundreds of its young men worked in state mental hospitals as an alternative to military service. Due to this interest five mental hospitals or psychiatric centers have been established by the church. The Ohio and Eastern Mennonite Conference has been active in supporting at least two of these centers. The Brook Lane Psychiatric Center of Hagerstown, Maryland, has been supported by