This book is the true story of Dannie
(Daniel) Martin. Dannie was the first child of Jake & Elizabeth Martin. He
had a quiet and fairly peaceful childhood. His family moved a few times before
their second child came along - Maria Elizabeth, whom they called Lilie.
Dannie's most pleasant times were spent with his Granpap Roth. They were close
from an early age, and Granpap often took Dannie with him on trips, both
business trips and trips to minister to the spiritual and physical needs of the
poor and isolated folks around. Granpap made a huge impression on Dannie's
life, and Dannie readily gave his life to God at an age earlier than most
others in his church. A few years later, Dannie met and married a Christian
girl by the name of Savilla Frances -
Villie, as he called her. They soon started a family of their own, and
had ten children altogether, but unfortunately two of them died. Dannie
continued following in his Granpap's footsteps, visiting people and encouraging
them to give their lives to Christ, even after Granpap passed away.
'Whatever Dannie tried to do in life, he tried desperately to do it well. In
great tasks or small, whatever he devoted his energies to, he devoted them
completely.*' Dannie continued to serve his God, and his fellows, up until his
death in 1950, at age 85.
'Dannie of the Cedar Cliffs' is written by
Christmas Carol Kauffman. I have read a lot of her other books, so I was eager
to see what this one was like. It's quite different from most of her others,
such as 'Unspoken Love', 'Not Regina',and 'For One Moment', in that the main
character, Dannie, does not have a difficult or troubled upbringing, or a sad
journey through life, with the exception of a few deaths. Although written in
the same style, this book lacks the suspense and drama of some of Christmas'
other books, and the writing may not be as detailed. Because of that it is also
ideal for family reading to a younger audience.
Christmas mentions three motives for
writing 'Dannie of the Cedar Cliffs', all of which were very well covered. One
of her motives for writing 'Dannie of the Cedar Cliffs' was 'to portray early
Mennonite life'. It was interesting to learn how their churches worked back
then. For example, most church services were still preached in German, (a
language which Dannie's generation could not understand,) and Sunday schools
were a new thing,- rejected by many members. The church services also went on
for three to four hours!
All in all, this is a good book. It was an
easy read, and I enjoyed it. It was inspiring to read about an ordinary
Christian man, who was faithful and used of God, and to learn more about
Mennonite life in the early to mid nineteen hundreds. :)
*'Dannie of the Cedar Cliffs' page 246.
