understood as to our faith and life, there will be some way
provided for their exemption. The Brotherhood is a unit, heart and
hand against arms-bearing. These things I make known to these men;
not, however, in any spirit of defiance, but in the spirit of meekness
and obedience to what we in heart believe to be the will of the Lord.
Many have already expressed to me their determination to flee from
their homes rather than disobey God.

SUNDAY, December 29. Meeting in our meetinghouse. The two ministering
brethren, John Huffman and Nathan Spitler, both from Page County, are
with us.

MONDAY, December 30. Write to General Jackson and to Charles Lewis.

TUESDAY, December 31. Traveled this year 3,930 miles. Preached
thirty-eight funerals. Baptized about fifty converts.

WEDNESDAY, January 1, 1862. At this time medicines were scarce and
physicians in the army. As a consequence of this the demands for
Brother Kline's professional services as a physician were largely
increased. The Diary for this year shows an almost incredible amount
of labor performed by him in this line. He was called to go twenty
miles to see patients on Lost River. He also treated patients in
Pendleton and Shenandoah counties, and many in Brock's Gap and in his
own and adjoining neighborhoods. He had no day of rest. In connection
with all this labor and responsibility, the Brotherhood looked to him
for counsel and comfort on every hand. At the same time he wrote many
letters, not only to distant Brethren, but to men in civil and
military place and power.

SATURDAY, February 15. He wrote a letter to John Letcher, at the time
Governor of Virginia; another to Secretary Benjamin, and one to
Charles H. Lewis. His leading object in all his correspondence with
these and other men in high civil and military positions was to
acquaint and as far as possible familiarize the minds of these men
with the true idea as to who the Brethren are, what they have ever
been, and how they have come to regard arms-bearing as they do.

The correspondence we are now considering may be regarded by some as
having been a small thing. Some may say: "It is a small thing to write
a letter to the President of the United States, or to a member of his
Cabinet, or to a member of Congress, or to the Governor of one's
State." A small thing, no doubt; in itself quite as small as to write
to any one else. It may be said that the greatness of all such
correspondence depends upon the magn