t foe Vbiblfef # ****** % % O PRINCETON, N. J. Division , Section /. Shelf Number. MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS BY THE SAME AUTHOR. SOME OXFORD CUSTOMS. Paper wrapper, Is. PASSAGES IN THE LIFE OF AN UNDERGRADUATE. Paper wrapper, Is. The above two books give a faithful and interesting account of the manners and customs of the ancient University. ERNEST DACENT. A Book for Boys. Cloth, Is. Od. "A very pleasant tale of life in Wales.' 1 — Spectator. STORIES OF MY PETS. Cloth, Is. 6d. " A charming little book." — Spectator. LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF A VERY LITTLE MONKEY. A Story of a Pet Marmoset, for Children. Cloth, 2s. 6cZ. " A delightful story for children." — Times. "Written in a spirit of the utmost humanity for all creatures, and of sympathy with all that is beautiful in nature. ' ' — A cade m y . London : SWAN SOXNEXSCHEIN A CO., Paternoster Square. MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS THE AUTHOR OF " SOME OXFORD CUSTOMS " MORAVIAN LIFE IN THE BLACK FOREST," LONDON SWAN SONNENSCHEIN & CO. PATERNOSTER SQUARE 1889 Butler & Tanner, The Sei.wood Printing Works, Frome, and London. CONTENTS CHAPTER I. The Moravians at Konigsfeld ... 1 CHAPTER II. The Moravians and their Origin, Church Government, and Constitution . . 40 CHAPTER III. The Settlement at Herrnhut, its Cause and its Consequences . . . . Gl CHAPTER IV. Konigsfeld Revisited 71 CHAPTER V. The Feast of Potatoes . . . . 7G CHAPTER VI. Consecration of the New School . .81 CHAPTER VII. The Schwestern House and School . .91 VI CONTENTS. PAGE CHAPTER VIII. Herrnhut ix Prospect 99 CHAPTER IX. Herrxhut ix Reality 108 CHAPTER X. Niesky — The Max without a Name . . 131 CHAPTER XI. Kleix-Welke. Neudietexdorf, axd the Wartburg 144 CHAPTER XII. From Neuwied to Zeyst .... 170 CHAPTER XIII. Christmas axd New Year amoxgst the Moravians 197 Appendix 219 DEDICATED TO THE SOCIETY OF " OLD NEUWIEDERS," AND ALL ITS MEMBERS, PAST, PRESENT, AND TO COMIC, IN AFFECTIONATE REMEMBRANCE OF OLD NEUWIED— AND KONIGSFELD — DAYS. $8 % gutljor. MORAVIAN SCHOOLS JLND CUSTOMS. CHAPTER I THE MORAVIANS AT KONIGSFELD. " Alas ! the world is full of peril ! The path that runs through the finest meads On the sunniest side of the valley, leads Into a region bleak and sterile ! But, in this sacred and calm retreat, We are all well and safely shielded From winds that blow and waves that beat, To which far stronger hearts have yielded." Longfellow. Methinks I see little Konigsfeld on that sultry August afternoon, a lovely picture of repose, as it lies so peaceful and calm beneath the pure, intensely purple sky ; its white houses and tall roofs, its schools, and little chapel, standing out in bold relief from the dark background of forest that rises up around them. No cries and shouts are heard of idle B 2 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. urchins, no noisy customers besiege the solitary inn-door, the children are all collected in the schools adapted to their sex and age ; the labourers, many of them women, are at work in the neighbouring fields, gathering in the last of the hay and clover crops, and the other inhabitants are either sitting at home with carefully closed green shutters, to keep off, if possible, the dazzling rays of the burning sun, or they are gone out to the forest, carrying with them books and work to its cool and welcome shade, where their seats are the moss-grown stumps of long- ago felled trees, their carpet, the green straggling bilberry-bushes that strew the ground, laden with dark, juicy fruit, a good contrast to its bright-coloured name- sake, the red bilberry, whose scarlet clusters of berries peep forth so prettily from the wax-like leaves of the low stunted plant on which they grow. In one part of the forest, the loud croak- ing of the frogs from the sedgy borders of THE MORAVIANS AT KONIGSFELD. 3 the rush-pond, or, as I have been wont to name it from its hoarse-voiced inmates, the frog-pond, breaks the stillness of the air ; in another direction the monotonous drip of a water-wheel is heard, and down in a picturesque little dell you see a saw- mill at work beneath a rustic shed, the unwieldy tool slowly but surely making its way through the gigantic trunk to which its teeth have been applied. But Konigsfeld, the little settlement itself, is still — not a sound is heard, save the distant, soft, sweet tinkling of the cow- bells, as the herds wander leisurely over the newly-mown meadows, cropping what scanty herbage there remains, and the plashing of the little fountain in the centre of the place, as its tiny column rises into the air, then falls again, scattered into thread-like, sparkling streams, that ripple the surface of the shallow basin, alive with gold and silver fish, embedded in green turf, and surrounded with fragrant lime trees. 4 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. Xot even the sound of old brother Flach's hatchet, as he chops wood in the yard of the Sisters' house, is heard, for he is resting to wipe the perspiration from his furrowed brow; the fowls, too, are silent, lying huddled together in the shade, half buried in chips and saw-dust, beneath the deep eaves of the log-house. Presently, down one side of a double flight of stone steps, leading to the en- trance of one of the best houses of the little settlement, descends a young girl, with a pitcher in her hand and a child on her arm. The child is the youngest daughter of the doctor of the place — the only doctor of the little community, and one, moreover, held in high esteem by the Black Foresters of the neighbourhood, who will fetch him at dead of night to some one of their scattered, far-off farms, and reward him, perhaps, for coming, by an upset of their lumbering, rickety vehi- cles ! The girl is a daughter of one of the less considerable of these peasant farmers, THE MORAVIANS AT KONIGSFELD. 5 who has come to live as servant with the doctor's wife ; and very well she likes her position. She is fond of attending the Moravian services in the chapel, is pleased to be permitted to take part in their festivals, and even thinks that she shall one day like to join their community. She is a bright-looking girl, with a ruddy complexion, fine blue eyes, white teeth, and red lips ; none of her hair is to be seen in front, being concealed beneath the black skull-cap she wears ; but behind, from below the gaily em- broidered horse-shoe crown, descend two long brown plaits, tied at the ends with black ribbon ; above the cap she wears a round straw hat, which protects her head from the sun, although the brim is too narrow to shade her face; it is painted white, and trimmed with four black ro- settes. Her petticoat is also black, and very short and full, though it does not set off, except round the waist, where it is bunched out by means of a bolster of 6 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. straw. The sombre hue of her dress is relieved by the dazzling whiteness of her stockings and large chemise sleeves, tightened at the elbow, which are visible, as she has left off her close-fitting jacket on account of the heat. The lacings of her bodice are many coloured, and her apron, which is beautifully clean, and tied together by the corners behind, after a favourite fashion of the country, is checked, blue and white. "Whilst she fills her pitcher at the fountain, the little settlement seems to become suddenly animated ; four o'clock has struck, the afternoon classes are ended, and children are seen on all sides wending their way to their homes. Marie returns to the house with three laughing sprites dancing around her, threatening every instant to pull the crowing Mat- hildchen from her arms. In the meantime, the boarders of both boys' and girls' schools having cleared their class-rooms of books and work, are THE MORAVIANS AT KOXIGSFELD. 7 sitting down to a plentiful vesper, as they call their afternoon meal, of bread and fruit. This over, they proceed with their teachers to the play-grounds, or go for a ramble in the forest, where they may stay gathering wild flowers and berries, if they choose, till supper time, which is at half-past six ; for there are no lessons to prepare this evening, since to-morrow is a festival. Not a holiday to be spent in mirth, and dancing, and idle amusement, but a solemn feast unto the Lord ; and there are many such celebrated by this little Church, in annual commemoration of the peculiar blessings and marks of Divine favour with which its revival was attended. I say its revival ; for though we usually speak of " the foundation of the Church of the Brethren by Count Zinzendorf, in 1722," its actual origin dates as far back as the martyrdom of Huss, when their ancestors in Bohemia and Moravia, quit- ting home, friends, and possessions, for 8 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. the sake of the faith, fled into the forests and mountain -caverns, and there pre- served a spark of the true light, which, although it became so faint as almost to be extinguished during the subsequent fierce persecutions, still was not suffered to die out, but, after centuries gone by, when the Church was again tottering at its foundations, reappeared in its original purity and simplicity — a little leaven that should tend to leaven the whole lump. Far and wide spread the influence of the little colony at Herrnhut, on the estate of the good Count Zinzendorf, who had suffered the poor refugees, chased like their ancestors from their native homes by the fierce spirit of persecution, there to settle and take root. Numbers, from other Churches and sects, but chiefly Lutherans, flocked to join them. All were Christians, and as such the brethren received them in love. Still, the differ- ence of sentiment existing among them on minor points of doctrine naturally gave THE MORAVIANS AT KONIGSFELD. 9 rise to disputes, which for a time dis- turbed the original harmony of the com- munity. The wise and prudent measures, however, taken by the pious young count, produced at length a reconciliation be- tween all parties ; various institutions and regulations, formed with a view to secur- ing and perfecting this unity, were favour- ably and unanimously received, and the bond of renewed brotherhood was finally sealed by all partaking of the sacrament together, the administration of which was, on that occasion, attended with such a special blessing, the peace-bringing pre- sence of the Saviour was so visibly felt, the hearts of all so overflowed with love towards Him and to each other, that the day has ever since been kept by the members of the Church as one of thanks- giving and prayer. Let us again fancy ourselves at Konigs- feld on the morrow, the 13th of August. It is still early morning ; the inhabitants of the little settlement are not yet astir ; 10 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. a light haze, foretelling heat, broods over the place and dims the blue sky; the mist curls downwards in fantastic wreaths through the stems and branches of the firs, the tall summits of which are just caught by the gilding rays of the sun. All is still ; but anon the half-waking dreams of the sleepers are mingled with the idea of heavenly music, and rousing themselves to consciousness, they become aware that the subdued and solemn sound of trumpets is ushering in, in plaintive psalmody, the dawn of the festival. At nine o'clock the whole community, the Sisters and young girls all in white, attend the early service in the chapel, when the venerable pastor holds an address on the subject of the festival, and prays with earnest fervour for a blessing on it. Two young women and a youth, sitting on their respective sides of the chapel, just opposite the minister's desk, appear to be deeply affected by the address and prayer ; indeed, in both they have been THE MORAVIANS AT KOXIGSFELD. 11 specially named. They have long been candidates to become members of the community. They have resided some time at Konigsfeld, making themselves acquainted with the ordinations and arrangements, external and internal, of the Moravian Church, and, still remaining in the mind to join it, the " Lot " has been cast by the elders in childlike faith, with fervent prayer to the Lord that He, the " Chief Elder " of the Church, would testify His will concerning the matter, and the answer has sanctioned the admission of the young people, who are now, in the presence of the assembled congregation, about to be received into the respective choirs of Brethren and Sisters by their several representatives, with the pledge of the right hand and the kiss of charity. Sometimes the lot is cast more than once, at successive intervals, before the result sanctions the admission of the candidates ; in which case they are ad- monished to examine themselves whether 12 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. they truly and sincerely desire to join the Church ; and, if so, to await patiently the Lord's good time for their acceptance. The Lot is only made use of on special occasions — such as the reception of new members, the appointment of ministers, and sometimes in the case of marriage ; it is always accompanied by previous earnest, fervent prayer, and the result is accepted with childlike trust and submission. The marriages thus decided in recent years are chiefly those of the missionaries, who, called suddenly to some distant heathen station, still unmarried, and perhaps not having yet thought of marrying, yet from the nature of their office requiring that a partner should share with them its labours, — lay their case before the elders of the church, and request that they will pro- pose a fit partner for them. These latter — who through the superintendents of the several choirs, are acquainted with the character and dispositions of each and all of their brethren and sisters — choose from THE MORAVIANS AT KONIGSFELD. 13 the latter a certain number of those who would seem to their human judgment suited for a helpmate to the future missionary, and then devoutly appeal to the Lord for His direction in their final choice. The proposal is then made to the sister on whom the lot has fallen, through the pastor of the community, and she almost always accepts it, in prayerful trust that such is the will of God. The instances are rare of these marriages not proving happy. The two young sisters who have been formally received into the community on this festal morning, have put on to-day, for the first time, the quaint little cap of fine white muslin, which, with its pink ribbon passed through a small loop just behind each ear, and then brought down again and tied beneath the chin, is the only peculiarity in the sisters' dress, except on festival days, when they wear white shawls and long white muslin aprons. If we look into the chapel this afternoon, while 14 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. the " Liebesmahl," or lovefeast (accord- ing with the customs of the agapse of the early Christians), is being held, we shall notice that some of the sisters have a blue ribbon in their cap, some pink, some white, and some red. These are the dis- tinguishing badges of the choirs to which they belong; the colour for the single sisters' choir being pink, for the married sisters' choir blue, for the widows' white, and for the girls' a beautiful crimson. The brothers are divided into similar classes, and there is also a children's choir. Each choir has its annual festival, celebrated on the anniversary of its forma- tion, or some day otherwise memorable to it ; and on these, as on their other festivals, the chief part of the day is spent in solemn and touching meetings for prayer and praise in the chapel, the celebration of the Lovefeast with a musical service in the afternoon, and at the close of the day the receiving of the Lord's Supper. There occur in the month of August, no fewer THE MORAVIANS AT KONIGSFELD. 15 than three such choir festivals : that of the children on the seventeenth, of the un- married brothers on the twenty-ninth, and of the widowers on the thirty-first. Oh, what a long-looked-forward-to, long- to-be-remembered day is that children's feast, or " Kinder-fest ! " All the pupils of the schools, strangers and " Gemein- kinder " (as the children of the community are called), are alike admitted to a par- ticipation in its enjoyments. The teachers, " masters, and mistresses lay themselves out to please and gratify their young charges ; the services are beautifully adapted to the comprehension and the edification of all ; and the weather, usually favourable at this season, and so wonder- fully brilliant in those high mountain regions, seems to add zest to the whole. How delightful to be awakened on the morning of the day, by the Brothers blow- ing the trumpets beneath the windows, or the teachers singing softly at the dormitory doors, " Segne, segne sie aus freiem 16 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. Trieb ; " (Bless, oh ! bless them !) — or some such suitable hymn. Into what a fairy- land are the school-rooms converted, with their wreaths and flowers, their heather- chains and oak-garlands, their tables spread with cakes and fruit, and decked with gay bouquets and plants ! As we pass from room to room along the corridors, or up and down the broad staircase, what fragrance pervades the air from the strewed branches of fir on which we tread ! We are free to roam as we like to-day, and happy and joyous we feel in our liberty. Then there is the break- fast for all together in the dining hall (not, as usual, for each class in its own room), the extra-strong coffee, duly sweetened ; the great currant-cakes, a sort of bun of an oval form — become by custom a neces- sary part of the festive fare, — afterwards the careful adorning, I will not say un- attended with the slightest possible tinge of vanity ! the adjusting of the newly- washed, spotless white dresses, the putting THE MORAVIANS AT KOXIGSFELD. 17 on of the bow and sash, and, to finish all, the little net cap with its pink trimmings. Who would not pardon the involuntary smile of delight, the irresistible wandering of eyes, when, on entering the chapel for the first service, we find it also carpeted with branches of the fir, the doors festooned with evergreens, the windows filled with flowering plants and shrubs, and the minister's desk hung, instead of with dark green cloth, with pure white, bound round the top with a pink ribbon (of a deeper shade than the sisters' colour), and decor- ated with delicate chains of honey-scented heather, and wreaths of the prickly juniper, interspersed with the brightest blossoms of the season. It is a pretty sight, and the white dresses seem in keeping with the scene. But soon all outward show and symbols of festivity are forgotten, when — the last tones of the organ's solemn peal having died away — the venerable pastor gives out a hymn, and then, in simple heart-stirring 0 18 MOKAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. tones, addresses they outhful choir before him in words that will never be forgotten, and which, doubtless, will in after years be looked back upon by many of those present as good seed that has since taken deep root in their hearts. Such is the fer- vently expressed desire of him now speak- ing to and praying for them. During the day, there are three other services — the sermon at ten ; the love-feast, with its accompanying beautiful psalmody, at three, to which even the infants are admitted on this their own peculiar festival ; and an address, preceded by a choral piece, sung to a full accompaniment of wind instru- ments, violins, and organ, in the evening. The services are numerous — too numer- ous, it may be objected ; yet no ! they are not found so. For one thing, there is, if we may so speak, great variety in them ; they cannot become tedious, the longest seldom lasting more than an hour, — others but half an hour ; there is nothing held forth above the comprehension of the THE MORAVIANS AT KONIGSFELD. 19 youngest or the meanest : 'tis ever the heart rather than the understanding that is appealed to. All attend them with eagerness and delight; the Black Foresters come in numbers on Sundays and holy days to join in them; and it is a strange and pleasing sight, on a bright calm Sab- bath morning, to see the country-people, in their picturesque costume, men and women wifch great bouquets in their breasts, flocking betimes into the little settlement, and collecting in groups in front of the chapel ; where, seated on the porch steps, or in the shade of the trees around the fountain, they await the chiming of the bell for the ten o'clock service. These poor peasants live so far from their parish churches, which are neces- sarily but thinly scattered throughout this sparely cultivated district, that many of them would probably attend no place of worship at all, were they not thus attracted to that at Konigsfeld, partly, perhaps, out of curiosity, but also from affection for the 20 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. brethren, who have won their respect and good-will by instituting schools for their children, and other unceasing efforts to do good amongst them. This, indeed, was the object of the self-denying Moravians when they first came — a few from one of their flourishing little colonies, a few from another — to settle in this wild mountain- region, the " King's Field," as they then named it ; wilder still when, early in the present century, in the bleak month of December, 1807, they felled the first tree for the now thriving village. Five years later, when the little com- munity had already begun to increase, the church was completed and consecrated, an event which was celebrated with much holy joy and rejoicing at the fifty years' jubilee. Friends and brethren from various quarters — Herrnhut, Stuttgard, Basle, Zurich, and other parts of Switzerland — arrived to take part in the festival. The masters of the school and many of the THE MORAVIANS AT KOXIGSFELD. 21 sisters had employed their spare time for weeks in preparing decorations for the church, which, when the day arrived, looked beautiful indeed, with its festoons of dark green fir, looped up over each window by a golden knob, its flowers and bouquets, inscriptions, and other devices. Over the pastor's seat, a light arch, supported by two ivy-garlanded pillars, had been erected, illuminated with the texts for the day, and bearing a basket filled with all the flowers and fruits of the season. The desk was draped with soft white muslin, garlanded with blossoms and evergreens, and the floor was strewed with fir sprigs, which filled the air with aromatic odour. The choir sang their very sweetest strains. The festival lasted two days, Sunday and Monday. On the second day a " Liebesmahl " was held ; and in the evening the Holy Communion was administered, a large concourse of friends and visitors taking part in it. The singing of the verse, " Die wir uns all 22 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. hier beisammen finden schlagen unsere Hande ein," was very fervent, when each communicant shakes hands right and left, giving and receiving the kiss of peace in token of fellowship in and with Christ. Three young women and a couple of youths were received into the congre- gation on the occasion. Brethren and sisters are received into the community in the name of Jesus Christ, the King of their Church, that they may take up their cross with Him and follow Him. The minister sings, " May He give you His kiss of peace, unto the thorough en- joyment of His salvation, and as a seal of His faithfulness and of our fellowship." Here, the superintendents of the several choirs — the Brothers on one side, the Sisters on the other — come forward, and placing themselves opposite the candi- dates, kiss them. The community then sings, " We give you our hand." Here the representatives of the choirs take the hands of the candidates, and the minis- THE MORAVIANS AT KOXIGSFELD. 23 ter continues, "May the Lord whom you confess make your life in the community a joy to Himself and to you ! May the God of peace make you holy ! Serve Him in His kingdom ! Let body, soul, and spirit remain pure unto the day of judgment ! " The service concludes with another prayer. To return to the children's feast. The festivities are not at an end with the close of that day, for the day following is also kept as a holiday in the schools ; and, if the weather permit, the pupils are taken to spend the afternoon at one of the dis- tant farm-houses, which, according to the fashion of the thinly populated district, serve the double purpose of inns, where, in primitive rustic style, they enjoy what refreshment they can find. Coffee and sugar they have carried with them, and bread ; and excellent milk and butter, they are sure to obtain at a moderate outlay. These having been secured, the Sisters, 24 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. accustomed to the manners of the place, make their way to the little kitchen, and there with their own hands prepare the coffee, and set the milk to boil, while the hostess stands looking on with knitting in hand, or arms akimbo, chattering all the time. These farm-house inns are quaint places. Picture to yourself a permanent hencoop built in the wall of the guest-room, — cow- shed, stable, and pig-stye under the same roof that shelters you for the time being, and only separated from the apartment you occupy by a narrow passage, and a low lath partition; above you, perhaps, the hay -loft ! Still, whatever may be the somewhat extraordinary internal arrange- ments of these dwellings, they are certainly externally picturesque in the extreme. There is the thatched, deep- eaved roof, to protect the walls from the effects of the winter snows ; the wooden gallery, running round three sides of the house, with its luxuriant row of pinks THE MORAVIANS AT KOXIGSFELD. 25 straggling in wild profusion above, below, and between the roughly-carved palisades ; beneath, neatly ranged against the walls, is the stack of newly cut wood, on which hang coarse knitted stockings, white, or, maybe, bright scarlet and blue, to dry or bleach. When the coffee has been duly partaken of and enjoyed, games of play in the fields or meadows adjoining the farm follow, in which old and young take part ; and when evening sets in, all return, a little tired and very happy, singing as they go, to Konigsfeld. Such little treats as these are of frequent occurrence throughout the summer, on half-holidays ; and the kind Director or Principal — in former years styled inspector — the superintendent of both boys' and girls' schools, usually adds to the enjoyment of them by his presence. Sometimes, instead of going to a farm- house, an excursion is made to some beautiful or romantic spot in the neigh- bourhood, — a waterfall, some lovely forest dell, carpeted with flowers and verdure, 26 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. or wild mountain gorge, where the torrent dashes foaming and roaring between shelving rocks and steep precipices, their rugged sides clothed in patches with the wild raspberry and blackberry, the hazel- bush and crimson wood-strawberrv, all growing apparently from the granite mass itself, so scanty is the soil in which they have taken root. Here, having walked some five or six miles, we are glad to sit down and rest, and refresh ourselves with the milk-roll that we have each brought in our pocket, and a sip of the light and cooling wine that the good inspector has taken care to pro- vide for us. We look around, and find that we are shut in by the black and lofty mountains of \YiVrtemberg ; in front of us is a steep, thickly wooded ascent, its sides furrowed with wood tracks, down which the tall fir trees are sped into the torrent below, which floats them into the Kinzig, and so into the Rhine; behind us a rugged THE MORAVIANS AT KONIGSFELD. 27 precipice, towering to the skies. Here we sit, in intense enjoyment of the scene, chatting or singing ; or we wander along the torrent's brink with the inspector, examining the fossils there to be found in numbers, and listening to his description of the nature of the soil of the Black Forest — its qualities and properties, its granite bottom and red sandstone surface — till at length the sinking sun warns us that we must bend our steps homewards ; and, returning by a different route to that by which we came, we reach Konigsfeld between eight and nine o'clock, after a de- licious moonlight walk through the depths of the forest. It is not the school children alone who make these pleasant trips ; the Sisters, and Brothers too, in their turn, arrange similar excursions amongst themselves, and take part in them with equal zest. Simple and unassuming in manner and habits, not holding themselves aloof from society, but free from the affectation of 28 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. the world, neither taking part in nor yearning for its frivolous amusements and gaieties, their hearts are open to the full enjoyment of nature and its beauties. Of expense their frugal earnings will not allow, but such pleasures as these do not cost much, and, if they work a little the harder five days and a half out of six, they can fairly afford now and then to spare an afternoon for such innocent in- dulgence. Almost all the unmarried sisters, except, indeed, those to whom home duties afford sufficient employment, or who are in ser- vice, reside in the Sisters' house, where they earn their living by various occupa- tions, according to their several talents or abilities. Some are teachers in the school, others fill the position of servants; some are dressmakers or milliners, or they are skilful menders. Some employ themselves in doing all sorts of fancy and fine work, which is afterwards sold to visitors who come to take part in the festivals, or to THE MORAVIANS AT KONIGSFELD. 29 others, for the general benefit of the house ; some assist in the laundry, some in the bakehouse, some in the kitchen, where cooking was at one time daily done for nearly three hundred persons ; namely, for the boys' and girls' schools, the Sisters, and several families in the place. Then there are the cows and pigs, and the poultry-yard to be attended to ; the gar- den, the potato and corn-fields, the hay meadows belonging to the Sisters' house : all the work in which is done by the Sisters themselves, assisted by a couple of Black Forest girls. In Germany, indeed, this does not appear so astonishing as it would to us ; for there the women are accustomed to reap the corn, to mow the hay, and do a variety of out-door labour, that we should consider only fit for men. But, whatever the difference in their employment, however mean the work of some, and elevated the occupation of others, all are sisters, and regard each other as such, and in all may be found 30 MOEAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. more or less refinement — that true re- finement that proceeds from the heart and brain. The Brothers are likewise employed in teaching, also in watch and clock making, bookbinding, dyeing, attending to the shop or little store of the place, or in out-door work. When the warm summer weather is gone, and the cold winter sets in with its sharp frosts and deep snows, the dark, short days are enlivened by diversions which, if of a somewhat different nature to those enjoyed in summer, are equally delightful, equally simple. There are the little concerts, got up by the Brothers and Sisters forming the church choir, at which oratorios are per- formed, or other sacred music, which they have practised during the long even- ings. Sometimes the pupils of the boys' school and their masters give a musical entertainment, a miscellaneous concert that does wonderful credit to the per- THE MORAVIANS AT KONIGSFELD. 31 formers, while it cannot fail to give pleasure to the audience. There are sledge-drives, not very fre- quent, certainly, but all the more enjoyed on that account, when the Sisters, four or five together, hire a sledge, and start after their early half-past eleven o'clock dinner, for Donaueschingen, or Villingen, the bustling little post-town, to see, may- be, some travelling menagerie, or to do their Christmas shopping — purchase, that is, little articles of luxury not to be ob- tained at the one shop at Konigsfeld. How delightful to make one of such a party on a cold, bright December day ! The sleigh-bells tinkle merrily as the low, capacious vehicle glides swiftly over the hard, crisp ground ; far and near there is nothing to be seen but fields of dazzling, shining snow ; the icicled hedges glitter in the sunlight ; and the forest looks like some enchanted maze, every branch and twig fantastically festooned, as it were, with crystallized lace ; and, ever and anon, 32 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. a brilliant shower, as of diamonds, de- scends suddenly to the ground, as the trees, slightly stirred by the breeze, let fall some of their snowy burden. The children are provided with small hand- sledges, roughly made of wood, which are a source of great amusement to them throughout the winter, when, after a good sharp frost, they carry them to the top of some tolerably smooth and gentle declivity, and seating themselves upon them, and giving the impulse with their feet, glide rapidly down, making the air ring with their laughter and shouts of delight. Then there are the Christmas festivities, which commence with the first Sunday in Advent ; from which time to the Holy Eve itself no evening passes that the " Christ-kind " (Christ-child) does not enter one of the rooms of the Sister's house, or schools, or some one of the family-dwell- ings of the little settlement, dispensing its blessings and favours in the shape of THE MOKAVIANS AT KONIGSFELD. 33 glittering Christmas-trees, or Christmas gifts, presented anonymously on trays decked out with coloured waxen tapers, and ornamented with many an ingenious device. There is the New Year's Eve, with the solemn midnight service, and the previous general tea-drinking ; the pupils and their teachers all together, the Sisters in com- panies in their several rooms, and the young girls with their superintendents in their own apartment. The unusual lateness of the hour, the approaching service, and the occasion of it, — namely, the close of the present year, which, with all its incidents, the sins and follies committed in it, may never be re- called, and the dawn of a new one — a future that we cannot penetrate — all in- duces to grave and serious reflection. Many a silent prayer is offered — many a secret resolution formed — gentle words of admonition are tenderly proffered, and thoughtfully listened to. The new text- D 34 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. book is opened, and each draws a text for the other, a text from the Word of God, that shall be, as it were, a motto, a little light on the path, during the coming year. The birthdays of the Inspector and Inspectress, and of the two superinten- dents of the Sisters' house, all occurred at this season, and the preparation and pre- sentation of birthday offerings, and the birthday treats given respectively to the School and Sisters' choir were not reckoned amongst the least of its pleasures. The winters at Konigsfeld, lying as it does high amongst the mountains of the Black Forest — and within sight of the Jungfrau, Monch, and Finsteraarhorn — are very severe, and, consequently, especially trying to the old and infirm. Thus it not unfrequently happens that a temporary shade — I will not say gloom, for where faith and hope are bright and clear that cannot come — is cast over the festivities of the season by the departure, or rather, THE MORAVIANS AT KOXIGSFELD. 35 as they themselves expressively term it, the going home, the " Heimgang," of some time-honoured member of the community. Early in the morning, in the stillness of the evening, or, perhaps, during the busy hours of the day, a low, solemn strain of music from the church-tower suddenly strikes upon the ear, and one looks at another and says, — " Our brother is gone home ! " * A few days later the whole community assembles in the chapel, and the life (in most instances an autobiography) of the departed is read aloud by the minister. How such a biography will sometimes abound in edification and instruction I What an example it will hold forth of Christian discipline and fortitude ! Per- haps the writer has seen many chances and changes of this troubled life ; he may have been for years a missionary in the ice-bound regions of Greenland and Lab- * Each choir has a particular melody to announce the death of its members. 36 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. rador, or on the unhealthy, fever-breeding coast of Dutch Guiana, or amongst the wild aborigines of the scorching plains of Caffraria. He may have laboured hard to convert some souls to God, and have met with but little or varying success, till at length, just when he was making steady, encouraging progress in his work of love, his health has broken down, and he has been called back to Europe, perhaps after a time to devote what remaining energies he has to the service of one of the com- munities in his native land ; or, if his strength be too far gone for that, to rest and take repose in what quiet settlement he may choose, till the Lord shah 1 call him home to Himself ! After the reading of the biography a short and suitable musical service follows, and then the whole community assembles in front of the chapel, and having sung a hymn, forms in procession to follow the coffin to the grave. The trumpets are blown at intervals as we proceed on our THE MORAVIANS AT KOXIGSFELD. 37 way to the " Gottes-acker," — the field of the Lord, as they term their burial-place — a peaceful little spot, enclosed by hedges and trees in the midst of a plantation. Here is no distinction of high and low, every grave is alike, marked with a plain flat stone, the only adornment the turf in which it is embanked, and, in summer, the flowers — the evergreen periwinkle, the pure white lily, the blood-red rose, or other such simply emblematic blossoms that surround it. Here the burial service is sung and said, the coffin is lowered into the newly-dug grave, another hymn is given out, and all return quietly home. When the Easter morn dawns calm and bright, the Brethren and Sisters repair in company to this hallowed spot to pray and sing among the graves, in joyful com- memoration of the resurrection of Him who has become the first-fruits of them that sleep. This Sabbath of sabbaths is about to dawn ; but in the Sisters' house all is yet 38 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AXD CUSTOMS. hushed and still. It is dark ; only here and there a brightly twinkling star emits a faint ray of light, as it peeps in through the unshuttered panes. Presently a small party of Sisters and young girls, with lanterns and tapers in their hands, are seen softly treading the broad staircase ; and, passing along the dim corridor, they stop at a door at the further end ; they silently fall into a half circle, and a single voice, melodious and powerful, bursts forth— "The Lord is risen ! "— " Der Herr ist auferstanden ! " Five other voices, in sweet unison respond — " Yea, verily He is risen ! " — and then all join in the Easter Hymn — " Hail ! to the rising from the tomb ! " Retracing their steps, they stop at several other doors, and repeat the saluta- tion and the hymn. Before they have completed their round, and concluded the last verse, the house is astir. A hasty toilet is being performed, and at half-past THE MORAVIANS AT KONIGSFELD. 39 four all will assemble in the chapel for the Easter Litany ; after which they wend their way in quiet procession, full of holy solemn thoughts, to the Gottes-acker in the plantation, and there, as they recall the names of those gone home before them, and count the green mounds raised since last the hallowed Easter morn found them thus assembled, they are forcibly reminded that, ere another day dawns, they too may have passed away. No sigh escapes their lips at the reflection ; they utter it gravely but not sadly, for their hearts are full of joyful, child-like faith in the blood of Him who died for them, and rose again, as on this day, an earnest of their resurrection ! CHAPTER II. THE MORAVIANS AND THEIE ORIGIN, CHURCH GOVERNMENT, AND CONSTITUTION. ;i The rugged rocks, the dreary wilderness, Mountains and woods, are our appointed place ; 'Midst storms and waves, on heathen shores un- known We have our temple, and serve our God alone." — Uymn of the ancient Bohemian Brethren. The Moravians claim, with the sanction of all intelligent historians, to have descended from one of the earliest Churches founded by the Apostle Paul in Illyricum (Rom. xv. 19), and of the Apostle Titus in Dalmatia (2 Tim. iv. 10), namely, the Sclavonian branch of the Greek or Eastern Church. Christianity was introduced into Bo- hemia and Moravia by two Greek eccles- iastics, Cyrillus and Methodius, in the ninth century, about which time the great 4) THE MORAVIANS AND THEIR ORIGIN. 41 and lasting schism between the Eastern and Western Churches occurred. Later on a long series of the most bitter per- secutions fell upon the Bohemians and Moravians, in common with the Waldenses cf France and Italy, in order to subject them, if possible, to the Papal See ; but through all they adhered to the pure simplicity of their original Christian faith. The name of Unitas Fratrum, or United Brethren, was the result of a formal union, in 1457-60, between the Moravians, Bo- hemians, and Waldenses, all of whom afterwards, so far as they were distinctly known, bore the title of United Brethren, commonly called Moravians. "A most important subject of their deliberations," says one of their historians, " both at their synods and at other times, was how to maintain a regular succession of their ministers, when those who now exercised the ministry should be removed by death or other causes." Suitable measures were therefore taken for this purpose, which 42 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. have been constantly and regularly sus- tained up to the present day. The Mo- ravians, like all the old Eastern Churches, claim to have practically maintained an uninterrupted succession of Bishops from the Apostolic times. And notwithstanding all the fiery trials and persecutions through which they have passed, they are well able to prove it to every unbiassed investigator. This was made a special subject of exam- ination in the early part of the last century by the learned and celebrated Archbishop Potter, who thus announced his opinion in 1737 : — " That the Moravians were an Apostolic and Episcopal Church, not sus- taining any doctrine repugnant to the Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of Eng- land ; that they, therefore, could not with propriety, nor ought to be hindered from preaching the Gospel to the heathen." The Moravians were the first Christian society who employed the newly invented art of printing for the promulgation of the Holy Scriptures, in a living language, THE MORAVIANS AND THEIR OKIGIX. 43 among the people. The first edition was published at Venice about the year 14-70, being the oldest printed version of the Bible in any European language. Before the commencement of the Reformation in 1517, the Moravians had already issued three editions of the Scriptures. Subse- quently, however, they, with all the Pro- testants of Bohemia and Moravia, were so sore beset by their persecutors, that they became well-nio;h. extinct. Their ministers were banished — many of their leading men imprisoned and executed. But towards the end of the Thirty Years' War, in 1632, the learned and zealous Brother Amos Comenius, who had retreated into Poland with a little remnant of the flock, was con- secrated Bishop, and, hoping against hope, commenced a restoration of the dying, scattered Church. He appealed for sup- port and protection to all the Protestant Princes of Europe ; and, in England es- pecially, whither he had been called to *' reform our schools, 5 ' he created so strong 44 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. a sympathy, that at length, in 1715, an order was issued from the Privy Council, " for the relief and for preserving the Episcopal Churches in Great Poland and Polish Russia." Soon after this, in the year 1722, we find the little band of refugees from Mora- via and Bohemia, escaped from the thral- dom and oppression they still endured there, founding their first settlement and resting-place in Protestant Silesia, on the estate of the good Count Zinzendorf. He gave them a plot of ground near the Hut- berg, or Watch-hill, and they called their village Herrnhut, or the Watch of the Lord. By degrees such of their scattered, exiled brethren as remained, and had not, in the lapse of time and separation, be- come absorbed into other Protestant Com- munions, joined them. With these, and the addition of some members of other persuasions, who had been attracted to them, the little settlement numbered at the end of ten years 600 souls. THE MORAVIANS AND THEIR ORIGIN. 45 No sooner bad they formed themselves into something of a steadily organized Church, than their thoughts turned to- wards the spread of the Gospel among the heathen abroad. It has been said that it is ts a questionable philanthropy to leave the work of Christian truth undone and neglected at home, to carry the tidings it proclaims into distant regions where idol- atry has so firm a foothold as to render man unimpressible to purely spiritual doctrines, and unsusceptible of abstract ideas re- garding the Divine and the holy." We need not enter into this argument — its pre- mises are generally unfounded ; certainly, the Moravians have ever felt and acted on the principle that, although charity should begin at home, it must not end there. They have ever devoted themselves to both Home and Foreign Missions ; wherever they are, " the poor have the Gospel preached to them." The centre of every settlement, whether in town or country, is its chapel, and well-appointed, well- 46 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. taught boarding and day-school for the young of both sexes ; and the possible event of every Moravian's after-life is, that that Brother or Sister may be called to become a Missionary abroad. It is somewhat remarkable that the Missionary spirit, in the first stage of its development, manifested itself among the immigrants from Moravia, the remnants of that reformed Church which rose again from the ashes of the martyr Huss. After three centuries these his followers were to carry his principles into countries whose very existence was unknown when he preached the Gospel in Bohemia. It is strange, too, but akin with the unquestioning, simple love and self-denial of the Moravian spirit, that the earliest Mission-fields selected were in distant climes, in those days scarcely accessible by journeys hazardous and difficult, and not likely to be attempted by any rival la- bourer. Leonard Dober and David Nit- schmann, who afterwards became the first THE MORAVIANS AND THEIR OEIGIX. 47 Bishop of the renewed Church, were the pioneers. They proceeded, in 1732, to the island of St. Thomas, in the West Indies, to establish a Mission among the negro slaves. In 1733 we find Moravian Mis- sionaries in Greenland, in 1734 in Lap- land, among the Samoyedes in 1737, and in 1739 they had already penetrated Pal- estine and Ethiopia. These (except the two first-named), with Algiers, Ceyloo, China, Persia, and the mountains of the Caucasus, are now all abandoned Mis- sion-fields, as well as those in Guinea, Abyssinia, Tranquebar, and among the Calmucks. Although the brethren were obliged to relinquish them, it was not without long-continued effort, extending in some places to half a century, and among the Calmucks to eighty years. Their existing Missions are still numer- ous and widespread, including Surinam, the Mosquito coast, the English and Danish West Indies, the Indian ter- ritories of the far West, and of Canada ; 48 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. Labrador and Greenland. In the Eastern hemisphere, they flourish at the Cape of Good Hope, and in Australia, and three or four enterprising men have for years been endeavouring to form a nest for Christi- anity on the Himalayan heights, bounding Thibet and Mongolia. After nearly thirty- five years' labour in this last far-off region, cut off from all civilized life and associa- tions, high amid the snow-peaks, every step in their work a source of infinite trouble and dispute with the bigoted Llamas, souls added to the Church may be numbered by tens ! How different to the experience of the Madagascar missionaries ! Yet surely that Word of our Lord may be taken to heart by such as these — " There shall be joy among the angels in heaven over one sinner that repenteth." The instructions given by the Elders to their Missionary brethren have ever been te that they should silently observe whether any of the heathen had been prepared by the grace of God to receive and believe the TEE MORAVIANS AND THEIR ORIGIN. 40 Word of Life. If even only one were to be found, then they should preach the Gospel to him ; for God must give to the heathen ears to hear the Gospel, and hearts to receive it, otherwise all their labours upon them would be in vain. They were to preach chiefly to such as had never heard of the Gospel — not to build upon foundations laid by others ; not to disturb their work, but to seek the out- cast and the forsaken." The manner in which the Mission work of the Moravian Church is supported is a matter of interest and importance. The sources of revenue upon which the Mis- sions depend are the usual ones of annual contributions and donations, legacies and their interest; but lastly, not least, one principal aid consists in the fact that the Missions themselves contribute largely to their own support, some of them being entirely self-sustaining. Were it not so, the extensive work which is going on in foreign countries would have to be cur- E 50 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. tailed at once. A large sum is annually raised by the Missions — partly by the voluntary contributions of the converts, especially in the West Indies, and partly from the profits of mercantile concerns and trades carried on in some of the Mission provinces, especially Surinam, South Africa, and Labrador. Many Mis- sionaries, like the tent-maker Paul, are not ashamed to aid the cause by the labour of their hands : most of them receive no fixed salary while in the service, but " a decent and comfortable support," besides which they have a right to have their children educated at the expense of the Church, and they may look to a pension when sickness or old age shall overtake them. The doctrines of the Moravian Church accord, as we have said, with those of other evangelical Churches ; they were concisely declared as follows at a General Svnod held in 177-5 : — V "The chief doctrine, to which the Church of the Brethren adheres, and which we THE MORAVIANS AND THEIR ORIGIN. 51 must preserve as an invaluable treasure committed unto us, is this : that, by the sacrifice for sin made by Jesus Christ, and by that alone, grace and deliverance from sin are to be obtained for all man- kind. " We will, therefore, without lessening the importance of any other article of the Christian faith, stedfastly maintain the following five points : " 1. The doctrine of the universal de- pravity of man ; that there is no health in man, and that, since the Fall, he has no power whatever left to help himself. " 2. The doctrine of the divinity of Christ ; that God, the Creator of all things, was manifest in the flesh, and reconciled us to Himself; that He is before all things, and that by Him all things consist. "3. The doctrine of the atonement and satisfaction made for us by Jesus Christ ; that He was delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification ; and that, by His merits alone, we receive freely 52 MOBAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. the forgiveness of sin, and sanctification in soul and body. " 4. The doctrine of the Holy Spirit, and the operations of His grace ; that it is He who worketk in us conviction of sin, faith in Jesus, and pureness in heart. " 5. The doctrine of the fruits of faith ; that faith must evidence itself by willing obedience to the commandments of God, from love and gratitude to Him. " The more these Divine truths are im- pugned in our day, the more careful will we be to maintain them, and see to it, that they be duly acknowledged, declared, and believed among us, that we may know the only-begotten Son of God as our Redeemer, His Father as our Father, and the Holy Ghost as our Teacher, Guide, and Com- forter. Thus we shall secure our own salvation, and fulfil the calling we have received of God." These great rudiments of the Christian faith the Moravian Missionary presents, in plain and simple language, to his heathen THE MORAVIANS AND THEIR ORIGIN. 53 audience. He insists on original sin in all men, and then tells, without delay, of the gracious, wondrous atonement by the blood of Christ. This once comprehended and accepted, all further teaching is easy. The poverty of the early pioneers of the Church, and the- desire to spare all surplus funds for the work of Missions, rendered superfluous and impossible all ornaments of the sanctuary. The church at Herrnhut possessed no pulpit, no cushioned seats, no columns, no drapery, nor decorative architecture ; nothing but whitewashed walls, deal benches, and a simple table, raised upon a dais, for the performance of all religious exercises. And attached by custom and long habit to this primitive style, the little sister congregations scattered throughout the world have all imitated and, with little deviation, adhered to the early model. The church services are frequent but short. The earliest on Sunday is a litany, much like our own, which is sung and •54 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. said. Extempore prayer is practised ; but there are special forms for the baptismal, burial, and marriage services, as also a simple ritual for the Lord's Supper, which is always choral, and preceded by a love- feast, the ancient agape. Every festival is celebrated by its love-feast, simply and reverently partaken of in the church, whilst the congregation join in singing a selection of verses from the large collection of Moravian hymns, probably the most beautiful existing; or the choir uplifts some glorious anthem, with such a sweet- ness, fulness, and Hallelujah strain, as none who have not heard it can imagine. In the ministry, there are the three grades of Bishops, Presbyters, and Dea- cons. The Bishops have no See, nor special authority as such. They ordain and have of right a seat and vote at the Synods, and usually occupy some post of responsi- bility. The ministers' salaries are raised by the respective congregations, and, in their old age, they, and their widows THE MORAVIANS AXD THEIR ORIGIN. 55 afterwards, are allowed a small retiring pension. The administration of affairs in the in- tervals between the General Synods (which consist of representative elders, and nine delegates from each of the three prov- inces, Germany, Great Britain, and North America) is committed to the " Unity's Elders' Conference," composed of Bishops and lay Elders. The official duties of this Board are, to preserve sound doctrine in the Church, to hold occasional visita- tions, and maintain an uninterrupted cor- respondence with all the congregations, societies, and Missions; to appoint min- isters and other labourers, to supply vacant offices, and to determine on the formation of new congregations and Missionary set- tlements, or the relinquishing of old ones. The general inspection of the schools and of the finances of the Unity, and the direc- tion of whatever belongs to the interests of the Church in spirituals and temporals, also devolves on this Board. Subject to 56 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. it, each congregation is placed under the immediate supervision of a local Elders' Conference, chosen from its own' members. These " Congregations " may sometimes be found, as in London, scattered through- out a town, but more generally collected in a certain quarter of it, and, more fre- quently still, forming a " Settlement V or Moravian village,* inhabited solely by members of the Brethren's Church. Such a little settlement, with its rustic roof-tops nestled amid the woods and mountains, forms a lovely picture of peace, and purity, and repose. Faith, simple, unquestioning faith, and the love begotten of faith r are the ruling principle in the heart of a Moravian, and it does make itself felt in him and the calm of his surroundings. In the centre of the village is the square, or green, with its limpid fountain playing a ceaseless lullaby; on one side the neat chapel with its little belfry, and some * See 11 Moravian Life in the Blade Forest." TEE MORAVIANS AND THEIR ORIGIN. 57 luxuriant creeper, its sole adornment, with dwellings for the minister and warden ad- joining it. Opposite is the Moravian inn for the accommodation of travellers, where the poor never beg in vain. On the other two sides are schools for boys and girls and the " choir houses" of the single Brethren, single Sisters, and widows. Pic- turesquely grouped about this centre are the family dwellings of the place. ^No idlers standing at the doors, no gossipers about the well — all are busy and indus- trious. The inhabitants, whether married or single, follow their various occupations on their own account. The Brethren and Sisters in the choir-houses have their own pursuits, industrial or otherwise, and re- ceive the whole of their earnings, a very moderate charge being made for board and lodging. The superintendence of each choir-house is committed to two elders : in the Sisters' house these are females — one, the Pjlegerin, having the spiritual charge of the family, the other, the Vor- 58 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AXD CCST0MS. steherin, attending to the domestic and external concerns. There is nothing of monasticism in these Brotherhoods and Sisterhoods ; the inmates come and go at their pleasure, mingle in society, and are at liberty to marry when they will. The mention of marriage brings us once more to the subject of the " Lot," and the frequent, almost universal, misconception of its use. Taking as a precedent the practice of the Apostles (Acts i. 23-26), the Lot was first employed by the Mora- vians, in prayerfully selecting the three earliest Elders of the Herrnhut congrega- tion in 1727. It was subsequently con- tinued in the choice of Elders and Bishops, the sending out of Missionaries, and other matters of importance to the Church, in simple, childlike trust that He would not put their confidence to shame who had said, " What things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." It was never to be employed by incli- THE MORAVIANS AND THEIR, ORIGIN. 59 viduals, nor by any but the Elders' Con- ference, or Synod, accompanied, always, by earnest, believing prayer for guidance. And it was to be abolished " whenever a majority of the ministry or people should declare that they have no longer confidence in this mode of determining the Lord's will." The use of the Lot in contracting mar- riages was abolished, as a rule, many years ago, although it is still occasionally re- quested by individuals. The mode of proceeding was simply this : " When a man wished to marry, he proposed a woman to the authorities of the Church ; or, if he had no proposal to make, left it to them to suggest a woman. The autho- rities submitted the proposal to the deci- sion of the Lot, and, if it was confirmed, made the woman an offer of marriage in the name of the man, which offer she was at perfect liberty to reject if she thought proper ; for the Lot bound the authorities to make the offer, but not the woman to accept it. If she refused, or if the pro- GO MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AXD CUSTOMS. posal was negatived by the Lot, the man made another; and the authorities never forced any woman upon him against his will. When confidence in this mode of contracting marriages (which had origi- nated in the earnest, anxious desire to secure partners in life, who would, in the fullest sense, be helpmates to them while labourers in the Lord's vineyard) began to wane, the rule was abrogated ; but, while it continued, there were far less unhappy marriages among the Brethren than among the same number of people in any other denomination of Christians. This is a well-known and abundantly substantiated fact." CHAPTER III. THE SETTLEMENT AT HERRNHUT. — ITS CAUSE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES. When the famous carpenter, Christian David, petitioned Count Zinzendorf, in the name of his persecuted brethren of Bohemia and Moravia, for protection, the Count had replied that he would endeavour to find them a suitable place of settlement in Saxony, where they might exercise their religion unmolested, and that in the mean- time they might dwell on his estate at Bertholds-dorf. Accordingly ten Mora- vians, under Christian David's guidance, started for this village, but eventually, as it was deemed more advisable that they should settle at once on some spot all to themselves, the Count's land -steward pointed out to them a tract of wild, un- 61 62 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AXD CUSTOMS. used land for that purpose. It lay at the foot of the Hut-berg, or Watch-hill, and was overgrown with briers and brambles. It was boggy, and apparently destitute of water. It looked discouraging enough. Christian David, however, saw that the spot had capabilities ; and striking his axe into one of the trees, he exclaimed, " Here hath the sparrow found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, even thine altars, 0 Lord of Hosts ! " His companions took courage from his example, and cheerfully began to build their settlement. Thus was the since famous Herrnhut founded. The Count's grandmother sent the settlers a cow, that their children might not want milk. The first tree was felled on June 17th, 1722, and on October 1st they entered their first house. The steward, in writing of it to his master, said, " May God bless the work, and grant that your excellency may build a city on the Watch-hill (Hut- berg) which shall not only stand under the Lord's guardianship, but where all the THE SETTLEMENT AT HERRXHUT. 63 inhabitants may stand upon the c Watch of the Lord ' ! (Herrn-hut)." Hence the well- known name of the settlement. The settlers soon found themselves so comfortable, that they induced numbers of their friends and relatives to join them. Count Zinzendorf, fearful that this might give offence to government, assured the Bishop of Olmiitz that he had only invited a few families to emigrate. The Bishop replied that no notice would be taken of those who emigrated quietly, but that if they stirred up others to do so, they must take the consequences. Disputes soon sprang up among the new settlers, both concerning doctrine and discipline, which it required all the young Count's judg- ment to quell. He eventually formed them into a Church based on their own ancient laws and discipline, he himself for a time becoming their director. He ever after- wards called the day on which these differ- ences were settled, " The Critical Day,'* because it was then decided whether Herrn- Gi MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. lmt should be a mere nest of sects, or a HviDg congregation of Christ. So many persons flocked to Herrnhut to enjoy the free exercise of their faith, that the Saxon Government interfered, and shortly afterwards banished the Count, who was now an ordained minister. On this he quitted Herrnhut, and for some years travelled about with a company of Brethren, etc., the so-called " Pilgrim Church,'' visiting the several congregations which by degrees formed themselves in various places and in various countries, after the fashion of that at Herrnhut. He came to England, w r ent twice to America, and after a varied course of usefulness under persecution, returned to England, and took up his abode for a time at Lind- say House, Chelsea, the old palace of the Duchess of Mazarin. Meanwhile, several of the Moravians at Herrnhut had gone to Greenland and the West Indies as missionaries. The missionary spirit increased among them, THE SETTLEMENT AT HEERNHUT. 65 and many went abroad to preach the Gospel in other lands. Their lives were pure and simple, their piety fervent. They started with a thaler or two in their pockets, a bundle in their hands, and worked for their daily bread. The famous Wesley fell in with a party of them in his early life, on board a ship bound for America, where they were going to preach the Gospel in Georgia ; and their teaching and example powerfully influenced him in his subsequent career. Some of their practices were peculiar, as will be found in the following pages. Yet the Moravians are a Church — not a sect. Archbishop Potter pronounced them to be a Church within a Church in 1737, and this must have been important to the Brethren in those times when they were so generally misunderstood and even slandered. They were again recognised as a Church by the English Parliament in 1749, on which occasion the Bishop of Worcester declared that it would be a subject of rejoicing, not Y 66 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. only to him and the whole bench, but to the entire Protestant Church, should the British nation declare itself favourable to it ; for whatever it might do for this ancient Church must encourage every evangelical Christian to hope the best from England. The Moravians are very fond of music and of the finest kind, in their religious services ; and the voice of song is contin- ually heard in their dwellings on every little domestic festival : while the festivals of the Church are proclaimed from the church tower by the solemn sounding of trumpets. Their hymn-book (the English version of which James Montgomery spent ten years in revising) is one of the most beautiful and extensive collections of religious poetry in existence. There are aged persons who have learnt by heart nearly the whole collection, which numbers upwards of two thousand hymns. The children begin at an early age to commit them to memory. THE SETTLEMENT AT HERRXHUT. 67 One of their sweetest services is the " Singing-hour," a very early institution amongst them, which is held twice a week. The assembled congregation sings one after another of their beautiful melodies, the minister leading, and choosing such verses as illustrate some given subject, expressed, perhaps, in a text read at the commencement of the service. The young people enjoy this especially, and their being permitted to attend is a great in- centive to them to learn the hymns, which form part of their daily tasks. The Moravians have many large and important schools, for girls as well as boys ; and foreigners are often included among the pupils, owing to the excellent education and kind treatment they receive. One of these establishments is at Xeuwied, on the banks of the Rhine ; another is at Konigsfeld in the Black Forest, and there are many more — from Zeyst, in Holland, and Christianfeld, in Schleswig Holstein, in the North, to Montmirail on the borders 68 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. of Neuchatel and Prangins, on the Lake of Geneva, in the South.* I have enjoyed the privilege of being a pupil at two of these schools, and no one who has not had that advantage can be aware of the happi- ness existing in them. The friendly feeling between the teachers and their scholars is of an exceptional character. The irksome- ness of lessons is, as far as possible, re- moved, even for the youngest, by the bright and interesting manner in which instruc- tion is imparted. The holidays are made truly enjoyable. There are frequent little treats — simple, homely festivals, 'tis true, but such as aid to prevent monotony, and occasionally perhaps to divert the regrets of a young home -sick heart. Two or three girls or boys will club together to give their birthday party ; or an excursion is made amongst the mountains ; or an afternoon is spent in the neighbouring forest, gathering strawberries, raspberries, and bilberries, in haunts where one might * As well as several in England. THE SETTLEMENT AT HERRNHUT. 69 expect to find the queen of the fairies asleep. Delicious occasions those, when we carried with us our Vesjoer of bread and butter, or other simple fare, to eat in the woods beneath the shade of lofty trees, while we filled our light baskets with ripe berries, or gathered heather and blue-bells, or the fantastic snake-moss, to weave into garlands for our hats. These forests are not like our English woods, nor like that through which rode Una and the Red Cross Knight, wherein they admired ' ; The vine-prop elm ; the poplar, never dry; The builder oak, sole king of forests all ; The aspen, good for staves ; the cypress, funeral." They are vast, dense forests of fir-trees — nothing but fir — which at a distance give that sombre hue to the landscape that has gained for it the name of the Black Forest. But they are not sombre when you are among them ; there are beautiful moss-grown forest-paths, which run along by the side of gurgling brooks, sparkling 70 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. in the rays of a sun that shines forth from a sky of deeper, purer blue than is ever seen in England. Embosomed in these vast woods lies peaceful little Konigsfeld, its white houses and red-tiled roofs form- ing a striking contrast to the dark green firs ; and the gable end of one of these white houses, which we could distinguish at any distance to which our rambles extended, was that of the Sisters' house, or Schwesternhaus, a massive, steep-roofed building, eleven windows wide, with two stories above the basement, and two more in the roof — a double flight of steps lead- ing to the door. What a delight it was, school-days gone by, to visit the little settlement again ! CHAPTER IV. KONIGSFELD EEVISITED. At Donaueschingen I had been met by- Pauline with the carriage I had written for. It was past midnight ere we reached Konigsfeld ; the moon, just in the third quarter, had risen clear and bright above the dark forest horizon some two hours before, and bad already sped some w r ay along its star-besprent path, when Pauline, rubbing a little clear space in the middle of the steamy window glass, looked out and announced our approach. I strained my sleepy eyes for a first view of the dear little place, but they felt, as it were, full of sand, and I leaned back in my corner to aw^ait our arrival. 71 72 MOEAYIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. Good " Papa Furter," the beloved and respected old host of the Gemein-Logis — the Moravian inn — was sitting up for us, with strong hot tea in readiness. I took a cup while he walked across to the Sisters' house with Pauline, now become a teacher, and then gladly permitted him to light me to my room. The next morning I made a long round of visits amongst my old friends, who re- ceived me with indescribable warmth and affection. Several invitations followed, amongst them one from Pauline to her birthday coffee-drinking, at which the inspector and inspectress of the school, most of the teachers, and one or two other friends were present, besides all the children of the room superintended by Pauline — a nice little set of the youngest. When these had demolished their very liberal portions of cake, they fell to play- ing " Herren und Damen," a favourite game. " How girls love a little romance ! " KOXIGSFELD REVISITED. 73 remarked the inspector, as we watched the mirthful set. " If you observe closely, you will find it lies at the foundation, or in the signification of almost every social game they play." Sunday was bright and sunshiny, the services very enjoyable : at half-past eight the Litany, at ten the sermon, and at half-past seven an exposition of some chapters of Scripture. At half-past five there was a baptism. The child was called Lydia Charlotte. When a hymn had been sung, the vener- able pastor gave a short address on the subject of Baptism, and then the Baptismal Liturgy was said and sung. In this Liturgy three questions are put to the children of the congregation, — " AVhat is baptism?" " Can children partake of this grace ? " " On what is this hope founded ?" To which last the children reply, — " On Christ's words, ' Suffer little children to come unto Me, and forbid 74 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. them not.' " Upon which the infant is brought in by a Sister appointed to do so, and given to the father, who holds it at the desk during the remainder of the service. The minister raises the simple metal jug from the basin which has been placed before him, and pours water three times on the heart of the child, with the words, " I baptize thee, N. M., into the death of Jesus, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Here the minister, the godfathers and the god- mothers, together lay their hands on the child, and the service proceeds. At its conclusion the minister lays his hand on the child's head, and says, " The Lord bless thee, and keep thee : the Lord make His face to shine upon thee, and bo gracious unto thee : the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace." The German babies being laid upon small pillows, and trimly packed up, the edges of the cushion tied together down KONIGSFELD REVISITED. 75 the front with pink bows and lace, the only sign of an animated object is a tiny head with a little red face reposing at one end of it. CHAPTER V. THE FEAST OP POTATOES. During this visit to Konigsfeld, I received an invitation, as an old pupil, to be a guest at the Feast of Potatoes, which is an annual institution of the schools there. First the boys' school celebrates it, and then the girls follow suit, the reason for this sequence being that the boys are the builders of the open-air ovens, of which the girls afterwards have the use. On the occasion in question, it was the boys who were going out, and I had already seen a huge basket of potatoes, together with an immense coffee-kettle and several frying-pans, carried off in a light cart towards the playground in the forest. At half-past one the beating of drums called me to the windows of my room in 76 THE FEAST OP POTATOES. 77 the Gemein-logis. The boys were marching round the " Platz " in military order, headed by a Brother bearing the Bavarian flag, a white star on an azure field. Their uniform was simply a brown holland jacket and trousers, a belt and sword, or some- thing to resemble one. All sorts of things, including pancakes, were cooked on the ground, but the cooks were chiefly the good Sisters ; for the boys in general seemed to think more of their military manoeuvres than of their culinary duties, although some of them proved themselves no mean cooks, after all. As I write, a vivid picture comes to my mind of my first experience of this plea- sant holiday-making. We had had our French lesson as usual that morning, and had not thought of the festival till we heard the Inspector's step in the corridor; and then his voice in the teachers' room. When the class was over, a murmur went round that the treat would take place in the afternoon. Still the lessons 78 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AXD CUSTOMS. went on quietly till eleven, at which hour the Bible class ended; and then the in- spector informed us of the plan, and added that, in order to give us time for our preparations, the lessons were concluded. This was the signal for a general rejoicing, and I fear we did not set our stools under the table very quietly, or in very good order. Business commenced with our converting our dinner-napkins into cooking-aprons ; and then there was a general muster of cooking utensils. At one o'clock the pro- cession left the house ; some carried bas- kets of plates and cups ; others, coffee and milk-jngs ; some came with stewing and frying-pans. I had a great basin of flour and eggs to convey to the scene of action. Then there was an enormous basket of potatoes to carry ; a large supply of rolls, butter, sugar, apples, plums, spice, wine, coffee, and a great pan of dough. Some provided themselves with choco- late and almonds on their own account. THE FEAST OF POTATOES. 79 Six teachers weat with us. "We all wore white aprons and neat little white necker- chiefs. When we reached the playground in the forest, we divided the ovens among us, one to each party of eight or nine ; and near each oven was set up a temporary bench and table. Elf ride, Julie, Emma, Auguste, Mathilde, Anna, Marguerite, and I formed one of these parties, and, in our own opinions, cooked famously, with a little assistance from the inspector's ser- vant, with whose aid we made pancakes, fritters with sauce, apple-fritters, gold- schnitten {i.e. light bread fried in batter, and eaten with sugar and cinnamon) stewed apples, stewed plums, baked pota- toes, etc. At other stoves, other varieties of dishes were dressed ; and the first of each variety was offered to the teachers and visitors. There were the inspector and inspectress, the doctor, his wife and children, the pastor's wife, and others; and for all these grandees we spread a fair white cloth under a shady tree, where 80 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. they seemed to enjoy what we brought them. Some of the teachers were very busy in assisting us, especially Sister K., who made delicious gophers. The coffee, milk, and potatoes were all boiled for us at a large central stove, and liberally dis- pensed with rolls, till each had partaken and was sufficed. Various games succeeded the feast ; and we merrily returned from the forest at half-past seven. As may be imagined, we did not want any supper, but were tired enough to go to bed early; and thus ended the Feast of Potatoes. CHAPTER VI. CONSECRATION OF THE NEW SCHOOL. One morning Pauline came over quite out of breath with haste and business, to bring me an invitation from the Fran Inspectorin to be present at the consecration of the new Girls' School. " There will be a prayer and address both in the old and new premises," said she, putting into my hand a list of the hymns to be sung, " when the children and teachers leave their present quarters in the Sisters' House, and when they enter the beautiful building lately finished for them." At the appointed hour I went over to the Sisters' House, where I found a num- ber of guests already assembled to hear the parting address, in which the Herr Inspector mentioned that the school had 82 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. been held there for fifty-three years, and five hundred scholars had been brought up in it by seventy different teachers. He thanked the Sisters for all the love and friendliness shown by them to their young inmates through so long a series of years ; above all, thanking God for the great mercies experienced daring that time, in which the school had increased from the small beginning of six to so many that a separate dwelling-place had been found necessary. The address was followed by some hymns, and a prayer for a blessing on those remaining, as well as on those leaving the house. Then the pupils, accompanied by their teachers, and preceded by the inspector and inspectress, the clergyman and his wife, and other members of the " Conference," or Heads of Houses, walked two and two in procession to the new building, where they were received by a blast of trumpets, playing Luther's glorious hymn, " Nun danket Alle Grott." CONSECRATION OF THE NEW SCHOOL. 83 All having assembled in the dining- hall, Brother W. 9 the Pastor, spoke on the texts for the day, — Psalm xxvii. 5, and Luke x. 2 ; after which followed the prayer of consecration. Then the in- spector also prayed for the Divine bless- ing upon the house, and its present and future inhabitants. The proceedings con- cluded with some hymns, when the Sisters and other visitors dispersed, leaving the children and their teachers to take posses- sion. At noon a festive banquet was served, to which all the members of the Confer- ence were invited, and at four o'clock some sacred pieces were performed in the saal by the choir and a few of the pupils. The chief things sung were Haydn's " Te Deum," Handel's " G-ehet zu seinen Thoren ein," Hauptmann's " Cantate," with the text taken from " Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple," and a piece composed by one of the masters, set to the words, " Holy is God the Lord," in which 84 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. a duet occurred, sung very sweetly by two of the youuger children. "When the ceremony was over, I went round to see the rooms, which were all very neatly papered and painted, but still in a little confusion. A few days' holiday were to be given to allow time for putting things in order. In every window stood a vase of flowers, an attention from some of the Sisters, who had, besides, garlanded and festooned the entrances to the house with evergreen and fir. In the evening a tea was given to the pupils and day boarders, and a general invitation was issued to all old pupils to be present. " What are you going to do with your- self to-morrow ? " asked old Sister B., as I wished her good-night after church that day. " Will you take a drive with me to Stock- burg, if you have no better engagement ? " " Thank you," I said; " with pleasure." And the morrow dawned so bright that I quite enjoyed the idea ; which, however, CONSECRATION OF THE NEW SCHOOL. 85 was not to be realized, as all the open carriages happened to be engaged. " I am very sorry,'' said Sister B., as she acquainted me with the disappointing fact ; " but we will not lose the lovely after- noon. If agreeable to you, after coffee, I will take you to one of my favourite points of view." And so we went. It was a good long walk, skirting the Doniswald, past a couple of solitary farmhouses, through some fields and a wood, till we came out npon a piece of open tableland. We walked to the edge of this, and thence on a sudden I beheld before me a picture that did credit to Sister B.'s artist's eye, and fully re- warded me for the length of the road. Down below was a narrow wooded glen, the " Foxes' hole," which, from the fore- shortened aspect in which we viewed it, looked like a little forest-clad amphitheatre, embedded in upland meadows and pastures. The glen, and the picturesque villages on the slopes above, lay in bright sunlight, 86 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. the dark chain of the Raiihe Alp half shrouded in haze, but with sharply denned ridge, contrasted well with the green un- dulations that formed the immediate back- ground of the wild, wooded " Fuclis loch " ; and a quaint Black Forest dwelling, with deep roof and roughly carved gallery, made a suitable foreground. We were neither of us in haste to retrace our steps. When we again passed the foremost of the lonely farmhouses, two chubby-faced children were seated on the doorstep of one, the girl with a little white night-cap on. The mother stood scouring her brass- lined kitchen utensils by the well at the back, and in a field close by sat a maiden, watching a couple of cows. Sister B. pointed to a number of tree roots that lay about in the Doniswald, and told me how that, in the terrible storm of 1859, which scarcely lasted more than seven minutes, a hundred and sixty of the so-called Hollander, the largest and tallest trees in the forest, which are sent to Hoi- CONSECRATION OF THE NEW SCHOOL. 87 land for ship-masts and ship-building, were torn up by the roots, while innumerable smaller stems were snapped asunder like corn-stalks — a terrible loss of property to the owners. 14 We shall none of us who witnessed it forget that storm," she continued. " It was more like a tropical hurricane than any- thing else." " Were you alarmed ? " I asked. "Yes, indeed," she said; " but I almost forgot my alarm in a deep sense of thank- fulness. I had been spending the after- noon with a party of Sisters at the old castle farm, and had returned a little sooner than we intended, warned, by the sultriness of the air and heaviness of the atmosphere, of an approaching thunder- storm. We had but just reached the Sisters' House when the crash came, which tore shutters off their hinges, dashed out windows, and rent the strongest forest trees. It was my turn to conduct the early 6 Morgen Segen ' in our prayer-hall 88 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. next day, and you may imagine what kind of verses I chose, and the feeling with which they were sung." I could, indeed, good old Sister B. We walked on for a few minutes in silence ; my thoughts had recurred to the ninety-first Psalm. I do not know what course my companion's had taken, but she presently began to tell me of a long and serious illness she had had two summers ago. " I did not think then I should ever walk so far again as I have done now ; indeed, I sometimes thought I should never rise from by bed at all," she said. " However, it pleased Grod to restore me after a time, and in the autumn I went to Tiirkheim, near Manheim, to undergo a 4 grape-cure.' " "Oh," I exclaimed, "do tell me all about that! I have often wondered how the grape-cure is managed. What diseases is it considered good for ? Consumptive cases, I think I have heard ? " CONSECRATION OF THE NEW SCHOOL. 89 "Well," said Sister B., "it is recom- mended when the blood is in a poor state — to change it. The patient begins upon a couple of pounds of grapes a day, and the portion is gradually increased to six." " Six pounds ! " I exclaimed. " Why, you cannot eat anything else then, I should think." " A little bread and a cup of coffee in the morning, and a basin of soup for dinner and supper, with a little roast meat for those whose appetites desire it, is the diet," returned Sister B. " But I found the grapes so satisfying that I never wanted the latter, and yet I grew quite strong, and enjoyed the long walks I was ordered to take." " You ate the six pounds at different times of the day, of course? " I inquired. " One pound before breakfast, and one after ; and in the course of the afternoon three more," she replied. " The skins were not to be swallowed, but the stones were recommended as a wholesome purifier 90 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. of the blood. And now here we are at home once more, and you must come in to the Sisters' House and have a glass of Klingelberger after your long walk, and perhaps I can offer you some grapes too, though not quite a day's portion of six pounds." CHAPTER VII. THE SCHWESTERN-HAUS (SISTEES' HOUSE) AND SCHOOL. Were you to come to the Sisters' House and open the door, a bell would ring, and a Sister would look from the 64 Economy- room," through a little window in the wall, and if you were a stranger, alone, would come out to inquire what you wanted. On your expressing a wish to see the superin- tendent she would lead you to the left, past the " Economy " or Housekeeper's room and kitchen, to the end of the broad stone corridor, and show you into Sister Z.'s room — a pretty, light apartment, with a few pictures and her family arms on the walls, a fine fuchsia and other flowers in the windows. There is no carpet on the spot- less floor, but the chairs are cushioned ; and there is a sofa, with a small table be- 91 92 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. fore it ; another small table in one window with her canary on it ; and Sister Z. her- self is sitting before a large bureau, writ- ing or making up accounts. On her quietly looking up, her counten- ance would strike you as having something of grave severity in it ; but on her rising and coming forward to receive you, the features would light up with a smile which has a peculiar fascination in it, and you could not fail to remark the whiteness and regularity of her teeth, the chiselled, aristocratic form of the nose, and the brightness of her grey eyes. You would call her interesting, rather than pretty or handsome, and the whole look of mingled firmness and kindness would be attractive to you. She is in middle life, neither young nor old, and you would probably see her in a silver-grey woollen poplin dress, which becomes her well, though I do not mean that she always wears such sober colours. She speaks very distinctly, is prompt in all her movements, and should THE SCHWESTERN-HAUS. 93 you express a wish to see the wool or the fancy-work sold for the benefit of the Sisters' House or the Missions, she would take a labelled key from the row by the stove, lead you into a room, where she would open cupboard and drawers, and display all the pretty knitting and netting and embroidery for which the Moravians are so famous. Such, in brief, was Sister Z. — a little of her. She might then take you to visit Sister X. She is some years younger than Sister Z., more tranquil in her movements, and very sweet-looking. Her hair is dark, and her eyes of a soft brown. Her gentle demeanour, which yet has sufficient firmness, well fits her for her office, which is the spiritual direction of the unmarried Sisters. It is impossible not to love and respect Sister X. You would perhaps go to the cow-house, to see the fine fat cows, and then to the pig-stye. In this part of the world they keep the pigs much shut up, and allow them but little light. Then you might peep into 94 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. the hen-coop?, climb into the hayloft, visit the laundry, and the bakehouse, where delicious cakes and bread of various kinds and shapes are being baked. The village, or, more properly speaking, " settlement," is exclusively inhabited by Moravians. Besides its family dwellings, a settlement comprises a chapel, an unmarried Breth- ren's house, an unmarried Sisters' house, a widows' house, school-houses for boys and girls, a shop, or store, and an inn. In the centre of the settlement is usually a square green, planted round with trees, in the midst perhaps a basin, with a foun- tain throwing its silvery column up into the air. In looking from a window of the Sisters' House, you see the boys' school across the green, with the inspector's house adjoining ; to the right, the inn, a house where the infant school is held, and one or two family dwelling-houses. Opposite to these is the church, with a house adjoining on the right for the pastor's family ; and on the left for that of the war- THE SCHWESTERN-HAUS. 95 den or superintendent of the secular affairs of the community. You see a little bit — ■ though the church almost hides it from your view — of a large house with green shutters to all the windows, inhabited by the wealthiest resident of the place. If we were now to quit the Sisters' House, and cross the square, or " place," as it is called, and turn up by the inn, we should find ourselves in a street of two or three little houses, prettily overgrown with ever- greens and creepers, and should soon be on the high road, with fields on either side, stretching away to the skirts of the forest. Were we to return and walk on past the in- fants' school, we should come to another short street leading to the nearest post- town. Then we might pass the church and the big house, and descend a pictur- esque slope towards the forest, which also forms a modest street. This was, until recent years, all the village. Most of the houses are white, with steep red roofs, and the effect of the whole is pretty, 96 MOEAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. especially when seen at a little distance, embosomed, as it were, in the forest. To return to the Sisters' House. Ascend- ing its steps, and entering the door, you now notice the large hall, on either side of which stands a long bench, with arms and back, for fruit-sellers and pedlars to rest on ; or for the poor, who take their station there, hoping to receive broken victuals, which they always do. If instead of turning towards Sister Z.'s quarters on the left, you turned to the right, on quitting the entrance, you would pass the dining-hall and some other rooms, op- posite to one of which is the sick-room. If desirous of going over the house, a Sister would accompany you, and show you the dining - hall — a large room, with long benches and tables round three sides of it. She would take you to the girls' room, where Moravian children who have left school, and daughters of persons in the neighbourhood, dwell, under the care of two superintendents, chiefly employing their THE SCHWESTEEtf-HAUS. 97 time in plain and fancy work. This is a very motley assemblage, some being very well off, others quite dependent on their exertions. In the Sisters' room, at the other end of the corridor, you would find several young- Sisters (ten or fourteen belong to a room, more or less) engaged in fancy-work, plain- work, hair-work, knitting, etc., while others would be actively occupied about the house. You might then be led up the broad stair- case to the chor-saal, or prayer-hall, which is very light and spacious. Opposite the folding doors is a small table, with a chair behind it — the seat and desk of the officiating Sister; in front of which, and extending almost the whole length of the hall, are four or five rows of benches with backs, for the Sisters at early morning prayers. The school has morning prayers with the teachers in one of the school- rooms. The windows of this ball are hung with white curtains ; bright brass brackets project from the wall to hold the candles when wanted ; aud at one end is a H 98 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. semi-grand pianoforte. There are forms, likewise, all round the walls. Adjoining this hall are the rooms occupied by Sister X. Passing these rooms, you find your- self in another long corridor, with more Sisters' rooms opening into it. Going on to the girls' school, and enter- ing one of the schoolrooms, you would see about sixteen girls round a very long table, sitting at their books on wooden stools, while the teacher would be seated at a little table in one of the three win- dows. There is no particular furniture in the room, but a piano and bureau, a closet for books and slates, and some specimens of the girls' drawings hang on the walls. You will perhaps like a peep into the hammer, or dressing-room, in which are the wardrobes, and the basins and water for washing hands. Thence you ascend to the dormitories, with the rows of little beds completely covered with snow-white sheets. Then you would return to the lower corridor by another broad staircase leading down opposite the house-door. CHAPTER VIII. HERRNHUT IN PROSPECT. " Pauline," said I, one afternoon, as we sat together in a rustic arbour of the Stellwald, looking down upon the sawmill in its picturesque dell — " Pauline, I am going to Herrnhut ! " She looked at me with a dubious smile for a moment, then seeing I remained serious, said, questioningly, — " To Herrnhut? I thought you were going to Neuwied ? " "So I am, but to Herrnhut first; it came into my head all on a sudden." "How?" " When you mentioned that Sister S. was going with 1 Mamma Gambs ' on a visit to her parents there." " Ah ! " said Pauline, her face brighten- 99 100 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. ing as she perceived, or thought she per- ceived, the bearing of the subject — " yes, that will be very nice. You will travel with them, and come back when Sister S. does, in three or four weeks' time." " As far as Frankfort we might travel back together, if agreeable to her ; thence I should take the train to Neuwied." " I wish you would spend the winter here," said Pauline, persuasively. " It is very tempting, good Pauline, but my relations expect me to spend the winter in England." " They will long to see you, no doubt," said Pauline, who was always very tender on the subject of relations, the only near relatives she possessed being one brother and sister, and an aged grandmother. She never knew her parents, who both died at a distant mission station in Africa, she herself having been left in the charge of her maternal grandmother at the age of seven months. And she had never seen her sister till about two years before, when HERBNHOT IX PROSPECT. 101 the latter came to assist in the school at Konigsfeld. My elder friends thought with Pauline that my new plan was a " very nice " one, both as regarded the companions I would have on my journey, and the object of it. " It is but right that you who are so much interested in us and our Church should see Herrnhut, the first and chief of all our settlements," they said. " I have a book* here, in which there is a very pretty description of the foundation of its first prayer-hall, said Sister ," taking a small volume from the shelves. " It is but short : if you will excuse my bad English, I will read it to you. " 1 On the 12th of May, 1724, a company of about thirty persons were gathered together in a marshy spot, on a declivity by the high road from Lobau to Zittau, in Saxony. "'All around them arose an uncleared forest, tall pines looking old and sombre * " Sketches of Christian Life." 102 MORAVIAN SCHOOLS AND CUSTOMS. amidst the fresh green of the budding forest trees. On a levelled space amongst the bushes they were laying the foundation of a house. " ' It was a strangely assorted company. A Saxon nobleman and his bride, and a young Swiss baron, with their friends ; and on the other side, nine or ten mechanics and peasants, with their families. But the bond which united them was far more real than the distinctions which separated them. The noblemen were the Count von Zinzendorf and the Baron de Watteville, to whom all their property and influence were as nothing, except as a trust for the Master ; and the mechanics were men who had suffered imprisonment and loss of all things, and had left country and kindred for the sake of Christ and the gospel. " ' The Count spoke earnestly and affec- tionately to those present on the object of the building they were about to erect, of the faith which had at once made them exiles and provided them an asylum. HERRXHUT IX PROSPECT. 103 '"Rather/ he said, 'than that this build- ing should not tend to promote the glory of Him in whose name it was founded, might fire from heaven consume it ! ' " ( Before he began to speak, five travel- lers came along the high-road, wayworn and poorly clad. They stood apart and listened in reverent silence. " ' Then the Baron de Watteville drew off a ring, the last jewel he had retained, and laying it on the foundation stone, knelt there, and prayed aloud. e< ' The power of the Holy Ghost over- whelmed every heart as he prayed. When he ceased, the whole of the little band were in tears, and the five strangers, who were also exiles from Moravia for the sake of the faith, came forward, and said, —