i:M ^ ^^^^ MI ^ :^ % *yT »"> ) T ^Ck • :^^ -J^ _^^ i'§> >iS^ :%^ ) i^B)^Sjy ^■•:..S> > rX^^ 30 <^i>:7>i>^>-^ r ^ \ / i i^tWdtp ^cjniimrg ^cittii^nir. o * •■-'^4;'-r^ '\r-' A HISTORY OF THE RISE, PROGRESS, AND PRESENT CONDITION OF THE MORAVIAN SEMINARY FOR YOUNG LADIES, AT BETHLEHEM, PA. WITH A CATALOGUE OF ITS PUPILS. 1785—1858. By WILLIAM C. REICHEL. REVISED AND ENLARGED. dtontinmitiou of % fistorg m\^ OtatcUoijue to tk gear 187 (J. By WILLIAM H. BIGLER, ^ PROFESSOR IN MORAVIAN COLLEGE AND THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. THIRD EDITION, WITH CONTINUATION OF CATALOGUE TO 1880. PHILADELPHIA: J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. 1881. PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. The object of this volume is to present to tlie friends of Bethlehem Female Seminary, and the public generally, a faithful record of whatever is of interest in connection with this Institution from its original foundation down to the present time. In order to do full justice to the sub- ject, the author has found it necessary to connect with the immediate history of the Seminary an account of the \- town and community in the midst of which it was reared and fostered, and under whose auspices, through the 2c divine blessing, it has prospered, and exercised its benign ~ influence upon tlie widely-extended circle of its pupils and friends, through the lapse of upwards of threescore ^ years and ten. % The same spirit which prompted the original founda- § tion of the town of Bethlehem, and of other similar establishments of the Moravian Church, also led to the establishment of this Seminary, as well as of other educa- O . . ^ tional institutions of a like nature. And in either case, ^ ... g whether with town or seminary, the main intention was ^ to implant into the human heart the vital principle of 2 true faith in Christ and then, in connection with a due < improvement of our various faculties and talents, tt) cultivate and develop this principle by such means and appliances as the Sacred Volume and a deep and varied experience, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, had suggested to the venerable founders of the Moravian Church and their successors. 44^951 ▼» phi: FACE. Ill Diili T to :i correct coTuprchciiHioii of flio ori_£^i!iaI aii<] legitiiiiiitc ol»jr<-t of ii Moniviiiii town and a Moravian Borninarv or hoardini^-scliool, it will l)0 neooapary to con- sider tlicm hotli from a strictly roli[rious point of view. .Vntj as Itoth seminary ami town, so far as rcLCards tlic |ii-inci|ilcs which umlci'lic their friio desig?i, are so inti- mately connectecl with each other, it becomes necessary, if we would give a correct account of the former, so to entwine the history of both that the reader may at once eloai-ly apprehend the correspondence which exists be- tween them, and thus be enabled to appreciate their respective characteristics and objects. The author is, at all events, confident that the present vohime will be a welcome acquisition to all those who have been personally connected with this Seminary in the capacity of jMipils, and that it will revive and keep alive many fond and endearer 111'' lari^'c iiiiKHiiit of |ifrsoiiiil iiitoniiatioii wliidi this volume contains, tin; iintlior is iiuluhtcd to tiio t'xortion.s of Hovcral Tiioriibers of tlie llis- torical Society of Peiiiisylviiiiia. Tlie li.st of tljc eaHior tcacliers has, with tlie ussistance of some of their number wlu) still survive, been correctly arranged, and, it in thought, made coinplote. In the absence of a proper record, no little difficulty was encountered in this parti- cular, and some uncertainty may yet remain. In conclusion, it is proper to ex[>lain that the present work was undertaken by its author at the special request of othei's. At a complimentary dinner given to the Board of Trustees and other friends of the Institution, by the principal of the Bethlehem Female Seminary, on tiie completion of the new l)uilding at the close of the year 1854, the conversation turned on the present and past condition of the school, and, with the aid of one of its earliest principals who was of the company, a variety of interesting matter in its history was brought up in review. It was at once conceded that a written account of the past sixty-nine years of the existence of this widely-known Institution would prove welcome to the large number of its surviving pupils, and meet with the favor of the public. The execution of this labor was at the same time proposed to the author of this volume. He hopes that it may answer its intended purpose, and confer as much pleasure and profit in its perusal as it has upon the writer in its preparation. This object gained, the time and labor spent upon it will be to him, in after- years, but another pleasing "Souvenir." PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. The first edition of the Bethlehem Seminary Souvmir being exhausted, and the number of those who might be supposed to take an interest in the Institution having greatly increased, it was thought desirable to reprint it, with such additions as should be found necessary to make it as complete at the present time as the original work was in 1858. The author being prevented by other engagements from undertaking this work, it was intrusted to the present editor. The exhaustive and attractive manner in which the former had traced the history of the Semi- nary from its original foundation down to the time of publication in 1858, rendered any attempt at improve- ment of that part of the work unadvisable. The labor of the present editor has therefore been confined to giving a continuation of the narrative, and to revising and completing the Catalogue. In performing the first part of his labor, he has, after correctness, aimed princi- pally at brevity, in order not unnecessarily to increase the size and cost of the book. In the arrangement of the Catalogue, he has adopted a plan dififeriiig materi- ally from that pursued in the first edition. The names of the students are now arranged in alphabetical order under each year. This arrangement he hopes will make the Catalogue more interesting to former pupils, at the (ix) X I'UF.FM'K TO TIJK SECOSli KIiITfON. Rjmio time that it will allow nt" aiiiiiial addilioiiH being made to it, it' (l«'fiiic(| -i, l>ut u few years ai'lcr llic organization of the Moravian exiles who had found an asyhiin on the estates of Count Zinzcndorf/ into a congregation of Christians, with the discipline and ritual of the old Bohemian and Morjivian Cliunh, styling themselves the Uniteil Brethren. Coeval with this renewal of the ancient Church, and the zealous activity of its members in behalf of the destitute heathen, was the interest manifested in the cause of education. Impressed wdth the importance of training their children in the way of the Lord, and preparing them for future activity in His service, the Church took the little ones of the flock into her especial keeping. In accord- ' Lewis, Count Zinzendorf, a Saxon nobleman of wealth, talents, and prominent piety, is held in grateful remembrance by the Church of the Brethren, as having been the instrument, in God's hands, for its renewal and reorganization. It was in 1722 that he received on his estate, Berthelsdorf, in Upper Lusatia, a com- pany of Moravian exiles, descendants of followers of the Reformer and martyr John Huss, who had left their homes for conscience' sake June 17th of the same year, and Herrnhut, the seat of the first congregation, was commenced. As the ordinances and discipline of the old Church of the Moravian and Bohemian Brethren were here retained, and thus perpetuated, the present Church of the Brethren is a continuation of the former, and as such the oldest of the Protestant Churches, referring to the 1st of March, 1457, as the day of its origin. BETHLEHEM SOUVENIR. 19 ance with the spirit of her social regulations, she collected them into a separate body or class, intrusted them to the care of pious superintendents, guided their feeble footsteps to the house of God, and there adapted the services to their tender understandings and susceptible hearts. In the schools they were instructed in the useful branches of learning, to the exclusion of all vain and frivolous accompUshments. Very high literary attainments were not the principal object which the Brethren had in view. The aim of their educational system was less ambitious, but not the less noble. It was to develop the intellect by patient and laborious teaching, to discipline the mind to habits of reflection and self-control, to render knowledge sub- servient to usefulness in society, and the religion of the heart the crown of all. Living, for the most part, in settlements of their own, where the regulation of society was at their disposal, the Brethren were eminently successful in training their youth accord- ing to the standard of excellence which they had pro- posed. These advantages soon became so apparent that ere long application was made to the Brethren by many persons of other denominations, for the re- ception of children into their schools. Repeated requests of this kind, and the hope of in- stilling lessons of piety and virtue into the hearts and minds of those who at a future day would control the welfare of society, induced the Brethren to open board- ing-schools for the public in several of their villages 20 hi: Til i,i: II i; m hdi; vi;n i ii. oil the Conliiiciil <•!" I']iirn[ic. in l'liiijl;iii(l, ;iii(] in Ihe Initcd Sl.-llcs. Till' CliMlcli li:is ;il\v;ivs kf|i| tllOHG institutions under Iht own ((iniiiiittod their supervision !<» ministers of tlic gospel, being desirous to iiicnlcitc lessons of heavenly wisdom upon the lienrt \vliil>l storing the mind with know- ledge and lorniiiig habits of industry and order. The existence of many of these schools for more than eighty years, and the constant patronage which they have enjoyed, certainly afford some evi- dence of their excellence, and especially of the bless- ing of God which has attended them, — this work having been undertaken in his name and for his sole glory. Bethlehem, the first permanent settlement of the Brethren in North America, was commenced, near the close of 1740,^ by the remnant of a Moravian colony ' On the 22d of December, 1740, a party of Moravian Brethren left Nazareth (where they had been engaged since April in building a large house for the celebrated George Whitefield, intended by him for an asylum and a school for negroes) and commenced fell- ing trees on the spot where Bethlehem now stands. Their work was commenced amid many privations, the cold being intense, and a deep snow covering the ground. A small log house was com- pleted early in the next year, and such preparations as the winter season would allow forthwith made for the erection of a more com- modious dwelling. By the end of June, 1741, the timber was squared, and on the 28th of September the corner-stone of the ''house at the Lehigh in the Forks of the Delaware" was laid with appro- priate solemnities. David Nitschman, the first bishop of the Re- newed Church of the United Brethren, conducted the ceremonies, BETHLEHEM SOUVENIR. 21 which had been sent to Georgia in the spring of 1735. It was originally intended as a central point for the con- ia the presence of seventeeu Brethren and Sisters, whose names, inscribed on parchment, were deposited in the stone ou the south- east corner of the building. The first house stood until the autumn of 1823, when it was removed to make room for the stabling of the Eagle Hotel, which was opened, about that time, in the "old stone building." A num- ber of the sound timbers were reserved and used for joists in the stabling. In 1846 several of- these were taken out, and worked up into canes, boxes, etc., which found ready purchasers among the lovers of relics from the olden time. A faithful sketch, taken before its demolition, furnished Grunewald, the Moravian artist, matter for his much-admired little painting of the " First House in Bethlehem." The second house is still standing: it is the west wing of the old row in Church Street, next to the Moravian Church. Its dilapidated condition bespeaks its antiquity. This build- ing is unquestionably the most interesting of those few remain- ing memorials of the past that have come down to us after the lapse of a century. Associated as it is with the first labors of our forefathers in the wilds of North America, it is invested with pecu- liar interest. Here, as in a common home, lived side by side the artisan and the man of leisure, — a little company met together from the various walks of life, self-denying and devoted men, actuated by one spirit, and that the spirit of mutual love and love for Christ. Here lived for a number of years the elders of the con- gregation, its bishops and ministers. Here they met in conference to deliberate on the condition of the Lord's work in their midst, and abroad among the Indian tribes. Hither came, from time to time, the joyful news of Ranch's successes among the Mohicans at Shecomeko, the spread of the gospel eastward among the Wampanoags of Connecticut, and westward through Pennsylvania, and boyinid it to the tributaries of the Muskingum : in short, the whole history of the Indian mission, so strangely checkered with light and shade, with alternating prosperity and reverses, quiet and persecution, is associated with those time-honored walls. They have echoed to the voice of Zinzendorf, and for fifteen years were the home of 22 iiiiTii i,i; n i;m soivkniii. Irol (>rili(' ii('\vly-(»rL:;iiii/i'(l iiii.>^si()ii niiioii;^- llic Moliicjiu mill Delaware Indians, all'nnliii^- u plaeo of" rendezvous that groat and gooJ man, tlio wurtli)' IJi.shup Spaugenberg. In tlio little hall on the sci-ond flcior, the place of worship for the congregation as late as ITol, Spangenherg presided on two occasions at inter- views with deputations from the rude tribes of Wyoming Val- ley. Nanticokcs and Shawauues, dressed in all their savage finery of feathers and painted deerskin, had come to see the home of the intrepid missionary whose lonely canoe they had encountered on the upper waters of the Susquehanna, to smoke the friendly pipe and assure him of their good-will in a covenant of peace and mutual friendship. Here also were welcomed the deputies from the mother-Church in Germany, when they came on visitations to advise and consult in reference to the interests of the American daughter, to encourage the faint-hearted, to adjust matters of dif- ference, to commend the faithful, and knit more closely that tie of brotherly love which cements the Moravians from the four quarters of the globe into a family of brethren. Conspicuous for activity and great powers of endurance, qualities so essential to the pioneer who would successfully cope with the hard- ships incident to making a settlement in a wild forest-region, was David Nitschman, familiarly called Father Nitschman, to dis- tinguish him from the bishop. His efficient services in building up BethlehLMii — more especially those rendered in the first ten years, during which interval the ''old row" of massive masonry around the little square east of the Moravian church was nearly completed — won for him, among his associates, the title of the Founder of Beth- lehem. On his tombstone is inscribed the following record : — "David Nitschman, " Founder of Bethlehem, — who felled the first tree to build the first house. Born Sept. 18th, 167G, in Moravia. Died April 14th, 1758. This, the second memorial, was erected June, 1853." A portrait of this worthy, who was the first custodian of the BETHLEHEM SOUVENIR. 23 for the missionaries, and an asylum for such of their number as were disabled or infirm. This important position it held for upwards of twenty years. In 1742, on the arrival of the first^ of a series of colonists from Unity's lands in North America, is preserved in the office of its Agency at Bethlehem. ^It consisted of fifteen married couples, five widowers, and twenty-two young men. On the latter it was expected the labor and hardships incident to a settlement in a new country would chiefly fall. Brother Peter Boehler led this first important colony to Pennsylvania. Among the number were several who afterwards became conspicuous as ministers and missionaries, e.g. Nathaniel Seidel, Gottlieb Bezold, Frederick Post, David Bishop, and Joseph Shaw. There were English as well as German Brethren in the company. The ves.sel in which they sailed — the snow "Catharine," Captain Gladman — had been especially purchased and equipped for the voyage. Constant intercourse between the Brethren in Europe and America, and the frequent transportation of colonists, rendered it expedient for the Church to have a vessel at her control. Accord- ingly, in 1743, the "Little Strength" was bought at London, and fitted out for sea. She was succeeded by the snow '* L-ene," built at New York in 1748. Nicholas Garrison, a Staten-Islander, who had become acquainted with the Brethren, (having repeatedly carried their missionaries in his ship from the West Indies to New York,) and who joined their society in 1743, rendered the Church of his adoption effectual service, as an experienced sea- captain, for the space of thirteen years. He took command of the "Little Strength," and afterwards of the "Irene," which latter he navigated until 1756. A book of sailing-directions used on board the Irene, kept in Low Dutch, is yet preserved in the archives of the Church at Bethlehem. November 20, 1757, the Irene, now under Captain .Jacobson, cleared Sandy Hook for the last time, for when ten days out she was taken by a French pri- vateer. The latter, with her prize, made for Cape Breton ; but owing to the French captain's ignorance of the coast, on the 12th of January, 1758, 24 iu:tiili:hi:m souvenir. (Icniiaiiv, it bccaiiic the sr;il of a coiif.n'ogation, organ- ized, a llci' \\iv model of lliu.-c ill |jii(»|»(;, \}y Count Zin/ciiddir, al that tini(; on a visit to this coiiiitry. A })n)niinont fcatiirt! in this or^L^anizalion was the disposition of tlio sexes and various conditions in life into chisses or "choirs," who resided in separate houses, and each in charge of a sijiritual adviser se- lected from its number. The promotion of personal religion was the object of this regulation, as well as that of other social peculiarities, all of wliich could easily exist in exclusive communities, as were those of the Brethren. Until 17G2 it was the centre of a communistic association, in which the Brethren of Pennsylvania were united for the furtherance of the rehgious work in which they had engaged. To enable them to maintain their missionaries among the Indians, their itinerant preachers, and schools in destitute neighborhoods, as well as the ministers of the gospel in a dense fog, the Irene struck the rocks and went down, her crew barely escaping with their lives. Snoiv. — A vessel equipped with two masts, resembling the main and fore masts of a ship, and a third small mast just abaft the mainmast, carrying a try-sail. Webster. On shipboard the colonists, sometimes exceeding a hundred, were wont to attend to the daily religious services, at that time cu.stomary with the Brethren. As weeks and months were not un- frequently consumed on the voyage, they were organized after the manner of the congregations generally, and with a similar dis- position of spiritual advisers and offices. Hence the name ''Ocean- Church" (See-Gemeine) so appropriately given these immigrating colonies. BETHLEHEM SOUVENIR. 25 at home, a communisni of labor was adopted, in which all who participated did so voluntarily, and with the expectation of receiving in return only the necessaries of life and the comforts of home. It was a system admirably adapted to their Avants, living as they did in secluded villages and districts in a thinly-settled country, where they were to look alone to them- •selves for support. The prosperity^ of their settle- ments and missions in this period is in a great measure to be ascribed to that harmony of action which re- sulted from such mutual dependence, and the sacrifice of individual interest for the common welfare. But the peaceful quiet of this well-ordered house- hold was not of unbroken continuance. From their secluded retirement the Brethren were several times drawn into the commotions which agitated the poHt- ical world without. Such was the case during the French and Indian wars, and that of the American Revolution. In the former their relation to the ^ From their abuu dance they were even enabled to supply the wants of a famine-stricken neighborhood in June of 1754, when the scarcity of bread brought persons from their homes, fifteen and twenty miles distant, to Bethlehem, to draw on the Moravian granaries and mills in the " Forks." " It was not unusual," writes an eye-witness, ''to see ten and twenty persons daily, on horse- back or afoot, coming in to buy bread and flour, or leaving the settlement with loaves from the bakery." Spangenberg, on this occasion, remarking on the evident blessings of God on their com- munism of labor, observed that ten years ago they had been compelled to buy the supply of grain fur the use of their harvesters, sixty miles distant, at Tulpchocken, — and this with borrowed money. 26 inynn, iMiKM souvkmr. Iii(li;iiis iciidci'cd llicir |Mt.-iti()ii |M'(iili,irl\ (■iiil);iiTas8- iug, .^lllijrctiii;^- tliciii to llio susjiicittlis of hoth Ixlli- gereiil |i;ir(i(!.s, liaras.sing llicm in llnii- mis.sioiis, (jii- (langcriii;; tlirii- lives, and on one occasion nigh causing the (leslnu'tioii of all their settlements in tlic country. While relhiiniug from actual participation in the War of Independence, steadfastly contending lor tlie free exercise of conscience in the matter of rendering military service, they cheerfully bore their share of the common l)nrd('n in the payment of moneys, in fur- nishing supplies, and in converting their large houses into hospitals for the wounded of the arm}'. These distresses and trials the Brethren bore with great Chris- tian composure, and with unshaken confidence in the wisdom and mercy of Providence. To God they confided their cause, and he rewarded their faith. Brought into closer connection with their neighbors, with men of influence, and with the public generally, by the events of those boisterous times, an opportunity was afforded their enemies of becoming better acquainted with the Brethren and their social and religious system. Much error and prejudice were thus dispelled. They were visited at their homes, on their farms, and in their churches and schools. The neatness and order preva- lent in their unique settlements, the indication of gene- ral thrift, the absence of squalid poverty and extrava- gant wealth, bespoke a people who had been reared to habits of industry and honest labor ; and the simplicity and touching impressiveness of their religious services, BETHLEHEM SOUVENIR. 27 the care bestowed on the young, the relief of the indi- gent, of the orphan and widow, — these were peculiari- ties which came to be viewed as enviable means for promoting the prosperity of a community and leading its members in the ways of virtue and piety. Thus the Brethren, by patience and forbearance, by public services, and by steadfastness in the paths of rectitude, made friends of their enemies, and, from haAdng been a despised^ and persecuted people, were selected as the worthy recipients of an important charge, and intrusted with the welfare of society, in as far as it was for them to mould the character and principles of some whose influence at a future day would be exerted in fashioning it for good or evil. A desire to intrust their children to the Brethren for education had been expressed on the part of parents of other denominations soon after the former first settled in Pennsylvania. Their peculiar organization, however, at that early time, prevented them from gratifying this ^vish. Such applications recurnng from time to time, the Synod" of 1782 was apprized of this ^ See O'Callaghan's Documentary History of New York, Albany, 1850, Vol. TIL p. 10, 12, et seq. for papers relative to the suffer- ings and persecutions of the Moravians in Duchess county. ^ The General Synods of the Brethren's Church are convened by the Unity Elders' Conference at the time appointed by the previous Synod, or subsequently by that directing Board. They usually recur after an interval of ten years, and are held at Herrnhut, in Saxony, the mother-congregation. Here the sen'ants and deputies of the Brethren's Unity assemble from its American, British, and German 28 in:iii I, i:ii i-; m soi: v i-: \ 1 1!. • •;ill IVoiii I he |)iil)lic. iiihI r(!qut'.ste(l to consider the ex- j»(Mli«'ii(v (>r (iiM-niiii: lio.iidinj^-schools in several of the Aincricaii coiigrogatioiis, on I lie ]>laii of those which li;i(l already Ixmmi I'nr s<»iiic time in successful operation on (he continent of I'lurope. The project was favor- ably entertained by the Synod, and its development referred to Bishop John do Watteville, who had been deputed by his colleagues of the Unity Elders' Con- ference^ to hold a visitation in the American congrega- tions, — a measure lu'gently called for by the exigencies of the times. Watteville visited Bethlehem in June, 1784,^ and provinces, to legislate about its general concerns and assume its direction for the time. ^ This name is borne by the Executive and Supervisory Board of the Church, the body empowered to inspect and govern its affairs in the interval between two Synods. It is divided into three de- partments, — viz. : 1. The Helpers' and Education Department, which is expected to watch over the spiritual course of the congregation in doctrine and practice, and over the educational institutions. 2. The Wardens' Department, to which the financial concerns of the Unity are committed. 3. The Mission Department, to which the superintendence and management of the missionary work are in- trusted. There are three incumbents in the first and second de- partments of the Board, and four in the third, all of whom are elected by the General Synods when in session. The old manor- house of Berthelsdorf, near Herrnhut, is the fixed residence of the members of this Board. * The bishop had sailed from the Texel in the Dutch ship Neu- trality, on the 27th of SopteniV)or, 1783. The voyage was advei-se, the vessol having to contend with gales and head-winds for upwards of throe months, and, after seven ineffectual attempts to enter Sandy Hook, was compelled to make for the West Indies, where she BETHLEHEM SOUVENIR. 29 spent three years in the duties of his commission, effecting in that interval much in the way of restoring order and unity of action in the Brethren's affairs, which had been so materially deranged during the pre- vious eight years of war. In a conference held by the bishop with the pastors of Bethlehem and Nazareth,^ at the latter place, on the 2d and 3d of March, 1785, the subject of educa- tion being under consideration, it was concluded "to formally open a boarding-school for boys at Nazareth Hall, and a similar institution for gii'ls at Bethlehem, on Michaelmas next." As the sons and daughters of Moravian parents were also to enter the newly-planned schools, it was* found expedient to abolish the asylums in which, up to this time, they had not only been instructed but also sup- plied with the necessaries of life and a home. A school for girls was first opened in Bethlehem on the 5th of January, 1749, with sixteen scholars, in the central building of the old row directly east of the Moravian chmxh.^ Here the daughters of missionaries, stranded on the island of Barbuda. The Philadelphia papers of February 13, 1784, notice this marine disaster. On the 29th of May Watteville arrived at that port. ^ Nazareth — a settlement of the Brethren ten miles north of Bethlehem — became the seat of a congregation in 1744. * Whoever has visited Bethlehem must have been struck with the unique appearance of this venerable pile, built in a style of archi- tecture so different from what is met with in this country, even in settlements which have their origin more remotely in the past than Bethlehem. The hip-roofs and double rows of dormer-windows, the 30 T. KTI! I.i; H i; M Sor VKNI It. of ministers oC tlic gospel, .iml oC llicllnfii nf oWicj scllliMiK'iils, were rccoiv(Ml IVdiii time to time r(»riiiiii<: a (lislincl iioiisclioM in the comminiitN. wliidi \v;is ox- pecteil t(^ defray its expenses l»_v ciMitiiliiilionH Cnim the Church .mkI iiKlividuals and by the practice of prudent econoni}-. Snch was one of the social regulations of that day. On the 2d of October, i78-"3, this institute was closed, and arrangements made in the house to re- massive iDasonry supported by heavy buttresses, and the curiously- wrought belfry capping the centre, are so many features borrowed from the manor-houses and churches of our forefathers' European homos. This compact assemblage of buildings constituted in itself, lor a number of years, the entire settlement, for in it lived all the divisions of the congregation. Of the log building at the west end nieytion has already been made. The wing next in order was completed in 1751, — its upper floor constituting the public place of worship, (consecrated July 10th of tho same year,) and the lower a eounnon refectory. The centre was built as early as 1743: it con- tained a kitchen below, and dwelling-rooms above. The portion to the right, which forms the third side of the square, was built at dif- ferent times, — a part in 1744, a part in 1752. The latter stands on the corner of the square, and was originally intended for the young men, or ''single brethren." The extreme east wing dates back as late as 1773. On the removal of the single brethren in 1748 to their new choir-house, (the present old school-building,) the entire eastern portion of the edifice was assigned to the youns women, or "single sisters." The erection of such spacious houses in a new countiy naturally led to strange and erroneous surmLses on the part of persons who were unacquainted with the regulations upheld by the Brethren. The calumnious assertions that they were "Papists in disguise" were corroborated in the minds of many who, through ignorance, recognised in these houses veritable representatives of monasteries and nunneries. In our own enlightened day there are such to be found, whose imperfect acquaintance with both the Church of the United Brethren and that of Rome leaves them unable to discriminate between the usages, customs, and spirit of the two. BETHLEHEM SOUVENIR. 31 ceive pupils from abroad. The five remaining inmates/ and j&fteen day-scholars from the village, were placed in charge of the three Sisters, Sidamith Nyherg, Susan Langaard, and Maria Elizabeth Beroth.' The room in the southwest corner of the second floor was assigned them for a dwelling and for recitations. The dining- room was on the first floor, and the dormitory in the attic. Meals were furnished the boarders from the Widows' House^ kitchen, and the general superinten- dence of the premises was given to Brother and Sister Peter, an aged couple, retired from the missionary ser- vice among the Indians. Brother John Andrew Hiibener, the pastor of the congregation, was intrusted with the control and in- spection of the school^ thus newly organized. He oc- cupied apartments under the same roof, in the west 1 These were the Misses Anna and Maria linger, Susan Bage, Rosina Friedman, and Maria Heckewelder. All of these continued at school after the reception of pupils from other places. The last- named was the oldest survivor of the first inmates of the Bethlehem boarding-school. Miss Heckewelder was a daughter of the cele- brated missionary among the Indians, and was the first white child born in the State of Ohio. She died in the Sisters' House. =" Miss Beroth entered the girls' institute in April, 1755. 3 The "Widows' House," as its name imports, was built to ac- commodate the widows of the congregation. Here they found all the comforts of a retired home,— living in apartments provided by the Church at rates proportioned to their means, and at the same time enjoying the conveniences usually to be had in all well-regulated asylums of a similar character. The house was completed in l/b8. In 1794 an addition was made to the east end. * The educational institutions belonging to the Church are in- 32 r. r.Tii i,i;ii km sor vkm ii. win;: ol' tlir ImildiiiL;, wIicit ;i1 lli.'it time llic liisliop ;i)iil liis cnllc'i^iucs resided. In their <|ui<;t way the Brethren ;ie(iii,iinled the [mhlie. throu^ih their ("riends, of the ,Mrran;;»'nieiits just completed litr th(; rece})tj()ii of young hidies lor education. 8onie time, however, elapsed before it received a response. In March of (he following year, 1786, Mr. Israel Bedell, of 8taten Island, N.Y., made personal application for the admission of his daughter Elizabeth, and on the 21st of May she arrived, being the first pupil from abroad. Almost another year had elapsed, when, on the IGth of May, 1787, Miss Aiirelia Blakely, of Baltimore, came, and was followed shortly afterwards by five young ladies from the same city and three from the West Indies. At the close of the year the number of boarders was seventeen, and it was soon found necessary to engage the services of a fourth tutoress. The discipline usually observed in families for the promotion of order and the mutual comfort of its in- mates proved sufficient for the government of this little household; but, as its numbers increased, it became necessary to systematize it. In October, 1788, the subjoined written statutes were accordingly adopted. They are the earliest on record, and in a plain way define the duties of pupils in the school-room and trusted to a Board of Trustees, elected by the Synod of the Pro- vince to which they belong. The principal, whom they select and appoint, is their agent, and, as such, responsible to them. y w A '^ BETHLEHEM SOUVENIR. 33 when abroad, disposing of their time for labor and recrear tion, and suggesting hints for correct individual de- portment. In effect, they are the same which at pre- sent obtain, and may be regarded as an exposition of the principles which the Brethren have laid down for the management of their educational institutions, and to which they have adhered for more than three-quar- ters of a century. " For the maintenance of order in schools conducted similarly to ours, it is indispensable to adopt definite rules and regulations, the observance of which con- duces to the happiness and comfort of individuals and the community. If ever our school is to prove bene- ficial to its members, and through them to society, our daughters must endeavor to comply cheerfully and at all times with these few and wholesome require- ments, as such compliance will lead to habits of order and general proper deportment. " When the bell rings at half-past five in the morning, all are expected to rise immediately, and in silence await the word, from the tutoress who has them in charge for the day, to proceed to the dwelling-rooms, where sufficient time is allowed for making the neces- sary toilet. " At six o'clock the bell rings for breakfast. Quiet and strict order should be observed in going to and returning from the dining-hall in company with the sister who is on duty. At table a hymn is sung, and the text for the day then read ; and it is expected that 34 iir.TH i.i; ii i: m sor v f: n i n. \oii ;tll join, willi clieerrul lic-irts and voices, in tliu.s iiniisiiif; your Lord, holli hd'orc and alter meals. "As we have no servants to wait on our cliildron, and we deem it well lor youn*; persons to learn to wait on themselves, one of our dau'rhters from each room is appointetl daily to sweep the room, dust the tables, and see to the proper disposition of the desks and chairs. After breakfast, each pupil attends in person to making her bed, and the different companies repair to their respective dormitories in company with their tutoresses. " At eight o'clock the bell rings for school, and it is expected that the pupils have in readiness betimes what they need for recitation, — that they repair quietly to their classes, take their allotted seats, and, rather than indulge in noise and idle talk, silently im- plore God's blessing and aid, so that they may engage with pleasure and profit in the duties before them. A proper and erect posture, as highly conducive to health, should be carefully observed when seated at the desk or otherwise occupied. "When the bell summons to children's meeting, our daughters should repair in silence to the chapel, two and two, in their respective divisions, attended by their tutoresses. No child is at liberty to excuse herself from attendance on this service. It would be a sad thing indeed if any of your number would not cheer- fully devote a short half-hour to the praise and worship of her Redeemer. It is almost needless to add that BETHLEHEM SOUVENIR. oO boisterous deportment in returning from the house of Grod is also highly improper. " In going to dinner, at a quarter of twelve, due order is likewise to be observed. At table, every thing should be done with decorum. If there is any thing needed, let one at a time make known her wants; otherwise, those of your number who serve at table will be needlessly disturbed. It is unbecoming in young misses at boarding-school to murmur at the food that is set before them, and to treat the gifts of God with disrespect. Whatever is not agreeable, let it remain untouched, without expression of dissatisfac- tion. Avoid all improper attitudes, such as leaning on your elbows, and the like: such deportment is indecorous, and inexcusable in well-bred children. "The time after dinner till one o'clock is allotted you for amusement and recreation. Whatever is needed for the afternoon-classes should be got in readi- ness in this interval. Access is also allowed you to your trunks in the garret. " The hours from one to four are for recitations and classes, which you are expected to attend punctually, confining yourselves as much as possible to your re- spective rooms, and avoiding needless walking and visiting to and fro in the house. After school, your tutoresses will always do you the pleasure of accom- panying you to walk, on which occasion you should leave the premises quietly, and, while in the streets, manifest, by your whole deportment, respect for the 86 betiim:im:.m .souvkmk, (jllirt of tlir |il;irc. W lii|tl(\ voll will will lllO CsteCIll k\' I 111' rr>i(|riils :iii(l (jo crcilil (o tliose wlin jiro coii- citikmI ill yoiir lr;iiiiiii^. ••Ami. riii;ill\. I ln»|tr .ill our (L-mghtcrs regularly en- gngr ill evening devotions before retiring for the day, and. MJlrr these, in composed and serious frame of mind, ((iimnit tliemselves to the safe-keeping of God." These rules were communicated by the Principal to the assembled school semi-annually, and their use and import fully explained. A few words are proper here in reference to the three points embraced in the mode of education, allu- sions to which are made in the preceding transcript. The cultivation of the mental powers, the forming of correct habits, and instruction in religion, were regarded as constituting the aim of true education; and, to attain these ends, arrangements were made which, in a pecu- liar way, cliaracterized this and all other of the Breth- ren's schools. The Principal instructed the pupils in the important truths of Christianity, — one hour in the week being devoted to the so-called "Bible Instruc- tion," or lessons in the Catechism. In addition, the school assembled in the chapel belonging to the con- gregation, during one of the morning hours, when a short discourse was held by the Principal or some* other minister of the place, — a simple exposition of a gospel-narrative, or the recital of incidents in the lives of worthy men and children of God, such as are calculated to interest the youthful mind and impress BETHLEHEM SOUVENIR. 37 the heart with the excellencies of virtue and piety and the certainty of their reward. On the tutoresses mainly devolved the moral education of their charge. They were expected to take the parents' place, to exercise a prudent watchfulness, to teach by example as well as by precept, and cheerfully to sacrifice indi- vidual comfort and inclination, if thereby the welfare of their pupils could in any way be promoted. Two of their number shared the labor of these arduous duties in each room-company, alternately spending the day with its members, from early morning until re- tiring to rest, — in the interval between recitations ex- ercising a constant surveillance in the house and also when abroad. This feature in the Brethren's schools, while it won the confidence of parents, impressed the Brethren with a deep sense of the responsibility which rested on them, and with the need of self-denial and divine aid on the part of those who were engaged in this important calling. The duties of the latter were looked upon as being of a strictly religious character, and the services, thus faithfully performed, as service rendered unto the Lord. The tuition in the early period of these schools was confined to the ordinary branches of an English educa- tion, and included reading, writing, arithmetic, gram- mar, geography, history, astronomy, and plain sewing. The German was necessarily an additional branch, as it was the native language of their tutoresses and spoken almost exclusively in the village. Of this Ian- 44^*351 88 U K T II [, i: II i: M S U V K N I u. guage (In- m.ijoiily of j»ii|»il.s acquired a iisoful know hnlge (liiriiii! I licir stay at Bet lihlifin. In I-'ebruary, 17s7, Irssoiis (III the .-piiicl' Were first given. Miss llrdcll \v;i> I'ni- some tjiiic the oiilv scliolar: ^Tadually olIiiTs lullowL'd, and .suon a number turned their atten- linn lo (ln' ;ici|uirrin(Mit of this pleasant female accom- idishment. Tambuur and line needle work were intro- duced in the fall of the same year. For these the csitocial services of a Sister from the "Sisters' House" .idjuiiiing were engaged, many of the inmates of that House being expert with the needle in the various modes of curious embroidery.^ ' Some of these instruments are yet in existence, and are objects of no little interest to the curious. Contrasting, as they do, in size, structure, and tone, with the modern piano-forte, they furnish a notable instance of the progress of a mechanical art which, by its ingenuity, has contributed so largely to the enjoyment of a most refined pleasure. The first spinet used in Bethlehem arrived from London in January. 1744. "^ Not only wore the ornamental branches of female industry fol- lowed by the Sisters in their house, but also the more useful ones, such as spinning, knitting, and weaving. Historical reminiscences cling to the unassuming labors at which they wrought for an honest and independent livelihood. AVashington, we are told, supplied himself with domestic goods from ''the first domestic manufactories of the land," as he was wont to style the weaving-department con- ducted in the Sisters' House. Here he made a selection of ''blue stripes" for his lady and stout woollen hose for himself. It was in the spring of 1778, when detachments of the American army fre- quently passed through Bethlehem, and some of the choir-houses were converted into barracks, hospitals, and places of safe-keeping for English prisoners, that Count Casimir Pulaski was complimented for his gallantry by the presentation of a banner, embroidered by BETHLEHEM SOUVENIR. 39 The charges made for pupils at this time were in Pennsylvania currency, as follows : — the single Sisters, as a token of their gratitude for the protection he had aflForded them, surrounded as they were by a rough and uncouth soldiery. A special guard was kept around the precincts of this home of helpless females, and Pulaski in person shared the duties of the sentinel. At the suggestion of Susan Von Gersdorf, the spiritual superintendent of the establishment, it was resolved to give the hero this tribute of their respect. The design of the work was intrusted to the Sisters Becky Langly and Julia Bader; and in its execution they were assisted by a number of their associates, more especially by Anna Bl^m, Anna Hussy, and Erdmuth Langly. The banner was received by Pulaski with grateful acknowledgments, and borne in his regiment through the campaign, until he fell in the attack on Savannah, in the autumn of 1779. Lossing, in his "Pictorial Field-Book of the Revolution," has the following relative to this matter: — "Pulaski visited La Fayette while that wounded officer was a recipient of the pious care and hospitality of the Moravians at Bethlehem. When it was known that the brave Pole was organizing a corps of cavalry in Baltimore, the single women of Bethlehem prepared a banner of crimson silk, with designs beautifully wrought with the needle by their own hands, and sent it to Pulaski with their blessing. This banner was used in the procession that welcomed Lafayette to Baltimore in 1824, and was then deposited in Peale's Museum. Mr. Edmund Peale presented it to the Maryland Historical Society in 1844, where it is now carefully preserved in a glass case. But little of its former beauty remains. On one side the capitals U. S. are encir- cled by the motto, ' Unitas virtus fortior;' on the other, the "all- seeing eye of God, in the midst of the thirteen stars of the Union, is surrounded by the words, 'Non alius regit.' These designs are embroidered with yellow silk, the letters shaded with green. A deep-green bullion-fringe ornaments the edges. The size of the banner is twenty inches square. It was attached to a lance when borne to the field." See Lossing's Field-Book, Vol. II. p. 187, for a drawing. From a diary kept at Bethlehem during the Revolu- tionary War, we learn that La Fayette came to that place on the 40 iu:tii i.kii km soi; vk.n i k, £5 per <|iiart('i- Inr ho.ird ami liiitioii, including the (niliniiiv hranclics of ;iii i'lii^ilisli education, and in- struction in the Cicini.in language. 20th of Si'pteinber, 1777, just after the battle of Brandywine, whtTo he was wounded, and left fur the army on the ISth of Octo- ber following. Pulaski is mentioned as having arrived on the 16th of April, 1778. He is noticed a second time, under date of May 18 of the same year, as having attended divine worship with a portion of his independent corps in martial order. The memory of this event is embalmed in verse by Longfellow in the following HVUN OF THE MORAVIAN NUNS AT THE CONSECRATION OF PULASKl'S BANNER. When the dying flame of day Through the cliancel shot its ray, Far the glimmering tapers shed Faint light on the cowled head; And the censer burning swung Where, before the altar, hung The blood-red banner that with prayer Had been consecrated there. And the nun's sweet hymn was heard the while, Sung low in the dim, mysterious aisle : — " Take thy banner ! May it wave Proudly o'er the good and brave, — When the battle's distant wail Breaks the Sabbath of our vale. When the clarion's music thrills. To the hearts of these lone hills. When the spear in conflict shakes. And the strong lance shivering breaks. " Take thy banner ! and, beneath • The battle-cloud's encircling wreath. Guard it ! — till our homes are free ! Guard it ! — God will prosper thee ! In the dark and trying hour. In the breaking forth of power. In the rush of steeds and men, His right hand will shield thee then. "Take thy banner ! But, when night Closes round the ghastly fight. If the vanquished warrior bow, Sparc him ! By our holy vow. BETHLEHEM SOUVENIR. 41 17s. Qd. per quarter for tambour-work and drawing. 17s. Qd. per quarter, lessons on the piano-forte, or guitar. lbs. extra for the use of light, fuel, and school-books. Age of admission, from eight to fifteen years. The method of instruction, though simple, purposed being thorough; and, as a multiplicity of hand-books was unknown in those days, the teacher was compelled to impart knowledge orally, — a necessity which required on her part patience and labor, as well as a faithful preparation by diligent private study. Excessive and constant attention to books was judiciously deprecated, and means taken to vary the monotony of school-life by cheerful and invigorating recreation. Wednesday afternoons were allotted to pastime, and, when the season allowed, to walks in the neighborhood, thus breaking in upon the routine of the week and agreeably dividing its labors by an interval of relaxation. Saturday morning was spent in a practical use of the needle, affording the pupils By our prayers and many tears, By the mercy that endears, Spare him ! — he our love hath shared ! Spare him ! — as thou wouldst bo spared ! " Take thy banner ! — and if e'er Thou shouldst press the soldier's bier. And the muffled drum should beat To the tread of mournful feet. Then this crimson flag shall be Martial cloak and shroud for thee." The warrior took that banner proud ; And it was his martial cloak and shroud ! 42 ItKTU M'.irF. M SOrVENIR. an u|.|H»rl unit V of cxaiiiiiiiii^" llif cuiiditiuii of tlicir u;ir^iiii|il(' laic, it was not t lie less wbolesonic. A iiioiitbly all(>waiK'»> of one shilling and sixpence was given for pocket-money. In accordance with the Brethrens' custom of having their daughters wear caps, the pupils from abroad were each provided with a neat frilled cap of cambric, fitting closely to the head, and exposing but little of the hair, except what was worn in short curls down the neck. As it differed somewhat in degree of ornament from the one worn by the Moravian girls, it was styled the " English cap." As to dress in gene- ral, parents were desii-ed to avoid excess and extrava- gant profusion in fitting out their daughters for school, — a request which the Brethren made from their convic- tion of the hiu'tful tendency of such indulgence, which, while encouraging expensive habits, is wont to engage the mind with passing trifles, to the exclusion of what is truly beneficial and worthy its attention. An interesting relic of these early times is a journal of daily occurrences in the school, in the handwriting of the pupQs themselves. It was commenced at the suggestion of the Principal, with the xiew of affording the girls an opportunity of diverting themselves in a pleasant and useful way, and, purposing to be a just record of all that transpired in the family, it was thought it might prove an incentive to correct deport- ment and virtuous emulation. As a soui'ce of informa- BETHLEHEM SOUVENIR. 45 tion relative to life at the school from 1788 to 1805, it is certainly invaluable. Its simplicity is perfectly natural, and we recognise an abundance of internal evidence as to its authenticity. As we read its amusing pages, and smile at the quaint yet forcible expres- sions of childhood, we fancy the little girl with her pen, industriously detailing the incidents of the closing week, artlessly registering her own sins of commis- sion and omission and those of her companions; we learn to know each one by name, and when we have read their brief record of the past, and have done with them as happy children at school, we naturally wonder what have since been their vicissitudes of hfe, — who of their number are yet pilgrims weary with the in- firmities of years, and how many have passed to that country from whose bourne no traveller returns. The journal was kept for a week alternately by the younger pupils, and then handed over to the Principal for in- spection, who, on reading it, returned it with comments on both writing and language. The ensuing extracts, as descriptive of special occasions and occurrences, need no apology for their insertion : — ''F?'idaf/, Dec. 12, 17 SS. — In the afternoon we were all seated around the large room with our tutoresses and a few friends to an appointed love-feast.^ Mr. ^ The love-feasts held in the Brethren's Church are in imitation of the AgapjB of the primitive Christians. Their object is to remind her members in a pleasing manner of the family bond which unites them as brethren and sisters in common love to Christ. On festive 46 UKTIILKHKM SOUVKNIR. Iliiltriicr ('ii(ii>ii. Nine cuts are my day's work; I've been pretty still; K.xcusc my not spinninj^ more, — next time I will. "A'. l\dmir. The sum of my outs does to eleven amount, To hear I've been busy, how pleasant the sound I " i^'^UOy Vrichuut. Six cuts, notwithstanding I busy have been, Is all on the slate under my name to be seen. "jV. Beaumont. I've dune, like Miss Palmer, eleven: pray see, In strength and in stature I think we agree. "^'1. Wctiu'c/i:c. The number of my cuts surpasses not nine. Though none of the best yarn I dare to call mine. *' C. L. Greene. Nine is also my sum; not more I have done, Though busy as silkworm I've faithfully spun. '* P. Sfone. Though my finger was hurt, I've spun eight-and-ten : Believe, dear companions, I've tried all I can. ''A. Uickbi/. Thirteen I've finish'd, and, with real delight, I say I could spin till late in the night. "Z>. Oicings. One more than Miss Nancy's my day's work has been. Oh, pleasing day ! Naught to do, only to spin. "JV. Greene. Thirteen I've done, — believe with stirring but little: Dear misses, this will be to you a strange riddle. '* E. Moncrieff. So I, who with Patty from one distaff spun, With close application nine-and-ten cuts have done. " C. Atticood. I've paid great attention to the young ladies spinning, And assisted them, both at the end and beginning " E. Bedell. I've spun cuts — they are thirty and three; More than I expected; and this pleases me. " H. Kip. The sum of my cuts makes the third of a skein. It pleases me: I've not learn'd spinning in vain. "J.. Van Vlcck. By firm application I won thirty-six; A pity that I could not full two-thirds fix. ".V. Unger. I finish'd exactly twice ten and six more: This sum exceeds all that I spun days before. '*^. Blahcli/. 3Iy sum of cuts exceeds not twenty-four : Should I spin another day perhaps I'd do more. " M. Cox. Mf sum of cuts, ladies, is thirty and three ; Believe, I've been busy and wrought like a bee. BETHLEHEM SOUVENIR. 51 "5". Langdon. Mine twenty and four, which I finish'd with joy, And my hands and my feet did willing employ. ^'L, Palmer. Two less than Miss Haunah I've done with delight; Oh, spinning-wheel ! to me what a most pleasing sight! ">S'. Bagge. Thirty and four I've done, though my spools Are still in confusion. — Now follow the rules ! — when the ringing of the bell summoned us down- stairs." It must be borne in mind that, in the times following the Revolutionary War, particular attention was paid in the school to the useful branch of female industry the subject of the previous extract. The wheel and distaff had then a place not in the dwellings of the poorer classes alone: families in easy circumstances, and even the rich, with the recollection of the late dis- astrous period fresh in mind, when the country was thrown on its own limited resources for the production of the commonest fabrics, were desirous of having their daughters prepared against times of Hke pressing emergency. Witness the daughters of General Greene, who figure on the above occasion : they were members of a family which ranked high in point of wealth and honors. " Lady Greene," says an eye-witness, " several times came to visit her two daughters at Bethlehem School. The impression I received of her nobiUty of heart and stately dignity of person— her tall figure, dressed in rich brocade and lace, with long, sweeping train — is not yet erased. She was a pattern-lady of the old school." We can well imagine that "spinning-days" woro at 52 BKTiii,i:ii i:m sorvEMR. nil tiiiio> li.'iilrd with <|fli,t:lit by tlif iimiJiU-s of tho liouso. Tlicy wvw jicc(']il;iljly lieniMrd in tin- (lull and gloomy season iM-cvious to the opening of early spring, when girls at school are kej)t in-floors by the in- clement weather, and deprived even of the privilege of tho systematic noonday's walk on the sunny side of the \illage streets. In addition to the excitement of the emulous pastime, the pupils found pleasure in the exercise of a laudalile patriotism, voluntarily contribu- ting their joint labors for the production of needed fobrics in the household; the thread which they spun being woven into tablecloths, towelling, and so forth. It requires but little imagination to fill up the picture of these scenes from the sketches afforded by the journal and the descriptions of individuals who par- ticipated in their festivities. The wheels and distaffs are once more ranged along the heavily-panelled room, and the little spinsters, seated on wooden settles, prim in their snow-white caps and ruffled A'andykes, with busy fingers twist the yielding flax. Mirth and laugh- ter mingle with the hum of the droning wheel, and the enlivening chorus is timed by the pattering treadles as they are nimbly worked by rows of tiny feet, on which the well-l)nrnished buckles glitter with reflected light. The gi'ou]) and their employment bring forcibly to mind the ancient praises of the wheel and distaff, — the record of the historian and the song of the poet portraying scenes of virtuous household industry, where the matron of high degree is seated among her maidens, allotting the BETHLEHEM SOUVENIR. 53 daily task, and not too proud to excite them by lier example to deeds of honest labor; or the inspii-ed writer's picture of the virtuous woman whose price is far above rubies :— " She seeks wool and flax, and works willingly with her hands : her candle goes not out by night. She lays her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She stretches out her hand to the poor; yea, she reaches forth her hands to the needy. She makes herself coverings of tapestry, fine linen, and sells it. She looks well to the ways of her household, and eats not the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed. Strength and honor are her clothing, and she shall rejoice in time to come." On the 12th of May, 1789, the first examination of the pupils in the branches which had been taught them was held before the Board of Trustees and a few invited guests from the town. The exercises of the forenoon were confined to English and German reading, and questions in grammar and arithmetic. After dinner an hour was devoted to geography and history. On the following day the pupils assembled, festively to close the duties of the past school-year, preparatory to en- tering on the pleasures of a week's relaxation from study, — the short vacation which at that time was granted them to recruit from the fatigue of mental ap- plication and labor. The meeting was of a religious character, — the love-feast which was partaken of by the company giving, with its concomitants of music and 54 BETIiLKHDM SOUVENIR. soll^^ ;i c.'isl (»r "placlsonio I>i''ly" suit;il)l<' to so joyful Jill occ.'isioii. Sjiocinu'iis of ^^•l•iii,L^ the guosts for inspection, and a rc- vi(>\v of tlio past year's studies, their uses and delights, presented by the pupils in familiar dialogue and verse. The comi)osition of the following extracts is doubtless referable to Sister Kleist, a tutoress, who for sixteen years drew from the stores of her gifted mind for the benefit and amusement of her pupils, with rare skill clothing the ideas of her poetic fancy in the garb of a simple diction, such as falls naturally and forcibly on the ears of childhood. CORNELIA LOTT GREENE. "Tell me, what genius did the art invent The lovely image of a voice to paint, — With bodies how to clothe ideas, taught, And how to draw the picture of a thought ?' Who taught the hand to speak, the eyes to hear, A silent language, roving far and near, — Whose softest notes outstrip loud thunder's sound, And spread their accents through the world's vast round, — Yet with kind secrecy securely roll Whispers of absent friends from pole to pole; A speech heard by the deaf, spoke by the dumb. Whose echo reaches far in time to come, Which dead men speak, as well as those that live ? Tell me, what genius did this art contrive? ' "Whence did the wondrous mystic art arise Of painting speech, and speaking to the eyes? That we by magic lines are taught, How both to color and embody thought?" (T'nknown Quotation : Notes and Queries, Vol. III. 2d Ser., p. 330.) BETHLEHEM SOUVENIR. 55 MARIA COX. ''The useful arts, and all their first invention, Were for our good, — God's own, his prime intention. DEBORAH OWINGS. "■ Cornelia, what briefly you have shown A favorite theme's to me, and what I own 'Bove other arts, — 'tis writing I do prize. I speak to one that is beyond my eyes : My sorrows and my joys my friend will share, Though thousand miles we separated are ; Unseen, yet I can speak, by pen and ink And paper, all what I would wish and think, And can receive the answer with such joy As instantly all sorrow to destroy. LYDIA PALMER. "My friend and I will praise the art of reading 'Bout centuries past, and centuries succeeding; While history — especially that word That does to all poor sinners bliss afi"ord. The Holy Scriptures — is my heart's delight. I pity such to whom that bliss 's denied; I read my friends', my tender parents' heart: I share, by reading, in their joy and smart. I read, and all my thoughts assemble there ; I feel past joys, — 1 later troubles share. AURELIA BLAKELY. " I love the study of geography : Each moment brings me farther one degree Or more. Thus I can, in my climate warm. Visit the North Pole, feel each shivering storm. Again, I find me in the torrid zone, Nor feel the pressing heat, nor home bemoan. One hour I'm in the Mediterranean Sea, Next can in the Pacific or Atlantic be. Thus travel I in haste the world around, And sit at home quite happy, safe, and sound. HELEN KIP. "Music — sweet music — is my heart's delight. I could perform the same from morn to night. 56 IIKTHT.KHKM SOUVKNIR. Til.' ' l>}iiiK' Chri.stian,' aii. — TcmI.iv we rolol)rrr'/! tlic I)!)-!]! of Jesus Christ. The Sistors inndf ns nn !iilirici;il (\o- srriptioii of il (>l\<-(l on cMnyiri;: :i way our Pally l(»-inorr(t\v. \\\\:i\ a sonowCiil parting between a dear coniiiaiiioii ami a dear school! In the after- noon we made a liLlle parting love-feast for our Patty, whereby all hearts melted at the thought of her so soon leaving us. August 8. — We had a sad forenoon. After dinner we received a last kiss from our dear Patty Stone. Some of us attended her to the tavern/ and we accompanied her as far as the Lehigh on her journey home. * The allusion here is to the old building of the present Suu Hotel. In July, 1754, the expediency of erecting a house of enter- tainment for travellers on this side of the river was considered, and the spot on which the " Sun" now stands selected, as being out of the limits of the settlement. This was on the eve of the outbreak of hos- tilities between the English and the French of Canada, aided by In- dian allies. From the Lakes and the western borders the seat of war was transferred for a time to the colony of Pennsylvania, and Bethle- hem, situated on the outskirts of civilization, became signally endan- gered in the years 1755 and '56. Its buildings were threatened with fire and its inhabitants with the tomahawk and knife of bloodthirsty savages. The home of the peaceful missionary was palisaded, and within its bulwarks the panic-stricken neighborhood found a secure asylum. For six years the Brethren were crippled in their mis- sionary work. Their temporal losses, also, were severe, — well-culti- vated farms being devastated, buildings burned, and cattle driven away. Improvements in their settlements were interrupted, and the public house at Bethlehem, projected in 1754, was not completed till 1758. Up to this time, passing travellers had been entertained at the "Crown," on the other side of the river. There were many inconveniences, however, attendant on its use as an inn. Those who entered Bethlehem from above had to be ferried over at all hours, in bad weather, and at night : this was no trifling addition to BETHLEHEM SOUVENIR. 73 August 13. — When we came home the clock struck six, And we for supper did us fix, Consisting of fine apple-pie And milk; then meeting-hour drew nigh Which our dear Mr. Hiibener kept, — Then went to bed and soundly slept. August 14. — This morning rose quite fresh and gay, And olFer'd up our humble lay; Our several schools we did attend, Our minds and knowledge thus to mend. By New York friends were visited, Who pleased were, — (for so they said,) They kindly offer' d us their aid To take home letters all unpaid. the fatigues of a journey. The ''Crown," built in 1743, is yet in existence. ' It is the old farm-house on the rising ground a few rods east of the Lehigh bridge, on the south bank of the river. In the days of loyalty to the house of Brunswick it bore the crown of George II. on the panel over the south door, the main entrance to this humble hostelry. Here the horseman, emerging from miles of lonely forest, would rein up his beast and enjoy the frugal hospitality of the house ; a breakfast of tea or coffee at four- pence, dinner at six-pence, with a pint of beer, eight-pence; supper at four-pence, or, if hot, six-pence; lodgings at two pence; night's hay and oats for his horse at twelve-pence. On the completion of the bridge across the Lehigh in 1794, the "Crown" was converted into a farm-house. It was inhabited for a number of years by the Fuerer family, latterly by Mr. D. Desh, and not long since passed into the hands of the North Pennsylvania Kailroad Company. [The old huildiag was removed in 1857. — Editor 2d Ed.] The ferry across the Lehigh, as well as the public houses just noticed, was also a concern conducted on account of the settlement. It Avas opened in 1743, a short distance above the present bridge. On the 11th of March the same year, the large flat built in the workshops of the village was conveyed to the river, drawn by a team of eight horses. 74 I'. r.T II I, i; ii i; m sor v i:.n i k. August 10. — This (lay, ns usual, it was spent III mending of the clothes we rent; In .several ways wc were amused, From writini; all which I'm excu.sed. My head this week with this and that was full : Please to excuse the journal. Hetty Bull. Note. — The 17th of Auuust is a day set apart in the Brethren's Church for the religious improvement of her children, it being the anniversary of an especial season of grace enjoyed by that portion of her congregation in the year 1727. To keep alive the memory of this event, its anniversary has been fixed on as the day on which the chiUlren are presented in a body, or as a "choir," to the favor and keeping of the Good Shepherd. "On the day previous to the 'Children's Festival,'" says a Diary of the year 1789, "a writing was handed to the minister of the congregation from the older scholars of the Seminary, in which they asked leave to participate in the solemnities of the coming morrow with the rest of their companions. They expressed themselves in part thus: — 'As our dear Saviour while on earth was pleased to bless children in an especial manner, he certainly will not refuse to bless us too on this happy day. We ask permission, therefore, to be allowed to celebrate this festival along with the children of your church, and to wear the ribbon in our caps which they wear on the occasion, although we have passed the years of childhood.' " The school-journal continues: — August 17. — Early in the moroing we \Yere awakened by the sound of the guitar, accompanied by the voices of onr tutoresses, singing congratulatory hymns on the dawn of this festive day. At six the trombonists from the balcony of the Brethren's House prochiimed oui' festival. At seven we assembled in the hall for morning prayer, which was kept by Brother Hlibener. All of us were dressed in white, with jiink ribbons in our caps. At nine we met again in the children's meeting. Mr. and Mrs. Attwood and company wert> BETHLEHEM SOUYENIK. 75 present, and seemed both delighted and affected. Aftei this we were divided into classes, from the youngest to the oldest. The youngest, accompanied by Sister Marshall and their tutoresses, led the procession into the meeting-house, where we found all the worthy ministers and their ladies assembled, ready to congratu- late us. The "oldest pupils entered last. At twelve o'clock we repaired to our dining-room, where we found Mr. and Mrs. Hiibener, the Sisters Marshall, Lewis, and Lunke, akeady seated. Their company was a great honor to us. Mr. Hiibener sang a verse before and after the meal. "We had an excellent dinner, and after it walked in the garden. At two o'clock the trombones summoned us to love-feast, which was opened with the hymn "The Lord my faithful Shepherd is." Cakes and coffee were handed around: the choir sang de- lightfully, and we joined in the antiphon. After this we had another meeting, in which our dear Inspector spoke on the words, " Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." When this was ended, we walked with our tutoresses around town, amid the sound of trombones from the balcony of the Brethren's House. There were eighty-eight of us, — all dressed in white and walking two-and-two. In the evening we attended the meeting for the whole congregation. Mr. Hiibener, after a discourse, recommended us to the prayers of those present, who joined in singing verses for us. We went to bed this evening unspeakably happy. 76 n I- T n i. r. ii i; m r o t; v v. n i r. Oct. H, — \V(; took :i Nv;ilk to Mr. (jiilvcr's to iiiyl\aiii!i, New Jcr.sey, KlnxN.' Islainl. Connecticut, and Soutli Carolina. Their acciuaintance with the Brethren's mis- sionaries among tlie slaves induced wealthy planters of the West India Islands to send their daughters from home to be educated in Moravian seminaries; and during Brother Hiibener's term of inspection several young ladies were received into the school from the three islands St. Jan, St. Croix, and St. Thomas. The first of these was Miss Peggy Vriehuis,^ of St .Jan, * The following letter, lately written by her, is reprinted from the <' Moravian" of September 4, 1857 : — Messrs. Editors : — In reading your valuable paper, I was much interested and gratified with the account you give, under the head- ing "Moravian," July the 9th, of "Occasion and reminiscences of the pelayiug of the corner-stone of the ancient school at Beth- lehem," at which many, and of various denominations, have re- ceived their education. Among that number I humbly claim a place. 1 was present when the same ceremonies were performed in laying the corner-stone of the old house. I was about eleven years old, and had been a pupil nearly three years. Through the kind providence of God, my dear and esteemed father was informed, by the brethren who resided in our island, (St. John's, D. W. I.,) of the establishment of their school. Not having any schools in our island for girls, my father felt very anxious to send me. It was a step that required deep consideration. I was their only child, and quite too young to send abroad far away over the seas. But faith triumphed, and in faith I was sent, at the age of eight ye:irs, to a strange land, among strangers. But the Lord raised friends, and I found kind and tender friends who took charge of me and loved me. I never regretted that my father took that step. I have often blessed his memory for doing so. When I arrived in Phila- delphia, I was placed under the guardianship of Mr. Godfrey Haga, BETHLEHEM SOUVENIR. 81 who came in July, 1787. She was a child of tender years, scarcely of the age of eight, and had been in- trusted by her parents to a faithful negress,^ who not — well known, and esteemed very highly among his brethren. He was a kind friend and father to me while I remained at school. Brother Hiibener was inspector the first years I was at school, but the latter years Brother Jacob Van Vleck. Most happy would I have been to be present at this second cele- bration. May the blessing of God our Father rest upon the school and all concerned with it ! May the scholars who in following years shall be instructed there not only learn the things pertaining to this life, but may they all be taught the knowledge of Him who is the way, the truth, and the life. Bethlehem ! thou art still dear to me. How many sweet associa- tions cluster round thy name ! A few persons may, perhaps, still remember me. My husband and myself visited Nazareth for the purpose of placing our three oldest sons at school there, — I think it was in the year 1805 or '6. The same summer we spent at Bethlehem. There I had the pleasure of meeting with Old Daddy Thomas, as the scholars used familiarly to call him. He remem- bered me as soon as I mentioned my maiden name, and gave me a very hearty welcome. But I am trespassing too largely on your time. Please to excuse the liberty I have taken in thus intruding myself upon your notice. I was led to do it by reading, in the account of the relaying of the corner-stone, that there were a few persons still living who were present at the laying of the corner-stone of the former house. Will you, geutlemen, permit me further to trouble you by request- ing you to forward to the brethren at Bethlehem this intelligence ? In the writer of these lines, I introduce myself as the little girl sent from St. John's, — Margaret C. Vriehuis. With the best wishes for your welfore, here and hereafter, I am, with much esteem, gentlemen, your sincere friend, M. C. V. K. MoNGAUP Valley, August 10, 1857. * Nurse Mintji had an apartment provided her next the school- room. Long after her return to her master's plantation, it bore the 6 82 lUmi I,i:H MM SOIJVFNIH. only iii;i(lc tlic loii^'; voy.'i^^n' willi licr mistross, hiil ;ils(> rciii.iiiicd ;il lirllilcliciii iiiitil I Ik; l.'iitcr liad \)\ cniiiiciit ((» ;m1\;iiic(' tln' substiiiit i;il liapliinesf* nC the uiilurt uii.itc ;il»()ri;j:ii)»,'s. On lilt' iiuiiiiing of March 0, the party arrived at llcllih'hem l»y way of Nazareth from Wyomiiiji. "There were," says an eye-witness, '' fifty-one chiefs and warriors, among them ten baptized Oneidas, accom- ])aiii((l hy ihcir missionary, Mr. Samuel Kirkland, a Presbyterian clcriiyman, who for twenty-five years had tantrht and preached among them at the head of Oneida Lake, lied Jacket,^ Good Peter, Big Tree, Cornplanter," Farmer's Brother,^ Little Billy, Captain ' Sa-go-ye-wat-ha (He keeps them awake,) alias Red Jacket, the celebrated warrior of the Seneca nation, whose native eloquence won for him the appellation of the Indian Demosthenes, played a conspicuous part in both conflicts between the United States and Great Britain. In the Revolutionary War he sided with the Eng- lish. At the close of that contest a grand council was held by the chiefs of the Six Nations at Fort Stanwix, and a treaty of peace nego- tiated with them by commissioners on the part of the United States. One of the most influential leaders present was Red Jacket. In the war of 1812—15 he fought under American colors. To the close of his life he was an enthusiastic champion of the Indian's rights, inveighing without fear or favor against the aggressions of the whites, and opposing, with uncompromising obstinacy, the introduc- tion of the arts of civilized life and Christianity as subversive of the nationality of a people whose friend and protector he had been for upwards of half a century. He died, near Buffalo, in 1830, in the seventy-eighth year of his age. See "Stone's Life of Red Jacket." * Cornplanter died in 183G, at the age of more than one hundred years. * Farmer's Brother died in 1814, between eighty and ninety years of age. BETHLEHEM SOUVENIR. 101 Shanks, and Peter Jaquette/ are all well-known per- sonages. Most of the party were slender, of ordinary stature, with finely-developed forms. Hanangaikhoii, or Infant, was of uncommon height, measuring full six feet four, the tallest man at the time in the Six Nations. The majority were dressed in white linen shirts, short woollen coats, Indian leggins, consisting of a piece of cloth bound around the calf of the leg with thongs, and snugly-fitting moccasins of deerskin, — which latter the wearer is wont to dip into cold water in winter before going abroad in order to protect the feet from frost. A number of the party had the sleeves of their coats adorned with large plates of silver, or wore trin- kets of the same material on their bosoms. Some had silver rings and pendants inserted through the cartilage of the nose; most of them wore massive ear-rings of silver or copper, which, by their weight, drew down the extremity of the ear and lengthened the slit through which they were passed. Their faces were curiously painted in red, and vermilion was strewed on the lock of hair left on the crown. A few carried rifles ; the ^ Otsiquette, or Pierre Jaquette, a young and intelligent Oneida chief, was adopted into the family of the Marquis de La Fayette, and taken to France, at the close of the Revolution, to be educated. Love of native country, however, proved stronger than attachment to a kind foster-father, and prevailed with the Indian prince to resign the splendor of courts and the allurements of a gay metro- polis for the free forests and lakes of his childhood's home. Otsiquette died soon after reaching Philadelphia, in the twenty- sixth year of his age. 102 BET II I.i: II KM SOUVENIR. rest Avoro (HjuijuxMl willi l(»iii;ili;i\vk. knife, foh.'icco- ]>(>U(li. ;iih1 llu' tiiisly Ixiw .-iiid ;iii(»us. Tin- more civili/cd were dressed somewliat alter the manner of ilic Avliitos. wearing in ])ln('0 of cloaks iho favorite bk-mkct around Ww shoulders, and on their heads un- couth cajis of lur. The deportment of this motley group Avas animated and lively; and yet they strictly observed the laws of decorum, and astonished us by their decent and ipiiet demeanor." The day after their arrival, the Brethren gave them a formal reception in the chapel. The pupils of the Seminary, at their special request, were among the spectators, and participated in the ceremonies of the occasion. The Indians were seated across the length of the hall in two semicircular rows facing the minis- ter s table, which stood against the west wall of the building. xVfter the performance of an anthem with full accompaniment by the choir. Bishop Ettwein ad- dressed them as follow^s : — "' Brethren of the Six Nations, you are heartily wel- come to Bethlehem. We and our children are pleased to see you. Fifty years ago our chiefs and your chiefs made a covenant of friendship,^ promising to love one ' In August, 1742, Count Zinzendorf, on his way from Beth- lehem to Tulpehocken, in company with the well-known provincial interpreter and Indian agent, Conrad Weiser, fell in with a nume- rous embassy of sachems of the Six Nations returning from Phila- delphia, with whom he entered into a covenant of friendship. ''Brother," said the speaker of the party to the count, *'you have made a long voyage over the seas to preach to the whites and to BETHLEHEM SOUVENIR. 10'^ another and to render mutual good services. We, the United Brethren, are lovers and friends of all men, as we have one common Father in Heaven, and one Lord, even Jesus Christ, who redeemed us from evil by his precious blood shed for the sins of all mankind. "We have long been waiting for the salvation of your tribes, and of all the Indians in this country. It wiU prove a source of great joy to us, could we in any way con- tribute to this object and aid in converting you to the knowledge of the only true God. Be assured of our love and of our sincere wishes for your welfare. "You see here present a number of young ladies from different parts of our country, who rejoice with us in seeing you here, aud who have asked permission to express their satisfaction personally." Miss Lydia Stansbury, of Philadelphia, hereupon handed a written copy of her address to Miss EHza Fries, also of that city, who had been selected to com- municate it to the Indians, — most of their number understanding English. "Brothers of the Six Nations, [Miss Fries, says one who was present, was not in the least abashed, but read slowly and distinctly,] we bid you welcome to our town. We are rejoiced to see you. We see you without fear and trembling. We regard you as friends the Indians. You knew not that we were here, and we knew no- thing of you. This proceeds from above. Come, therefore, to us, both you and your brethren : we bid you welcome, and take this fathom of wampum in confirmation of the truth of our words." 1 O'l I! r. Tin, i: n i: m s o c v r n i fi. ;iii(l lirri liicii. \{)[\ ;ir(' (HI ;i udod juiiincy : you ;iit' ^niiii:- !<» siiiukc tlir pipe of jx'.'icc Willi oiir gTcat chicf, (Jeorgt; \\ ;isliiii;:l()ii. ;iiiil liis ciiiincil. ;iii(l to jiolisli anew llic cli.iiii n\' rii('ii(lsliii). \Vu wi.sii you u prosperous time and a l;i\ (tralilc issue to your undertaking, and Iiopc tliat you may rcluni to your wives anle for this year to limit tlic present mode iu the foUowing inaiiner: Every child shall be permitted to make a love-feast on the first birthday she celebrates in our school, if she chooses or wishes it, with the children and tutoresses of her room, inviting a few of her nearest acquaintances, if she desire, not exceeding six in number, and perhaps a few of the tutoresses, being assured that none of the rest will be offended for not being invited. I have said purposely "/or ilm yearT If we should live to see another year, this rule may be confirmed and continued, or altered according as it shall be most suitable. If two or three children in the same room, who have their birthdays near together, being the first time here, will join together for a love- feast on one day. it is very well. J. V. V. April 22, 1793. My dear Daugiiteus: — It is some time since I had it in contemplation whether it might perhaps be agree- able to you to be entertained during dinner with reading from books which were both instructive and pleasing. Having now consulted your dear tutoresses on the subject, they agreed with me that it would do no harm to make a trial, and that a beginning should be made to-dav. Two. three, or four of the best BETHLEHEM SOUVENIR. 119 readers, who have an audible voice, will be appointed to take turns, and I have no doubt they will do it willingly. But the following points will be needful to be punctually observed, in order to obtain its proper aim, — viz.: That all our dear daughters punctually attend in the dining-room when the bell rings, that as much as possible every noise or disturbance by talk- ing, or by the knives, forks, spoons, and plates, may be avoided, and that, without urgent necessity, no child leaves the table till grace is said or a verse sung. I have been in a school where this reading during dinner was customary, and our scholars were very fond of it. J. V. V. From a series of dialogues, entitled "Winter Amuse- ments," composed, for the diversion of the pupils, early in 1793, by Sister Kliest, a few extracts are given below, which doubtless will be read with gratification. Unpretending as they are, they abound in pleasing sentiment, and reflect a mind feelingly alive to the beauties of nature, and a heart imbued with love to the God of nature and the Redeemer of mankind. The series consists of three pieces, — "The Seasons," "The Sufferings of Christ," and "The Aborigines of America," from the first-named of which the ensuing selections are made: — ANN BINGHAM. "In wintry days, when snow o'erspreads the earth, ' When fire not only decks the kitchen-hearth, No ! each apartment craves the social charm, Its occupants, benumb' d with cold, to warm; 120 T. I'Tii [, i;ir I'M s