第40章 The Second Year in Georgia(4)

Zinzendorf wrote a letter from Herrnhut to Tomochichi, commending his interest in their message, and urging its full acceptance upon him;the Indians gave some five acres of land for a garden, which Rose cleared and planted, and everything looked promising, until the influence of the Spanish war rumor was felt.

True to their nature, the fighting spirit of the Indians rose within them, and they took the war-path against the Spanish, for the sake of their English allies, and perhaps more for the pure love of strife.

Then Ingham decided to go to England for reinforcements, and Rose was left in charge of the work.He seems to have been a well-meaning man, and much beloved by the Indians, but he was not a man of much mental strength or executive ability, and the Congregation at Savannah soon decided that he and his wife should be recalled until the way opened for one or more of the others to go back to Irene with him.

The "Society".

In their personal affairs the Moravians were experiencing the usual mingling of light and shadow.

Dober's effort to make pottery was a failure, for lack of proper clay, but through Gen.Oglethorpe's kindness a good deal of carpenter's work was given to them.They built a house for Tomochichi at his village, and a house in Savannah, both in the style of the Moravian house, and another town house in English fashion, as well as the Indian school, a large share of their wages being applied on account, so that their debt was gradually reduced, and their credit sustained.

Their manner of living remained very simple.Morning and evening prayers began and ended their days of toil, the company being divided, part living at the garden, and part in town during the week, all gathering in the town-house for Sunday's rest and worship.

When the weather was very warm the morning Bible reading was postponed until the noon hour, that advantage might be taken of the cooler air for active labor.Once a month a general conference was held on Saturday evening, with others as needed, so that all might do the work for which they were best fitted, and which was most necessary at the time.

"Who worked much gave much, who worked less gave less, who did not work because he was sick or weak gave nothing into the common fund;but when they needed food, or drink, or clothing, or other necessary thing, one was as another."On the 3rd of April, Matthias Seybold asked to be received into the communicant Congregation, which was done on the 5th of May, and he shared in the Lord's Supper for the first time June 3rd.

John Boehner also was confirmed on January 12th of the following year.

On the 11th of November two little girls, Anna and Comfort, were added to their household.The mother had recently died, and the father offered to pay the Moravians for taking care of them, but they preferred to have them bound, so they could not be taken away just when they had begun to learn, and so it was arranged.On the 28th, a man from Ebenezer brought his son, and apprenticed him to Tanneberger, the shoemaker.

The dark side of the picture arose from two causes, ill health, and matrimonial affairs.There was a great deal of sickness throughout Georgia that summer, and the second company became acclimated through the same distressing process that the first had found so hard to bear.

Mrs.Dober, Mrs.Waschke, Mrs.Toeltschig, Gottlieb Demuth, John Boehner and others were sick at various times, and David Jag cut his foot so severely that he was unable to use it for four months.Nor was this the worst, for three more of their number died.Roscher was sick when he reached Savannah, with consumption, it was supposed, but Regnier suspected that this was not all, and when Roscher died, March 30th, he secured permission to make an autopsy, in which he was assisted by John Wesley.The examination showed a large hematoma in the left wall of the abdomen, and other complications.

The records say, "we have no cause to grieve over his departure, for he was a good soul," and died in peace.

The next to pass away was Mrs.Haberecht.Her health began to fail the latter part of March, but she did not become seriously ill until the 26th of May, when she returned from the farm, where she and others had been employed, and told her friends that the Saviour had called her, and her end was near.With joy and peace she waited for the summons, which was delayed for some time, though on several occasions her death seemed only a matter of hours.On the 16th of June she shared with the others in the celebration of the Communion, and on the following evening "went to the Saviour".

Matthias Boehnisch's illness was of short duration, lasting only from the 27th of September to the 3rd of October.

He had had a severe fall on the ship coming over, from which he continued to suffer, and now a hard blow on the chest injured him mortally.

Some of his companions found it hard to understand why he should be taken, for he was a good man, who gave promise of much usefulness in the Lord's service.It is an old question, often asked and never fully answered, but Boehnisch, conscious almost to the last, was perfectly willing to go, and his associates felt that the influence of his life "would be a seed, which would bear fruit" in others.