第49章 Disintegration(6)

Had the Trustees exemplified their much-vaunted religious toleration by respecting the conscientious scruples of the Moravians, there were enough members of the Savannah Congregation who wanted to stay in Georgia to form the nucleus of the larger colony which would surely have followed them, for while they were willing to give up everything except religious liberty, they were human enough to regret having to abandon the improvements which they had made at the cost of so much labor and self-denial.The Church at large shared this feeling, and for many years watched and waited for an opportunity to re-open the work in Savannah, but without result.

If the Trustees had even permitted the Moravians to stay as missionaries it might have saved the settlement to Georgia, for within a decade the English Parliament passed an Act granting the Moravians the very exemption for which they now asked in vain, and had there been a promising work begun among the Indians during the intervening years it would inevitably have drawn more laborers, as it did in Pennsylvania.But the Trustees shut the door in their faces, other promising and more hospitable fields opened, and the Moravian efforts were thereafter given to the upbuilding of other commonwealths.

In the latter part of January, 1738, eight more of the Moravian colonists left Savannah, -- Gotthard Demuth and his wife, George Waschke, his wife and mother, Augustin Neisser, Gottlieb Demuth, and David Jag, those who remained giving them money and provisions for their journey to Pennsylvania.Gotthard Demuth and wife settled in Germantown, later moving to Bethlehem and joining in the organization of that Congregation.In 1743 they were again living at Germantown, where Gotthard died the following year.Regina subsequently married David Tanneberger and moved once more to Bethlehem.

Gottlieb Demuth lived at several places, but finally married, and settled in the Moravian Congregation at Schoeneck.

Jag, who located at Goshenhopper, and the Waschkes and Augustin Neisser who went to Germantown, never rejoined the Church.

On the 28th of January, the Moravians in Savannah received an unlooked-for addition to their number.Toeltschig wrote to Spangenberg, "Yesterday two boys, who belong to Herrnhut, came unexpectedly to our house.

They ran away from the Brethren in Ysselstein and went to Mr.Oglethorpe in London, begging him to send them to the Brethren in Georgia.He did so, but we will have to pay their transportation.One is Zeisberger's son David, about 17 years old, and the other John Michael Schober, about 15 years old.

Both are bad boys." It appears that when Zeisberger's parents went to Georgia he was left in Herrnhut to finish his education.From there Count Zinzendorf took him to a Moravian settlement near Utrecht, Holland, where he was employed as errand boy in a shop.He was treated with well-meant but ill-judged severity, and finally after a particularly trying and undeserved piece of harshness in October, 1737, he and his friend Schober decided to try and make their way to his parents in Georgia.In this they succeeded, and though their story was received with disapprobation, they soon made a place for themselves.

Schober did not live very long, but Zeisberger, from the "bad boy"of Toeltschig's letter, became the assistant of Peter Boehler in South Carolina, and later the great "apostle to the Indians".

During this Spring the Moravians strained every nerve to do an amount of work sufficient to balance their account with the Trustees.

It took a little longer than they expected, but at last Toeltschig was ready for his journey to England, the lot having previously decided that he should go as soon as financial affairs made it proper.

His wife remained in Savannah, it being uncertain whether he would stay in Germany or return to America.John Regnier took his place as financial agent of the Moravians.

On March 12th, Toeltschig went aboard a ship, bound for Charlestown, sailing from Tybee two days later.On the 18th, he reached Charlestown, whence he sailed April 1st, bearing with him the record of their account with the Trustees, and commissioned to tell the authorities at Herrnhut all about the Georgia colony.On the 30th of May, the vessel touched at Cowes, where Toeltschig landed, making his way overland to London which he reached on the 2nd of June.

On the 11th of June, Toeltschig, accompanied by Richter, went to present the account to the Trustees.They asked him many questions concerning Georgia, all of which he answered frankly, receiving most courteous attention.Three days later a settlement was reached.The written accounts showed that the Moravians were short 3 Pounds 5 Shillings 5 Pence, which Toeltschig offered to pay in cash, but the Trustees said they realized that the supplies provided for in the second bond had been rated at a higher price in Georgia than in England, and they were content to consider the obligations as fully discharged, interest included.

Toeltschig answered "I am VERY glad," a short sentence which spoke volumes!

Wesley, Ingham and Toeltschig.

During the days which elapsed between his arrival in London and the meeting of the Trustees, Toeltschig had many interviews with those who had been "awakened" by the two companies of Moravian colonists, by Count Zinzendorf, and by Peter Boehler and George Schulius.

The last two were even then at Portsmouth, on their way to America, and the interest caused by their visit was very manifest.

John and Charles Wesley had been particularly attracted to Boehler, the former especially finding great relief in laying his many spiritual perplexities before him.Wesley complained that when he conversed with Spangenberg in Georgia, and they could not agree on any point, Spangenberg would drop the subject and refuse to discuss it further, but in Boehler he found a clearness of argument, and power of persuasion which convinced without irritating him.