女神电子书 > 浪漫言情电子书 > the moravians in georgia >

第6部分

the moravians in georgia-第6部分

小说: the moravians in georgia 字数: 每页4000字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!




A few days later Reck received a sharp note from the Trustees of Georgia; reproving him for his temerity in agreeing to take the Moravians with him to Georgia without consulting them; and reiterating the statement that the funds in their hands had been given for the use of the Salzburgers; and could be used for them alone。

The young man must have winced not a little under all this censure; but while he yielded his plan to the wishes of the Halle party; he held firmly to the opinion he had formed of the Moravians。 He wrote to Urlsperger and others in their behalf; declaring that they were a godly people; much misunderstood; that it was a shame to persecute them and try to hinder their going to Georgia; and he felt sure that if their opponents would once meet the Moravians and converse with them freely; confidentially; and without prejudice; they would come to respect them as he did。  He also suggested that there were many protestants remaining in Bohemia; who would gladly leave; and who might be secured for Georgia on the terms offered to the Salzburgers。 The next year in fact; an effort was made to obtain permission from the Austrian Government for the emigration of these people; and Reck was authorized by the Trustees to take them to Georgia; but nothing came of it。

Nor did his championship of the Bohemians and Moravians already in Saxony have any result。  Urlsperger was offended that the negotiations from Herrnhut with the Trustees were not being carried on through him; 〃the only one in Germany to whom the Trustees had sent formal authority to receive people persecuted on account of religion; or forced to emigrate;〃 and the Halle party were unable or unwilling to meet the leaders of the Moravians 〃without prejudice〃。  The company of Salzburgers therefore sailed for Georgia in November without Baron von Reck; and without the Moravians; Mr。 Vat acting as Commissary。

The Moravians; meanwhile; were not waiting idly for matters to turn their way; but even before Reck reached his decision Spangenberg had started for England to arrange personally with the Georgia Trustees for their emigration。

August Gottlieb Spangenberg was born July 15th; 1704; at Klettenberg; Prussia。 In the year 1727; while a student at Jena; he became acquainted with the Moravians through a visit of two of their number; which won them many friends at that institution。  Later; when he was Assistant Professor of Theology at Halle; he was required to sever his connection with the Moravians; or leave the University; and choosing the latter he came to Herrnhut in the spring of 1733。 He was one of the strongest; ablest; and wisest leaders that the Unitas Fratrum has ever had; and eventually became a Bishop of the Unity; and a member of its governing board。  He was a writer of marked ability; and in his diaries was accustomed to speak of himself as 〃Brother Joseph〃; by which name he was also widely known among the Moravians。

Spangenberg left Herrnhut in the late summer or early fall of 1734; bearing with him Zinzendorf's Power of Attorney to receive for him a grant from the Georgia Trustees of five hundred acres of land; and to transact all other necessary business。  He stopped for some time in Holland; where he made a number of acquaintances; some of whom gave him letters of introduction to friends in England and in America; and others contributed toward the necessary expenses of the emigrants。 From Rotterdam he wrote to Zinzendorf; saying that he heard no ship would sail for America before February or March; and that he thought it would be best for the colonists to wait until he wrote from London; and then to come by way of Altona; as the Holland route was very expensive。 These suggestions; however; came too late; as the party had left Herrnhut before the arrival of his letter。

Spangenberg had a stormy voyage to England; and on reaching London; rented a room in 〃Mr。 Barlow's Coffee House; in Wattling's street; near St。 Anthelius Church。〃  He found the outlook rather discouraging; and a long letter written on the 10th of January; gives a vivid picture of the English mind regarding the 〃Herrnhuters〃。  Spangenberg had called on several merchants to see if he could arrange a loan for the Moravians; for Zinzendorf's means were already strained to the utmost by what he was doing for the Church; and he did not see how it was possible to provide the money in any other way。  But the merchants declined to make the loan; saying:  〃We can not take the land (in Georgia) as surety; for it is not yet settled; and no man would give us a doit for it; the personal security (of the emigrants) is also not sufficient; for they might all die on the sea or in Georgia;  there is danger of it; for the land is warmer than Europeans can bear; and many who have moved thither have died; if they settle on the land and then die the land reverts to the Trustees; so we would lose all; and the six per cent interest offered is not enough; for the money applied to business would yield twenty per cent。

Others objected to having the Moravians go at all; especially Court Preacher Ziegenhagen; who belonged to the Halle party; and who; Spangenberg found; had much influence on account of his good judgment and spotless character。  They claimed:  (1) That the Moravians were not oppressed in Saxony; and had no good reason for wishing to leave; (2) that to say they wished to be near the heathen was only an excuse; for Georgia had nothing to do with the West Indies where they had a mission; (3) the Moravians could not bear the expense; and neither the Trustees nor the Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge would help them; (4) they could neither speak nor understand English; and would therefore be unable to support themselves in an English colony; (5) their going would create confusion; for Herr Bolzius; the pastor of the Salzburgers at Ebenezer; had written to beg that they should not be allowed to come; (6) if they went it would involve England in trouble with Saxony; and the Georgia Colony was not meant to take other rulers' subjects away from them; only to furnish an asylum for exiles; and poor Englishmen; (7) the Moravians could not remain subject to Zinzendorf; for they must all become naturalized Englishmen; (8) the suggestion that Zinzendorf's land could be cultivated by the heathen was absurd; for slavery was not permitted in Georgia and the Moravians could not afford to hire them; (9) ten or fifteen men; as were said to be on the way; would never be able to make headway in settling the forest; a task which had been almost too much for the large company of Salzburgers。

Some of these statements dealt with facts; about which the critics might have acquired better information; had they so desired; others were prophecies of which only the years to come could prove or disprove the truth; others again touched difficulties which were even then confronting Count Zinzendorf's agent; but in the light of contemporary writings and later developments; it is possible to glance at each point and see in how far the Halle party were justified in their argument。  (1) The treatment in Saxony; while not as yet a persecution which threatened them with torture and death; had many unpleasant features; and the constant agitation against them might at any time crystalize into harsh measures; for those members of the Herrnhut community who had left friends and relatives in the homelands of Bohemia and Moravia were already forbidden to invite them to follow; or even to receive them if they came unasked seeking religious freedom。 (2) There was no idea of associating the missions in Georgia and the West Indies; for the heathen whom they wished to reach by this new settlement were the Creek and Cherokee Indians with whom Governor Oglethorpe had already established pleasant relations; bringing several of their chiefs to England; and sending them home filled with admiration for all they had seen; much impressed by the kindness shown them; and willing to meet any efforts that might be made to teach them。 (3) The money question was a vital one; and it was principally to solve that that Spangenberg had come to England; where with Oglethorpe's help he later succeeded in securing the desired loan。  (4) That they could speak little English was also a real difficulty; Spangenberg used Latin in his conferences with the educated men he met in London; but that medium was useless in Georgia; and while the Moravians learned English as rapidly as they could; and proved their capability for self…support; the failure to fully understand or be understood by their neighbors was responsible for many of the trials that were awaiting them in the New World。  (5) The protest of Bolzius was only a part of the general Salzburger opposition; and to avoid friction in Georgia; Zinzendorf had particularly recommended that the Moravians settle in a village apart by themselves; where they could 〃lead godly lives; patterned after the writings and customs of the apostles;〃 without giving offense to any; and he promised; for the same reason; that as soon as they were established he would send them a regularly ordained minister; although laymen were doing missionary work in other fields。  (6) In order to avoid any danger of creating trouble 

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 2 0

你可能喜欢的