Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1856-06-04
NO.5XXVIII.
= Correspondence g'tds Spectator.
Salem, North Carolina.

will endeavor to entertain your readers with o
brief description of the Moravian town of Sa-
lem, N. O. which had recent opportunity to
visit during an agreeable excursion through the
western part of the State
You are no donbt aware that the Morayians
are sect of religious socialists who originated
in Germany under the name Of 'sUnitas Fra
trum," or "The United Brethren" The cele.
brated Count Zinzendorf was one of their earli-
est leaders Small as their numbers have al
ways been, they have ever been distinguished by
remarkable activity of religious enterprise, and
have far surpassed all other religious bodies in
the zeal which they have manifested for the mis-
sonary cause. Greenland and the West India
Islands can testify to their extraordinary liberal
ity and their heroic self.devotion. In the Uni-
ted States they have long clustered together in
several separate communities, one of the Oldest
and most celebrated of which is at Bethlehemin
Pennsylvania. Salem is another of the same
kind. 1t il one of the oldest towns in North
Carolina. 1t is located in the county of Forsyth,
within distant view of the celebrated "Pilot
Mountain" An excellent Plank Road connects
it with Fayetteville and the Seaboard. t'.' y =
| reached Salem on balmy evening in Nav. Z
The country in which it lies isrolling, well wood
ed and watered, and is in the hands of thrifty
and Industrious population. The modern science
of agriculture has scarcely reached them, but
the careful economy of the German is apparent
in every feature of their tillage 1t isa pure and
healthy region where the doctor and the lawyer
find little employment, and blooming race of
children gives promise of teeming posterity.
Salem itself is but part Of the town. Win
ston and Liberty are in close connection with it,
being but successive combinations of one long
street, which reaches nearly three miles. The
population of the whole is about twenty-five
hundred. Winston is the county seat, and Is
exclusively inhabited by Methodists, as Salem is
by Moravians. The popularity of the latter is
that the land on which il stands is part of the o.
rgnal grant of the Moravisns, and is leased out
in lots to the inhabitan $. In other words the
town OF Salem is Church property, and the citi-
zens have always been mere tenants. The af- p
fairs of the place, and its municipal government,
are of course subject to ecclesiastical control.
understand, however, that it is now contempla-
ted to reduce the system, and place the property
upon the ordinary basis of q. .tSe-simple tenure
The town is closely built, and wears a venerable
appearance. 1t contains only one Church, that
of the Moravians, which is plain brick edifce,
of large size, and provided with long gallery,
and an organ. The Church is handsomely paint.
ed and we'll lighted. The pulpit stands at one
side, and the choir occupies one end of the gal
lery. The seats are ordinary movable benches,
and in their assemblies are arranged to suit the
convenience of the people, though careful sepa-
ration of the sexes is constantly preserved. p 9.g
In doctrine, worship and church government,
the Moravian system closely resembles that OF
the Anglican Church. but its spirit istruly Cath
olic and fraternal They worship with liturgy,
and accompany the organ with number OF
stringcd instruments The service is occasional
II s,,G Sow fha of
persons who prefer their mother tongue. But
the German language is here, ,as elsewhere in the
United States, rapidly yielding to the expansive
power of the Anglo Saxon. The generationnow
at school will know nothing of the tongue spo-
ken by their ancestors. Within few feet tof the
Church is large, massive and handsome brick
building of four stories, with portico of beau
tiful columns in front. 1t bears the modest IT,
tie of the sSaem Female Seminary but is in
fact one of the finest institutions for female edu-
cation in the United States. 1t is strictly a
church establishment, and as such has long been
favorably known throughout the Southern coun-
try. A visit to the school, in company with the,
polite Principal, Rev. Mr.. De Schweinitz, fully
COMPENSATED us for the detour to Salem There
are at present about 215 boarders within its
wal s, and 40 or 80 day scholars usually in at
tendance. all the teachers are females, and a
large corps seem to be employed. They occupy
a number of distinct class-rooms conveniently
arranged and furnished. Between the hours of
10 and II, we found the entire school at their
writing exercises They dine at IL. The ma
iority of the pupils occupy at night onelarge DOR
mitory. We found 1874 beds arranged in four
rows, all covered with clean white counterpanes,
and presenting pleasing appearance of order
and comfort The occupation of one large a.
partment admits of more thorough ventilation
than any subdivision could do. Another and
smaller dormitory is arranged in the same way.
The house is thoroughly supplied with water,not
only for the ordinary purposes OF cleanliness and
cooking but so distributed as to be security a.
gainst fire. The facilities for ablution and gen.
eral bathing are extensive and beautifully sys-
tematized. A more complete arrangement for
the purpose have never seen. Pity that some
of our public institutions cannot be similarly pro-
vided. eif lf.. Sc 81
The Academy is within few feet of the siIe
door of the Church, and the long gallery is re-
served for the accommodation of the pupils 1t
was beautiful sight to see it filled with so many
Young girls on public occasion, all dressed near
ly alike, and more nearly equal in age and size
than is often observed elsewhere. Many OF
these girls are from the elite ofSouthern society,
and in numerous instances are the grand-daugh-
tiers of former pupils of the institution. In close
cnnnection with this Academy, were found in
days gone by, several other buildings, in which
different classes of the community were lodged.
One was the Sisters House," which was origi-
nay occupied by the unmarried females OF the
town, but now contains but few OF the older
members of that class. g a ~
Although the communal system is fast disap-
pearing from among the living, it is still tena-
ciously retained in their city Of the dead. The
cemetery is secluded spot, well inclosed, sha
ded with venerable cedars, and crowded with
sepulchral mounds A rigid right line, drawn
from the entrance, divides the male from the fe
male dust. Each division is occupied with rows
of graves as regular and uniform as the squares
of chess-board. The dead are buried in the
order of their decease, without regard to family
connection. The mounds are all of one height
and size, covered with green sod, and carefully
preserved Some are overrun with periwinkle.
On the head of each lies small square slab, con-
tanning no inscription but the hame, age and
birthplace of the deceased the date of his death,
end sometimes short scriptural quotation. AL
these regulations are enforced by the church au-
thorities, and never relaxed, except in the case
of strangers OF other religions dying in their
midst Such is brief account of q village sell
dom visited, but well worthy of the attention Of
the tourist ). 0lts.t w.
AN ALLOWANCE OF PANTAIooNs.-In one of
the French courts of justice, dandy was sued
lately by his tailor for the amount of On enor-
nous bill one of the items of which was nine
pantaloons in less than a year. The advocate
of the tradesman pleaded that this consumption
of pantaloons was not excessive that in the
higher circles no gentleman could have less
than three costumes day--the morning dress,
the riding costume, and the evening toilette.-
The theory Of three pantaloons day did not