Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1858-10-05
NO. |, o,.XLII!I...

''t~ 70 - 4NOe LA4l444s rst
effected his purpose; suffce it to say that by
! little and little the necessary funds flowed in
The building, which, with the land, cost event.
ually upwards of 215,O00, was commenced in
July, 1s47 and in June, 1s49, the children were
moved from Wilson street to the healthier local
ity OF Ashley Down. No flourish of trumpets
ushered in the event quietly and unostenta-
tiously the children and their more than father
walked from the one house to the other; and,
save that the old schoolrooms were closed,
whilst merry voices awoke the unwonted echoes
of the Down, no change was perceptible.
| Little more than twelve months elapsed ere
Muller began to contemplate an extension OF his
work; and, undeterred by the absence OF visi-
BILE means, the frequency of pecuniary difficulties
or the magnitude of the undertaking. he deter
mined to build another wing capable OF receiy.4
ing over four hundred orphans, with view TO
the ultimate extension of this additional number
to seven hundred or one thousand in the whole.
The first donation received for this purpose was
ten shillings But nothing discouraged, he per-
severed; and in May, 1852, the building fund a.
mounted to 1880 9s. The next year this g.
mount had increased to 912,531. In 1874
R5. 600 was added to the fund and in 1856 the
sum in hand being 923,068 12s.-always the
odd farthing-the new building was commenced
and is, at the present writing, on the point OF
being opened for the reception OF the forlorn lit
tie beings for whose benefit it is designed.
Whether the benevolent founder will be enabled
to complete his self-imposed task by the con-
struction of the intended third building, time
alone can determine. Let us hope SO.
Muller seems to have been melted to his ef-
forts BY the success of similar institution at
Halle, in Prussia, founded in 1696 by a. ID.
Francke, professor of divinity. This is the larg-
est charitable establishment for poor children
in the world, containing two thousand inmates,
and is In fiourishiDg condition. We will here
let our author speak for himself: 60
"Francke is long since gone to his rest, but he
spoke to my soul In 1926, and he is speaking to
nv soul now (; and to bis example am greatly
indebted in having been stirred up to care about
poor children in general, and about poer orphans
in particular. oj
sat the last census, in 1851, there were, in
England and Wales, thirty y-nine orphan estab-
.lishments, and the total number OF orphans pro-
vided for through them amounted only to 1854;
but at the time the New Orphan House was be-
ing built there were about 5000 young orphans
in the prisons of England. Does not this fact
call aloud for an extension of orphan institutons3
By Gods help will do what can to keep poor
orphans from prison"
The inter abnegation of self which pervades
the work is remarkable and characteristic.-
''What have I done," he cried out in one place,
shat men should praise meS have only
sought to be used as the honored instrument OF
saving young children, who have neither father
nor mother, from sin and vice." Truly such
men are in the world, but not gift. est
~ 10 rriv fron q
of the globe and from all kinds and conditions
of men. Here are few entries, for example:
From negro brethren in Demerara, $12; !" 'trom
an archdeacon and one of the Queens chaplains,
IL guineas :" "from one of the orphans formerly
under our care, q sovereign )" "from Mount Leb-
anon e2, and from Orleans francs;" "from an
Israelitish gentleman, an entire stranger, 95;"
ssfrom shepherd in Australia, who has read my
narrative while tending his flock, 12s." The a.
mounts vary from q single farthipg to thousands
of pounds and the receipt of copper coin or
the presentation of check for f5, ,000 is record
ed in an uniformly grateful strain.
Nor is it to money alone that assistance is con-
fined. One gentleman offers his services gratu-
tously as an architect, and another as surgeon.
Another gives glass for the three hundred win
dows of the new building, and others send jew
elry and ornaments, silver spoons and teapots,
work-to be sold for the benefit of the institu-
w, two of Sir Robert Peel, and one of Lord
Melbourne" were received and on another "a
Coverdale Bible OF 1886, perfected almost sheet
by sheet" Perhaps the most singular gift of
this kind was q silver medal, given to the donor
for being engaged in the taking of Java; but
laying down his honor, he desires to have this
medal used to lay stone in the new building.
Then there are donations of books, of Goals, of
provisions, and of clothes, old and new; dona-
tons, indeed, in almost every conceivable form.
And, in this matter, to sum up all in his own
words, "without any one having been personally
applied to for anything, the sum of 384, Al 6s.
Id, has been given to me for the orphans
since the commencement of the work." And
greatly has it been needed, for, in addition to
the expense of purchasing land and building and
furnishing the asylum, the present average ex-
pense for each of the orphans is stated at 912
Is. Sd. per anDum.
Not the least peculiar feature in the subscrip-
ton list is the absence Of all personal publicity
Those who give to the New Orphan Asylum
must do so from pure and unmixed feeling Of
charity, for their names are carefully withheld;
even their initials are rarely given; nor would
any offer induce departure from this rule.
No sectaran doctrines are taught in the schools,
neither is any interest necessary to obtain admis-
sion Tor orphans. Ifthere be any deprived of
father and mother and in distress, that is sufi-
cient passport to the large warm heart and help
highland of George Muller. Long may his life
be spared and his labors blest!-Cham6erSs
Journal eai1@.
at A Poisoned VALLEY.-A singular discovery
has lately been made near Batten in Java of
poisoned valley. Mr.. Alexander Loudon visited
it last July, and we extract paragraph from a
communication on the subject addressed by him
to the Royal Geographical Society:
. 1t is known by the name of Gusvo Upas or
Poisoned Valley; and following path which
has been made for the purpose, the party short
ly reached it with couple of dogs and fowls for
the purpose of making experiments. On arriy-
ing at the top of the mountain the party dis
mounted and scrambled up the hill, at q distance
of q mile, with the assistance of the branches
and projecting roots. When q few yards from
the valley, strong, nauseous, suffocating smell
was experienced; but on approaching the mar
gin the inconvenience was no longer found
The valley is about half mile in circumference,
of an oval shape, and about thirty feet deep.
The bottom of it appeared to be fat, without
any vegetation, and few large stones scattered
here and there. Skeletons of human beings, III
gers, bears, deer and all sorts of birds and wild
animals lay about in profuson. The ground on
which they lay at the bottom of the valley ap-
peared to be a hard sandy substance, and no va
- Tho cidae wara cnvarad