Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-10-21

Inc eDOTmOus TccpOuSlOhity WHICH IL
voluntarily undertook, when he was. &C
, cording to all human calculations, abso
, tutely without means, would have appalled,
been moderately rich men; but where 9th
ers saw difficulties he saw only encourage
, ment Nothing disheartened him /; anC
when those who knew the daily povert,
and the ' hand-to-mouth supplies though
. of failure, he was looking cheerful
i, towards the future. when he would be abl
, TO have twice the number, or perhaps tel
times the number Of orphans under his care
In 1889 there was repetition OF th'
previous years experience,-daily necessi
ties strangely met, and the unfailing cont
dence of Mr.. Muller. On February 9th
he records in his Narrative" that he hac
mot penny in hand" On April 9th"
am once more pennlless." On the 9th
August there was " not a penny in hand,
and on the 18th there is q similar report
in the Narrative" The same thing oc.
Cured at various subsequent dates up tc
the end of the year, and all through 1910
lS41, and 1872 About the middle oi
lS43 there were many applications of or
phans but, as the three houses were as
full as they could be, having regard to the
health of the children, Mr.. Muller, TO the
astonishment Of the neighborhood, rented
another house, and this too he soon filled
with orphans.
Up to this time these strangely sup
ported orphan houses had been marvel to
everybody. Some had scofed at the
efforts of the poor Prussian minister, but
many, struck with the true humanity of his
daily life, his most tender care of the
fatherless and motherless family of which
he had taken charge, helped him. Some
sent him silver spoons and half-worn
trinkets and jewelry; poor men saved a
portion of their wages for him; rich men
gave to him literally. But, as his expenses
were great. all he got occasionally failed
him, and then the institution seemed on
the verge of destruction, but only to prove
once more that there was in it principle
of vitality, which, however incompre-
hensibe it might be to ordinary observers,
was nevertheless real.
Four large houses, all full of merry
children,-many boys among them rescued
from pauper doom,-many girls saved
from the streets and brought up from their
very infancy under influences which form
as near an approach to the family influence
as can be obtained in an institution in
which a large number of children are
associated together And all this done
by poor foreigner, who never asked any
man tor anything
No wonder people began to look more
closely at this singularly conducted insti-
tuition and, the more they examined, the
uon1ar uas ayaita1 Tbav
saw that there were no annual dinners, no
publication Of the names of donors, no
solicitation for funds, no canvassers or
collectors but as good wine needs no
bush, good deed advertises itself. There,
before the public eye, were four large
houses filed with children the man who
had gathered them together, and who had
become in the most direct sense father
TO the fatherless, was humbie-mlnded,
poor man. whose quiet, unpretentious life
had often been remarked. Those who are
conversant with the phenomena of crime
say that every great criminal has many
imitators that there is q morbid influence
which extends from the or ginal criminal
whether he is Turpin, 4 Jack Shep-
pard. a Palmer, or Casely-to other
minds which are susceptible of such influ-
ence, and produces a crop of imitators.
In like manner the influence of good
deed may be traced There never was
great phianthropist whose work did not
create an cumulative spirit in generous
natures, and George Muller's influence
was not without its effect He lad taken
all the responsibility of bringing up and
educating q small colony of children who
had been deprived by death of father and
mother; and philanthropic observers,
seeing this, claimed TO share in the work
by sending 10 the founder of the new
institution help in money or goods
But although the helpers we're many
and were continually increasing, the institu-
tion was not without its difficulties in 1914
On the I'd of April Mr. Muller writes in
his " Narrative >: The need of to-day
was IS 0s Cd Yesterday | had paid
away all the money in hand. but in the
afternoon there came in by sale of articles
(given for the benefit of the orphans) 60
Us. sd, by the boxes in the orphan-houses.
5s. 3D.. and by needle work of the orphans,
As ) Lid so we were enabled to meet the
demands of the day
On the 10th of June he had not q benny
left, and on the 18th of June he had onlv
threepence for the next days maintenance
Of the orphans. Timely aid come how
ever and the children, who knew moth
ing of the poverty of their protector, never
went without single meal. On the oath
of June Mr.. Muller writes To-day two
orphans were brought from Bath for,
though We are SO poor, the work goes for
ward, and children are received as long as
there is room," The poverty and exoan-
! sion, IN fact, went along together Mr.,
Miller's plan being to take in children,
irrespective Of his present means, SO long
as he had space in his houses to accom-
modate them. At the end of July, 1914.
MIR. Miller had received in donation { l.
74o los 4 sd without having applied to
anybody for single subscription, and had
then III his four houses 12l orphans.
This large family often exhausted his
means, notwithstanding the liberal dona.
tions ne received. One day he was COM
paratively rich, another day he was
exceedingly poor. Under the date of Aug.
I, he writes in his .' Narrative y: There
came In, when there was no. one penny in
my hands is. and 3s Cd / also found 3s.
IN the boxes in my house, los was given
as the profit OF the sale of ladies' bags,
and Is. I'd. as the produce of forfeit.box
at young ladies school. Likewise there
were gwen TO me two gold watch-keys, a
par OF earrings, gold broach. two waist
buckles, pair of bracelets, watch-hook,
and broken breach. Thus we have little
towards the need Of Tomorrow. All
through ls44 there were occasional davs