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

transform into an orphanage. On the Iltt
of April he began to take the children in
and by the 18th of the following month he
had for his guests no less than twenty-six
orphan children who had lost 10th father
and mother by death.
Mr.. Muller's position was at this time
a very remarkable one He had no regu.
lar income himself, and was, in fact poo,
man. How was he to provide for the
twenty-six orphans that he had taken into
his house, He resolved to carry out the
same principle in respect to the orphans as
he had done in respect to himself, that is,
never to ask anybody for assistance, and
never to make it known publicly who had
given him anything. If anybody sent him
present for the orphans, whether it was
in money or goods, it was never acknowl-
edged in connection with the donors name,
but only with initials. Persons who gave
for mere ostentation had consequently no
chance of being advertised in connection
with the orphanage; for, whether large
or small amount was given, nothing more
than the donors initials were made public.
! Under these singular circumstances Mr..
| Muller opened his orphanage. Some peo-
! pie thought that the orphanage was freak
of tanaticism, and others predicted that an
institution founded on such principles could
not exist. But others again, who saw what
a large number of children Mr.. Muller had
to feed, sent him assistance in money, in
-four. in draperies, &c.
Still there was continual chorus of
deprecators, who said the thing must fail ;
but, instead of needing these, Mr.. Muller,
who found that more children were brought
to him than could be accommodated in his
house, rented second house, and in a short
time he had this one as full as the first
The wants of this orphan community
were literally supplied from day to day by
gifts from the public but nobody was
asked for anything. A family of fifty or
sixty consumed good deal of food the
amount for clothing them was no incon-
siderable trifie the rent of two houses
involved expenses and as Mr.. Muller
had engaged nurses and teachers for the
orphans, there was a further outlay in
this direction.
1t was no wonder that even persons who
were friendly TO the young institution
should have doubts as to its endurance.
There was no list of subscri ers, no income
of any kind except the promiscuous gifts of
the public, who We're never solicited to
give. Mr.. Muller, however, did not share
these doubts. He relied solely on the eff
icacy of prayer, and, believing that the
care of orphans was worthy work for
Christian minister, he had no doubt that
the means of providing for the orphans
would be forthcoming. Help came to him
in the most extraordinary way. Many
people whom he had never seen sent him
money for the support of the orphans;
Anonymous donors dropped cash and trink-
cts into his letter box and occasionally he
had a considerable sum on hand. But
still there were periods when Mr. Muller
was down TO his last penny, and did not
know where he would obtain the next me.
for his orphans. In these periods people
said he had gone too far, and, while they
were discussing what would become Of the
children at the breae up of the institution,
Mr.. Muller opened third house. for boys.
and took in more orphans. TIE fact was
that, as the character of the institution be-
came known, applications were made on
behalf of orphans, and Mr.. Muller, having
these eases brought before him, was not
disposed to refuse the children admission.
Ordinary prudence would have hestated,
but Mr.. Muller seemed to lack this, depend
ing solely on his prayer, and before the end
OF December, 1887, he had seventy-nine
orphans under his care. Surely then it
was time 10 stop. In July and August,
1888, Mr.. Muller had frequently not
penny in hand and, as he made it rule
never TO 90 into debt, the necessities Of the
institution had to be supplied by the dona-
tions as they came in day by day and often
hour by hour. At these times nearly
everybody lost heart in the work except
Mr.. Muller. In his published " Narrative"
referring to this period, we often find en-
tries which show the extreme necessities of
the institution; yet, strange to say, there
was never single instance in which the
children lacked either food or clothing.
Under the date August Is, 1888. for in
stance, we find - | have not a penny in
hand for the orphans" On August 20 he
was again 'penniless. Three days after
wards he writes in his - Narrative " d" To-
day l was again without a single penny,
when IS was sent from Clapham, with
box Of new clothes for the orphans" In
the same year, on the 21st November, he
duced in funds as to-day. There was not
single half-penny in hand between the
matrons of the three houses" But, before
the day was over, funds were forthcoming
to meet the wants Of the day. At the end
of S3S there Were in the three houses SO
orphans,-3l In the girls orphan-house, 81
in the infant Orphan-house, and "a in the
boys orphan-house.
A man who has a family OF nine, even
when he has fair income, thinks he has a
good many mouths to fill, but the remark
able popularity of Mr.. Muller's case was
that he had family of nearly ninety
lodged in three large houses: that he pro-
vided them with wholesome food III abund-
ance, and also with clothing and suitable
education, and yet he had no fixed income
whatever 1t is true that for many years
his means were very low, but it is equally
true that in his EXTREMIST need help always
came Sometimes he had help from strang
ers, for even in these early days Of the
institution it became known that the poor
Prussian, whose heart yearned for the or
phans, had family of nearly ninety de-
pending solely upon the public for support.
Sometimes FIVE Or ten pound note was
dropped anonymously into his letter-box.
Other contributors who had observed Mr..
Muller's work sent him presents of oatmeal,
of treacle, Of vinegar, of cloth, Of shoes,
&C.. but there was no ostentatious pub
licity to be got out of the contributions,
whether they amounted to hundreds of
pounds or to single penny, nothing but
the initials of the donor being given in the