Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1879-07-01

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Papa" she urged, why did you go? p
"My child,' said, 81 do not know"
For the SPECTATOR.
The Morayians.
LITIZ, Pa, June Z, 1879.
MR.. EDITOR There has been so lit
tie intercourse between the people OF
our Valley and this, the "Eden" of |
since the war, that some |
notes [ may make from a large mass OF
material may interest your readers. In
the days Of Whitfield, Count Zinzen-
dorf, the founder of that branch of the
church styling themselves Moravians,
visited America. These two remarka-
BILE men, devoted Christians and philan-
thrOpists, met each other in this coun-
try, and having q common sympathy
in Outstanding all classes, became
warm friends. Count Zinzendorf found
ed the communities Of Moravians at
Bethlehem in Northampton county and
Litiz in this county, Lancaster, and Sa-
lem, in Forsyth county, North Carolina,
about the same time, during the last
township, Of which this viIIsge of l 800
one of the best In the county. The
German element predominates, and is
divided between Moravians, German
Reformed, and Thinkers.
The female school, under the control
of the Moravians, is one of national
reputation. Large numbers of young
ladies of the best families in the South.
have been educated here. A lady, 3
native OF this. county, and educated in
this school many years ago, married in
Valley county below you, and, with
her husband, became citizens of Angus
ia and neighbors of the writer; and
two or more Of her daughters and two
nieces were educated here. A friend
here has promised to have copied for
me, from the records Of the Institu
ton, a list-of the young ladies especial
ly. and perhaps of the boys, educated
here, who came from Southern States.
1t will constitute an interesting item or
page of history.
The Moravian minister in charge of
the congregation is on visitto Europe.
His people extended the courtesy to the
German Reformed Synod Of this part OF
Pennsylvania to hold their sessions in
their beautiful church here. 1t is built
of limestone, large and tastefully ar
ranged. A large gallery runs around
three sides, with a splendid organ in
the north end, facing the pulpit in the
South, behind which is large recep-
ton window, in theupper end Of which,
in stained glass, is the passage, LET US
render unto the Lord all the glory"
On the Sabbath, Rev. DR.. Gearheart,
of Lancaster city, and President of 8
college, preached in German, and tho
we could not understand word, we
were greatly impressed, first, with the
Liturgy, interspersed. as it was, with
soft, sweet music. His sermon, from
3rd chapter of John and 9th verse, inn
pressed US, because of his manner and
the close and wrapt attention of the
audience, and the delightful music.
One Kline, an early settler in this re-
gion, who became violently opposed to
this sect. and prosecuted them with all
the viralence that the Apostle Paul did
the Christians in his day, went with
his wife on one occasion to one of these
meetings, and in his pockets carried a
number Of stones that he intended to
have used upon them. Conviction smOte
him. He became SO changed, that Luz
theran, as he was, he conveyed to
them all his property. reserving the
keeping himself and wife comfortably,
as also one horse, to be owned by them,
and permission to the Lutherans to
preach in-their church, when not occu-
pied by them.
The Park or Spring, containing ten
or twelve acres, is lovely spot. An
immense spring, walled in at it's head
and for two or three hundred yards, as
its sparkling waters flow away with
handsomely dressed freestone, is mon
ument to the thoughtful generosity of a
pair of youths, two Mr.. COleman's, OF
the county of Lebanon, the heirs to an
immense Iron Mountain" SO to speak.
The Society Of Litiz is as select and in
teresting as is found in any village of
the same population in the State.
GEN. JOHN A. SUFFER-.
What was our surprise, and we may
add delight, to find this venerable and
most renowned citizen, living in mod
est mansion in this lovely town. Many
circumstances have conspired to cause
me to be anxious to meet him, pleas
ule [ never anticipated having realized.
When it was our good fortune, on the
9Th day of May, 1869. to witness the
completion of that great National enter
prise, on the veay spot aUhere this naozl
remarkable and much aUronged 2odtriol
built his fort just thirty gears before,
we did not dream that the great shout OF
thirty JSve thousand people that went
up when the last spike, in road span
ming continent, was signaled to the
world, and whose every thought revert
ed to him in its grand consummation,
little did we dream that in ten years
thereafter we should be permitted to
greet him. Grand old man! the events
of whose life, from the day when he
first saw the light, seventy-seven years
ago, amid the Alps of his loved Swiss
home, to the present moment. consti-
tutes romance such as centuries alone
evolve.
We deemed it an honor to pay our re-
spects to him, and to hear from his own
lips his modest narrative of some of the
thousand salient and interesting Incl
dents Of his truly cheqpered life.
How striking an illustration does that
life present of the ingratitude of re-
public. Tine man who got California
for u.s." whose almost princely estab-
lishment was the welcome abode of the
thousands Of weary, starving emigrants,
that there found sustenance and shelter,
should now be permitted to end his days
in penury. in sight of the Capitol of a
nation he has been SO faithful to, should
tinge the cheek of all with shame.
Apostle to this subject, we copy a
paragraph Or two from a number of the
Washington Sentinel, of Dec. IA, 1878:
"Congressmen read That nations
will be unjust and cruel towards their
most meritorious citizens is no better
eXemplified than in the case of the old
California Pioneer General John A.
Suffer, the unlucky discoverer of the
California gold. For years, he has been
appealing to Congress to have returned
to him at least small part of what the
government took from him but all his
efforts thus far have been in vain. Be
ing an adopted citizen like ourselves,
we once more consider it our duty to
call the attention of Congress to this
National shame, by giving short state
ment of Gen. Suffers case. Gen. Sui
ter, once an officer in the army of
Charles'X ,emigrated to the United States
soon after the July revolution, and set
tied in Missouri, where he became
citizen of this country. In 1889, he
went to California and established the
satf1enant Of Naw Hn1votia ~ a