The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-12-25

IL vas recently my fortune 10 Visit salem,
,.'..ytb county, \. C., the seat Of govern
~ 'a, sor the Southern district of the Nora
~ ~, church in the United States. Think
va, tbsi perhaps some of your readers
u'. De as much interested in learning
Msocthinc Of these people as was, Il iotted
1.an The following particulars for them;
TUE MORAyIAN CHURCH
,oupdcd by some OF the followers Of
W. mqrt,rcd John lluss in l4j1, on the
%" ..,o n LiiitZ. near the city OF Prague.
go, WIS sixty wears before Luther began
i",,ork. and i'm that time their numbers
r1 ;rcrcascd 10 100000. They had also
~" NV, Contingencies, which they kept busy
hing Bohemian Bibles, hymn-bOoks.
F'....bi.rns. and confession Of faith. Their
,,,,f...,on Of faith was so similar 10 the
onrrwards adopted at Augsburg that
o,,nosition for uniting them with the
,.ri,serans was agitatcd; but they decided
'maflcr by lot, and the lot was against
~, nroiect. 50 IL fell through. In 1927 the
|aJ. Norayian Church was crushed out
w. me prosecutions oi the Emperor Ferdi-
,d 20 that for nearly a hundred years il
S.5 No local organization, but its adherents
80 scattered and hidden in the forests.
COUNT N1COLAUS ZINZENDORF
... with a wandering carpenter of that
Zen. and when he had heard his story OF
hair prosecutions and suffering, he offered
,gsn an asylum on his estate. They gladly
.e.on,ed the offer, and soon came together
I, sufficient numbers 10 build the city OF
unnhui. Count ZinzcndOTf was made q
ti.bop. and devoted himself and all his
,r,~th 20 propacating Morayian doctrine.
n. conceived the idea that their Church
rr.f not attempt to build up by making
Tro.clytc> OF the people surrounding them,
int lv founding and perpetuating separate
communities OF Morayian people, and by
Missionary efforts among the heather. He
therefore bought large tracts OF land
In Europe, England, and America, and
s.,gli.hed Mor,Nian communities on these
lands.
eonld not DE sold. but were to be leased to
uorsy'en settlers. It was intended that
me iollics and temptations Of the world
.boud be- excluded from these settlements,
and that they should be retreats where men
could hold undisturbcd
C0NNUNION WITH GOD.
In these communities everything was
dome under the direction OF the Church
Bolrd All the business was in its hands.
n9ppointed skilled agents TO superintend
he different branches OF trade and enter
mise in the settlement, or leased the priyi-
e.c Of doing a certain business to some
ons member Of the church and protected
him from competition. In every cOmmu-
nifv there were houses set apart for the
Il. :
hou.c. where the unmarried men lived to-
ecihcr and engaged in various trades and
professions, the profits OF which went to
DE Church; the sisters house, where the
Unmarried sisters lived and had an OppOr-
unity oi earning a livelihood by different
Kind, Of work; ana the widows house,
where the INDECENT or other widows could
liye comfortably at a cheap rate. Each
one Of these houses had Il spiritual and
temporal superintendent. These were in
no sense mona>tic orders, but simply vol
miary associations for mutual profit and
lea'ure.
AS MISSIONARIES.
As these communities had but little COM
nunication with the people about them
,L-ir RELIGIOUS activity found vent in mis-
,oDarv enterprises abroad, so that, cOnsid-
er'ng their numbers, they have taken the
hsd in missionary work. No other de-
animation can claim that tlrO thirds Of its
soe membership belongs to its mission
.t.ronS i'm heather lands.
ought 10 say that many OF these cXclu-
.lye practices have been abandoned by the
American MolHyianS. Their
LEADING ARTICLES OF PATH
ara: M The Bible is the only source Of
Christian doctrine; (2) Public worship is TO
be administered i'm accordance with the
teachings OF the Scriptures and on the mo-
deloi the Apostolic Church; (3) The Lords
supper /, to be received in faith, TO be doc
riaally defined in the language OF the BIZ
Ne. and every human explanation OF that
language is TO be avoided. They have
complete ritual, including a litany and
other forms, but GLOW free prayer at their
public services. They have three orders Of
-minis;ry-bishops preSbyters, and dea-
cn.. Their cpi.copacy Is not diocesan.
Each bishop is bishop OF the whole Church.
nl not OF any particular territory. lie
ai, DO ruling power by virtue OF his office.
mi bis chief peculiar function Is that OF
pin1tion. Bishops are chosen in the
Ge0eral synod OF the Church by lot. The
N0ayians observe festivals, practice con-
auntion. receive persons from other evan
giel Churches on certificate, and encoIIr-
a.e lay work.
On Easter they meet very early in the
m0mingat the burying- ground to celebrate
ODE resurrection and to express their conli-
dence concerning the members who have
Gel during the year.
DEATH n THE COMMUNITY
announced by the playing Of band OF
nusic i'm the church-tower, and the sex,
a,c, and condition (married or singlel Is
Indicated by the sort OF air played. The
sexton then appoints pall-bearers, who
meet AZ the residence at the hour appointed
iof the funeral. and after prayer they re-
move the body 10 the vault for the dead,
u,, outside the church. Then the whole
congregation 20 into the church to the iu-
neral services. and after they are con-
gded a procession is formed, with the
lildren in front, and in this order they
Proceed 10 the grave.
They have occasional
LOvE-FEAsrs,
q which cake and coffee is served TO each
i aa BY ladies' dressed i'm black WIN Wilite
/ -ushn caps and aprons. No outsluers .ue
lmiued TO these except by specAi invite,
'noi some member OF the church, Dnt an
sl0 are admitted are invited to participate
DE feast. -,
IN their villages they still keep up the Ola
lSiution OF nightwatchmen. Inc Wa'eh-
aa doe, not proclaim the hour WIN ''le
/ hmula GAPS WELL" but simply blows
| ach-shel, beginning at 10 o'clock WIN
J On The last night OF the old year they
4 BET al church and spend the tlmc uniii
] might singing and praying; lheh, WIN
! shd song Of Thanksgiving, they oiSl'eIse. /
ANCIENT AND MODERN.