The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-11-05

msnts Of God, who were called again 10
awaken dead Christianity. leaven to
move the sluggish mass of evangelical
] PrCtestantism' Their march,
I therefore. through Germany assumed the
/ form OF a triumphal procession" Hos
] pltaDle doors were opened to them and
/ orIers of relief extended in every direction.
The most Of them found new homes in
I russia whose noble king from royal
( Christian pity ana heartfelt sympathy,
I extended to them loving hand Some
/ passed on to Holland. some to Sweden,
. some 70 England, while a few others
( turned their eyes longingly across the tur-
/ bulent Atlantic toward the western world
I IN assurance of absolute religious freedom
/ in matters Of faith and practice ard Of rest
/ from the turmoil and sufferings Of the
past. It is in these we are particularly
I interested
Il need not pause long to tell the story
OF their coming. on June 9, 1872 George
H., king of Great Britain, had signed
/ patent granting the territory called GeOr-
I gia in his honor TO certain trustees for
( settlement Within a few months there
4 after party of colonisJs was organized
/ under James OglethorFe. 1l6 in number
/ who, reaching here early in 1888, immedi-
/ ately laid out the town which has grown
J into this beautiful and prosperous city
! Part of the design Of this colony was to
I establish here a refuge for the distressed
I and destitute of England, which design
/ was afterward enlarged to include espec-
tally some of these oppressed Salzburgers,
( the story Of whose wrongs had excited
! the sympathy of all Protestant Christen-
dom. The offer of the Georgia trustees
I was gratefully accepted by a number of
4 these needy eXiles, who. Cheered and aided
/ by liberal grants from the government and
/ contributions from the London Society
/ for the promotion Of Christian knowl-
/ edge and other sources Occurred for
I NV inf "a in
| many, came hither landing at Charles
ton in March, 1874 where Oglethorpe cor
daily welcomed them in person, and five
| days thereafter the worn, storm-tossed
immigrants pitched their tents near Sa-
| Yannah. Oglethorpe unremitting in kind
| ness, advised and led them in the selec-
ton Of a permanent home. by the aid
of blazed trees and Indian guides" they
made their way through the wilderness
until they reached that spot familiar to
| many of US, some thirty miles to the west
ward. where, with prayer and praise, in
imitation of Samuel of old, they set up a
memorial stone and called the place
''Ebenezer," or Hitherto hath the Lord
helped US"
This original company Of SaIzburgers
numbering ninty-one souls, coming to
these western shores for conscience sake,
not only borught with them their Bibles
and hymn books, their catechisms and
books of devotion, but were accompanied
also by two admirably qualified and thor
oughly consecrated young pastors, who,
shrinking from no tolls or sacrifices, de-
voted the remainder of their lives most
unseldshly to the best interests of the
people committed to their care. Rev. John
Martin Bobzius, then in the 31st year
of his age, was the senior Of these pastors,
to whom the chief responsibility was given
in the management of affairs, and Rev.
Israel c. Gronau was his worthy and
ever faithful assistant From the time
that they Joined the Colonists at Rotter-
dam, in 1888, until it pleased God, in 1745.
to take the younger of them in peace unto
Himself, these two men lived and labOred
together in perfect harmony and warm
fraternal affection, everything that the
records tell us of them marking them
as model undershepherds of the flock of
Christ
1T was through the influence Of these
eminent men that the Salzburgers were
enabled to come to America, and they
rendered much substantial aid not only
, to this but to all our early churches in
, America.
The little colony at Ebenezer under
. Gods blessing prospered well from the
beginning, Favorable reports going
abroad concerning il brought two addi-
tional companies, aggregating about lac
persons in 1875, and these were followed
by others in succeeding years, until, in
!
numbered more than 1900 Uniform tes-
timcny has been borne by all VINO had op-
, portunity 10 visit Ebenezer in those early
, days TO the industry and sobriety of its
people, and to the simplicity and SINGER
ity of their religious character and life
Whitefleld going there in 1888 was great
ly delighted with what he witnessed and
writes: Their lands are surprisingly
: improved. They are also blessed with
two such pious ministers as l have sell
dom seen. They have no courts of jurts
r diction, but all differences are immedi-
f ately settled by their pastors They have
r an orphan house in which are seventeen
, / children and a widow" So gratided was
he with the school that he gave, as he tells
q us, of his own poor stores to Mr.. Boil
: zius for distribution among the orphans
: and no doubt suggestions which came t.
! his benevolent mind there gave direction
+ to the labors which subsequently ISSUED
e in that noble charity the Union Soci
= ETY." in which the people of this city still
/ take 50 just a pride.
5 Savannah was, of course, the one mar
, 6et town of the Ebenezer colonists, anC
e the port through which they had com
munication with the outside world. OF
! these early settlers. therefore, some few
7 naturally found remunerative work anc
] a home here, and to these there were ac
s cessious from time 10 time from the north
= eru part OF the country or from beyond
the sea, until in llH there was Iound tC
, be quite a congregation Of German Lu
therans resident in the town.
For more than three-quarters of a cen
, fury, Dr.. Gilbert said, the Lutherans OF
/ Savannah constituted an integral par
T of the Ebenezer pastorate. He then spoke
. of the death of Mr., Grouau in l145, and tht
I fact that for a time the labors of botl
! fell upon Mr.. Bozius until the arriva
= of Rev. H. II. LembIe in 17lG, and theT
the coming of Rev. Christian Rabenhors
! in 1852. Rev Rabenhorst had specia
] charge of the work in Savannah at this
I time, and from the foundation of tht
$ church in 17A the meetings were helC
Q either in private residences or SOM
structure obtained for the purpose. Jun'
I 5, 1855. six men Of the congregation. DR.
; Gilbert said, bought a lot OF ground fo
- fl50 and awooden building formerly
court house for Els which they rolled t.
= the place and prepared for worship. Serv
Il ices were held regularly once every si1