The Preaching Tours and Missionary Labours of George Müller of Bristol. Susannah Grace Sanger Müller
one, which was crowded; in the afternoon at Lincoln Hall to about 1,500 persons; and in the evening at the Foundry Church.
On the morning of Jan. 10th, at half past 9, we accompanied Mr. Shipley, of Cincinnati (by appointment), to the White House, to be introduced by him to the President and to Mrs. Hayes. They received us with much courtesy, and, after making some inquiries about our work in England, the former entered for half an hour into conversation with Mr. Müller. Mrs. Hayes afterwards conducted us through the White House, a large old mansion, and showed us the State apartments, with the various objects of interest which this residence contains.
On Jan. 11th Mr. Müller addressed about 1,000 Christian Workers, at the Lutheran Memorial Church, for an hour and 20 minutes; and on the 15th spoke to the coloured students at Howard University for an hour, where the work carried on is of a most important character. During the whole of our stay at Washington, his time was fully occupied, and he preached every evening, and sometimes twice a day, as long as we remained. On the 19th we visited the Capitol, which has a dome nearly 400 feet in height; from the top of which the river Potomac, Mount Vernon, Alexandria, Washington, and the whole neighbourhood could be seen, and afterwards walked through the Government Buildings, public offices, etc. On the morning of Sunday, Jan. 20th, Mr. Müller preached at the First Baptist Church, and in the afternoon at 4 o'clock gave a farewell address at the Lutheran Memorial Church to a very crowded audience.
On Jan. 21st we left for Salem, in Virginia, 239 miles from Washington, and on our way passed many of the places which were the scenes of deadly conflict between the Federals and Confederates during the civil war that raged in the United States many years ago. Near the line of railway Cemeteries were to be seen, filled with long rows of graves placed close together, and marked by white stones, where the corpses of those who were slain in battle lie interred. Alas! what an awful, melancholy war was that! After travelling for twelve hours, at 8 p.m. we arrived at Salem, a small secluded town, 1,450 feet above the level of the sea, situated in a beautiful valley amongst the Alleghany Mountains. On the following evening my husband preached at the Lutheran Church to a most crowded congregation, consisting of pastors, theological students, ladies, country people, negroes, children, the visitors from the Duval Hotel—where we were staying—its three proprietors, the servants (one woman only being left at home); and an elderly Welch minister from Merthyr Tydvil, for 30 years a resident in the United States, walked seven miles from the country to be present at the meeting. All who could possibly attend turned out to hear George Müller, of Bristol, England, who preached for upwards of an hour, and was listened to with the liveliest interest and attention. On the evening of the 23rd he held a second meeting at the Lutheran Church, and addressed a densely crowded congregation, when the appearance of the building plainly showed that it is not necessary to go to large cities in order to have vast audiences. Hundreds of young men were present, most of them students from Roanoke College and the Theological Seminary, many of whom were standing at the entrance closely packed together; whilst others sat upon the pulpit platform side by side. The gallery was thronged. At the back of it several young men were standing upon forms, with their heads near the ceiling, and upon the edge of the front seats in the gallery a few boys were perched, with their legs hanging over the pews, in a somewhat dangerous position. Mr. Müller spoke for an hour and 35 minutes, giving (by particular request) some account of his life and labours, and the meeting, which lasted two hours, was a very blessed one. The next morning he spoke at the Theological Seminary to the students, and in the evening preached for the third time at the Lutheran Church, his particular object being to address the young men from Roanoke College and the students of the Theological Seminary. The portion of Scripture from which he spoke was Eccles. xi. 9, 10, and chapter xii. 1.
On Jan. 25th we rose at 4, left the railway station—at some distance from our hotel—at a quarter past six, and travelled, viâ Lynchburg, Dundee, Salisbury, and Charlotte, to Columbia, in South Carolina, where, after a long, fatiguing journey of 378 miles, which it took 21 hours to accomplish, we arrived at half past 3, early on the morning of the 26th, and (by special invitation) went to the house of Chief Justice Willard. The next day, (Sunday,) Mr. Müller preached in the morning at the Presbyterian, and in the evening at the Methodist Episcopal Church, where, though the congregations were small compared with those in the North, they were large for the Southern States. On the morning of the 28th we went through the State House, the Capitol of Columbia, and were introduced by Judge Willard to the Governor, the Secretary of State for South Carolina, the Comptroller-General, and other government officers. We visited the Senate Chamber also while the senators were sitting, and the House of Representatives, where, on the following morning (by particular request), Mr. Müller opened the deliberations of the day, according to custom, with prayer. At 1 o'clock he addressed the young men and lads at the Reformatory Prison, and, before our departure from Columbia, preached four times at the different churches, giving an address besides to 41 students, with their President and professors, at the Theological Seminary on Feb. 21st. Columbia was a fine city once; but two-thirds of it were destroyed by fire during the civil war, and the place, though now re-built, has never thoroughly recovered its former beauty. It is situated on the Bluffs of the Congaree, and used to be celebrated for its delightfully shaded streets, its lovely flower-gardens, and the model plantations in its vicinity.
On the afternoon of the 1st we left Columbia for Charleston, the metropolis of South Carolina, seven miles from the ocean; and after a journey of 135 miles, arrived there on the 2nd, at half-past 12 in the middle of the night. There, on the morning of Sunday the 3rd, Mr. Müller preached at the Citadel Baptist Church, and in the evening at Trinity Church; but in consequence of the rain, which fell heavily all day, the congregations were only small. On the two following evenings he held meetings at the Second Presbyterian Church, addressed the orphans of the Charleston Orphan Asylum on the 6th, in the presence of their teachers and a number of gentlemen and ladies connected with the Institution, and on the evening of that day preached at the First Baptist Church. On the following evening he held a meeting for Christian Workers, and on the 8th preached at Morris Street Coloured Baptist Church, with great help from the Lord, to 1,000 negroes and coloured people, and about 60 whites. On the morning of Sunday, the 10th, he preached at the Bethel Methodist Church, and in the evening at the Citadel Baptist Church, a very large building, where a union service or mass-meeting was held, which was crowded to overflowing, most of the churches in the town having been closed, that their congregations and ministers might be present. On the following morning he addressed a meeting of pastors for an hour and 10 minutes, preached in the evening at the Old Bethel Church for coloured people, and on the 12th held a meeting at the Centenary Church, where an immense congregation of negroes and coloured persons assembled, many of whom stood in the aisles and outside the doors, whilst numbers were unable to get in.
On Feb. 13th we left Charleston for Savannah, the chief city of Georgia, and travelled all day slowly by "accommodation train" through one of the great American swamps, a morass with stagnant water and luxuriant vegetation on each side of the railway.
"This route lies within a few miles of the coast, and passes through many of the seaside and lowland towns and villages of the State, situated in the midst of the wildest, richest scenery. For miles the rails are laid on piles passing through marsh and morass, and crossing swift rushing streams; but it is in regions of this nature that the grandest and most tropical vegetation is to be found. In this country of miasmas, fever, and excessive heat, where, in the summer months, few but the negro can exist, the most profuse and abundant vegetation thrives luxuriantly. Extensive pine forests, lofty cypresses wreathed with garlands of grey moss, the bay and the laurel covered with the vines of the wild grape or ivy, and immense live oaks, line the road on each side. Wild flowers grow in profusion during the spring and summer, and the canebrake rises to a height of ten, twelve, or fifteen feet. In these regions alligators abound, which delight in the muddy, stagnant waters, and find in them a river home."
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