USA > Georgia > Georgia as a proprietary province; the execution of a trust > Part 20
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The work carried on in Georgia was of two kinds, relig- ious and secular. The former was under the guidance of catechists who were really assistants of the pastors, spend- ing most of their time in visiting from house to house and in working with the younger people of the colony. As a rule these teachers were paid by special contributions made for the purpose by charitably disposed persons or were sup- ported by one of the missionary societies of the home land. Most of the regular schools were under the direction of secu- lar instructors. These teachers usually gave a certain amount of religious instruction, but this was not their prin- * B. T., Ga., XXI: McLeod to S. P. C. K., Jan. 6, 1739.
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cipal business. They were nearly always paid out of the budget of the Trust. In our discussion here, it will not be necessary to consider at length the work of the regular catechists, for it properly belongs to the religious develop- ment of the colony.
The earliest suggestion of conducting a school in Geor- gia seems to have been made by Christopher Ortman, a German Protestant. As early as October 17, 1733, he ap- peared before the Trustees and proposed to go to Georgia as a schoolmaster and parish clerk for the Salzburghers who were soon to settle there.2 The Common Council of the Trustees tried to arrange for the support of such a worker through the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge; but nothing seems to have come immediately of the nego- tiations.3 By 1736 arrangements were made to send him to the colony partly as a catechist, but principally as a secu- lar teacher.+ Ortman was particularly urged to teach the Germans the English language. The rules of the Trustees required that this language be used in all legal and official business; and it was felt that the Salzburghers ought to master it as soon as possible. Ortman was an old man and poorly qualified to teach in any language. He could not speak English himself fluently and so could not give satis- factory instruction in it. In addition to this incompetence, he created friction in religious affairs at Ebenezer. As a consequence of the dissatisfaction that was felt with him on these two accounts, he was discharged. The pastor of the Salzburghers, Rev. John Martin Bolzius, was perhaps more than any other responsible for this action.3 Ortman
2C. R. I: 142.
3 C. R. II : 46.
*C. R. III: 147.
" B. T., Ga., XXI: Bolzius to Verelst, July 4 and 19, 1739.
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felt that he had been treated unjustly, and asked the authori- ties of the province to give him work, representing that he had been dismissed at Ebenezer without cause. The Presi- dent and Assistants appointed him as schoolmaster at Ver- nonburgh and Acton, subject to the approval of the Trus- tees, agreeing to pay him £5 per year from the budget of the Trust if enough more could be raised to make the total salary £12 annually.6
The Trustees very promptly overruled the action of the Georgia authorities and ordered that Ortman be discharged from Vernonburgh and Acton.7 As a result of this dis- missal, the old man at once became an object of charity and spent his last days most miserably.8 The experience of the colony with this first schoolmaster was repeated more or less accurately many times during the first twenty years of Georgia's existence.
After the dismissal of Ortman, the Salzburghers secured the services of a teacher named Hamilton ; but he, too, was unable to give instruction in English, and he soon gave up the work.9 It is not necessary to follow the individual teachers that the Germans employed. Those employed dur- ing the last ten years of the Trustees' control seem to have given fair satisfaction. By 1748 the work had progressed sufficiently to necessitate a second school building for Ebene- zer and the surrounding country ; and a third was contem- plated in 1752.10
There is no evidence that the Trustees tried to do any educational work either at Darien or Augusta. These were both frontier posts where there were relatively few young
. C. R. VI: 121-122.
7C. R. II: 479-480.
8 C. R. VI: 203.
" B. T., Ga., XXII: Bolzius to Verelst, Nov. 15, 1742.
10 B. T., Ga., XXIII: 60.
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people, so that the need was not so great as at other places ; and, besides, the life was too strenuous for the people to think of much except making a living, defending themselves, and performing rather light religious duties.
The educational achievements at Frederica were not very notable. Rev. George Whitefield and James Habersham, who did so much for the Savannah region, planned at first to settle at Frederica ; but they were finally more attracted by the northern part of the province.11 Nothing seems to have been attempted in southern Georgia until after the dangers of invasion by the Spanish had abated. In 1745 the Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts suggested to the Common Council of the Trustees that if a schoolmaster were appointed for Frederica, it would agree to furnish him with a supply of books.12 In consequence of this offer, the Trustees appointed John Ulrich Driesler as teacher for Frederica, and they requested that he be appointed as chaplain of the regiment also so that he could secure a living salary, as the Trust was giving only £10 an- nually.13 The solution seemed a happy one, for Driesler was a faithful worker; and he gave daily instruction both in English and in German to the children of the region.1+ However, he held the position less than a year before his death; and no one seems to have been secured to take his place.
The principal educational work of the province was done in the region of Savannah. It was the center of greatest activity on the part of the Trustees, and it was there also that the greatest private exertions were made. The first
11 C. R. I: 290. " C. R. II: 445.
13 Ibid., 460.
14 B. T., Ga., XXIII: 24.
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work that was contemplated was catechetical. Early in 1734, Rev. John Burton, one of the Trustees, announced that he had received a donation for this purpose. The ob- ject was approved by his fellow members of the -Trustee Board, and he was asked to nominate a suitable man for the work; but nothing further seems to have been done at that time. 15
The first suggestion of a secular educational enterprise. came in the form of a petition from John Burnside of Fort Argyle, on the great Ogeechee river in the colony, who de- sired to start a "writing school" in Savannah. The Trus- tees ordered the magistrates in the colony to investigate the character of the petitioner and to grant him a license for conducting a school if he proved to be a suitable person.16 It is not entirely clear whether Burnside ever established his school or not. If he did make the attempt, it could not have met with much success, for no further development of the scheme can be found.
The next educational enterprise near Savannah was the establishment of work among the Creek Indians and the founding for them of a school named Irene. This under- taking was made largely under the direction of the Mo- ravian settlers who had come to Georgia in 1735. The school was founded soon after their arrival and settlement. It was located on an island in the Savannah river about five miles above the town of the same name. The island was the favorite resort of the Creek Indians. Tomochichi, the best friend of the white people among the natives, had his village there; and he took a keen interest in the school.17 Peter Rose and his wife, Anthony Seyffart, Biener, and other
"C. R. II: 55.
16 B. T., Ga., VIII: Verelst to Bailiffs, May 15, 1735.
" Loskiel, Part II: 3-4.
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Education in Georgia
Moravians made their homes with the Indians, adopting their manner of life and seeking in every way to win their confi- dence and friendship. In this they were remarkably suc- cessful. They soon succeeded in learning the Creek lan- guage. In 1736 they were joined by Rev. Benjamin Ingham who had come from England to teach the natives.18 He proved to be a very able assistant and made a beginning of a Creek grammar in order to give the Indians the Bible in their own tongue, but the work was never completed.
In spite of the fact that the Indians were friendly to their instructors, it was not an opportune time for doing effective work among them, for the natives were in constant ferment. One of them remarked to Wesley, "Now our enemies are all about us, we can do nothing but fight; but if the be- loved ones would ever give us to be at peace, then we would hear the great Word." 19
In 1737 Ingham returned to England in order to get more assistance for carrying on the work in Georgia.20 He probably could have succeeded in his mission, for there was considerable interest in England at that time in the school work of Georgia ; but John Wesley returned the same year feeling that he had been outraged by the Georgia people, and Charles Wesley, who had returned the year previous, felt also much dissatisfied with the colony. It is highly probable that their influence over Ingham prevented his re- turn to the work at Irene, not that they tried to dissuade him from it, but it was largely because of friendship for them
18 John Wesley in his "Journal" says that the land on which the school was built was granted to Ingham. This seems a little im- probable, though it may have been granted to him and to the Moravians jointly. The Brethren were evidently the leaders in the enterprise.
" Wesley's "Journal" 42.
" Ibid., 44.
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that he went to Georgia, and their return under such circum- stances would naturally influence him.
The Moravians continued the Irene work as long as they lived in Georgia ; but the educational feature of the work was less and less emphasized after the departure of Ingham. In 1740 when the Brethren left Georgia for Pennsylvania, the workers left Irene, and the school house was closed.21 A little later, on the invitation of Whitefield to co-operate with him in an educational and evangelistic campaign among the natives, they sent John Hagen to try to renew the work at Irene; but the Indian men had gone to Florida to engage in the war against the Spanish ; and he could not make prog- ress in reaching the women and children, so that the work was permanently dropped.22
The Trustees had been anxious for the Indian school to succeed, and they supported it more liberally than many of the other colonial enterprises. During the first full year of work, they contributed about £154; the next year they gave £162; for the third year, the contribution amounted to £167; while during the last year, when the work was fall- ing to pieces, they spent £76 on it.23
In February, 1736, the first regular school of any conse- quence was begun in Savannah. It was organized and taught by Charles Delamotte. He had come to Georgia with the Wesleys and Ingham in order to do missionary work among the Indians; but he found it impracticable to reach them at that time, and in consequence he turned to the teaching of the little children of Savannah. He soon had an enroll- ment of thirty or forty whom he taught to "read, write, and cast accounts." Before the morning session, and after school
" Loskiel, Part II: 5.
" Ibid., 6-7.
"C. R. III: 147, 171, 193, 213.
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closed in the afternoon, he catechised the lowest classes in order to give them some religious instruction. In the even- ing he would also catechise the larger children ; but the relig- ious work was not a compulsory part of the school course.24
Delamotte was the son of a sugar baker in London. He was well educated and was an unusually earnest Christian. He came to Georgia to serve without salary,25 and he re- ceived no remuneration. A small portion of his expenses were paid by the Trustees, but he bore most of them himself in addition to donating his time to the cause.26 His work as a teacher was of the highest order, calling forth the com- mendation even of those prejudiced against him. No teacher during the whole period with which we are dealing was more faithful or more beloved. When he left Georgia, the people as a body accompanied him to the boat to bid him fare- well. It is probable that the strongest influence that led to his leaving Savannah was the treatment accorded his friend John Wesley, but he did not mention this publicly, assign- ing as his principal reason for going a desire to enter into his father's business.27
The work given up by Delamotte was in a measure as- sumed almost immediately by another able man James Ha- bersham. The latter came to Georgia as the companion and assistant of Rev. George Whitefield. He was very young at the time; but he cheerfully gave up the offers of assistance from friends in England if he would remain there, and faced the disapproval of his guardian, in order to engage in the service of the new colony. Whitefield and Habersham had planned before leaving England for the building of an
" Wesley's "Journal" 44.
2 C. R. V: 84.
2º Wesley's "Journal" 44; C. R. II: 260.
"C. R. V: 84.
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orphan house in Georgia, but they did not expect to engage in the work at once. However, when they reached Savannah, they found the need of an orphanage so great that they de- termined to proceed immediately with the enterprise. It was agreed that Habersham would conduct the school which Delamotte was giving up and that he would make a special effort to gather into it such children as might be eligible for the orphanage, while Whitefield made a preaching tour for the purpose of securing funds for the undertaking. He seems to have contemplated at first raising the funds in America, but finally decided to return to England, partly to be ordained to the full priesthood of the Church of Eng- land and partly to raise money for his work.28
After Whitefield had received his ordination, he entered vigorously upon his campaign for money and was successful in securing about £1,000 for his object. Before he had left England in the first instance, he had secured about £300 that could be applied to the work; and he felt that the combined funds were sufficient to begin the orphan house. Accordingly he applied to the Trustees for a grant of five hundred acres of land on which to erect the building, re- questing at the same time that he be allowed the full man- agement of the undertaking and agreeing that he would be responsible both for the building of the plant and for the salaries of those teachers and workers who might be em- ployed. The Trustees agreed to his proposals in general, but retained the right of supervising the work.29
While Whitefield was in England, Habersham continued the school work in Savannah with considerable success, train- ing the children both in secular and in religious education. He was all the while investigating those who might be suitable
" B. T., Ga., XXI: Whitefield to Verelst, July 1, 1738.
*C. R. V: 162, 173-174.
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Education in Georgia
for orphanage wards when the work could be opened. As soon as he was notified of the grant of the five hundred acres, he began a search for the best location available and finally selected a tract of land about ten miles from the city. It was located near some of the principal plantations of the colony. On the east lay the island of Hope where Noble Jones had a fine estate; to the north was the farm of Sec- retary William Stephens ; and other prominent men had set- tled in the vicinity.30 In addition to selecting the lot, Ha- bersham was also active in collecting building materials and making all other possible preparations for the coming of Whitefield who would take charge of the building operations proper.
It had been the plan of the associates to provide quarters for only about twenty orphans ; but when they began to build they found the need so much greater than they had at first realized that they more than doubled the size that they at first intended. In his enthusiasm, Whitefield also determined to take charge of the orphans immediately, before the foun- dation of his new structure was laid. To accomplish this new purpose, it was necessary for him to lease a large house at a high rental; and in this he accommodated about twenty- four of the most needy. The school was not confined to those who were residents of the home; indeed it was open to all the children of the province whether orphans or not. No charge was made to any orphans, and the poorer parents were allowed to send their children free; but those who were able to pay tuition were charged a reasonable rate.
On March 25, 1740, Whitefield began the erection of the buildings for his educational plant. He himself laid the first brick of the main building, and he named the institution "Bethesda" or "House of Mercy." The expenses of carry- 30 B. T., Ga., XXI: Whitefield to Verelst, Jan. 28, 1740.
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Georgia as a Proprietary Province
ing on the task were greater than had been estimated, for workmen had to be brought from other colonies to do some of the work and the cost of materials was also greater than in some of the more settled portions of the country. To meet the increased expenditures, Whitefield found it neces- sary to canvass the colonies in America. Accompanied by two of his most faithful assistants, he went northward meet- ing with favorable receptions everywhere and collecting about £500 for his work. The principal part of this sum was collected in Pennsylvania, where Whitefield was plan- ning to start a school for negroes.31 This sum was not sufficient to continue the building satisfactorily, and he de- termined to make a trip through New England for further collections ; but it was necessary to plan for the conduct of the institution in his absence before he should be away longer.32
While in England during 1738-1739, Whitefield had not given his time exclusively to the collecting of money. He had also been busy in seeking for men who could help in the teaching at Bethesda and in helping to manage the institu- tion. One of the most promising associates secured was William Seward who had been a stock broker in London and who had accumulated a fortune of some £7,000. He ac- companied Whitefield to Georgia and entered heartily into the work.33 Another assistant secured was a Mr. Simms who was both a teacher and an assistant in religious work. Still another was a Mr. Peryam who had been bred a lawyer but who joined the orphanage group as an instructor in the school.34
On the expedition to Pennsylvania, both Habersham and Seward accompanied Whitefield, leaving the institution in
3 C. R. V: 375; C. R. IV: 546. 33 C. R. V: 402.
"C. R. IV: 588-589. C. R. IV: 549.
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the hands of the younger men. This was not regarded by those interested as a safe thing to do; and it was now ar- ranged that Habersham would have permanent charge of the teaching and building at the orphanage, that Seward should go to England to interest others in the enterprise and if possible secure another good man to assist Habersham, and that Whitefield himself should give his time for the present to field work in behalf of the cause.35
On August 19, 1740, Whitefield left for Boston to begin a canvass in New England. Again he was very successful in arousing interest and collecting money; and he brought back to Georgia either in money or in provisions about £700. In the meantime, the mission of Seward to England had been a failure. While preaching the new Methodist doctrine in Gloucestershire, he was wounded in the head by a stone thrown by one of his hearers; and he died as a result.36 His death was a serious loss to the orphanage. He left no money to the institution, and it was cut off from the financial help which he had been giving. Besides, there was no one left to represent the cause in England; and it necessitated Whitefield's going there in person. Seward had not gotten in England the workers he sought to help in the management of the orphanage, but Whitefield brought back with him from New England a Presbyterian minister, Rev. Jonathan Barber, to help in the conduct of the work. When he left for England on December 30, 1740, he left the business man- agement of the home and plantation to Habersham and the spiritual guidance to Barber.37
In the meantime, the number of those receiving the bene-
35 B. T., Ga., XXI: Whitefield to Trustees, May 19, 1740; C. R. V: 357-358.
36 C. R. V: 402.
" C. R. IV Supplement: 52, 64, 116.
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fits of the enterprise had greatly increased. By March, 1740, the number of orphans had reached forty; and the whole number of children, officers, servants, and laborers exceeded a hundred persons. As summer came on and the work on the buildings could progress more rapidly, the whole number in the orphanage family were about one hundred and fifty. By the close of 1741, the number of orphans had increased to sixty-eight, the high water mark of the insti- tution under the proprietary control of the province ; and the number of officers and employees was still large. During the year 1741 a young gentleman of Boston visited the orphan house, and he wrote a description of the management: "The bell rings in the morning at sunrise to wake the family. When the children arise, they sing a short hymn, pray by themselves, go down to wash; and, by the time they have done that, the bell calls to public worship, when a portion of Scripture is read and expounded, a psalm sung, and the exercises begin and end with a prayer. Then they break- fast, and afterwards some go to the trades, and the rest to their prayers and school. At noon they all dine in the same room, and have comfortable and wholesome diet pro- vided. A hymn is sung before and after dinner. Then, in about half an hour, to school again; and between whiles find time enough for recreation. A little after sunset, the bell calls to public duty again, which is performed in the same manner as in the morning. After that they sup, and are attended to bed by one of their masters, who then prays with them, as they often do privately." 38 Some of the Trustees were not at all pleased with this program; they felt that there was entirely too much praying and singing and too little recreation. The discipline also seemed to then
" Quoted from Whitefield's Work by Stevens I: 352-353.
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too strict.39
In the colony, too, there were complaints of the severity of the managers, especially Mr. Barber, in dealing with the children under their care. In one case, the complaints were so bitter that Barber was summoned under warrant to ap- pear before the magistrates in Savannah to answer for cruelty. He did not deny resorting to somewhat stringent measures to keep order among the boys at the orphanage, but he claimed that the discipline did not amount to cruelty and that the Trustees had given disciplinary authority to the managers of the institution. He was not punished, but he was warned that the magistrates would in the future inspect the orphan house and see that there were no further abuses.40
The orphanage was making a successful start, and the plantation on which it was located was being rapidly devel- oped, when all progress was stopped by the Spanish inva- sion of the colony in 1742. The orphan house was located on the water at some distance from the Savannah settlement and from any fort or protection of any kind. The inhab- itants became greatly alarmed; and Habersham determined that it was best to move all the children to the estate of Mr. Hugh Bryan in South Carolina. The step was criticised by many as indicating a lack of faith on the part of Haber- sham and Barber and their associates; but under all the circumstances it was perhaps a wise precautionary measure, though later events proved that they would have been per- fectly safe if they had remained on their own plantation.+1 After the Spanish had been repulsed, the work of the insti- tution was renewed; but it never prospered again as it had done prior to this interruption.
.
3º C. R. V: 359.
" C. R. VI: 41.
"C. R. IV Supplement: 167-168.
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In 1742 the newly appointed pastor of Savannah, Thomas Bosomworth, wrote to the Trustees a long and bitter de- nunciation of the methods employed by the teachers of the orphan school. He claimed that this institution did not properly care for either the bodies or the souls of its stu- dents, and that it neglected to teach them trades. He asserted that there were in the home only fourteen orphans from Georgia and that the others were gathered from all parts of the world. He accused the teachers of abusing all the ministers of the Church of England and of instilling into the minds of the children prejudices against sound doctrines. He declared that they encouraged laziness by teaching the youths under them to spend too much time in prayer and meditation instead of engaging more in good works. Bosom- worth also thought that the Dissenter principles taught at the orphan house would be very dangerous if generally ac- cepted in Georgia.42
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