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CHAPTER XXV.
THE REV. GEORGE WHITFFIELD. - HON. JAMES HABERSHAM. - BETHESDA ORPHAN HOUSE. - WHITEFIELD'S EXERTIONS IN ITS BEHALF. - AN- ECDOTE OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, - PLAN TO CONVERT THE ORPHAN HOUSE INTO A SEMINARY OF LEARNING. - WHITEFIELD'S MEMORIAL. - . ADDRESS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. - GOVERNOR WRIGHT'S RESPONSE. -BARTRAM'S DESCRIPTION OF BETHESDA. - FATE OF THIS ELEEMOSY- NARY SCHEME.
AMONG the prominent names associated with the colonial his- tory of Georgia few, if any, are more widely known than that of the Rev. George Whitefield. Among the charitable schemes de- vised for the support and the education of the penniless and be- reaved children of the province, none acquired a more permanent reputation or served a more valuable purpose than the Bethesda Orphan House. Natural and most fitting was it that the benef- icent capabilities of a plantation, itself the offspring of benevo- Ience, should have enlisted the sympathies and secured the cooperative labors of a noted philanthropist. Since the days of Luther and Calvin no one has appeared better qualified than Whitefield to bear messages of mercy to suffering humanity. None more eloquent in utterance, or powerful in commending his convictions to the apprehension of the thousands who flocked to hear him, has attracted the attention of English-speaking peoples.
Above medium stature, slender, finely formed, graceful in every movement, of fair complexion and regular features, with dark blue eyes lively and expressive, possessing a voice excelling alike in melody and compass, - its modulations accompanied by gestures most appropriate and impressive, - with an intellect quick and strong, a memory very retentive, and a courageous de- portment which evinced no fear in the discharge of duty : such is the pen-portrait of the Fellow of Pembroke College, the chosen companion of the Wesleys and of Ingham, and one of the Oxford club of fifteen, the originators and first champions of Methodism.
To him, a young clergyman in London, earnestly laboring and yet " waiting to see what Providence would point out," came letters from John Wesley written from Savannah. " Only Mr.
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Delamotte is with me till God shall stir up the hearts of some of His Servants who, putting their lives in His hands, shall come over and help us where the harvest is so great and the laborers are so few. What if thou art the man, Mr. Whitefield ? Do you ask me what you shall have? Food to eat and raiment to put on ; a house to lay your head in such as your Lord had not, and a crown of glory that fadeth not away." Upon reading these lines his heart leaped within him and echoed to the call. Neither the tears of an aged mother nor the hope of preferment at home swerved him from his purpose. Accepted by Oglethorpe and the trustees, he embarked for Georgia in December, 1737. The ship which bore him and his companion, the Hon. James Habersham, one of the sweetest, purest, most useful, and noblest characters in the long line of colonial worthies, touched at Gib- raltar to take in a detachment of troops for the province. And now the vessel proceeded on her voyage filled with soldiers caring little for spiritual things.
Colonel Cochrane, the commanding officer, and Captain Mac- kay were polite to the missionary and afforded him every oppor- tunity for preaching and holding religious conferences. Incessant were his ministrations and eloquent his discourses. Before the ship reached Charlestown, swearing had well-nigh ceased, cards were exchanged for Bibles, oaths were supplanted by prayers, and the great cabin had been converted into a bethel.
Arriving in Savannah he was, in the absence of Mr. John Wesley, entertained at the parsonage by Mr. Delamotte, the school-master.
Prior to his departure from London the idea of founding an orphan house in Georgia had been suggested to Mr. Whitefield by the Rev. Charles Wesley. Upon an inspection of the condi- tion of the colony becoming firmly convinced of the necessity for and the utility of such an institution, he resolved at once and in earnest to compass its foundation. Reflecting upon the laws which denied to the colonists the use of rum and negro slaves and declined to invest them with a fee simple title to land, lie expressed the opinion that while such regulations were well meant at home and were designed to promote the good order and integrity of the plantation, they were incapable of enforcement in so hot a country. To locate people in Georgia on such a foot- ing, he declared, was little better than tying their legs and bid- ding them walk. Thus early was he persuaded that one of the chief causes which retarded the development of the colony was
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the prohibition placed upon the introduction of negro labor. That restraint he sought to remove, and, at a later period, was largely instrumental in securing such a modification of existing laws that the employment and ownership of African slaves were allowed within the province. The experience of Wesley and Ingham taught him there was small hope of converting the In- dians. With the discharge of the priestly duties which devolved upon a clergyman in Savannah he was not content. A visit to the Salzburgers' orphan house at Ebenezer, a short sojourn at Frederica and at Darien, and a personal acquaintance with the resources of the colony convinced him that aid for the erection and support of his contemplated orphan house must come from abroad. He therefore sailed for London on the 6th of Septem- ber, 1738.
Upon unfolding his project to the trustees, they were pleased to grant five hundred acres of land in Georgia as a home for his purposed institution. Funds were needed for the erection of buildings, and Whitefield went abroad in the land to solicit them. Although many churches were closed against him, in imitation of his Divine Master, " who had a mountain for His pulpit and the Heavens for a sounding board," he commenced preaching in the fields. So wonderful were these open-air min- istrations, so eloquent was he in utterance, and so powerful in thought and argument, that multitudes flocked to hear him. His audiences not infrequently numbered twenty thousand. Their singing could be heard for two miles, and his magnificent voice often reached nearly half that distance. Lord Chesterfield said of him, "He is the greatest orator I ever heard, and I cannot conceive of a greater." From the common people who came to listen to him at Moorfields, Kennington Common, Blackheath, and elsewhere, he collected for his orphan house more than £1,000. The willingness with which his bearers gave, and the prayers they offered when throwing in their mites, were very en- couraging to him.
Accompanied by a family of eight men, one boy, two children, and his friend Mr. Seward, he sailed for America on the 14th of August, 1739. His fame had preceded him. Upon his landing in Philadelphia invitations to preach were extended in all direc- tions. So occupiel was he in responding to them that he did not reach Savannah until the 11th of January, 1740.
Previous to his arrival, his friend Mr. Habersham had located the grant of five hundred acres about ten miles from Savannah,
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and had begun to clear and stock the land. Meanwhile, such or- phans as he had collected were entertained and instructed in a house hired for that purpose. Years afterwards, in reviewing his conduct in connection with the inception of the institution, Mr. Whitefield remarked : "Had I proceeded according to the rules of prudence I should have first cleared the land, built the house, and then taken in the orphans ; but I found their condi- tion so pitiable and the inhabitants so poor, that I immediately opened an infirmary, hired a large house at a great rent, and took in, at different times, twenty-four orphans. To all this I was encouraged by the example of Professor Franck. But I for- got to recollect that Professor Franck built in Glaucha, in a pop- ulous country, and that I was building in the very tail of the world, where I could not expect the least supply, and which the badness of its constitution, which every day I expected would be altered, rendered by far the most expensive part of his Majesty's dominions. But had I received more and ventured less, I should have suffered less, and others more."
The first collection made in America in aid of the orphan house was at the church of the Rev. Mr. Smith, in Charlestown, early in March, 1740. Mr. Whitefield was on a vist to that place, having gone there to meet his brother, who was a ship-captain. "He was invited to deliver a public address in behalf of his Georgia or- phans, and the contribution amounted to £70. On the 25th of that month, with his own hand he " laid the first brick of the great house which he called Bethesda, i. e. house of mercy." At this time the orphans under his charge numbered forty. Besides them, there were about sixty servants and workmen to be paid and fed. Having but little to his credit in bank, he again de- parted to influence subscriptions of money and provisions. By the 5th of June he was welcomed in Savannah, bringing for Be- thesda money and supplies valued at more than £500. His fam- ily, as he termed them, now numbered one hundred and fifty, and their subsistence and compensation depended entirely upon his exertions. He could take no rest, and in a little while was off for Charlestown on his way to the populous Northern provinces. While in this town the Rev. Alexander Garden, a man of learn- ing and an Episcopal elergyman, took occasion to denounce Whitefield for what he termed his wild doctrines and irregular manner of life. To keep his flock from straying after this mi- gratory and brilliant shepherd, Mr. Garden discoursed from the passage, " Those that have turned the world upside down are
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come hither also." In his reply, which was delivered with abundant wit and humor, Whitefield selected as his text, " Alex- ander the coppersmith hath done me much evil; the Lord re- ward him according to his works." " In short," says the Rev. Mr. Hewitt, " the pulpit was perverted by both into the mean purposes of spite and malevolence, and every one, catching a share of the infection, spoke of the clergymen as they were dif- ferently affected."1 Whitefield carried the day in the popular esteem, and made a clever collection, too.
The rest of the year was consumed in preaching in the North- ern provinces, whence he returned to the orphan house on the 14th of December, having, during his absence, delivered one hundred and seventy-five discourses in public, and secured " up- wards of seven hundred pounds sterling in goods, provisions, and money for the Georgia Orphans." Having spent a happy Christ- mas with his charge, committing the management of the tempo- ral affairs to Mr. Habersham, and leaving Mr. Jonathan Barber as superintendent of spiritual concerns at Bethesda, he departed, early in January, 1741, for England.
With the dispute which about this time waxed warm between Whitefield and John Wesley, wherein the former declared him- self a Calvinist and the latter an Arminian, we have no present concern. Debts to the amount of £1,000 were outstanding against Whitefield. They had been incurred in the construction of buildings at Bethesda, in clearing lands, in the employment of servants, and in the support of orphans. He " had not £20 in the world." Many of his white servants deserted to South Carolina, and the trustees would not permit him to bring in slave labor for the cultivation of his plantation. Sore perplexed, yet not despairing, his appeals for aid were more potent than ever. Seward, the wealthiest and the most devoted of his disci- ples, was dead. In dying he left no legacy to Bethesda. To add to Whitefield's distresses, he was threatened with arrest. " Many, very many of my spiritual children who, at my last de- parture for England, would have plucked out their own eyes for me, are so prejudiced by the dear Messrs. Wesleys dressing up the doctrine of election in such horrible colors that they will neither hear, see, nor give me the least assistance ; yea, some of them send threatening letters that God will speedily destroy me." These are his own words. He appealed to Scotland, to
1 Ilistorical Account of the Rise and lina and Georgia, vol. ii. p. 167. London. Progress of the Colonies of South Caro- MDCCLXXIX.
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England, to America, to the Bermudas, to Ireland, and they all contributed at the hands of the common people. In 1747 he purchased a plantation of six hundred and forty acres of excel- lent land in South Carolina, and placed several negro slaves upon it. The profits and products of this investment were applied to the support of the orphan asylum at Bethesda.
The next year he advises the trustees that, although he had expended more than five thousand pounds upon Bethesda, very little progress had been made in clearing and cultivating the lands appurtenant to it. This he attributes to the inefficiency of white labor, and confidently asserts that if he had been allowed the use of negroes the plantation would long since have been self-supporting. Alluding to his interests in Carolina, he contin- ues : " Blessed be God, this plantation has succeeded; and though at present I have only eight working hands, yet, in all probability, there will be more raised in one year, and with a quarter the expense, than has been produced at Bethesda for several years last past. This confirms me in the opinion I have entertained for a long time that Georgia never can or will be a flourishing province without negroes are allowed."
While Mr. Habersham attended to the disbursement of the sums remitted, and administered the temporal affairs of the set- tlement, the entire burthen of Bethesda's support rested upon Mr. Whitefield's shoulders. The routine of duties observed by the orphans is thus described by an eye-witness : " 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 pub- lic worship, when a portion of Scripture is read and expounded, a psalm sung, and the exercises begin and end with prayer. They then breakfast, and afterwards some go to their trades and the rest to their prayers and schools. At noon they all dine in the same room, and have comfortable and wholesome diet provided. A hymn is sung before and after dinner. Then, in about half an hour, to school again; and between whiles they 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."
That this orphan house, in the face of many disappointments connected with its advancement to the stage of usefulness and
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prosperity anticipated and predicted for it, was an institution of great benefit to the colony, and that its sheltering arms minis- tered to the comfort of many homeless orphans and pointed the way to future industry, respectability, and independence, cannot be questioned. True it is that several persons who exercised a controlling influence over Georgia affairs during the last quarter of the eighteenth century were wards of this charity.1
Mr. Whitefield's energy surpassed his prudence. In his enthu- siasm he lost sight of his better judgment. Thus, so eager was he to complete the construction of his orphan house that he engaged the services of all the brick-layers and sawyers and of most of the carpenters in Georgia, when he was not in funds to pay for their labor, and when a smaller number might have been em- ployed to greater advantage. His zeal was so great that he col- lected orphans long before his premises were ready for occupation, in the mean time engaging David Douglass' house, at an exorbi- tant rent, for their reception. So eager was he to multiply the objects of charity under his charge that he, on more than one occasion, undertook to transfer to Bethesda lads of considerable age who were already employed in satisfactory positions. Charg- ing the Rev. Mr. Norris with preaching false doctrines and setting the Charlestonians by the ears, he was not always him- self acceptable in the presentation of his religious views. Hear what Colonel Stephens says: " The service of the Day was per- formed again by Mr. Whitefield who, since his return this Time, thought fit to make Use of the Surplice again that had for some Time before been laid aside by him. The main Drift of his Ser- mons, Morning and Afternoon, was to maintain the Doctrine of a peculiar Election of such as were predestinated to be saved, condemning utterly an universal Redemption by Christ's Blood ; which terrible Doctrine was shocking to all such as by a sincere Repentance and true Faith in Christ hoped for Salvation thro' His Mediation."
Of Mr. Whitefield's persuasive oratory and magnetic influence we can cite no illustration more apt than that furnished by the calm, calculating utilitarian, Benjamin Franklin. Multitudes were then flocking to hear him preach in Philadelphia. " It was wonderful to see the change soon made in the manners of our inhabitants. From being thoughtless or indifferent about relig- ion, it seemed as if all the world were growing religious so that one could not walk through the town in an evening without hear-
1 Among them may be mentioned Milledge, Ewen, and Langworthy.
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ing psalms sung in different families of every street." The sight of many helpless children unprovided for "inspired the benevo- . lent heart of Mr. Whitefield with the idea of building an Orphan House in Georgia in which they might be supported and edu- cated. Returning northward he preached up this charity and made large collections, for his eloquence had a wonderful power over the hearts and purses of his hearers of which I, myself, was an instance.
"I did not disapprove of the design, but as Georgia was then destitute of materials and workmen, and it was proposed to send them from Philadelphia, at a great expense, I thought it would have been better to have built the house at Philadelphia and brought the children to it. This I advised ; but he was resolute in his first project, rejected my counsel, and I therefore refused to contribute. I happened soon after to attend one of his ser- mons, in the course of which I perceived he intended to finish with a collection, and I silently resolved he should get nothing from me. I had in my pocket a handful of copper money, three or four silver dollars, and five pistoles in gold. As he proceeded I began to soften and concluded to give the copper. Another stroke of his oratory made me ashamed of that, and determined me to give the silver ; and he finished so admirably that I emptied my pocket wholly into the collector's dish, gold and all. At this sermon there was also one of our club who, being of my sen- timents respecting the building in Georgia, and suspecting a collection migut be intended, had, by precaution, emptied his pockets before he came from home. Toward the conclusion of the discourse, however, he felt a strong inclination to give, and ap- plied to a neighbor, who stood near him, to lend him some money for the purpose. The request was fortunately made to perhaps the only man in the company who had the firmness not to be affected by the preacher. His answer was, 'At any other time, Friend Hopkinson, I would lend to thee freely ; but not now, for thee seems to be out of thy right senses.' "
Dr. Franklin in alluding to the suggestion of Mr. Whitefield's enemies that he applied these collections to his private uses con- tinnes : "I who was intimately acquainted with him, being em- ployed in printing his Sermons and Journals, never had the least suspicion of his integrity, but am to this day decidedly of opinion that he was in all his conduct a perfectly honest man ; and me- thinks my testimony in his favor ought to have the more weight as we had no religious connection. He used indeed, sometimes
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to pray for my conversion, but never had the satisfaction of be- lieving that his prayers were heard. Ours was a mere civil friendship, sincere on both sides, and lasted to his death." 1
Conceiving the design of converting the Bethesda Orphan House into " a seminary of literature and academical learning," Mr. Whitefield, on the 18th of December, 1764, submitted to his excellency James Wright, Esq., "Captain General and Governor in Chief of his Majesty's Province in Georgia," and to "the members of his Majesty's Council in the said Province," the fol- lowing memorial : -
"That about twenty-five years ago your Memorialist, assisted by the voluntary contributions of charitable and well-disposed persons, at a very great expence, and under many disadvantages did erect a commodious house with necessary out-buildings, suit- able for the reception of orphans and other poor and deserted children ; and that with the repair of the buildings, purchase of negroes, and supporting a large orphan family for so many years, he hath expended upwards of twelve thousand pounds sterling as appears by the accounts which have from time to time been audited by the magistrates of Savannah.
" That your Memorialist, since the commencement of this in- stitution, hath had the satisfaction of finding that by the money expended thereon, not only many poor families were assisted and thereby kept from leaving the colony in its infant state, but also that a considerable number of poor helpless children have been trained up who have been and now are useful settlers in this and the other neighbouring provinces.
" That in order to render the institution aforesaid more ex- tensively useful, your Memorialist, as he perceived the Colony gradually increasing, hath, for some years past, designed within himself to improve the original plan by making further provision for the education of persons of superior rank who thereby might be qualified to serve their king, their country, or their God either in Church or State. That he doth with inexpressible pleasure see the present very flourishing state of the Province ; but with concern perceives that several gentlemen have been obliged to send their sons to the northern provinces, who would much rather have had them educated nearer home, and thereby prevent their affections being alienated from their native country, and also considerable sums of money from being carried out of this into other provinces.
1 Benjamin Franklin : his Autobiography, etc., p. 166. New York : Harper & Brothers.
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" Your Memorialist further observes that there is no Seminary for Academical Studies as yet founded southward of Virginia; and consequently if a college could be established here (espe- cially as the last addition of the two Floridas renders Georgia more centrical for the southern district) it would not only be highly serviceable to the rising generation of this colony, but would probably occasion many youths to be sent from the British West India Islands and other parts. The many advantages accruing thereby to this province must be very considerable.
" From these considerations your Memorialist is induced to believe that the time is now approaching when his long expected design for further serving this his beloved Colony shall be carried into execution.
"That a considerable sum of money is intended specially to be laid out in purchasing a large number of negroes for the further cultivation of the present Orphan House and other additional lands, and for the future support of a worthy, able president, professors, and tutors, and other good purposes intended.
" Your Memorialist therefore prays your Excellency and Hon- ours to grant him in trust for the purposes aforesaid two thou- sand acres of land on the north fork of Turtle River, called the Lesser Swamp, if vacant, or where lands may be found vacant south of the river Alatamaha."
Both Houses of Assembly, being then in session in Savan- nab, promptly considered the memorial, and on the second day after its receipt united in the following address to Governor Wright : -
" May it please your Excellency.
" We, his Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Coun- cil and Commons House of Assembly of Georgia in General As- sembly met, beg leave to acquaint your Excellency that with the highest satisfaction we learn that the Rev. Mr. George Whitefield has applied for lands in order to the endowment of a College in this Province. The many and singular obligations Georgia has continually laid under to that Reverend Gentleman, from its very infant state, would in gratitude induce us, by every means in our power, to promote any measure he might recommend : but in the present instance, where the interest of the Province, the advance- ment of Religion, and the pleasing prospect of obtaining proper education for our youth so clearly coincide with his views, we cannot in justice but request your Excellency to use your utmost endeavours to promote so desirable an event, and to transmit
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