第 7 节
作者:一半儿      更新:2021-02-20 18:38      字数:9322
  The Moravians in Georgia
  letters   of   introduction   to   friends   in   England   and   in America;   and   others
  contributed       toward     the   necessary      expenses     of   the   emigrants。      From
  Rotterdam he wrote to Zinzendorf; saying that he heard no ship would sail
  for America   before   February  or   March;   and   that   he   thought   it   would   be
  best   for   the   colonists   to   wait   until   he   wrote   from   London;   and   then   to
  come by way of Altona; as the Holland route was very expensive。 These
  suggestions; however; came too late; as the party had left Herrnhut before
  the arrival of his letter。
  Spangenberg         had   a   stormy    voyage     to   England;     and    on   reaching
  London; rented a room in 〃Mr。 Barlow's Coffee House; in Wattling's street;
  near St。 Anthelius Church。〃He found the outlook rather discouraging; and
  a  long   letter  written on the  10th   of  January;  gives   a  vivid   picture  of  the
  English      mind    regarding     the   〃Herrnhuters〃。Spangenberg            had   called    on
  several merchants to see if he could arrange a loan for the Moravians; for
  Zinzendorf's   means   were   already  strained   to the   utmost   by  what   he   was
  doing for the Church; and he did not see how it was possible to provide the
  money   in   any   other   way。But   the   merchants   declined   to   make   the   loan;
  saying:〃We can not take the land (in Georgia) as surety; for it is not yet
  settled; and no man would give us a doit for it; the personal security (of
  the emigrants) is also not sufficient; for they might all die on the sea or in
  Georgia;  there is danger of it; for the land is warmer than Europeans can
  bear; and   many  who   have moved thither   have died; if they  settle   on the
  land and then die the land reverts to the Trustees; so we would lose all; and
  the six per cent interest   offered is not enough;  for   the money  applied   to
  business would yield twenty per cent。
  Others   objected   to   having   the   Moravians   go   at   all;   especially   Court
  Preacher      Ziegenhagen;        who    belonged      to   the   Halle    party;   and    who;
  Spangenberg found; had much influence on account of his good judgment
  and    spotless    character。They       claimed:(1)     That    the   Moravians      were    not
  oppressed in Saxony; and had no good reason for wishing to leave; (2) that
  to say they wished to be near the heathen was only an excuse; for Georgia
  had nothing to do with the West Indies where they had a mission; (3) the
  Moravians   could   not   bear   the   expense;   and   neither   the   Trustees   nor   the
  Society for the Propagation of Christian Knowledge would help them; (4)
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  The Moravians in Georgia
  they could neither speak nor understand English; and would therefore be
  unable to support themselves in an English colony; (5) their going would
  create    confusion;     for   Herr    Bolzius;    the  pastor    of  the   Salzburgers      at
  Ebenezer; had written to beg that they should not be allowed to come; (6)
  if   they   went   it   would   involve   England   in   trouble   with   Saxony;   and   the
  Georgia   Colony   was   not   meant   to   take   other   rulers'   subjects   away   from
  them; only to furnish an asylum for exiles; and poor Englishmen; (7) the
  Moravians       could    not  remain     subject   to  Zinzendorf;      for  they   must    all
  become naturalized Englishmen; (8) the suggestion that Zinzendorf's land
  could     be   cultivated    by   the  heathen     was   absurd;    for  slavery    was    not
  permitted in Georgia and the Moravians could not afford to hire them; (9)
  ten or fifteen men; as were said to be on the way; would never be able to
  make   headway   in   settling   the   forest;   a   task   which   had   been   almost   too
  much for the large company of Salzburgers。
  Some   of   these   statements   dealt   with   facts;   about   which   the   critics
  might have acquired better information; had they so desired; others were
  prophecies of which only the years to come could prove or disprove the
  truth; others again touched difficulties which were even then confronting
  Count   Zinzendorf's   agent;   but   in   the   light   of   contemporary  writings   and
  later developments; it is possible to glance at each point and see in how far
  the    Halle   party   were    justified   in  their  argument。(1)      The    treatment    in
  Saxony; while not as yet a persecution which threatened them with torture
  and    death;    had   many     unpleasant     features;    and   the   constant    agitation
  against them  might at any time crystalize into harsh measures; for   those
  members of the Herrnhut community who had left friends and relatives in
  the homelands of Bohemia and Moravia were already forbidden to invite
  them   to   follow;   or   even   to   receive   them   if   they   came   unasked   seeking
  religious   freedom。   (2)   There   was   no   idea   of   associating   the   missions   in
  Georgia and the West Indies; for the heathen whom they wished to reach
  by this new settlement were the Creek and Cherokee Indians with whom
  Governor Oglethorpe had already established pleasant relations; bringing
  several   of   their   chiefs   to   England;   and   sending   them   home   filled   with
  admiration for all they had seen; much impressed by the kindness shown
  them; and willing to meet any efforts that might be made to teach them。 (3)
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  The money question was a vital one; and it was principally to solve that
  that Spangenberg had come to England; where with Oglethorpe's help he
  later succeeded in securing the desired loan。(4) That they could speak little
  English      was    also   a   real   difficulty;    Spangenberg        used    Latin    in  his
  conferences   with   the   educated   men   he   met   in   London;  but   that   medium
  was     useless    in  Georgia;     and   while    the  Moravians       learned    English    as
  rapidly   as   they   could;   and   proved   their   capability   for   self…support;   the
  failure    to   fully   understand     or   be   understood      by   their   neighbors     was
  responsible   for   many   of   the   trials   that   were   awaiting   them   in   the   New
  World。(5) The protest of Bolzius was only a part of the general Salzburger
  opposition;  and   to   avoid   friction   in   Georgia;  Zinzendorf had   particularly
  recommended that the Moravians settle in a village apart by themselves;
  where      they   could    〃lead   godly    lives;   patterned     after  the   writings    and
  customs of the apostles;〃 without giving offense to any; and he promised;
  for the same reason; that as soon as they were established he would send
  them      a   regularly     ordained      minister;    although      laymen      were     doing
  missionary       work    in  other    fields。(6)   In   order   to   avoid   any    danger    of
  creating      trouble    between      the   Governments;         the   Moravian       colonists
  carefully said nothing in London regarding their difficulties in Saxony; or
  the   persecutions   in   Bohemia   and   Moravia;   and   instead   of   proclaiming
  themselves exiles for the Faith as they might have done with perfect truth;
  they   appeared      simply     as  Count     Zinzendorf's     servants;    sent   by   him    to
  cultivate the five hundred acres about to be given to him; and by his orders
  to preach to the Indians。(7) A change of nationality would not affect the
  relation   between   Zinzendorf   and   his   colonists;   for   their   position   as   his
  dependents        in  Germany       was    purely    voluntary;     such    service    as   they
  rendered   was   freely   given   in   exchange   for   his   legal   protection;   and   his
  supremacy        in  Church     affairs   then   and   later   was    a  recognition     of  the
  personal character of the man; not a yielding of submission to the Count。(8)
  That the Indians could not be employed on Zinzendorf's estate was quite
  true;   not   so   much   on   account   of   the   law   against   slavery;   for   the   Count
  intended nothing of that kind; but their character and wild habits rendered
  them   incapable   of   becoming   good   farmers;   as   the American   Nation   has
  learned   through   many   years   of   effort   and   failure。(9)   Whether   the   ten   or
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  The Moravians in Georgia
  fifteen   men;   reinforced   by   those   who   foll