EPHRATA
That we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness
and honesty.
--New Testament.
In this wise Sonnlein and I came to Ephrata, the "fruitful," or like
Bethlehem of Judea, the "House of Bread," and in this beautiful,
peaceful camp, whose narrow domains embraced the rich, green meadows
along the northern banks of the gentle Cocalico and the higher ground,
named by us Mount Sinai, rising from the meadows, Sonnlein and I were
destined to learn, after the long lapse of years, the mystery of his
coming to me. Surely, then, I may look for forgiveness if at times I
delay my story to tell somewhat of the manner of our life with the rest
of the Solitary in this little forest-hidden corner of our large world.
When our little party arrived at Ephrata, we received a grave but none
the less soul-satisfying welcome; but as the Solitary always had great
regard for the value of time, we new-comers, without waiting to be bid,
at once added our labors toward the completion of Kedar, which though by
now was under roof, was unprepared for its sacred purposes.
I fear no contradiction when I state that this structure was different
from anything then to be found in the New World. As in the building of
our cabins, there was no iron whatever used in the construction of
Kedar. The material used was the timber we cut from the trees in the
forest about us. The spaces between the framework and the floor joists
were filled with wet clay from the banks of the Cocalico and cut grass
from the meadow, the sides then being coated with a thin layer of lime
prepared from the rocks near by. This filling was a peculiarity also of
all our large later structures and had the advantage that it made the
house warm in winter and cool in summer, and what was also exceedingly
desirable, this filling was impervious to vermin. Incredible as it may
seem, even our fireplaces and chimneys were built of wood and lined with
this mixture.
In height, Kedar was of three stories, of which the chief one was in the
middle. This contained the _Saal_, or meeting room, as well as the
rooms necessary for holding the _agapae_, or love feasts. The first
story, or ground floor, was divided off into small rooms or cells called
_Kammern_, for the Solitary. These cells were so exceedingly small that
the Solitary had barely room to turn about though there was but one
Solitary to each _Kammer_. The white walls, in their symbolism of
heavenly purity, were utterly bare of ornament. There were no paintings
or pictures, magnificent or otherwise; in their stead the occupant of
his narrow cell had but to look out of the only window, glass and small,
and soothe his longing by gazing on a most glorious picture of rich
meadow, sparkling stream, waving forests, dim, distant mountains, and
blue sky above, all painted and framed for us by Infinite power and
love. The only furniture was the hard, narrow, wooden bench that ran at
a right angle along the length and the adjacent width, and on these
religiously uncomfortable beds, with their flesh-mortifying wooden
blocks for pillows, the Solitary, after their daily toil, could sleep,
unvexed by troublesome consciences, with such peace and refreshing as
many a king in all his idle luxury might well envy. The only mitigation
against the chilling winter was our daily dress and the heat that
sometimes drifted in to us from the fire-place in the little hall at the
end of the narrow corridors leading into the _Kammern_.
The uppermost story of Kedar was given to the spiritual virgins who had
pledged themselves to a communal life. Shortly after, the ground floor
was handed over to the strictest of the single Brethren for a similar
purpose, these being Brothers Wohlforth, Meyle, Just, and Theonis, while
two of the Eckerlings, Israel and Gabriel, as well as Brother
Kalckgläser and Sonnlein and myself, as being the most important in the
community, outside of Brother Beissel, who occupied his little cabin in
the meadow, were quartered in the _Berghaus_.
Even before Kedar was wholly finished, _Nachtmetten_, or night meetings,
were instituted by the Solitary. These were religious meetings held
every midnight; for it was at that hour the great Judge was expected to
come. At first they lasted four hours from midnight, but as this allowed
so little time for necessary rest, two hours were held sufficient. It
was arranged that the Brethren should hold their devotions first at
these night meetings and after they had filed out of the _Saal_ the
Sisters would enter for their hour of prayer; but this was soon changed
so that the midnight prayers were held jointly. This arrangement soon
gave rise to such gossip and scandal among the enemies of our community
that Brother Beissel exhorted the Brothers and Sisters to pray earnestly
that these evil-minded ones might still their tongues; but though we
prayed earnestly and in all faith these gossiping tongues were
something even prayer and faith could not stop and so after these joint
meetings had continued a few months our good Brother Sigmund Landert
proposed to Brother Beissel that Kedar should be kept exclusively as a
Sister House, in which event Brother Landert promised he would out of
the wealth God had vouchsafed him, build a house adjoining Kedar, the
new structure to be used exclusively for assembly purposes, provided,
however, that he and his two daughters be received into the settlement.
Though Brother Beissel objected at first, matters so arranged themselves
finally that through the generosity and devotion of Brother Landert and
another Brother, Hermann Zinn, a large edifice was constructed on the
hillside, the _Bethaus_, House of Prayer. Besides the large _Saal_ for
joint meetings and public worship there were ample room for the love
feasts, and at the time of the completion of the _Bethaus_ the _Saal_
was the largest and most imposing room for public worship in the
province. At one end, toward the east of the _Saal_, was a raised
platform for the gray-bearded fathers, while on either side of the
length of the _Saal_ ran the _Por-kirchen_, or galleries for the
Solitary, the Brothers sitting on one side and the Sisters on the other.
The body, or main floor of the _Saal_, was for the secular members, or
householders, as we called them; for be it known our community was not
composed entirely of Brothers and Sisters pledged to lives of celibacy,
but in addition to these we had a large number of members from the
country round about us, husbands and wives and their children, who
believed as we did, that the Seventh Day was the true Lord's Day, and
who differed from us in belief in this only that they practised not
celibacy.
The _Bethaus_, like Kedar, was built entirely of wood, and clay and
grass for the filling, the walls inside being made snowy white with
lime, the only decoration being a number of proverbs and sentences of
Scripture written in ornamental German characters, in script, known as
_Fracturschrift_, which became famous far and wide for its beauty, and
even now, after the passage of over half a century, these proverbs and
sentences remain on the walls of our meeting-houses as clear and
beautiful as the day they were first written.
Upon the completion of the _Bethaus_, the Brethren who had been
quartered on the ground floor of Kedar were again relegated to the
cabins and henceforth Kedar was handed over to the Sisterhood, and the
_Saal_ upon the second floor now became the chapel of the Order of the
Spiritual Virgins, and from that time on, while the night meetings of
the Sisters were held in the _Saal_ of Kedar, the Brethren held their
meetings in the _Saal_ of the _Bethaus_ for a number of years.
Thus, these buildings were the foundation for a more perfect communal
life and in pursuance of which all the provisions were delivered to the
Sisters in their kitchen, who daily prepared a supper for the entire
settlement, in the large dining hall, the Brothers and Sisters divided
from each other by a screen, everything being done in order and
reverence according to the leading of the Holy Ghost.
About this time too occurred the first, so far as I know, of those
mysterious manifestations that for so many years were a great
bewilderment and anxiety not so much to the rest of the community as to
me, for that with rare exceptions it chanced I must be the chief witness
of the doings of this strange being that so long harassed us.
Even before Kedar was fully completed--being, however, far enough
advanced for dedication to its glorious purposes--Brother Beissel made
great preparations for a general love feast; and _Einlader_, or
inviters, were sent throughout the province, especially among all the
German Baptists and English Sabbatarians, requesting them to participate
in the dedicatory services. As the time approached, ample preparations
were made for a great multitude; for from all the reports brought unto
us by our messengers we could not doubt but that there would be a great
gathering in our humble little community to take part in the dedication,
and to this day--and I like not to be considered superstitious--I
cannot account for the failure of the dedication other than through this
mysterious influence; for as a matter of fact but few strangers
presented themselves, the only exception being that quite a number of
English Sabbatarians from the French Creek visited us and took an active
part in the exercises.
But not only were we greatly depressed by the failure of the invited
ones to come and add to the glory of the occasion their presence and
their praise and prayer, but the night preceding the love feast was
exceedingly dark and cloudy. Moreover, as the darkness grew the clouds
seemed to gather heavier and heavier overhead, so that toward midnight
the gloom and depression were almost overpowering, so much so that about
an hour before midnight, Sonnlein being sound asleep, I arose--so
unaccountably disturbed and troubled I could not sleep--and made my way,
why or how I know not, for I seemed almost as one walking in his sleep,
toward the cabin where Brother Beissel was slumbering down in the
meadow. Suddenly, although I saw not his little hut, I heard a howl like
one in pain coming from the direction where I knew our brother's hut
should be. Then another cry as in pain and a sound as if some one were
beating another with great force and violence. I rushed blindly on in
the darkness stumbling and floundering until ere I knew it I had run up
against what with feeling around I found to be a hut. From within came
moans and groans but the beating had ceased while with the moaning and
groaning were mingled a sort of snarling and growling and muttering as
of some wild beast. I had just reached the doorway, the door being wide
open, when suddenly there rushed out a something which as it passed
struck me a most violent blow across the eyes fairly staggering me so
that all I could do was to make a wild clutch at the beast, or fiend,
that was now speeding away leaving a trail of snarlings and growlings
and cacklings such as human being could scarce make.
Recovering from the smarting blow over my eyes, I groped my way inside
only to hear Brother Beissel say feebly, "Art come again, thou Prince of
Darkness, to persecute me?"
"'Tis not the Prince of Darkness, brother; whatever hath been here hath
fled; 'tis Brother Miller," whereupon with all his bravery he leaned
against me for support, seeming to find great comfort in my being there.
"Surely the Evil One hath troubled me most sorely this night," said our
leader more strongly now.
"But I smell not brimstone or fire, brother; dost thou?" I asked.
"Nay, but I tell thee 'twas the foul fiend himself; most grievously did
he beat me with his long tail."
"With his tail, brother--surely thou meanest not that?" I protested.
"But I tell thee Beelzebub took his tail in his claws and beat me. Did I
not see him in all the darkness, lift his forked tail on high and bring
it down on me; and all the while he spat and snarled as though he were
about to rend me asunder."
"Why didst not cross thyself?"
"The foul one came so sudden. I verily believe he rose up through the
floor. I heard him not open the door and I sleep lightly."
"Yet thy door was open wide when I found thy hut; and if 'twas the
devil, he left not the way thou sayest he came; for devil or beast as it
rushed out the door, this evil thing struck me across the face so it
still burneth."
"'Twas the Prince of Evil," still persisted Brother Beissel; "full well
he seeth how we are shaking the walls of his foul kingdom. He thinketh
to terrify us all by assailing me, your leader," and even in the
darkness of the cabin I could see our commander straighten himself up as
though he feared not a legion of devils, and in truth, Brother Beissel
feared neither man nor devil, and I know now that it was my brother's
undaunted will and courage more than aught else that ever gave him such
sway over my gentler, cowardly nature.
Knowing he was firm in his belief I cared not to dispute with him then
that I thought it might not be the Evil One; but that, perhaps, some
wild animal had strayed into his hut or else some of our enemies had
taken this dark night for an opportunity to beat him, it being well
known that among the German settlers were those who were greatly
incensed at our leader for that the wives of some of them had left their
homes and joined the spiritual virgins; and, indeed, there were those
who upon hearing of the matter the next day declared that no doubt our
leader had been persecuted by some one of our unfriendly neighbors. But
most of the Solitary were just as firm in the belief which our leader
unhesitatingly proclaimed, that the Prince of Darkness, being greatly
exercised with our inroads into his kingdom had sought our leader in
person, thinking no doubt to terrify him from further fighting against
the powers of sin. Be that as it may, while I at the time hardly knew
which side to join with, I myself felt certain in later years that our
community in the person of Brother Beissel had received the first
manifestation of that evil influence I had such good cause to dread for
so many years.