August 8th, 1882, we went to Weymouth, where Mr. Mueller preached four
times. On the 14th we left for Dover, crossed over by steamer to Calais
the next morning, and taking the train for Brussels which was waiting,
reached that city in the afternoon at 5 o'clock. On the 17th we
proceeded to Duesseldorf, where my husband held eight German meetings,
and on the 26th left for Neukirchen, a village about two miles from
Moers. There, on Sunday the 27th, he preached in the morning at the
parish Church, and in the afternoon attended a meeting (held at a large
Hall, in connection with the dedication of the Mission House), at which
he was the chief speaker. His address occupied from 4 till 5 o'clock,
but the whole meeting, which was crowded to overflowing, lasted for
four hours. Early the following morning he conducted family worship in
the large dining-room of Pastor Doll's parsonage; where, besides its
inmates, a congregation from the village had assembled. At 10 o'clock we
left for Homberg in a carriage, crossed the Rhine by ferry steamer, and
went on by rail to Muelheim an der Ruhr, at which place, on the evening
of that day, he addressed a large audience of 1,600 persons at the
Vereins Haus. On August 29th, a religious festival was held at this
Vereins Haus, when the building was crowded in every part of it; and at
half-past 2, Mr. Mueller addressed a multitude, numbering from 1,600 to
1,800. In the evening at half past 8, he spoke at the Vereins Haus for
the third time, and again addressed (if possible) a more crowded
audience than had assembled there in the afternoon.
On August 30th, early in the morning, we started for Cologne; proceeded
thence by rail to Bonn, and embarking on board a steamer for Coblentz,
went up the Rhine. After a pleasant voyage, surrounded by beautiful
scenery, at half past 5 we passed the Fortress of Ehrenbreitstein, and
in a few minutes reached our destination. At Coblentz we remained two
nights; on the morning of Sept. 1st continued our voyage up the Rhine,
and soon after 5 o'clock landed at Biberich, near Mayence, from which
place an open carriage conveyed us to Wiesbaden, five miles distant.
There Mr. Mueller held eight German meetings, including six at the
Vereins Haus, an address at the Paulinen Institute of German
Deaconesses, and a service on Sunday morning, Sept. 10th, at the
principal German Protestant Church at Wiesbaden, a large building like a
Cathedral, where he preached at half past nine.
Wiesbaden is a beautiful spot, abounding in parks, avenues of trees,
fountains, flower gardens, etc., and is much resorted to by visitors. It
contains 30 different kinds of hot mineral springs, which supply 850
varieties of baths.
On Sept. 11th, we left Wiesbaden for Mannheim, where my husband preached
four times; and on the 16th started for Heidelberg, at which place, on
Sunday, Sept. 17th, he preached at the Evangelical Capelle both morning
and afternoon. During our stay at Heidelberg, he held four other
meetings at the same place of worship, and on the 22nd we went to
Munich, in Bavaria, 210 miles from Heidelberg, a very popish place,
where, though _some_ openings for service presented themselves, none
were of a very extensive character. On Sunday, the 24th, in a Hall, at 3
p.m., Mr. Mueller addressed a company of about 200, including children,
teachers, and young persons, and at 5.15 the same afternoon gave an
address to a congregation of 200, at the Hall of "The Herberge zur
Heimath." On the 27th and 28th he spoke again at this Hall; preached at
the Evangelische Hauptkirche on the 29th, and on Sunday afternoon, Oct.
1st, held another meeting at the same church at 3 o'clock. At half past
5, he preached at the Deaconesses' Institution also, which was his last
service at Munich.
On Oct. 2nd we left for Vienna (272 miles from Munich) where he held a
number of meetings and we remained 18 days. He preached repeatedly at
Mr. Millard's Hall, at the German Reformed Church, at the Presbyterian
Church (in English), at the German Methodist Church, and gave an address
also to colporteurs and to other Christian workers. As Vienna is full of
popery, service for the Lord there is connected with many difficulties.
One regulation (by order of the Government) is, that three days' notice
must be given to the police before extra religious meetings can be held;
but the work of God is carried on, and prospers to some extent, though,
on account of the little religious liberty that exists it is often
greatly hindered.
Several years ago, the spread of the gospel in Austria was resolutely
opposed by the Government; for the agent of the British and Foreign
Bible Society, after being turned out of Vienna with all his Bibles, was
conducted by a military escort to the frontier, and told that he must
leave the country. Though it is not as difficult to hold Protestant
services in Austria now, as was formerly the case, scarcely any real
religious liberty is to be found in that land. The Presbyterian minister
at Vienna said, that, during his comparatively short residence in this
city, he had been obliged to appear seven times before the magistrates,
to give an account of the services at his church, and to answer
questions put to him.
Vienna is a large splendid city on the Danube; it contains upwards of
one million one hundred thousand inhabitants, and is considered one of
the finest capitals of Europe.
On Oct. 20th, we left and went to Pesth (called also Buda-Pesth) the
capital of Hungary, 172 miles from Vienna, where, on Sunday the 22nd,
Mr. Mueller preached at the German Reformed Church in the morning, and at
the Baptist Chapel in the evening. During our stay he held seven other
meetings also, including a service in English at the Presbyterian
Church, a meeting for Christian workers at the School House of the
Jewish Mission, and an address to 50 patients at the Hospital of the
Kaiserwerth Deaconesses, when from 30 to 40 gentlemen and ladies were
likewise present. At some of these services, there were many Catholics
amongst the hearers.
On Monday, Oct. 30th, early in the morning, we started for Bruenn,
Moravia, 229 miles from Pesth (on our way to Prague), but remained there
two nights only, and on the 31st, walked up to the Spielberg (an ancient
fortress at Bruenn, upwards of 1000 years old, situated on the top of a
hill, nearly 900 feet high,) intending only to look at the view obtained
from that elevation; but having (very courteously) been invited by the
Commander of the garrison to enter the Citadel, we mounted the
ramparts, from which the prospect was extensive. Amongst other places,
Austerlitz, 14 miles distant, could be seen, where, on Dec. 2nd, 1805,
Napoleon Buonaparte (whose head quarters were at Bruenn) gained a victory
over the Russians and the Austrians. Our guides (an officer and a
soldier) afterwards conducted us down several flights of steps into the
dungeons of the Spielberg, and, with a lighted torch, led the way
through those infamous abodes of the cruelty of years gone by. Here,
Baron Trenck, General Mack, and Silvio Pellico were imprisoned long ago;
the dreadful tortures, formerly inflicted upon robbers, murderers, and
political offenders, as well as upon Protestants (there is reason to
believe), were minutely described to us; and the horrible scenes, which
then took place in these places of confinement, were specially detailed.
One of these dark vaults contained a stone figure, representing a man
stretched out at full length upon a rack, with his arms drawn up above
his head, to show the manner in which the limbs of victims used to be
gradually torn from their bodies, by means of machinery, which ruptured
their blood vessels also, and dislocated their bones. Then, on the walls
were iron rings, to which, with outstretched arms, condemned criminals
were fastened in such a way that it was impossible to move; and there,
without food or water, they were left to perish. In another of the
dungeons was a second figure, of a man in chains, standing upright, but
fettered so cruelly that, if it had been a living human being, the agony
occasioned by the bonds would have been excruciating. Some of the
prisoners, not killed by cold and hunger, were partially devoured by
rats, whilst others were slowly put to death by atrocities that rivalled
even the dread punishments of the Inquisition. A wall smeared with
blood, which has left indelible stains, was also pointed out, together
with a trap-door in the roof of these dungeons, through which the
condemned were let down into their dreary sepulchres beneath.
It may seem almost strange to dwell even for a moment upon such horrors;
but it should be remembered that the terrible deeds just adverted to
were _facts_. Many of the Lord's people too, in years gone by, have had
to pass through fiery trials such as these. Deep gratitude should
therefore fill our own hearts, that _we_ do not live at a time when, and
in countries where, such outrages can legally be perpetrated. The
present Emperor of Austria, Francis Joseph I. (as our guides informed
us) once caused himself to be shut up for a few hours in the dungeon
where the second figure was, in order that he might be able, practically
to enter into the terrible character of these prisons; and afterwards
gave orders, that no condemned criminals should in future be subjected
to such punishments.
On Nov. 1st we left Bruenn, and went to Prague, the capital of Bohemia,
135 miles distant, where Mr. Mueller preached six times, including an
English meeting on Nov. 3rd, at the Presbyterian Church, and two
services on the 6th and 7th, in German, at the American-Bohemian Chapel,
with translation into the Bohemian language, by the pastor, Mr. Clark.
At most of these meetings, nearly half the hearers were papists, several
of whom (we heard) were deeply impressed by the preaching of the gospel.
Information also reached us, whilst at Prague, that much blessing
resulted from my husband's ministry at Pesth.
Prague has a population of about 163,000, out of which number 12,000 are
Jews, who live in the Judenstadt. The city contains 50 Churches, 22
Chapels, 17 Convents, 2 Protestant Churches, 11 Synagogues, and more
than 300 Factories. John Huss used to preach at St. Gallus Church; but
he, and his friend Jerome of Prague, were eventually burned at
Constance, as heretics.
After a visit of a few days only, on Wednesday, Nov. 8th, early in the
morning, we left for Dresden, Saxony, via Bodenbach, on the Bohemian
frontier; travelled through a district (called from its mountainous,
picturesque character the "Switzerland of Saxony"), and reached Dresden
in the afternoon. There, in consequence of letters not having reached
the persons for whom they were intended, no meetings could be arranged
for Mr. Mueller until Sunday evening, Nov. 12th, when he preached in
English at the Presbyterian Church. On the 14th he gave an address in a
drawing-room, at the house of Col. Rose, and on the 15th held a meeting
in the large saloon of Braun's Hotel.
On Nov. 16th we went to Leipsic, where, the following evening, he spoke
at a drawing-room meeting, held at the house of Dr. Koenig; and on the
18th addressed about 200 students at a Hall in the city, in the presence
of some of their professors, and a few other gentlemen. On the morning
of Sunday, the 19th, he spoke to 300 children, some students and other
persons, at Dr. Koenig's Sunday-school; and in the afternoon at 5
o'clock, preached at the American Chapel, in English.
During our short visit to Leipsic, the winter set in with great
severity, and snow fell the greater part of each day that we remained.
This city is the great centre of the German book trade; it has 300
booksellers' Establishments, representing 4,500 firms; 300 hand- and
steam-presses, and a Booksellers' Exchange.
On Monday, Nov. 20th, we left Leipsic for Halberstadt, and early in the
afternoon walked through the town (a quaint, old-fashioned one) to the
Cathedral School, which is near the spot, formerly occupied by the
buildings, where, in his youthful days, my husband went to school. We
visited the fine, old Protestant Cathedral also, containing the altar,
at which, when a young man, he received the Lord's supper for the first
time.
The next morning, a carriage conveyed us to Kroppenstaedt (where he was
born), twelve miles distant, when he remarked that the road leading to
this town looked much the same as it did when he was a boy, except that
fruit trees have since been planted on each side of it, instead of
poplars. At Kroppenstaedt (visited on this occasion for the first time
since his childhood), Mr. Mueller held two meetings at a large Hall, when
(by particular request) he gave an account of his life and labours, and
preached the gospel also, fully and faithfully at the same time, to the
inhabitants of his native place, who flocked to hear him in such numbers
that the building was crowded to overflowing. These two meetings were
very precious ones. Early on the morning of Thursday, Nov. 23rd, we
visited the house in which he was born, and then drove to Heimersleben,
three miles distant; where the pleasant dwelling that became his home
after his parents had removed from Kroppenstaedt, looked much the same as
it did many years ago.
On the afternoon of that day we left Heimersleben, and proceeded to
Berlin, 110 miles distant, where, on Sunday evening, Nov. 26th, he
preached at St. Johannes Kirche, Alt Moabit, to a large congregation;
and held meetings at Christus Kirche the three following evenings. On
the 30th Nov. he spoke at the Vereins Haus, and on Dec. 1st preached at
the Hall of the Moravian Brethren. The afternoon of Sunday, Dec. 3rd,
was devoted to a meeting for 100 Sunday School children, at the house
of some Christian ladies; and in the evening at 6, he preached again at
St. Johannes Kirche, Alt Moabit. At a drawing-room meeting held at the
house of Mr. Gaertner, on Dec. 2nd, he addressed about 80 gentlemen and
ladies, and on the 5th preached at Jesus Kirche in the evening, from
John xiv. 13, 14. On the 6th and 8th he held meetings again at this
church; spoke at the Hall of the Moravian Brethren on the 7th; and on
Sunday, Dec. 10th, preached at Jesus Kirche in the morning, and at St.
Johannes, Alt Moabit, in the evening. The congregations at all these
services were generally large.
Early on the morning of the 11th we left Berlin, and travelling by rail
via Schneidemuehl, arrived at Dantzic (a large, fortified town in
Northern Prussia, beautifully situated close upon the Baltic, 284 miles
from Berlin), in the evening at 6.45. Here Mr. Mueller preached twice at
the Hall of the Moravian Brethren, four times at the Garrison Church,
and once at the Baptist Chapel. At Dantzic he found two of his old
Christian University friends, both of whom, after having been 50 years
ministers in the town, had celebrated their Jubilee. The intercourse he
had with them was of a very pleasant and profitable character.
On Thursday, Dec. 21st, we rose soon after 5; left Dantzic by an early
train for Dirschau, and arrived at Koenigsberg in the afternoon at
half-past 2. There, on Dec. 21st and 22nd Mr. Mueller preached in the
evening at a large Hall to upwards of 500 persons; on the 23rd he gave
an address at the Moravian Church, and on the 25th (Christmas day) spoke
again at the same place. On the morning of the 26th (second Christmas
day in Germany,) at half-past 9, he addressed an immense audience of
3000 people at the Tragheimer Kirche, a large building which was crowded
to the utmost; and in the afternoon spoke at the Moravian Hall, where
hundreds could not get in for want of room. On the 27th he preached
again at the Tragheimer Kirche; and on the 28th held a meeting at the
same church, which was his closing one at Koenigsberg.
On Friday, Dec. 29th, at 12.36 in the middle of the day, we left for St.
Petersburg, and at half-past 4 reached the Russian frontier, where an
inspection of passports and the usual Custom House examination of
luggage occasioned a detention of two hours. At half-past 6, however, we
obtained a comfortable sleeping compartment in a Russian train, heated
with warm air, containing two couches, double windows and a little
table, in which we passed the night; and the next morning awoke, to find
ourselves travelling through a vast wilderness of snow, with which every
thing around was laden. On the evening of that day (Dec. 30th), at 6
o'clock, we reached St. Petersburg after a journey of 685 miles from
Koenigsberg, and found Colonel Paschkoff, and Princess Lieven at the
station, kindly waiting to receive us. The latter (a beloved sister in
the Lord), pressed us immediately to make her house our home, but though
we at first declined the invitation,--after passing two nights at an
hotel, as she still urged us to become her guests, we accepted this
offer of hospitality, and were entertained at her mansion with the
utmost kindness and affection during the whole of our long visit to St.
Petersburg.
On Sunday morning, Dec. 31st, Mr. Mueller preached morning and evening in
English, at the British and American Chapel, with much help; and, as
long as we remained, was engaged day after day in important service for
the Lord. During our stay he preached 16 times at the British and
American chapel, in English; 8 times in German at the German Reformed
Church, 11 times in German at the Moravian Church; held three meetings
for the Swedes at the British and American Chapel, with translation into
Swedish, attended three pastors' meetings, held 5 large drawing-room
meetings at Col. Paschkoff's mansion, conducted two at the residence of
Count Korff, and held 35 at the house of Princess Lieven. Besides these
services he received visitors as inquirers every day, and had about 40
private interviews of an hour, one hour and a half, or two hours, with
three, four, and five Christian workers at a time, either for the
purpose of answering questions that had been sent in, or in order to
converse with them about different portions of the word of God. At an
Evangelical Hospital in St. Petersburg, on the afternoon of Feb. 2nd, he
gave two addresses also (in German) to the patients, who occupied four
wards; spoke to about 40 children, belonging to a separate Institution
under the same roof afterwards; and addressed 30 deaconesses, who labour
amongst the patients and the children. On the evening of Friday, Feb.
9th, at 9 o'clock, we were somewhat startled by a visit from the police,
with a summons for my husband to appear early the next morning before
their chief officer; when, on presenting himself at the Police Court, he
was charged with having held meetings with translation into Russ, for
which no permission had been given by the Minister of the Interior.
Though he was treated with great courtesy by this functionary, who shook
hands with him, and offered a sort of half apology for acting as he did;
from that time the services at Col. Paschkoff's house were stopped; but
Mr. Mueller was allowed to continue his other labours without hindrance.
There is, however, so little real religious liberty in Russia, that the
spread of the Gospel is lamentably prevented by the absence of it.
During our visit to St. Petersburg, the cold was occasionally very
severe, and more intense than we ever found it in Canada, or in the
United States. On March 13th we visited the Church of St. Peter and St.
Paul, which contains the tombs of the Russian Emperors, and passed the
spot where Alexander II. was murdered by the Nihilists. A visit in a
sledge also, to a little settlement of Laplanders encamped on the Neva
upon the ice, gave some idea of the habits of these poor people. A party
of Lapps (clothed in skins and furs, with the warm side turned inwards
and looking as if _sewn up_ in their thick garments) were standing near
a tent. They wear no under linen (we were told), and never wash
themselves nor change their clothes, except when they fall off from dirt
and constant use. The interior of a Laplander's hut too, upon the ice,
presented a miserable, uncomfortable appearance. It consisted of a tent
made of skins, with the fur turned inwards, and had an opening at the
top, which answered the double purpose of chimney and of window. An iron
pot, containing soup, was suspended over a small fire in the centre of
this tent, and the floor of ice in the hut was covered by rugs; but all
the domestic arrangements inside were of a most repulsive character, and
made us feel unspeakably thankful for the mercies and comforts of our
own Christian home.
The population of St. Petersburg is about 800,000. "This city is
situated on the river Neva, near its entrance into the gulf of Finland,
15 miles from Lake Ladoga, where it is divided by islands into four
channels called the Great and Little Neva. The dead flat, on which the
city now stands, was once a morass, occupied by a few fishermen's huts,
on the site of which Peter the Great began to build in 1703, by erecting
a small hut for himself, and some wooden hovels near the Old Fort. The
best streets are broad and spacious, and the Nevski Prospekt, is nearly
three miles in length."
The last time Mr. Mueller held a meeting in _English_ at St. Petersburg
was at the British and American Chapel, where on Sunday evening, March
11th, he preached a farewell sermon to a large congregation from Prov.
iv. 23; "Keep thine heart with all diligence, for out of it are the
issues of life."
On Tuesday, March 20th, at half past one p.m., we left for Warsaw, in
Russian Poland, and arrived there the following evening at 10 minutes
after 8, after a long, fatiguing journey of 700 miles. On the morning of
March 25th (Easter Sunday) my husband preached in German at a Baptist
Church; during the week he held four meetings at private houses, and on
the following Sunday (April 1st) preached again at the Baptist Church;
but as the Russian authorities would not allow him to use the German
Reformed Church, our stay at Warsaw was of brief duration only. This
city contains 401,000 inhabitants, 127,500 of whom are Jews. There are
217 Synagogues and 653 Talmudical schools at Warsaw, and throughout the
whole of Poland (where there are more Israelites than in any country in
the world) the Jews number upwards of a million.
Having received a kind invitation to the house of Mr. Janatz, a
converted Jew, who lives in the country, 14 miles from Warsaw; on Monday
morning (April 2nd), we went by rail to Pruszkow, from which place, a
carriage and four conveyed us over four miles of ploughed fields, and
across much marshy ground to his residence. After remaining there two
hours, a meeting was held in the afternoon, at an Orphanage, a mile and
a half distant, where my husband addressed a large company, including
orphans, country people, and the workmen on Mr. Janatz's estate.
On the morning of April 4th, at a quarter past 10, we left our friend's
house, returned by carriage to Pruszkow and there took the 11.45 train
for Lodz (a large manufacturing town in Poland, the second in size to
Warsaw and 100 miles from it), where, after changing trains at Koluszki,
we arrived at 4 o'clock. There, during the twelve days that we remained,
Mr. Mueller preached twelve times at the German Baptist Church, upon each
occasion to a most crowded congregation, for evening after evening
throughout the week, as late as half past 8, about 1,200 hearers
assembled, who listened to him with the deepest interest. On the morning
of April 10th he received a note in German, of which the following is a
translation:--"I, and almost the whole population of this town, in the
name of the Lord Jesus, entreat that you will have the kindness to
remain with us till after next Sunday. In the name of many thousands I
thank you for your ministry."