must have joined in this act of solemn he foretold Paul's arrest and imprisonworship. Christianity pervades the ment.

whole family. Parents and children Vs. 12-13. We besought him not to go. ought to be in church together. Let The courage of Paul's companions bethe scholars learn this lesson. The strongest and wisest minister may be greatly helped and cheered by the love of a little child!

Notice another solemn and affection ate leave-taking, in Vs 5 and 6:

V. 7. Finished our course. - The whole voyage from Neapolis (near Philippi) to Syria. Here their voyage ended, and their journey by foot began. Ptolemais was anciently called Accho, and is one of the oldest cities of the world. It was then a large town, and now has a population of about 10,000. It was named after Ptolemy, king of Egypt.

gan to fail; but not so his. What mean ye? he asks. I fear no bonds; not death itself can keep me from my purpose. I am ready to die for the Name of the Lord Jesus-thus to bear witness by my death, as I have by my life, that Jesus is the Saviour of men.

V. 14. The Lord's will be done. They recognized that they might be opposing the Divine will. They now submit to Providence. When Jesus appeared unto Paul near Damascus, the terrified persecutor asked: "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" From that hour Paul's motto was: The Lord's will be done.

Saluted the brethren. "Here also, as Let us all learn to believe that God's through all the line of cities along the will is right, and good, and certain to coast, we find a church already organ- be done. Let us seek to do His will. ized, founded probably by Philip the "What an overturning in this world if Evangelist. The mention of Christian all sincerely desired the Lord's will to communities at Troas. Tyre, Ptolemais, be done!" and other cities, indicates how widely the doctrines of Christianity had been spread. We are apt to get the idea that the extension of the Gospel i measured by Paul's missionary labors. This is a false one, as such notices as this of the brethren at Ptolemai- prove."

-"See here," said a fault-finding husband, "we must have things ar ranged in this house so that we shall know just where every thing is kept."

With all my heart," sweetly answered his wife; "and let us begin with your late hours, my love. I should dearly love to know where they are kept.' He lets things run on as usual.

The difference between preaching the Gospel with a full expectation of doing no more than saving small companies of saints from amid multitudes of sinners, on whose shipwreck no influence is to be exercised beyond holding them a light to sink by, and of looking upon every converted man as one rescued from a common danger who is imme diately to join in rescuing the rest in such that in one case when a little is

V. 9. Daughters did prophesy. These daughters were under the influence of accomplished, it is looked upon as the Spirit, and foretold the sufferings which awaited the Apostle at Jerusalem. Everywhere he received warnings not to go among his enemies.

what the Gospel was sent to do: while in the other case every little is taken as but an earnest of the great, and the great as the earnest of the universal.

Vs. 10-11. Agabus came. In Jeru- While we aim at few, we shall win salem he heard of Paul's arrival at but few; for that our successes shall Cesarea; and knowing what awaited take their proportions from our faith, is the Apostle at Jerusalem, he came to the universal law of the service of give him friendly warning. Then also Christ."

William Arthur.

THE GUARDIAN.

VOL. XXXVI.

FEBRUARY, 1885.

A WINTER LESSON ON CHARITY.

(Luke iii. v. 11.; James ii. vs. 15-16.)

BY PERKIOMEN.

I know a Book, in which 'tis wrote,
That if a poor man have no coat,
He need not cry about it;
Nor even shiver for a day,
Because he has no means to pay,
And so must do without it;
But, that if ever it occurs,
All those who stick in wraps and furs,
Or two-fold stock of raiment,
Have heard it oft enough at Church,*
To quickly go and do as much,

As bring him one in payment,
For Jesus' sake, who would be poor,
That He might for us all secure

A garb of costly merit;
Which all earth's treasures cannot buy,
And only came, since He would die,
That we might it inherit.
And in that same old Book I read,
That we should all the hungry feed,
A task we should delight in ;
That where there stands a table bare,
We all, who have so much to spare,

Should hasten to walk right in
But not alone, to say: "Be fed!

BARON STIEGEL.

BY THE EDITOR.

NO. 2.

A very pleasant book might, we think, be written concerning "Noblemen in America." Though it is probably a blessing to our country that these personages have been few in number, there would be no lack of material to fill a volume. Of late years, it must be confessed, the European noblemen who have appeared among us have not been remarkably interesting. Some of them were mere visitors, who, after a rapid run through a few of our larger cities, hastened home to write a book of

Travels in America," conceived from their own pretentious stand-point. Others were worthless sons of distinguished families, who had been sent across the ocean to hide their shame. It was dif ferent in colonial times, when, under a royal government, a certain degree of respect and social distinction was freely accorded to men of rank who occasionally came to America and here set up their dwellings. In the career of such

Nor: "May you have a good, warm bed !" men there must necessarily have been

Or, simply say a prayer;

But that we may afford them meat,
That they may have some food to eat,
As well as what to wear;
For Jesus' sake, Who is our Bread,
To feed the living and the dead;
In this world and the other;
Of Which we always shall partake,
nd so become one mind and make,
Each one to all, a Brother.

an element of romance, which, if properly related, would render their history exceedingly interesting.

Baron Stiegel, the founder of the town of Manheim, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, was one of these colonial noblemen. Nothing is certainly known concerning his early history, but tradition has it that he was a native of Manheim, in Germany. From the fact that Goethe made one utterance which it nothing is now known there concerning is possible many patient souls in some of a baronial family named Stiegel, it has our modern congregations will sym- been suggested that he was not really a pathize with when he said: "I will lis-nobleman but that his title was a mere ten to any one's convictions, but pray keep your doubts to yourself. I have plenty of my own."-Lutheran.

nick-name, given him in this country on account of his fondness for display. It is certain, also, that in this country, at

least, Stiegel did not obtrusively claim recognition as a nobleman. His letters are signed simply "H. W. Stiegel," and are sealed with his initials, not with a coat-of-arms, as was usual with the nobility and gentry in those days. Still we are unwilling to give up the idea of his baronial origin; it is not pleasant to give up, little by little, every fragment of romance in our colonial history. It has, therefore, been suggested that he may have slightly changed his name, as was not unusual in those days when noblemen renounced their rank. There was a baronial family named Stengel, in Manheim, Germany, and it has been plausibly suggested that our baron may have been a scion of this stock.

original grandeur remains. A writer in The Messenger, in 1868, thus speaks of its appearance at that date:

"There is a chapel in the house, where he (Stiegel) was accustomed to conduct divine worship for those in his employment. The internal arrangements, the wainscoting, the cornices, the landscape paintings covering the walls of the parlor (representing scenes in falconry), and the beautiful tiles adorning the fireplaces, are all in good taste, and would be admired by good judges in our day. Everything tends to show that the baron was a gentleman of culture and refinement."

This house was at one time in the possession of Robert Morris, the disBefore coming to America Stiegel tinguished financier and signer of the spent some time in England, and there Declaration of Independence. Regardmoved in excellent society. One of the ing Philadelphia as a dangerous resiPenn family says, in a letter, that when dence, on account of the proximity of he came to Pennsylvania, about 1757, the British army, many eminent patriots he brought with him "good recom- during the Revolution sought places of mendations and a great deal of money." refuge, to which they might remove their About 1758 Stiegel purchased one- families in the event of an offensive third of a tract of land of seven hun- movement on the part of the enemy. dred and fourteen acres, in Lancaster County, from the Messrs. Stedman, of Philadelphia, on which he laid out the town of Manheim according to a plan of his native city, which he is said to have brought with him from the Fatherland. He also built the Elizabeth furnace. which he named in honor of his wife; though it is said by one authority that the actual proprietors were the Messrs. Benezet, of Philadelphia. Subsequently he became interested in other similar enterprises, and is said to have erected, near Hanover, York County, a furnace, of which some fragments still remain.

In order to furnish labor for the inhabitants of his new town, the baron founded extensive glass-works at Manheim. One of the aged inhabitants of the town has informed the writer that "the main building was so large that it would have been easy to turn around in it with a six-horse team." The glassworks have long since disappeared, and all that is left of them is the baron's office, a neat building, which is now occupied as a dwelling.

The mansion which Baron Stiegel built at Manheim, of bricks imported from England, has recently been entirely modernized, so that not a vestige of its

With this purpose, Morris, in 1777, purchased the mansion at Manheim and resided there for some time. A letter written by Mrs. Morris to her mother, April 14, 1777, contains the following passage with reference to this purchase:

"We are preparing for another flight, in packing up our furniture and removing to a new purchase Mr. Morris has made, ten miles from Lancaster, no other than the famous house that belonged to Stedman and Stiegel, where, you know, I spent six weeks, so that I am perfectly well acquainted with the goodness of the house and situation. The reason Mr. Morris made this, he looks upon the other as not secure if they come by water. I think myself very lucky in having this asylum, it being but eight miles (fine road) from Lancaster, where I expect Mr. Morris will be, if he quits this, besides many of my friends and acquaintances. So I now solicit the pleasure of your company at this once famous place, where, perhaps, we may yet trace some vestiges of the late owner's folly, and may prove a useful lesson to us, his successors."

It is a pity that the Morris family did not actually learn the lesson which is here indicated; for it will be remem

bered that Mr. Morris, who engaged in speculations far more extensive than those of Baron Stiegel, subsequently became bankrupt, languished for several years in jail for debt, and died in the most abject poverty.

At some time in his career Stiegel built a furnace and a summer residence at Schaefferstown, Lebanon County. These were strongly fortified, for fear of the Indians. At this place he is said to have made ten-plate stoves, which bore the inscription:

"Baron Stiegel ist der Mann

Der die Ofen giessen kann,”—

that is, "Baron Stiegel is the man who knows how to cast stoves." We have never seen a stove bearing this inscription, and are somewhat skeptical with regard to its existence; but if this silly rhyme was ever used for such a purpose, it was because it was easily remembered by the people, and therefore was well suited to serve as an advertisement.

Many stories are related concerning the baron's extravagance and love of display, and there is no doubt that he lived in a style which, to his simpleminded Mennonite neighbors, appeared exceedingly imposing. There were but few persons out-ide of Philadelphia who aspired to be reckoned with the gentry, and if Stiegel appeared in garments like those which were daily worn by such men as Washington and Adams, he was no doubt regarded as unusually splendid in his attire. It is said that he rode in a carriage drawn by eight fine horses, but it is much more likely that he drove his "coach and four," like Judge Allen and other wealthy men, and that tradition has simply doubled the number of the horses. According to one account he maintained a band of music, which always accompanied him on his journeys; but another, and more probable version of the story is that there were among his workmen several excellent musicians, who frequently sat on the balcony of his mansion and regaled him with their music. All accounts agree in saying that his visits to his furnaces were always heralded by the firing of cannon. This has been regarded as the head and front of his offending; and we must confess that such a proceeding too strongly resembles

the customs of royalty to suit our democratic tastes. Is it not, however, possible that there was a practical purpose in this firing of cannon? When he visited his furnaces, it was, of course, his purpose to pay the workmen. Many of these were charcoal-burners, scattered over the neighboring hills; and in what way, may we ask, could he have more easily announced his coming to these isolated laborers than by firing a cannon? When they heard the sound they hastened to the furnace to get their money. This we firmly believe to have been the sole object of firing cannon on the arrival of the baron.

It has generally been supposed that Stiegel was a mere adventurer, who wasted his money in unprofitable speculations; but this is certainly a mistake. On the contrary, his enterprises were generally successful, and for a time he made money rapidly. His glass-works at Manheim, he says in one of his letters, brought him an annual income of five thousand pounds.

Stiegel's error was one which has been committed by thousands of others: he sought to get rich too rapidly. Not satisfied with the extent of his estate, he purchased the entire interest of the Messrs. Stedman in the Manheim tract, never doubting that he could speedily meet all his obligations. He could probably have accomplished his purpose if the colony had continued prosperous, but just then the troubles with England began. The commerce and manufactures of the colonies were utterly prostrated, and such enterprises as those of Baron Stiegel were among the first to feel the blow. His creditors became clamorous, and though he struggled manfully for several years the final result was utter and irretrievable ruin.

Several years ago we read a number of autograph letters addressed by Stiegel at this period to his legal counselor, the Hon. Jasper Yeates, of Lancaster. In these letters he pleads, in broken English, for counsel and aid in weathering the storm. "Let them give me time," he says, "and I will pay every dollar." He speaks of the successful efforts of his wife to induce his creditors to grant him an extension, and then exclaims: "Can it be that my former friends in Lancaster will drive me to ruin when I have

increased the wealth of the country by at least £150,000." The following letter, which is the first of the series, is rather long for publication and we therefore omit several sentences, but it presents a picture of a good man laboring under a mountain of difficulties, and will repay perusal.

"MANHEIM, Aug. 4th, 1774. "DEAR SIR:-You being just at trial, and my affairs requiring great dispatch, prevented me to have the pleasure of speaking to you myself. I am really at present in a distress

ful situation, being persecuted by most everybody. Your kind and friendly behaviour to me at court has assured me that you are my real friend, and as at present I lay at the mercy of several that I am afraid are not my friends, I would beg of you for assistance in what is just. Mr. George Ross, my attorney, is so often from home and engaged in publick affairs that I have often suffered very hard. I desired Mr. Zantzinger to speak to you concerning my affairs, but as he is a man of much business he might have forgot, and as my present situation is very serious in consequence, I hope you will be kind and take it in hand. I would have been at court my self, but came home only last night so much fatigued and spent that I can hardly move, in trying to gather and collect what I prom ised to pay this court, but could not succeed. I was just able to get the money for the sheriff, and this I have hereby sent by my clerk. Desire you will see it paid and justice done to me. I gave Nicholas Steele my wife's gold watch in pledge last week to have the money at court, as I hear notwithstanding there has been a great noise made, and I very much exposed. I have further promised to pay your neighbor, Eberhard Michael, £100, and several persons disappointing me that owed me, and also for glass sent on orders for cash, I have not been able to get it,

but must have more time. I have no doubt but shall have it in a few weeks. *

*

It is impossible for a man to do all at once. Please to talk to them, it cannot make so much difference for a few weeks to them. Please God, and I have my health, I will have it for them. As to some other actions you will find against me on the docket, speak to Messrs. Ross and Biddle, who generally appeared for me, that no judgments be obtained, as I am assured I can get over them all this fall. They are too hard to add distress to my distress, and cost upon cost, when I am striving to collect it in, and to sell my produce. I beg, therefore, you will take pity of an honest man, that wants nothing but time to satisfy everybody and maintain my I could not send a fee at present, being too scarce, but shall satisfy you with honor and gratitude. I shall expect, by my

cause.

clerk, your favorable answer, and really am
in great distress and uneasiness of mind,
which add greatly to my distemper.
much afflicted and distressed humble servant,
"In the meantime, I remain, dear sir, your

"HENRY WM. STIEGEL."

All the letters of the series, of which the above is a specimen, were, with a single exception, written in the fall of 1774, and are of similar tenor. Stiegel's affairs grew more and more desperate, and in October the correspondence suddenly ceases. About this time it is known that Stiegel was arrested for debt and lodged in the jail at Lancaster, whence he was liberated by special act of Legislature, passed December 24th, 1774. The latest of his letters which has come under the notice of the writer is dated at Heidelberg, Berks County, Aug. 13th, 1783. It is very brief, and refers to certain old debts which he was desirous of collecting.

The Baron's history subsequent to his failure is involved in great obscurity. Several prominent families claim to be descended from him, but they can throw no light upon his later years. There is a tradition related by Harris in his Biographical History of Lancaster County, "that he was an active loyalist, and that his son raised a company for the royal service. His company being severely pressed for provisions, young Stiegel pledged his gold watch to a farmer for a bullock; and whether the story be mythical or not, the watch is said to be still in the possession of a regard to the time and place of Baron gentleman in Lancaster county." With Stiegel's death, our local historians are by no means harmonious. Rupp simply says: "He died a school-master.” Harris says: "He was somewhat supported by the iron-masters who came into possession of Elizabeth furnace. He died in great indigence, and though his place of burial is unknown, he is thought to be laid somewhere east of Elizabeth Furnace, near the line between Berks and Lancaster counties." A writer in Frank Leslie's Illustrated News, a few years ago, insisted that “he died some sixty years since, in the county poor-house, at Harrisburg, a pauper; and finally a correspondent of a German paper, published in Baltimore in