UNITED BRETHREN. 



723 



America. This is attributable to the fact, that, 

 when their colonies in America were commenced, 

 it was for some years found necessary to combine 

 the efforts of all the members, in order to maintain 

 themselves amid their difficulties ; and, although 

 each individual retained the absolute disposal of 

 any property, before his own, their joint earnings, 

 for the time, went into a common stock, from which 

 their daily necessities were supplied. This un- 

 natural state of things, however, continued no 

 longer than it was imperiously necessary. Many 

 other erroneous conceptions have become prevalent, 

 concerning the economical concerns of this society. 

 The original members of it had nothing to depend 

 on but their industry. Count Zinzendorf and some 

 of his nearest connexions sacrificed the whole of 

 their estates in the various undertakings, missions 

 and colonies. As the society grew, numbers of 

 wealthy members afforded liberal aid ; but the 

 society never had any actual funds, upon which 

 they could depend. Individual members borrowed 

 the necessary sums, upon their own credit. These 

 funds were invested, partly in commercial under- 

 takings, partly in landed estates, and various 

 manufactures, and the profits applied to pay the 

 expenses of the society. Upon the death of count 

 Zinzendorf, it was found that a debt had accrued, 

 greatly exceeding the value of all the available in- 

 vestments. A separation of interests now took 

 place. Each individual community assumed a pro- 

 portionable share of the assets and debt, and thence- 

 forward undertook the management of its individual 

 concerns, and to provide for its own necessities by 

 means of an institution, operating very much in 

 the manner of a savings' bank, termed the diacony 

 of each community. Moneys were taken up, under 

 the special superintendence of the elders and of the 

 committee above mentioned, and invested : the pro- 

 ceeds went to defray the disbursements of that 

 particular community : the understanding was, that 

 if the avails were such as to leave any thing to be 

 disposed of after defraying their own expenses, such 

 surplus was to go to aid other communities, whose 

 means might not be so ample, or to assist the 

 general concerns. Thus, in most communities of 

 the United Brethren, certain trades or manufactures 

 are carried on for their benefit, as such. By these 

 means, together with the voluntary annual sub- 

 scriptions of the members towards the maintenance 

 of the ministers, and the support of the church and 

 schools, the necessary funds are raised for defraying 

 the charges on the particular communities, and for 

 certain proportionate contributions, which each is 

 expected to furnish to that fund of the Unity which 

 is established for the support of superannuated 

 ministers, and other officers, and their widows, as 

 well as for the education of their children. The 

 funds required, in each community, for the pur- 

 poses of police and convenience, are raised by re- 

 gular taxes on the householders, assessed by the 

 committee before mentioned. The rest of the as- 

 sets on hand, at the death of count Zinzendorf, 

 were put under the control of a special board, 

 forming one department of the board of elders oi 

 the Unity, and the proceeds applied to discharge 

 the debt before mentioned. The disbursements 

 required by the missions among the heathens are 

 supplied by voluntary contributions. The greater 

 part of the annual amount at the present time is 

 furnished by persons not connected with the society 

 Some few of the West India missions are in par' 

 supported by the industry of the missionaries, an< 



those in Labrador by a commercial establishment 

 trading thither under the guidance of a society 

 established at London. In the United States there 

 is a society for propagating the gospel among the 

 heathen, incorporated by several states, and con- 

 sisting of members of the United Brethren's church. 

 This society has recently acquired large funds by 

 the bequest of one of its members. All these re- 

 sources flow into the common missionary fund, 

 which is administered, and the missionary concern 

 in general managed, by another department of the 

 board of elders of the Unity, called the missionary 

 department. (See the article Missions.") A' third 

 department of this board is termed the department 

 of education. This has charge, not only of the sub- 

 ject of the education of children throughout the 

 society generally, but, in an especial manner, of 

 those who are educated at the public expence. In 

 many of the communities of United Brethren in 

 Germany, England and America, boarding schools, 

 for the education of young persons of both sexes, 

 are established, in which not only their own youth., 

 but a great number of others, are instructed in use- 

 ful sciences and polite acquirements. For many 

 years, these schools have sustained, and still main- 

 tain, a considerable reputation both in Europe and 

 America. At Niesky, in Upper Lusatia, the Unity 

 maintains a higher classical institution, where those 

 receive a preparatory education who intend to em- 

 brace the liberal professions, or be prepared for the 

 ministry. The latter complete their studies in a 

 college situated at Gnadenfeld, in Silesia, which 

 serves the purposes of a university. Similar insti- 

 tutions, upon a smaller scale, are established at 

 Fulnec for the English, and at Nazareth for the 

 American portion of the Unity. These are, pro- 

 perly speaking, theological seminaries only. Young 

 men desirous of devoting themselves to the medical 

 or other learned professions, resort, of course, to 

 the public universities of their respective countries. 

 In the three departments of the board of elders of 

 the Unity before alluded to, taken collectively, the 

 direction of the whole Unity is concentrated. This 

 board, however, is responsible to the synods of the 

 society, which meet at stated times, generally at 

 intervals of from seven to twelve years, and from 

 whom all its authority emanates. They are com- 

 posed of the bishops and civil seniors of the church, 

 certain other general officers of the society, such as 

 the members of the board of elders of the Unity for 

 the time being, and of the representatives chosen 

 by each individual community. At these meetings, a 

 revision of all the concerns of the society and its parts 

 take place, and such alterations are adopted as circum- 

 stances seem to require. They are terminated by 

 the appointment of anewboard of elders of the Unity. 

 The following is a sketch of the mode of life of 

 the United Brethren, where they form separate 

 communities, which, however, is not always the 

 case ; for, in many instances, societies belonging to 

 the Unity are situated in larger and smaller cities 

 and towns, intermingled with the rest of the in- 

 habitants, in which cases their peculiar regulations 

 are, of course, out of the question. In their 

 separate communities, they do not allow the per- 

 manent residence of any persons as householders 

 who are not members in full communion, and who 

 have not signed the written instrument of brotherly 

 agreement, upon which their constitution and 

 discipline rests; but they freely admit of the 

 temporary residence among them of such other per- 

 sons as are willing to conform to their external re- 

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