384 AUTHENTIC HISTORY 



their welfare to having been in their younger years inmates, and under the care and 

 admonition of such who fi'om experience could guide and instruct them. 



'^ The Sisters'' House.'''' This was built A. D., 1758. It is likewise built of limestone, 

 three stories high, 90 feet in length and 37 in depth; the internal arrangement is the 

 same as that described of the Brother House. At this time it is not occupied for its 

 original purpose, but ;t is in connection with Linden Hall and is used for school 

 purposes. 



There was never any kind of vow of celibacy connected with these Institutions; any 

 of the sisters can leave the house if she has any desire to change her situation. 



In larger Moravian communities, similar houses are established for such widows as 

 desire to live retired, and are called widows' houses. The individuals residing in these 

 establishments pay a small rent, by which, and by the sums paid for their board, the 

 expenses thereof are defrayed, assisted occasionally by the profits on the sale of orna- 

 mental needlework, confectioneries, &c., on which some of the inmates subsist. We 

 hope our account of these Institutions will prove satisfactory to our readers, and par- 

 ticularly to such as have hitherto entertained different opinions. They are in their 

 character nothing more than the different asylums for widows, homes for working 

 women and young men, which are found in Philadelphia and other cities, and we are 

 inclined to think, the idea for establishing those in the cities, has been borrowed from 

 the Moravian Institutions. 



TJie Grave YcwdA — This beautiful spot is located on a rising ground to the South of 

 the village, of which we will give the reader some account, there being perhaps not 

 another similar arrangement to be found in Lancaster county : 



After entering the gate, the visitor finds himself in a beautiful aveiuie of cedar trees, 

 which separates the graves of the males from those of the females, the former being on 

 the right and the latter on the left as he passes on. We have before stated that the 

 congregation is divided into classes; in the same order then as it is divided, so they are 

 laid on the grave yard ; here the visitors find the rows containing nothing but the mar- 

 ried men; and on the opposite side, luarried Avomen; as he passes on, those of the single 

 classes; and further, those of little boys and girls under the age of twelve. The graves 

 are all of two sizes, being without distinction of an oblong shape, and flat on the top, 

 to which shape they are brought by two moulds, ex^jressly kept for that purpose, one 

 for adults and the other for children. The sides are planted with sod, and the tops are 

 overrun with the Virginia mountain pink, which in the month of May is in full bloom, 

 and renders the appearance of the graves one of the most beautiful imaginable. On 

 each grave there is a marble tombstone which, without distinction, lies flat on the grave, 

 verifying the old adage "Death levels all, both great and small." 



The epitaphs contain the name, birth and departure; to some, a few more lines have 

 been added, a number of which are truly edifying, and very striking. Each tombstone 

 is numbered and the highest number in February, 1869, is 727. The first person was 

 buried there in 1758. 



The Litiz Spring. — This spring, which is visited by so many persons, is situated on 

 the land of the Society, about one-half mile westwardly from the village, and is proba- 

 bly one of the largest springs in Pennsylvania. There are two fountains from which 

 all the water, which forms a considerable stream, is discharged, and has water sufficient 

 for some of the largest merchant mills in the county. From its head to the Conestoga, 



1 November 8, 1758, a lad of three years, named John Baumgartner, was buried in this Grave Yard; 

 being the first interment; the occasion was improved by solemnly consecrating this parcel of ground 

 as a resting place for the remains of the departed. On the arrival of the funeral procession, an appro- 

 priate address was delivered by the Rev. Matthew Hehl; then, the usual funeral service ■\>'hile the 

 corpse was let in the grave, was read; after which, the assembled congregation knelt down, and with 

 solemn prayer consecrated the spot, for all who in future would be interred here, to rest in hope till 

 that important moment when Christ shall call those who died in the Lord, from their graves to a glo- 

 rious resurrection. 



