226 nisTorcY of 



At an early period, they established a German printing- 

 office, Avhich enabled them to distribute tracts and 

 hymns, and afterwards to print several large works, in 

 which the views of the founder are fully explained. — 

 Many of these books have been lost and destroyed. In 

 the Revolutionary war, just before the battle of Ger- 

 mantown, three wagon loads of books, 271 sheets, were 

 seized and taken away for cartriges. They came to the 

 paper mill to get paper, and not finding any there, they 

 pressed the books in sheets. The printing press, used 

 then, is now in possession of R. R. Heitler, Esq., at 

 Ephrata. 



" Music was much cultivated. Beissel was a first rate 

 musician and composer. In composing sacred music he 

 took his style from the music of Nature, and the whole 

 comprising several large volumes are founded on the 

 tones of the Aeolian harp ; the singing is the Aeolian 

 harp harmonized; it is very peculiar in its style and 

 concords, and in its execution. The tones issuing from 

 the choir imitate very soft instrumental music ; convey- 

 ing a softness and devotion almost super-human to the 



Miller finished his studies. Before Miller's ordination, Weiss 

 had been Pastor of the German Reformed congregation, in 

 Philadelphia, and about that time, in company with an Elder, 

 named Reif, visited Holland, and other parts of Europe, for 

 the purpose of making collections in aid of the feeble congre- 

 gations, in Pennsylvania. 



Mr. Miller, Weiss, and John Bartholomew Rieger, fellow 

 students, were on terms of intimacy, at home and in America. 

 Rieger was a native of Oberingelheim, Palatinate. He 

 studied at Basel and Heidelberg, arrived in America, in 1731^ 

 and afterwards settled in Lancaster county ; he had charge of 

 several German Reformed congregations in this county. He 

 died at Lancaster, March 14, 17G9, aged 62 years, 2 months 

 and 4 days; buried in the German Reformed church grave- 

 yard. 



