Chapter Thirteen, A Just Complaint
Chapter Thirteen, A Just Complaint
At no time during the period which Muller spent in Stuttgart from August 1843 to February 1844, was there the slightest financial difficulty at Wilson Street. Apart from the large sum which he had been able to leave behind in Bristol, ^450 in cash was received together with a large quantity of valuable gifts in kind.
Through most of the summer of 1844, too, there was little difficulty but as summer gave way to autumn so the funds grew lower.
On the morning of Wednesday September 4th the funds at Wilson Street totalled one farthing; there were now nearly 140 people—children and staff—to be provided for. But as Muller set about his early morning activities, he was not worried: he often said, ‘Our need is my comfort’. To-day, as on so many other days, he would be fascinated to see how God would send help. A little after nine he received at Paul Street a sovereign from an anonymous donor. Between ten and eleven a note arrived from Wilson Street to say that £1 2s would be required for the day. As Muller finished reading the note a fly stopped outside the house and a gentleman from Manchester was announced. He introduced himself as a believer who had come to Bristol on business; he had heard about the homes and had been surprised that without any regular system of collection, and without personal application to anyone, Muller received more than £2,000 a year for the work. He gave Muller two pounds. Also that morning ten shillings came in, being profit from the sale of ladies’ bags. Before the evening was out 25s was also received, besides a box of valuable articles.
As winter approached Muller began to pray hard that God would supply the means for him to buy a large quantity of new clothes which were needed for the children. He also reminded the Lord that the Boys’ Home needed painting and that the staff could do with a little extra money to spend on themselves. On the first evening in October his prayer was answered: he received a bank order for £70. The donor had asked Muller to let him know ‘if anything particular should be connected with this donation’. But Muller wrote in his journal ‘though the donation comes in so seasonably, I cannot write to the kind donor thus, lest he should be induced to give more, by my exposing our circumstances, and lest also the hand of God should not be so manifest, in providing me with means for the work as otherwise it would’. The Boys’ Home was, however, duly painted-inside and out—and the staff received their bonus.
Everyone at Wilson Street enjoyed a prosperous Christmas in 1844: Muller described it as a ‘season of rich abundance’. It was a bitterly cold winter, and the children’s appetites increased to fight the cold. Whenever possible food was ordered in large quantities, for instance, on a Saturday in February eight hundredweight of rice and eight bushels of peas were bought. February 12th was the coldest morning of the whole winter: on his morning walk for prayer and meditation Muller thought how well he was supplied with coal, good food, and warm clothing and how many ‘of the dear children of God’ might be in need. He prayed that God would send him more means for himself so that he could be of greater help to those in need; three hours later he received ten pounds for his own needs. There can be no doubt what he did with this gift, although, of course, his journal is silent. It is known that during his life he gave away over £80,000 out of money given for his own use. Apart from this, many donors were aware of Muller’s concern for the poor in general and sometimes earmarked portions of their gifts for this purpose, as for instance, with four five-pound postal orders which were received from Hampstead in April, two of which were intended for ‘poor believers’.
Lydia was now twelve, and receiving what Muller described as a ‘very good education’ at a private school. After she had attended the school for six months, Muller asked for the account, only to be told that the headmistress ‘had a pleasure in educating her gratuitously’. He pressed the matter, however, and eventually obtained an account, which he paid, but later the exact sum was returned to him anonymously by the headmistress (as he later discovered). Lydia remained at the school until she was eighteen, but despite several attempts Muller was never again successful in procuring an account. ‘I was able,’ he recorded, ‘and well able, to pay for her education, and most willing to do so; but the Lord gave it gratuitously; thus also showing how ready He is, abundantly to help me and to supply my wants.’
From May to July 1845 funds were plentiful for the children’s work and in addition Muller received five hundred pounds for work in Germany (anything left over to be used in the homes). This money was especially timely since Muller had received worrying news of a false teacher who had influenced a number of members of the little church he had founded in Stuttgart. He was therefore able to spend July to October in Germany, not only working in Stuttgart but also undertaking with Mary a lengthy tour of the country in a hired carriage during which they distributed no less than 220,000 tracts and four thousand copies of Muller’s Narrative in German. During the visit an incident occurred which Dr Rowdon (in his study of The Origins of the Brethren) sees as symbolising the fact that Muller and Craik ‘walked in the footsteps of A. N. Groves’ rather than the separatist ones of J. N. Darby. In a letter from Stuttgart to the saints at Bethesda Muller recorded that we travelled with a most lovely and gracious brother, an English clergyman from Sussex, with whom, after two or three hours I was so one in heart, that on getting out of the omnibus, in which we travelled together about thirty miles, in order to walk up a long hill, we walked arm-in-arm. It was most refreshing to our spirits to find so lovely a brother in this dark land. We spent a few hours together at Stuttgart, and then this dear brother left for the neighbourhood of Munich ... where his family is for a season.
This visit led a number of people to say ‘We are quite sure there must be money in hand for the orphans, else Mr Midler would not have gone to Germany’. Similar things were often said when a new and costly step of faith was taken by the Homes. At such times Muller and his staff remained silent: to have denied it would have been to expose the need and to give the appearance of appealing for funds. And so they would pray:
‘Lord, it is said that there is much money in hand, whereby some who would, otherwise help us, it may be, are kept from doing so; now, Lord, do Thou nevertheless, as the work is Thine, lay our need, the real state of things, on the hearts of Thy children, that they may help us.’
This prayer was offered many times by the Mullers in Germany and the staff in Bristol, and it was answered. The needs were fully met throughout the period of the visit.
On Thursday morning, October 30th 1845, Muller received what he described as a ‘polite and friendly’ letter from an inhabitant of Wilson Street. The writer said that he and his neighbours were ‘in various ways inconvenienced by the Orphan-Houses being in Wilson Street’. The letter left it to Muller to decide what action to take.
It was not until the following Monday that Muller found time to set aside some hours to pray and think about this new problem. Having asked God to guide him to a right decision he wrote down the reasons for and against moving the children from Wilson Street.
In the first place he accepted that the neighbour’s complaint was ‘neither without foundation, nor unjust’. It was true that—particularly during play-time—the children were noisy ‘even though the noise be only of that kind, that one could not at all find fault with the dear children on account of it’. Muller thought, ‘I should myself feel it trying to my head to live next door to the Orphan-Houses ... I therefore ought to do to others, as I should wish to be done by.’ Secondly, with between 140 and 150 persons living in the four homes in Wilson Street, there had been occasions when the drains had been unable to cope and had even affected the water supply.
There were other reasons for moving, too. The single play-ground at Wilson Street was only large enough for the children of one house at a time; Muller wanted the children to have more room to play. Also he wanted to be within easy reach of land which could be turned into gardens where the older boys could work. Another advantage of larger premises in the country would be that all the laundry could be done at the homes.
Muller was also concerned that the air at Wilson Street was not as bracing as it might have been and, bearing in mind that many of the children were unhealthy on arrival at the homes, he was anxious that they should, be situated in an as invigorating a position as possible. The teachers and staff, too, he thought, would be glad of somewhere where they could relax in a garden or walk in the fields after hours.
For some years Muller had been looking for property in Bristol which offered these advantages but had found none. Ordinary large houses, built for private families were, he felt, generally unsuitable for use as homes being inadequately ventilated.
The more Muller thought and prayed about the matter, the more he began to feel that it was God’s will for him to embark on his boldest ever venture of faith: to build a brand new purpose built home.
I began to see that the Lord would lead me to build, and that His intentions were not only the benefit of the Orphans, and the better ordering of the whole work, but also the bearing still further testimony that He could and would provide large sums for those who need them and trust in Him for them; and besides, that He would enlarge the work so, that, if I once did build a house, it might be large enough to accommodate three hundred Orphans, with their teachers and other overseers and servants needful for the work.
During no period since the commencement of the work in 1836 had there been so many applications for admission—particularly boys—and Muller found it painful having to refuse so many children at home.
The following Thursday he asked his fellow-workers at Bethesda their opinion and all eight judged that he ought to leave Wilson Street and could see no objection to building. Next day George and Mary began to meet every morning to pray over the matter, and, as soon as they were sure that it was God’s will, they started to ask Him for the necessary funds. These would be considerable: Muller estimated at least ten thousand pounds.
On November 15th Robert Chapman arrived to work for a while in Bristol. Muller was glad of the opportunity to consult his dear friend about the building project; Chapman, who was very much in favour of the idea, also said ‘You must ask help from God to show you the plan, so that all may be according to the mind of God.’
The last seven years had not been easy: for long periods there had been no excess of funds. Most men would have been content to continue the substantial and worthwhile work at Wilson Street, judging that expansion was neither feasible nor essential. Muller, however, was not content merely to consolidate the work; he was now ‘fully assured’ that it was God’s will for him to expand and build. His God, he often said, was a rich God and there were no limits to his resources: ‘The silver and the gold are His, the cattle upon a thousand hills’.
On December 10th 1845 Muller received the first donation towards the new building: it was a gift of one thousand pounds—the largest single donation they had ever received. Muller recorded ‘When I received it I was as calm, as quiet, as if I had only received one shilling. For my heart was looking out for answers to my prayers’.
Three days later, Mary’s sister returned from a visit to London with the news that she had met a Christian architect who had recently read Muller’s Narrative with great interest and was keen to hear more about the work. On hearing the plans to build a new Home, he offered to draw up plans and superintend the building free of charge. Muller was delighted and saw this offer plus the thousand pounds as an earnest of great things to come.
He was looking out for a piece of land of at least six or seven acres somewhere on the outskirts of Bristol. Just at that time there was a great deal of speculative building development over the whole area and all suitable land was fetching high prices. An appropriate site would probably cost between £2,000 and £3,000; the building would cost from £6,000 to £8,000; and the cost of furnishing a house for three to four hundred inmates (including staff) would be £1,500 at least.
Muller deliberately issued no circular giving details of his plans ‘in order that the hand of God may be the more manifest’. He spoke however to some people about his plans if conversation led to the subject. At the end of December he received on the 29th a further £50 towards the new building, and the following evening another donation of one thousand pounds. Thrilled as he was by this second large gift, he was no less pleased to be able to make the following entries in his journal early in the new year:
Jan. 3. One of the Orphans gave 6d.
Jan. 10. One of the Orphans having received half-a-crown from a cousin, gave is 6d of it towards building the Orphan-House; a sister in the Lord also gave me 3 s, a ring, a pair of gold ear-rings, and a gold brooch.
During January Muller looked into the possibilities of a number of sites, but none proved entirely suitable or cheap enough. Next month, however, the following entries appeared in his journal:
Feb. 2. To-day I heard of suitable and cheap land on Ashley Down. Feb. 3. Saw the land. It is the most desirable of all I have seen.
Ashley Down certainly offered enormous possibilities: high up in a bracing position on the north side of Bristol with long views eastwards towards Stapleton and north to Horfield. And yet it was within easy reach of the centre of Bristol and not too far from Bethesda.
The following evening Muller called at the home of the owner of the land only to be told that he was at his place of business. On arrival there, he was told that the gentleman had just left, but that he would be at his house at about eight. Muller, however, decided that it was not God’s will for them to meet that evening and returned to Kingsdown.
Next morning Muller once again rang the front door bell of the fine house where the owner of the Ashley Down site lived. This time he was informed that the owner was at home and anxious that Mr Muller should be shown to his room as soon as possible. After the briefest introductory formalities the gentleman said to Muller: ‘This morning I awoke at three o’clock and could not sleep again until five. While I was lying awake I could think of nothing else but my land on Ashley Down and your enquiry which had been passed on to me about the possibility of acquiring it for building an orphan house. At length I made up my mind that if you applied for it, I would sell it to you at £120 an acre instead of £200 which I was previously asking!’
‘How good is the Lord!’ thought Muller. That morning he signed an agreement to buy nearly seven acres at £120 an acre.
A week later, Muller received a reply to a letter he had written to the London architect about his offer to help with the plans of the building. It read:
My dear Sir,
It will afford me gratification, beyond what I can communicate by letter, to lend you a helping hand in the labour of love you are engaged in, and I shall esteem it a very great privilege being allowed to exercise my abilities as an architect and surveyor in the erection of the building you propose to erect for the Orphans.
I really do mean what I say, and, if all is well, by the blessing of God, I will gratuitously furnish you with plans, elevations, and sections; with specification of the work, so that the cost may be accurately estimated. I will also make you an estimate and superintend the works for you gratuitously ...’
The following week the architect travelled to Bristol from London, and Muller and he visited Ashley Down together. ‘This site is most suitable,’ the expert assured Muller, ‘on grounds of situation, drainage and water supply’. Muller was delighted.
Money for the building fund was now coming in steadily, and in mid-February Muller received a promise that on March 25th five hundred pounds would be paid to him. It was in fact paid before the end of February.
Towards the end of April Muller received a letter which included the following sentences: ‘With regard to property I do not see my way clearly. I trust it is all indeed at the disposal of the Lord; and if you would let me know of any need of it in His service, any sum under £200 shall be at your disposal at about a week’s notice.’ As it happened Muller and his wife were about to leave Bristol for a short while and he could have easily written something like, ‘The Orphans my dear brother are now in need, and it would be a particular comfort to me, as I am going away, if you would send me £190 …' But that would not have been true to his principles; he therefore wrote thanking the brother for his kind offer but stating that he only spoke to the Lord about his need. It is not known whether or not this potential donor was offended by Muller’s reply but no money was sent. However on May 11th, Muller received £200 from another source: £100 for the present needs of the children, £50 for the building fund and £50 for other objects. Muller commented, ‘The Lord rewarded me thus, for not exposing our poverty to the brother who offered on April 20th to give me any sum under £200, if I should let him know if I needed anything for the Lord’s work. Thus we had at least a little more than we should have had, even if I had asked that brother.’
The plans for the building were now completed: it would accommodate 300 children, 140 girls and 80 boys from eight upwards, and 80 infant boys and girls aged up to seven, as well as having proper quarters for all staff and teachers. Work, however, would not commence until all necessary funds had been received. It was planned to invest the land and building in the hands of about ten trustees.
On July 6th 1846 Muller received the largest donation he had so far received for his work: two thousand and fifty pounds of which two thousand pounds was intended for the building fund. He wrote:
It is impossible to describe my joy in God when I received this donation. I was neither excited nor surprised; for I look out for answers to my prayers. I believe that God hears me. Yet my heart was so full of joy, that I could only sit before God, and admire him, like David in 2 Samuel 7. At last I cast myself flat down upon my face, and burst forth in thanksgiving to God, and in surrendering my heart afresh to Him for His blessed service.
On November 19th Muller rose at five to pray. There were a number of matters on his mind which he brought before God. For one thing publicity had recently been given to the fact that a number of the inhabitants of Wilson Street were complaining of the inconvenience of the orphan homes there, and Muller was even more anxious to receive enough money to begin the building. For another thing, applications for admission were now well in excess of places in the homes and Muller hated turning children away. After a period of prayer about all this Muller opened his Bible to Mark 11 and came to verse 24, ‘What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.’ He began to pray again:
‘Lord I believe that Thou wilt give me all I need for the work. I am sure that I shall have all, because I believe that I receive in answer to prayer.’
After breakfast he had a time of prayer again and about five minutes after he had risen from his knees a registered letter was handed to him. It contained a cheque for £300 of which £280 was for the building fund, £10 for his own expenses and £10 for Henry Craik. This brought the building fund to over six thousand pounds.
In December he received another gift of £1,000 and on January 25th 1847, another donation of £2,000 bringing the total up to well over £9,000.
The winter of 1846-7 had not been an easy time for meeting the day-to-day needs in Wilson Street. The year 1846 was a year of catastrophic crop failure both of wheat and potatoes. The American cotton crop, too, was well below expectation, sending prices soaring. The British economy suffered a crisis of confidence with the soundness of the many railway companies being called into question, leading to widespread financial panic. In May 1847 Muller recorded: ‘Never were provisions nearly so dear since the commencement of the work, as they are now. The bread is almost twice as much as eighteen months ago, the oatmeal nearly three times as much as formerly, the rice more than double the usual price, and no potatoes can be used, on account of their exceeding high price.’ But, he continued, ‘... the children have lacked nothing .. . my heart is in peace, in great peace.’
In June he received another thousand pounds for the building fund which ‘again encouraged my heart abundantly to trust in Him for all that which I shall yet need’. It was now estimated that, including fittings and furniture the whole project would cost not less than £14,500. However these extra expenses—mainly for heating, gas fittings, furnishing, three large playgrounds and a small road—would not be required until sometime after the commencement of the building work. Muller therefore decided to go ahead, and the first workmen arrived on Ashley Down on July 5th. On August 19th the foundation stone of the new building was laid.
A gift of one hundred pounds in February 1848 enabled Muller to buy a new suit of clothes for every boy in Wilson Street, something for which he had been praying for some weeks.
Throughout the winter, when the weather was fair, work proceeded on the new home and by May much of the building was already at roof level. But before the first children moved up to Ashley Down, Muller had to deal with the final explosion of a sad affair within the Brethren movement which had been simmering for some years, and would have tragic and far-reaching consequences.