Concerning the Moravians
Sonic iiil<T«'Ni in” facl.s pertaining lo the
firs! church -lioll in Salem. Iho introduction
of Mwpo.v virus as a preventative against
smallpox anil
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first celebration of the
Fourth of July.
DURING the summer months
the Men’s Bible Class of the
Home M or avian Church,
Salem, holds its sessions on the
lovely old campus of Salem Col-
lege, and those who listen in over
radio to Dr. Howard Hondthaler's
graphic and inspiring exposition
of the morning lesson hear now
and then the distant rumbling of a
passing train, a sudden burst of
music from some songster in the
tree tops, and the clear silvery
tones of the church-bell from its
neighboring church tower.
This , Moravian church-bell for
one hundred and seventy-three
years has been in constant use.
striking the hours, and of later
years the quarter-hours, regulating
the alTairs of the community in
the day when clocks and watches
were scarce, calling worshipers to
Divine worship evening and morn¬
ing.
Older than the famous Liberty
Bell, the Moravian Church-bell in
spite of its long years of service
is in perfect condition.
In 1771 when the Brethren of
Old Salem were few in number
and not richly endowed with this
world’s goods, they began making
plans for a bell for the church
which later was to be built — a bell
of rich, full tone that could be
heard from one end of their grow¬
ing village to the other.
A noted brazier, Matthis Tom-
merum, originally from Denmark
but at the time a member of the
Moravian congregation of Bethle¬
hem, Pennsylvania, was employed
by the Brethren to make their
bell.
In a year’s time the big bell,
weighing 275 pounds, arrived
safely in Salem after its long wag¬
on journey from Pennsylvania.
It was during Passion Week.
April 1772, that the bell arrived,
and immediately after Easter it
was set up in the wooden tower
which had been erected for it on
the northeast corner of the Square,
near the Congregation House where
Divine services as well as other
congregational gatherings were
held.
On Sunday, April 22, 1772, one
week after Easter, the big bell
was first rung, and on June 20,
the hours for the first time were
struck on it.
At 7 in the morning the church
bell rang, and work in the village
began; at 11:30 when next the
clear call was heard, it was time
to stop all work and eat dinner;
and
«Л
7. the ringing announced
that work for the day was over.
Twice again in the evening the
church-bell rang -at 7:30 for twi¬
light service and at 9 for Sing-
stundo — a congregation gathering
mostly for singing.
Then to bed as Pepys would
say — and restful sleep for the
Brethren during the silent watches
of the night.
In the year 1802. when Dr.
Edward Jenncr was being show¬
ered with honors for having suc¬
cessfully introduced vaccine inocu¬
lation into Great Britain, and
while in North Carolina Dr. Calvin
Jones of Louisburg and Raleigh
was carrying on his experiments
with the cowpox virus, the scien¬
tifically-minded and progressive
physician of Wachovia. Dr. Samuel
Vierling, introduced into Piedmont
and western North Carolina the
use of the cowpox virus as a pre¬
ventative against smallpox.
In the minutes of the Salem
Board of April 21, 1801, reference
is made to the work of Dr. Jones.
“A new kind of smallpox,” the
record states, "has recently been
discovered in Europe. ... In the
last newspaper Dr. Calvin Jones
of this State, announces that he
hopes to receive this new kind of
smallpox, which is called cowpox.
and offers to inoculate with it. It
will be well to inform our mem¬
bers of his description of this new
illness."
This "new illness" Dr. Vierling
lost no time in investigating, and
in June of the following year —
1802 — when smallpox was raging
in certain areas of the State, he
urged the Brethren to prevent the
dread disease from coming una¬
wares into their midst by inocu¬
lating with "kinepox” all who had
not had the smallpox.
Early in June a special mes¬
senger was dispatched to Raleigh
to a certain doctor <the records
no doubt thus refer to Dr. Jones!
for the purest material for inocu¬
lation and directions for its use.
When the messenger returned
with the virus. Dr. Vierling began
at once on his courageous under¬
taking. Eighty persons, old and
young, were inoculated by him
during June and July, and as the
minutes of the Salem Board state,
"most of the patients recovered
easily and successfully and a num¬
ber had no illness whatever.”
Characteristically, the doctor
would receive no remuneration for
his daring and strenuous work,
and characteristically, the Breth¬
ren in their record of July 22 con¬
cluded the matter in this manner:
"We give due thanks to our Sav¬
iour for the successful inoculation
with cowpox of most of our chil¬
dren; Our town doctor. Br. Vier¬
ling. says that he does not wish to
be paid for his services, and the
Council and the entire congrega¬
tion give him hearty thanks."
The Moravians of Wachovia were
the first North Carolinians to ob¬
serve July 4 i 17831, as a Day of
Public Thanksgiving for the happy
termination of seven years of
struggle for independence.
In April 1783 the news of the
Signing of Peace in Paris reached
North Carolina, and the General
Assembly in session at the time
patriotically appointed the follow¬
ing Fourth of July as a Day of
Public Thanksgiving throughout
the State.
In Bethabara. Bothania. and
Salem the Fourth was "solemnly
and happily celebrated." There
are no records to show that other
sections of the State observed this
first 4th of July thanksgiving.
THE STATE. August It. 1945
