Return trip from Altona. -Maarburg. -The trip to Celle. -Suffering and sad condition after my return in the fatherland. -Final reinstatement in the school profession.

Our shipper who was to take us to Haarburg put us on land still a good stretch on the other side of Haarburg and when I asked him what this was supposed to mean he said we were now there where he was supposed to bring us. No, I said, our contract was to Haarburg. To Maarburg said the shipper and now we are there. I knew then that I was taken in for also the shipper's helpers gave testimony that our agreement had been they should take us to Maarburg. We then had to take our quarters in Maarburg, a village still belonging to Hamburg, but our shipper would not discount one penny from the fee. We went into the inn "to the city Hamburg." The owners of this inn were very decent people who received us in a truly humane way, treated us during our stay there in a rightly courteous and responsible manner and, because they took such a cordial share in our circumstances, made us pay only very little. During our entire journey we were nowhere treated better than here where we had to stay for two days because we could not be processed earlier by the Hannoverian police on account of the things we had with us, also because we had difficulties finding a driver

Finally we got one to Celle and because the roads and the weather were good, we arrived there safely after two days. Although our things were all weighed and stamped in Maarburg and on that account I had received a statement, they nevertheless wanted to cause us unnecessary expense again in this way and demanded that I take such to the parcel station and have them inspected and weighed again there. As I had expended enough good word and asked for preservation from unnecessary expense, but had this request rebuffed by the lower police officials, I had my things unloaded from the wagon and put down in front of the door of the inn because the driver did not want to wait any longer, but rather wanted to return again; and distressed to the highest degree I said: "There the rags lie! Just take them away right away; until we arrive at the end of our journey they will cause me more expense than they are worth." Then I went into the guest room and did not concern myself any further about it. But our innkeeper, a young humane man who, without telling me, had gone to the upper police officials for me, soon thereafter brought me the report that I only had to load up my things in God's Name and travel farther. Then I hired another driver to Cramme and we then continued our journey. The driver asked of me a cheap fee, told me that he knew Cramme in the Braunschweig district well, for which reason I did not ask one penny off of the fee asked for. He said further that he lived several hours from Celle along the road where our way would go through his town, that we could drive still on the same day to there, stay overnight in his house and early the next day could continue our journey farther by way of Peine. Then he planned to drive back again to Peine the next day. Although I immediately doubted this plan very much and expressed this doubt, he, as well as the rest of those present who claimed to know Cramme, was nevertheless of the opinion that this was rightly possible. The man and his consorts, however, had erred. We drove on the very same day to the man's house in Uetzen, the next morning he also hitched up the horses early enough and with good streets and nice weather the wagon with its three speedy horses also went fast enough from there. In Peine he fed his horses only for half an hour during which time we too enjoyed a breakfast and then we went quickly onward and the man was constantly in a good mood and cheerful up to the stupid gap not far from Broistedt where he first started to doubt that he would still be able to come back to Peine on the same day. He then became distraught and angry to the greatest degree, jumped from the horse and wanted to throw my things from the wagon and drive back again. Thereupon I reminded him that if he did that I would then not pay him one penny fee. Then he became totally violent and wanted to attack me; whereupon I quietly stepped down from the wagon and awaited the execution of his threat in order to show that I was not afraid of him. Then he took thought and said if I would pay him a half thaler more fee he would drive to Cramme, otherwise not. While I was objecting to this, my wife shouted from the wagon, "Indeed he shall have this so that there is peace!" Then he wanted to be paid his fee immediately on the spot; but as I staunchly objected he finally decided to drive farther and late in the afternoon we came to Cramme, the town of our destination, took our things into the schoolhouse there where we had been promised we could live until my reinstatement.

Neither I nor the good cantor Eyme doubted in the least my reinstatement as schoolteacher in some place of the Braunschweig country here soon; for this reason he offered me shelter in his house until that time and I moved in to the same.

Because just at this time several school positions were vacant, it was my first order of business to look obediently into one of these positions with the ducal consistory. The high collegium named would have granted me this position without a doubt if I could have presented from America a certification of my conduct of office there as well as of my moral character, without which however, according to a resolution of this high collegium, I could not again be employed as schoolteacher in these lands.

Then all of a sudden I felt how unfortunate I had become through the circumstance mentioned in the twenty-first chapter which prevented me from receiving the written certification of Preacher Miller promised to me in America. Indeed I could have the certification sent to me, on which account I also sent two letters to America at once. But when could I expect an answer to my writing and the certification mentioned? The shortest time in which this could be expected was a whole year; usually it takes longer and sometimes indeed two years. Through this I was thrust into the greatest importunity; oh! I had never been as unlucky as now since all my wishes and plans were in vain and the most laudable of my hopes missed the mark. Even if the desired request would really come from America within a year's time, where should I live during that time and from what support myself? I could not stay there where I had moved so long because the circumstances and situation would not allow it; and although I found opportunity enough at once to move somewhere else where I really found ventures from which I could well have supported myself and honestly furthered myself, every time the regional police put hindrances in the way.

Finally a shelter was offered me where I had to believe that the hindrances named were for the most part put aside or at least would cause far less disadvantage, which dwelling I also moved into on December 1, 1825 and on the following day was charged to instruct the children of the house. Then I indeed found work enough from early in the morning to late at night; but neither food nor drink nor anything else was offered me for it, and as it was I was repaid with the greatest frustrations for this effort and work; and it was not much better for my wife who also had to take care of certain chores here

daily without pay, such as would have been suited for a maid. Thereby I often had to struggle with the most nagging hunger, for the few pennies which my wife earned from spinning were not sufficient to satisfy our most essential needs. Finally towards spring of 1826 our plight was somewhat mitigated when I got several farmers' sons into my instructions whose parents now and again had some foodstuffs brought to us for it.

When I had lived here nine months and instructed the children of this house totally without pay with all diligence and done many other chores for nothing, all of a sudden these children stayed away from my instruction without my having any idea of the reason for it and soon thereafter I was served notice in writing that, since one had given me shelter for a considerable time, I now make arrangements for shelter with another one of my friends and had to vacate this dwelling within four weeks. This happened only in order to hurt me; for they knew well enough that I was allowed to live nowhere because I was always hindered from it by the police.

Then the trek began anew again to hunt up a dwelling where I would be in a position to earn my necessities at the same time. I really also found such an opportunity where I could have made a go of it through private instruction; but an old enemy of mine had no rest until he totally brought to naught my intentions again. My sufferings then increased again with each day and I do not wish to describe them but rather pass over them with silence and much more thank God Who through my religion granted me courage and strength to bear confidently even the most trying adversity with the patience of Job. For this reason I had to be prepared for it earlier through burdensome suffering and exercised in the bearing of the same; for a magnet increases in power and strength only when one gives it more and more to lift little by little; and experience also indeed teaches generally that only repeated practice makes the master. Heavy sufferings are also man's best school in which he can learn very much that would indeed have remained totally unknown to him even if he believed himself to be so very educated.

Experience is true instruction. Whoever was never yet unfortunate is also not in a position to take a vital share in the need of the unfortunate one as that person who himself has had the experience of what the condition of a really unfortunate and longsuffering person is; even if it is clearly described and vitally explained to him. Whoever himself has not yet come to this test, does not yet completely know how strong his faith and how steadfast he stands in his trust in God. Whoever himself has not yet come from a state of well-being into the most bitter poverty and disregard as I does not know how to make a completely clear grasp of such misfortune in which I found myself, which was increased because through prevailing circumstances the means of rescuing myself from the same were taken from me. My previous dwelling I was supposed to leave and vacate within a short time and I knew not where to go; for those persons who would gladly have given me a place were not allowed to.

In such unfortunate circumstances one also first learns to know his true friends and it comes to light whether those who previously assured us of their friendship are really friends or only hypocrites. From many a person who earlier gave me the warmest assurance of friendship with nice words and even sent such in writing abroad to me I now had to hear the most agonizing vilification, the most bitter accusations, indeed the most abominable crudities because I had become poor and needy and one perhaps feared that I would now make a claim on his friendship and would become burdensome to him, in order through these to keep me at a distance from them. Such little needy souls, however, it is easy to pardon; they are to be pitied because they themselves lack much.

When I had done everything that I could to improve my unfortunate situation somewhat, I submitted to my dire fate, yet with the steadfast trust that the God Who had not forsaken me in a strange land and had led me twice fortunately across the wide sea so that I returned again to my fatherland healthier than before would not let me go completely under in my misfortune, but rather must have destined me yet to something. When deprivation was at the greatest and my wife then wanted to despair completely through bitter sicknesses which she often had to bear on top of everything else, I could quiet, comfort and support her with nothing other than the precious teachings of religion and when I had stirred the last spark of hope in her again and made it glow through this, I recited for her in addition the splendid verse of Gellert:

Do not be moved, if all around you stormclouds gather!
God helps when Christians, empty of joy, come to Him for grace.
The time of torment, the number of tears He counts;
He weighs the pains, and removes them from the heart.


What would have become of us if precious religion had not handed us the staff of hope and been our comfort in such heavy suffering! It is she alone that helps us bear the greatest burdens of life and grants us courage and strength in misfortune because she teaches us to acknowledge God and worship Him.

Finally after sixteen months of dreadful suffering which we had to endure in our fatherland, a star of hope for our betterment appeared. The ducal consistory granted me the little school position in Hohen-Assel, an affiliate of Burgdorf into which we moved on January 25,1827 and where we have lived since then.

Source: Edited by Bryan Wright