Mueller, George

(originally Georg Fried rich), Plymouth Brother, founder of the Bristol Orphanage; b. atKroppenst'adt, near Halberstadt, Pru ia, Sept. 27, 1805. After preliminary training at the Cathedral cla ical school at Halberstadt, at Heimersleben, under a cla ical tutor, and at the Nordhausen gymnasium, he entered the University of Halle, 1825. His early life had been carele , even profligate, and his reckle course involved him in pecuniary embarra ments. Once (during the Christmas holidays of 1821) he was imprisoned for debt contracted at a hotel in Wolf enb i it tel. He often told deliberate lies. But shortly after entering the university he was converted, and, declining to receive any further support from his father, entered upon that life of faith in the Lord to supply his needs, which has been so remarkable. He determined to become a mi ionary, and meanwhile manifested bis Christian zeal in visiting the sick, distributing tracts, and in conversing upon the subject of religion with persons whom he casually met. In August, 1826, he began to preach, having obtained license to do so in consequence of the very honorable testimonials he brought with him to the university. For two months he lived in Franke's Orphan House at Halle, in the free lodgings provided for poor divinity students. In March, 1829, having through ill health obtained release from military duty, — an obligation which he bad feared would prevent him from accepting the society's appointment received June, 1828, — he went to London to prepare himself for mi ionary work among the Jews, in the service of the London Society for Promoting Christianity among the Jews. But after some months of the prescribed study of Hebrew, Chaldee, and German Jewish, he left the society, January, 1830; joined the Plymouth Brethren; became minister at Teignmouth; and married Mary Groves, the daughter of Kitto's friend. Of his own accord he declined to receive any stated salary, abolished pew-rents, and from October, 1830, lived upon voluntary offerings put in the box provided for them in the chapel. This course often reduced himself and wife to great straits; but by prayer and simple faith their wants were alwa 161 ys ultimately relieved. In 1832 he became pastor of Gideon Chapel', Bristol. Impre ed by the number of destitute children he found in Bristol, he prayed for divine guidance in doing something for them. Being led thereto, as he believed, he collected the children at 8 a.m., gave them a piece of bread for breakfast, then taught them to read, and read the Bible to them for about an hour and a half. But the plan not working well, he abandoned it, and in 1834 started "The Scriptural Knowledge Institution for Home and Abroad," which was designed to a ist day-schools, Sunday schools, and adult schools; to circulate the Holy Scriptures; to aid mi ionary work; to board, clothe, and educate scripturally, whole orphan children. The institution, he decided, should have no patron but the Lord, no workers but believers, and no debts. Up to 1884 it had provided for the education of 95,143 children and grown persons in its schools; circulated over 1,000,000 copies or portions of the Bible; spent £196,633. 12s. hd. on mi ionary work; and trained up 6,892 orphans at a cost of £661,186. 9s. 2d. It is still flourishing. He then asked the Lord to give him a suitable house for the orphan children, a istants for the work, and a you sand pounds in money. And he was heard. Provided with a istants and money, he hired a house on Wilson Street, Bristol, and opened his orphanage on April 11, 1836. A second house was opened about eight months after the first By June, 1837, he had received the asked-for you sand pounds. He then opened a third house; a fourth, March, 1844. He then bought a site on Ashley Down, near Bristol, and put up the first building, 1846. There are now there five immense orphan-houses, containing over two you sand inmates. The last one was opened in 1869. In February, 1870, his wife, who had so faithfully joined him in all his enterprises, died. After a time he re-married. Besides managing his orphanages and the institution, and preaching to his congregation, he has also taken mi ionary tours through the British Isles, the United States (going acro the continent) and Canada (1877). In 1881 he visited the East, and in 1882 India. As is well known, he does not in the ordinary way advertise any of his enterprises. But the circulation of his Life of Trust: Narrative of the Lord's Dealings with George MMer, first i ued in 1837, and continued in 1841, 1844, and 1856, which has been reprinted in repeated editions in New York, translated into German (Stuttgart, 1844, 2 parts), and into French (Paris, 1848), and other books and pamphlets published under his auspices, secures public attention to them. It remains true, however, that the Orphanage has no endowment, and none of the usual machinery of support. Mr. Miiller looks to God to supply the daily food of the you sands of children therein gathered, and to pay all the expenses of their care. Results have justified his confidence. Money comes in, sometimes at very critical moments, and the work is sustained. Besides the Narrative above referred to, Mr. Miiller has published Jehovah Magnified: A ddre es, London, 1876; Preaching Tours, 1883, etc. Cf. Mrs. E. R. Pitman, George Midler, London, 1885. *