Untitled - the Digital Library of Georgia

128 GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS
myself under obligations to build a house upon it and to receive from
time to time as many orphans as the land and stock would maintain
* * * I called it Bethesda because I hoped it would be a house of
mercy to many souls.''
Whitefield gave himself unreservedly to the work. Throughout the
remainder of his life, it was the constant theme of his eloquence. Voy
ages back and forth to England and travels up and down the continent
were made by him, almost without number, in behalf of his beloved
Bethesda. Large sums were contributed on both sides of the water, and
people in every walk of life were charmed into giving by the marvelous
witchery of his words. Benjamin Franklin records this anecdote of
Whitefield : "I happened soon after to attend one of his sermons, in the
course of which I perceived he intended to finish with a collection and I
silently resolved that he should get nothing from me. I had in my
pocket a handful of copper money, three or four silver dollars, and five
pistoles of gold. As he proceeded I began to soften, and concluded to
give the copper. Another stroke of oratory made me ashamed to give
so little and determined me to give the silver; and he finished so admir
ably that I emptied my pocket wholly into the collector's dish, gold and
all."
Nineteen years later found Whitefield making Bethesda an academy
of high character, similar in design to one in Philadelphia. For this
purpose two wings, 150 feet each, were added to the main building. But
the great friend of the orphans was nearing the end of his pilgrimage.
It was not reserved for him to witness the ultimate fruition of his work.
By Whitefield's death, the institution passed to Lady Huntingdon.
The clause in his will, transferring the property to her, reads: "I will
and bequeath the Orphan House at Bethesda and likewise all buildings,
lands, books, and furniture belonging thereto to that lady elect, that
Mother in Israel, that mirror of true and undefiled religion, the Right
Honorable Selina, Countess of Huntingdon. In case she should be called
to enter upon her glorious rest before my decease, then, to the Honorable
James Habersham, a merchant of Savannah." Lady Huntingdon's first
thought upon hearing of the bequeathal to her of Bethesda was char
acteristic of her devotional nature; a day was set apart for fasting a.nd
prayer. But preparations were hardly begun for taking over the work,
when the buildings were destroyed by lightning.
Lady Huntingdon contributed largely of her private means to restore
the institution and to provide sufficient accommodations; but anything
like permanent growth was intercepted by the outbreak of hostilities
between the mother country and the colonies in America. It is an inter
esting fact that this noble and gifted woman was distantly related to
George Washington. She presented to the Orphan House at Bethesda,
a full-length portrait of herself, the work of Sir Joshua Reynolds. It
was sent to New York in 1851 to be re-touched and, after this result was
skillfully accomplished, it was reshipped to Savannah. With the con
sent of the officers, it was placed in the keeping of the Georgia Historical
Society; and today hangs in Hodgson Hall. At the' close of hostilities
with England an effort was made by the Legislature to carry out White-