What  course  should  now  be  pursued  by  the  Moravian  leaders  in
this  dire  exigency  ?  Here  was  a  body  of  men  trained  only  to  peaceful
thoughts  and  employments ;  a  large  number  of  defenceless  women
quartered  in  several  buildings ;  a  host  of  helpless,  innocent  children
to  be  protected ;  troops  of  terror-stricken  people  from  the  back
country  rushing  in  to  seek  refuge  with  them ;  the  fate  of  extensive
regions  in  the  lower  country  turning  upon  the  question  whether  the
fiendish  hordes  on  the  war-path  could  be  kept  behind  Bethlehem  and
Nazareth  or  not.  Either  of  two  extremes  could  be  taken.  One  was
to  abandon  the  principles  they  had  been  cultivating,  cast  their
profession  of  trust  in  God  to  the  winds  under  a  severe  test,  as  mere
"fair-weather    ta4k,"    and    let    the    demoralized '  people    about    them


1755 1756.  321

conclude  that  there  was  nothing  back  of  it  at  last,  by  turning  Bethle-
hem into  a  fort  and  centering  the  militia  here  as  headquarters,  and
then  perhaps  go  back  to  their  principles  when  danger  was  past.
