me
an earnest Pietist. His success in lecturing and his zeal in religious
work drew around him a large number of students. This awakened the envy
of the old professors of the university, and they began a persecution
which caused his dismissal. He then went to Erfurt and preached with
remarkable success, drawing great crowds by his earnestness and
eloquence. Persecution again followed him, and he was banished from the
city.

About this time the new university of Halle called Francke to the chair
of Greek and oriental languages and afterward to that of theology. He
began his work in 1692, and remained in that position for nearly
thirty-six years, until his death. As this position did not furnish
enough to live upon, he became pastor of the church in the neighboring
village of Glaucha. In his pastoral work he came in contact with
poverty, drunkenness, and every form of immorality. Moved with pity, he
collected small sums of money, which he distributed among the poor after
catechising the children.

At Easter, 1695, he found seven guldens ($2.80) in the collection boxes,
which he declared to be "A splendid capital with which something of
importance can be founded; I will begin a school for the poor with it."
This was the beginning of the great orphan asylum at Halle,--an
enterprise the magnitude of which we shall describe later. Without
visible income, with no means at command, but with a sublime faith in
God and humanity, and an overwhelming sense of the ignorance and misery
of the children about him, Francke began at once the great work; nor was
his faith misplaced, as the result shows. He gathered together a few
children and placed a student over them as a teacher. Soon the better
class of citizens took an interest, and desired him to provide a school
for their children. Two rooms were rented, one for those who could not
pay and the other for those who could. This was the foundation of the
_free school_ and the _citizens' school_ still connected with the
_Institutions_. In the fall of 1695, Francke founded the orphan asylum.
Money flowed in from all parts of the country as people began to
understand the great work. Francke was thus able to branch out in many
directions. He established a _Pedagogium_ to prepare teachers for his
and other schools; free meals were furnished to students who devoted a
part of their time to teaching in the institutions; separate schools for
boys and girls, a _Gymnasium_, a _Real-school_, a b