MUHLENBERG, WILLIAM AUGUSTUS (1796 1877). An American Episcopal clergyman and philanthropist, grandson of 11. 31. 3lublenberg. Ile was born in Philadelphia, and graduated at the University of Pennsylvania in 1814. Thn•ee years later he was ordained deacon, and served as assistant to Bishop White at Christ Church, Phil adelphia. Ordained priest in 1820, he was rector from 1821 to 1828 of Saint .James's Church, Lan caster, Pa., where he helped to establish the first public school in the State outside of Philadelphia. Ile founded in 1828 at Flushing, L. 1., a school afterwards known as Saint Paul's, of which lie was principal until 1846. Then he was rector of the Church of the holy Communion in New York until 1858, in the latter year becoming superin tendent and pastor of Saint Luke's Hospital, which lie had founded. In the later years of his life he was instrumental in establishing an in dustrial Christian settlement at Saint Johnland, L. I. Ile died in Saint Luke's Hospital, April 8, 1877. To trace his effect upon his time would be
to record the origin of several of the most im portant movements within the Episcopal Church. Thus lie made his New York parish the first free seat church of his communion in America; he organized the first sisterhood within the same limits in 1845, known as the Sisterhood of the holy Communion; and the important later de velopments in the direction of Christian unity (see EmscoPAL Citvralt) and of liturgical en richment and flexibility both really grew out of his memorial to the Douse of Bishops in 1853. Church music and hymnody also owe much to him; he published three hooks in this depart ment : but his most important literary work is contained in Erangeliral Catholic Papers (1875 77). For Ids life, consult biographies by Ayres (New York, 1880) and Newton (iIL, 1890) ; also C'oleman. 'Phe in America 1896).