506 



LUTHERANS. 



benevolence. Mr. Lankenau, the founder of 

 this institution and of the German Hospital, 

 in a few well -chosen words presented the 

 building to the trustees. The following are 

 the concluding words of his address : " 1 here- 

 by surrender into your hands the building in 

 which we are here assembled. I do this from 

 my own free will and without any other wish 

 or influence than the desire to be of service to 

 my adopted country and for the good and 

 benefit of mankind. A deed I have none to 

 give you. Be satisfied with my word and this 

 hand for the seal. I hope the many witnesses 

 before you will not object to testify to these 

 proceedings and approve my act. I do not 

 wish you to become alarmed at the magnitude 

 of the trust. I will therefore promise you 

 that I will maintain the institution as long as I 

 live ; then let the institution take care of it- 

 self." The solemn service was concluded with 

 the formal installation of the Rev. Augustus 

 Cordes, the new rector of the Mother-House 

 of Deaconesses, by the Rev. Dr. Spaeth. 



Union among Norwegians. For several years 

 the Norwegian Lutherans in the United States 

 have been divided into parties, so that hitherto 

 there have been four separate synods carrying 

 on their works independently and not unfre- 

 quently in opposition to each other and main- 

 taining separate educational institutions. Con- 

 ferences have been held from time to time 

 with a view of effecting harmony of thought 

 and union of action, and these conferences 

 brought about a better understanding among 

 the majority of the synods and made a union 

 of the conflicting elements possible. In Feb- 

 ruary, 1888, a meeting was held by represent- 

 atives from four of the different synods, and 

 an overture was made to the Norwegian Au- 

 gustana Synod (organized in 1860), Norwegian- 

 Danish Conference (1870), Hauge's Norwegian 

 Synod (1875), and the Anti-Missourians of the 

 Norwegian Synod (1853), the oldest and strong- 

 est Norwegian body, with a view of merging 

 all the synods into one body; and a joint 

 committee of seven members from each synod 

 was appointed to formulate a basis of union. 

 The committee met in August at Eau Claire, 

 Wis., and prepared the following plan of union 

 for adoption by the respective synods : 1. A 

 doctrinal basis, having special regard to their 

 previous disagreements ; 2. A new synodical 

 constitution, to take the place of existing syn- 

 odical constitutions ; 3. A plan for the con- 

 solidation of institutions, periodicals, and pub- 

 lication interests. The plan includes the con- 

 solidation of the four seminaries two at 

 Minneapolis, Minn., one at Beloit, Iowa, and 

 one at Red Wing, Minn., and the raising of an 

 endowment fund of $135,000 for the support of 

 the six theological professors of the institutions 

 as at present existing. A joint meeting of 

 these synods was held at Scandinavia, Wis., 

 Nov. 15 to 22, 1888. About 300 members 

 were present. The threefold report of the 

 joint committee was ratified in all its essential 



features; but before the union can be finally 

 consummated it must be ratified by the respect- 

 ive synods at their conventions in 1889. The 

 prospects are very promising for a new united 

 body in 1890 under the adopted title, "The 

 United Norwegian Lutheran Church in Amer- 

 ica." The various synods concerned in this 

 movement now number 250 clergymen, 800 

 congregations, and 70,000 members. 



Swedish Quarto-Millennial, The two hundred 

 and fiftieth anniversary of the Swedes was 

 celebrated on Sept. 14, 1888, in the Exposition 

 Buildings at Minneapolis, Minn. The audience, 

 which numbered more than 20,000 Scandinavi- 

 ans, was addressed by Hans Mattson, Secretary 

 of State of Minnesota, Hon. W. W. Thomas, of 

 Maine, late United States Minister to Norway 

 and Sweden, J. A. Enander, editor of " Hem- 

 landet," of Chicago, and. others. The king- 

 dom of Sweden was represented by Consul 

 Sahleaard. In May, 1638, two vessels sailed 

 up the Delaware, bringing the first Swedish 

 colony to America. The Swedes purchased 

 from the Indians a large tract of land on the 

 west bank of the river, extending from Cape 

 Henlopen to the falls near Trenton, and west- 

 ward without any bound or limit, embracing 

 nearly the whole of the present State of Dela- 

 ware and a large portion of Pennsjlvania. 

 The colonists immediately built a fort, to 

 which they gave the name Christina, in honor 

 of their queen, and erected their church and 

 their humble dwellings in its immediate vicin- 

 ity. The city of Wilmington now occupies the 

 site of the ancient fort. The Swedes pros- 

 pered and established new settlements along 

 the Delaware. The fertile soil returned to 

 them its increase in bountiful measure, and 

 they lived in peace and friendship with the 

 Indians, whom they endeavored to convert 

 to Christianity. They came with their pas- 

 tor, Reorus Torkillus. and one of their earli- 

 est pastors, John Campanius (Holm), was the 

 first Protestant missionary among the Indians, 

 antedating John Eliot by several years. Be- 

 fore long they had flourishing congregations in 

 various parts of their territory ; but the Dutch, 

 at New Amsterdam (New York) looked with 

 jealousy upon this thriving colony, and in vari- 

 ous ways sought to subjugate or drive away 

 their neighbors. " In 1655 the Dutch suddenly 

 appeared in Delaware Bay with a large force, 

 surprised the Swedes, and subjugated the 

 colony. Many of the settlers were sent back 

 to Sweden and the rest were held as subjects 

 of Holland. This continued for nine years, 

 when New Netherland, with all its possessions, 

 passed under the control of the English crown. 

 As a distinct political organization under the 

 Swedish flag the colony continued only seven- 

 teen years ; but its influence for good has con- 

 tinued down to the present through the de- 

 scendants of those pioneers, many of whom 

 are among the most honored citizens of Penn- 

 sylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, and 

 some of whom have occupied high places in 



