510 



LUTHERANS. 



Northwest, the South, and among the freedmen. 

 The work is under the control of a missionary 

 commission. To the district synods is assigned 

 the duty of carrying on missionary operations 

 within their respective districts, while the gen- 

 eral body directs its energies chiefly to the scat- 

 tered German immigrants and to work among 

 the freedmen in the South. The other interests 

 of this general body are intrusted to the care of 

 special committees. Both the general missionary 

 operations and the mission work among the col- 

 ored population in the South were reported as 

 being in a flourishing condition. For the final 

 success of the work among the freedmen, en- 

 larged facilities for church an'd school were 

 found to be necessary. Action was taken to en- 

 able the missionary commission to provide the 

 necessary accommodations for the schools in 

 New Orleans and elsewhere, where there is a 

 constantly increasing number of pupils. Pro- 

 vision was also made to enter more largely into 

 the sphere of English missionary operations. 

 The Synodical Conference, the most German of 

 German Lutherans, is preparing to take hold of 

 the English work with the same energy with 

 which its German work is carried on. 



Some time was also devoted to discussion of 

 the school question, which has become a burn- 

 ing topic, especially in Illinois and Wisconsin. 

 The position that Lutherans have taken in this 

 matter has been grossly misrepresented and 

 misapprehended. Lutherans are not opposed to 

 the public-school system, nor do they ask the 

 State to appropriate funds for the benefit of 

 their parochial schools. On the other hand, 

 they pay their school tax; but they ask the 

 privilege of maintaining schools of their own, 

 in which they can teach the Bible with the secu- 

 lar branches. They feel that they can not 

 afford to have their children deprived of Chris- 

 tian training. Lutherans will not give up their 

 Bibles without a struggle, both for themselves 

 and their children. All the district synods had 

 taken action in this matter. The general body 

 reaffirmed their action, and adopted as its own 

 action the resolutions of the synod of Missouri, 

 Ohio, and other States, at its late convention. 

 As these resolutions give correctly the position 

 that Lutherans have taken in this matter, they 

 are here presented so far as they have a bearing 

 on the general subject : 



1. Whereas, The Word of God, our rule of life, en- 

 joins upon all Christian parents the duty of bringing 

 up their children in the nurture and admonition of the 

 Lord ; therefore all Christians who educate their chil- 

 dren in schools are in duty bound to intrust their chil- 

 dren who are not yet confirmed in Christian truth to 

 such schools only as secure the education of children in 

 the nurture and admonition of the Lord, while at the 

 same time it is with us self-understood that we are 

 willing to make good citizens of our children, to the 

 utmost of our ability, and that we also endeavor to 

 give them the best possible schooling in the use of 

 the English language. 



2. Where-ts, In the non-religious public schools, 

 wherever they are conducted in the sense of the non- 

 relijcious state, not only Christian education is ex- 

 cluded, but also, as a ruio, things not in harmony 

 with the Word of God are by way of instruction and 

 discipline inculcated on the children, and the spiritual 

 life of Christian children is thus endangered and in- 

 jured; therefore we as Christians are in conscience 

 bound to submit to no law of the State which is di- 



rected or may be used toward forcing our children 

 into such public schools. 



3. In accordance with our daily prayer, " Thy king- 

 dom come/' it is our duty to preserve and extend the 

 orthodox Evangelical Lutheran Church in this coun- 

 try, and we are, therefore, in conscience bound to 

 combat each and every law which is directed or may 

 be used to the detriment and damage of Lutheran 

 parochial schools, which are effective means of ex- 

 tending and perpetuating the kingdom of God. 



4. For as much as our Lord Jesus Christ says, 

 " My kingdom is not of this world," and " Render 

 unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto 

 God the things that are God's," the separation of 

 Church and state is for all times to be acknowledged 

 as in accordance with the Word of God ; and since 

 God has in this country vouchsafed unto us the pre- 

 cious boon of religious liberty, we may not as faithful 

 stewards approve of any legislation which tends 

 toward a confusion of spiritual and secular affairs and 

 endangers our religious liberty, and we most cordially 

 approve of combating with legitimate means such 

 laws as have to the detriment and damage of our 

 parochial schools been enacted in the States of Wis- 

 consin and Illinois during the past year, while on the 

 other hand we, for the same reason, condemn all de- 

 mands upon the public funds for the erection or 

 maintenance of parochial schools. 



5. For all the reasons stated we must, as Lutheran 

 Christians, grant our cordial approval to the fact that 

 our brethren in the States of Wisconsin and Illinois 

 have, whether in courts of law or at the ballot-box, 

 taken up and hitherto carried on the contest forced 

 upon them against such laws, and we are, further- 

 more, determined to make most energetic opposition 

 wherever in other States such or similar legislation 

 may be attempted. 



General Council. This body held no con- 

 vention during 1890 ; but in the mean time its 

 affairs were managed by committees and boards. 

 The mission in India, which has Rajahmundry 

 as its central station, was cared for by the com- 

 mittee on foreign missions. The estimate of ex- 

 penses was $3,000. The Rev. Emanuel Edman, 

 M.D., arrived in India during the year and took 

 charge of the stations in and around Samnl- 

 cotta. Two zenana missionaries Miss Catharine 

 Sadtler, daughter of the Rev. Benjamin Sadtler, 

 D.D., and Miss Agnes Schade were sent to 

 India during the year. The mission reports 4 

 missionaries, 2 native pastors, 100 villages, 

 2,433 Christians, 49 schools, 42 teachers, and 899 

 pupils. The English, German, and Swedish 

 home-mission committees report progress in the 

 missions under their care. The English com- 

 mittee, through its superintendent, the Rev. 

 William A. Passavant, Jr., has increased the 

 number of missions and missionaries, 18 missions 

 being supported, in Illinois, New Jersey, North 

 Dakota, U tan, Washington, Wisconsin, and Ore- 

 gon, each 1 : 2 in Ohio ; and 7 in Minnesota. The 

 estimate of expenses was $10,000. The German 

 committee devoted all its resources to missionary 

 operations in British America Manitoba, As- 

 siniboia, and other provinces having three mis- 

 sionaries in their employ, whose labors extend 

 over a vast territory. The estimate of expenses 

 was $2.000. The 'Swedish committee has the 

 oversight of 150 missions, for which $17,311.95 

 were expended. Besides these, the district 

 synods supported 109 missionaries, 155, missions, 

 at an expense of $18,150. These items aggre- 

 gate about 225 missionaries, 330 missions, and 

 $50,000, as the result of one year's work This 

 general body numbers 8 district synods, 923 



