LUTHERANS. 



theran ministers, and Lutheran altars for Lu- 

 theran members only. This rule, the resolu- 

 tion of adoption asserted, "accords with the 

 Word of God and with the Confessions of our 

 Church," but admitted that there might bo 

 exceptions, to be judged according to particu- 

 lar circumstances. Upon the question arising 

 the Council decided that the present consider- 

 ation of the theses was for dicussion, to bring 

 out more fully the views of the Church, with 

 the object of arriving at a uniform understand- 

 ing oi the rule. Of the "Constitution for 

 Congregations," section 4 of Article IV., rela- 

 tive to the duties of the pastor, was adopted. 

 It provides that the pastor " shall conduct the 

 public service of God's house on the Sundays 

 and other festival days of the Church year; 

 sh'ill permit no one to occupy the pulpit of 

 whose soundness in the faith confessed by the 

 Lutheran Church there is reason to doubt; 

 shall carefully give instruction to the young 

 and all others needing it ; shall watch over the 

 Sunday-school and other schools of the Church ; 

 shall confirm those who, having been duly in- 

 structed, give satisfactory evidence that they 

 are desirous of being faithful followers of 

 Christ. He shall baptize publicly, except in 

 special cases, and all private baptisms shall bo 

 publicly announced. He shall administer the 

 Lord's Supper to all those who desire to come to 

 it, if he has been notified, and of whose fitness, 

 both as to faith and life, he is satisfied, as also, 

 if ho shall judge best, to members unable, from 

 age or sickness, to come to the house of God. 

 He shall be active in the work of a pastor, most 

 of all among the poor, the sick, the sorrowing, 

 and among all those whose spiritual estate es- 



MAINE. 



575 



penally demands his care. Ho shall perform 

 the marriage ceremony in strict accordance 

 with the laws of the State and of God ; shall 

 use the burial service for the dead who die in the 

 fellowship of the Church ; shall earnestly urge 

 and carry out the discipline of the Church; 

 shall promote all wise plans of Christian be- 

 neficence and effort, ana shall labor to prevent 

 all deadness and fanaticism, all schism, heresy, 

 separation, and alienation in the congrega- 

 tion." 



The committee having the subject in charge 

 reported that a seal for the General Council 

 had been prepared. The custody of the seal 

 was given to the President. A committee was 

 appointed to prepare for the next meeting of 

 the General Council a paper setting forth the 

 true relation of confirmation to adult bap- 

 tism, and the principles involved in the deter- 

 mination of the proper liturgical forms for 

 those ministerial acts. The attention of the 

 Church was directed to the former action of 

 the Council adverse to secret societies, and the 

 Synods were urged to prevent pastors connected 

 with them from being members of any society 

 disapproved in that action. A report of the 

 work of the district Synods mentioned much 

 that had been accomplished in the work of 

 education and missions by those bodies, and 

 showed that many new points had been occu- 

 pied by the churches of the Council. A com- 

 mittee was appointed to arrange for the ter- 

 centenary anniversary of the adoption of the 

 " Formula of Concord." The further consider- 

 ation of the theses on " Pulpit and Altar Fel- 

 lowship " was recommended to the next Con- 

 vention of the General Council. 



M 



MAINE. The regular session of the State 

 Legislature commenced on January 1st. J. 

 Manchester Haynes was elected President of 

 the Senate, and Melvin P. Frank Speaker of 

 the House. The session closed on March nth. 

 It had been confined almost wholly to local af- 

 fairs and questions. 



Among the resolves passed was one submit- 

 ting to the people constitutional amendments 

 providing for biennial elections and biennial 

 sessions of the Legislature, and changing the 

 term of office of Governor, Senators, Repre- 

 sentatives, and other State officials, from one 

 to two years. These amendments were to be 

 passed upon by the people at the September 

 election, and if a majority of the votes cast were 

 in favor of them they were to become a part 

 of the Constitution. 



The act relating to the Industrial School for 

 Girls was so amended as to allow inmates to 

 be received between the ages of seven and fif- 

 teen years. 



Another act was passed providing that the 

 fact that the defendant in a criminal prosecu- 



tion did not testify in his own behalf should 

 not be taken as evidence of his guilt. 



An act to prevent the adulteration of sugar 

 and molasses provides that no person shall 

 knowingly, willfully, or maliciously sell or offer, 

 or expose for sale, within this State, any sugar, 

 refined or not, or any molasses, which has been 

 adulterated with salts of tin, terra alba, glu- 

 cose, dextrine, starch sugar, corn sirup, or other 

 preparations from starch, under the penalty of 

 a fine not exceeding $500, or imprisonment not 

 exceeding one year. 



Deaf-mutes who are fit persons for instruc- 

 tion are to be sent to the Asylum in Hartford, 

 Connecticut, or to the Portland school. 



The salaries of the State officers were fixed 

 as follows: Governor, $1,600; Secretary of 

 State, $1,200; Treasurer, $1.600; Adjutant- 

 General, $900 ; Judges of the Supreme Court, 

 each $2,000; Attorney-General, $1,000. 



The operation of the act creating free high 

 schools in cities, towns, and plantations was 

 suspended for one year. 



Towns are authorized to loan money, not ex- 



