LUTHERANS. 



449 



Mann, D. D., entitled " Emigration and the 

 German Emigrant House," was issued in order 

 to facilitate this branch of the Church's work. 

 The Swedish missionary reported: ''During 

 the year 1886, 40,349 Scandinavian immigrants 

 landed at Castle Garden; from January to 

 June, 1887, 30,000. " The Scandinavians that 

 arrived this year have been strong, healthy, 

 and good working-people." The Rev. R. An- 

 dersen, of the Danish Synod, missionary at the 

 port of New York, co-operates with the two 

 missionaries of the General Council. The mis- 

 sionary on Ward's Island, Rev. L. H. Gerndt, 

 reported the successful continuation of his 

 work among the destitute Germans. This 

 work is sustained by the Council in connec- 

 tion with its emigrant mission. To facilitate 

 the work among immigrants at New York, 

 missionaries are located at the ports at Bremen, 

 Hamburg, and Antwerp. 



The Church-Book Committee reported that, 

 in addition to the ministerial acts already 

 adopted (see " Annual Cyclopedia " for 1886, 

 p. 514), they had prepared an order for the 

 solemnization of marriage and rubrics for the 

 orders already adopted. The order of mar- 

 riage was adopted. There remain orders for 

 the visitation of the sick, burial of the dead, 

 etc., which are to be ccnsidered at the next 

 convention. The text of the Common Service 

 was reported as complete for the use of the 

 General Council, the United Synod in the 

 South, and the General Synod, the text of the 

 two former agreeing in all respects, but that 

 of the latter differing in a few points from the 

 others. The committee was authorized to 

 publish, at as early a date as possible, the 

 Common Service, including so much of the 

 ministerial acts and other parts as can be speedi- 

 ly made ready. The three general bodies have 

 also agreed to unite in the preparation of a 

 revised translation of the Augsburg Confession 

 and Luther's Small Catechism. With a view 

 of atill further uniting the three general bodies 

 the following resolution was adopted : 



That the committee have authority to unite with 

 other bodies in the preparation of orders for minis- 

 terial acts, provided the same rule will be applied as 

 in the case of the Common Service, and that the ques- 

 tion as to the collection of hymns be referred to the 

 Church-Book Committee, with power to act and re- 

 port at the next meeting of the General Council. 



The Rev. Dr. A. Spaeth, President of the 

 Council, was elected delegate to the General 

 Conference of Lutheran ministers in Germany, 

 held in October at Hamburg. The next con- 

 vention of the Council will be held in Minne- 

 apolis, Minn., Sept. 13, 1888. 



Synodiral Conference. This body, organized in 

 1872 and consisting principally of Germans, 

 embraces four district synods, and the follow- 

 ing educational and benevolent institutions are 

 within its bounds : Three theological semina- 

 ries at St. Louis, Mo., Springfield, 111., and 

 Milwaukee, Wis., having 315 students, 13 pro- 

 fessors, and property valued at $200,000; 3 

 VOL. xxvii. 29 A 



colleges at Fort Wayne, Ind., Watertown, Wis., 

 and New Ulm, Minn., 8 academies and 12 be- 

 nevolent institutions. The Sy nodical Confer- 

 ence met with a serious loss in the death of 

 Prof. C. F. W. Walther, D. D., which took 

 place on May 7, 1887. The last convention of 

 this body was held in Detroit, Mich., in 1886 

 (see "Annual Cyclopaedia" for 1886, p. 514). 

 The next convention will be held in Milwau- 

 kee, Wis., in August, 1888. 



United Synod in the South. This body, organ- 

 ized in 1886, embraces eight district synods, 

 and the following institutions are within its 

 bounds : One theological seminary at New- 

 berry, S. C. ; 5 colleges at Salem, Va., New- 

 berry, S. C., Mt. Pleasant, N. C., Mosheim, 

 Tenn., and Conover, N. C., having about 425 

 students, 32 professors, and property valued at 

 about $150,000 ; 5 academies, 7 young ladies' 

 seminaries, and 1 orphans' home. The second 

 convention of the United Synod was held in 

 Savannah, Ga., Nov. 24 to 29, 1887. The 

 Rev. E. T. Horn, D. D., of Charleston, S. C., 

 was elected president. The report of the 

 Board of Missions, showing an active interest 

 in the work of home misssons, covered the 

 work of the general body only and not that of 

 the district synods. About $2,000 were re- 

 ceived during the year and $1,000 expended. 

 The board asked for $4,000 annually to carry 

 on this work. The president in his report 

 spoke in glowing terms of this branch of the 

 synod's work, saying that the field was rapidly 

 widening and new points claimed their atten- 

 tion, especially in Florida and Alabama. The 

 United Synod felt sorely grieved on account of 

 the peculiar actions of the man whom they 

 had sent to labor in the Guntur Mission, in 

 India, under the control of the General Synod: 

 but they did not allow this disappointment to 

 stop their work. They therefore resolved to 

 establish a new mission in China or Japan, ac- 

 cording to the judgment of the Board of Mis- 

 sions. The report of the Committee on Com- 

 mon Service which announced the completion 

 of the service and its adoption by the General 

 Council and General Synod was adopted. 

 Much time was devoted to consideration of 

 the subject of establishing a general theological 

 seminary for the synod. The committee ap- 

 pointed at the last convention earnestly urged 

 that the synod at this convention should seri- 

 ously consider the advisability of establishing 

 such an institution, and gave the following as 

 their reasons : 



1. Because several of our district synods, in the ex- 

 ercise of the right of petition, have concurred in urg- 

 ing upon you such action. 



2. Because it is an abnormal condition for a church 

 in a settled state to be dependent upon outside re- 

 sources for means of education. 



3. Because a seminary in our own midst would de- 

 velop a greater interest in the matter of a supply of 

 ministers from within the congregations themselves. 



4. Because our present arrangement under which 

 some are educated at Philadelphia, some at Gettys- 

 burg, some at Conover, and some at Newberry, can 

 not result otherwise than in a ministry constantly bd- 



