466 



LUTHERANS. 



An important declaration of the General Syn- 

 od, at this convention, was as follows : 



That the preamble and resolution adopted at York, 

 Pa., in 1864, expressing the judgment of this synod 

 that certain erroneous views often ascribed to certain 

 articles of the Augsburg Confession are not contained 

 in the same, be regularly published in the minutes of 

 this body and in the Book of Worship, in immedi- 

 ate connection with the constitution of the General 

 Synod. 



An overture from the synod of Northern Indi- 

 ana, asking for an edition of the English Book 

 of Worship with the Common Service omitted, 

 opened the whole subject with reference to that 

 service and called forth a protracted discussion 

 on what has for some time been a burning ques- 

 tion in the General Svnod. The report of the 

 Woman's Home and Foreign Missionary Soci- 

 ety shows that there are 677 societies in exist- 

 ence, with a membership of 18,397, whose contri- 

 butions for two years amounted to $37,457.29. 

 The total sum contributed during the last dec- 

 ade amounts to $157,132.47. The work has made 

 rapid and substantial progress from the begin- 

 ning. At the seventh session a series of resolu- 

 tions in favor of prohibition was adopted. The 

 Committee on " A Development of Luther's Small 

 Catechism " reported that they had " taken note 

 of all criticisms made on their work, and with 

 these in view had carefully revised the whole, 

 work again," and had published a limited num- 

 ber of copies for examination, recommending 

 that their book be published " at once for use in 

 the churches, that the value of the work may be 

 tested by practical experience." The educational 

 and benevolent institutions of the body were re- 

 ported as being in a nourishing condition. The 

 work of deaconesses received careful attention, 

 and the board appointed in 1889 to act for the 

 synod, reported with reference to its needs, plans, 

 and work, and the entire matter was again com- 

 mended to the synods and congregations. Among 

 other things the report contains : 



We are now able to report that 2 candidates have 

 entered upon a course of training, and several appli- 

 cations are pending. The board proposes to sena the 

 candidates to Kaiserswerth to be trained. For more 

 than half a century the work has been carried on 

 there, with constantly increasing success. Such a 

 course will not prevent the adoption of original meth- 

 ods in adapting the system to our own land. 



The Committee on Sunday Schools reported 

 1,134 schools, with 20,641 officers and teachers 

 and 165,268 pupils ; local expenses, $92,858.55 ; 

 and benevolent contributions of $35,850.50. The 

 board of publication of the General Synod pub- 

 lishes lesson helps for the schools on the basis of 

 the International series of lessons. The com- 

 mittee rceommended a normal series of tracts 

 and books as an aid to teachers on the subjects 

 of history, doctrine, and practice. The Com- 

 mittee on Common Service reported that the 

 translation of the Augsburg Confession from the 

 Latin is completed; but only a little progress 

 has been made in the translation of the German 

 text. With reference to the preparation of a 

 standard English edition of Luther's Small 

 Catechism, the following was reported : 



At the first meeting of the committee at Gettys- 

 burg present, representatives of the General Synod, 

 the General Council, and the United Synod the text 

 was determined by a collation of Luther's last revi- 



sion (1545) with the other editions. Subsequent ses- 

 sions of the committee were held in Philadelphia in 

 November, 1890, and January, 1891, where the trans- 

 lation was completed, subject to revision at a later 

 meeting. In Philadelphia, representatives of the 

 Joint Synod of Ohio aided in the work. At the final 

 meeting of the committee at Wernersville, in Septem- 

 ber, 1892, the entire work was revised and completed. 

 All branches of the English-speaking churches of the 

 Lutheran faith were represented in the work. 



Then follows a copy of the standard English 

 version of Luther's Small Catechism as pre- 

 pared by the joint committee. An overture for 

 practical co-operation to all Lutheran bodies in 

 America was adopted, and ordered to be com- 

 municated to the various synods. 



Resolutions were also passed at this conven- 

 tion setting forth that ' the marriage service by 

 the ministry of the Church can be properly given 

 only under the conditions, relations, and 'limita- 

 tions set forth in that divine law which the 

 Church and the ministry represent," and ex- 

 pressing the desire for a national law of mar- 

 riage by which the evil of easy divorce for un- 

 scriptural reasons may be lessened and finally 

 corrected. The synod also protested against the 

 use of the contributions of the congregations 

 within its bounds to the American Bible Society, 

 for gifts of Bibles to those denominations which 

 are carrying on missionary operations among 

 Lutherans in Germany and Sweden. 



According to the report of the Board of For- 

 eign Missions, the total receipts, together with a 

 balance of $12,024.37, were $126,012.14. Of this 

 amount the Woman's Missionary Society con- 

 tributed $38,080.45, and from legacies $9,787.65 

 were received. The expenditures of the board 

 for the same period were $117,007.45. Three 

 new missionaries were sent out to the India mis- 

 sion. The following is the corps of workers in 

 India: 6 ordained American missionaries, 1 or- 

 dained native pastor, 4 subpastors, 20 catechists, 

 107 subcatechists, 5 Bible and tract colporteurs, 

 and 48 helpers. The mission embraces 425 vil- 

 lages containing Christians. 325 congregations, 

 135 prayer houses, 6 mission bungalows, a print- 

 ing press and book bindery, a reading room and 

 book depot, and a hospital and dispensary ; and 

 13,566 baptized members; 180 Sunday schools 

 and 7,018 pupils; 174 elementary schools, with 

 175 teachers and 3,277 pupils ; a boarding school 

 with 82 pupils; and the Arthur G. Watts Me- 

 morial College, at Guntur, formally opened 

 March 17, 1893, having 34 instructors and 525 

 students. The zenana department contains 6 

 woman missionaries, 5 assistants, 61 Bible teach- 

 ers, 68 secular teachers, 34 minor servants, 46 

 home pupils, 21 schools and 1,286 pupils, 13 Sun- 

 day schools with 32 teachers and 683 pupils. The 

 mission work in Africa known as the Muhlenberg 

 Mission, in Liberia, embraces 2 ordained Ameri- 

 can missionaries, 2 native ordained missionaries, 

 and 180 communicant members, 310 Sunday- 

 school pupils, 2 teachers in other schools and 

 274 pupils. The industrial department is ex- 

 ceptionally successful. The value of the Muhlen- 

 berg Mission plant is $60,445. 



The report of the Board of Home Missions 

 showed the total receipts for two years, including a 

 balance on hand, to be $84,279.55. The Woman's 

 Missionary Society contributed $10,126.49. The 

 average annual cost of each mission to the 



