446 



LUTHERANS. 



that " the expected increase of price for sugar 

 over last year's price, by reason of the 40 per- 

 cent, ad valorem tariff, 'has not been realized, 

 partly owing to the large supply of sugar in for- 

 eign markets, but more particularly to the effect 

 of the passage of the tariff bill, which induced 

 in advance the heaviest importations of sugar 

 into the United States that have ever taken 

 place within the same limits of time." 



LUTHERANS. The summary of statistics 

 of the Lutheran Church in the United States and 

 Canada for the year 1894 is as follows : Four gen- 

 eral bodies, 61 synods, 5,491 ministers, 9,303 con- 

 gregations, 1,332,932 communicant members, and 

 about 7,000,000 baptized members; 3.401 paro- 

 chial schools, 2.951 teachers, and 198,787 pupils ; 

 5,282 Sunday schools, 49,618 officers and teach- 

 ers, and 457,385 scholars. The benevolent con- 

 tributions for the year 1893-'94 (10 synods not 

 reporting) amounted to $902,660.43 ; but if the 

 correct figures could be secured the amount would 

 be more than $1,250,000. These contributions 

 are for home and foreign missions and other be- 

 nevolent operations of the Church, and do not 

 include the amounts contributed for maintenance 

 of the educational institutions of the Church, nor 

 the amounts contributed by individuals for vari- 

 ous interests of the Church, nor the contribu- 

 tions sent to missionary and other societies in 

 Europe. The money thus contributed and not 

 included in the synodical reports amounts, at a 

 low estimate, to another $1,000,000. 



There are within the Church, and under its 

 control, 26 theological seminaries, 40 colleges, 

 37 academies, 13 ladies' seminaries, 35 orphans' 

 homes, and 45 asylums for the aged, deaconess 

 institutions, hospitals, and other institutions of 

 benevolence and mercy. The 116 educational in- 

 stitutions have property valued at $4,507,050, the 

 endowment amounting to $1,332,748 ; they em- 

 ploy 715 instructors, and have 12,092 students, 

 2,730 of whom are in preparation for the minis- 

 try (only half the institutions reporting the lat- 

 ter item). The 80 benevolent institutions report 

 the value of property at $2,327,992, endowment 

 amounting to $186,050, and 32,554 inmates. The 

 periodical literature of the Church in North 

 America, not counting parish papers, embraces 

 47 English publications, 49 German, 12 Norwe- 

 gian, 7 Swedish, 4 Danish, 3 Icelandic, 3 Finnish, 

 2 Slavonian, and 1 French. 



Of the 4 general bodies, only the synodical 

 conference held a convention during the year. 

 The fifteenth biennial convention of this body 

 was held in St. Matthew's Church, Milwaukee. 

 Wis., beginning on Wednesday, Aug. 8, 1894. 

 The synodical sermon was delivered by President 

 Bading. The following officers were elected : 

 President, the Rev. John Bading, Milwaukee, 

 Wis. ; vice-president, the Rev. P. Brand, Pitts- 

 burg, Pa. ; secretaries, the Revs. Christian Kuehn, 

 Belleville, 111., and C. Frank, Evansville, Ind. ; 

 treasurer, Mr. H. A. Christiansen, Detroit, Mich. 



This general body consists chiefly of German 

 Lutherans, and embraces the large synod of Mis- 

 souri, Ohio, and other States, and the synods of 

 Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Eng- 

 lish synod of Missouri and other States. At this 

 convention 2 delegates were present from the 

 Norwegian Synod, which had formerly belonged 

 to this body, but on account of the predestinarian 



controversy had withdrawn and for a time occu- 

 pied an independent position. They were hearti- 

 ly welcomed by the president, and 2 delegates 

 were elected to'represent the general body at tin- 

 next convention of the Norwegian Synod. 



Much time was devoted to the discussion of a 

 thesis prepared by the Rev. Prof. Adolph Iloe- 

 necke, Milwaukee/Wis., on the subject of ' Fanat- 

 icism." Business sessions were held every after- 

 noon, at which the educational and home and 

 foreign missionary interests were considered and 

 acted on. The educational institutions main- 

 tained by the synods in connection with this body 

 number 4 theological seminaries, 11 colleges, 6 

 academies, and 15 benevolent institutions. Two 

 new colleges were established within the last year 

 St. John's College, at Winfield, Kan.', and Con- 

 cordia College, at St. Paul, Minn. A work to 

 which a great deal of time was devoted and for 

 which a large amount of money has been ex- 

 pended is that of the mission among the freed- 

 men of the South. Missionaries are supported 

 by the Church, and congregations and schools 

 are established and supported in numerous places 

 in the Southern States. Mission work is also car- 

 ried on among the Indians. Steps were taken 

 at this convention toward the beginning of a 

 mission in some foreign country. China was se- 

 lected where the beginning should be made, but 

 owing to the breaking out of war this field has 

 been abandoned, and later India was selected, to 

 which country 2 missionaries were sent during 

 the present year. The next convention of this 

 body will be held at Evansville, Ind., in August, 

 1896. This body embraces 1,590 ministers, 2,234 

 congregations, and 456,883 communicant mem- 

 bers. 



The statistics of the other general bodies are : 



General Council 1 .094 



General Synod 1.10$ 



United Synod, South .... 205 



Congrega- 

 tions. 



1,882 

 1.465 



Communicant 

 members. 



.315,658 

 169,871 

 35,110 



While these general bodies held no conven- 

 tions during the year the interests of the Church 

 were cared for by the various boards. The mis- 

 sions in India, both of the General Council and 

 the General Synod, and the mission of the latter 

 in Africa, are making commendable progress. 

 New missionaries were sent to India by the boards 

 of both general bodies. No accurate statistics 

 of this work can be given, as the boards report 

 only biennially. 



Within the General Council the event of the 

 year was the celebration of the thirtieth anniver- 

 sary of the establishment of the theological semi- 

 nary at Philadelphia, now located at Mount Airy, 

 in that city. This institution is the result of the 

 far-sightedness of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, 

 who had in mind the establishment of a theo- 

 logical school as one of the great objects for which 

 the Ministerium of Pennsylvania was organized. 

 His son-in-law and successor, the Rev. Dr. J. 

 Christian Kunze, cherished the same project, and 

 made preparations for it by establishing a Lu- 

 theran academy in Philadelphia. After Dr. 

 Kunze's removal to New York, Drs. Helmuth 

 and Schmidt repeatedly urged the project, and 

 meanwhile had almost constantly some theologic- 



