Organization of Churches. 
19 
the waning Danish spirit in America. Nearly all of these men 
had the merest rudiments of an education when beginning their 
work at Askov,most of them being farmers, mechanics, and com¬ 
mon laborers, of a pious bent of mind. The course usually ex¬ 
tended over but two years, and was limited almost wholly to 
theological studies. As might be expected, the men thus trained, 
on arriving in America were almost wholly ignorant of the 
language and conditions here, in fact, ignorant of nearly 
everything excepting a few theological arguments and church 
ceremonies. Even to-day not half a dozen of the sixty or more 
ministers of this church can converse fluently in English, to say 
nothing about preaching a sermon in that language. As a rule, 
they know nothing and care nothing about the social and polit¬ 
ical conditions here. As far as matters of this world are con¬ 
cerned, they are in truth blind leaders of the blind, or rather of 
the half-seeing, for many of their parishioners are much better 
posted on what goes on around them than are the ministers. 
Their methods of carrying on the business of the church are proof 
positive of their entire lack of all training and sense for practi¬ 
cal affairs of life. They labored from 1878 till 1894, on a church 
constitution, without producing anything but dissension among 
themselves. In the matter of incorporation they succeeded no 
better, for though they worked nearly fifteen years on this 
problem the society was never properly incorporated, and none 
of them seemed to know how to proceed in the matter, or why 
they failed. Yet they ail seemed anxious to comply with the 
law. Their parochial reports are very defective, and during 
some years were entirely omitted. In these reports no atten¬ 
tion is paid to the educational work, nor is any regular account 
given of receipts and expenditures of money. 1 In annual meet¬ 
ings they seldom had any order either in business or debate. 
They would often discuss a subject for hours, and drop it with¬ 
out voting upon it. Four or five speakers might follow each 
3 No complete and comprehensive report of the receipts and expenditures 
of the churches has ever been published. In this the Danish differ 
greatly from the Norwegian churches, which, with exception of the Hau- 
gians, have always published very elaborate statistics of all the activities 
of the church each year. 
