# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1852 08 04_S193
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Der Lutheraner.
"God's Word and Luther's doctrine pass away now and nevermore." (Rev. of John, ch. 14, vv. 6, 7.)
Published by the German Ev. Luth. Synod of Missouri, Ohio and other States.
Edited by C. F. W. Walther.
Vol. 8.  St. Louis, Mo., August 4, 1852.  No. 25.
Terms: Der Lutheraner appears once every two weeks, at the yearly subscription price of One Dollar for out-of-town subscribers, who are to pay for it in advance and bear the postage. — In St. Louis each single number is sold for 5 cents.
Only those letters which contain communications for the paper are to be sent to the editor; all others, however, which contain business matters, orders, cancellations, money, etc., are to be sent hither under the address Mr. F. W. Barthel, care of C. F. W. Walther, St. Louis, Mo.

A Petition and Cry for Help
to the Members of the Congregations of Our Synodical District.

"Another petition? Again already?" so perhaps you cry out in vexation, dear reader, as the heading of this article meets your eye. — Yes, dear brother! another petition for your help. And do not let that surprise you. You are surely a Christian, are you not? — But that is just how it goes in Christianity. Scarcely has one become a Christian, when from that moment on there is constant talk of giving, helping, doing good, and not growing weary. For every man who becomes a Christian becomes one by this, that God first makes him a beggar, and that, when the man now comes to God as a poor naked beggar, God out of grace for Christ's sake makes him rich through faith and gives him all that he needs and all that his heart can desire: forgiveness of sins, righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, the divine sonship, heaven and eternal life, yea, Himself, the inexhaustible fountain of all good things. But when this wonder of divine love has happened to a man, then it is also required of him that he now do again as God has done to him. The undeserved love which God has let him experience shall now become a fire in him, that breaks forth again out of his heart in flames of love for the neighbor. As God has given Himself wholly to him, so he shall now also give himself wholly again to his neighbor. His Savior now calls to him from the cross: "This I did for thee! — What doest thou for Me?" Hence it is said in that beautiful communion hymn of the old Bohemian Brethren:

The fruit too shall not fail to come,
Thy neighbor thou shalt love,
That he may enjoy thee,
As thy God has done to thee.

The reason, then, why we, dear brethren, turn to you once more with a petition is this. For more than a year now there has been a lack of the necessary room in the two-story building with basement rooms (it is 42 feet wide and 36 feet deep) erected for the Concordia College here. The entire company now consists of four families (those of the three teachers and of the steward,) and of 34 pupils, namely 7 students and 27 Latin scholars. Of the three teachers of the institution, one, Professor Biewend, has therefore already been compelled to rent lodgings with his family in the neighborhood, and of the 34 pupils, 5 have had to claim the kindness of Mr. Tschirpe, the apothecary, who lives near us, and seek admittance into his dwelling, while three others from the neighborhood live with their own people and stay at the institution only during the lessons. Even this present scattered dwelling of those belonging to the institution is not without disadvantage; the more of the pupils who would later be forced to live outside the institution, the worse it would become. Not only do the parents naturally wish that their younger sons enjoy in the institution education as well as instruction, and not be left to themselves among strangers during their years of study; without this the purpose of the institution cannot possibly be attained, least of all in this country. In addition, there is seldom an opportunity to find lodging in the neighborhood of the College. It is therefore clear that without an enlargement of the College buildings the further growth of the institution would from now on be almost impossible. To neglect such an enlargement would be, therefore, to shut up in a narrow chamber, and let be stunted, a tree planted with effort, which is just now in the fresh sprouting upward and spreading of its branches.

Although we teachers above all have felt for some time already the necessity that a second building be erected, we have nevertheless until recently not ventured to let a petition to that effect be heard. It is not yet three full years since the dear congregations of our synodical district had to bring not inconsiderable sacrifices in order to bring the institute here under roof and