# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1852 12 07_S1026
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

26

See, dear reader, these are the investigations and the proofs of the Messrs. Pastors Winkler and Grabau. Would we be wrong if we said we will not be satisfied with them? But we will for once not take it so exactly; we will be satisfied, and indeed as a special favor. One must look at one's people. One does not weigh on the gold scales the words which a sick man speaks in the heat of fever. And these poor gentlemen are sick. As many people have fancies for insects or flowers, which at times become a passion, as in former times in Holland the fancy for tulips is said to have become a real sickness, indeed a madness, so the Buffalo gentlemen have for once a passion for "factions," which has become a sickness. To track down a faction, to catch it, to cut it up— that is to them above everything. The faction-hunt is their hobby. "A faction, a faction, a kingdom for a faction! with this hunting-cry the noble huntsmen ride along. If one has made a lucky find, the great horn is blown, the fellow-sportsmen gather about the high game, the knives are drawn, and he who is not yet old enough to deliver the chief thrust contents himself for the time being with stabbing into a leg, and so wins his knightly spurs. Now it is true that the wild hunt has for a year and a day ridden many a poor steed to death, wrought considerable devastation in the forests, but also, most unfortunately, for lack of twenty-four-pointed stags, has shot mostly bucks—for which reason we would respectfully propose to station still more trackers and beaters, and perhaps to set a prize upon a faction, but with the express condition that it be a proper, genuine faction (for it is after all rather unfortunate with the bucks) —but the zest has not been spoiled for the dear huntsmen; rather it has now become a sickness indeed. They smell, see and hear nothing but factions, they talk of factions in their sleep, they have a language of their own, in which every word is compounded with faction and which they can recite in order and out of order.

Of this sickness Pastor Grabau lies sick especially hard, and for some time also Pastor Winkler. Whatever only comes before his eyes is factions; he smells them across Lake Erie, yes, as far as Missouri. If an old cooking-stove bursts on him, he sees in it an infernal machine, loaded by the "factions" to blow him and his house and his church into the air. If a little pug barks at him in the street, it must be a faction-hound which the Missourians have posted there. What, then, is the use of quarreling much with such people? Perhaps someone wanted to give them a pleasure and to furnish a new faction for the Informatorium, and in his haste blundered upon Cleveland; perhaps some rogue has made a fool of them. — One must have patience!

So, farewell, dear young gentlemen! But do not forget, when you come again, to bring your informants along; we are eager to make their acquaintance also.

But now an end of jesting! One can indeed hardly speak otherwise with these gentlemen. But it pains us in our soul that it is so, and we wish them from the heart a very speedy recovery. If they do not believe it, we beg the Christian reader to believe it of us. We have no pleasure in this sad strife. We long from the heart for peace with such near kinsmen, especially in these troubled times, when everything goes more and more asunder. We do not assert that our opponents fight against us so out of sheer obstinate malice. We do not wish to burn ourselves quite white, although we are conscious of no intentional injustice toward them. We know that we, like them, are poor, frail, sinful creatures.

But by our silence to give occasion that they continue ever farther on the path they have taken and even draw others with them — that we dare not.

But to put to shame our Lord Christ, so that we fear men while He is with us — that we will not.

H. C. Schwan, Pastor.
Cleveland, in December, 1852.

Supplement.

For the completion of the above narrative of the history and for the justification of my proceeding against the gross slanders and untruths of the Messrs. Pastors Grabau and Winkler in the so-called Kirchliches Informatorium, I have still briefly to remark the following:

1. Far from persuading Pastor Schmidt to resign, as is grossly lied in No. 3 of the Informatorium, his resignation had already taken place before his own and the others' request to me to come to Cleveland, and also, before my arrival, though in vain, Pastor Röbbelen had been called. Rather did I reprove Pastor S. in private for this his resignation, since it indeed could not attain the very purpose desired, but must rather fasten upon him the evil appearance as though he were after all guilty, inasmuch as it was moreover impossible, by his resignation of office, to stop the spread of that evil, though groundless, rumor. Rather, I told him, he ought, in the face of the evil tongues, to have pressed for a strict investigation.

2. Although indeed the faults of Pastor S. in his conduct of the office were not of such a kind that the congregation, after the fruitless application of Matth. 18, 15–17, would justly have had to depose him if he had not himself resigned, yet there were also not inconsiderable points of complaint, which in the investigation, at which Pastor S. was naturally present, proved to be well founded. Thus, for example, he had introduced the announcement for confession, without thorough instruction and inward conviction of the congregation, out of his official authority, and yet at slight resistance of a few individuals had at once let it fall again; and it had gone similarly with this and that churchly ceremony, which he, in well-meant notions, without preceding instruction and consent of the congregation, arbitrarily introduced and soon abolished again, when they did not please this one and that. And as to this unsteadiness and unclearness there were joined still other evils, as for example unwise familiarity and talkativeness in strange alternation with solemn official airs and pathetic speech, partiality toward individuals, imprudent judging of absent members of the congregation in the presence of others, the congregation lacked more or less the proper respect for the Christian wisdom and strength of character of its pastor, although this one and that showed a hearty attachment to him, while their opponents, on the other hand, judged these evils spitefully and unjustly. To this were added further accusations of slack performance of his office with respect to visits to the sick and burials, especially in the time of the cholera, from fear of infection — accusations of which Pastor S. could not wholly clear himself.

3. Nevertheless, after reconciliation had taken place, his re-election would still have been practicable, if not — and indeed, so far as I know, not without his knowledge and unhindered by him — his adherents had taken unjust and violent steps to that end, so that it came to a formal tumult and to offensive scenes in the church itself, the congregation was torn into 2 parties for or against Pastor S., and I found a great embitterment of minds.

4. Besides, Pastor S. had not only told me, now and then, in the days of my stay at Cleveland, in a confidential way, that this and that person in the congregation had grown over his head and that he did not know how to govern them, but immediately before the fourth and last congregational meeting, which he did not attend and in which it was finally to be decided whether he should be re-elected or not, he expressly said to me that I should declare to the congregation that he would not accept the call if it should fall upon him. Yet, in order not to furnish new matter of ill-will against him, I did not deliver this his declaration at all, since the discerning and judicious ones, even among his friends, after careful consideration of the state of affairs, recognized clearly enough that the re-election of Pastor S. would infallibly in a short time lead to a division of the congregation, which, however, together with all the heartache it carries with it, was in the present case, since faith and conscience would not be injured, carefully to be prevented. —

Nevertheless, as a declaration of honor for Pastor S., the following congregational resolution was drawn up: