# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1854 01 03_S78
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

78

ever further, quietly and richly blessed, which deserves to find more general attention and imitation among us also. The thought underlying it is this: to unite all evangelical Christians of France for brotherly mutual assistance and common promotion of all the works founded by free Christian love, which in manifold ways aim at the building of the kingdom of God, and to make it possible especially for the poor also to take part in them.

The arrangement of the Sou Collection itself is extremely simple, only that it deserves particular mention that it is women who personally lend their hands to such quiet service of love, to gather the individual mites of mercy. There are 3 classes of women collectors.

Each collector of the 1st class takes charge of the collection of the weekly sou (cent) from 10 givers who have subscribed for it.

Each collector of the 2nd class receives weekly the receipts from 10 collectors of the 1st class.

Each collector of the 3rd class delivers every 10 weeks all the money received to a treasurer, who has the central fund, into which the extraordinary contributions also flow. At this delivery the collectors of the 2nd class are always present, whereupon personal communication and counsel concerning the course of the work also take place.

The administration of the collection is entrusted to a committee of all collectors of the 3rd class, the secretary and the treasurer, the last two being elected by the collectors just described, while an auxiliary committee of men is called in for all questions relating to the use of the money.

The Parisian Society has already become a center for several societies in the larger cities of the country, while other cities and congregations in Alsace have attached themselves to Strasburg.

The Strasburg Society applies its income in the following way: 4-5, and indeed one half for the Parisian Sou Society, the other half for the charitable societies and institutions in Strasburg and Alsace, while the last fifth remains to the committee for extraordinary use for other societies and works.

The annual income of Strasburg from 1851 to 1852 amounted to 8449 francs and was distributed, the fixed contribution for Paris deducted, among 10 societies and works belonging to Alsace, which are regularly supported three times a year, while by extraordinary gifts help could be given at 17 places.

The Parisian Sou Collection had in the last fiscal year a total income of 12,122 francs, to which, to be sure, the Strasburg society alone had contributed the 4th part, namely 3000 francs. The Parisian Society supported 25 institutions and societies, in which the Strasburgers likewise took part by their contribution just mentioned, and in this way, including the above-mentioned 27 societies, supported in all 52 of them in various places in the course of one year. Truly a fine testimony to the bond of brotherly love and fellowship which encircles the evangelical Christians in France!

Yet the last Strasburg report thinks: "if we count in the Department of the Lower Rhine 150,000 Protestants, 30,000 heads of families," then, instead of only 7000 francs having been collected, we ought to have collected 78,000 francs. Where then is all the boasting?

To be sure, by the standard of such a calculation that Parisian principal income appears extremely small for Protestant France. For if we reckon 1½ millions of Protestants in France, and demand the weekly sou only from the 700,000 heads of families, the Sou Collection ought to gather 780,000 francs yearly."

Instead of that, however, we prefer to ask: where is the faithfulness in little things, which strives so to gather the mites of love and, looked at at first in a purely outward way, with such wisdom and fitness to unite small gifts into such considerable aids, that out of it a bond is woven, and that is surely no merely outward one, around all manner of work of rescuing love through a whole nation? and should not the guiding thought of the French Sou Collections also find in our fatherland, and especially in the circles of evangelical women, a fruitful application in small things as in great?

To these communications from the "fliegende Blätter" (published by Dr. Wichern, Superintendent of the Rauhe Haus near Hamburg,) I add the following. Should not this activity of love be a call to us: Go and do likewise!? What great things might be accomplished by similar weekly collections of small contributions, in which not merely the heads of families, but all communicant members of the congregations should and could take part. Should our faith then be less active in love than theirs? That would truly be no pleasing mark of the fruit of the Word of God, which is preached to us pure and clear! Do not our institutions of learning above all, then our missions among the Indians, and finally also the institutions for the spread of the Bible and pure tracts, for visiting scattered and forsaken Lutherans, and so much else that has not yet even been proposed, — do not all these need a far more regular and more vigorous support than they have found until now?

Well then, ye servants of the Word, encourage your congregations to such activity of love, and ye congregations, obey your teachers also in this and follow them!

Once more the joyful and blessed cry of Advent has sounded: Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, and it resounds through every sermon in the whole church year. Therefore receive this King in faith in His holy Gospel with joy, as your righteousness against your sin, as your helper against your death, sing and pray one Hosanna after another, that His kingdom may be increased and furthered among you and in all the world, and prove by this that you are in earnest with such faith and prayer, that after the pattern of that rejoicing people you spread your garments in the way for the Lord Christ, "that He might yet," as Dr. Luther says, "have a little glorious and honorable entry. This is done when we promote the ministry of the Word according to our ability, that we help with money and goods, so that good, learned, pious men may be brought up, who shall go before the churches with the Word and a good walk." K.

(Communicated.)

The Emigration

of the Evangelical Lutheran Salzburgers

in the Years 1731, 32 and 33.

Perhaps thou hast already heard, dear reader, that a little more than a hundred years ago whole companies of earnest and pious Lutherans from the Salzburg country passed through the German lands, to seek a place of refuge in foreign parts, because at home they had been hard pressed by the papists on account of their faith, and that these then for the most part settled in the Prussian lands, but a part also sailed over the ocean and founded for themselves a new home in this our new fatherland; or perhaps old Schaitberger's "Sendbrief" has come before thy eyes and has made thee attentive to the Salzburg brethren in the faith and their troubles of that time and their living faith, or thou hast found in a book of edification of the last century an address to the "Salzburg emigrants" — enough, to hear something of the history of their emigration will then be only the more welcome to thee. I have before me a little book which a descendant of the same has written. From it, and mostly in his words, let me tell thee. *)

*) This little book is entitled: "Geschichte der evangel. Salzburger in den Jahren 1731, 32 u. 33. Für das Volk bearbeitet nach dem gelehrten Werke: "Geschichte der Auswanderung der evangel. Salzburger Anno 1732 von Karl Panse. Leipzig 1827". In the year 1848 the seventh edition of this little book had already appeared at Nuremberg.

Southward of the present Kingdom of Bavaria lies the Salzburg country. A wondrous land, rich in magnificent beauties of nature! When one enters it for the first time, it makes