# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_Januar 1933 ff. masthead not in scan _S138
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138

treating the Jews or other opponents of the government now in power. The people go quietly about their work and are generally pleased that, as a result of the upheaval, confidence is beginning to return. What is being done against individual Jews is only a defensive measure against those who slander Germany from abroad. . . . I ask that this be made known, so that a false picture of conditions in Germany may not arise again through lying propaganda. We live in peace and wish to remain at peace with all other peoples. Also, no one here thinks of a persecution of the Jews or the like, but we are glad that the partly violent persecution of those who think differently has finally ceased." We add that the reports of recent days about the events in the church likewise bear the stamp of untruth on their forehead. When people talk of thirty-seven million Lutherans in Germany, that is a thoroughly false statement. In this count all the Reformed and members of the United churches are included. When more exact reports from reliable church periodicals have arrived, we shall report more.

L. F.

Burning of the Bible. Not long ago we read in a Roman Catholic paper a report in which proof was to be furnished that the Romans work just as much for the spread of the Bible as the Protestants do. In fact, however, the Papist church combats all editions of the Bible that have not been approved by it. In this connection the "Lutherische Herold" reports the following: "The struggle between Catholicism and Protestantism rages not only in Europe but everywhere where Protestants are settled or even make progress. Everywhere Rome lays its countermines there. Thus the 'Deutsche Ansiedler' reports from the State of Sao Paulo in Brazil: 'The successes of the North American Presbyterians among the Catholics of Brazil have long since gotten on the nerves of the Catholic Church. By what means they carry on the defensive struggle is shown by the following event, which a teacher from Santa Catharina reports. He writes: "In August of last year eight thousand Bibles in the Portuguese language arrived in Florianopolis for the Presbyterians. The customs office set the duty on these books so high that the pastor of the Presbyterians could not pay it. Thereupon the Bibles were immediately auctioned off. As it turned out, the Catholic bishop bought the Bibles for four hundred milreis and had them burned at once on the spot. This news has greatly stirred people's minds far and wide in Santa Catharina and will hardly have benefited the Catholic Church."'" Yes, the Pope contends against Christ just as much as against his Gospel.

J. T. M.

Retrospect and Prospect.

In an Old Synodical Territory.

The sessions of the Synodical Conference in Mankato were over, and I now had the opportunity to spend a few days in old-Lutheran regions into which my way had not otherwise led me. Very friendly invitations had again come to me, and in one case my whole journey was even planned. First I got to know the surroundings of Mankato more closely. This is truly an old-Lutheran region. Everywhere one goes, one finds congregations of ours and of the Wisconsin Synod. On the drive to New Ulm we had already come through Courtland, where many years ago P. K. F. Schulze, who later served in Mankato, and then likewise, as a pioneer in Minnesota, P. J. Horst had served. But above all I had the opportunity to get to know the Lutheran surroundings on an extended automobile trip that an old fellow student, P. C. Albrecht of Elysian or, according to the post office, Waterville, gave me. Our way led us through three different counties, a trip that formerly would probably have taken several days, but which we could now cover in the automobile in one afternoon. Everywhere we came through a beautiful, good farming region, in which at present not exactly much wheat, but all the more corn and oats are raised. The farmers go in especially for cattle raising, and here, just as in Wisconsin, one sees fine herds of cattle. For this purpose they also grow much alfalfa or lupine, which was just in its beautiful blue bloom and which yields a second and third crop. The soil is good black humus soil, in the prairie often the so-called gumbo, and the roads were formerly sometimes dreadful in the less favorable season. The people would then go out with shovels right away, because they easily came into the position of having to shovel their wagon out of the mud. But that is all different now. Everywhere one finds excellent country roads, often paved (concrete), but many also built of gravel (gravel), which is found everywhere in this region. The land is partly hilly, partly prairie-like. All sorts of small lakes are found, which at the time of my passing through, in August, stood rather low, and much so-called marshland (sloughs), which offers grass and hay. In the lakes muskrats live, which feed on the roots of the water grass. Often the hunt for these animals was very profitable because of their valuable fur. Lucky hunters could perhaps sometimes obtain fifty pelts in a single day and sell each for a dollar. But this time is now past; also the State has for a while prohibited the trapping of these animals.

On this trip we came first to Elysian, where P. Albrecht is stationed, a place situated entirely in the country, in the midst of a beautiful farming region. One sees at once from the facilities that the farmers there were quite prosperous in earlier years. Church, parsonage, school, teacher's residence, everything is in good condition. In this congregation the late P. H. F. Sprengeler served years ago as the real pioneer. In the churchyard his first wife and several children are also buried. Likewise the pastor of this congregation in earlier years was old Pastor Joh. List, who entered the ministry as early as 1860, one of the first two students from the well-known Frankenmuth congregation in Michigan, which in its soon ninety-year history has placed more pastors and teachers into the service of the Church than any other congregation of our Synod.

P. Sprengeler served this congregation about five years and from there, as a still quite young pastor, was called to Milwaukee as P. F. Lochner's successor, to the old Trinity congregation, which was then one of the largest and most respected of the Synod, and there he carried on a long and richly blessed ministry. And how it goes with one on such long trips -- the thoughts spin on. Also in the older history of our Synod it has repeatedly happened that young pastors were called to populous, important congregations when they had been recommended to these by the competent authority. We complain, to be sure, nowadays with justification that so often our congregations, when proposals are made to them by the competent officials, to call proven, deserving pastors of middle age, set the proposals aside lightly and quickly and call young men, often to the detriment of the whole Church, of their own congregation, and of those called themselves. But one also sees again and again how God, even in matters of calls, goes his own ways and still keeps the threads in his hand. It cannot be warned earnestly enough that people who have no call and commission for it meddle in matters of calls. A congregation will go most safely if it the way