# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S104
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

100 SEMINARIES AND COLLEGES

5. The dropping of the high school would mean, in most ar,
of Synod, a lull of four years in Christian education between oe
firmation and college entrance. Yet during these very years chy
acter will be molded, molded according to textbook and nondesesil
convictions of the high school teacher — without the all-impory
influence of religion. 4

6. After such a lull in religious training, the diversity of
look and attitude in such a college student body, made up of hig
school graduates from all parts of the land and from all typesg
schools, in the sophisticated age, and without a thorough religiggn
education and training, would present new and grave probleng

7. Synod, in recent years, has found much reason to rejoice be
cause growing numbers of our Christian people are seeing f
dangers which threaten their children’s faith during the hid
school years and are making great sacrifices to establish Christg
high schools wherever feasible. It would be a cause of offense
those very people if Synod dropped its high schools for minister;
training, schools which have existed 30, 50, 70, a hundred yea

8. We can understand that parents would like to keep tha
boys at home and under parental care during the years. of ad
lescence. However, this influence is limited. For this is the “ a
age,” and boys are now strongly influenced by their associates. Ty
influence of evil associates during this period is often greater th

boys from Christian homes come to our colleges as high
freshmen and thus enjoy during these critical years invaluak
Christian companionship and the guidance of Christian teacheg
alert to their duty? Furthermore, circumstances today are sw
that many of our students make frequent trips home and
remain under parental influence.

9. A. We fear greatly that if our pre-ministerial students W
have to be recruited largely from the graduates of public hj
schools, the number available will not be adequate to meet the i
creasing need of our Church. The decision. to study for the minis{
is often made at the time of confirmation, and this is the ideal ti
to begin pre-ministerial work. The desire is easily lost in a no
spiritual environment. i

B. The situation would be different if we had: three or {9
Lutheran high schools in every major city. However, we ca
for at least many years, hope to approximate the extensive Rom
Catholic system of high schools. Yet without such an extensi
system the curtailment or dropping of the high school de
at our colleges would, in our opinion, seriously reduce the num)
of workers in the Church. And even if we did have dn extensi