# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S640
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

640 MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS

able to report to your venerable body that the work of o
tute has made further progress during the past triennium
Many members of Synod have sent us items of historig
terest, such as congregational histories, congregational ° el 7
tions, documents, letters, conference minutes, journals, dial
We are gradually getting our catalog up to date. We havg
able to assist students of church history by making our ci
available to them for their special field and by helping
obtain material from other sources.
A great loss was suffered through the resignation due +

of Dr. Karl Kretzmann, first full-time curator, in Janu
This gifted scholar stood in the front rank of historians'%
Lutheran Church of America, and when he went to ;
home, our Institute and Synod suffered a loss which
felt also far beyond the confines of our synodical body.
August R. Suelflow, assistant to Dr. Kretzmann, became
cessor, and he is serving in that capacity today. ,
For the benefit of delegates not conversant with th

a historical institute we list the following details of
rendered.
1. The Institute is becoming ever better known as a1
organization for our pastors and local congregations. Hi
of congregations and institutions apply for the names and
ical information of pastors and teachers, and information
early history. Genealogists have also been helped in their
through information which they obtained from our Ins
2. Our Seminary students and postgraduate students

ing use of our research library more than ever before.
our Institute furnishes the only information available to ¢
their thesis topics.
‘3. Students at State universities writing theses on
theran Church in America invariably turn to our Insti
information on Lutheranism in a particular area, or o
problems which confronted the Lutheran Church in the |
for instance, slavery and the race question.
4. Visitors to the campus of the Seminary make it

see the historical collection and museum pieces in our Institag
5. Our Quarterly enjoys a wide reputation as a Luth
torical magazine. Also secular universities have shown
terest in it. Now in its 23d volume, it has become a
storehouse of historical information otherwise unobtaina
6. Unique service is rendered to Synod itself, sinc
doing a particular job for our Synod which no one else“4¥
our aim being to collect and preserve everything which pérg