# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1902_S52
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

52 Proceedings of the 25th General, or

Concordia Gymnasium at Milwaukee, Wis.

"1. The teaching staff, which shows the same names as three years
ago, has attended to its office in the 1899-to-1902 triennium too with
its accustomed faithfulness and accustomed skill. Only rarely was one or
another member of the faculty prevented by illness from carrying out his
duties.

"2. That our institution has not lacked for students is shown by the
following figures: 1899 to 1900: 185; 1900 to 1901: 185; 1901 to
1902: 237. That not everything is noble wheat among such a number of
students will be readily understood by anyone who knows the Scripture's
teaching about the Church and therefore knows how to distinguish
between the visible and invisible Church. Still, we may also testify that
only a few serious offenses occurred, and that they were met with strict
discipline, whether by admonition and warning, by the imposition of
penalties, or, where necessary, by dismissal from the institution. — The
students' state of health was very good; only a few serious cases of
illness are to be noted, and no deaths.

"3. Without doubt the most joyful and most important event in our
Gymnasium's history in many years is the construction — already resolved
by the Reverend Synod nine years ago, and now at last, by God's help,
carried out and successfully completed — of the new school building. It
could be dedicated, with thanks to the gracious God, and given over to
its purpose at the start of the current school year, on September 8,
1901. Although somewhat hampered by threatening weather, the
celebration was nonetheless a dignified one, its centerpiece being the
addresses of the Right Reverend General President Pieper, of Pastor P. L.
Hölter, and of Prof. W. Müller (in English). — We forgo a description of
the building here, since not only has the *Lutheraner* [the Synod's German
church paper] already carried one, but all delegates also have the
opportunity to view for themselves the handsome and well-appointed
building. But there is one thing we feel moved to emphasize in what
follows. That in a building resolved upon by the Synod, the sum it
approved has been exceeded, has already happened often enough before;
it should therefore not seem altogether too surprising if the same had
happened with our new building as well, especially since, owing to our
having to wait for the two-thirds sum to be subscribed, it had to be built
at a very expensive time. Indeed, even otherwise, a building is only very
rarely erected — whether by a community or by a private person, whether
large or small — whose actual cost does not exceed the estimated sum.
That would therefore be nothing remarkable at all. And in fact: the total
cost of our building amounted to $44,194.05, while the Synod had
approved only $35,000. But this, to be sure, may well be noteworthy:
that the considerable excess cost was not [caused] by the