# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1902_S109
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Tenth Delegate Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and Other States, 1902. 109

on time, so that they would not, in their heavy, self-denying labor, be
burdened with worry over their livelihood. We give here at once the
treasury report (in extract):

"Income in the year 1899 (from April 15 to December) .. $805.17
"    "        1900 ...................................... 1329.49
"    "        1901 ...................................... 3100.00
"    "        1902 (to May 1) ............................ 1691.04
"Balance on hand, April 15, 1899 ........................... 370.44

                                        Total .......... $7296.14

"Expenditure 1899 (from April 15 to December) ......... $707.50
"      1900 ................................................ 2106.51
"      1901 ................................................ 2791.09
"      1902 (to May 1) ..................................... 1651.46
                                                         —— $7256.56

Balance in treasury (May 1, 1902) ........................... $39.58

"May the Reverend Synod once more impress upon the congregations the
importance of this mission as well, so that it may be supported more
generously with prayer and gifts! Let us consider: it is in part home
mission work that it carries on. They are the poor deaf-mute children of
our brothers and sisters in the congregations, who sit there forsaken
while the others are provided for with Word and Sacrament, who must go
spiritually hungry while their parents and siblings eat and drink at a
richly furnished table — these are the ones this mission labors for.
Formerly only the institution at North Detroit, Mich., took in these
poor. How rich a blessing that institution is, our missionaries know and
praise more than anyone. It is, despite our mission to the deaf-mute,
still necessary. What the Christian parochial school is to our hearing
congregations, this institution is to the mission to the deaf-mute. But
relatively few of our deaf-mute attend it. And even those who have been
there need spiritual nourishment just as much as other confirmed
Christians. The mission to the deaf-mute seeks to provide this to these
children of our church. How important and necessary it therefore is!

"But the mission to the deaf-mute carries on foreign mission work at
the same time. Our missionaries, in their preaching, often have all
sorts of people before them — Lutherans, Episcopalians, Methodists,
Catholics, Jews, and pagans. To all of them they preach Christ
crucified. For there are, after all, about 75,000 deaf-mute people in
our country. How few are the workers among them! Other church bodies,
too, no doubt work among them, but how? Now and then they preach to them
and go their way. There is no question of thorough instruction, nor of
pastoral care. Ah, how much is sinned against the poor deaf-mute