# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1877_S13
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 13 —

I have done my part: I would gladly have counselled and helped the German land. Even if some will despise me for it and throw such faithful counsel to the wind and want to know better, I must let that happen. I know well that others could have done it better; but since they are silent, I do it as well as I can. It is surely better to have spoken to the purpose, however clumsily, than to have kept altogether silent. And I am hopeful that God will awaken some of you, so that my faithful counsel does not fall altogether into the ashes, and that you will look not at him who says it but at the matter, and be moved and let yourselves be moved." (Writing to the councilmen of all the cities of Germany, that they should establish and maintain Christian schools. Anno 1524. Walch X, pp. 536–543, 560 f.)

From this one sees why we have schoolmasters, and that we must also take care of orphans. Why then does God call himself the father of the orphans? Because they otherwise have none. For the guardians mostly care only for the bodily side; and yet the children must be instructed daily in God's Word. The church must take them in hand.

But when we say that synods which show no earnestness and zeal in setting up parish schools [*Gemeindeſchulen*] are in glaring contradiction to the confession, attention is to be paid especially to the emphasized words. This sentence is not meant to condemn those church bodies in whose midst, up to now, still few parish schools exist, but which are exerting themselves to do the right thing in this respect as well. That, however, must be demanded. It is true that the Symbols do not say in so many words that we are to have parish schools, but it lies in their spirit. For we are to see to it that God's Word is preserved also for our descendants. How would that be possible if we left our children to chance! Or if we thought it enough to send them to the public school and then to help out a little with Sunday school and confirmation instruction! The bad thing is that there are here so many sects and religious parties. If we now send our inexperienced children to the public schools, then, apart from the secularization to which they fall prey, they must necessarily become unionistic.

But, one asks, what are such synods to do in which the school matter is still in a bad way? Above all, the matter must be dealt with in the synods, articles must appear in the public papers, and Luther's writings must be circulated. Above all, though, the pastors who recognize the need must put their hand to the work and, where necessary, hold school themselves, as far as is possible for them. The latter was also done earlier, in the better times of the Lutheran Church, as Johannes Fecht, professor of theology at Rostock, who died in 1716, testifies. This distinguished theologian writes:

"Since the schools are the seminaries of the Church, it follows from this that