# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1877_S15
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 15 —

These earnest words must convince all conscientious parents and sharpen their conscience, so that they set before their eyes the account they will have to give. The blessing is also shown them that they will obtain if they bring up their children rightly, for which the parish school chiefly serves them. But the pastors too must be driven by them to lively zeal, so that they let themselves be deterred by no toil or difficulty. To this belongs also Luther's closing word in the preface to the Small Catechism: "Therefore the preaching office [*Predigtamt*] now has much more toil and labor, danger and temptation, and besides little reward and thanks in the world. But Christ himself will be our reward, if we labor faithfully. May the Father of all grace help us in this, to whom be praise and thanks in eternity through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

In the General Synod the pastors, to be sure, do not have much toil. We in the Synodical Conference [*Synodalconferenz*], however, thank God, have recognized our task. So our office now becomes much harder, to be sure. But if it were easy, God would not have given us such precious promises either. It is indeed hard to keep school, but God will repay it if we do it for the sake of the children and of the kingdom of God.

From one side it was pointed out that congregations sometimes do not support a faithful pastor who is willing to keep school, because they do not recognize the great sin in which they are caught, or let themselves be blinded by the devil into holding the Sunday schools sufficient. Against this it was remarked that surely in every congregation some heads of households would be ready to send their children to the parish school. If one begins with these, it would gradually get better. If one does not do that, the congregation must finally cease. But experience teaches that parents are usually very glad when their pastor faithfully takes care of the children. Therefore pastors' consciences must be sharpened, so that they not only give their congregations a good example themselves but also admonish them unceasingly. It is bad when pastors themselves send their children to the public school. Then all admonition is of course in vain. It was granted that the establishment of parish schools in parishes whose members have for the most part grown up without having attended such a nursery of the Church is hard and requires struggle, but that in the end one must and will break through, if only one persists. The visitors [*Viſitatoren*] could do much in this matter, and it should be urgently recommended to their attention.

How great the blessing is that flows from the establishment of numerous parish schools is shown by a letter of Luther's, which he wrote from Coburg on 20 May 1530 to the Elector John the Steadfast of Saxony at Augsburg. In this letter it says:

"Beyond this, the merciful God shows himself still more gracious, in that he