# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1877_S24
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

— 24 —

In Germany, in the days of rationalism, entirely unbelieving agendas [*Agenden*, liturgical service books], hymnals, catechisms and school books were forced on the people, because state and church were mixed. Here it is different. The state does not interfere at all in our internal affairs but leaves us full freedom. But still the question arises whether pure books are used everywhere, even in our own synods. And where a hymnal or a catechism is used that is not sound, there is a contradiction of the confession. If we were now to take a poll of how things stand among us, it would stand right in no synod in one respect, at least not in all schools, namely with regard to the school books. That comes from the pride of some teachers. For although we must in general give our schoolteachers the testimony that they are earnest, faithful men, there are nevertheless some who take other books merely because they do not like the method in ours. And that is very bad. In the Missouri Synod, for example, a reader was formerly in use that was otherwise deficient but still Lutheran. Now the deficiencies were keenly felt, but even so the teachers should rather have died than take books holding false doctrine. But now we have good German books. So it is doubly bad to tolerate or even introduce false ones.

It stands worse with the English readers. There is none known to us that would be pure. Nevertheless they are introduced among us too. Whether the teachers or the pastors are to blame is left open. But it shall and must become different. In this connection it is to be remembered that the teachers have no right at all to introduce textbooks on their own authority, for that would be hierarchical.

The books for the lower classes, apart from the Primer published by the Synodical Conference, which is good, can still be used to some extent, but those for higher classes are extraordinarily dangerous. This has already weighed on the conscience of many teachers, and they therefore wait longingly for new good English books. Everyone in the Synodical Conference [*Synodalconferenz*] who has received gifts from God should help to remedy this need. This state of affairs becomes an accusation before the church. We would gladly content ourselves even with a modest book if only it were pure. Consider what Peter says, 1 Peter 2:12 [as printed]: "Be eager for the rational pure milk, as newly born little children, that you may grow by it." (the German text: Luther's rendering of what is 1 Pet. 2:2) What mother would pour vinegar or even poison into her child's milk? Woe to us if we let the least poison into our school books for the immature. That would be much worse than if an agenda were used somewhere that is not quite pure; for there the pastor can still choose.

Once people emigrated from Germany to bring up their children here