# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_August 1858_S254
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

254
Church-Historical Notes of the Present Time

I. America.

Springfield, Ill. The "Olive Branch" reports: "The Scandinavian preachers and congregations connected with the Synod of Northern Illinois have undertaken to support a professor at Illinois University, and at the recent meeting of the said synod have elected the Rev. L. P. Esbjorn as professor of theology and of the Scandinavian languages and literature, an election that was confirmed at the recent meeting of the trustees. His appointment still requires the sanction of the Illinois synod." —

Dr. Reynolds. On June 29 the inauguration took place of the Rev. Dr. Reynolds as president and professor of philosophy at Illinois State University in Springfield, Ill.

The Lutheran Observer reports: We have learned that our church will soon be presented with a new work of great value. Dr. Reynolds, president of Illinois University at Springfield, is now occupied with finishing his great historical work, and the whole manuscript will soon be ready for the press. It is known that Dr. Reynolds has for twelve to fifteen years devoted his free time to gathering material and writing the history of the Lutheran church of America. He has spared neither time nor trouble in gathering all possible information on the subject. He has gone back to the original sources and has carefully collected and examined all documents that might throw any light on the history of our church in this country. Old letters, diaries, old newspapers and pamphlets, forgotten books, public records, congregational minute-books, and many other hidden sources of knowledge have been drawn upon for this purpose. The treasure of documents left behind by the Swedish fathers has been found rich and complete. Everything that Mühlenberg and his colleagues left behind in manuscript or in print has been carefully gathered and woven into the historical narrative. In a word, everything bearing on the subject has been thoroughly researched. We may fairly assume that everything that has escaped the tooth of time, of historical documents, has come into the hands of Dr. Reynolds; and it is from so rich a store of material that he has composed his historical work. Since we have not yet read anything of his manuscript, we can form our opinion of it only from the author's ability and the time he has devoted to it." —

North Carolina. The Western Carolina male Academy has recently been transformed into a college, and the Rev. Daniel H. Bittle, professor of Latin and Greek at Roanoke College, Virginia, has been elected its president. The Lutheran church in North Carolina has long needed a college. May God make this new institution a blessing to His church. —

The American Bible Society held its 42nd anniversary festival on June 13. This society has an auxiliary society in almost every county of the United States. In the past year 89 new auxiliary societies were founded. The past year's income amounted to $390,759.49, of which $137,928.55 was voluntary gifts, the remainder from Bibles sold. 250,000 Bibles were printed, along with 281,000 New Testaments and 500 volumes in raised type for the blind. The society has given $13,432 to France, Russia, Italy, Turkey, Persia, and India, so that Bibles might be printed and distributed there in the language of the country. —

Roman antics. According to the N.-Y. Staatszeitung, a so-called solemn coronation of the Virgin Mary took place on June 20 in the Roman church at Hoboken near New York. The ceremony began with the entrance of a procession, whereupon the golden,