# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1886_S84
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

84 Proceedings of the eleventh convention

judgment, an exceedingly cheap purchase. At any time we could resell it with quite
considerable profit. And the cheapness appears especially
also from the fact that the Catholics had to pay 70,000 dollars for a house standing next to it,
which is considerably smaller. All who have seen our Pilgrims' House
gladly testify to us that it is quite excellent, clean and tidy.
The hospitality is excellent and the meals are cheap. Recently the reporter
saw a family from the Minnesota Synod in the Pilgrims' House who had
had a room of their own given to them; they were full of praise and said
they were as if at home. The Catholics were at first very annoyed,
but as neighbors have now come to a good understanding with P. Keyl
and even, when they have no more room, send their guests
into the Pilgrims' House. So an abbot with five candidates lodged recently
with us, who afterward, unasked, wrote down great praise of the
excellence of the Pilgrims' House.

Now up to now the building is still private property. It lies with
the next Delegate Synod of Missouri whether it will recognize the purchase
and take over the building. There is no doubt about it any more,
since most of the districts in the synod have already declared for it. Now
it is a matter of paying off the debt. Besides the first down payment,
2000 dollars that had already come in for it have been paid off.
But if this Pilgrims' House is to continue, a considerable sum must still be paid off
this year, since we have in part to pay very high interest.
If about 20,000 to 30,000 dollars were paid off on it, the Commission thinks,
the house would hopefully, even if nothing more came in,
gradually make itself free. The request therefore goes out
to all congregations of the Synodical Conference to remember this house
at mission festivals, and also at home in the congregations to
take up a collection once. Whoever gives now, until Christmas,
gives double. But one can serve the Pilgrims' House also in another
way, namely if for immigrants or also for those traveling
to Germany on a visit one has the steamship tickets come from P. Keyl.
The steamship companies give the agents a small profit for every ticket.
The number of travelers would then bring us quite a considerable sum. For the money does not go into P. Keyl's pocket,
but flows into the Emigrant Fund. If, then, every pastor and deputy
at home says to the people: If you want to have acquaintances come from Germany,
turn to the Pilgrims' House, this matter would thereby be
immensely furthered. One mostly goes to the agents, who are found in
all larger and smaller towns, in the belief that one
can get the steamship ticket cheaper. But note here:
P. Keyl can give it as cheaply as any agent. That it
sometimes looks as if the agents supplied cheaper steamship tickets,