# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1900_S29
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1900. 29

far as it is a public one, falls to him by virtue of his office, then he has, even if one considers only the commandment of love, in a special sense this high task. As bishop of his congregation, who has to see that in the families the right education be given the children, he recognizes best how little can be and is done for it in the families. He will therefore also be most deeply penetrated by the recognition of the necessity of a congregational school and will work most eagerly for its establishment. He will willingly put his gifts, powers and time at its service. Among us it is also quite an everyday thing that pastors keep their congregational school themselves. Love drives them to it. It is their duty of love in a special measure also for this reason, that in the circle of the congregation they as a rule have the best gift for teaching and the best knowledge.

A pastor will, however, also, the greater his work in church and school becomes, point out the more that his work in the school can only be patchwork, because he cannot possibly serve the congregation and school at once as it should be done. Besides, urgent work in the congregation often brings interruptions and disturbances of the school; the instruction is frequently omitted and the like. That must be changed if congregation and school are not to suffer. So love for parents and children urges the congregation to staff the school with a teacher of its own, a schoolteacher.

In this, other considerations are also decisive which, to be sure, are often overlooked but are of importance. If the school is to accomplish something really orderly, then the one who presides over it should be with all his thoughts on the school work from the first to the last school hour. The rest hours between instruction should also belong to the school. In short, it takes a whole man to run the school properly. Now, however, in the official activity of a pastor his head, heart and mind are so taken up by other work, by events in the congregation and the like, that he cannot possibly turn his whole strength undivided to the school. Then it easily happens that the school comes off short and suffers harm. This also shows that a congregation does not act rightly when it loads its pastor with the double burden and at the same time deprives its school of the benefit of a teaching force of its own; that love should move a congregation to appoint a schoolmaster as soon as possible.

Over against this, the necessary sacrifices should fairly not come into consideration at all. It is an evil thing that in many cases people reckon so anxiously with money, and that by the remark: It costs too much! many a good proposal is brought to a fall. Wretched greed often becomes lord over love and hinders its exercise. So one hears also among us here and there the remark: We pay school taxes and are to have no benefit from them at all?! But that is not a right remark. If the authorities