# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1904_S55
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1904. 55

adults and 15 children, and during the week by 39 adults and 9 children.

The school has made extraordinary progress, so that in the last period three schoolteachers besides the pastor had their hands full. The classrooms were overcrowded; the children could hardly all be accommodated for lack of room. Often three children sat on one small school bench, and still new pupils are being enrolled, and still more room must be provided, so that God's great blessing is not spilled. The number of pupils was in the year 1902 180, in 1903 196 and in 1904 253 children. Unfortunately the newly called third teacher, Teacher Fuhrmann, after a short period of service had to resign his office on account of illness and, on the advice of his physician, return to the North.

From July 1, 1902 to June 30, 1904 the members of St. Paul's Station raised $1209.40; of this $600.00 was handed over to the treasurer for the Negro Mission, $150.00 was spent for necessary repairs (among other things the church was repainted), $50.00 for fire insurance, $35.00 went to the Negro college and $40.00 was collected for the needy. In addition a new organ was purchased. The present cash balance is $80.00. Until now the congregation has regularly given $25.00 every month to the General Mission Treasury. Now the missionary writes: "The congregation intends in the near future to raise this regular contribution and to send in still more."

Negro College. Two years ago the Synodical Conference in two sessions discussed the question with great animation: "Why should the Synodical Conference found an institution for the training of colored preachers and teachers?" Without coming to a decision about the establishment of a full seminary, the Synodical Conference adopted the following resolutions: 1. A preparatory school for Negro pupils is to be established. 2. Everything pertaining to the carrying out of this resolution is left to the Commission for Negro Mission. 3. But this Commission is to establish one or two institutions of this kind as soon as ever possible.

Such a preparatory school has now been opened in the autumn of 1903 in New Orleans, namely in the sacristy of St. Paul's Church, which measures only 10×20 feet. The number of pupils in the course of the year was 22, 9 boys and 13 girls, who were divided into three classes. To the first class belong 4, to the second 5, to the third 13. Applications for the new school year have already been made; from the St. Paul's school alone 10 new pupils are expected. This preparatory school stands for the present under the direction of Pastor Lankenau; at his side the other mission workers work and labor with him, e.g. the missionaries Kretzschmar and Koßmann.

Bethlehem Station. The mission workers at this station were and are: the Pastors Koßmann and Wenzel and the