# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1904_S62
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

62 Proceedings of the twentieth convention

whole number of Lutherans moved to the North, because they could not support themselves and their families honestly on the high prices for food and the low wages."

Of the new preaching place Rudd's Station Missionary Schmidt reports very favorably.

The most gratifying thing in the progress of our congregation in Greensboro in the last two years was the extraordinary increase in pupils in our congregational school. Missionary Schmidt writes: "We had so many pupils (110) that it became too much for Teacher Buntrock, who has already worked here for six years with great faithfulness and self-denial, and I had to teach half of them in the church itself. If the large number of pupils here is to receive adequate instruction in the coming year, at least one more teacher should absolutely be appointed to the school here. On the school rests our hope for the future. So much is certain and impresses itself on the missionaries' conviction from year to year with ever greater certainty: if in the future we want to have capable Lutheran Negro congregations, they must not be won from grown Negroes, who have grown up in the old rut of 'plantation religion,' but we must raise them ourselves in the Lutheran congregational schools. . . . Oh, that our Lutheran Christendom would diligently, constantly and earnestly pray the LORD of the harvest for 'right and many' laborers in his colored vineyard! He gladly hears the sighing and lamenting of the children of Zion."

Meherrin and Surroundings. Concerning the state of our Negro Mission at Meherrin and surroundings our dear Missionary Schooff, who has now worked here fourteen years, writes among other things as follows: "Of the 171 souls, 82 are communicant members. Of these 38 are at present absent and mostly employed in our large cities. That this condition is very harmful to the prosperity of our mission is obvious. For almost without exception these were drawn there by high wages and now for the most part do not use their hard-earned wages in the service of God and of their neighbor, but thereby fall, as usual, into temptation and snares, and many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For avarice is a root of all evil, among the poor, deeply fallen Negroes too. This sad condition shows also its terrible effect, which extends all the way to the home country. One thinks and talks almost always of high wages and of what one can enjoy for and with them. Of the dangers to the soul one seems rarely to think. So one can only marvel at the infinitely great love, grace and faithfulness of God, which he nevertheless lets rule over this frivolous people. To him alone, therefore, we owe it that our work among this people was not in vain in the last two years either, that 4 adults and 8 children with the triune God