# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1904_S66
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

66 Proceedings of the twentieth convention

proved themselves Christian young women. Some worked before and after school in white families and in this way bore a part of the costs. Over the other girls, who lived scattered about, no such exact control could be exercised. But no complaint has been heard about them. Of these girls 8 were churchless, 2 were members of the Methodist church and 2 belonged to the Lutheran congregation here. The ignorance of the strange girls in religious matters was exceedingly sad. Also in secular knowledge, although some had had more schooling than our own, they stood behind these.

Two churchless boys were confirmed this year, and 3 girls have declared that they want to become Lutherans.

Every Sunday two services with sermon have been held. From the beginning of the school year to the end of April I conducted the morning service. In the afternoon there is Sunday school. All the services have been attended regularly by all the students, and the Lutheran pupils have diligently received the Holy Supper.

The board for the pupils living in the college has been fixed at $5.00 monthly. That is two to three dollars less than in any other institution in the state. But the cost for each pupil, including fuel, light and water, comes on average to only about $3.00 monthly. The pupils have had nourishing food, and plenty of it. Dainties have naturally not been on the table. From the country congregations we have received from time to time vegetables, fruit and "preserves."

One pupil has attended to the cooking to everyone's satisfaction and has had free board for it. Each week a helper has been assigned to him in turn, who had to wash the tables and perform other odd services. Four have paid the full board, two only a part, and four have been supported entirely from the students' treasury.

Of the out-of-town girls whom I had to provide for, and for whom $6.50 per person for board and lodging had to be paid, three have received support for the most part. A Negro girl from Charlotte received monthly $3.00 from a Norwegian congregation. Pastor Schmidt of Greensboro had pledged himself to take care of two boys and four girls. Of these one girl has borne her own costs in part. An agreement has, however, been reached according to which those supported are to pay back the amount of the support later.

That all beginnings are hard we have experienced in rich measure in the past year. The difficulty lay not only in the externally poor buildings, in the lack of teaching materials, in the ignorance and poverty of the pupils, but also in the inexperience of the provisional director. I have also lacked time and strength. But God is