# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1910_S42
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

42 Proceedings of the twenty-third convention

that corresponds to their education. They do not care to do ordinary work
and then become loafers. That holds especially also of girls,
who through a college education are estranged from housework.
So a college education is of no use, but only harms.

b. For the continued existence of the institution in one form or another
the following reasons are given: 1. The closing of the
institution would set back our work in the South. Our people and
workers would be discouraged by this blow, and our
enemies would get a strong handle against us and make use of it.
They would say: The cause of the Lutherans is going back, come
to us! And the Negro is easily influenced. This danger we may
the less expose ourselves to now, as more is now being done by others
for the education of the Negroes than formerly. 2. The institution
lends our Mission not only prestige but is also at the same time
an excellent advertising medium. The Negro, as is well known, sets great store by
show. 3. If the institution is closed, our Mission will
lose many a gifted, usable and pious pupil. The
great distance to Greensboro — about 1000 miles — and the
heavy travel costs would keep many a prospective pupil away.
4. Through the institution boys and girls standing aloof from us have been won
for our church. In six years eight such
pupils were instructed and confirmed. Of these several were the
first of their families, whom others have followed. And even
if not all let themselves be confirmed, yet all stand under
wholesome Lutheran discipline and come to know our doctrine.

After long, thorough deliberations the Commission came to
the view that Luther College should be continued for a time on a trial basis,
perhaps with two teachers or with one teacher, with the help of our
missionaries in New Orleans, as a preparatory school for Immanuel College
at Greensboro. In this way usable pupils for our Mission could be won
from our southern mission field. With this the matter is
submitted to the judgment of the Reverend Synodical Conference.

9. Your Commission takes the liberty, in the interest of the Negro Mission,
of recommending the appointment of a special Mission Director, who
can give the direction of the Negro Mission his whole time, strength and attention
and, under the supervision and advice of the Mission Commission,
performs all the work connected with it. Indeed, the
appointment of a Mission Director in the Negro Mission is an innovation,
yet by no means a new, untried arrangement in general. Rather,
other church bodies and mission societies at home and abroad have long since recognized the necessity and the benefit of
appointing a special director of their missions and have
found that this arrangement has turned out for the prosperity of the Mission. Also in the circles of the Synodical Conference it has been thoroughly tried by
individual synodical districts, and