# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1914_S47
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1914. 47

4. Louisiana.

New Orleans. According to the census of 1910, exactly 89,262 Negroes live in this large city and 713,874 in the state of Louisiana. In New Orleans our mission work has made considerable progress in the two years reported. We now have here seven congregations and stations, as many parochial schools, and Luther College.

Mount Zion. Missionary: Alb. O. Friedrich. Teachers: Eug. R. Vix, D. Meibohm, Arthur Berger. This oldest congregation of ours in New Orleans is building itself up inwardly and outwardly in peace under the leadership of Missionary Friedrich. 33 new members were added to the congregation. It now numbers 221 souls, 106 communicant members, 21 voting members. In the summer of 1913 the congregation had the interior of the school rebuilt so that it got three classrooms instead of two. It paid the cost, about $125, itself. A third teacher was called, the colored teaching candidate Arthur Berger, who was installed by Pastor Friedrich on August 29, 1913. The enrollment rose once in the last school year to 205. Missionary Friedrich says in his report: "If the efforts of the three teachers are successful, we shall probably need more room again in the coming school year." The "sanitary toilets" installed in the school last July, which cost $250, the congregation wants to pay for itself. It has borrowed the sum from the mission treasury and intends to pay off 10 dollars a month. That will be very hard for it, however, because it is straining itself greatly as it is, and it would be desirable if our friends of the mission would help it somewhat. In these two years Mount Zion has raised the fine sum of $1645.37 for church purposes.

St. John's is the branch of the Mount Zion congregation founded at the end of 1912. It is located in the part of the city called "Dump" and is about 12 city blocks from Mount Zion and just as far from the Bethlehem station. Missionary Friedrich and one of his long-tried teachers explored this district, which is inhabited only by Blacks, and on February 10, 1913, Missionary Friedrich opened a school in a rented room; a few weeks later Student Karl Stoll of the seminary in St. Louis took it over and conducted it until November. When he was then sent to Greensboro to complete his studies there, Adeline Winn was appointed. 44 pupils are on the roll. The rent is 7 dollars a month; Mount Zion contributes 3 dollars of it, and the rest is covered by the school fees. Missionary Friedrich declares in his report: "The St. John's station suffers badly from lack of space. The room has seats for only 28 children, while the enrollment is 44 and the average attendance 33; that means that three children must sit on a bench meant for only two.