# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_April 1861_S107
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Union Conference in Saxony. 107

-ceed, it was resolved to take the enemy by surprise and seize the field with a single stroke. The forming of the conference was carried on in complete secrecy, so that it might suddenly step forward in full armor. Liebner may perhaps have had a dim feeling that this partisan scheming did not suit his position; Professor Brückner of Leipzig was therefore charged with the matter. As his instrument he chose a young theologian, Professor Hofmann, religion teacher at the Prince's School in Meißen, who — on his own application, and for a fee, at the Melanchthon jubilee festival — had been made Doctor of Theology, with the express remark that Melanchthon himself had never held himself worthy of that honor. This man had to deliver the invitations throughout the land in person, and for that purpose traveled by post-chaise to all the clergy who stood in the odor of Christian gentleness and moderation, and invited them secretly to the first secret conference at Meißen. He reinforced the invitation by handing over a booklet printed as a manuscript, in which the exaggerations, excesses, and dark sides of the church party were depicted in so shameless a manner that the whole piece of work is now known for short simply as the Meißen Pamphlet. Among other things, the Orthodox were charged with an unchaste Christianity, while the Meißen party boasted of a chaste Christianity. In this spirit, then, people practiced union and mediation — moderation, gentleness, love, in public; but war and slander, in secret. The costs of his post-chaise journey Hofmann received paid in the form of a gratuity, so as to withdraw them from a reprimand, in that same form, by the Finance Deputation of the Estates.

Thus the first secret conference did come about. The matter caused quite extraordinary excitement. The manner of the secret invitation naturally offended, in particular, the members of the Dresden conference. Even more noise was made by Hofmann's pamphlet, which remained just as little secret as the conference itself. The Muldenthal Pastoral Conference, at Meurer's prompting, took up the gauntlet that had been thrown down and sent to the Meißen conference an excellent, sharp letter, in which, with indignation, Hofmann's tasteless accusations were exposed and dealt with, and the Meißen conference was given its well-deserved due. When it was seen that they had badly overreached themselves, the matter was given a turn much used in high politics. Poor Hofmann was dropped, his pamphlet disowned, and it was solemnly declared that no middle party was intended to be founded, and the idea of establishing a special church paper and of carrying on a special united mission was likewise given up. All this, to be sure, gave no edification to the red and liberal papers, which had blown mightily on their horn and had celebrated the Meißen conference as a kind of pre-parliament of the free-thinking church of the future.

Meanwhile, in August of the previous year, the Dresden conference met, and delivered its judgment on the matter. Since the Meißen men had expressly