# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Juli 1861_S221
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

Churchly-Contemporary Notes. 221

feel who have received such a "pastor"? In the report of this year's proceedings of the
Pennsylvania Synod we read: "The Rev. Dr. Passavant was appointed chaplain of the German
Lutheran soldiers."

Anti-Unionistic Measures. The "Evangelist" reports: "The New School Presbyterian General
Assembly at its last annual meeting completely separated its home mission work from the
American Missionary Society, and thus intends henceforth no longer to carry it on in
fellowship with the Congregationalists and other denominations." This now abolished
union-mongering of the Presbyterians was indeed strange enough.

The Presbyterians' Position on the Political Question. Thus the "Evangelist" writes under
date of June 8: "In the General Assembly of the Old School Presbyterians the political
question has taken quite a different turn from what we reported last week. Hitherto this
denomination was almost the only one that was not divided into North and South, and it
still gave itself up to the hope of being able to preserve the unity of the Church by
keeping silence on everything relating to politics. But the change which the disposition
of the North toward the South has undergone in recent days, and the absence of most of the
southern delegates from the General Assembly, seem to have brought about an alteration in
the disposition of this church body. In the first days of the Assembly, to be sure, a
motion for the appointment of a committee on the political questions was laid on the table
by a majority of votes, as we have already reported. But later the same subject was again
brought forward. Dr. Spring proposed resolutions in which it is definitely declared that it
is the duty of all members of the Church at the present time to support the Federal
Government and the Union firmly and faithfully. This proposal called forth very long
discussions. On the one side it was maintained that this resolution would put an end to
the effectiveness of the Church in the South and would result in a division. Even Mr.
Bates, one of the cabinet members in Washington, who is a regular elder of a Presbyterian
congregation in Missouri, telegraphed on inquiry that the government would prefer that the
Assembly not pass the resolution, because it would lead to an increase of bitterness.
Chase, on the other hand, telegraphed that he saw no reason why the resolution should not
be passed. Finally, after a discussion which lasted a whole week, the resolution was
adopted by 154 votes to 66. It is striking, in the voting, that several southern synods
voted for and many northern ones against the resolution. Kentucky cast all its 6 votes for
the proposal. Mississippi and Texas each cast one in favor. Cincinnati cast all its 6 and
Chicago all its 7, Philadelphia and New York about half their votes against the resolution.
Could commercial considerations perhaps be at work here?"

The General Synod's Mission in Liberia. In the "Kirchenbote" there is a report of this
year's proceedings of the Synod of Pennsylvania. Among other things it says there: "Pastor
Officer, Lutheran missionary in Liberia (Africa), gave his report. The mission had acquired
300 acres of land on the St. Paul River near Monrovia, on which 500 to 600 coffee trees
have so far been planted, which in 4 to 5 years will yield a good and lasting return. A
small chapel, 15 by 24 feet, a mission house, 24 by 26 feet, and a dwelling house have been
erected on the property. The only thing still to be provided for is the schools. Two slave
ships which had 1,500 Congo Negroes on board were captured off the coast and brought to
Liberia. The Lutheran mission took 40 pupils from among them, aged 13 years and upward; 20
boys and 20 girls. The children learned a few English words tolerably quickly; three times
a day, morning, noon and evening, prayer is held with the children; they learn the Ten
Commandments, the Lord's Prayer and chorales after the prayer, and in the intervals are
occupied with housework and fieldwork. The total expenditures for the mission have so far
amounted to only $4,000, although 2 missionaries are employed and 40 pupils are being
educated."