# Lehre und Wehre_St. Louis Missouri_Juli 1859_S200
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

200                                    Some Glosses on This Year's Sessions of the So-called, Etc.

love. Fie on such washerwomen's chatter! — And the whole thing is not
merely cowardly, but at the same time a dishonest, thoroughly
American-Lutheran General-Synod humbug. For this much is certain:
neither Dr. Krauth nor any other member of the General Synod gives a
moment's thought to whether Dr. Kurtz, once admitted, will care a rotten
nut about the whole brotherly request. Everyone knows, and knew
beforehand, that the doctrinal paragraph will not be changed. Indeed,
even the 92 who voted for admission did not seriously wish, even in
earnest, that the Melanchthon Synod should make the above-mentioned
change — it is all mere wind; naturally, people wanted, at any price, to
have Dr. Kurtz and the Melanchthon Synod as a member of the General
Synod, because they feared what the Rev. Ehrhard expressed: "if
rejected, the M. S. might be the centre for another Synod." All the rest
of the fuss is mere smoke, made to cover up somewhat the shameful
betrayal of the Church's confession, and to lull to sleep a few naive,
simple-minded people who might get scruples of conscience. — Had there
been a spark of genuinely Lutheran and German honesty present, one
would surely have asked Dr. Kurtz beforehand, before the admission —
since he was present and the representative of the M.S. — at least
whether he personally was inclined to give ear to the request of the
General Synod, and whether one could hope for anything good from the
M.S. But no, not even that. And why not? The reason is plain: because
people were already, beforehand, firmly convinced, through the whole
manner, bearing, and activity of Dr. Kurtz, that he — at any rate, over
against his well-known General-Synod men (the man seems to know his
"Pappenheimers" well) — would not yield a single step. So the whole
thing was, we repeat it once more, nothing but a most dishonest
American humbug!

People reproach the Missouri Synod for not wanting to Americanize
itself. If the above General-Synod maneuver belongs to Americanization,
then may God in his mercy keep her from ever trading her German honesty
for such American tricks! —

One thing was striking: how lightly the protest against the resolution
(23 votes were against it), and especially Dr. Stohlmann's threat that
brethren of his synod might easily be moved by the admission of the
Melanchthon Synod to secede, was taken. In order not to reject Dr.
Kurtz, the most skillful policy was set in motion — yet to keep the
Germans, not even the little finger was stirred. Dr. Mann and Dr.
Stohlmann protested, clearly and distinctly, but no one seemed to be in
the least alarmed on their account. Where does that come from? I fear
almost that their English brethren are just as little afraid of them as
that farm boy was of a fierce dog — for, said he: "he bellt