# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1944_S419
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

\ he: greatest. single cause of the growing consciousness of

inadequacies of our synodical. system of education lay in the
ansion of secular-education. Public high schools and State-

‘colleges multiplied. An increasing number of laymen and

in attended these schools.. Although their education was not |
1g as thorough as American educators seemed to feel was: neces-

here. was nevertheless a growing awareness throughout Synod

sme of the developments, of American education had a direct
“on.our own institutions.

pact of the growing emphasis on public education was”
ie. It should be noted that for many decades: our isolation
ast partially a blessing, because it kept us out of the stream
on which marked the growth of American education. As,
some of its theories and methods reached over into our own
became evident that the great and immediate danger to our
m would be the fragmentary acceptance of American courses -
ocedures without a clear understanding of the educational
Sphy involved. It was inevitable also that an increasing num-
iar instructors would acquire their graduate training in Ameri-
hiversities. While this obviously had some. beneficial effects,
resulted at times in a transfer of momentary’ educational
fes'to: our own system. In order to preserve the values of our
tional heritage as well as to prepare adequately for the future,
realized that it would have to pay even more careful attention
its ducational system. — ,

viously our Church could not remain untouched by. the effects
‘neral industrialization and the growing migration from country
ity. The educational level of the members of Synod rose appreci-
- The: language shift to English proceeded at an accelerated pace.
e other socio-economic changes which so profoundly affected
an life were also noticeable within Synod. Specifically many
ese changes resulted by a natural process in the elimination of
‘ultural and linguistic isolation. .

iGynod gave evidence of its awareness of these changes by the
ion of a number of survey committees beginning at the synodical
sntion of 1917. In the twenty-five years since that date a series
mmittees has done remarkable work in examining and re-examin-
Synod’s educational system. Every phase’ of the work was
ily ‘studied. Every development in American education was
red in terms of its possible application to our own needs and
ses, The completeness of the present survey would not have
en possible without the ground-breaking activities of previous survey
mmittees.

successive reports of the survey. committees to synodical con-
ns from.1929 to 1941 indicate the great interest of Synod in
cational system. One.by one changes and adjustments were

419

de which’ definitely improved the curricula, the administrative. -