The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-04-27
CONFER
Annual Meeting Of the New
York District at Zion
Church, Greenyl1le.
AN ETHICAL QUESTION SETTLED
Pastor SAINT Upheld for His Action
in The Quarrel With
Miss Lamcken.


The annual conference of the New York
district Of the Evangelical Lutheran
Churches was held yesterday afternoon
ana this morning in the Zion Lutheran
Church. in McAdoo avenue. Greenville. On
the whole the conference was not a very
important one, and only consisted Of dis
cussing certain religious subjects. Nc
officers were elected, as this is an off
year. The Rev. Frederick Owaldt OF The
ST. Johns Lutheran Church, Brooklyn.
presided. The opening prayer was made
yesterday by Mr.. Oswaldt, after when
the Presidents report for the past year
was read. The report contained only
the usual routine matter.
This mornings session was perhaps a
trife more interesting than that of yes
terday for the reason that the report of
the commistee which was appointed TO in
vestigate the charges made by Pastor
Sanft, of the Zion Church. against Miss
Anna Lamcl;en, last fall, was read. 1t
viii be remembered thai Miss Lamcken
last sumnle went on a bicycle trip to
Lake Hopatcong with several of her
friends, and remained at a hotel over
night On this account Pastor Sanft OBJ
jected to her trip whereupon Miss
Lamcken resented the minister's interfer-
ence and sent in her resignation as a
member of that church. The Lutheran
Choral Union. of which Miss Lamcken
was dlrectress. and which numbered about
twenty members, resigned in a body, after
their directress left. The Choral Union
FOR a long time furnished the music fol-
the services, and at the time of the trou-
BILE the members declared that they would
never enter that church again. Many Of
the members of the congregation stood
by their pastor. and declared thar he did
right in. directing to Miss Lamcken's BIZ
cycle ride.
The committee which was appointed to
investigate the charges made by Pastor
him. although the report of the commit
tee was never made public. AT the ses-
sion this morning the matter was brought
up and Pastor Sanft's questions and the
report on them were read.
our conference held last fall in
Brooklyn ! p~ropounded an ethical CUES
ton, which was to be answered by a
COMMITTEES Of five ministers.
BE it understood that j raised the cues
ton. and that there was no investigation
of any kind, but simply a general ethical
question to be answered.
The committee did so without rejecting
on the conditions existing in my congre-
CATION.
Il think no one can better judge
members az NV congreeation who are
acnTainfed with every small Incident at
fached To my case and those members
gave mo n vt,te If Confidence annroyinr
Entirely Of INV action
The following translation of the oues-
tion ard answer are snof intended "a he
clothed in the hest EngIish. buf to be a
literal Translation thereof
The following was the question asked
nv Pastor Sanft-
"If in nv congregation respectable
members take offense at this occurrence.
namely. two Young ladies and three gen
tlemen ~sfaying away on a Measure trin
two nighfs in 4 nuhiie hotel without
chaperonJ. are they justified in linking it
IMPROPER. accordinp To Christian rules of
good custom and behayior' esnec;aljv r
Of the Young dies IN o,lestion * a
prominent meusbers Of the church and
wishes 70 secure the u~osition az sorgan-