The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-07-17
AUGSBURG WAR NOW OVER
ARMISTICE IN A BITTERLY
CONTESTED CHURCH FIGHT

the Friends Take the Realty,
While the United Church Is Civ
en- Possession of the Endowment
Fund and the Valuable Library
The News of Minneapolis.
An 'armistice has been declared in the
bitter Augsburg seminary war and
representatives of the warning factions
are at work on the terms of a COM
promise that will, it Is hoped, forever
end the strife. The compromise has
really been perfected, but the sanction
of TWO men now in Europe must first
be secured. OF such great Importance
is this settlement, however, that the
parties in question who must be COM
municated with at long range have
been notified by telegraph of what has
been done.
by the agreement made, the United
Norwegian Lutheran church of Amer
lea, called the United church, is to re-
ceive the endowment funds, which at
present amount to- $39, 900, and the
Augsburg seminary library, which is
quite extensive, and is probably worth
several thousands of dollars. The Nor
wegian lutheran free church, which,
III the war that has ragged for five
years, has been known as the Friends
Of Augsburg" and also simply as the
minority" is to take the land on which
the seminary stands, together with the
buildings. The real estate consists OF
a block bounded by Seventh and
Eighth streets and Twenty first and
Twenty-second avenues south, with the
exception of two lots. The land should
be worth fully $4,000 even in these
times. The buildings consist of the
seminary proper, which is now quite
old. a dormitory for the students and
two dwellings for the professors, one
of brick and the other of stone. About
$4,000 would represent the value of the
buildings.
Negotiations have been going on for
some time, but no agreement was
reached until yesterday, when Rev. N.
c. Brun, Lauritz +. Clausen and Orson
A. Veblen. members of the board of
school directors. elected by the United
church, met with President George
Sverdrup, of Augsburg seminary and
Olaf Hoff, a member Of the board
which still holds possession of the in
stitution. A number Of legal advisers
were also on the scene. The sanction
Of Prof. Sven Oftedal, the ruling spirit
Of the Augsburg board, who is now at
Carlsbad, Germany, is,s of course, re-
quired. He has been cabled to. 1t Is
understood that a message was also
sent to Rev. M. Falk Gjertsen, who, al
though not member Of the board,
possesses wide influence in the Free
church
Thus far the negotiations have been
carried on entirely between the rival
college boards, the" IRIS and the "outs,'
but it is not anticipated that there will
be any trouble in securing a rattle alton
of the compromise by the respective
church organizations. The Augsburg
beard now in possession Is law unto
itself anyway. ard no ratification is
needed and the board which Is trying
to take possession is probably acting
with the approval of the officers of the
United church.
The struggle for Augsburg seminary
has become historic as a particularly
bitter church wal, and a favorable COM
promise to a litigation apparently in
terminable and certainly very os,ly to
beth sides should be a cause for rejoic-
ing in all the Lutheran churches OF
America to day.
The United church was formed in
this city on Friday, June 13-fateful
day and date-by a union of the confer
ence Of the Norweg an-Danish Evange
lical Lutheran Church of America,
which was. organized in 1870 the anti
Mis- sourian brotherhood, VIII Oh had left
the Norwegian synod as the result of
differences on doctrinal points. and, last
and least, the Augustana synod.
No one saw the seed Of dissen-
sion that was present, but it was there.
ard eventually the plant had grown
large enough to become troublesome.
Unlike other institutions possessed by
the various organizations forming the
union, Augsburg seminary, which was
built in 1872, was not turned over to
the United church. Neither was
he h1Ir
The powers in control made certain
stipulations and demands, which the
United church held were not made by
the conference. but by few individ-
uals. The publishing department. was
secured by a suit, together with all it's
property and supplies. These in charge
of the seminary were at first left in
peaceful possession, ard a college and
theological seminary for the United
church was opened about 1893 in the
Anderson block at Franklin avecua and
Twenty sixth avenues south, where it
has since been maintained. The con-
viction that the United church was the
| only true owner of the Augsburg semi
! nary property had always been pres
ent, but a desire for peace had re-
| strained civil action. The sense OF in
| justice finally overcame peaceful scru-
| pies, and the law was invoked.
The attorney general was appealed to
| in order to have the Augsburg board
ousted and the new one placed in con-
troll but the attorney general declared
that he could not Then the district
court was required to consider the de-
mand, and ruled in favor Of the United
church. Last month, however, the SUI
preme court Of the state reversed the
Judgment of the lower court 1t had
| practically been decided to institute a
suit in equity for the possession of the