The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-10-30

tered community. with the exception
OF the Swedes along the Delaware the
Saltzburgers in Georgia, there was no
organization. There were a Few scat
tered churches, but they had no relation
to each other. 80.
He Travelled through the different
colonies, preaching. bapti3lng, contlrm-
ing and organizing churches wherever
he found his conntrymen. He soon pc
came recognized as the leader and mead
OF the Lutheran church IN America
Not that he was ever elected 20 thest OF
fee. but because his zeal and eminent
abilities placed him there naturally he
is to this day called the Patriarch OF
American Lutheranism.
In 174S-slx years after MS arrival =
when the first synod OF Lutherans IN
America was held there were but elev-
en- regularly ordained Lutheran minis
tiers to be found In the colonies. Tnree
years later there were forty organized
congregations and q Lutheran popula-
ton Of 10000. Thus we see some OF the
fruits Of his labors.
He was soon followed by other men
from the same and other universities OF
Germany, Muhlenberg, Krutz, kunt2.
Helmuth, Miller, Wrangle, and others
form a galaxy Of ministerial stars OF
which any church might will be proud.
They Iabored alongside of Whitfield,
Tenant, Edwards, and the Wesleys,
and others, and were not one whit be-
hind any OF them in religious zeal. and
their protested superiors In education.
They were godly men. They cate
cllized, held series Of meetings, organic
ed churches, tnught young men In their
homes and prepared them for the min
- That, thnV nftnn
sat up until o'clock in the morning.
taking counsel Of, and praying for one
another.
But those were disturbed times. The
early settlers were often in danger of
the Indian tomahawk and scalpinG
knife.
Thus the pastor, where he left his
flock, had no assurance that they would
be there again when he returned. But
in spite of all these difficulties the work
progressed.
But another and worse obstacle to the
churches progress now arose-the
American Revolution. In Philadelphia
the Lutheran churches were used us
hospitals and barracks. The war
brought independence to America, but
1t brought also spiritual deafness and
disruption Of churches. The work OF
organizing 0Hu 10 UE DeBul duGNs III
1857 the legislature of Pennsylvania, as
reward for the services rendered by
the Germans in the war Of independ-
ence, endowed Franklin and Marshall
college for them. In 1871 the same body
gave them q grant OF 5000 acres of
land for the benefit of their free school
in Philadelphia.
But another difficulty now confronted
the Lutheran pastors. Many OF the
young people were English and yet no
English school was started to educate
Lutheran ministers to preach in Eng
lIsE. The formation of the general
synod in 1920 and its beniicent work
and influence since, in establishing coll
leges. seminaries, publishing hymn
books, catechisms, books, ETC., are well
known. The formation Of the general
council followed In 1867 and later came
the formation Of the Missouri synod
and the general conference.
The growth Of the Lutheran church
by decades since 1923 was shown by the
speaker. In 1923 there were $4,000 COM
munlcants. in 1893 there were 1.2S4762,
and in 1898 the number increased to L.
526,102. At the present rate of increase
the number at the close of the century
will be 100000.