The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-07-09
LUTHER LEAGUERS
OPEN CONVENTION
First Session-Gov. Van SAINT
Speaks.

With fully 200 delegates present the
fifth annual convention of the Luther
League OF America was formally OPEN
ed at the First Swedish church, corner
of Woodward avenue and John street,
last evening, the commencement of a
three days session. The large audi
forum of the church was crowded to
it's utmost capacity, over 1000 people
outside of the delegates being present.
An interesting feature of the pro-
gramme was the address of welcome
by Gov. Van SAINT.
The governor was tardy in arriving,
owing to another engagement which
he nicely explained in his speech, but
when he did arrive his greeting was
none the less pleasurable, and a hearty
round Oh applause burst forth from all
parts of the church when he assembled
the rostrum.
Rev. l.. A. Johnson, pastor of the
First Swedish church, and Nels Jensen,
president of the Twin City Luther
League made short addresses of well
come, which were responded to by Will
liam G. Stoever of Philadelphia presi-
dent of the Luther League of America.
The remainder of the service consisted
OF song and prayer at the close of
which an hour was devoted to a recep-
ton of the delegates and social past
time.
Gov. Van SAINT announced at the
outset that he had been doing little
else for the past few days than deliv-
ering addresses of welcome, and that he
might get little short of welcomes -
so that the delegates would know what
to attribute it to if he was not as warm
in his greetings as they thought he
should be. But he welcomed them,
nevertheless, he said, and he hoped that
they would go away with a good opin-
ion of Minnesota for he was sure the
state was deserving of it.
There were. no doubt, delegates there
from New England, he said, ana he
knew that New Englanders were gen
orally pretty proud, but it was never
theless fact that New England was
pretty small compared with Minnesota.
Those few little states could be lost in
big state like Minnesota, he said, and
it might be quite difficult to find them
But big as the state was, he was sure
that the delegates were welcome to the
best there was going.
DR.. Johnso on, pastor OF the First Swed-
lsh church, welcomed the delegates in
the name of the Oldest Lutheran
church in St. Paul He said that the
gates and homes of the city were open
to the delegates of the Luther league
and that they were royalty welcome
welcome to the church and welcome to
the city. They came as the army of the
Lord, he said, and he hoped that they
would accomplish much good for the
cause.
1t was necessary that they be organ
lied II they were to accomplish the
work that they had set out to do. Or
ganization was necessary, no matter in
what form. 1t was illustrated in bust
ness and in politics, and there must be
organization in the church.
w. G. Stoever, president of the Luth-
er League of America, delivered the re-
Spouse on behalf of the visiting dele
gates, and said that he had a taste OF
Minnesota hospitality before and that
he knew what to look for. He also
knew that the governors remarks re-
garding the largeness of the state were
perfectly true, for he got lost in the tall
timber when he was here in his early
years. The West was greater than the
East he said, and in time it would be
greater still.
The league holds morning and aft
ernoon session today at Memorial
Evangelist Lutheran church, and to-
night there will be services held in ST
Matthews church and Emanuel Nor
Wegian churches as well.
Tomorrow night there will be big
rally at the Auditorium.