The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1906-02-22
German Lutherans Fail to Take
Final Action on Question Of
Secret Society Membership
RIGID RULE MAY BE ENFORCED
Leaders in Church Urge Pastor and
People to Adhere to Discipline
While the Younger Men
Want Privileges

members of the German Lutheran
for a discussion of the relation
of the church to secret societies. The
meeting was one of the most i'm
portant ever held by the members of
the local society. No definite action
was taken to settle the question and
the whole matter was laid over until
the 18th of March, when another
meeting will be held.
The question of secret societies is
proving very hard problem for the
Lutherans. The members of the
church are decidedly loyal to its
teachings but many of the young er
members of the congregation have
united with fraternal and benevolent
orga nizations and these have been
placed under the ban by the church
synods.
The Rev. Carl Buenger, pastor of
kenosha church, has insisted on the
enforcement of the dictates of the
synod and of the ritual of the church
and has declined to grant the rite of
communion to such people as he
knows are members of the secret or
CARNATIONS. This has brought a
division of the church and in order
that the question might be submitted
to the entire congregation the meet
ing was called for Sunday afternoon.
| Letters we're presented from leading
members of the clergy in both Catlo-
lie and Protestant churches by the
members who we're in favor of the
secret societies while older members
Of the church presented arguments
in favor of the strict enforcement OF
the laws of the church and orders Of
the synod. The Rev. Mr.. Jaeger, OF
Racine, was speaker at the meeting
and he strongly urged that the tenets
of the church be upheld. Similar
action was urged by Prof. Koeh1er,
OF Northwestern university at Water
town.
The Rev. Carl Buenger, the pastor
of the church, has made a careful
study of the secret societies and has
on file in his Office many documents
relating to the secret work of these
orders. His opposition to them is
unqualified. The movement in the
Kenosha church may be one of state
wide influence as it is stated that in
many churches of the state the mem
| bers are allied with the secret organi-
cations. Many of the ministers have
simply paid no attention to this n en-
bership Notwithstanding the fact that
it was in direct violation of the rules
Of the church. The younger members
of the Kenosha church are not willing
to give up their membership in the
church or in the societies under the
ban and it is probable that they will
carry the matter before the highest
church bodies and seek to have the
rigid ruling against secret societies
reversed.
Nearly every secret society repre-
sented IN the city has on it's member
ship roll members of the Lutheran
church and should the rule against
the societies be rigidly enforced many
would be forced to drop their mem
berships. Not a few of the church
members are connected with the so
called insurance orders and they hold
that they have paid into these orders
| for many years and that the enforce
ment Of the rule would work as q
hardship to them in that they would
lose their insurance. Some Of them
are too old to secure any other kind
of insurance.