The Hope pioneer., 1922-05-04
LEFT MATERIAL ADVANTAGES
Physicians, Civil Officers, Artists.
Preachers and Teachers In Party
Settling In st. Louis and
Missouri Wilds.

fifth anniversary Of Its organization
during the present year. The organiza-
tton was effected at Chicago on Mon
day, April 26, 1s47.
Tho causes back of this emigration
must be understood from conditions
prevailing in the homeland Of these
emigrants. It was not, as usual, the
pressure of unfavorable economic con-
ditions in overpopulated Germany that
induced them to leave the fatherland
and seek new home and better living
conditions in America. The emigrants
who ten years after their landing in
st. Louis took the lead in organizing
the Missouri Synod, did not come to
America as beggars. Many quilted
their homeland at considerable sacri-
dce of material advantages. Their
party consisted not only Of Saxon
weavers and stocking makers, but
there were among them merchants,
men Of the medical profession, jurists,
officers of the civil government, paint
ers, etc. These people could hope for
very little material advantages in the
new country in which they came to
settle. Their reason for coming to
America was an entirely ideal, OF
spiritual, one. They were looking for
a home for their religious convictions,
where they could, without hindrance
from the government, worship God &C.
.cording to the dictates Of their con.
science and propagate their faith.
German Religious intolerance
They were not allowed to do this ia
their home country. Already long be-
fore the emigration scheme was ma
tured among their leaders they had
suffered considerable because Of their
religious convictions. They hailed from
parts Of Germany in which, owing to
the ravages Of pietism and rational
ism, Lutheran confessional fidelity had
become rare thing. In 1917 the then
Prussian king, Frederick Ill, issued
union-edict by which the amalgama-
tion Of the two parts Of the Protestant
Church. the Lutheran and the Reform
ed, was to be effected. Prior to that
time these two parties had existed as
separate bodies, maintaining their
separate confession, churches and re-
ligious activities. The edict of Fred
erick III. was unquestionably part of
the Prussfan governments scheme for
the centralization Of power. It wrought
q good deal Of havoc throughout Ger
many, where church and state were
not separate as In the United States.
Most Of the other German countries
initiated the policy of the Prussian
king and issued similar union-edicts.
But even in countries Ike Saxony,
where this was not done, the union
tendency was the dominant tendency
in state and church. As result, both
Lutherans and Reformed who still ad-
hered to their confessional principles.
but mostly the former, had to suffer a
great deal from the intolerant govern
ments. Permission for organizing
Free Church, Independent Of state CON
troll, could not be obtained, although
many attempts to get such q permis-
sion were made.
Decide on Emigration
Under these precarious. provoking
conditions the faithful members Of the
Lutheran Church began to think Of
leaving their home country and find
ing new homes on the other side Of the
Atlantic. The thought Of emigration
was cherished for many years before
1t could be executed. for even the per-
mission to emigrate could not be OBJ.
tanned from the intolerant govern.
ments in Germany. One Of the men,
who Afterwards became the acknowl-
edged leader Of the Missouri Synod,
DR.. Walther. writes regarding those
days as follows: "How gladly would
the believing Lutheran pastor and
layman have surrendered everything
If they could have obtained the per-
mission to separate from the grievous.
~ corrupted and apostate State
Church and to organize themselves
into Lutheran Free Church. But 1t
was absolutely hopeless to think Of
such an Official grant at that time"
They saw, accordingly, that their only
way Of escape from the tyranny to
which their condolences were subject
ed, which became more intolerable as
time wore on and which threatened to
stihe their life Of faith, was to emf.
CRATE to q country in which religious
liberty was guaranteed.
The leadership under which the
Saxon immigration that came to
America in 1887 was organized proved
inefficient soon after their landing at
New Orleans and later on at st. Louis
Unspiritual elements were discovered
In this land of emigrants, but the bulk