Evening star., 1924-10-29
RICHMOND CHOSEN
CONVENTION CITY
United Lutheran Church SeS.
sion in Chicago to Close
Tonight.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
CHICAGO, October 29.-Richmond,
Va, was chosen as the city in which
the 1926 convention of the United
Lutheran Church in America Will be
held by the convention in session
here Yesterday. An effort Will be
made to close the convention to night.
The convention voted down pro-
posal to publish ministers salaries
in statistical papers of the church,
because it tends to invite envy"
Multitudes Of Russia pilgrims have
ceased to trudge in pious reverence
to the tomb of a mummihed ana
sainted abbot of old time, Prof. c. T.
Benze of Mount Airy Seminary,
Philadelphia, told the convention
Instead" he said, Hundreds OF
thousands tramp to the kremlin to
visit the mummy of Lenin.'
THE deceased Russian premier lies
in state in glass casket. continued
Prof Benze, who was recently com
missioner of relief in Russia for the
National Lutheran Council.
The lips of Leniu wear sardonlc
smile. For the past, eccleSiasuc as
well as monarchial, is dead in Russia.
New saints have replaced the old. A
present unlike the past is taking shape.
l do not say that these things are per-
manent."
Luther's Hymns Lead.
Luther's hymn book, published just
400 years ago, gave the first power
full impulse toward congregational
hymnody," Dr. Conner c. Rees of
Lohighton Pa, told the convention
His book contained eight hymns,
four by Luther himself. Other books
followed in rapid succession, and by
1853 the fifth edition of Babst
hymnal contained 131 hymns. This
rapid increase of hymns and hymn
books continued after Luthers death
and today their number in all lands
and languages run into many thou
sands.
'Luther's enemies charged that his
hymns did more to convert the country
to his doctrines than his preaching"
4 day school established in an aban-
doned box car enjoyed remarkable sue
cess, according to the report of the
inner mission board, presented by Sec
retary W. +. Freas of New York. The
ems Missionary Society and the Nir'
gina Synod, established the school il
the Currin Valley, near Marion, Va.
Chinese Work Grows.
Little may be known. but much has
been accomplished by personal contact
in regard to the safety and welfare OF
missionaries in China" said the report
of the National Luthern Council. o1
which DR.. H. A. Weller is chairman.
The value of at least one million
dollars has been expended in Russia
The recent organization of the Evangeli
cal Lutheran General Synod Of Russia
is an indication how worth while thi:
work has been. Hitherto no evangeli
cal faith enjoyed the right of organized
expression in Russia"
The report stated that under the
Soviet republic for the first time since
the establishment of Lutheran congre
cations i'll Russia in the sixteenth cen
tury the Russian government hat
guaranteed freedom of faith by law.
1T is not mean matter to consider
what patience and craftsmanship wer,
required" the report added ito ap
proach the French government through
the American embassy in Paris, to Sc
cure the official assurance of freedom
to conduct relief work in the Ruhr dis
trict unmoleSted. Such negotiations
often too delicate to be made public
have been and are of the greatest i'm
portance to our church"