Revision of the Book of Worship. Action looking to the revision of the Book of Worship with Tunes was proposed, and amendments offered resulting in the following: Resolved, That there be two committees appointed of five members each, one to revise the hymns, the other the music of our Book of Worship, these two committees to act in co-operation and to report at the next Convention of the General Synod, the pastors having six months in which to send in suggestions. The following proposition was agreed to: In view of the fact that our experience as pastors has demonstrated the need for a more complete index to our Book of Worship; therefore, Resolved, That the Committee on Hymns is hereby requested to arrange, if possible, with Rev. Sylvanus Stall for the substitution and publication of so much of his "Minister's Hand-Book to Lutheran Hymns in the Book of Worship" as, upon investigation, they may deem desirable, in order to furnish that book with an index suited to the needs of our pastors and laymen. It was Resolved, That the thanks of the General Synod are hereby extended to the Sexton of Trinity Lutheran church, Canton, O., and that the Treasurer be authorized to pay him twenty-five dollars for his services rendered at this Con vention of the General Synod. Report of Fraternal Delegate. Your fraternal delegate to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church begs leave to report that, in view of the great distance of the place of meeting of the General Assembly, at Portland, Oregon, and of the expenses that would have been incurred by personal attendance, he denied himself the pleasure of a trip to the Pacific Coast and of the intercourse that would have been afforded with delightful brethren, and was content to fulfil his duty by sending a fraternal letter accompanying his credentials, to the General Assembly that met in 1892, at Portland. Respectfully submitted, Adopted. The following action was taken : H. LOUIS BAUGHER. Treatment of the Chinese. Resolved, That the General Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the United States, respectfully ask the Congress of the United States in dealing with the Chinese people to exhibit the spirit which Christians should show to those who are their neighbors. Resolved, That the Secretary of the General Synod be instructed to send a certified copy of the above to the presiding officers of both Houses. The following report was offered and adopted: Report on Memorial of Synod of Iowa, Your committee to which was referred the memorial of the Synod of Iowa respectfully report that the said memorial, after recalling the divine law of marriage and the scandalous ease with which, for even most trivial causes, divorces are obtained, specially asks, "that the General Synod solemnly charge all its pastors not to remarry divorced persons unless the innocent party of a former marriage desiring to be married again can show full proof that the grounds of divorce were those laid down by Christ, (Matt. xix. 9.) Your committee, recognizing the great importance of this matter and the high necessity of keeping the action of the Church and her ministry in clear harmony with the law of marriage as revealed in God's word, offer the following for adoption by this Synod: 1. That the marriage service by the ministry of the Church, can be properly given only under the conditions, relations and limitations set forth in that divine law which the Church and the ministry represent. 2. That this Synod understands the divine law as allowing no dissolution of the marriage bond except for the one cause specified, viz.: adultery, and consequently as not permitting re-marriage of persons divorced on other grounds, or of the guilty party in the case of a legitimate divorce. 3. That the General Synod hereby places on record its earnest desire that the ministers of the Synods in connection with it should carefully harmonize their practice in the solemnization of marriage with these divine principles and the rule they indicate. 4. Inasmuch as the terrible and demoralizing evils of easy divorce for unscriptural reasons are greatly aggravated by the diversity of the civil laws of marriage in the various states of the Union, this Synod hereby expresses its desire for a national law of marriage by which the evil may be restrained and corrected. M. VALENTINE, Report on Payment of Indebtedness of German Theological Seminary. Your Committee appointed to bring before the General Synod the matter of the payment of two notes, one of $3,000.00, and the other of $1,000.00, covering the indebtedness of the German Theological Seminary, find that this debt was incurred in meeting the current expenses of the institution during the two years, and in part to meet the dues of a loan made from the Home Mutual Loan & Building Association, of Chicago. We recommend that this indebtedness be referred to the new Board of Directors of the institution, to negotiate for payment of same. In view of the felt want of a supply of our churches which require German preaching which this institution provides, we commend it to the Church at large, and especially to the Board of Education, for assistance in meeting this indebtedness and also in meeting its current expenses for the future. In view of the fact that the German Synods have no special pledges now resting upon them, we urge that they give this institution their most generous support. W. H. DUNBAR, The foll wing action was taken : J. W. POFFINBERGER, Abridged Common Service. Resolved, That the Common Service Committee be instructed to prepare an abridged form of the Common Service for the use of those who may not desire to use the full Service, that two active pastors be added to the Committee to assist it in carrying out this instruction, that the abridged service when prepared be printed on leaves that can be laid in our Hymnals or Hymn-Books for present use, subject to the action of the General Synod two years hence, it being understood that this action shall in no way affect the present status of either Service. It was on motion ordered that the President be directed, in appointing the Standing Committees, to appoint Rev. C. S. Albert, D. D., a member of the Common Service Committee. The following committee reported, and their report was adopted: Report of Committee on Proposition for "Home for Aged Women" at Harrisburg. Mr. President: The paper placed in the hands of your Committee relates to a proposition of a citizen of Harrisburg, in which he offers to donate to the General Synod of the Lutheran Church a certain tract of land of unknown value to the committee, situated near the city of Harrisburg, Pa., provided the General Synod will raise the sum of $100,000 to erect a building thereon, as a "Home for Aged Women," in memory of his wife. In addition thereto, he proposes to raise by subscription and sale of lots the sum of $50,000, one-half of which will go towards the erection of this building, and the other half towards establishing cottages, the rent of which shall pay the current expenses of the "Home.” In view of the many pressing calls by the various Boards of the Church, it is the judgment of the committee that the above proposition at the present time is impracticable, unless a guarantee of the $50,000 should be secured. Respectfully submitted, D. B. FLOYD, and of the work, in the main, as already done, and making several recommendations, which have also been sent to the Catechism Committee, and acted on, in part, by them, and subsequently by the General Synod. 2. The second overture reads as follows: We instruct our delegation to the General Synod to urge the propriety of dividing all the regular contributions for Church Extension on the apportionment equally between the Loan and Donation Funds, and to ask that the Board of Church Extension be instructed not to press the collection of loans to mission churches before they have become self-sustaining. Your committee recommends: 1. That all moneys received on apportionment be divided into the proportion of one-fourth to the Donation Fund, and three-fourths to the Loan Fund. 2. That in the collection of matured loans the Board exercise such leniency as is consistent with the interests of the congregation involved. Respectfully submitted, The following report was made : T. C. BILLHEIMER, The National Lutheran Home for the Aged, Washington, D. C. The undersigned, appointed at the last meeting of the General Synod as a Board of Visitors to the new National Lutheran Home for the Aged, Washington, D. C., to which it then gave its sanction, respectfully present their report. 1. The site of this Home, the Synod will recall, was given by Mrs. Sarah Utermehle, a member of the Church of the Reformation, Washington, D. C., and consists of twenty-seven acres eligibly located within the limits of the city. The conditions of the gift required that`a building should be commenced within two years and completed within five from the date of the transfer of the property. 2. We regret that we have to record the death of Mrs. Utermehle during the past year. The Church would have rejoiced if she could have lived to see the purposes of her generous gift at least to some degree realized in the actual service of the Home. But as Providence has called her to her heavenly reward, it is fitting that the Synod repeat expression of its grateful appreciation of her gift, and make record of its sorrow and sense of loss in her death. 3. We find that the Board of Trustees, of which Dr. W. E. Parson is president, in accordance with the terms of the gift, have made a beginning in the work of building. In doing so they have adopted the cottage system or arrangement as the best, at least for the present. Some time ago they contracted for the first cottage at a cost of about $5000, and it is now under roof. It will be ready for occupancy in the coming fall or winter. We regret to have to add, however, that toward the cost of the erection of this cottage the Trustees have received no contributions from the Church. Such contributions are greatly needed, and ought to be at once supplied. For though the Board of Trustees are authorized, under the terms under which they administer their trust, to sell ten or twelve acres of the ground and appropriate the proceeds to building uses, they rightly deem this to be a very unwise policy, and are unwilling to pursue it. The alternative, which they are adopting, is to make a loan upon a part of the property for the amount immediately needed, looking to the Church and benevolent friends of the enterprise to furnish at an early date sufficient funds to return the loan. We believe, in view of these facts, that this Synod should renew its recommendation of this object to the prompt liberality of the Church. 4. Some action has lately been taken by one or two Conferences, looking to the erection of cottages for aged Lutheran ministers. It is not out of place for your Board of Visitors, in this connection, to suggest correspondence with the Washington institution on the question whether such cottages might not be planted on the grounds and under the supervision of the Board of this National Lutheran Home for the Aged. 5. A vacancy exists in the Board of Visitors by reason of Dr. S. Domer's election as a Trustee of the Home, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Mr. J. W. Rice. Adopted. Syracuse Orphanage. M. VALENTINE, WM. S. FREAS, JERE CARL, JOHN C. PARKER. Report was made on the Syracuse Orphanage, which was adopted: Your Committee to whom was referred the Overture of the Syracuse Orphange, have duly considered the same, and would respectfully recommend that it be referred to the favorable consideration of the New York and New Jersey Synod. Signed by the Committee, JEREMIAH ZIMMERMAN, D. SPRECHER, G. E. HARSH, E. E. CAMPBELL, I. O. NISSLEY, FREDK. T. HUBER. It was agreed that when we adjourn we do so to meet at 7.30 this evening, and that the order of business at that time be the report on the German Hymn Book. |