She 
 
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iniht(£imtMt\»foxk 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 GIVEN BY 
 
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EGLISE SAINT-JEAN, 147, Rl E DE GRAXELLE, PARIS 
 BUREAU FRANCO-AMERICAN 
 
The Lutheran Church 
 In Paris 
 
 An Historical and 
 Descriptive Sketch 
 
 BY 
 Rev. William Wackernagel, D.D., LL.D. 
 
 With a Presentation of American and 
 French Lutheran Co-operation 
 
 THE GENERAL COUNCIL PUBLICATION HOUSE 
 
 1716 Arch Street 
 
 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 
 
 1918 
 
Gift of the PresiH«nt 
 
 DEC 6- m 
 
 Copyright 1918, by the 
 
 Board of Publication of the General Council 
 
 of the 
 
 Evangelical Lutheran Church in North America 
 
 All rights reserved 
 
 \/ 1 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 THE Lutherans of Paris and in France are look- 
 ing to the Lutherans in America and utter- 
 ing a Macedonian Call, "Come over and help 
 us." They are an important link in the polyglot 
 Mother Church of Protestantism and in a most 
 peculiar way serve in these trying days to emphasize 
 the international character of the Lutheran Church 
 which in America uses more languages than any 
 other Protestant denomination in conducting her 
 servicas. 
 
 French Lutherans are brothers in a common cause 
 and needing a brotherly helping hand. This little 
 volume will introduce to our American Lutherans 
 these faithful adherents to the Augsburg Confes- 
 sion — "the Magna Charta of Protestantism," — 
 and we trust serve to aid in cementing the 
 bonds which will endure and make their cause and 
 the cause of the Church in America a common one. 
 Together may they assure the maintenance and ex- 
 tension of evangelical faith. 
 
 To this end this little book is historical, descrip- 
 tive and missionary. May it inform and may it serve 
 in the extension of the common faith and in the 
 emphasis of our common brotherhood through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. W. L. H, 
 
CONTKxXTS 
 
 PACR 
 
 I iitrodiK-t i( 
 
 (11 M'TKi; I. 
 
 How l.utlicraiii^iii Caiiic to P;iri> 9 
 
 CIIAl'TKU 11. 
 
 'J'lic Liitlicnni ('Imrcli in the l)iiy>«of Niipolcoii I 14 
 
 CMIAl'THH HI. 
 Strcii.titlu'iiiii^ the Foinidations 24 
 
 C'lIAI'TKW iv. 
 The Poriod of Expansion o3 
 
 CIIAPTKR V. 
 
 Lutli(^rani-^m Since the Separation in 19UG.... 45 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 American and French Lutheran Co-operation.. 53 
 Lutlieraii Chnrelies in Paris .'.... 64 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PAGE 
 Bglise Saint Jean, 147, Rue de Grenelle, Paris Bureau 
 
 Franco-American 2 
 
 Saint Luc, A Quaint French Church 7 
 
 Distingui.shed Lay Members of the Consistory 15 
 
 General Comte. Rapp, 1771-1821 19 
 
 General Comte. Walther. 1761-1813 19 
 
 Maison Des Diaconesses, La Montagne 25 
 
 The Governing Consibtory of the Church of Paris .31 
 
 Eglise Bon-Secours, Paris 35 
 
 General De Bercltheim, Active Lutheran I^ayman 39 
 
 E;^lise De Saint Martin, Montbeliard 43 
 
 Auguste Weber, Pres'ident de Consistoire 47 
 
 Prof. D. Vancher, Dean of the Theological Seminary.... 48 
 
 M. G. .Jaulmes, Inspectur Ecclesiasti(iue Montbeliard.... 51 
 
 Paroise de Campagne, Montbeliard 52 
 
 Hon. Frank M. Riter. LL.D.. American Lutheran Com- 
 missioner to France 55 
 
 The Rev. Charles J. Smith, D.D., American Lutheran 
 
 Commissioner to France 59 
 
SAINT LUC% A QUAINT FRENCH CHURCH 
 
CHAPTER I 
 How Lutheranism Came to Paris 
 
 Paris learned of the Reformation through an 
 academic act of the Sorbonne, its famous old univer- 
 sity, which in 1521 issued a haughty "determination" 
 upon Luther's teachings and writings, calling the 
 Wittenberg movement a heretic rebellion. This de- 
 termination wag answered forthwith by an uncom- 
 monly sharp defense by Melanchthon. The ad- 
 verse judgment of the Sorbonne, however, did not 
 prevent the rapid spreading of reformatory litera- 
 ture in Paris and other cities. The royal court took 
 notice of it. King Francis I for political reasons 
 wished for a growth of the Reformation in Germany 
 because it would weaken the power of his enemy, 
 Charles V. On the other hand, he did not want 
 it to find entrance into France because he had won 
 from the pope the privilege of nominating the bish- 
 ops and abbots in his kingdom which gave him the 
 control over the whole clergy. In 1524 persecutions 
 of "Lutherans" began; Paris saw many of them 
 burning to death on its market places. Again for 
 political reasons King Francis in 1535 thought of a 
 moderate reformation in his land and of a friendly 
 understanding with the Protestant princes in Ger- 
 many. He even went so far as to invite Melanch- 
 thon to come to Paris for a consultation. The guile- 
 less man was willing to go ; but the Elector of Sax- 
 ony, knowing that he was no diplomat, forbade him 
 to leave Wittenberg. Francis suddenly changed his 
 9 
 
tactio. Tu |»l(':i.-»<' tlio pDpc lie started tliat tf'rril)lo 
 j)orso('ut ioii (if l*rotc>taiit> wliidi only cainc td an 
 end ill Kisn. 'riu-c I'n.testaiits were iK.t all Lutii- 
 (>rans; in fact, tiie jireat majority were Calvinints; 
 tliey were ealled Ilu^menots, from the German word 
 iMdiicnossen — eont'ederate-^, eovenantery, which in 
 tlie course of time heeamo a i)olitieal power. The 
 numher of Lutlu»rans was far too small to bo of any 
 aecdunt. and if it had' been larucr, having- an<»th<^r 
 spirit, it would hardly have taken i)art. 
 
 There was another town, outside of Paris, to which 
 tile Lutheran Keformation eame at an early date. 
 From loOT until 1T1)(> the county of Moempelgrard 
 (French, Montbeliard), south of AL"^ace, north of 
 Burgundy and west of Switzerland, belonged to 
 Wuerttemberg. In 1524 Cardinal Campeggi com- 
 plained to the pope, that Wuerttemberg was ^'luter- 
 anissimo''; no wonder then, that the duke allowed 
 the town cr)uncil of Moempelgard to call an Evan- 
 gelical Lutheran paytor in 1524. Soon the whole 
 county became a home of the Gospel Church, and 
 has partly remained so to the present day. Church 
 history makes mention of Moempelgard, for in 1580 
 a disputation took place there betw^een the Lutheran 
 Jacob Andreae and the Calvin ist Theodore Beza, 
 upon an important point of doctrine. 
 
 How Lutherans Came to Paris 
 
 The first Lutheran church in Paris we know of 
 came to life in the chapel of the Swedish p]mbai^sy 
 in KJ^l. The chaplains of the ambassador represent- 
 ed King Gustavus Adolphus, of blessed memory. 
 10 
 
Jonas Hambre, wag at the same time professor of 
 Hebrew and Arabic in the University of Paris. At 
 the time given the Thirty Years' War was in full 
 blast and a large number of Germans of wealth and 
 rank had taken refuge in Paris. Numerous mem- 
 bers of the Swedish nobility with their retinues 
 had come to live in the French capital. Artisans 
 and laborers from Alsace and other parts of western 
 Germany were earning their daily bread by honest 
 work in the capital of France. All of these men, 
 single or heads of families, were Lutherans, living 
 among Koman Catholics and not easily taking to the 
 Calvinists, were wishing for a Lutheran minister to 
 whom they could apply and open their hearts. Pro- 
 fessor Hambre, it seems, made it his business to 
 become known to them as a regular minister of their 
 Church. He invited them to worship in the embassy 
 chapel, preached to them in both languages, Swedish 
 and German, administered the holy communion and 
 performed other ministerial acts. On the first of 
 December, 1626, those Lutherans, residents and so- 
 journers in Paris who were churchly minded, con- 
 vened in assembly to organize the first Lutheran 
 congregation in Paris by adopting a constitution and 
 electing Prof. Jonas Hambre their pastor. This "acte 
 constitutif" was signed by all the voters. It is pre- 
 served in the archives of the church. The register 
 of those first names entered in 1626 contained 4,000 
 signatures in 1700 written by German princes and 
 noblemen, Swedish diplomats and officers, merchants, 
 artisans and laborers from Alsace. The place of 
 worship was the chapel of the Swedish embassy until 
 
 11 
 
1808, 30on proving to be far too small — a circum- 
 stance which could not be helped in those trying 
 times under the Bourbon rule — but the pastors, al- 
 ways the Swedish chaplains, did their duty as well 
 as the deacons, who cheerfully remembering the 
 original character of their office, looked regularly 
 after the poor and the sick and even succeeded in 
 founding and maintaining a small hospital for Prot- 
 estant patients. 
 
 Prof. Hambre had numerous successors. For a 
 certain period, the embassy had two chaplains, the 
 one for conducting worship in Swedish, the other 
 one for preaching in German. Quite a series of pas- 
 tors are only known by their names. One of the 
 earlier men was J. B. Bitter, who on his return to 
 Germany in 1674 published a volume of French 
 hymns translated from the German under the title, 
 "The Occupations of -a Faithful Soul." 
 
 During the 18th century not more than three men 
 held the position of pastor in succession : Mettenius, 
 F. C. Baer and C. C. Gambs. Chaplain Baer intro- 
 duced a monthly French service in 1747. The last 
 ■one of the chaplains of the royal embassy of Sweden 
 at Paris was a native of Strassburg, the old capital 
 of Alsace. He came to Paris in 1784 and remained 
 at his post until 1806, when as an alien enemy 
 in his character as an official of the Swedish king 
 had to leave France. P. Gambs was a faithful as 
 well as a courageous man. During the "Reign of 
 Terror" he repeatedly faced imprisonment and death. 
 He did not close the chapel, but following the ex- 
 ample of that other Strasburger, F. Oberlin, he cele- 
 12 
 
brated the public day of rest on every tenth day, 
 according to the law of the first Republic. 
 
 The Lutherans did not beconie discouraged. M. 
 Goericke, the chaplain of the Danish Embassy, took 
 charge of them in a way that endeared him to them 
 forever. He remained pastor pro tem. until Novem- 
 ber, 1809. At the close of their last service in the 
 Danish chapel his grateful hearers gave him for a 
 keepsake a gold snuffbox, according to the custom 
 of those times. Before the end of that year the 
 Danish chapel was closed permanently. A new order 
 of things was obtaining in France. The newly ac- 
 quired ''liberty of conscience" was in a manner open- 
 ing the way to ''liberty of worship." The diplomats 
 were made welcome in the national churches. One 
 of the front pews in the oldest Lutheran church in 
 the city was for long years reserved for the diplo- 
 matic corps, and whenever a visiting Scandinavian 
 pastor wished to conduct a service for his country- 
 men, it is understood that he shall make use of one 
 of the Lutheran churches for the purpose. 
 
 13 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 The Lutheran Church in the 
 Days of Napoleon I 
 
 Napoleon Bonaparte as First Consul of tlie French 
 Republic on December 2, 1802, established in Paris 
 a Reformed Church and granted to it the use of 
 three churches heretofore Roman Catholic. After 
 the expulsion of Pastor Gambs in 1806, Napoleon, 
 Emperor of the French since 1804, ordered an in- 
 quiry into the civil conditions of the French pro- 
 fessing the Lutheran faith who had been under the 
 ministration of foreign chaplains. He did not want 
 French citizens reduced to frequent foreign chapels, 
 neither did he like foreign chaplains to make use of 
 French. That inquiry was made without much red 
 tape. One thing is sure, that Napoleon wanted to 
 do what was right in his eyes. (Ag to the internal 
 affairs of France, Napoleon made an excellent ruler ; 
 if he only could have overcome the demon of in- 
 satiable ambition.) In August, 1806, Napoleon 
 signed a decree establishing in Paris a "house of 
 prayer" for the adherents of the Augsburg Confes- 
 sion, enjoining them to come to worship in that 
 house and to stay away from any foreign chapel. 
 The house of prayer shall be under the supervision 
 of the consistory of Strassburg, and the pastor shall 
 receive a salary of 1500 francs ($300). The mayor 
 of Paris is directed to make provision for a locality 
 suitable for worship and of lodgings for the pastor. 
 14 
 
^m 
 
 ,^^^ 
 
 0».-,-a' A ^e VIVES 
 
 ^~ VA 
 
 rcn Fr.oerc SARTHOLO 
 ,8?3 .893 
 
 C'./ii!. Edmond de FOURTALES 
 
 DISTINGUISHED LAY MEMBERS OF THE CONSISTORY 
 
JNrapoleoii''s decree disappointed the Lutherans. 
 While they appreciated his good will they could not 
 see why he had fixed their pastor's salary at so low 
 a figure, whilst he had granted 3000 francs to the 
 Reformed pastors. How could they ever expect to 
 place a competent man at the head of their church 
 at such a meager income? Mr. Treuttel, a book- 
 seller, called a meeting of members at his house to 
 take action. Fifty heads of families answered the 
 call, went to work and appointed a committee of ten 
 men to enter at once upon correspondence with 
 the consistory of Strassburg, to call upon the mayor 
 and ask for a convenient locality, to seek to find a 
 well-qualified pastor, and above all to induce the 
 emperor to modify his decree in their favor. 
 
 These ten men, all of German descent, did what 
 they were expected to do, striving energetically to 
 bring about a more favorable situation. A 
 petition to the emperor was drawn up to grant 
 larger support to the pastor. The question arose 
 how to get the ear of Napoleon, who was active in 
 the war at the front. The committee sent the 
 document to General Rapp, a favorite of the em- 
 peror. Rapp as well as General Walther, both Alsa- 
 tians, w^ere members of the Church. But General 
 Rapp was away in Poland, seriously wounded. The 
 petition was returned to Paris. Another petition 
 was .drawn up. It asked for independence from 
 Strassburg and for two pastors, each one to get a 
 salary of fr. 3000. It was handed to Napoleon, who 
 had returned to France, by General Walther, to 
 whom the secretary of church affairs had promised 
 17 
 
til Wriiii: alniut ;i ^pccdv ;iii(l I'nv uraMc ivHult. Nai>u- 
 Icoii haviii.i:- Itccii in Inniu-d that tlicre wcru more 
 tliaii 1(1, (MK) laithcraiis living' in Paris and a few 
 tludisaiid iii(»rr in t()\vn> ncarl)y, as St. Denis, Ver- 
 sailles, and (Veil at liout-n and Orleans, did not hesi- 
 tate to iirant tlio petition by a new decree issued at 
 Nantes, wliere in 1598 the Huguenots had been 
 granted political and religious liberty by a decree 
 of King Henry IV (but revoked by Louis XIV, in 
 1685). 
 
 The conmiitteo of ton men in the meanwhile had 
 succeeded in getting relative possession of the loca- 
 tion for their church and parsonage. The mayor of 
 Paris offered them the formerly Roman Catholic 
 Church of the Carnics-Billettes (''bare-footed Car- 
 melite friars") on Billettes (toll-gate) street, in the 
 densely populated center of the city abounding in 
 narrow and tortuous streets. The building on the 
 right hand of the church would serve as a parsonage 
 and the convent on the left hand might be used for 
 school purposes. A decree of the emperor authorized 
 the city of Paris to buy the property from the State 
 for the very moderate sum of 73,000 francs ($14,- 
 750) and place it at the disposal of the Lutheran 
 Church of Paris. 
 
 He possessed a truly marvelous memory, and yet 
 he could not free himself from opinions once formed 
 in spite of his memory. He had the notion that 
 the Lutheran Church was located in the St. An- 
 thony's ward, the bee-hive of radical socialists, as we 
 would gay today. He still harbored the opinion when 
 on New Year's Day, 1814, the Lutheran and Reform- 
 18 
 
GENERAL COMTE. RAPP^ 
 1771-1821 
 
 GENERAL COMTE, WALTHER 
 1761-1813 
 
ed pastors attended the customary reception at the 
 imperial palace. Napoleon asked Pastor Goepp, of 
 .the Billettes church whether his "temple" was still 
 in St. Anthony's ward. P. Goepp replied that it 
 stood in the neighborhood of the City Hall. The 
 emperor continued, "Then you made a change." P. 
 Goepp said, "No, sire, we never were anywhere else 
 than where we are now," The emperor : "How many 
 are there of you?" P. Goepp: "About 10,000." The 
 emperor: "Your house of worship is not as bare as 
 those of the Keformed, as you have an altar." P. 
 Goepp : "We have a Christ (crucifix) on our altar." 
 
 The First Church Council; the First Pastors; the First 
 Church 
 
 The law required a board of "notables," men of 
 social and political influence belonging to the 
 church, charged with making nominations of candi- 
 dates for the church council. (The official title is 
 "Consistoire".) That board of notables was pre- 
 sided over by the mayor of Paris. Three generals 
 were such notables, but they were absent from Paris. 
 The first consistory was composed of twelve men; 
 the three generals, Rapp, Walther and Dentzel, were 
 among them. The consistory was to meet weekly. 
 It met in the vestry-room before service in order to 
 accompany the pastor into the church. Elections 
 were to be held every other year by an "electoral 
 college" composed of the twelve members of the con- 
 sistory and thirteen notables. Mr. Treuttel was 
 elected president of the consistory, and Mr. Bar- 
 tholdi treasurer. 
 
 21 
 
The election of two pastors took place on New 
 Year's Day, 1800. The Electoral Collepre nominated 
 ^fr. Oamhs for the office of first pastor, and Mr. Geo. 
 Boinsard for the office of second pastor. The latter 
 hailed from Montbeliard. He was a young man 
 with a few year.s of ministerial experience. He ac- 
 cepted the call promptly. Mr. Gambs was allowed by 
 the police to return from his exile, but he declined 
 the call, as he was perfectly satisfied with his posi- 
 tion as pastor of St. Ansgari Church at Bremen. 
 (Later on he became pastor of St. Aurelia's Church 
 at Strassburg, his native town. His highly gifted 
 daughter was the mother of Max and Emil Frommel, 
 whose name and fame as pastors, preachers and writ- 
 ers has not yet been quenched by time and indiffer- 
 ence.) 
 
 Mr. Gambs' declination w^as received with regret. 
 Mr. Boissard, in spite of his protest, was made first 
 pastor, and a call was extended to Mr. J. J. Goepp, 
 second French pastor at Strassburg. He accepted. 
 From the beginning the two pastors were on equal 
 footing and got along well together. They arranged 
 things in such a manner that jealous frictions could 
 not happen ; they alternated in the pulpit, at the altar 
 and in other ministerial acts and in the chair of the 
 president of the consistory. 
 
 During the empire the pastors who were knights 
 of the Legion of Honor, were regarded as public 
 officials and as such were obliged to attend the ruler's 
 receptions at the Castle of St. Cloud. The pastors 
 of today need not be present at such functions, they 
 are not found in lobbies. Pastor Boissard met there 
 22 
 
one day Count Lambrechts/ a seliator. Boissard 
 looked gloomy and the old gentleman kindly asked 
 him for the reason of his sadness. Boissard told 
 him how mucli trouble he had in placing a blind old 
 man in a public institution. This incident caused 
 the senator, who was a Catholic, to bequeath his 
 fortune to the poor among the Protestant people, 
 especially to the blind, who were refused admittance 
 to the Roman Catholic Hospice. The senator's be- 
 quest made possible the establishment of charitable 
 institutions at Combevoic, a suburb of Paris. 
 
 When the Lutherans took possession of their leased 
 property they found the church turned into a salt 
 store and the convent into a carpenter shop. Within 
 a short time the convent was converted into a par- 
 ish house. While under the same roof and in the 
 cloister were installed school rooms; lodgings for the 
 teachers and the janitor, and the orphans Avere gath- 
 ered in by a committee of ladies. In 1878 the build- 
 ings underwent a transformation, including the ad- 
 dition of a large catechumen's hall, all at the city's 
 expense. 
 
 On account of the many repairs to be made, the 
 church could not be dedicated before the last Sunday 
 in the church year, November 26, 1809. At the same 
 time the two pastors were solemnly introduced to 
 the congregation in the presence of state and city 
 officials, diplomat^, the Danish chaplain and a dele- 
 gation of pastors and laymen of the Reformed 
 Church. Until this day the last Sunday of the 
 Church year is observed by all the Lutheran churches 
 as an annual Church Festival witli ai^Jropriate ser- 
 vices. 
 
 23 
 
CHAITKR III 
 Strengthening the Foundations 
 
 The Billottos Church from the beginning had ser- 
 vicevS in French as well as in German every Sunday 
 and feast-day. The form of worship was very simple 
 during the first year, but gradually became distinctly 
 Lutheran. In 1544 the liturgy used in the Mont- 
 beliard diocese was introduced. In 1865 the full 
 liturgical service was adopted and became so popu- 
 lar, that some Reformed churches introduced parts 
 of it in their service. 
 
 In the initial years of the Lutheran Church of 
 Paris there existed no religious literature; it had to 
 be created. The French Bible Society was founded 
 in 1818. The Basel Bible Society repeatedly made 
 generous grants of Bibles to the Billetteg Church. 
 A German candidate of theology, Mr. Leo (later on 
 a famous university professor), gathered funds in 
 his homeland for the printing of New Testaments 
 for the Protestant poor and the children in Paris. 
 The "Leo legacy" is still productive, each catechu- 
 man receiving a well-bound New Testament at his 
 or her confirmation or first communion. 
 
 Pastor Gambs in 1800 published a small volume of 
 church hymns in French. New hymn-books pre- 
 pared by successive pastors appeared in 1819, 1826 
 and 1836. The first pastors, Boissard and Goepp, 
 wrote a "Handbook of Christian Doctrine Explained 
 by Scripture Texts" for their parishioners and cate- 
 chumens. The consistory had it printed. They sent 
 24 
 
a complimentary copy richly bound to King Louis 
 XYIII, who did not fail to say some kind words to 
 the authors. Quite a number of similar useful 
 books for the young people of the Church and the 
 parochial schools made their welcome appearance 
 from time to time. This literary activity continued 
 throughout the whole first century of the existence 
 of a recognized Lutheran Church in Paris (1808- 
 1908). 
 
 Sunday Catechetical Schools 
 
 The consistory regarded it their sacred duty to see 
 to it that the children received the very best kind 
 of religious instruction. On Sunday, after the morn- 
 ing service, there took place the "catechization." It 
 was the old-fashioned, well-seasoned ''Kinderlehre" 
 of the Alsatian Church. There the pastor conducted 
 it; in Paris, the headmaster of the parochial school, 
 being a candidate for the ministry, was in charge 
 of it. The Lutherans in Paris seem to prefer it to 
 the modern Sunday-school. As long as the Bil- 
 lettes Church was the only church, the consistory 
 considering the distances- of travel from the suburbs 
 to the church, rented four rooms in the suburbs for 
 the convenience of the pastor and the catechumens 
 living on the outskirts of the city. Confirmation 
 took place on Ascension Day, following the custom 
 in Alsace and Montbeliard. 
 
 Free public primary schools did not exist in Paris 
 100 years ago. The "common people's" schools were 
 called charity schools having nothing to recommend 
 them. The Alsatians were much better off in this 
 respect, they appreciated education and therefore 
 27 
 
were glad when their church on Billett&s street 
 opened a parochial school. It started with 40 pupils. 
 Tliis iiuiiihcr nijiidly increased. Two vcars after- 
 wartLs tlie Ivet'ornied Cliurch oi)ened such a school. 
 The records of the Billette.s Church relate in a 
 toucliing- manner the deep interest all the members 
 of the consistory were taking in the w^elfare of the 
 school and the efficiency of the teachers. The con- 
 gregation was of the same mind; next to her heart 
 were the schools and the poor of the Church. About 
 1880 more than 4,000 pupils were found in the Luth- 
 eran schools, which received a grant-in-aid from the 
 city to the amount of $6,000 annually. The Third 
 Republic broke up all connection between the Church 
 and the State; it simply tolerates but does not favor 
 Christianity. 
 
 Abounding In Works of Mercy 
 
 Charity from the beginning was carried on in a 
 systematic but warm-hearted way. The consistory 
 at once appointed an "alms committee,'' the pastors 
 being chairmen, which had to look after the needs 
 and wants of the sick and the poor, find proper places 
 for the orphans — and also for apprentices and young 
 servant girls. The committee had to report every 
 three months, giving account of its disbursements 
 and asking for supply. All the alms collected in the 
 church w^ere used as such; the collections were lifted 
 by the ushers, all young men who later on were en- 
 trusted with the distribution of alms and thus be- 
 came interested in what is called today Inner Mis- 
 sion work. The women of the Church did not re- 
 28 
 
main inactive in charity. They started and sup- 
 ported a female orphans' home in the parish house. 
 Their society still exists, better to say still lives, 
 because it maintains two deaconesses. 
 
 In 1845 the committee on the Lambrecht's bequest 
 consisting of the mayor of the town and two of the 
 oldest Protestant pastors, acquired a very fine prop- 
 erty outside of Paris for charitable purposes to be 
 enjoyed by old people and young children belonging 
 to Protestant churches. Por the general support of 
 charities the diaconate societies of the Lutheran 
 churches were constantly active. 
 
 Through the law of separation of Church and State 
 in Prance of 1906, passed by a radical gov- 
 ernment, religious associations are deprived of the 
 right to exercise charity, this being the business of 
 the State. Their exclusive mission is the mainten- 
 ance of worship. Punds held by the churches for 
 the support of their poor were to be placed under 
 State control. Portunately this was averted by the 
 organization of a "Benevolent Association among 
 the Lutheran Protectants of Paris and vicinity." It 
 was composed exclusively of laymen. This associa- 
 tion was legally recognized as a public utility; The 
 Lutheran consistory was entitled to dispose of the 
 charity funds amounting to $75,000 and to place in- 
 digent members in certain homes and hospices. 
 
 The religious associations as such were forbidden 
 to practice charity; but charity exercised by private 
 persons was not prohibited. The pastors took the 
 initiative, not as pastors, but as citizens : eight char- 
 itable institutions in and around Paris were 
 29 
 
fouiulcd and are niaiiitainod by church people under 
 the advice of their citizen-pastors. 
 
 ])urinf^^ this "f(»nndation" period, tlic two Protest- 
 ant consi.qtories, the Lutheran and the Reformed, 
 were ^ood neighbors to each other. They supported 
 each other in their sometimes vexatious dealings 
 with the public authorities. They helped each other 
 in times of distress. While P. Goepp was absent 
 from Paris, P. Boissard fell seriously ill. The 
 Reformed consistory at once placed their pastors 
 at the dispoi^al of the Lutherans, and on tliose Sun- 
 days when a Reformed minister filled the pulpit, he 
 offered a fervent petition for the recovery of P. 
 Boissard. 
 
 In 1837 Pastor Cuvier was called to Fontaine- 
 bleau to bless the marriage of the heir of the royal 
 throne, the Duke of Orleans, with Princess Helen 
 of Mecklenburg, a devoted Lutheran. King Louis 
 Philip wished to turn one of the rooms in the Tuile- 
 ries in Paris into a private chapel for her, but she 
 preferred worshiping with a Lutheran congregation 
 and so she did with great constancy. She was a sin- 
 cere friend of the pastor and very highly esteemed 
 by the church people on account of her graciousness 
 and readiness to do good. In 1848 she had to leave 
 France as a w^idow with her two sons. King Louis 
 Philip had abdicated the throne and fled the coun- 
 try. She was the only *'one" in the royal family 
 that braved the furious storm of revolution. 
 
 30 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 The Period of Expansion 
 
 (1843-1870) 
 The consistory of the Lutheran Church of Paris, 
 finding that their first church had become far too 
 small and the pastoral work of their ministers — four 
 in number since 1841 — too cumbersome, applied to 
 the city for a second church location. The mayor 
 in 1843 converted an old custom house into a church, 
 which was called the Church of the Kedemption, 
 and in the course of time became the most prominent 
 Lutheran church in Paris on account of its loca- 
 tion, its excellent pastors, and its unselfish activities 
 following the footsteps of Billettes Church closely. 
 Pastor Louis Meyer, of the latter church, plunged 
 into home missionary work with an enthusiasm 
 which never lagged.- He attacked with the sword of 
 the Spirit the Saint Marceau ward, teeming with 
 "low caste and no caste" people, the poor menials 
 of prospering Paris: rag-pickers, street-sweepers, 
 chance day laborers, etc. P. Meyer discovered 
 among them a large number of people of 
 Lutheran origin, an ever-increasing flock with- 
 out a shepherd. The result of his labor was 
 the parish of St. Marcel, having among its in- 
 stitutions a model hospice for young folks. St. 
 Anthony ward, suspected by Napoleon as a hotbed 
 of anarchism, was taken in hand by Pastor Hose- 
 mann, who succeeded in establishing the parish of 
 Bon Secours ("Good Help") after a brave fight with 
 33 
 
the power? of darkness. The worst enemy he, and 
 others, had to battle with, was not direct but in- 
 direct infidelity, viz., indifference, a poison that very 
 slowly but very surely eauses spiritual and eternal 
 death anywhere, not only in Paris! 
 
 The consistory did not allow the pastors to carry 
 the burden all by themselves, ordained and trained 
 lay assistants were appointed and the teachers in 
 the parochial siehools were expected to do their share 
 in the evangelization of the churchless poor. The 
 fifth church establishment in this period was made 
 possible by a bequest from Mr. D. Buehler, who had 
 in his mind the religious interests of the "better" 
 classes. The fine church of St. John is the monu- 
 ment of his liberality. 
 
 The centennial record of the Church of Paris 
 speaks of a German Mission carried on by the 
 Church. France becoming more prosperous year by 
 year through its manifold industries attracted crowds 
 of young men from Protestant countries in search of 
 paying work. The Paris pastors believed they had a 
 call to look after them, not only in Paris, but also at 
 the Havre and at Lyons, w'here the Church supported 
 "home missionaries." There are Lutheran churches 
 in both cities. There was another group of Lutherans 
 which invited the attention of the Church. Under 
 Napoleon III, a large number of poor working 
 people from the Palatinate and Hesse (whose speech 
 is the original "Pennsylvania-Dutch") had come 
 with their families to Paris in search of work to. 
 be done by "unskilled" laborers. They dreamed of 
 Paris as of a city paved with gold bricks, and there- 
 34 
 
EGLISE BOX-SECOUKS, PARIS 
 
fore they took up the trade of street-sweepers. These 
 people crowded the tenements in the Yillette ward, 
 another flock without a shepherd, and in danger of 
 starving mentally and spiritually, having neither 
 church nor school. The first Lutheran minister who 
 came in contact with them was none else than Baron 
 Frederick von Bodelschwingh, one of the "heroes" 
 of the army of Inner Mission workers. He labored 
 at the Yillette for three years — it is now 60 years 
 ago — and the story of these years of joyously borne 
 daily self-denial and all absorbing devotion is one 
 which is intensely interesting. 
 
 In the course of time the German missions chang- 
 ed their name to German and French Missions, in 
 order to do justice to the younger element. The 
 consistory placed a French pastor at the side of the 
 German or installed in the mission churches men 
 from Alsace who were able to preach in both lan- 
 guages. They were able to read the signs of the 
 times and acted wisely in order to prevent losses. 
 The respective committees found ways and means to 
 maintain the work without constantly begging for 
 funds. The Church treasury covered the expenses, 
 even if they amounted to $20,000 annually. 
 
 A few years before the fall of Napoleon III, the 
 suburbs of Paris were placed within the city limits. 
 By this act three suburban churches were joined to 
 the five established since 1808. Napoleon, when he 
 was still president of the Republic, created the In- 
 spectorate of Paris, filled by pastors. After his time 
 the Republic introduced a sort of synodical govern- 
 ment, at the annual a.ssembly of which the parishes 
 
wc'iv ivprc^ciitcd h.v the pastors and two lay di'lc^atcs. 
 A standing committee of synod was called the Supe- 
 rior Consistory. The law of separation in 1906 
 brought about further changes of government. Be- 
 fore 1870 the pastors of Paris carried on a spirited 
 controversy with a number of pa.stors in Alsace who 
 were leaning towards falsely so-called "liberal" the- 
 ology. This controversy called into existence the 
 Temoignage ("The Testimony") which is a weekly 
 paper of twelve pages holding the influential, correct 
 position of an official Church organ. Until 1<S70 
 the Gorman members of the Church of Paris read 
 the Schifflein Christi ("Christ's Little Ship") a 
 monthly ]iaper. 
 
 Trying Times (1870-1906) 
 
 The Franco-German war of 1870-71 was disastrous 
 to the Lutheran Church of France, because the latter 
 had to cede Alsace to the victor. The Church lost 
 194 parishes with 270,700 members and 250 minis- 
 ters. Looking over the list of those 194 Alsatian 
 parishes, we found 8 which had distinctly French 
 names. The rest had untranslatable German names. 
 
 In 1872 the two inspectorates, Paris and Mont- 
 beliard, voted for a synodical constitution which 
 received legal sanction by the government in 1879. 
 In 1877 the theological faculty formerly at Strass- 
 burg, was transferred to Paris. The financial ques- 
 tion was very serious. The Republican city govern- 
 ment cut off all grants-in-aid to religious establish- 
 ments. Since the times of Napoleon the churches 
 of Paris enjoyed the monopoly of conducting fu- 
 
GENERAL DE BERCKTIEnr 
 ACTIVE LI TIIEUAX LAV^LVN 
 
neralg. This public service was rendered to the sat- 
 isfaction of tlie people. The Roman Catholic Church 
 derived a very large income from this privilege; 
 the Reformed Church came next, and the Lutheran 
 Church cleared from it about $5,000 annually. Since 
 1905 the city is the undertaker. The treasury of 
 <;he church being hit hard from every side, had to 
 struggle with mounting deficits, retrenchments had 
 to be made here and there where they hurt, and if 
 some friends from outside the Church had not made 
 generous advances, it would have gone hard with 
 her, humanly speaking. What worried her the most 
 was the fact that on account of a lack of men 
 and means she had to see so many people from Alsace 
 going somewhere else because she had no room for 
 them. And when the rush of the people from the 
 dense tenement districts to the airy suburbs set in the 
 church could not march along with portable chapels 
 and Gospel tents because she had no men to shout 
 "Come in!" The Reformed Church had all the 
 advantage and knew how to make use of it. 
 
 The splendid educational work of the Lutheran 
 Church of Paris, which had been recognized and 
 favored with grants-in-aid, was stopped and de- 
 stroyed by a law in 1886, which cut off all connec- 
 tion of the public primary schools with the Church. 
 The Lutherans had to suffer innocently through the 
 arrogance of the Catholics. The Home Mission Com- 
 mittee, in spite of the difficulties enumerated, took 
 up their work again in the suburbs, looking up Alsa- 
 tians. Pastor Roehrich and his co-laborers succeeded 
 in establishing parishes and missions which were 
 41 
 
received into the Paris Synod by action of the Gen- 
 eral Synod. 
 
 In spite of all hindrances some activities of the 
 Church continued to "make ?:ood." The work of the 
 parish deaconesses went on ; the people learned more 
 and more to appreciate their servics. The colportage 
 of Lutheran literature showed good results; a coun- 
 try parish owed its establishment to one of the zeal- 
 ous canvassers. 
 
 Foreign Missions were brought to the knowledge 
 of the people at an early date. The pastors could 
 not be otherwise than interested in this branch of 
 Christian work, from which no believer can be ex- 
 cused. The Church is represented on the Board of 
 Directors of the Parish Missionary Society. In the 
 present time it is particularly interested in the mis- 
 sionary work in Madagascar carried on on a large 
 scale by Norwegian Lutherans both in Norway and 
 America. 
 
 42 
 
EGLISE DE SAINT MARTIX, MONTBELIARD 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 Lutheranism Since the Separation 
 in 1906 
 
 Organization and Strength 
 
 The Lutheran Church of France neither wished 
 nor worked for a separation between the Church and 
 the State. She was satisfied with the present condi- 
 tions although she had reason to deplore the destruc- 
 tion of her school plant. Lutherans did not cause any 
 trouble to the State, nor was the latter disposed to 
 persecute them. The Lutheran Church, being out 
 of politics altogether, had nevertheless to suffer for 
 the political sins of the Roman Catholic Church of 
 France. The State did not make any distinction 
 between the churches, as it might well have done, 
 because the Lutheran, for instance, had always ac- 
 corded a full share in the administration to her lay- 
 men. 
 
 The new law deals only with religious or parochial 
 associations, not with churches. The association 
 may lease its former property from the State. The 
 law does not touch the faith, the doctrine or cultus 
 ("form of worship") of the associations. The latter 
 will not receive any support from the State; they 
 have to support themselves entirely. They have the 
 right to create unions or associations for the same 
 purpose, whether these are called consistorial or 
 synodical. Each association manages its own affairs, 
 45 
 
but may associate with others for the common good 
 and accept the counsel of a consistory which is more 
 of an advisory than a governing board, is, in other 
 words, more American than European. 
 
 Most of the statements made above are culled from 
 a volume of 180 pages bearing the title: "Un cen- 
 tenairc. L'Eglise Evangelique Lutherienne de Paris, 
 1S08 a 1908. Notice historique suiviede Notes et de 
 Documents par Aug. Weber, Inspecteur ecclesias- 
 tique et President dii Consistoire. Publication illus- 
 tree," etc. 
 
 An illu-strated pamphlet written in English and 
 published in June, 1918, informs us that the 
 inspection or diocese of Paris,- which includes 
 Paris, Lyons, Nice and Algeria, is composed 
 of P. Jean Meyer, ecclesiastical inspector, 4 
 theological professors, 24 pastors in Paris, 1 
 pastor at Lyons, 6 pastors in Algeria; 14 of 
 these pastors are serving in the Army, 2 have 
 been killed in action. The list of the clergy and 
 churches gives the names of 13 parish churches with 
 7 annexes ((missions), 21 pa&tors and some assistant 
 pastors, in Paris, 1 in Lyons, none at Nice and 6 in 
 Algeria. The pamphlet mentions the Swedish church, 
 C. Borjeson, pastor, which although independent of 
 the French Synod is linked to it historically and fra- 
 ternally. Its parish hall is being used during the pres- 
 ent war as a hospital for soldiers at the expense of 
 the Swedish community. Then follows the list of 
 Home Mission parishes which are doing pioneer 
 work; following up dispersed Protestants, and con- 
 stituting parishes in outlying districts. 
 46 
 
AUGUSTE WEBER 
 PRESIDENT DE CONSISTOIRE 
 
PROF. D. VANCHER, 
 DEAN OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 
 
The names of eight Home Mission pastors, one 
 evangelist and 12 churches and' halls are given. 
 One of the mission halls is used by a Norwegian 
 settlement. The list of the clergy contains 31 names, 
 including the professors of theology. From the list 
 of the clergy in Algeria we learn the fact that the 
 Lutheran Church began its work in Africa as early 
 as 1844 by founding an orphanage for homeless chil- 
 dren of French settlers. The "Theological Univer- 
 sity" (faculty) is composed of six doctors of divin- 
 ity: Dean Ed Vancher, Prof. Vancher, Ehrhart, A. 
 Lods, of the Sorbonne, Goguel and Yienot. 
 
 There are a number of "Church institutions." In- 
 cluded among these are the following : Lutheran Mis- 
 sion in Madagascar — Benevolent Society looking after 
 the poor — Deaconess Home — Hospital — Friends of 
 the Sick, a training school for nurses — Old Peoples' 
 Home — Training school for young servants — Friends 
 of the poor — Free Loans Society — Home for Old 
 Ladies — The Lambrecht's Homes — Society for Be- 
 friending Apprentices and Young Workmen — Home 
 for Apprentices — Boys' Boarding School' — Billettes 
 Orphanage — Other Orphanages, two in the city and 
 one outside of it. Special war work: Two military 
 hospitals outside of the city. P. Koser sent as chap- 
 lain to 3,000 Alsatian refugees in the Yosges. 
 "Nearly all our pastors and laymen collaborate ac- 
 tively in general Christian work." 
 
 The Diocese of Montbeliard is composed of 48 
 
 pastors, (P. Jaulmes, inspector), 20 of whom 
 
 are serving in the army; one has been killed 
 
 in action. The list of the names of pastors 
 
 49 
 
is ^ivc'ii, and then of the eliureli institu- 
 tions as follows: Home Mission of the country of 
 Montbeliard, following up dispersed Protestants and 
 doing evangelical work at the fortress of Belfort — 
 Association for Indigent Children — Glay Institute, 
 preparing young men for the ministry — Protestant 
 dispensaries at Montbeliard, and at Belfort as a 
 center for nurses and parish deaconesses, home for 
 girls, soup-kitchen, etc., — Children's holiday fund — 
 Temperance work — Hospitals at four towns — Golden 
 Cross Home for poor girls — Protestant Girls' School. 
 
 The Montbeliard Lutherans read their bi-weekly 
 ^'L'Ami Chretien des Pamilles." The Lutherans 
 in Algeria read on Sunday "Le Courrier du 
 Dimanche" (Sunday), published in North Africa. 
 
 There are about- 800,000 Protestants in Prance, 
 one-tenth of whom are Lutherans. The smallness of 
 their number does not detract anything from the 
 respect and sympathy we have for them. The author 
 of the centenary aptly compares the Church in Paris 
 with the Church of Philadelphia in Rev. 3 :7-13, and 
 says, "The Spirit says to us, too, 'Hold that fast 
 which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.' " 
 
 The Mother Church of Protestantism has been 
 planted. It is well rooted. It is our privilege, know- 
 ing its situation, to give a friendly hand and aid 
 in its cultivation, that we may insure its growth. 
 
 50 
 
M. G. JAULMES, 
 INSPECTUR ECCLESIASTIQUE, MONTBELIARD 
 
PAROISE DE CAMPAGXE, MONTBELIARD 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 American and French Lutheran 
 Co-operation 
 
 The vicissitudes of the world war have drawn the 
 Lutherans of France and the Lutherans of America 
 into closer touch. They are grasping hands across 
 the sea and seeking to lay the foundations for a 
 fertile collaboration in the future. 
 
 The French Lutheran Church about the time of 
 the hearty and liberal response of the American 
 Lutherans to the appeal of our National Lutheran 
 War Commission sent to the Lutherans of this coun- 
 try through this commission the following greetings : 
 
 ''The United States of America and France were 
 once only united by distant souvenirs recalled to 
 them by the history of the eighteenth century. Now, 
 however, the two peoples are again joining forces in 
 order to bring about the triumph of the fundamental 
 principles of Christian civilization, and our children 
 are mingling their blood on the field of battle. In 
 these solemn circumstances we Lutherans of France, 
 members of a church which was mutilated by the 
 violent annexation of 1871, send greeting to our 
 American brethren. May our churches, on both sides 
 of the Atlantic, become more and more the ^salt of 
 the earth' ; may the bravery of the fighting men, the 
 fidelity of our Christian members, and, above, the 
 power of the Holy Spirit, prepare, through the trial 
 of this terrible war, a new era of justice and of in- 
 ternational fraternity." 
 
 53 
 
Tn re?»i)onse to tins ftTootinji: witli the approval of 
 tlie (lovcriiiiuMit, Liitlioniii (\)iiuiii.ssi<nu'rg liave been 
 sent to France. These official n^presentatives are 
 the Rev. Charles J. Smith, D.D., of New York City, 
 and the Hon Frank M. Riter, LL.D., of Philadelphia. 
 
 They carried with them the credentials of the 
 Commission, greetings to the French Lutheran 
 Church; His Excellency, the President of the 
 French Republic; His Excellency, the Ambassador 
 of the United States of America to the French Re- 
 l)ul)lic and to General John J. Pershing. 
 
 The purpose of this mission and commission is 
 tersely expressed in the Instructions and Authority 
 given by the National Lutheran Commission to these 
 Commissioners as follows: 
 
 Instructions and Authority of the Commissioners 
 
 L To convey to the Lutheran Church in France 
 the sincere greetings of the Lutheran Church in 
 America. 
 
 II. To ascertain the conditions of the Lutheran 
 Church in France, with especial reference to the 
 ability of the French Church to minister to soldiers 
 of the American Army now serving in that country. 
 
 III. To discover in what manner and to what 
 extent the work of the French Church can be aided 
 by the Church in America, remembering, however, 
 that the National Lutheran Commission cannot in 
 any way bind the American Church to make good 
 losses entailed by the destruction of church property 
 during the war or to guarantee the support of pro- 
 jects for reconstruction after the war shall end. 
 
 54 
 
HON. FRANK M. RITER, LL.D., 
 AMERICAN LUTHERAN COMMISSIONER TO FRANCE 
 
IV. To report back to the National Lutheran 
 Commission the results of these inquiries, which 
 shall be communicated through the National Luth- 
 eran Commission to its constituent bodies. 
 
 Y. To invite the Lutheran Church of France to 
 send a mission to America, accompanying you, if 
 possible, upon your return. 
 
 For the purposes mentioned, you will have all the 
 powers that the National Commission itself possess, 
 and are authorized to make, at your discretion, pre- 
 liminary expenditures of money up to fifty thou- 
 sand dollars; any expenditures in excess of that 
 amount shall first receive the approval of the execu- 
 tive Committee of the National Lutheran Com- 
 mission. 
 
 The spirit in which the Commissioners have been 
 sent and in which they engage in the task set for 
 them are best illustrated by reproducing the Greet- 
 ings which they bore to the French Church, the 
 President of the French Republic, our own Ameri- 
 can Ambassador and to General Pershing, the leader 
 of the gallant American forces which include so 
 many loyal Lutheran young men. 
 
 Greetings to the French Lutheran Church 
 
 In these days of grievous trial, when God is prov- 
 ing the nations and sifting the hearts of men, divid- 
 ing those that have been as one and joining together 
 those that have been' apart, the Lutheran Church 
 of America sends greeting to the Lutheran Church 
 in France. 
 
 Our countries have in the past shared many great 
 traditions and many high ideals, today they share 
 57 
 
one purpose. Our Chiirclie."^, tlioii{:?h divided by dif- 
 ference of language and separated by many leagues 
 of land and sea, liave had a common origin and have 
 shared a single Gospel as tliey have borne a single 
 name; today they are united in a common duty. 
 Our sous, by many thousands, are now upon the 
 soil of France, toiling and fighting for the same 
 high cause in which so many of your ov^n already 
 have laid down their lives. The ground on which 
 their blood is shed will henceforth be to us a sacred 
 soil and the name of France will ever awaken in us 
 memories of heroic sacrice. 
 
 Of you, who have suffered far more than we have 
 yet been called upon to do, we ask what we can do 
 to help; and to you we commit the young men of 
 our armies who have been raised in the same faith 
 with you, knowing that you will give them what 
 care and comfort it is in your power to bestow. Our 
 prayer is that the peace which follows victory may 
 suffer no delay, and that the new bonds of sympathy 
 and understanding between our Churches which this 
 war will forge, may unite us in a lasting fellowship 
 of faith and of all good works in our Lord Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 Greetings to the President of the French Republic 
 The Lutheran Church in America has been gath- 
 ered out of many nations and speaks in many lan- 
 guages. Today its members are consecrated to the 
 tasks of patriotism and inspired with the one great 
 purpose that animates the soul of France. Our sons 
 are fighting side by side with yours and our shoul- 
 ders are eager to receive their part of the burden 
 58 
 
THE REV. CHARLES J. SMITH, D.D., 
 AMERICAN LUTHERAN COMMISSIONER TO FRANCE 
 
that you have borne so long. We greet you as a 
 leader in our common cause, with the prayer that 
 your victory which will also be ours, may be speedy 
 and complete. 
 
 Greetings to Our American Ambassador 
 
 The Lutheran Church in the United States num- 
 bers more than two million and a half communicants 
 and more than five million souls. Of this number 
 more than two hundred and twenty-five thousand 
 have entered the Army and Navy of the United 
 States, by draft and enlistment, since the declaration 
 of war in nineteen seventeen. A large part of this 
 number is now serving in France. Their numbers 
 are a pledge of the Church's loyalty to the cause of 
 the Allied I^ations. 
 
 This greeting will be handed to your Excellency 
 by representatives of the American Lutheran Church 
 who have been sent on a special mission to the Luth- 
 eran Church of France. Their mission is to discover 
 in what ways the Church in America can be of aid 
 to the Church of France, which has suffered griev- 
 ously by the war, and also to endeavor to secure the 
 interest of the Church in France in the sons of our 
 xVmerican Church now serving in that country. Any 
 aid that your Excellency may afford them will 
 be deeply appreciated by some millions of Americans. 
 
 Greetings to General John J. Pershing 
 
 Since April of the year nineteen hundred and 
 
 seventeen, the Lutheran Churches of America have 
 
 given to the Army and Navy of the United States 
 
 more than two hundred and twenty-five thousand 
 
 61 
 
of tlieir .sons. They have g'iven tliein j^hidly and 
 ungrudgingly, for they have recognized that the 
 cause in which our nation is at war is just and 
 sacred. Our prayers for victory are as earnest as 
 our hope of victory is sure. It is our desire that you 
 should have from the hands of our representatives 
 in France this direct and personal assurance that 
 our dearest earthly hopes are centered upon you and 
 the men that you command, and that our prayers 
 are with you night and day. 
 
 ■?f * * 
 
 Our American people have new national ideals. 
 The world war has given to us an international out- 
 look. The hardships and the perils of these war 
 days have created new conceptions of religion and 
 given a new trend and impetus to religious think- 
 ing and Christian consciousness. In the new and 
 we trust better andi safer world that is to be as a 
 result of the baptism in the blood of the nations there 
 will be a spirit of brotherhood and of Christian 
 earnestness w^hich will assure success to those who 
 realize their opportunities and their privileges. 
 
 Our Lutherans represented in so many lands and 
 speaking so many tongues have the opportunity not 
 only in name but in fact, to prove themselves an 
 international, evangelical force for the healing and 
 the saving of the nations. 
 
 That we may learn to know still better our French 
 brethren in the faith, and effect a permanent co- 
 operation with them and with the people of all 
 tongues and climes who subscribe the faith of the 
 Mother Church of Protestantism should be our 
 62 
 
prayer and our aim. If this little volume will help 
 in cultivating this spirit and attaining these aimy 
 it will fully justify its publication. 
 
 W. L. H. 
 
 63 
 
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