year. The average
salary is $780 annually for 22 hours' work during the week."
The Jews ask for no concession of time from the public school. They seem
to have physical and intellectual vigor enabling them to utilize, for
the study of religion, hours which Christian children require for rest
and recreation.
Lutherans hold that it is the function of the church to provide
instruction in religion for its children. What are the Lutherans of New
York doing to maintain this thesis? Over 40,000 children of enrolled
Lutheran families obtain no instruction in religion except that which is
given in the Sunday School and in the belated and abbreviated hours of
catechetical instruction.
A movement is now going on in this city and throughout the United States
aiming at a restoration of religious education to the functions of the
church. For the sake of our children ought we not heartily to cooperate
with a movement which so truly represents the principles for which we
stand? It will require a considerable addition to the teaching force of
our churches. It will mean an expensive reconstruction of our
schoolrooms. It will cost money. But it will be worth while.
The Problem of Lapsed Lutherans
There are four hundred thousand lapsed Lutherans in New York, nearly
three times as many as enrolled members of the churches.
A lapsed Lutheran is one who was once a member, but for some reason has
slipped the cable that connected him with the church. He still claims to
be a Lutheran but he is not enrolled as a member of a particular
congregation.
Most lapsed Lutherans are of foreign origin. From figures compiled by
Dr. Laidlaw (see "Federation," Vol. 6, No. 4), we obtain the number of
Protestants of foreign origin, enumerated according to the country of
birth of parents, one parent or both. The number of Lutherans we obtain
by subtracting from the "Protestants" the estimated number of
non-Lutherans. Thus:
Protestants Lutherans
Norway .......... 33,344 - 10% = 30,010
Sweden .......... 56,766 - 10% = 51,090
Denmark ......... 11,996 - 10% = 10,797
Finland ......... 10,304 - 10% = 9,274
Germany .........486,252 - 20% = 389,002
Austria-Hungary . 27,680 - 80% = 5,535
Russia* ......... 15,000 - 20% = 12,000
507,708
*Many of the Lutherans who have come to us of late years fr
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