of the Saginaw Valley were founded. 2. THE TREE. In 1845 a number of likeminded pastors met in conference at Cleveland, Ohio, to discuss the founding of an orthodox Lutheran synod. In the following year several of these pastors met in St. Louis in order to consult with Walther and other Saxon pastors concerning the same matter. On this occasion the draft of a synodical constitution was carefully considered together with the local congregation. This draft was later on submitted to an assembly at Fort Wayne. Finally, in 1847, at Chicago, the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and other States was founded. Walther was unanimously elected president. The members of this synod had recognized that the doctrine restored by Luther and contained in the confessions of the Lutheran church is the true and pure doctrine of the Word of God. Upon this foundation they resolved to stand and in the future carry on together the work of the Lord in this country. And to this day, by the grace of God, they have remained true to this confession. They accept God's revealed Word as the only source of knowledge for doctrine and practice. And the heart of all their teaching is the doctrine of justification of a poor sinner before God, not through his own works and merit, but alone through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. "God's Word and Luther's doctrine pure shall through eternity endure," is the watchword which the synod has not only written on its _Lutheraner_, but which its members also dearly cherish in their hearts. For the preparation and education of its pastors and teachers the synod has, in the course of years, established a large number of institutions. The first of these is the Theological Seminary at St. Louis. In this institution Dr. Walther labored with signal blessing as professor, and through his lectures and his many writings became the leader of teachers, pastors, and congregations. He died in 1887. In Springfield the synod has its Supplementary Theological Seminary, in which Prof. Craemer labored for many years. The Seminary for Teachers is in Addison. Its first director was the sainted Prof. Lindemann. The preparatory institutions are in Fort Wayne, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and at several other places. About sixty professors teach at these institutions. Essentially the work of the synod is carried on in the same way as at the time of the fathers. In the same manner as Wyneken missionaries travel about visiting their scattered brethren in the faith and gathering them into congregations. At the same time with the congregation the parochial school is founded and developed for the education of the children in the Catechism.