The General Council of the Lutheran Church in America recently concluded a successful annual meeting, the twenty-seventh in Chicago. In common with the other Lutheran church bodies the General Council is noted for its conservatism upon political questions. Yet it signified, in a manner not to be misunderstood, that it is in line with the prevailing national sentiment on the question of expansion. Reverend G. C. F. Haas, who delivered the convention sermon, touched upon the paramount issue of the day as follows:

"Whether it is in accord with the principles laid down in its conditions, and expedient unto the welfare of the country that this nation should be extending its domain over far-distant lands and bringing under its sway a strange people, is a question now agitating the minds of many. But whatever be the position we take with reference to the policy of the land of our nativity, of 2our adoption, in the matter of expansion, we are by these facts reminded that we are citizens of a commonwealth in which expansion is a fundamental law, and the carrying out of the injunction 'Make ye disciples of all nations' a prime duty of every citizen.

"The kingdom of God on earth, His Holy Church, is growing and will continue to grow, conquering nation after nation and extending its beneficent sway to the most distant climes. Unto Israel of old the evangelical prophet bore the message, 'Enlarge the place of thy tent,'and what was then enjoined in prophecy was fulfilled in fact with the advent of the Lord, the establishment of the new covenant and birth of the spiritual Israel that embraced all nations and tongues."

During the progress of the conference, which lasted a week, there was no evidence of any dissent from the sentiments expressed by Reverend Haas in one of the official utterances of the convention; hence, they may be accepted as an expression of the prevailing opinion of this large gathering of representative 3Lutheran churchmen. Reverend Haas emphasizes clearly and tersely the dominant phases of the question; he treats expansion as a fundamental law of the land and of Christian civilization. The prophetic injunction "Enlarge the place of thy tent" expresses the divine policy for the propagation of the gospel of salvation upon earth; and it likewise voices the law of national growth and of the spread of human civilization.

The American people, buoyant with strength and vitality, and mindful of their mission, have neglected no opportunity to fulfill the God-given command. "Enlarge the place of thy tent" has been the guiding and controlling principle of American policy from the dawn and even unto dusk of the present century. Surely, expansion is a fundamental law of the land, whether applied to our territorial growth in the past or to our recent acquisitions, as expansion is, and must be, the fundamental law of our Christian-American civilization. For the only alternatives are stagnation, retrogression, and death.

The General Council includes nine distinct synods representing 2,500 churches 4with 400,000 members. A large percentage of the membership is made up of citizens born abroad, mainly Germans and Swedes. This fact in connection with the sturdy conservatism of the Lutheran Church in general lends added significance to Reverend Hass' eloquent and vigorous exposition of the true and broad doctrine of expansion.