About The Streets

Tbere is trouble brewing in Zion Lutheran ohnrch over the qnestion of seoret sooieties. Last spring, Rev. A. L. Nicklas publicly asked the secret society members to withdraw from their aooieties, and his antagonisni became well knoWD. Many of the prominent memebrs of the ohnrch are seoret society rnembers and indicated no disposition to withdraw froni their societies. The matter oame to a head Monday night and is thos described by the Detroit Evening News: Sunday he annonnced a meeting of the chnroh society for Monday night, when be announoed that he had received a cali to Pamperville, O., and intiruated that if he rernained here, the secret society men must sever their eonneotions with their organizations, or the churoh. He said it pieroed bis heart every time he gave one of theru nnmmnninn It is said that he referred to them as 'Gottteslaesterer" and "Christus-verlaenmder. " (God mockers and Christ defamers). Aid. Kooh arose, and asked to which sooieties he referred, and he was answered thut it was the Masons and Oddfellows partionlarly. The alderman belongs to both of these ordeis, and replied that he never saw anything n thein that eonflicted with his religon. On a vote of those present, the resalt was 65 against the societies, and 22 for ;heni, bnt it shonld be onderstood that the Masons, to which several of the chnreh men belong, aloo 'neld an important session Mooday uight, and had ;hey been acqoainted with the program there would have been a larger nuinber present at the chnreh. A vote was ;aken npon wbether or not Mr. Nicklas shonld be retained as pastor, and it stood 82 to 6 in bis favor. He said he would give them a deflnite answernext Monday night. Mr. Nicklas is a well known ednoated yonng man, bnt bis stand on the secret society question makes a bitter feeling assert itself aruong soine of the members. Mr. Nioklas denies the nsa of the words attribnted to him in the News artiole bnt says they were "Gottes nnd Christus-verleugner" (déniers of the ;rinne God and of Christ). He says be simply asked tbe congregation if it was ready to adopt a resolntion that in future no one belonging toan organization in its cbaracter opposed to Cbrist can become a member of this congregatioD. If adopted he said the resolution wonld be enforced.