“I learned it from Mister Walther in St. Louis, from his Der Lutheraner”: Köstering promotes Der Lutheraner

      The following is a very brief excerpt from an essay by Pastor J. F. Köstering to celebrate Walther's publication of Der Lutheraner after 34 years and promote its further use by the Lutherans of America.  From Der Lutheraer vol. 34 (1878), No. 23, p 177 ff., excerpt from "What could and probably should be done for the dissemination of Der Lutheraner? Title quote from p. 178.

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What could and should be done for the spread of Der Lutheraner?

…Several years ago, in one of the northern states of this country, this essayist met a Pennsylvanian-German farmer at the railroad station. It was not long before we came to speak of church matters, and especially of the doctrine of the Church and of the preaching Ministry. This writer was astonished to hear what a splendid, correct insight the simple farmer gave in genuine Pennsylvanian dialect concerning these doctrines. We asked him if he had drawn this knowledge from the sermons in his church or from where he had obtained it? He answered: "I learned it from Mister Walther in St. Louis, from his Der Lutheraner. Through this I also first learned to read German, which I had no opportunity to do in my youth." 

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Köstering's anecdote is the perfect way to introduce my upcoming 10th Anniversary blog post on August 11, 2021.