German murals

Above the altar of Zion Lutheran Cleveland is a five part mural in German. This was completed after 1900, but before America's involvement in the European War [World War I]. At that time, German churches in the United States usually had services in German. Materials were in German. Words were inscribed, painted, written in German. Gravestones were in German. Signs in neighbourhood stores were in German. Newspapers were in German. Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus were over a third German in population. St. Louis, and Milwaukee were heavily German too. The United States was more German speaking in the second half of the nineteenth century, than it is Spanish speaking to-day. 

In the 1850s, the American Party [better known, and aptly called, the Know Nothings] had agitated against, and physically attacked immigrants [both Irish and German]. But with the War to Save the Union, that bigotry was overcome so as to recruit and fight the war. The World War came to America, and a programme of Americanising to eliminate German everything came to be. New Berlin became North Canton. Ohio's Ake Law forbid teaching German before grade eight. Many Germans changed their names [Schneider became Taylor, Schmidt became Smith]. Family gravestones begun in German, are written in English after 1916. One can see the change cut into individual stones, Vater geboren...Mother died...

Das ist mein Leib. Das ist mein Blut.

This is my Body. This is my Blood. — from Luke xxii. 19-20.

Words of Jesus instituting the Eucharist.

  Gottes Wort und Luther’s Lehr

Vergehen nun und nimmer mehr

  God's Word and Luther's Teaching

Pass away now and never 

—Words on a Luther monument 

Luther's coat of arms, with Luther's rose

Des Christen Hertz auf Rosen geht, wenn’s mitten unter’m Kreuze steht.

 The heart of a Christian walks upon roses, even when it stands under the cross.

Lasse dich taufen und ahwaschen deine Sünde

Be baptised and wash away thy sins—from Acts xxii. 16.

The vulning pelican, is a symbol of Jesus and the Eucharist [not Baptism]