LTJSSIN 38 LUTHERANS "to omit any word or act necessary to the perfoi'mance of its sacred duty of maintaining the rights of the United States and its citizens." In response che German Government evaded the issue by expressing regret for the loss of American lives, but claiming that the "Lusitania" was ai'med and was a Brit- ish auxiliary cruiser carrying munitions of war. The question as to what action should now be taken by the American Govern- ment brought out a decided difference of opinion between President Wilson and his Secretary of State, William J. Bryan, which ended in the latter's resignation on June 8, because he could not agree in the strong measure contemplated by President Wilson to protect American lives. The second note of the President to Germany, while still insisting that the act of the German commander was a grievous wrong to the United States, was very pacific in its tone and indicated that the question would be made a sub- ject for negotiation and not a cause of war. After further exchange of notes the German Government on Sept. 1, 1915, finally promised not to sink merchant ships without warning and agreed to provide for the safety of the passengers and crew whenever such ships were sunk. See World War. LUSSIN, or LOSSINI, an island in the Adriatic Sea, formerly belonging to Aus- tria, but since the World War in the possession of Italy. Area, 29 square miles. Pop. 15,000. LUTE, an instrument of the guitar family. It has five to six pairs of strings, each pair tuned in unisons or octaves. The several frets of the lute are dis- tinguished by the letters of the alphabet. The lute consists of four parts: The table; the body, which has 9 or 10 sides; the neck, which has as many stops or divisions ; and the head or cross, in which . the screws for tuning it are inserted. ^ The performer strikes the string with 'ohe fingers of the right hand, and reg- ulates the sounds with those of the left. Simply constructed, it is called the French lute. With two necks — one for the bass notes — it is called a theorbo. LUTETIA (lu-te'shi-a), a name by which the city of Paris was often ancient- ly referi'ed to: the word means "mud hovels." The Romans named the collec- tion of huts they found here Lutetia Par- isioi'um, "the mud-town of the Parisii"; the first name being dropped left the present title, Paris. Also Asteroid 21, discovered by Goldschmidt at Paris, Nov. 15, 1852. LUTHERANS, a designation originally applied by tTieir adversaries to the Re- formers of the 16th century, and after- ward distinctively appropriated among Protestants themselves to those who took part with Martin Luther against the Swiss Reformers, particularly in the controversies regarding the Lord's Sup- per. It is so employed to this day as the designation of one of the two great sections into which the Protestant Church was soon unhappily divided, the other being known as the Reformed Church {q. v.). To the end of Luther's life perfect harmony subsisted between him and his friend Melanchthon; but al- ready there were some who stood forth as more Lutheran than Luther, and by whom Melanchthon was denounced as a "crypto-Calvinist" and a traitor to evangelical truth. After Luther's death this party became more confident, and, holding by Luther's words, without hav- ing imbibed his spirit, changed his evan- gelical doctrine into a dry scholasticism and lifeless orthodoxy, while extreme heat and violence against their oppon- ents were substituted in the pulpit itself for the zealous preaching of the Gospel. The principal seat of their strength was in the University of Jena, which was founded in 1557 for this very object, and maintained their cause against Wit- tenberg. Great intolerance was mani- fested by this party; and no controversy was ever conducted with more bitterness and ill-feeling than the Sacramentarian Controversy. Lutheranism is the prevailing form of Protestantism in Germany; it is the national religion of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway; and there are Lutheran Churches in the Baltic provinces of Rus- sia, in Holland, France, Poland, and the United States. In all there are about 30,000,000 Lutherans. In its constitution the Lutheran Church is generally unepiscopal, without being properly presbyterian. It is consistorial, with the civil authorities so far in place of bishops. In Denmark, Sweden, and Norway there are bishops, and in Sweden an archbishop (of Upsala), but their pow- ers are very limited. There were in the United States and Canada in 1919 3,652,010 baptized mem- bers and 2,451,997 confirmed members, with 9,829 ministers and 15,638 congre- gations. The Canadian membership was 64,490, with 237 ministers and 827 con- gregations. The denomination main- tained missions, both domestic and for- eign. Contributions for domestic mis- sionary work in 1918 amounted to $6,383,103.
