# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1890_S43
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

The Lutheran Pioneer.

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Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother!

In the north of Europe is a mountainous
country called Sweden. Its winters are long,
snowy and cold. Its summers are short, but
very lovely and sweet-aired, especially in the
valleys between the high mountains.

The inhabitants of that country are noted
for their industry, virtue and contentment.
One morning, a long time ago, a certain king
of Sweden, called Gustavus the Third, was
riding through a village in one of the beautiful
valleys, not far from Stockholm, the capital
city. Ashe passed along, he saw a young girl
filling a pitcher with water that gushed from
the cool rocks which overshadowed the road-
side. He stopped at the fountain and asked
the girl fora drink. She knew not the stran-
ger, but gracefully stepped forward and lifted
the pitcher to his lips as he sat upon his horse.
She was evidently very poor, but her kindness,
so tenderly expressed upon her countenance,
together with her artless politeness, at once
attracted the king’s attention, and touched his
heart. Judging by her appearance that she
was a child of poverty, he told her, that if she
would go to the city with him, he would find
her a pleasant home.

““Ah! good sir,” answered the girl, ‘“‘Provi-
dence placed me here, and, I am not anxious
to change my position in life. I am content,
and if I were not content, it would be impos-
sible for me to accept your kind offer.’’

“Indeed! Why not!’’ said the king in some
surprise.

“Because my mother is poor and sickly
she replied.

“And you remain at home to take care of
her?”’

“Tam her only help and companion,’’ said
the girl, looking upon the ground with a gen-
uine modesty that won the sympathies of her
royal auditor. ‘I am happy in my lot, and
am thankful that I can take care of and com-

fort the one so dear to me. No offer however
tempting, could induce me to leave my mother.”

‘‘Where is your mother?’ inquired the
king, becoming more and more interested in
the noble girl. :

‘In yon little hut, by the side of the road,’’
said she, pointing toward the humble dwelling.
It was a low, thatched building, covered with
moss and vines, very neat and clean, but so
old and weatherworn that it afforded but a
poor shelter in time of cold and storms.

. Gustavus alighted from his horse, and fol-
lowed the girl into the hut, to see her mother.
He found her sick and suffering, lying upon a
bed of straw—a pale, thin woman—sinking
under her infirmities, and looking forward to
the grave only asa bed of rest. The king was
almost overcome at the pitiable sight, and said,
while tears came into his eyes — ah, yes, and
those tears were more beautifully radiant and
glorious than the brightest dazzles that eve

glanced from his crown of diamonds—

| us from all sin.

“I feel sorry, mother, to find you so desti-
tute and afflicted.”

“Yes, yes, my dear sir,’’ said the lady, ina
feeble voice; ‘‘but Iam so glad that God has
given me an affectionate daughter. She is
always trying to relieve me, and is my constant
comforter. May God in His love remember
her and bless her—my dear child!” and her
voice was choked by sobs, and her face was
covered with tears,

The good king wept with the poor widow.
What a sight! The monarch never received
such a blessing on his throne in the palace, as
there in the lone hut by the wayside! He
handed the daughter a purse of gold, and di-
rected her toa better house, where she and her
mother might be comfortable, saying, as he de-
parted :—

“‘Go on, my young friend, in your way of
dutiful love and care, and you shall lack for
nothing while I have means to help you. I
am your king.—Farewell!”’

Gustavus ever remembered the poor family,
and made provision to have a sum of money
regularly sent to the woman for her support;
and at the mother’s death, he presented the
daughter with a handsome fortune.

Young readers, for your parents’ sake and
Christ’s sake, but also for your own sake, re-
member the command, ‘Honor thy father and
thy mother.’’

—- oe

The Blood of Christ.

An old shepherd in England was taken to a
London hospital to die. His grandchild would
go and read to him. One day she was reading
in the first chapter of the First Epistle of John,
and came to the words: ‘‘And the blood of
Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all
sin.” The old man raised himself up and
stopped the little girl, saying with great earnest-
ness:

“Ts that there, my dear?”’

“Yes, grandpa.”

‘‘Then read it to me again—I never heard
it before.”

She read it again: ‘The blood of Jesus
Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin.”’ -

‘You are quite sure that is there?”’

“Yes, quite sure, grandpa.” :

‘‘Then take my hand and lay my finger on
the passage, for I want to feel it.’

So she took the old blind man’s hand and
placed his bony finger on the verse, when he
said :

‘‘Now read it to me again.’”

With a soft, sweet voice she read: ‘“‘And the
blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us
from all sin.’’

‘You are quite sure that is there?”’

“Yes, quite sure, grandpa.”’

‘Then if any ove should ask how I died,
tell them I died in the faith of these words:
‘The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth

ao2

43

With that the old man withdrew his hands,
his head fell softly back on the pillow, and he

silently passed into the presence of Him whose
blood cleanseth from all sin.

————s- <> oe

Babies in Japan.

Japanese babies are the most comical little
mortals imaginable. Hundreds of them are to
be seen in the streets of Japan carried on the
backs of their child-nurses, some of whom do
not appear much larger than the babies, so
that the effect is of one child with two heads.
These babies, if they are very small, are fastened
in the garments of their nurses in such a way
as to leave only the heads exposed, but if they
are large enough to make free use of their
hands desirable the arms are left free. The
little heads are shaved with the exception of
small patches of hair, and are often covered
with loathsome sores.

The nurses play ball or battledore with
apparent unconcern as to the fate of the babies.
It is seldom that any accident occurs, but oc-
casionally a child will roll off from the back of
its nurse. Then is plainly demonstrated the
fact that a Japanese baby can cry as lustily as
our American babies.

Yet the Japanese babies have good care
taken of them. They are amused by toys when
awake, and are protected from insects by mos-
quito-nets when asleep.

A young Japanese mother once showed her
baby’s wardrobe to a missionary. Its beat robes
were of crape and silk, all of large figures.
For ordinary wear there were short dresses made
of bright red and yellow cloth. For ornaments
there were square patches of green, red or yel-
low cloth sewed upon the backs of the dresses.

When the Japanese little ones are old enough
to toddle around they have bells fastened to
them, so that the mothers may know where
they are.

————_ + Po ee

They Do Not All Pray.

An aged Christian one day took dinner at a
house where he found himself in the company
of a number of young and jovial people. When
sitting down at the table, he silently offered up
prayer to God.

One of the guests, intending to have some
fun with him, said: ‘‘I suppose at your house
all pray, do they not?’” :

“No, not that I know of,” was the reply.

‘What, do not all pray there?”

| ‘No, Ihave two hogs in my pen—they never
pray when they are fed.”

The young man was silenced.

In short, the Word of God does every good
thing; it alone makes a man truly wise, intel-
ligent, prudent, cautious, pious, kind, patient,
faithful, orderly, chaste, etc.—Duther.