# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1895_S22 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 22 The Lutheran Pioneer. highest and most glorious giver of blessings unto us, and that they all proceed from the greatest of all virtues. The fact that anything is given from true love makes the gift itself greater and more precious. If therefore we are convinced that love prompts the bestowal of any gift, we are well pleased; but when we doubt the existence of this motive in the giver, we care but little for his gift. But the words are plain: God so loved the world. Therefore we ought to value highly, on account of His love, all His gifts, especially those which He has ordained to our salvation and the strengthening of our faith, as His Word, Holy Baptism, and the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ. These gifts appear not brilliant before the world, yet unto us they are heaven itself, and make us glad and cheerful because they flow from the love of our Father toward us and are instituted for our benefit. Therefore Christ in this connection not only teaches us that God will give us something, but also in what . manner He will do this, namely, through Di- vine, fatherly love. Dr. Martin Lutuer. a heap of trouble. Now, as all of you can’t come down yourselves to see how rickety- crickety our ark is, Uncle Bob will tell you. In the first place, there’s no more paint on Mount Zion church, and it looks like a great big ugly bugaboo. Now there, I knew Johnny would whisper to Jennie and say: ‘‘Uncle Bob ought to have it painted, surely; and:if every one of us Lutheran school-children would bring a cent a-piece, it could be done, and more.’’. But, Johnny, I tell you that paint would fall when the building dropped. See here! Our dear Pastor and Uncle Bob got a crow-bar last Friday, and pried the weather- boarding open for about 30 feet along the sills—those are the thick timbers on which the building rests. I tell you, children, if the Lord wasn’t holding up that building by the gable-ends ail this while, it surely would be in a big heap now. I guess He wanted us to pry open the side of it, so we could see some- thing must be done. The sills were partly gone, and what was left was nothing else than a line of dust and splinters. The inside of the church is as bad as the outside. The plas- ter is coming down all over. There are some bare patches as big as your kitchen-table. When it rains, it comes through the roof in a stream. That’s the time Uncle Bob gets put out, for he can’t get to the blackboard during arithmetic lesson. There’s another spot where an old rat ate its way through the rotten floor. I’ye-seen that rat during school- hours and services. One little mouse comes out regularly, and runs underneath the organ. Now, I’m not telling you this for fun, but to show you that the whole place is rotten, and unfit for church purposes. In the last years, many children staid away from school for various reasons. You know what I believe? Your parents would have kept you also on the safe side of that old building if they were in our places. Really, it is the shabbiest building in our neighbor- hood! Some time ago, we started to save up for a new church, and though we are poor, yet we managed to get several hundred dollars together; but that’s not enough to build a church. Can’t you help us? All of you, Uncle Bob would suggest, might talk this matter over during recess, and see if you can’t agree to save your coppers for the next few months. Turn them over to your teachers, and they will send all contributions to the Mis- sion Board. Now, dear nephews and nieces, that’s Uncle Bob’s story. : One more thing. Remember the Colored Mission and its laborers in your prayers. Ask God to bless it and us, and to make you all willing to sacrifice a little for Jesus’ sake. It's growing late, and all the little ones must be off to bed. So Good-night to you all. With love, 2 Your affectionate uncle, Bos. The Fourth Commandment. An old school-master said one day to the parish pastor who had come to examine his school: ‘‘I believe the children know the Cate- chism word for word.’’ “But do they understand it? That is the question,’’ said the pastor, and thereupon be- gan the examination of the children. A little boy had repeated the commandment: ‘*Honor thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.’’ ‘Please explain that,’’ said the pastor. Instead of trying to do so, the little fellow said almost in a whisper: ‘‘Yesterday I showed some strange gentleman over the mountain. The sharp.stones cut my feet, the gentleman saw them bleeding, and gave me some money to buy shoes with. I gave it to my mother, for she had no shoes either, and I thought I could go barefoot better than she could.” Did the little boy understand the meaning of the commandment, and did he practice its teachings? ——>-_- ~ 0-2 - (For the LUTHERAN PIONEER.) Uncle Bob’s Letter. A man of violent temper was often and easily overtaken by passion. He repented every time he had been angry, but afterwards always found himself guilty of the same of- fense. He came to this conclusion: ‘‘It is not good to live in this wicked world. I would surely be patient, if the people would be peace- able. I better go into the forest and become a hermit. When I am not obliged to see, hear, or suffer any wrong, I will not be angry, but enjoy perfect peace.’’ He retired from the world, went into the deepest solitude, selected a place where a spring was flowing over a rock, and com- menced building himself a hut. By working; the hermit soon became heated. He took the pitcher and placed it under the water. It fell over. He set it up, and waited until it was nearly full, when the pitcher again fell over. Now his violent nature again became excited. He grasps the pitcher and pushes it against the stones, saying: ‘‘Will you stand now!” The pitcher broke to pieces, and only the handle was left in his hand. He now regained his self-possession, was struck with terror, and said to himself: ‘‘O what a foolI am! I thought wrath came into myself, but now I see that it comes out of my- self. Self-possession and patience are neces- Sary everywhere, whether I be alone, or live among my fellow-men. I will no longer be a hermit, but return to my brethren. Possibly they will give me good advice, and help me to overcome myself.’’ —7rom the German. — ““Curist is God’s way home for the lost child.” Jesus said unto him, ‘‘I am the way; and the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me.’’ My pear NerHews AND NIECEs : — All of you love Jesus; and, of course, it’s taken for granted that anything pertaining to His kingdom will certainly interest you all. To-day Uncle Bob wants to tell you some- thing about Mount Zion, our oldest station in New Orleans. Sit down, then, my dear children, and listen. Mount Zion is situated on Franklin Ave., which is nearly 100 feet wide. An electric line of cars passes by our doors. Before long, this wide avenue will be paved, and then we shall have one of the finest streets in town. When Mount Zion moved ont this way, no one anticipated these modern improvements; for that was more than a dozen years ago, and New Orleans was ‘‘Sleepy Hollow” then. Once you got out of the business portion, you could only see mud streets, and Franklin Ave. is one of them yet, but not for long. So you see, we are in a desirable neighborhood. All about us thousands of colored families are living. But for all that, we have failed lately & good deal in our work among the colored people. Of course, you can not help asking why. Uncle Bob anticipated the question, and for that reason will explain the whole matter; then you all will see what is wanted. Well, as I was going to say, we bought our present church property when you all were babies, and such sweet ones, too. It was then already 40 or more years old; and if you will ‘add 13 years more to that, you will have its present age pretty correctly. It is a pretty “big building, and looks just like an ark. But that would be all right, only Uncle Bob fears '# going to tumble down one of these days kill somebody; then there’s going to be New Orleans, La., May 6, 795.