# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1895_S30 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 30 The Lutheran Pioneer. (For the LUTHERAN PIONEER.) Uncle Bob and Aunt Car’line have an Argument. school-children of their dues. These people are throwing their savings into the Insurance coffers, just for the sake of a few dollars. The church-contributions grow smaller, the sick and needy must want, and the children must go in rags and tatters to school, without books, slates, etc. Aunt Car’line, have you never learned that passage from Holy Writ which says, ‘‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own under- standing’? Do you think the good Lord is agoing to help you when you trust in Life In- surance? No, Isay, never! You've got to cut loose from this business altogether, and be turned plumb around in mind and heart by the Spirit before you will do it, too. God promised you and me and all that the right- eous man shall never want for anything, no, never; but nowadays people won’t believe it. There was good old mother Andrews! When she was left alone with her eight little ones, what did she say? ‘‘God will help me to feed all these little mouths, surely.’’ Aunt Car’- line, did she join any Aid Society or Life In- surance in order to get money? A. C. No, Uncle Bob, she did not. U. B. Well, Aunt Car’line, how did she fare? A. C. Uncle Bob, God ‘took care of her and hers; indeed He did! True, two of her babies died, but she knew who was adoing it all. All her other ones grew up adoing right by their old mother—an honor to her, to themselves, and to the little church where all of them are still agoing. U. B. Well, then, Aunt Car’line, what’s the use of trusting in an Insurance-humbug? A. C. Uncle Bob, me and you will stay out! Maybe we’ll run a little short once in a while, but never out entirely. U. B. No, Aunt Car’line, not as long as you and I can say with believing hearts, ‘Give us this day our daily bread!”’ - Again he asked: ‘‘If I were to dip a person under water three times forward, or three times backward, and say no words over it, would that be baptism?’ ‘‘No,’’ was again the answer. : He continued: ‘‘If I were to take a person into a river or creek or baptistery, and have him stand in the water up to his waist, and then pour or sprinkle a handful of water on his head, but say no words with it, would that be baptism?’’ ‘‘No,’’ was again the answer. “But if, in all these different ways of bap- tizing persons, I had said,- ‘I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,’ would that have made it baptism ?’’ ‘‘Yes,’’ was the answer that came from the congregation. ‘‘Well then,’”’ said he, ‘‘don’t you see that baptism does not depend on the amount of water that is used, nor on the manner in which it is applied, but on the Word of God connected with the water? ‘That makes it baptism, and it does not matter how it is per- formed, if the Word of God is properly used with it.’? — Selected. A. GC. Well, Uncle Bob, I think it’s been a mighty handy sum of money to get from them. U. B. From whom, Aunt Car’line? A. C. From them Insurance people, Uncle Bob. U. B. Now, there, Aunt Car’line, stop your harping on that Life Insurance business. You yourself know how many times you told their pestering agents that you and Uncle Bob didn’t believe in Life Insurance, because it was wrong to be asetting a price on one’s life. I tell you no again! You may sell your eggs, your potatoes, your chickens, your clothes, and run your price up and down on them, but you can’t sell your life. Now, since you can’t sell it, so you can’t puta price on it; and if you can’t put a price on it, then you can’t insure it. x A. ©. Uncle Bob, don’t be so fretful! You know old Mrs. Smith who keeps the little shop around the corner, don’t you? U. B. Yes, Aunt Car’line, what about her? A. 'C. Well, they say she got over-a hun- dred dollars when Jimmie died. And sure, Uncle Bob, it was a great help to the poor old Jady, because she needed it, God knows. It * paid Jimmie’s funeral expenses and some other little incidentals; and what was over will serye her well, now that poor Jimmie is gone. U. B. Aunt Car’line, can you figure? A. G. Me? Now, Uncle Bob, have you for- gotten it already? U. B. What, Aunt Car’line? A. @. That I was the smartest. girl at fig- ures when I was agoing to the old District School. U. B. All right, then, Aunt Car’line. Sup- posing Jimmie’s funeral expenses were— well, say $40, that leaves the old woman $60. Now, it was Jimmie’s salary mostly that kept them agoing and what little the shop brought, least- ways people said so. But Jimmie is gone now, and the shop alone won’t do. What then, Aunt Car’line? A. C. Well, can’t she take a little of her Insurance money every month, say about $5, Uncle Bob? U. B. Of course, Aunt Car’line, and she will, too. But at the rate of $5 a month, how _ long before it’s all gone? _ A.C. Ah, pshaw, you’re too much astudy _—that way, Uncle Bob. -U. B. I say, how long, Aunt Car’line? A; @. To be sure, Uncle Bob, it’s bound to gone in a year, no more and no less. _U. B. What then, Aunt Car’line? ; L don’t know! I tell you, Aunt Car’line, people who their liyes have the dollar-religion. ‘How so, Uncle Bob? 3. Well, they’re depriving the church of the poor and needy of their dues, the — oe Child Life in Far-away Lands. I just know if you could see the cradle of a South American baby, you would think it the most cunning thing you ever saw. What do you thinkit is? Why, a palm leaf. A single leaf turned up.at the edge holds the baby. This cradle is often hung up in a tree, and the wind rocks the baby to sleep. An Eskimo baby is tucked up in his mother’s hood. Itis a warm place, and travelers say their chubby little faces look very good-natured and happy. When the child comes out of the hood, he is stuffed into a fawn-skin bag, and a string draws the garment together like a pudding bag. Japanese babies are born with a profusion of jet black hair, but the hair is immediately shaven from their heads. Sometimes with girl babies tiny spots of hair are left just in front and down by the ears, and on the back of the head. The costumes of the boys and girls in Japan are identical in style, but the boys wear dull, sober colors, while the girls are arrayed in all the hues of the rainbow. The Japanese boy takes as much delight in his pockets as any boy or girlin America. His pockets are his large, flowing sleeves, which are sewed up part way to admit of holding articles. The Japanese children have a way also of tucking things inside the belt or sash, which they al- ways wear about the waist. Little Missionary. <0 6-6 a ——s +e or eo How much Water? A colored preacher down South was an- noyed by Baptist Proselyters, who worried his people with their notion that immersion is the only valid mode of baptism, and that every one who wanted to become a Christian or join the church must be dipped. This in- duced him to preach on the subject to instruct his people, and he made use of a very good illustration to show the fallacy of the immer- sionist notion, as follows: ‘‘My brethren,’”’ said he, ‘if I were to sprinkle some water on the head of a person, but would not say any words while doing it, would that be baptism?’ ‘‘No,’? was the answer from the congregation. He asked again: ‘*If I would dip a person under water once forward or once backward, but would not say any words with it, would that be baptism?’’ eRe; ”” was again the answer. A urrte girl, gasping for her last mortal breath, said, ‘‘Father, take me.’’ Her father, who sat weeping by her bed, lifted her into his lap. She smiled, thanked him, and said, “I spoke to my heavenly Father,’’ and died. —