# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1896_S27
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

The Lutheran Pioneer.

27

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The Stone in the Road.

A long time ago there lived a king who
took great delight in teaching his people good
habits. ‘‘Bad luck comes only to the lazy and
careless,’’ said he; ‘‘but to the busy workers
God gives the good things of this life.”’

One night he put a large stone in the middle
of the road near his palace, and then watched
to see what the people who passed that way
would do.

Early in the morning a sturdy old farmer,
named Peter, came along with his heavy ox-
cart loaded with corn.

“Oh! these lazy people,’’ he cried, driving
his oxen to one side of the road. ‘‘Here is
this big stone right in the middle of the road,
and nobody will take the trouble to move it.”’

And he went on his way, scolding about the
laziness of other people, but never thinking
of touching the stone himself.

Then there came a young soldier, singing
a merry song as he walked along.
feather was stuck in his hat and a big sword

hung at his side; and he was fond of telling

great stories of what he had done in the war.

He held his head so high that he did not see
the stone, but stumbled over it and fell flat

into the dust.

This put an end to his merry song; and,
as he rose to his feet, he began to storm at
the country people.

‘Silly drones!’? he said, ‘‘to have no more
sense than to leave a stone like that in the

middle of the road!’’

Then he passed on; but he did not sing

any more.

An hour later, there came down the road

six merchants with their goods on pack-horses,

going to the fair that was to be held near the
When they reached the stone the
Toad was so narrow that they could hardly

village.

drive their horses between it and the wall.
‘Did any one ever see the like?’’ they said.

“There is that big stone in the road, and not
& man in all the country but that is too lazy

to move it!”’

And so the stone lay there for three weeks ;
it was in everybody’s way, and yet everybody
left it for somebody else to move.

Then the king sent word to all his people

to meet together on a certain day near his
palace, as he had something to tell them.
_ The day came, and a great crowd of men
and women gathered in the road. Old Peter,
the farmer, was there, and so were the mer-
chants and the young soldier.

“TI hope that the king will not find out what
8 lazy set of people he has around him,” said
Peter.

And then the sound of a horn was heard,
and the king was seen coming toward them.
He rode up to the stone, got down from his
horse, and said:

“My friends, it was I who put this stone
here, three weeks ago. It has been seen by
very one of you; and yet every one has

over.

A gay

left it just where it was, and has scolded his
neighbor for not moving it out of the way.”

Then he stooped down and rolled the stone
Underneath the stone was a round,
hollow place, in which was a small iron box.

The king held up the box so that all the

people might see what was written on a piece
of paper fastened to it.

These were the words:

‘*For him who lifts the stone.’’

He opened the box, turned it upside down,
and out of it fell a beautiful gold ring and
twenty bright gold coins.

Then every one wished that he had only
thought of moving the stone instead of going
around it and finding fault with his neighbor.

There are very many people still who lose
prizes because they think it easier to find fault
than to do the work which lies before them.
Such people do not usually blame themselves,
but think it is all on account of bad luck and
hard times. — Selected.

The Infidel Blacksmith.

A certain infidel, who was a blacksmith,
was in the habit when a Christian man came
to his shop, of asking some of the workmen
if he had ever heard about brother So-and-so,
and what they had done? They would say no,
what was it? Then he would begin and tell
what some Christian brother or deacon or
minister had done, and then laugh and say:
‘That is one of their fine Christians we hear
so much about.”? An old gentleman, a deacon,
one day went to the shop, and the infidel soon
began about what some Christians had done,
and seemed to have a good time over it. The
old deacon stood a few minutes and listened,
and then quietly asked the infidel if he had
read the story in the Bible about the rich man
and Lazarus? ‘‘Yes, many atime; and what
of it??? ‘Well, do you remember about the
dogs—how they came and licked the sores of
Lazarus?”? ‘Yes, and what of that? ‘‘Well,”’
said the deacon, ‘‘do you know you just re-
mind me of those dogs, content merely to lick
the Christian’s sores.’” ‘The blacksmith sud-
denly grew pensive, and hasn’t had much to
say about failing Christians since ! — Selected.

——— + oo ae

Costly, but not Dear.

An Englishman visiting Lutheran Sweden,

inquired if it was not costly. He received the
suggestive answer : “Yes, it is costly, but not
dear. We Swedes are not rich enough to let
a child grow up in ignorance, misery, and
crime, to become a scourge to society as well
as a disgrace to himself.”

——>-oaP oe a
‘As soon as God makes a mana Christian by
faith, Satan loses a subject and finds an
enemy.

and noticing the care in educating children,’

Putting off Salvation.

The steamship Ventral America on 4 voyage
from New York to San Francisco sprang a leak
in mid-ocean. A vessel noticing her signal of
distress bore down toward her. Seeing the
danger to be very great, the captain of the
rescue ship spoke to the Central America:

‘«What is amiss?’’

‘‘We are in bad repair, and going down;
lie by till morning,’’ was the answer.

“Let me take your passengers on board
now.”’

But as it was night the commander of the
Central America did not like to send his pas-
sengers, lest some might be lost; and thinking
the ship could be kept atloat a while longer,
replied :

“Lie by till morning.”’

Once more the captain of the rescue ship
cried, ‘‘You had better let me take them now.’’

“Lie by till morning,’’ was sounded back
through the trumpet.

About an hour and a half afterwards her
lights were missed ; and though no sound had
been heard, the Central America had gone
down and all on board perished just because
it had been thought they could be saved better _
at another time. :

How much this reminds us of the fate that
may await those who persist in putting off the
claims of the Gospel! Jesus cries, ‘‘Come
unto Me, all ve that labor and are heary laden,
and I will give you rest.”’

Alas! the folly of those who answer, ‘‘Not
now; wait; ‘when I have a convenient season
I will call for Thee.’”’

———> - oo oe

Forgiveness of Injuries.

A slave who had, by the force of his ster-
ling worth, risen high in the confidence of his
master, saw one day, trembling in the slave-
market, a Negro, whose gray head and bent
form showed him to be in the last weakness
of old age. He implored his master to pur-
chase him.

The old man was bought and conveyed to
the estate. When there, he who had pleaded
for him took him to his own cabin, placed him
in his own bed, fed him at his own board,
gave him water from his own cup; when he
shivered, carried him into the sunshine; when
he drooped in the heat, bore him softly to the
shade.

‘What is the meaning of all that?’’ asked a
witness of his kindness. ‘‘Is he your father?”’

“No.”

’ “Js he your brother???

‘*No.””

‘cIs he then your friend ?””

‘No: he is my enemy. Years ago he stole
me from my native village and sold me for
a slave, and the good Lord has said, ‘If thine

enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give
him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap
coals of fire on his head.’ ””