# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1913_S13 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 'The Lutheran Pioneer. 18 vidual contribution was $17.50; for 1912, the high- est was $24.60. ‘Iwo members followed closely with over $22.00, others with $14.00, while many con- tributed from $5.00 to $10.00. And our young people were also there with from $1.50 to $3.00 and $4.00. ‘True, some few again neglected to give their congregation the support they easily could have given; they withheld from the Lord eyen the crumbs that fall from the table. e During the past year our school has undoubtedly experienced its most flourishing period since it was founded, almost twenty-five years ago. Though we had enlarged the school by adding another room during the last summer, still we were not able to accommodate all the children that applied for ad- mission in fall. Many left again for other schools. But notwithstanding all this loss, we closed the year with 225 pupils actually in attendance. Since then over one dozen new pupils have again applied. For the future there seems to be but one thing to do, to furnish more room. It can be done by rais- ing the chureh-building and building a room under- neath. Our congregation has already subscribed over $50.00 for this plan, and $37.00 of this money is paid. Our three teachers are working untiringly and with united effort for their school, ever planning and scheming to improve all along the line, and many of the pupils are too glad to help them, for they love their school. May it please God to prosper our school and chureh also in the future. G. M. Kramer. Brief Items from the Colored Mission Field. The Colored Inmates of the County Infirmary al St. Louis have regular religious services every Wednesday afternoon. ‘These services are conducted by the Students’ Missionary Society of our St. Louis Seminary. ‘The services are attended by about thirty persons, who seem to be very grateful for the sweet, pure Gospel sermons they are permitted to hear. The secretary of the Society, Mr. W. G. Schwelin, says in his report: “Thus far all has been very encouraging. May the good Lord bless the work of our society !” Our Colored Mission Board is carrying on its blessed work in forty-two different localities. Over forty colored and white laborers are active in this work. ‘The forty-two stations are scattered over eight states: Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Missis- sippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, and Virginia. The Colored Mission owns twenty-six churches and chapels, eight schools, two colleges, and seven dwellings. ‘This mission property is valued at about $115,000. We mentioned in our last issue that “Mr. Un- known” had visited the treasurer of our Colored Mission for the sixteenth time with a gift of $500.00. In the last biennial report the Board gratefully ac- knowledges the receipt of a number of other larger donations. Rev. H. Mueller, of Baraboo, Wis., made the mission a present of $500.00. Mr. Frederick Wolf, of Waverly, Iowa, donated $820.00. ‘The John Scheve Foundation appropriated $1,000 for indigent students in Greensboro, N. C. Father Wil- liam Waltke, a member of St. Paul’s Church, St. Louis, upon several occasions has donated sums of $200.00 and $300.00. An unknown friend in Sheboygan, Wis., has twice given $500.00. Another — kind friend in Spring Valley, Wis., regularly con- tributes from $20.00 to $30.00 every month. May God in His grace reward these friends of Colored Missions, and give the glorious cause many more such friends and helpers! eo The Gospel’s Victories in Africa. Inland from Cape Palmas, in Liberia, Africa, live the savage Kroo people. A missionary among this warlike tribe writes thus about his work in The Christian Herald: — “Work among these Kroo people is not without its highly dramatic incidents. Once, while preaching from the text, ‘Will a man rob God? a man sud- denly sprang to his feet shouting, ‘I will not rob ~ Ged any longer. ‘Take all the idols from my house. This we did, and burned and destroyed them pub- licly, while a great crowd looked on in silent awe. When our work started here, we found a naked and almost utterly degraded people. But God is doing wonderful things for the Kroo race, and the evi- dences are about us in many forms. “One of the most formidable influences we have had to combat is that of the Voodoo men, or devil doctors. ‘These men extol as virtues all the most vile practices. Lying and stealing are a part of their creed, and many of the baser crimes are quite permissible as long as the perpetrator escapes de- tection. They are continually fomenting petty wars between the tribes and subtribes, and to them mur-