# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1930_S128
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

127

give.” The missionary asked him if he had any
more money, and the answer came, “No.” The
missionary told him that he could not afford to give
so much. The Indian’s answer promptly came: “It
might be too much for one of another race to give,
but not too much for an Indian who has this year
heard for the first time of the love of Jesus.”
The Need for Christian Missionaries. — Prof.
Mabel Carney of the Columbia University of New
York is credited with the following opinion on
Christian missions after having covered 80,000 miles
in traveling about in Africa: “My journey to Africa
has opened my eyes with regard to Christian mis-
sion-work. Is the highest expression of self-denial
and devotion to the cause of Jesus Christ to dis-
appear out of the world? Are the best friends of
the primitive peoples to leave these to their fate in
their time of greatest need, the period of transition ?
Is the greatest ennobling and refining power in the
life of the Western nations to cease to exist? If
that is the case, then it will also have to be said that
mission-work must cease. But if not, then one must
assist and foster the missions; for missions, as
I have seen them in Africa, are representative and
expressive of these very things. Before I went to
Africa, I was of opinion that the work of the mis-
sionary was no longer necessary and that henceforth
the education of these people on legislative lines
should be desirable and necessary. But now I am
absolutely and thoroughly convinced that the work
of the missionary is not superfluous. No one can
learn to know the needs of Africa without becoming
convinced that there exists in the world a great
opportunity and a great need for the missionary.”
That is true. Christianity is still the salt of the
earth, and there is no power in the world that can
work for the uplifting of mankind as does the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. — Australian Lutheran.

The Degree of “Mother.” — The title “mother”
was by resolution bestowed upon Miss Susan R.
Howland, who for many years has worked on the
Island of Ceylon. To show its gratitude for the
unselfish and loving services of this missionary
worker, the South India United Church resolved to
confer this honorary title upon Miss Howland “in
recognition of the valuable services rendered by her
in training good Indian mothers for our country.”

An Appreciation. — After having been in India
for some time, Dr. Kenyon L. Butterfield, a noted
American educator, says: “If Europeans and Amer-
icans who criticize the missionaries would give one-
thousandth part of the time which missionaries give

to solid thinking about the welfare of the people
of India, would give one-hundredth of the time that
missionaries give to work for the benefit of these
people, and would give one-tenth of the money which
missionaries sacrifice for the country, then these
critics would have some claim to speak and to be
listened to with respect. All this does not mean
that missionaries and missions are above criticism.
It simply means that I have the greatest admiration
for the devotion, the earnestness, and the intelli-
gence of the missionaries in India.”

A Living Thief.— A minister was conversing
with a man who professed conversion. “Have you
united with a church?” he asked him. “No; the
dying thief never united with a church and he went
to heaven,” was the answer. “Have you ever gone
to the Lord’s Supper?” “No; the dying thief never
did, and he was accepted.” “Have you given to
missions?” “No; the dying thief did not, and he
was not judged for it.” “Well, my friend, the dif-
ference between you two seems to be that he was
a dying thief and you are a, living one.”

One Hundred Thousand Dollars
for Sacrifice.

On a certain day last January sixty priests from
Benares, while chanting mantras, at the Kumbh
Mela camp set alight a sacrificial fire which in five
days consumed offerings of rare incense, scents, per-
fumes, oil-seeds and ghee worth in the aggregrate
no less than one hundred thousand dollars.

Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, of Benares,
inaugurated the ceremony, but previous to the ac-
tual mela ceremony a sadhu had sanctified the place
by calling continuously, day and night, on the name
of a god.

Among those who witnessed the ceremony were
the Maharaja of Dharbhanga and the Maharaja of
Benares who, it is said, contributed many costly
presents for the sacrifice.

One priest, however, stood out from among all
others, and his camp was continuously filled while
the mela lasted. This was His Holiness Sri 1008,
Pandit Vishnu Digambar, who had been specially
requested by the king of Nepal to offer his inter-
cessions for the soul of Chandra Sham Sher Jung
Bahadur, the late prime minister of Nepal. The
figure 1008 after the title Sri indicates his impor-
tance among the Hindu priesthood, for Sri must
be repeated one thousand and eight times before
his name may be mentioned. F.J.L.