# The Lutheran Pioneer_St. Louis_1931_S109 # Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration) 108 THE LUTHERAN PIONEER between two Taiyals, he is supposed to have come out victor who can first produce a human head. Boys aged fifteen are expected to bring home heads to prove that they have attained to the estate of manhood. When a boy returns with his first trophy, a feast is arranged in his honor, and his courage and manly prowess is made much of. Thus a premium is placed upon brutal murder. These savages seldom, if ever, confront their victims face to face. Only after they have brought down their human prey with a successful shot, do they spring upon the victim to cut off his head. When the boy is too young or has little or no prac- tise with a gun, his father will accompany him to do the shooting. Sometimes a whole village will make an attack upon another village. Just what the causes of these spasmodic uprisings may be is hard to tell. It may be revenge for some supposed or real wrong, or it may be that their superstitions are aroused by the doings of the government in the way of making improvements on the island, such as making roads, ~ laying railroad tracks, or running telegraph lines. The Japanese have tried hard to get possession - of the guns in the hands of the wild tribesmen, and “in the past thirty years they have actually succeeded in taking about 32,000 rifles; but unprincipled traders are always ready to supply the savages again with these dangerous weapons. When, a few years ago, several clans of the Taiyal tribe were persuaded to give. up their guns, the clansmen gathered in a solemn ceremony, drank wine from the barrels of their guns, and with tears running down their cheeks and their voices a-quiver surondered their weapons. Into the haunts of the wild head-hunters of Formosa, into the dread shadows of its mountain fastnesses and entangled thickets, where the light of the sun scarcely ever penetrates to dispel the physical gloom, also the bright rays of the Gospel have never shined. To these “uttermost parts of the earth” no Gospel-messenger has ever come to bring sunshine, love, security, and happiness such as only Christ can bring. to the heart of man. Satan’s complete mastery and slavery over the souls of men in those parts has never yet been challenged by the preaching of the Gospel. Let us hope and pray 'that some day these wild head-hunters in their _ jungles will hear the glad sound of the Gospel, see _ the great light, and be saved. F.J.L. v eeu , ————_—— SS ————— “T= Church is full of willing people. Some are willing to work; others are willing to let them.” Items of Missionary Interest. (By the Eprror.) Luther Preparatory School. — This institution, the successor of Luther College in New Orleans, we are pleased to learn, will have another year added to its curriculum, thus becoming a school with a full high-school course. Director Scherf will be given two instructors to assist him in his work. We hope that Luther Preparatory School may be the means of giving many servants of the Lord their preparatory training. Baton Rouge, La.—Superintendent G. M. Kra- mer of the Louisiana Field has been working at Baton Rouge for a number of years. About a month ago Pastor Kramer gathered in the first- fruits of his efforts by baptizing an adult. There are good prospects that the ingathering will con- tinue. The service in which this person was bap- tized was well attended. One mother who was present in the service asked Pastor Kramer to bap- tize her five children at an early date. Pastor Kramer has a zealous assistant in Baton Rouge in the person of a member of Bethlehem, New Orleans, who is ever gathering children and adults about her when she visits Baton Rouge, and she tells them of her Church and its beautiful services. The ser- vices are being held for the present in the house of this lady’s aunt. Concordia, New Orleans. — Here Pastor Kra- mer confirmed five adults a month ago. Two of these new members were won through the aid of the Lutheran Radio Hour. They told their rela- tives living eighty miles from New Orleans of the Lutheran Hour, and the result is that quite a large group of people gather at the home of these rela- tives every Thursday evening to listen to hymns and the sermon coming to them through the air. It seems as if we may be called upon to open a station there in the not distant future. Napoleonville, La. — Pastor Kramer preaches here once a month to an audience numbering fif- teen to twenty persons.