# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1849 05 11_S127
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

To prevent a crop failure and the famine that would result from it, it was expected that someone would offer up a prisoner of war of one of the two sexes, and there were always those who considered it an honor to devote the spoils of their courage to the common welfare. The victim itself was carefully kept in ignorance of the fate awaiting it; it was dressed in the finest clothing, fed the best food, and treated with all tenderness, with the intention of promoting its fatness and thereby preparing a more pleasing gift for the gods who were to be appeased. When the unsuspecting victim had, through the successful use of these means, been sufficiently fattened, a day was set for the sacrifice, and the whole tribe assembled to witness the solemn event.

Picture to yourselves the great gathering of the Pawnees in honor of the sacrifice, and their wild rejoicing. Into the middle of the great circle they bring a stake, the end of which is sharpened, and then drive it deep into the earth. Then arises shouting and cries of joy, a sign that everything is ready. At some distance stands a band of Pawnees — at the side of their leader, a fine young girl. She is an Ietan. They draw near. The one who led her captive strides proudly into the circle. A cry of joy welcomes him. He takes the girl by the hand and leads her to the fateful spot. Her back is leaned against the stake; ropes are brought and she is bound to it. Then bundles of wood are gathered and laid around the victim. Already a torch can be seen approaching from the forest nearby. At this moment a young warrior springs into the circle, rushes to the stake, cuts the ropes binding the victim to it, leaps onto a horse and throws her onto another, drives both to the swiftest gallop, and is soon vanished into the distance. It was Petalesharro, the son of the great chief of the Pawnees, Letalashahou. After he had brought the rescued girl into the wide plains beyond the borders of the Pawnee town and provided her with provisions, he showed her the best way to her people, who were about four hundred miles away, and left her. She had the good fortune, the very next day, to meet a band of warriors of her own people, by whom she was safely brought home.

In the year 1821 Petalesharro went to Washington on business of his people. The ladies there presented him, at a solemn gathering, with a medal in recognition of his noble deed. With the grace peculiar to the Indian, he held before him the token of honor which he had won in so heroic a manner, and, looking upon it, answered as follows: "This gift brings peace to my heart. I feel calm, like a leaf after the storm, when the wind is still. I have heard you. I am glad. I love the pale faces more than ever, and will open my ears wider still when they speak. I am glad that you have heard of my deed. I did not know that my deed was so good. It came from my heart. I did not know its worth. Now I know how good it was. You teach me this by giving me this medal."

Such deeds the rationalists are wont to cite as proofs of the natural goodness, purity, and incorruption of the human heart. We, however, following holy Scripture, see with Augustine in the virtues of the heathen only splendid vices. Such deeds have the appearance of a good work, but nothing more, for they spring from ambition, vanity, and desire for glory. The heart of the unregenerate is evil, and therefore so are all its fruits, however brightly they may gleam outwardly under the hypocritical mask of virtue.

By contrast, heathenism reveals its truly devilish, horrible nature all too plainly in human sacrifices. And yet, one cannot deny, in this fearful aberration there speaks a dim presentiment of human sinfulness, of the wrath of God, and of a reconciling sacrifice.

Reader! You who have found peace and made your garments white in the blood of the Lamb, and who in believing enjoyment of the same daily taste the kindness and graciousness of your God — do not forget in your prayer those poor, sunken heathen who, without knowing it themselves, sigh for redemption. It is indeed an easy thing for Christ to tear them from the strong armed one, to lead them out of the waterless pit, and to enlighten them with the word of eternal life. They too are, through creation and through redemption, doubly Christ's own; to them too he has promised salvation; therefore let us do all that is possible for us to lead those stray sheep into the arms of their ever-faithful Shepherd.

"Der Lichtfreund."

In the latest number of this paper a correspondent from our good city of St. Louis works himself into a fury over the fact that the Lutheraner, some time ago, demonstrated how foolish it is to take offense at the miracle of Balaam's speaking donkey. This matter, together with the fact that we Lutherans refuse to believe, as our own notions would have it, that our republic is of the devil, so puts our dear republican fellow citizen beside himself that, as though seized by a spirit of divination, he utters the following oracle: "But the time will surely come, alas, for America, when these Lutheran Jesuits, just as well as the Catholic ones, will be driven out of the land, as has happened elsewhere." Since we must now fear that the honorable correspondent has found something in the story of the speaking donkey to take as a personal offense, we hereby declare that we had absolutely no intention of injuring any of our fellow citizens personally by it. But as to the second point, we believe that, while revolution is indeed never made without sin, yet every existing regular governmental authority and constitution of state, no matter by what path it came to be established, is of God — for Scripture says: "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God."

The gentleman correspondent has indeed signed himself with the letter X; we take the modest liberty of doubting, however, that this is the initial letter of his name, and hold rather that he means by it, to our comfort, to give us to understand that he belongs to those who like to pass an X off on people for a U, so that we need not be afraid of that unrepublican oracle.

"Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit." Proverbs 26:5.

When the princely Schönburg court preacher at Hartenstein, Niedner, was once at table with his prince, a saucy young noblewoman turned to the venerable old man with the words: "Tell me, Mr. Court Preacher, do you really also believe that Balaam's donkey spoke?" The one questioned answered quickly: "No, my lady — for it is written that it was a she-ass that spoke." The young lady fell silent.

To believe rightly and to live well, secretly and by oneself, does not trouble the evil spirit so greatly. But when one wishes to come out with it, and spread it abroad, confess it, preach it, and commend it also for the good of others — that he cannot bear.

Luther.

Law and Gospel.

The law, where it is rightly understood, makes one despairing, and brings about despair; but where it is not understood, it produces hypocrisy. Likewise the Gospel: where it is not rightly understood, it makes people careless and coarse; but again, where it is rightly understood and believed, it makes people devout and godly.

Luther.

Church News.

After Herr Dr. Stibolt of Holstein had received a regular call from the German Lutheran congregations at Warsaw, Illinois, and at Keokuk, Iowa, and had passed the prescribed theological candidate's examination, he was, on the 28th of last month, before the local Lutheran congregation in its Trinity Church, publicly and solemnly ordained to his office by the president of the synod, with the assistance of Pastor Bünger.

Report on World Affairs.

It is difficult to draw an accurate picture of the European, and in particular the German, conditions, and still more difficult to make a probable judgment for the near future, since these conditions have, in recent months, fallen into new confusion and uncertainty. It appears