The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1881, Page 31

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

31

Lt SS ——__————————————

The Laplanders.

STOCKFLETH, THEIR FAITHFULL MISSIONARY.

It is refreshing to look at our picture in those
hot summer days. It makes you feel cooler
and will do you more good than flying from
fans to icewater and watching the thermometer
with despairing certainty that it never was so
hot before.

Those Laplanders live in a cold country far
up in the North of Europe. Their chief wealth
is the reindeer, which gives them food and
clothing, and draws them in sledges over the
snow. Lutheran missionaries from Norway,
Sweden, and Denmark have labored faithfully
for the spread of the Gospel in that cold and
dreary country. One of those missionaries was
the Rev. Stockfleth. He was born on the 11th
of January, 1787. When yet a
child, he lost his father, who left,
beside his widow, three sons and
one daughter. Their poverty was
80 great that when the two oldest
sons went, in 1803, to the uni-

versity of Copenhagen, one suit
of clothes had to serve both, so
that one had to stay at home when
the other went out. Stockfleth’s
studies were interrupted by the
war which had broken out in
Europe. In 1824, however, he
finished his studies with the help
of some friends. His desire was
now for a field of labor. He
sought it among the Laplanders.
Their neglected state troubled
him; his heart bled for them;
his thoughts were occupied with
them. He was ordained, in 1825,
as Pastor of Vadsoe in East Fin-
mark. He now married Sarah Cornelia Ko-
ren, who proved a true helpmate tohim. Truly
religious and untiring, she was his constant
companion on his travels and the faithful
assistant in his hard labors for the welfare
of his flock. His parish was very large, con-
sisting also of Norwegians and Swedes. He
had, therefore, to be constantly on the move;
now in open boats on the rivers, now in sleighs
drawn hy reindeer. He had frequently to walk
long distances and his journeys extended into
Russia, because the Mountain Laplanders would
often roam that far in search of pasture. The
labor was too much for his strength, he there-
fore determined to devote himself exclusively
to the Laplanders. ‘In 1828, he exchanged the
well-paid pastorate of Vadsoe for the humble
one of Lebesby. His income now was very
small, but he did not suffer. ‘‘God,’’ says he
in his diary, ‘“‘helped; I got money, when I
had use for it; it was not necessary to have it
at any other time.” He and his wife now con-
stantly Inabored among the Laplanders. They
travelled with them; they dwelt with them in
their tents in summer, and in their huts in
winter; they ate with them, and spared no

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pains to master their language, that, as Stock-
fleth said, he might be able to tell them of the
wondrous works of God in the language which
he had given them. His simple manners, his
earnest preaching, his devotion to the people
gained him the love of the Mountain Laplan-
ders. Their joy was unbounded when they
heard the Word of God preached and got books
printed in their own language. They had,
however, to be treated like children; but he
understood them thoroughly and knew how to
speak to them. During his short stay in one
of the districts, he wanted to have three ser-
vices on Sunday—in the morning, the after-
noon, and the evening. The people did not
want any service in the afternoon, that was
something new, they did not want any of that,
and they said to him, ‘‘You can not have ser-
vice in the afternoon, for nobody will come.’’ He

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Pras on
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all his hard labors in the service of the Lord.
“They that turn many to righteousness shall
shine as the stars for ever and ever.”

There is still room for mission work among
the Laplanders, and we are glad to see from
the papers that the Lutheran Princess Eugeuie,
sister of Oscar I., King of Sweden, takes a
personal interest in this important work. She
has organized a society of ladies at Stockholm
who devote their time and means to the Lap-
land mission. She has also formed at her
castle a sewing society, which labors solely for
missionary objects. May God bless the mission
in the snow-clad fields of Lapland!

—_——s +2 oo

Lapland Babies on Sunday.

Those Laplanders who have been converted
to Christianity are a very devout people. They
take long journeys to attend
church on Sunday. And the
mothers do not stay at home on
account of the babies. They take
their babies with them. But not
into church. No! When the
family arrives at the little wooden
church, the father shovels a snug
little bed in the snow, and the
mother wraps the baby in skins -
and puts it in this snowy bed.
Then the father piles the snow
around it, and a trusty dog is
stationed near the baby to keep
off the wolves, should any be
prowling about in the neighbor-
hood. The parents then go into
the building. Often as many as
thirty babies may be seen laid
away in the snow about a church.
So the babies cannot disturb the
preacher, and the preacher can-

very quietly said, ‘‘There is one who has prom-| not disturb the babies. In one of our country

ised to he present.’’ ‘‘One?”’ said they; ‘and
will you preach toone? Whois he?”’ Stock fleth
answered solemnly: ‘‘God.” The deepest si-
lence followed, and one after another left; but a
full congregation assembled in the afternoon.
In his old age Stockfleth had to contend with
fanatical men who arose in one of the congre-

congregations, you know, a woman once took
her baby to church, but the voice of the
preacher waked the child into screams. ‘‘Do
not go,”’ said the preacher to the mother, ‘‘the
baby does not disturb me.’”’ “That may be,’
said the mother, still retreating, ‘but you dis-
turb the baby.”” Such a thing cannot happen in

gations and spread all kinds of terrible errors. | Lapland.

With the help of God, however, he led many
of them to sce the error of their way, and the
troubled waters became, after a time, settled.

Hard labor, constant exposure and travels
had exhausted the strength of the old man,
who was now sixty-six years of age; he could
hardly move. He obtained his discharge and
a pension, in 1853. Confined to his room, he
still labored for his beloved Laplanders, devot-
ing his time and failing strength to the prep-
aration of books in their language. The sum-
mons to arise and go home to the eternal rest
in heaven, came to this faithful Lutheran mis-
sionary on the 26th of April, 1866. The aged
and weary pilgrim was ready for the call; he
fell asleep in Jesus, while leaning on the breast

—— oo oe

In THe CaTHeprat at Lubeck hangs an
ancient tablet, with the inscription:
Christ, our Lord, speaks thus to us:

Ye call me Master—and inquire not of Me.
Light—and look not on Me.
the Way—and follow Me not.
the Life—and desire Me not.
wise—and obey Me not.
beautiful—and love Me not.
rich—and ask naught of Me.
eternal—and seek Me not.
merciful—and trust Me not.
noble—and serve Me not.
Almighty—and honor Me not.
just—and fear Me not.

of his beloved wife, the faithful companion in If I condemn you—blame Me not.