The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1882, Page 18

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18 The Lutheran Pioneer.

Plenty of Baskets.

We read in the sixth chapter of the Gospel
according to St. John that, when Christ had
fed the multitude, ‘‘the fragments of the five
barley-loaves”’ were gathered and twelve bask-
ets were filled with those fragments. We are
not provided so poorly by the Lord as not to
have some fragments left. A stingy man, we
know, has nothing to spare. But God’s chil-
dren always have some fragments, and they
know that these belong to the Lord from whom
they receive all they have. And they need
not fear that there are not plenty of baskets to
put those fragments in. Why, there are so
many baskets passed around among God’s chil-
dren that it makes one’s heart leap with joy.
There is a basket, and on it we read: ‘‘For
Church and School’; there is another: ‘‘For
Emigrant Mission’”’; there is another: ‘For
Foreign Mission”; there is another: “For
Home Mission”’; there is another: “For Lu-
theran Hospitals’’; there is another: ‘‘For
Lutheran Orphans’ Home’’; there is another:
‘For Lutheran Deaf and Dumb Asylum”;
there is another: ‘‘ For English Mission in the
West.” (This basket is rather empty and
ought to be filled soon; for a missionary has
already been sent out to look after the interests
of our Church among the English Lutheran
people of the Western States.) There is an-
other basket: ‘‘For Colleges and Seminaries.”
And in one of our Lutheran synods they are
at present passing around a basket—and a very
large basket it is—on which we read: “ Build-
ing Fund for the new Lutheran Seminary at
St. Louis.’’ Perhaps some of our readers have
already seen that basket passing by their way.
We hope they did not let it pass by without
utting in their contributions. And here is
another basket. It is not as large as the
former, but it is most beautifully worked, and
we might as well tell you that our little PlonEER
calls it his ‘pet basket.’’ What basket is it?
We might here close our article and Jet our
readers guess at it. Publishing riddles would
be a new feature in our paper; and editors,
you know, are very apt to consider such a thing
an improvement. But we will not do anything
of the kind. We will tell you which basket
we mean. On its label we read: “For our
Coxorep Mission.”’ We are glad to say that
this basket is not so very empty; but just now
it ought to be filled; for, as our readers can see
from the letter of our missionary, we must
have another chapel for the colored people in
New Orleans. We do hope that contributions
for this purpose will also be sent by many
readers of. the Pioneer. The editor will gladly
acknowledge in this paper all contributions
sent to his address: Concordia College, Fort
Wayne, Ind.—And now we can close our ar-
ticle. We have made our point. We have

“proven that there are plenty of baskets for the

fragments of God's people. If any of our
readers will sit down and grieve about the
scarcity of baskets, it is not our fault. There-
fore, dear reader, keep in mind what this ar-
ticle says, and, please, don’t throw it into the
waste-basket. ;
——<> +. oe

Letter from New Orleans.

DEAR PIONEER :—

Your readers are aware that our Colored Mis-
gion in New Orleans is carried on both in ‘‘Sail-
ors’ Home”’ and on Clayborn street. When
swe now look back upon the labor of the past
year, we must ex aim with the Psalmist:

‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is
within me, bless His holy name.’’ He has
blessed the Jabor of His servants more abund-
antly than we could ever hope and ask for.

We will, firstly, take a view at the Clayborn-
mission. About a year ago our chapel stood
there-lonely and deserted, known only to its
nearest neighbors, a place of refuge for quadru-
peds; it would have been sold to the highest
bidder or hewn down and cast into the fire, but
for the earnest pleading of a few warm friends.
‘‘Spare it another year,” they pleaded, ‘‘and
if it brings forth no fruit, then cut it down.”
Our chapel was spared, and it is no longer a
lonely and deserted place. A large audience
gathers every Sunday and Wednesday evening
to listen to the preaching of God’s word; a
choir of ladies and gentlemen leads the sing-
ing, and Lutheran hymns and melodies are
making their way to many a home. One hun-
dred children crowd our chapel every day,
busy at work and zealous in learning the duties
of life and the way of salvation. That the
children appreciate the warm interest which
Mr. Charles Berg takes in their spiritual and
temporal welfare was manifest from the many
tokens of love and respect which they gave
him on the day of examination held on the 4th
inst. His desk was on that day completely
covered with beautiful flowers. A number of
parents and relations of the children were pres-
ent to witness the proceedings of the day, and
it was pleasing to see the smiling face and the
beaming eyes of the parent whenever a son or
a daughter was called on to work and analyze
examples from the arithmetic, or to answer
questions in Catechism, Bible History, Geo-
graphy, and Grammar. They, as we, had
reason to thank and praise God for His bounti-
ful blessing. As our school is based upon
strictly religious principles, it continues to find
favor among old and young, despite powerful
opposition from other denominations. The
Sunday-school is also in a prosperous condition
under the superintendency of Mr. Berg, as-
sisted by Mary Joseph, Josephine Williams and
Louis Thomas, pupils of the day-school. Six
catechumens receive instruction at the house
of the missionary.

-*Snilors’ Home,”’ the building in which our
mission is carried on on Erato street, has so
often been depicted elsewhere, that we will not
stain the columns of the PronEER with a new
description of it. Although our labor here
does not yield the fruits we might expect, yet
the blessing of the Lord is plainly visible; we
are glad to see the word of God take root in
the hearts of old and young; and firmly cling-
ing to the never-failing promise of God, ‘‘ that
His word shall never return unto Him void,
but it shall accomplish that which He pleases,
and it shall prosper in the things whereto He
sends it’’, we hope to see still brighter days.

The divine services on Sundays and Thurs-
days have a fair attendance. Many of our
church-goers have a long way to walk, but
they are the most regular visitors. The school
is divided into two classes. The Primary De-
partment is in charge of Miss L. D. Watsen,
an educated young lady, who has worked with
faithfulness and interest in our mission for
over two years. The Intermediate Department
is in the charee of Mr. E. Vix, a graduate of
the Teachers’ Seminary at Addison, Ill. Both
teachers are working with praiseworthy zeal
and energy, and they have thereby won the
love and esteem of both children and parents.
The number of pupils in both departments is
at present about 125; the daily attendance is
somewhat smaller. The catechumen class in

this charge numbers 22 and our recitation

room is in the fourth story of the building,
‘«where the birds make their nests’’ and where
the beloved children can choose between stand-

ing or sitting on the floor. Will not some of
their little sisters and brothers in the white
congregations throughout the Synodical Con-
ference assist them in securing a better place
and more comfortable seats?

As a skillful builder, when he is about to
raise a lofty structure, takes care to lay a solid
foundation, so we. We are laying the founda-
tion for the Colored Lutheran Zion ; of our skill
we do not glory, but we glory in Him who has
promised to guide us in the work and to speed it.

That our mission in ‘Sailors’ Home” does
not make the progress which we might expect,
is owing to the locality in which it is carried
on. We labor under the greatest disadvan-
tages and under the most trying difficulties,
and by remaining in that locality we fear our
mission will go backward instead of forward.
That God also there, despite so many obstacles,
continues to bless our labor and to crown our
endeavors, shows plainly that it is well-pleasing
to Him.

Before we close our letter we must beg leave
to extend our heartfelt thanks to the many
Christian friends who so promptly and liberally
opened their hearts and hands to our petition
a year ago. Many a child was clothed, many
a suffering mother relieved, and thanks and
good wishes were returned. When we again
venture to call on all Christian friends of our
mission to help us out of ‘‘ Sailors’ Home,’’ we
trust they will meet our petition with the same
promptness and liberality as then. We are in
a dangerous place. The lives of the teachers,
children and a small congregation are endan-
gered; for ‘Sailors’ Home” is an old dilapidated
building. It takes no heavy storm to blow it
down, and should lives be buried in the ruins,
‘their blood is upon our hands.’’? Therefore
help us, brethren, help us! The day on which
you enable us to bid adieu to this horrible and
dangerous place will be a day of joy and glad-
ness. Oh, ‘‘let us work while it is day, the
night cometh soon, when no man can work; for
the night is far spent and _ the day is at hand.’’
God hastens to gather in His elect through His
servants. Should not those who value the
word of salvation themselves endeavor to send
it to others? Sinners who have heard of a loy-
ing Saviour and have been snatched as ‘‘ brands
from the burning” by His grace, will gladly
assist us in making known the glad tidings of
His salvation to thousands of fellow-sinners
who are sitting in darkness and the shadow of
death, broken-hearted and fuinting amid deso-
lation and despair. Oh, think of Him who,
unsolicited and unthought of, came from the
throne of heaven in mercy to us. And what
did He give for us? Silver and gold? Ono.
“We were not redeemed”’ with such ‘‘corrupt-
ible things’’ as these. He gave His own ‘‘pre-
cious blood.” Though now returned to His
home and to glory, He still thinks of us. He
says to us this moment from the lofty heavens,
as His compassionate eye looks upon those who
know Him not: ‘Love them as I have loved

you. ;

Contributions for the Colored Mission in New
Orleans will be gratefully acknowledged if sent
either to Mr. J. Umbach, Cashier of the Board
of Mission, 2109 Wash St., St. Louis, Mo., or
to Henry C. Lind, Cashier of the Local Com-
mittee, 524 Bienville St., New Orleans, La.

New Orleans, La., April 13th, 1882.
; N. J. BAKKE.

_—— + oP eee