The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1883, Page 30

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

30

The Lutheran Pioneer.

Letter from New Orleans.

DeEar PIONEER:—Since our last letter we
have had ten accessions to the Mt. Zion church
on Franklin Str. of whom six were of adult
age. Among these were brother Jabers and
wife, formerly of the Methodist-Episcopal per-
suasion. For a number of years the brother
served a congregation in that church, but on
account of its unscriptural doctrines and prac-
tices he severed his connection and came over
to us being fully persuaded that the Ev. Luth.
faith in all particulars is in accordance with
Holy Scriptures. He is an amiable old gentle-

~ man, loved and esteemed by us all. Of the
confirmation class only four could be received
into the church. The remaining 5 were put back
not so much for a lack of Christian knowledge
as of Christian earnestness and deportment.

During the months of April and May many

- large congregations. were assembled in the
church at the regular service. The pressing
heat of June has caused a considerable decline.
‘Too hot’? is a very common cause for not ap-
pearing in the house of God at the appointed
service and congregational assemblages. . An-
other confirmation class of adults has been
formed but their irregular attendance delays
their admittance. It affords us great joy to
note that a large portion of the congregation
visits these class meetings. Coming with a
longing to increase in the knowledge of truth
they will greatly profit by these instructions
and not return home without a blessing. ‘‘For
the Jaw of the Lord is perfect converting the
soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure making
wise the simple.’ But not only this, they en-
courage those who are to be instructed and
they cheer the missionary.

We have a good deal of opposition to contend
with. License preachers, -whose applications
for offices in our church have been decidedly
but friendly declined, are persuading our mem-
bers with “‘good word and fair speeches,” to
leave our church and join theirs. For this
they certainly have no license. Their silly and
groundless attacks on our church, its doctrine
and practices have hitherto been ignored, but
when they encourage men of ill repute, as it is
supposed, to disturb our public worship, we
have been forced to call on the city authorities
for protection. One Sunday evening some four
weeks ago a dozen or more men sneaked into
the hall of the church and set up a roar like
that of wild beasts, which, of course, struck
the assembled congregation with terror. No
sooner had the people recovered from the panic
than the-roar was repeated, and this time with
greater violence. As some of the brethren ap-
peared on the scene, they made a retreat into
the street and assailed the church with brick-
bats. Since then two police officers have been
stationed at the church every Sunday evening,
and e reigns again. ~

- Our school roll for the last months called for

108 scholars. Of this number there was an

average daily attendance of 80. Small-pox,

the good news to his people long before they
did. He would cry out: ‘My forefathers!
Oh, why did the Christians not send them this
word? They all died in darkness.’’

The Chief’s Iament comes to our ears from
the foreign and home mission field and is a
terrible reproach on many a Christian’s neglect
of his mission duty. Every Christian ought
certainly to labor earnestly for the spread of
the kingdom of Christ, who thought it not too
much to Jay down His life for us. And there
is work for every one of us to do. Every
Christian can at least uphold the hands of the
laborers in the mission field by his prayers and
with his means. And then, knowing that the
fields are white unto the harvest and that the
laborers are so few, ah! so few, it is our duty
to see to it that laborers are prepared for their
work and are sent out into the harvest field.
May we all labor so earnestly for the spread of
the Gospel that if such a wail as the Chief's -
Jament comes to our ears it shal] not bring re-
morse to our hearts for neglect of duty. May
every one whom the Lord calls to labor in His

which has been raging during winter and
spring, has found its victims also among our
scholars here. Several have succumbed to it;
some are still smarting under the dreadful
plague, a few have recovered and returned but
their faces are so disfigured that they can hardly
be recognized. Despite the small-pox the
school has been in a flourishing condition. No
less than 56 applicants have been denied ad-
mittance. At the opening next September a
rush for both our mission schools is expected,
as the public schools, if opened at all, will not
be reopened before November. The city school-
fund is exhausted, and teachers have not been
paid since March. The best opportunity for
making two departments in each school thus
presents itself. But itis feared that our means,
too, are so reduced that the thought of appoint-
ing two teachers for the Primary Departments
must be abandoned.

Our school festival this year was very inter-
esting. Orleans Park was the place to which
we resorted. On their route the children en-

tertained the people with festive songs, which
where greatly appreciated and applauded. The
morning passed by agreeably with chatting,
playing and lunching. In the afternoon a num-
ber of our church-members, parents and friends
of the children arrived. The visitors were en-
tertained hy the children with humorous songs
and declamation of select pieces, which they
had committed to memory in the course of the
year. One great feature of the day was the
foot race, in which boys and girls took an equal
part. Another interesting game was the shoe-
hunting. A number of boys pulled off their
shoes; these were mixed and piled up, thus
making it a difficult task fora blindfolded
hunter to find his shoes. The one that could
first find them and put them on should be de-
clared the winner. A circle was formed around
the pile and at the word ‘‘go’’ the boys dived
into the pile like ducks into a pond. The win-
ners in these games were rewarded with prizes,
such as: combination penholders, fans, albums,
picture books and other articles, of little value
in themselves, but highly prized by the win-
ners, who no doubt will keep them for years to
come as a token of that memorable day.

May the Lord further bless our church and
our school and establish the work of our hands;
yea the work of our hands establish thou it.

New Orleans, La., July 10th, 1883.

Missionary.
<o-—o—_

The Chief’s Lament.

In a history of the life and labors of that
great African traveler, Dr. Livingstone, we
read that near one of the places where he had
opened a mission school lived the chief of one
of the savage tribes of Africa. This chief re-
ceived the missionary with great joy and was
also delighted with the beauties of the Bible.
When he became fully acquainted with the
contents of that precious Book, he was puzzled
to know why the Christian people had not sent

a7

field be at all times ready to obey His call with
a joyful heart.

“Let none hear you idly saying,
There ts nothing I can do;
When the souls of men are dying,
And the Master calls for you.
Take the task He gives you gladly,
Let His work your pleasure be;
Answer quickly when He calleth,
Here I am, Oh Lord, send me.”’

——s~++o-<44 o> oe

How to Stop a Man from Shouting.

The following incident suggests a novel mode
of stopping a man from shouting in church.
In the early ministry of Bro. W., he and

Bro. H. were conducting a meeting in which

there was much religious interest. An old
man gave expression to his joy by shouting,
and continued it till it began to interrupt the
services. Bro. W. said to Bro. H., ‘‘Go stop
that old man’s noise.’?’ He went to him and
spoke a few words, and the shouting man at
once became quiet.

Brother W. asked Brother H., ‘‘What did
you say to the old man that quieted him so
promptly?’’ Brother H. replied, “‘Z asked him
for a dollar for foreign missions.’’

If there are no shouting Lutherans, there are
at least many grumbling Lutherans upon whom.
that novel mode might sometimes have a good

effect. -
0 ee

Perfect Peace.

As Brownlow North Jay on his death-bed,
he enjoyed, according to his own confession,
‘*nerfect peace.” To a bystander he said,
‘You are young, in good health, and with a
prospect of rising in the army; I am dying,
but if the Bible is true—and I know it is—I
would not change places with you for all the
world.”’