The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1886, Page 38

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

Letter from New Orleans.

DEAR PIONEER:—

‘*To be or not to be”’ is no longer a question
as to our Colored Mission in this city, it is,
thanks to the grace and blessing of God, an

festablished fact. The old congregations are
steadily adding to their membership and the
schools are overcrowded. The new station
opened some months ago under favorable au-

children were brought to Christ in holy Bap-
tism and on the sunday following the mother,
after having been duly instructed in the doc-
trines and practices of our church was received
into the same by the rites of confirmation.

On the 10th Sunday after Trinity Mr. W.
Joeckel, a graduate from our Teachers’ Semi-
nary at Addison, having accepted a call to our

spices is in a flourishing condition considering

the time Pastor Burgdorf has been at work.

He has had and still has many difficulties, ob-
stacles, and prejudices to contend with as every
Lutheran Missionary among the colored people
Some do not like
him because he is white, others because he is
a Lutheran, and still others because he is too
It takes
a man with a mind, strength of purpose and
above all, implicit faith in the never-failing
promises: ‘‘ My word shall not return unto me

: in the beginning will have.

doctrinal and strict in his discipline.

void,” “‘Our labor is not in vain in the Lord”
10 overcome such and similar prejudices. We

are happy to state that the obstacles to our
Mission in Carollton are gradually vanishing

and both church and school are gaining in
favor among the people. During last year

‘some 90 children crowded Pastor Burgdorf’s

school and this year the number promises to
be still larger. It was an unruly set of chil-
dren, bent and intent upon doing what they
pleased and upon learning as little as possible.
But a wonderful change has taken place; they
are orderly now, in school at the appointed
hour, neatly and cleanly attired, and anxious
tolearn. It is safe to say that Luther's Cate-
chism, and Bible History, the Word of God
has effected this change. Of course, the Cate-
chism is at first a thorn in the eyes of the chil-
dren. To commit to memory lessons of a re-
ligious character is detestable to their Old
Adam.—The consequence is that the fair
leaves of the Catechism are soiled, and torn,
and disfigured before any of its precious con-
tents gains the head and the heart. Nor are
the parents more favorably disposed towards it.
Religious training of children, save that which
they receive during one short hour in the
sunday-school, is a thing unknown; yea, great
"many look upon the training of the children
in the fear and nurture of the Lord such as
carried on in our schools, as something entirely
useless. Of course their children are to be
christianized, of course they are to become
members of some church, but they must wait
until they are old enough to choose their own
religion. That such gross neglect of the little
ones helps in a great measure to fill the prison-
houses and the penitentiaries, is evident. For
‘nast the school-house and the church is the
shortest way to prison,” is an old truthful
saying. However, when the parents see the
_ influence our Mission schools have on the minds
d the hearts of the children entrusted to us,
‘they become as loud in’ their praises as they
‘were loud in their denouncement.—

Mission school in Carollton, was installed ac-
cording to the rites of ourchurch. Past. Burg-
dorf officiated. He delivered to an apprecia-
tive audience an able sermon on the christian
training of children based on Prov. 22, 6.,

showing firstly the duties of parents to train
up their children in the way they should go,
and secondly the fruits of such training. In
the midst of his scholars, of which a large
number was present, the young teacher vowed
to faithfully perform the duties of his high and
responsible office. May the Good Shepherd
and Bishop of our souls, Jesus Christ, into
whose service he has entered, ever more fill
him with His Spirit and strengthen him by
His grace that he may be and remain a true
feeder of the lambs of His flock to the glory of
His name and to the salvation of immortal souls.

New Orleans, La., Sept. 15, 1886.
Missionary.

The Story of Tetzel’s Indulgence Box.

At Jueterbok, in the old Church of St. Nic-
olas, the old box is yet preserved in which
John Tetzel kept his money when he sold in-
dulgences. These indulgences were letters from
the pope, by which the sins of the buyers were
all forgiven. Tetzel carried on the sale of
these useless papers much after the style of a
modern auctioneer. The people bought them
eagerly, thinking that by them their sins were
forgiven.

Some, however, had begun to see things in
a different light, and now and then tricks were
played on Tetzel.

Among the people who were losing their re-
spect for Tetzel and his Romish papers was the
old knight Hans von Hocke. He bought one
of Tetzel’s papers, not so much because he
wanted his sins forgiven, as because he had a
bit of mischief in his head.

By his papers not only all his past sins were
forgiven, but also all the sins he ever would
commit.

With this paper safe in his possession, old
Hans was ready for operations. On ao dark
night, when Tetzel was traveling with his huge
money-box from one town to another, old Hans
watched him and robbed him of all his money,
box and all. What could Tetzel do; for the
sin was already forgiven.

This box is described by a visitor as being
much larger than an ordinary contribution-box.
It is a massive and most imposing antique, and
shows how the pope did things in those days.
It is a Jarge log dug out of oak, ten feet long,

Some weeks ago Past. Burgdorf reaped the| three broad, and two and one-half deep, and
first visible fruits of his labors.- Two little} strongly hooped with iron.

The lid is a heavy
two and a half inch plank, with a large slit in
the middle through which the money was
dropped. Stout hinges and three strong hasps
secure this lid. The three heavy padlocks that
Tetzel used are gone.

This large chest when filled with money in
those days, must have been a pretty good load
for a four-horse team. Old Hans von Hocke
made a good haul; and it is not surprising that
the pope was mad when he heard of it, and
that he did not like Luther and his preaching.

qs -0<2 bo +

Unchanged Sentiments of Rome.

“We declare, affirm, define, and pronounce
it necessary to salvation, for every human creat-
ure to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.’’—Car-
dinal Manning.

‘‘Accursed be those very crafty and deceitful
societies, called Bible Societies, which thrust
the Bible into the hands of the inexperienced
youth.’’—Pope Pius LX.

‘No Bible shall be held or read except by
priests. No Bible shall be sold without a li-

cense, except upon the pains and penalties of

that mortal sin that is neither to be forgiven
in this world or in the next.’’— Council of Trent.

“Moreover we confirm and renew the de-
crees delivered in former times by apostolic
authority, against the publication, distribution,
reading and possession of books of the Holy
Scriptures translated into the vulgar tongue.”
—Pope Gregory XVI.

“The following is from the bishop’s oath :—

Heretics (Protestants), schismatics and rebels }

to the Pope or his successors, I will, to the
uttermost of my power, persecute and wage
war with.’—E. Trumpet.

Teach the Catechism.

An impression prevails in the minds of some
people that the Catechism is not to be used
except by catechumens who are receiving in-
struction preparatory to their confirmation.
And, as might be expected, all such are ready
to Jay it aside when that act has been per-
formed, and the course of public catechetical
instruction has ended. All this, however, is a
very great mistake. The Ten Commandments,
the Creed, and all other parts of the Catechism
are given ‘‘in the plain form in which they are
to be taught by the head of a family,” and
Luther in his preface beseeches the pastors and
preachers ‘‘to have mercy on the people who
are intrusted to your care, and to assist us in
introducing the Catechism among them, and
especially among the young.’

Church Messenger.

—_ 3 rE 0 + ae
‘J HAVE 50 much to do to day,’’ said Martin

Luther to a friend, ‘‘that I shall have to pray
three or four hours.” :

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