The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1887, Page 42

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42

The Lutheran Pioneer.

Letter to the Friends of our Colored Mission | but a temporary cradle for the infant Mission.

from New Orleans, La. It is a picture of plainness, a box, 20X30 ft.,
nailed together of undressed lumber, white-
washed inside and weatherboarded outside.
For holyday use a carpet strip is laid in the
aisle; a table covered with a white cloth serves
as altar, and the teacher's desk similarly covered
as pulpit; the ‘‘vestry’’ is located behind the
armoire inacorner. Both its exterior and its
interior is devoid of every churchly appearance.
But it is not against this primitive plainness we
raise complaint. What we want and what we
sorely need is a more spacious building in which
to carry on our work unhindered. Christian
friends, will you give it to us?) Your generous
and speedy contribution will be to us the most
appreciated answer.

In conclusion we would have you to consider
the words which the Rt. Rev. C. H. Schwan,
president of our Synod, once wrote in the ‘‘Lu-
theraner’’ after an inspection of our Mission:
“Tf you heartily wish all men what God already
has given you in his own dear Son, include,
I pray, in your Lord’s Prayer at the words:
‘Thy kingdom come’, particularly and right
heartily the poor Freedmen. Then see if there
is not a mite in your pocket; out with it and
add it to that which other pious hearts give.
Thereupon take your pen and write to the
Missionary Board: ‘Onward in God’s name.
Place laborers in the field. Make room. Build
a church. Enclosed is a contribution. Shall
not be the Jast one, if it pleases the Lord.
Speed you God. Amen.’’’

' New Orleans, La., October 20, 1887.
N. J. BAKKE, Missionary.

Not long ago we petitioned the friends of our
Colored Mission through the medium of our
church papers for generous contributions toward
the upbuilding of a new mission station in this
city. The responses to our calls have been
both frequent and liberal and the prospects for
founding a new church and school for our col-
ored people in the near future are hopeful.

A beautiful site, centrally located, on the
corner of Washington Ave. ‘and Dryades, has
already’) been purchased, plan and specifications
for a chapel submitted to the Missionary Board
‘for approval, and the new station is in a fair
way of becoming a reality, thanks to the liber-
ality of our fellow christians.

You may think it premature, not to say ob-
trusive, to solicit your generous aid again for
another new church. But when you have read
these lines carefully, you will say: ‘‘ Yes, a
new church is an imperative necessity for these
people; and the glory of our God, the welfare
of His church, and the salvation of immortal
souls demand that the Missionary should plead
the cause of our Mission and plead it in the most
urgent terms, no matter what people think of
it.””. God has prospered our work above our

most sanguine anticipations, so much so, that
even those who at first gave it the cold shoulder
have been forced to admit: ‘‘Certainly, the
Lord is with our Missionaries. Our unbelief
has been put to shame.’’ Particularly success-
ful has our work been in the lower Mission
District. So gloomy was the outlook at one
time then that the work was actually given up
and the St. Paul Chapel offered for sale. When
reopened it was merely by way of experiment,
to give the thing another trial. The trial is
over, and what is the result? Doomed again
to be sold? No; the chapel stands on its own
soil, a blooming Day School, a flourishing Sun-
day School, a small but active congregation,
numbering some 45 communicant members,
who, though young in years, ‘‘contend bravely’
for the faith once delivered to the saints.’’ To
God alone who has faithfully fulfilled His
promise: ‘‘ Wherever my name is recorded I
will come and bless,” belongs the glory and
the thanks for the result achieved.

But the St. Paul’s Chapel is now too small.
For years numerous applications for admission
to the Day School have been refused, owing
to lack of accommodations. For the same

reason we have been forced to close the list of
applicants to the Sunday School. Never sorer
do we feel at heart than when we have to in-
form the parents that apply: How gladly
would we accommodate you, if we could, but we
shave no more room. The schools are crowded.
Look for yourselves: every inch of space is
‘taken up in our chapel; during Sunday School
‘even the desks are utilized as seats.’”? And the
ts seem to be as sorry to go away with
their children as we are sorry to see them go.
St. Paul's Chapel evidently was meant to be

————- o=—m

Meeting of the English Lutheran Conference.

The English Lutheran Conference of Missouri
held its 14th annual convention this year from
September 2—6th in the congregation of Rev.
A.S. Bartholomew, in Springdale, Ark. Rev.
R. L. Goodman delivered the opening sermon,
and at the election of officers was chosen presi-
dent of the Conference for the coming year.
Rey. C. H. Spannuth, a new member, was
made secretary. Rey. Wm. Dallmann led the
doctrinal discussions upon the following theses:
I. “A truly Lutheran congregation lays more
stress upon pure doctrine than holy life,’’ and
If. A truly Lutheran congregation receives
only those as members who agree with her
1. in doctrine, and 2. lead a christian life.

Great interest was manifested by the home
congregation, who attended the sessions in a
body.

Parochial Schools were reported by all the
members to be flourishing, and missionwork
was also found to be progressing in a very en-
couraging manner. In order still more to
further this work Conference requested Rev.
A. Meyer and Rey. W. Dallmann to write
tracts on the doctrine of Justification and Ab-
solution.

200 years ago, used to say:
the youth of our day I see six grave diggers.

kill themselves by excessive drink!
must spoil when there is too much water.
Therefore, young man, if you wish to live,
give up drinking.

have thereby hastened death!
appetite the body is weakened and loses its
strength.
posed to fire is ultimately consumed?

ents.’
Commandment proclaims.
it will feel its curse.
bend must break.

nally!

As the Conference is now in so promising g

condition it was decided to accept the kind jp.
vitation of Rev. C. L. Janzow from St. Louis
to meet in his congregation next summer (in
August) with all the English brethren from
the East and South for the purpose of orga-
nizing an English Lutheran Synod.
mittee was appointed to draw up 4 plan for g
constitution, which is to be published in the
“Tutheran Witness’”’ in due season.
report of the proceedings of Conference will
soon appear in print.

A com-

C.S.

Six Pall-Bearers.

Henry Mueller, a pious German, who lived
“When I look upon

How many
The seed

The first is called ‘drunkenness.’

How many
By unbridled

“The second is called ‘lust.’

Is it not true that all that is ex-

“The third is called ‘wrath.’ Sirach says:

‘Jealousy and anger shorten life,’ and Paul in
the book to the Galatians places next to each
other wrath, strife, and murder.
on strife; strife is often the cause of murder.

Wrath brings

“The fourth is called ‘disobedience to par-

Dry wood which cannot

‘‘The fifth one is called ‘bad company.’ How

many who thereby have lost life and soul eter-
Tie a corpse to a living body, and /, .
although the living being cannot bring the dead’?

body to life, yet the contaminating odor of th
corpse will ultimately kill the living.

‘«The sixth and last is called, ‘idleness.’ It
kills man, though he seems alive. ‘Is an idle
more use than a dead body?’ When.a tree
will not bear any more fruit it is cut down and
thrown in the fire. Ye who have a desire to
live, consider this, and leave these grave dig-
gers and pall-bearers alone.’’

oe

The Right Kind of Religion.

I want, says Uncle Nick, a religion that bears
on the sinfulness of sin, on the rascality of lying
and stealing—a religion that banishes pebbles

from cotton bags, sand from sugar, chickory ”

from coffee, alum from bread, lard from butter,
strychnine from wine, and water from milk-
cans. ‘The religion that is to advance the
world, will not put all the big strawberries and
peaches on the top and the bad ones at the
bottom. It will not offer more baskets of for-

eign wine than the countries ever produced in Re

bottles.

We know what a blessing the Fourth ~
Who does not keep .