The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1888, Page 30

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30 The Lutheran Pioneer.

ing’now. What do they sing? Is it about
‘*Bacon and potatoes’’? That is a song I used
to.sing. No, they sing: ‘Jesus be our Guide”
and such songs. Now school is about to close ~
for the day. How is that done? Wait. They
all arise, fold their hands and—is it not strange,
they pray before they go home! This ends the
visit to the school. Now you may ask:

What do such schools make of those Africans?

Let us go to Bethany. This is the station
among the Bechuanas, where missionary W. Beh-
rens labored. The time of which I speak is the
year 1872. What do you find there? Where
a few years before there were nothing but the
most wretched, ignorant, beastly heathen, there
was, at that time already, a congregation of
406 members, a school of 116 children, 40 had
been baptized in the last twelve months, 34 were
being prepared for baptism. Let us hear what
the missionary says with regard to the schools.
‘“Wherever a mission station has no school,
there things are in a sad condition. The greater
the zeal for the school, the greater is the ac-
tivity in the congregation.’’ The congregation
at Bethany, finding that one schoul-room would
not answer, built a second, and employed Solo-
mon, a native convert, as teacher. The very
fact that the missions are growing so cheeringly
at present, whereas in the first years progress
was discouragingly slow, is due, in no small
degree, to the fact that the schools are planting
the seed of God’s Word in the hearts of the
children, these being much more accessible
than the old people.—Well, what do you think
of those schools in Africa? Don’t you think
they would find something to do in America?
If in the African Christian schouls Christians
are being born unto the Lord, might not some
of the children born of Christian parents be
saved from falling back into heathendom, if
we would have schools like the schools we have
visited in Africa, schools where, besides the
secular branches, the Word of Truth’ is sown
into the youthful hearts?—Little Missionary.

(For the “Lutheran Ploneer.’?) | t African schools, some of you may have a
Go and tell Jesus. number of questions to ask. Well, I shall try
to answer as best I can. The first question
I hear is this:

What kind of school buildings have they?

Well, those which we shall visit are very
ordinary indeed. They are composed of a
wooden building, covered with a thatched roof,
no floor, in many cases, no tables, no desks, no
seats, no chairs. The ground is the floor and
the seat. The lap is the desk.

What kind of teachers have they?

Some of them are white and some of them
are black, some are males, others females. The
majority of them have come from Hermanns-
burg, Germany. The rest have been educated
in Africa by the missionaries. The ladies are
usually the wives of the missionaries and teach-
ers. These teachers are none of those who have
become so wondrously wise that they can ‘‘dem-
onstrate” that there is no God, no heaven, no
hell, no Christ, no judgment, no soul. They
are simple, believing, Christian preachers of
the Word of God, for, strange to say, those
other people, with whom America and Europe
abound, and who deny a future beyond the
grave and deny a God, and a judgment, who,
with their mouth, are not at all afraid of death,
never venture into the Kraals of the African,
where climatic fevers and savage clubs bring
death doubly near. They leave the work of
civilizing pagans to the ‘“‘bigoted, foolish Christ-
ians.’’ Perhaps they will go to Africa later
on and “‘enlighten’’ the civilized natives.

What do they learn?

Look and listen. Here comesa class. The
teacher begins to question. What does he ask?
Is it not the Lutheran Catechism which they
have? Just so. I will not put any of the
questions; for I fear that I would have to go
to Africa for the answer, seeing that only. too
many who haye gone to some stately school in
our land do not know the Ten Commandments,
nor the Creed. — Here comes another class.
What have they? It is Bible History. They
learn about Creation, about the Fall, about the
Flood, about Abraham and the promise given
him; they get a connected view of what God
has done with the people of His choice. They
are led to Bethlehem, to Galilee, to Jerusalem,
to Gethsemane, to Calvary. They look into the
empty sepulchre; they look towards heaven, | Mary or her Aunt Jane; both aunts were very
and see the Saviour wafted up to the right hand| kind. She said she would like to stay with
of the glory and power and majesty of God. ,| Aunt Jane best, because, though both aunts

How strange to hear this in an ‘‘every-day | made some tarts and cakes, Aunt Jane always
school.”” But I suppose those colored children| set them on a low shelf, and she could easily
don’t learn anything else either. Let us see.| get at them. Some teachers have very good
Here they come again. . What are they doing| addresses and talks to children, but they are
now? Just what the white children in America
do. They are in numbers now. Hear them
count and add and—well, I guess they can’t
subtract yet, but they will learn it by the time
the Americans will get there.—What has this
class? It reads. What has that class? Geog-
raphy. Now what comes? I see them all sit
up straight and put their hands on their backs.
Don’t you hear what comes? ‘They have sing-

Herod ‘“‘sent and beheaded John in the
prison.”” (Matth. 14, 10.) And what did the
disciples do? —attempt to avenge his death?
No. Sit down disconsolate because their master
is taken away? No. ‘‘His disciples came, and
took up the body, and buried it, and went and
told Jesus’’ (v. 12). ‘‘They go and tell Jesus,’’
here, thought I, is the way to find relief when
wants oppress, when troubles come.

In all the wrongs we suffer, in all our griefs,
in all our sorrows, in all our bereavements,
what so proper, so likely to afford relief, as to
go and tell Jesus? That is the universal medi-
cine for both, body and soul. We may safely
recommend it to all. None have ever tried it
in vain.—We visit the poor. A group of chil-
dren cluster around the parents, while they
unbosom to us their wants and their fears.
Stern winter is coming on, and they know not
how they are to be warmed or to be fed. We
may sympathize with them—we may open for
them the liberal hand of charity; but these are
not enough. We would urge them to go and
tell Jesus their wants and their fears. He who
had not where to lay his head is the friend of
the poor.—It is winter. We visit the abode
of sickness. The husband and the father lies
on the verge of the grave. ‘The cold hand of
Death is already upon him. He fears not death.
The sting of it is removed. But he looks
upon the companion of his bosom, soon to be a
stricken widow; he looks upon his babes, soon
to be orphans; and he fears for them when he

has gone. He has not-gold or silver, houses
or Jands, for them to inherit, and he fears how
it may fare with them when he can no longer
protect or provide. It is parting with them
that tries him most.—Go and tell Jesus that,
dying saint—he will ease you of this anxious
thought before you depart. He says unto you:
“«Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve
them alive; and let thy widow trust in me.’’
“‘The Lord preserveth the strangers; he re-
lieveth the fatherless and widow.’’ (Psalm
146, 9.) é

In short, if the parent or the child, the master
or the servant, the minister or the people, the
ruler or the ruled, the sick and the dying, or
those in the vigour of life, avant wisdom, want
comfort, want light, want peace, want joy;—
are they afflicted, or do they mourn; whatever
be their state, whatever their wants, let them
«90 and tell Jesus.” Tae Lorp wit PROVIDE.
; Obe.

—- =m

Put Your Cakes Low.

A pastor hits it thus: I came across’ a nice
little anecdote the other day. A child was
asked if she would like to stay with her Aunt

+ 0c 0
A Visit to African Schools.

It is nothing new to hear of a visit to the
schools of some town or city in our country.
When the children have “‘oral examination,’’
fond parents and ambitious achool officers wend
their way to the school house in order to see
the children ‘‘perform.’’ I have been there
already, and you may have been there also.
When, however, we come to speak of a visit

so simple that they can get the cakes! and
children like that. Have you ever heard of
the minister who used such big words in his
sermon that one said to him, ‘‘I thought your
Master sent you to feed sheep, but you preae®
as though He-had sent. you to feed giraflesat
Very few of our children are giraffic. Pu
your cakes low.

rather stylish—upon a high shelf. Others are -

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