The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1889, Page 14

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14

‘The Lutheran Pioneer.

off country are yet uncivilized or not very much
enlightened. If you would go to Alaska, you
would occasionally find villages of the original
inhabitants of the country. The people are
called the T’Linkit Indians, who are divided
into a great many different tribes, often at war
‘with one another. These people are noted for
their skillin carving. Before the doors of their
huts they erect great carved posts called ‘‘to-
tems” with great dragons and many other im-
aginary creatures carved upon them. The peo-
ple have coarse black hair, large black eyes,
high cheek-bones and protruding lips. The lips
of the women are disfigured by the insertion of

‘Holy Week.

If there is any week in the year which above
all others deserves to be called Holy Week, it is
that in which the anniversary of our Saviour’s
suffering and death occurs. Because of the mo-
mentous things which took place during that
week, the Church of Jesus has ever held it in
very marked regard. And if we are to have
any week of special solemnity and prayer, that
is the week for it.

Pato Sunpay.—This the first day of Holy
Week, which gets its name from the Gospel for
that day, which tells how the people strewed
branches of palms or greens in the way of Christ
as He rode into Jerusalem, and the multitudes

_ in front and behind Him shouted ‘‘ Hosanna!
Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the
Lord!’’ In many of our churches it is Con-

firmation Day, when’ those who have come to
readiness to take places in the church may be
admitted to the Easter Communion. If any of
our young readers are then to be confirmed,
let them make it a day to be ever remembered
as the day they gave themselves wholly to the
Lord.

Hoty Taurspay.—This is known by various
names, but it specially celebrates the Saviour's
Jast meal with His disciples, and His institution
of the Holy Supper to be kept by all His true
followers until He comes again.

Goop Frmay.—This is the most solemn of
‘all the days, because it is the day which spe-
cially commemorates the crucifixion and death
of our Lord Jesus for our sins, and for the sins
of the whole world. It ought never to be
passed by without solemnly thinking of the
‘blessed Saviour, and what agony He condes-
‘cended to suffer in our stead, that we through
Him might be saved.

Easter Sunpay.—This is the day which cel-
ebrates our Saviour’s glorious resurrection from
among the dead, after having died on the cross
for our sins. We say in the Creed that He
‘©guffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
dead and buried, and the third day rose again
from the dead.”’ This was the great seal to
His work, and His triumphant victory in
achieving salvation for us as we now believe
and trust in Him. Easter is therefore a glad
day for all Christians—a day of triumph over
sin and death.

Alaska.

In the extreme northwestern part of North
America there is a country called Alaska. One
would naturally suppose that this country, lo-

“cated so far north, would’ be very cold, but such
‘is not the case, in fact it is not much colder
than some of our own northern states. ‘This is
‘owing to a warm ocean current that sweeps its
shores and renders the climate less cold than it
would otherwise be. There are some civilized
"people living in the small towns along the coast,

‘but the majority of the inhabitants of this far-| |

“My burden, dearest Saviour,
Hast thus Thou borne for me,
My sinful misbehaviour
Has caused Thine agony.

Lo! I am the transgressor
Whom curse and wrath behoove:
Grant me, my intercessor,

A single glance of love!”’

a piece of wood, which each year is displaced
by a large piece. And in their ears are pierced
& great many holes, in which are inserted or-
naments of different kinds. They dress them-
selves in a blanket woven of the wool of the
mountain goat. They paint their faces with
different kinds of paint, which they rub well
into the skin, after which they scratch pictures
with a small sharp stick, until the blood oozes
out of the flesh. This is left to dry on the face
with the paint. Some of the richer ones wear
silver rings in their noses; the poorer ones in-
sert feathers. They used to commit a great
many barbarities, such as killing a slave un-
der each upright of a new house, as a sort of
‘*house-warning.’” This cruel practice bas been
stopped, but the people are yet very degraded.
And this is but another example of people who
have not been brought to a knowledge of the
sacred Word and its power to save.}

Moffat.

One day a Scotch Jad, not yet sixteen, started
from home to take charge of a gentleman’s gar-
den in Cheshire, England. He bade farewell to
his father, brothers and sisters, but his mother
accompanied him to the boat on which he was
to cross the Firth of Forth.

“Now, my Robert,’’ she said, as they came
in sight of the ferry, ‘‘let us stand here for a
few minutes, I wish to ask one favor of you, be-
fore we part.’’

“What is it, mother?’’ answered the son.

‘Promise me, that you will do what I am go-
ing to ask you.”

“T cannot, mother,’ replied the cautious boy;
‘till you tell me what your wish is.’’

‘Oh, Robert,’’ she exclaimed, and the big
tears rolled down her cheeks, ‘‘would I ask you
to do anything that.is not right?’’

‘“‘Ask what you will, mother, and I will do
it,’ said the son, overcome by his mother's
agitation.

“T ask you to promise me that you will read

a chapter in the Bible every morning and

evening.”
‘‘Mother, you know I read my Bible.’’

“T know you do, but you. do not read it reg-
ularly. I sha)l return home with a happy heart,

seeing you have promised me to read the Script-

ures daily.”

The lad went his way. He kept his promise,
and read every day his Bible. He read, how-
ever, because he loved his mother, not from
any pleasure he found in the sacred Book. At
length, inattentive though he was, the truths
he daily came in contact with aroused his con-
science. He became uneasy, and then unhappy.
He would have ceased reading but for his prom-
ise. Living alone in a lodge in a Jarge garden,
his leisure was his own. He had but few books,
and those were works on gardening and botany,
which his profession obliged him to consult. He
was shut up to one book, the Bible. He did
not pray until his unhappiness sent him to his
knees. One evening, while poring over the
Epistle to the Romans, light broke into his soul.
The Apostle’s words appeared different, though
familiar, to him.

‘“‘Can it be possible,’”” he said to himself,
‘that I have never understood what I have
read again and again?”

Peace came to his mind, and he found him-
self earnestly desiring to know and to do the
will of God, That will was made known to him
ina simple way. One night, as he entered a
neighboring town, he read a placard announcing
that a missionary meeting was tobe held. The
time appointed for the meeting had long passed,
but the lad stood and read the placard over and
over. Stories of missionaries told him by his
mother came up as Vividly as if they had just
been related. Then and there was begotten the
purpose which made Robert Moffat a’ mission-
ary to the Hottentots of South Africa. .