The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1893, Page 39

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The Lutheran Pioneer. 39

Rome and the Bible.

and begged for so earnestly. The plaintive | tation that he replied to him with civility ;
| wail of the Indians went up in vain. These) but, stepping up to his wife, he took the Bible
One day in the winter of 1832—’33, four] hungry souls asked bread of the Romish church | from her hand, saying:

Flathead Indians appeared upon the streets|and she gave them stones.

of St. Louis, with a request which no white
man had ever heard before. They came, they
said, from the land of the setting sun. They
had heard of the white man’s God, and they

wanted the white man’s book of heaven—the| passing through a village in Western Massa-

| *“We’ve always had everything in common,
and we’ll have this, too.’’
Placing the Bible on the chopping-block, he

chopped it in two parts with one blow of the
A few years ago a Bible-distributor, while} axe. Giving one part to his wife and putting

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The Chopped Bible.

Bible.

General Clark, then commanding the mili- | there was not even the cheapest copy of the}

chusetts, was told of a family in whose home

| the other in his pocket, he walked away. Sev-
eral days after this division of the Bible he

was in the forest chopping wood. At noon

tary. post at St. Louis, was a member of the| Scriptures, so intense was the hostility of| he seated himself on a log and began to eat

Romish church.

shown the Roman Catholic church, the
pictures of the saints, etc., yet they
were steadily denied their oft-repeated
request for the Bible. Two of the In-
dians died in St. Louis fron the fatigue
of their long journey from Oregon. The
other two, homesick and disappointed,
prepared toreturn. General Clark made
a banquet for them, at which one of the
Indians was called on to speak. He
arose and spoke as follows:

“‘T came to you over the trail of many
moons from the setting sun. You were
the friend of my fathers who have all
gone the long way. I came with an
eye partly opened for more light for my
people who sit in darkness. I go back
with both eyes closed. How can I go
back blind to my blind people? I made
my way to you with strong arms, through
enemies and strange lands, that I might
carry back much to them. I go back
with both arms broken and empty. Two
fathers came with us. They were the
braves of many winters and wars. We
leave them asleep here by your great
waters and wigwam. ‘They were tried
‘in many moons, and their moccasins wore
out. My people sent me to get the white
man’s book of heaven. You took me
where you allow your women to dance,
as we do ours, and the book was not
there. You took me where they worship
the Great Spirit with candles, and the
book was not there.

While the four Indians were
received with the greatest hospitality, and were | started at once to visit the family, and found | self.

the husband-to Christianity. The distributor

Ss

Luther Statue at Wittenberg.

You showed me the im-| the wife hanging out the week’s washing. In

|hisdinner. ‘Che dissevered Bible suggested it-
He took it from his pocket, and his eyes
fell on the last page. He began reading,
and soon was deeply interested in the
story of the prodigal son, but his part
ended with the son’s exclamation: ‘‘I
will arise and go to my father.’? At
night he ‘said to his wife, with affected
carelessness:

‘‘Let me have your part of the Bible.
I’ve been reading about a boy who ran
away from home, and after having a hard
time decided to go back. There my part
of the book ends, and I want to know
if he got back.and how the old man re-
. ceived him.’’

The wife’s heart beat violently, but -
she mastered her joy, and quietly handed
her husband her part without a word.
He read the story through, and then re-
read it. He read on far into the night,
but not a word did he say to his wife.
During the leisure moments of the next
day his wife saw him reading the now
joined parts, and at night he said ab-
ruptly:

‘‘Wife, I think that is the best book
I ever read.’’

Day after day he read it. His wife
noticed his few words which indicated
that he was becoming attached toit. One
day he said: :

“Wife, Iam going to try to live by
that book. I guess it’s the best sort of
a guide for a man.’’— Selected.

(= 3 ee

ages of the good spirits and pictures of the} the course of a Eee Ngan he ie Costly, but not Dear.
ood land beyond, but the book was not among | fered her a neatly-bound Bible. With a smile ; nee i

aia to tell 4 the way. I am going back the} which said ‘Thank you,’’ she held-out her a eee a eS eee area

long, sad trail, to my people of the dark land. |hand, but instantly withdrew it. She hesi- | 97 ent aa are eee ie

You make my feet heavy with gifts, and my | tated to accept the gift, knowing that her hus- cheat : 2 Stars a eat ee ene
moccasins will grow old in carrying them, yet} band would be displeased if she took it. A few Rept oers ae re - ; BS a ; ae i

the book is not among them. When I tell my| pleasant words followed, in which the visitor a DEAS om DRE a a {5

poor, blind people after one more snow in the| spoke of man’s need of divine direction and c is Brow ne ne sees = ee onan
big council, that I did not bring the book, no} of the divine adaptation of the Bible to that LO as 7 ates iY as a

word will be spoken by our old men, or by our/ need, and the woman resolved to take the gift. | disgrace to himselt.

young braves. One by one they-will rise up} Just then the husband came from behind the aN :

and go out in silence. My people will die in} house with an axe on his shoulder. Seeing) - WHAT ONE SIN CAN DO. —— There is but one
darkness, and they will go on the long path the Bible in his wife’s hand he looked threat-| crack in the lantern, and the wind has found

- to other hunting grounds. No white man will] eningly at her, and then said to the distri-|it out and blown out the candle. One spark
ith them, and no white man’s book to} butor: blew up the magazine, and shook the world

Boa : lain. I have no more words.”’ “What do you want, sir, of my wife?’? for miles around. One leak sank the ship,
mane nee Rome would not give tothese} The frank words of the Christian man,|and drowned all on board. One wound may SI
pecree iis forest: the book they sought spoken in a manly way, so softened his irri-| kill the body—one sin destroy the soul. , +2

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