The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1895, Page 27

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

7 Mary Elizabeth Williams. 7

Our mission church at Springfield, II.,
suffered a great loss in the death of Mrs.
Mary Elizabeth Williams, who was born in
November, 1851, was confirmed at our mis-
sion by Prof. H. Wyneken in March, 1888,
and departed this life on June 4th, 1895.

Mrs. Williams may be called the pioneer
of our mission at Springfield. When Prof.
Wyneken began to preach to the colored
people of that city, she, with her son, was the
first that attended the Lutheran services, and
from that time on she was a regular attendant
at church and Sunday school. She gained an
excellent knowledge of God’s Word, and often
professed her joy and her thankfulness to God
for leading her through the mission of the Lu-
theran church into the way of salvation. She
knew why she was a Lutheran, and her de-
votion to her church was as intelligent as it
was sincere and strong. The joy that filled
her heart moved her to bring others to share
with her the same blessing. She was, there-
fore, an earnest and zealous laborer in our
mission at Springfield. It was her delight to
serve the Lord and His kingdom. No wonder
the members of the mission church, when
hearing of the departure, said, ‘‘The soul of
our mission is gone.?’

During her long sickness of six months she
showed great patience and rejoiced in the
assurance that she would soon be with the
Saviour, in whom she so firmly believed. Her
death was happy and peaceful, and marks
another triumph of the Gospel in our mis-
sion field.

An unusually ‘large number of friends was
present at the funeral to testify to the high
esteem in which they held her and to mourn
and sympathize with the bereaved. Prof.
Herzer preached on Rev. 14, 13: ‘‘Blessed are
the dead which’ die in the Lord from hence-
forth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest
from their labors; and their works do follow
them.’”’ Prof. Wyneken spoke on Rey. 7,
13. 14: ‘And one of the elders answered,
Saying unto me, What are these which are
arrayed in white robes? and whence came
they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest.
And he said to me, These are they which came
out of great tribulation, and have washed their
robes, and made them white in the blood of
the Lamb.”’

May God comfort the bereaved and grant
us all a happy and peaceful death through
faith in our Saviour Jesus Christ.

———s + oa oe

i
Picnic of our Mission Schools at
New Orleans.

As there are so many school picnics taking
Place now, it will probably interest the readers
of the Pioneer to hear of one held by our
mission schools in New Orleans.

All the children of the Bethlehem and Mount

Zion schools looked forward with great joy to
the 24th day of May, because on this day
their joint picnic was to take place. They
could hardly wait until the appointed time
came. But oh! their joy was turned into
sorrow. For when they awoke on the morn-
ing of the 24th, they heard the rain pouring
down in torrents, and when they looked out
they saw to their sore disappointment that all
the streets were flooded. It was plain they
could not go to the picnic in such weather.
Now what was to be done? Everything was
prepared. The lunch was ready and the cars
were ordered to be there at the appointed
time. [For those who have never been in
New Orleans we might say that they can have
no idea how it looks here after a hard rain.
The water gets all over the streets and side-
walks, so that it is impossible for any one to
step out of the yard without wading in water. ]
However, our little folks’ sorrow was only of
short duration, for the picnic was postponed
until the following Monday. Now all had the
pleasure of being glad for the event once
more. Monday promised to be a fair day, and
the children came flocking to their respective
school houses from all directions. Promptly at
8.30 o’clock we formed in line in the school
yard and marched to Franklin Ave., where
we boarded three electric cars which took us
up to Audubon park. The weather continued
fair, and the day was spent in swinging, play-
ing games, and romping about in the woods.
There was also plenty of lemonade to refresh
both old and young. At 6 o’clock in the
evening we marched back to the cars, and all
went home happy, and felt that they had en-
joyed themselves for one day to their hearts’
content. B. N.

—— -*<=> o-oo

Song of Praise in the Night.

Once I sat at the deathbed of a man eighty
years old. He was poor, aye, very poor.
When well, he had earned his bread as a car-
penter; now he was old and sick. As long
as he could see, he had diligently searched the
Scriptures, but now he was blind and could
not read. As long as he could walk, despite
his blindness, he would come to ehurch, led
by his grandson. Once, when climbing a
mountain on his way to church, he fell, broke
his leg, and could no longer leave his bed.
I often sat at his bedside, but never heard one
word of complaint pass his lips. Peace, deep
peace, shone forth from the countenance of
this venerable man. His highest joy was to
speak of the mysteries of God’s love. Once
he said to me: ‘‘In summer, when wheat ripens
and harvest time is near, ‘the blades begin to
die from below; they bleach, and finally the
grainsripen. Thus it is with me. Tam grad-
ually dying from below; by-and-by my heart,
too, when ripe, will die, and I shall be trans-
lated into the garden of God.’’ When death
really was approaching, I asked him what text
I should choose for his funeral sermon. _ He

sat up in bed, turned his eyes toward me, and
said with a loud voice: ‘‘My funeral text you
will find recorded in the prophet Micah, where
it reads thus: ‘When I sit in darkness, the
Lord shall be a light unto me.’’’ This was a
song of praise in the night I have never for-
gotten. —E. Frommel.

— > o>

The Witness of Conscience.

A number of men were sitting in a hotel to-
gether one evening, when the light was acci-
dentally extinguished. During the absence of
the servant, while in another room lighting the
same, one of the guests in the darkness was
secretly stabbed. On the day following the
remaining guests were all summoned before
the Magistrate. Each declared himself inno-
cent, and none could give evidence against
the other because the crime had been com-
mitted in the dark and so quietly. The judge,
unable to secure any evidence, thereupon
said: If justice can not discover this mur-
derer, conscience shall do it; unbutton your
coats, and make bare your breasts in order
that I may there obtain testimony. This having
been done the judge passed from one individ-
ual to the other, first looking carefully at the
pulsations of his heart, and then squarely in
the eye, until he came to one who most ear-
nestly and emphatically declared his inno-
cence. In*him he observed restlessness and
a rapid beating of the heart, and said to him:
‘*Your conscience betrays you, you are the -
murderer.’’ ‘‘I am,’’ said the man, ‘‘do with
me what my crime merits.’’

————2—+ 0-9-2

A Tighter Clasp.

A little child was passing along a quiet
street, clinging with one hand to the mother’s
dress; but when crossing one of the busiest
thoroughfares, I saw the little hand quickly
letting go the dress, and seeking a hold of its
mother’s hand, which when it got it felt safe.
and content. So it is with us. When pur-
suing the even tenor of our way, and all goes
on quietly and comfortably with us, we are
satisfied with the most casual and outward
contact with Christ; but when we have to
cross the terrible thoroughfares of life, when
we are brought face to face with the dangers
and distractions of sickness, or bereavement,
or sorrow, then we instinctively reach up to
clasp the living and loving hand; we long to
see the pitying face, and to hear the old
familiar voice, ‘‘Son, daughter, be of good
cheer: it is I, be not afraid.’’— Selected.

~~ oa 9

‘*To prevent the intrusion of evil thoughts,
let us always take care to be usefully em-
ployed; since idleness is the soil in which
Satan sows his tares with liberal hand.’’

No man has a right to do what he pleases
unless he pleases to do what is right.