The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1897, Page 34

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34 The Lutheran Pioneer.

What Others Say.

In a letter to the Lutheran Observer, Mrs.
Monroe, who recently visited our mission field
in North Carolina, speaks of our work among
the colored people. Since it may interest our
readers to hear what others say of our mission
work, we adapt the following from Mrs. Mon-

roe’s letter:

**It is hard work to organize a Lutheran
church in a town where the people are ignorant
of the history and character of that evangelical
body. When a Lutheran missionary goes to
such a place to start a mission, and especially
to start a mission among the colored people
in America, he finds it hard work. Living-
stone is honored over the Christian world for
his missionary work in Africa, and Dr. Day is
honored all over the Lutheran church for his

missionary work in that same country; yet,

when a Lutheran missionary, in free and en-

lightened America, tries to enlighten and Icad
the colored people to a higher and truer re-
ligious life, he often meets with contempt and
scorn. ;
‘‘When the Rev. N. J. Bakke went to Con-
cord, N. C., to start a Lutheran mission among
the colored people there, he rented a house

. for his family; but when the owner of the

house learned that the missionary (though he
was an educated white map) was laboring for
the welfare of the colored people of the town,
he refused to let him have the house, and it
then took him a month to secure even an humble
shelter for his family. Then followed isolation,
contempt, scorn, from the citizens of the town.

‘Rey. Bakke is a Norwegian. He has been
at Concord long enough to conquer opposition.
People strive to obtain servants educated in
his school. I heard two women say: ‘When
I have a servant trained in Pastor Bakke’s
school, I have honest help; when I am forced
to take others, I run much risk.’

**It is with the greatest pleasure we record
the fact that by faithful work and God’s bless-
ing he has succeeded in gathering a fine con-
gregation and a good parochial school, and
has overcome a large amount of unreasonable
prejudice.

‘Rey. J. C. Schmidt, at Greensboro, with
a highly accomplished wife, hus a lonely time.
Greensboro has no white Lutheran church,

and Rey. Schmidt was looked upon as starting

a new religion. Pastors of other colored
churches incited their people to commit in-
dignities on the Lutheran place of worship,
on the person of the preacher, on the few

colored people who ventured to hear him—

indignities which would disgrace heathen.

"If Rey. Schmidt were sent to Africa, he
would be followed by the love, prayers, and
sympathy of the entire Lutheran church. Let-
ters in the papers would herald his move-
ments; he would be remembered at Christ-
mas; but he and these other devoted men
seem to have closed the doors of good society
behind them, in laboring for these poor African

people in the South; and amid an isolation
which most of us would consider paralyzing,
they are doing your work and mine for Jesus
Christ.

‘Rey. Schmidt has ninety-six scholars in
his parochial school. No one is admitted to
church membership until he knows the cate-
chism from lid to lid. He told me of one
poor black woman who could neither read
nor write, who had her children read the
catechism to her so often that she can repeat
every question, answer, and explanation in
the book. Think of that kind of training for
the undisciplined African mind!

‘“‘When we remember what a jelly-fish
theology is offered by the clergy of some
other denominations, we are glad that Mis-
souri offers the colored people a vertebrated
kind !’’

At the close of her letter Mrs. Monroe calls
upon the friends of mission to remember the
missionaries with their gifts, especially to send
missionary boxes and barrels for the Christ-
mas season. ‘The hearts of the colored chil-
dren and people will be made happy, the
hands of our missionaries will be strength-
ened, and the tears of their exile will be
wiped away.’’

On the 10th Sunday after Trinity Rev.
Schmidt of Greensboro, N. C., had the joy of
adding seven new members to his flock by
confirmation. Of these seven four were adults
and three children. The undersigned listened
with genuine delight to the thorough exami-
nation by the pastor and the spirited and
prompt answers of the catechumens. Although
the questions that were asked by the pastor
often touched upon very minute details, yet
only very few of them failed to receive an im-
mediate and correct answer from the catechu-
mens. This goes to show that also the colored
people can be brought to a good knowledge
of our doctrine by patient and thorough in-
struction. No doubt, it takes hard, persever-
ing, patient work to do this, but it has been
demonstrated to the writer’s mind that it can
be done.

The address for the occasion was delivered
by the undersigned. It was based upon John
8, 31. 382: “If ye continue in my word, then
are ye my disciples indeed ; and ye shall know
the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’’
The theme was: ‘‘Be and remain true dis-
ciples of Christ. 1) How you can be true dis-
ciples of Christ, 2) What blessed privileges
you shall enjoy as such.’”? It was shown
under the first part that, in order to be true
disciples of Christ, they must adhere to the
church that teaches the pure doctrine of
Christ’s Word, that they must accept this
Word in true faith, and lead a godly life
according toit. As privileges that true dis-

ciples of Christ enjoy, were pointed out:
Knowledge of the saving truth, and by this
knowledge freedom from the bondage and
power and penalty of sin, and from the fear of
death. The address was listened to very at-
tentively by all that were present. May God
bless the feeble words that were spoken.

The rite of confirmation was immediately
followed by the celebration of the Lord’s Sup-
per, of which the newly received catechumens
and the whole congregation partook. ‘The
whole services were of a most edifying char-
acter, and will, no doubt, leave a deep im-
pression upon the hearts and minds of all that
were present. It should also be mentioned
that Mr. Persson, the newly called teacher of
the mission school, presided at the organ and
greatly enhanced the beauty of the services
by his tasteful music.

The chapel was well filled, every seat being
occupied, and the attendance, it was thought,
would have been still greater, if it had not
been for the fact that the attention of Greens-
boro’s colored population was attracted by
the ‘‘preaching’’ of a twelve year old negro
girl, who was that evening delivering her last
“sermon,’”’ to go to New York City, where, it
was stated by the local papers, she had ac-
cepted the pastorate of a colored congregation!
Looking at things like the one just described
and at the general character of the ‘‘religion’”’
of the negroes, which seems to consist for the
greater part of disorderly shouting (here at
Conover they are having a camp-meeting at
present, where a person can hear them shout-
ing all over town almost till morning, and only
a few months ago it happened that a man was
killed during one of their noisy gatherings !),
one can not help seeing how great is the need
for the patient, self-sacrificing work of our
Lutheran missionaries among this sadly neg-
lected race. May God bless our colored mis-
sion, and may He help us to persevere in the
work, though our success may not be as great
as we should like to see it. G. LuEcKE.

Conover, N. C., Aug. 26th, 1897.

Trust in the Lord.

Rey. H. Bleicken, of the Leipzig Society,
on his long journey from the coast of East
Africa to the region of snow-capped Kilima
Njaro, had special occasion to emphasize the
passage in Luther’s Morning Prayer, ‘‘Into
Thy hands I commend my body and soul, and
all that is mine. Let Thy holy angel have
charge concerning me, that the wicked one
have no power over me.’”? While sleeping in
his tent on the banks of the Pangani river he
was suddenly awakened by the furious bark-
ing of his dog. Rising quickly, he saw a huge
body turn away from the tent and plunge into
the river. A crocodile had intended to make
his acquaintance. The evening before, while
resting in the door of his tent, he was watched
by a leopard hiding in the grass near by- The
beast was suddenly roused and slunk away-

(For the LUTHERAN PIONEER.)

Confirmation at Greensboro, N. C.