The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1898, Page 23

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‘The Lutheran Pioneer.

23

level with the top of the mound over his grave.
Traveling 4 little out of the Lakes’ basin, we
find the Mbinda of the Congo country cover-
ing their graves with crockery, gin and beer

_bottles, and, as we have seen is practiced by
other tribes, suspending in the branches of
neighboring trees the articles which were used
by the deceased during life. Such is the dark-
ness of heathenism.

1 oe

Grietje’s Missionary Syrup.

Grietje was a little Holland girl, very much
interested in missions, but too poor to give
more than the penny which she earned help-
ing her mother with the weekly scrubbing.
Ever since their pastor had asked that the
amount of each subscription be increased
if possible, she felt that she must at least
make an effort. But what to do beside help-
ing her mother in the care of the children she
did not know.

She did know one way in which she could
accomplish her purpose, but that meant sacri-
ficing the only pleasure they had during the
entire year. The strawberry patch, which

~ yielded rich, luscious fruit, was her personal
property, and the children took great delight
in helping her to weed and keep in order and
pick the berries which her mother converted
into syrup, and Grietje sold to the village-
folk, who considered this a great luxury.
These pennies were carefully hoarded until
“St. Nicholas’? (which occurs on the sixth of
November, a day on which gifts are exchanged
and a general good time enjoyed) when they
purchased the ‘‘Sinte Klaasjer’’ and ‘‘Choco-
latjer,’’ so dear to every little Dutch heart.

But now the poor heathen in the far-off
land seemed to call out loudly every time she
passed the strawberry patch. So, having asked
Klass, Willem and Jantje, who were busily en-
joying a feast of bread and treacle, and could
therefore very easily dispose of pleasure so
far in the future, she also gained her parents’
consent.

And now she bestowed extra care upon her
berry patch, which seemed to yield more
abundantly than ever before. A ready sale
was found for all the syrup, and to-day she in-
tended to make it herself. Mother was not
feeling well, but Grietje could not allow this
last and largest picking to be wasted, for our
zealous little missionary was careful in hoard-
ing the pennies for this cause, which she loved.
And now we see her bending over the kettle
filled with fruit, wondering how long before
it will come to a boil, also hoping that the
boys will not wander down to the creek at the
edge of the garden.

Scarcely has the thought escaped before
she hears a most distressing cry; running
down the path she finds her fears realized in
the form of Jantje, dripping from head to
foot, none the worse for his wetting, only re-
quiring immediate attention, which she pro-

ceeds to bestow upon him in a motherly
fashion, leading him up to her little attic
chamber, and cautioning the little fellow not

to cry and awaken mother, who has just
dropped off into a doze.

Full of concern for the little brother, she

has forgotten all about her precious straw-
berry syrup, until a most disagreeable odor
penetrates even here up in the attic.
ing into the kitchen she sees a strange gentle-
man in the act of lifting the kettle of black-
ened syrup from off the stove. He apologizes
for this liberty by explaining that, having
stopped to ask for a glass of water and find-
ing the kitchen deserted, he thought it best
to remove the burning fruit.

Rush-

Grietje’s only reply is to wipe the tears
which will rise, and Jantje, the innocent cause

of all this trouble, having followed her into
the kitchen in his half-clad condition, mysti-
fies the stranger by exclaiming, ‘‘the poor
heathen.”’
plains to the stranger, also offers him a glass
of water, which he accepts and walks away,

Composing herself, Grietje ex-

leaving the children looking down at the burnt

syrup with sad eyes.

But our little girl cannot waste much time.

Father will soon come home, and supper must

be ready. So hastily kissing Jantje, to assure

him that he is quite forgiven, she prepares
their simple evening meal.
of the dog and shouting of the boys proclaim
father’s arrival, who, having inquired for

The glad barking

mother, gives his little daughter an envelope,
which a stranger whom he met down the road
had given him for Grietje. Upon opening it,
they found four gulden and a kind note,
which read as follows: ‘‘For the little girl
whose strawberry syrup sent forth a most de-
licious odor of love, zeal and patience. The
stranger hopes she will use the enclosed for
the cause she loves so dearly.’”’ _

Grietje’s joy knows no bounds, and they
hasten up stairs to tell mother, who suggests
that her little daughter thank the kind heavenly
Father who sent this stranger.

Our young missionary is no longer a little
girl, but her first efforts have not been her
last, and her gifts to this cause have grown
with her years. Should we not follow her
example and sacrifice something out of our
abundance? é

How God Works.

Some years ago, a merchant in Sawara,
Japan, whose name was Akihara Takeji, was
visited by a Bible colporteur, from whom he
heard: something of the Gospel. But the story
made little impression upon him, and he went
on with his business without paying any atten-
tion to the new religion about which he had
heard. But it was not all in vain that he had
heard something of the truth. Rev. Henry
Loomis, the Agent of the American Bible
Society in Japan, now gives the sequel of this

story. In the fall of 1896, a great flood deyas-
tated that part of Japan where Mr. Akihara
lived, and his store and goods were swept
away. Having nothing else to do, Mr. Aki-
hara used to go out daily upon the river to
fish, and while thus engaged one day, he saw
a small book floating on the river. Picking
it up, he found it was a copy of the Book of
Genesis, and, as he read it, it madea strong
impression upon his mind. He remembered
all he had heard about God and the Gospel
of Jesus Christ. He soon began to inquire
about Christianity and the way of salvation
and it was not long before he became a Chris-
tian and entered heartily into all the duties of
the Christian life. His family followed his ex-
ample, and his daughter was sent to a Chris-
tian school. Mr. Akihara has now bought a
large family Bible, that he might have, in its
best form, the book which first came to him
in a wonderful way, and which was the means
of his salvation.

—e

Laundry Work in Korea.

In Korea women’s work is never done. Says
an exchange:

‘“They are expected to keep their husbands
and sons in spotless linen, and as the men
dress completely in white, wearing even white
leggings, and as Korea abounds in miry clay,
the washing becomes no mean thing. More-
over, when one learns that every article, be-
fore it is washed, must be entirely picked to
pieces, and, after it is ironed, remade, the
sewing looms into gigantic proportions.

‘The Korean women have no soap, no tubs,
no washboards. The clothes are carried to a
mountain stream and there rubbed on the
stones. ‘They have no irons, so the pieces of
cloth are wound over a sort of rolling-pin and
patted with a stick, a most laborious and tedi-
ous process, but one which gives linen a gloss
almost equal to that of satin. The traveler
coming into a town, far into the night, never
fails to hear the tick-tack, tick-tack, that an-
nounces the woman at her ironing.’’

—— sor oo oo

A Sure Cure.

It is told of Hannah Moore that she had a
good way of managing tale-bearers. It is said
that whenever she was told anything deroga-
tory to another, her invariable reply was,
“Come, we will go and ask if this be true.’’
The effect was sometimes ludicrously painful.
The tale-bearer was taken aback, stammered
out a qualification, or begged that no notice
might be taken of the statement. But the
good lady was inexorable; off she took the
scandal-monger to the scandalized to make
inquiry and compare accounts. It is not likely
that anybody ever a second time ventured to
repeat a gossipy story to Hannah Moore. One
would think her method of treatment would
be a sure cure for scandal. ~- =