The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1899, Page 24

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24

The Lutheran Pioneer.

The Outlook from the Editor’s Window.

Tue LurHeran Missourr Srnop, at its re-
cent meeting in St. Louis, devoted much time
to the discussion of mission work. German
Home Mission and English Mission are to be
carried on more vigorously than heretofore.
As soon as possible mission work is to be taken
up in Cuba, Porto Rico, and Hawaii. Two new
laborers will be sent to the field in India.

Tree new laborers, graduates of the Lu-
theran Seminary at St. Louis, will this sum-
mer enter our mission field in the South to
work among the colored people. As God
continues to bless our work, may we not be-
come weary, but grow more zealous in the
work entrusted to our hands. -

Anas encampments for carrying on a whole-
sale trade in slaves are established all over the
heart of Africa. They usually are connected
with wealthy Arab traders at Zanzibar and
other places on the coast, and communication
is kept up by caravans which pass at intervals
from one to the other. Sometimes these Arab
traders actually settle for a year or two in
the heart of some quiet community in the re-
mote interior. They pretend perfect friend-
ship. They molest no one and barter honestly.
They plant the seeds of their favorite vege-
tables and fruits—the Arab always carries
seeds with him—as if they meant to stay for-
ever. Meantime they buy ivory, tusk after
tusk, until great piles of it are buried beneath
their huts and_all their barter goods are gone.
One day, suddenly, the inevitable quarrel is
picked. Then follows a wholesale massacre.
Only enough natives are spared to carry the
ivory to the coast, the grass huts of the villages
are set on fire; the Arabs strike camp, and
the slave march — worse than death — begins.

Asour sixty years ago, a small bundle was
picked up in a street in Bristol by the river
side, just between the bridges. When it was
unwrapped, it was found to contain a for-
saken baby, who seemed to belong to nobody
in the world. ‘he child received the name of
Thomas Bridges, because of the strange cir-
cumstances of his discovery. When he grew
to be a big lad, he was taken to the Falkland
Islands, off Patagonia, in South America, in
‘company with a devoted missionary. Here he
s00n picked up the Yaghan language, which is
spoken along the rocky and desolate coast of
Tierra del Fuego—or Land of Fire. After a
time he gave his heart to Jesus Christ, and
‘grew to be an earnest aud energetic Christian.
In afew years he returned to England, pur-
sued a course of study, and was ordained a
clergyman. He then went back as a mission-
to those Yaghans, who perhaps are the
st degraded race on earth. Mr. Bridges
devoted thirty years of his life to work among
iis people, and translated the Scriptures into
‘barous language.

Stone buildings in Fiji are rare, but no-
where in the South Seas is there a building
made up of such rare stones as are embedded
in the thick walls of the church at Bau. In
those old walls are to be found great slabs
that were for ages ground into shape by the
action of wild waves on the neighboring reefs ;
stones that were once gods; stones gathered
from the ruins of ancient heathen temples;
stones taken from old fortifications, over which
men once fought and bled and died; grim,
hard stones that for ages absorbed the tears
and blood of generations of men who walked
this green earth without God and without
hope in the world. To-day, within the four
walls of this strange edifice, stands, where it
has stood for many a year, a rough boulder
of gray rock that was once the ‘‘killing stone,’’
against which scores of poor victims of lust
and murder have been dashed to make a feast
for the lords of Bau. ‘This grim memorial of
darker days has been turned into a baptismal
font, from which many hundreds of men,
women and children have been baptized into
the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy
Ghost.

———+~+ oo >

(For the LUTHERAN PIONEER.)

Letter from Knoxville, Tenn.

Knoxville College, an institution of the
United Presbyterian Church for the educa-
tion of colored people, deeply deplores the
loss of the man who by his untiring zeal, his
fervent love towards the poor negro and his
true Christian tact has succeeded so admi-
rably in building up and bringing up to its
present high standard this model school. The
Rey. John S. McCulloch, for twenty-seven
years president of this institution, has re-
signed his responsible office, and intends to
spend the remainder of his days at Omaha,
Nebr., in writing in the interest of the edu-
cation of the colored people. It is no wonder
the reverend gentleman longs for a season of
rest from his arduous labors when we remember
that he now has reached the age of seventy
years and that twenty-seven years of his life
have been spent in the exceedingly trying work
of managing a school for colored youths, whose
attendance ranged as high as 375 scholars dur-
ing a term.

The Rey. R. W. McGranahan of Alleghany,
Pa., has been called to fill his place.

On the evening of May 26th the annual con-
cert of the Music Department of Knoxville
College was held in the College Chapel. It
was a treat indeed for every lover of true
music and demonstrated what gratifying re-
sults a careful training is able to produce
with colored people. The work of the Choral
Class, consisting of 40 voices, deserves special
mention. Theinspiring anthem ‘'Zion Awake’’
by Costa was rendered in a truly artistic style.
Among the solos Miss Fields’ rendition of
the beautiful soprano Aria by Gounod, ‘‘Sing,

Smile, Slumber,” can not be praised too highly.
But all of this was overshadowed by the truly
wonderful performance on the piano by Miss
Gibbs. When it is said that such works as
Caprice Le Galop by Graff, Cracorienne Fan-
tastique by Paderewski, Rhapsody Hongroise
(No. 12) by Liszt were rendered in an abso-
lutely faultless manner, this will be sufficient
to convince every lover of music that the
work done at the Music Department of Knox-
ville College must indeed be of the highest or-
der. — Note: In 1890 the United Presbyterian
Church had 94,402 members, the Synodicat
Conference had 357,153 members! Query:
Are we not able to establish an institution on
the order of Knoxville College? If not, why
not? Echo says way off in the distance—
Yes, why not?

Acknowledgment.

Received for colored missions of Rev. F. J.
Lankenau, Missionary, New Orleans, La., from Mt.
Zion Congregation $25.00, and from St. Paul’s Con-
gregation 25.00; of Rev. J. Kossmann, Missionary,
from Bethlehem Congregation, New Orleans, La.,
25.00; of Rev. J.C. Schmidt, Missionary, from Grace
Congregation, Greensboro, N. C., 12.00; of Rev. J.
Ph. Schmidt, Missionary, from Grace Congregation,
Concord, N. C., 10.00.

A. C. Buraporr, Treas.

St. Louis, Mo., May 20, 1899.

Evangelical Lutheran Colored Churches,
New ORLEans, La.

EV. LUTH. ST. PAUL’S CHAPEL.
1625 Annette Str., between Claiborne and Derbigny.
Divine services: Sunday morning at 9% o'clock.
Sunday evening at 7% o'clock.
Wednesday evening at i% o'clock.
Sunday School: Sunday morning at 10% o’clock.
Adult catechumen class mects at 714 o’clock Tuesday

evening:
Singing School mects at 734 o’clock Friday evening.

EV. LUTH. MOUNT ZION CHURCH.
Cor. S. Franklin and Thalia Strs.
Divine services: Sunday morning at 11 o'clock.
Sunday evening at 7% o'clock. ra
Thursday evening at % o'clock.
Sunday School: Sunday morning at 914 o'clock.
Adult carecaumedl class mects at 7% o’clock Friday
evening.
Young Peoples’ Concordia Circle and Singing School
mect Wednesday evening at 7% o'clock.
F. J. LANKENAU, Missionary.

EV. LUTH. BETHLEHEM CHAPEL.
Cor. Washington Avenue and Dryades Str.

Divine services: Sunday evening at 7% o'clock.
Thursday evening at 714 o'clock.
Sunday School at 944 o'clock.
Adult catechumen Class every Tuesday at 744 0'clock and
after the divine service on ‘Thursday evening.
Choir practice at 734 o'clock on Tucsday cyening and
after divine service on Thursday even’ ng.
Circle for Young People meets at the school every Tucs-
day cvening at 7}, o’clock. a :
J. W. F. KoS8MANN, Missionary.

Ey. Luth. Holy Trinity Church.
Springfield, It.
Divine Services at half past 10 o'clock Sunday morning
and at 8 o’clock Sunday cvening.
Sunday School at 3 o'clock pv. a. 0
Catechumen class meets Monday and Friday evenings.
Singing-school Tucsday evening.

TERMS:

Tue LurneraNn Pronger is published monthly,
payable in advance at the following rates, postage
included, to-wit:

1 Copy w-rerecsersseseeccsensenens $ .25
10 Copies 9 -. 2.00
25 ee

Club rates only allowed if all copies are to be sent

to one address.
All business communications to be addressed to
“Concordia Publishing House,” St. Louis, Mo. a
‘All communications concerning the editorial de-
ent to be addressed to Prof. R. A. BIscHOFF,
ncordia College, Fort Wayne, Ind.