The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1899, Page 32

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

The Outlook from the Editor’s Window.

A uitTLe five-year-old, who had listened to
4 sermon on giving to the Lord, was soon
thereafter given two pennies, and resolved

_ that one should be the Lord’s and that the

other should go for candy. She put them in
her pocket and went out to play, and in her
romps one of the pennies was lost. On her
return to the house she exclaimed, ‘‘O mamma,
I’ve lost the Lord’s penny!’? Whose penny
do you lose when one is missing ?

_ A Few weeks ago a poor old woman, so
poor as to be barely able to keep out of the
workhouse, came to a clergyman, and, taking
care not to be observed, put a small packet
into his hand. It was a gift for the Mission
Fund. ‘That is between you and me and
the Lord,” she said. The clergyman thought
that the packet probably contained a few cop-
pers, and put it into his pocket unopened.
When he got home and unfastened the string
and paper in which it had been wrapped, he
found to his surprise that it was all in silver.
Truly it was a costly gift, for it must have
cost much self-sacrifice.

WE have often given examples of the liber-
ality of Christian congregations among the
heathen, whose members have but lately come
from the darkness of heathenism. Another
example’ is that put on record by the Church
Mission Society of England. The 200,000
native Christians belonging to congregations
gathered by their missionaries have made up
a jubilee offering of $100,000. We can not
fully appreciate the largeness and liberality
of such an offering because we do not have a
true idea of the extreme poverty of very many
of these native Christians.

As old Scotch woman used to give a penny
a day for missions, and, for the sake of so
doing, went without some things that she
might otherwise have had. One day a friend
handed her a six-pence, so that she might buy
herself some meat, os an unusual luxury.
‘Well, now,’’ thought the old woman, ‘'I’ve
long done very well on porridge, and the Lord
shall have the six-pence, too.’’ In some way
the story came to the ears of a missionary
Secretary who told it at a missionary break-
fast. The host was much impressed by the
simple tale, and saying that he never denied
himself a chop for God’s Word, subscribed
$2500, on the spot. Several of the guests
followed his example, and $11,000 was raised
before the party separated.

Dr, Waneck has compared the missionary

istics of 1898 with those of 1874 and
shown what progress has been made during
‘the last quarter of a century. In 1874 there
were 1,587,000 gentile Christians, and their
lumber has increased to over 4,000,000. At
time there were 2132 male missionaries,

and there are now more than 6000. The sum
total of missionary contributions in 1874 was
$5,625,000, while at the present time it is
over $14,000,000.

AnoTHER illustration of the nefarious char-
acter of Roman missionary methods and mis-
sion work is afforded by the experience of
Protestant missionaries in Cameroon, West
Africa. The work of the German missionaries
is seriously disturbed and hampered by the
contemptible enticements of the Romish priests
who have invaded the territory. They offer
the natives the rum bottle instead of the Gos-
pel. The people do not hesitate to tell the
missionaries, ‘‘Your talk is good, but you
don’t give us anything and want us to walk
straight. The priest gives us plenty of rum,
and we naturally prefer him to you.’’

Ir is now forty years since the Marshall
group of islands was first visited by mis-
sionaries. At that time all those islands were
sunk in the densest heathenism. Sixteen of
the islands are now occupied by native mis-
sionaries, and there are 75 places where the
Gospel is preached, bringing the Word within
reach of 11,000 people. ‘There are 26 men
employed in preaching the Gospel who receive
some remuneration, besides other Christians
who assist them without pay. ‘The mission
work on the islands is practically self-sup-
porting. The contributions of the people dur-
ing the last year amounted to $1208, while
the teachers receive but $1230. ‘There are
now over 2500 church members and 1500 in
schools.

Twenty-Five years ago David Livingstone
died at Chitambo, south of Lake Bangweolo,
Central Africa, and it was about six months
before the civilized world knew of it. Now
a telegram from Lake Nyassa reaches Lon-
don in two hours. Little did such Christian
pioneers and explorers as Moffat, Livingstone
and Krapf think that their labors would be
followed up so soon and so rapidly both by
the sweet sound of the Gospel and the busy
hum of civilization.

A TRAVELER writes: ‘‘Amongst the memo-
ries which we have brought back with us from
the islet Funafuti, one of the Society Islands,
one of the most enduring, I think, will be the
memory of that native chieftain who came
next to the king in authority, and who used
to lead our expedition when we went about
from islet to islet. This chieftain was a very
noble man; and when he came with us he used
to bring his Bible, which he kept wrapped up
very carefully in a silk pocket-handkerchief,
and which every morning and evening he took
out in order to read a portion from it to his
native friends, after which they would join
together in singing a hymn with heartfelt and
deep religious fervor. The majority of the
natives at Funafuti are thoroughly godly and

Christian men, leading good, simple, plain,
manly and moral lives, and this happy state
of things, I have satisfied myself from per-
sonal inspection, is the direct result of the
teaching of the missionaries.’’

Ix 1810 the London Missionary Society,
seeing that the work at Tahiti was fruitless
and apparently hopeless, was on the point
of abandoning the field where fourteen years
brought not a convert. But a few men of
faith read the lesson of God rightly, and con-
tended that instead of forsaking the field the
prayerfulness of those who had supported
the work should be increased, and that in-
stead of letters recalling the devoted mission-
ary band, the directors should write hope-
ful and joyful messages to their discouraged
workers. This was done, and the vessel that
bore these messages from the London directors
passed in mid-ocean another sailing from Ta-
hiti, which bore the news of the entire over-
throw of idolatry, and carried to London the
idols themselves as trophies of the triumph of
the Gospel. The Church of Christ instead of
retreating, prayed, and made a new advance
and before they called God answered, and
while they were yet speaking, He heard. The
work began thousands of miles away at the
same time that the prayer was ascending.

Evangelical Lutheran Colored Churches,
New OrvEans, La

EV. LUTH. ST. PAUL'S CI.APEL,
1625 Annette Str., between Claiborne and Derbigny.
Divine services: Sunday morning at 944 o'clock.
Sunday evening at 74 o'clock.
Wednesday evening at 1% o'clock.
Sunday School: Sunday morning at 10% o'clock.
Adult catechumen class meets at 734 o’clock Tuesday

evening.
Singing School meets at 7)4 o’clock Friday cvening.

EV. LUTH. MOUNT ZION CHUROH.
Cor. S. Franklin and Thalia Strs.
Divine services: Sunday morning at 11 o'clock.
Sunda eyeing at za Oclonks
Thursday evening at 7% o'clock.
Sunday School: Sunday morning at 914 o'clock.
Adult carechumen class mects at 734 o'clock Friday
evening.
Young Peoples’ Concordia Circle and Singing Schoot
meet Wednesday evening at 734 o'clock.
F. J. LANKENAU, Missionary.

EV. LUTH. BETHLEHEM CHAPEL.
Cor. Washington Avenue and Dryades Str.
Divine services: Sunday, evening at 73 o'clock.
Thursday evening at 734 o'clock.
Sunday School at 9% o'clock.
Adult catechumen class every Tuesday at 714 o'clock and
after the divine service on Thursday evening.
Choir practice at 714 o’clock on Tuesday cyening and
after divine service on Thursday even ng. 5
Circle for Young People meets at the school every Tucs-
day cvening at 734 o'clock.
J. W. F. KO88MANN, Missionary.

Ey. Luth. Holy Trinity Church.

Springfield, I.
Divine Services at half past 10 o’clock Sunday morning
and at 8 o’clock Sunday evening. r
Sunday School at 3 o'clock P. M.
Catechumen class mects Monday and Friday cvenings.
Singing-school Tuceday evening.

TERMS:
Tue Lurneran Pioneer is published monthly,
payable in adyance at the following rates,
included, to-wit: ;

2.
5.
zie, to be sent
ies are
to one add y

«All business communications to be addressed to
Concordia Publishing House,” St. Louis, Mo.
All communications concerning the editorial de-
periment to be addressed to Prof. R. A. BiscHorr,
mcordia College, Fort Wayne, Ind.