The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1903, Page 4

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4 The Lutheran Pioneer.

Rowing to Church.

Much of Finland, which is a Lutheran coun-
try, is island and peninsula, and most of the
churches are so placed that they can only be
reached by boats. The ‘‘church boats’’ will
sometimes hold as many as a hundred persons,
some twenty of whom row at a time.

It is the custom for every one to take a turn
at rowing, and, as the church is often far away,
it is no unusual thing for the ‘‘church boat’’
to start on Saturday night. It is an interest-
ing sight to see the peasants arriving at the
waterside Saturday evening, when they start
to their devotions, with their little bundles of
best clothes.

They are all very friendly, and as they row
to the church they generally sing; for there
is no occasion on which a number of Finns
meet together that they do not burst into
song. Arrived at the church, they put up for
the night at the homesteads round about; for
the church is often some distance even from
the village. If balmy summer, they lie down
beneath the trees, and under the stars take
their rest.

When morning comes, the women don their
black frocks, the black or white head-scarfs,
take their Bibles, neatly folded up in white
handkerchiefs, from their pockets, and gener-
ally prepare themselves for the great event of
the week. When the church service, which
lasts some hours, is over, they turn up their
skirts; or more often than not take off their
best things, and putting them back into the
little bundles, prepare to row home again.

——s ~<a oo

A Strange Letter Carrier.

The children in a farmhouse in Northern
Germany once noticed a stork building a nest
on the roof of their house. They fed the stork
all summer, and it grew quite tame.

When autumn came, knowing that the stork
‘would leave them, they wrote a letter setting
forth their pet’s virtues and cleverness, tell-
ihg how dear it was to them, and begging the
people to whom it came, in whatever far
country, to be kind to it. They all signed
their names and tied the letter under the
bird’s wing.

Winter passed and spring came, and one
bright morning there stood the stork again
upon the roof! And under its wing was tied
another letter. It was from a missionary in
‘Africa, to whose house the stork had come.
‘He said he was sure that the children who had

_ been kind to a bird would be sorry for the

black children among whom he lived, whom a
famine and fever had brought into sore want,
and that they would help him to save them.

frica by mail, and carried friendly words
stantial help from them and their

A Sweet Compliment.

Miss Emily Whitely lived in a beautiful home
in the suburbs of Columbia, S.C. Every Sun-
day afternoon she was in the habit of gather-
ing the dusky little ones of the neighborhood
about her and teaching them the precious
truths of God’s Word. When the weather
permitted she would take them out on the
lawn.

O what a treat this was for the little ones!
But poor old nurse Mammy, who had cared
for Miss Emily from infancy, looked upon all
this mission work with decided displeasure,
and was ‘‘shure 1: :n little niggars worry de
blessed life out 3ye Missy Emily.’”’

But Miss Emily kept on with her good work.
Her little ones became more and more in-
terested with every recurring Sunday, until
even Old Mammy when she saw her, one Sun-
day afternoon, attired in pure white, sitting in
the midst of that dark but attentive group of
listeners, broke forth in perfect ecstasy :

‘SO Missy Emily! when I sees ye’ sittin’ an’
a readin’ an’ a speakin’ to dem childers, dere’s
jes’ one ting I tinks you looks like—a pure white
rosebud in der middle ob a bowl o’ ’lasses!’’

——~@ -o<a e+ eS

The Blind Chinese Martyr.

Among the Chinese martyrs during the late
persecution the old blind man, Chang, should
be remembered. He lived in Mukden, the
capital of Manchuria. The Boxers seized him,
led him to one of their temples, and com-
manded him to worship the idols. ‘‘No,’’
said he, ‘‘I can serve only the one true and
loving God.’’ ‘‘Repent!’’ they exclaimed.
‘*T have repented,”’ said the old man. ‘‘Wilt
thou believe on Buddha?” they asked again.
‘tNo,’’ replied he, ‘‘I believe on Jesus Christ.’”’
“Then you must die,”’ said the cruel Boxers.
And as the sword struck his neck, the old man
Chang was singing a Christian hymn. Thus
he gained his martyr’s crown. Poor old
Chang! Though blind, he cast a halo of glory
around the mission work in Manchuria. — Ex.

Food for Thought.

From an exchange we glean the following
facts, surely food for thought. More than a
thousand million men are living on earth. The
average duration of a human life is thirty
years. Accordingly, every thirty years a thou-
sand million men pass into eternity, every year
83,333,388, every day 91,050, every hour
8793, every second one. With every breath
of our mouth another soul passes into eternity.
Among these travelers to eternity two-thirds
are as yet outside the pale of the Gospel, and
among the remainder there are many that are
Christians only by name. Therefore, O child
of God, show that you are in earnest when you
pray, ‘‘Thy kingdom come.”*

OUR BOOK TABLE.

BEKEHRUNG UND GNADENWAHL. Zweiter Theil:
Gnadenwahl. Fuer jeden Christen aus der
Schrift erklaert von C. M. Zorn. Concordia
Publishing House, St. Louis, Mo. Price, 30 cts,

In plain and simple style this booklet presents to

Christians the Bible doctrine concerning the elec-
tion of God’s children to eternal life. The esteemed
author has a faculty of imparting knowledge to
others in the simplest and most effective manner;
and the knowledge which he here presents is taken,
not from the fallible reason of men, but from the
infallible Word of God. The booklet is an excellent
companion to the author’s treatise on the doctrine
concerning conversion. Both treatises bound in one
volume may be had for 50 cts.

AMERICAN LUTHERAN ALMANAC AND YEAR BOOK,
1908. American Lutheran Publication Board,
Pittsburg, Pa. Price, 10 cts.

Besides the calendar and statistical reports this
Almanac of our English brethren contains much in-
teresting and instructive reading matter, which will
make it welcome in Lutheran homes.

THE SMALL CaTEcniIsM of Doctor Martin Luther in
verse, with music.

This little booklet presents in verse the Bible
truths of Luther’s Small Catechism, thus showing the
truth as it is in Jesus Christ for the salvation of sin-
ners. The price is 10 cts., and it is sold for the bene-
fit of the Utah Mission of our Norwegian brethren.
Address, Rey. A. G. H. Overn, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Acknowledgment.

Received for colored missions of Rev. F. J. Lan-
kenau from St. Paul’s Church in New Orleans, La.,
25.00; of Rev. K. Kretzschmar from Mt. Zion Church
in New Orleans, La., 25.00; of Rev. J. Kossmann
from Bethlehem Church in New Orleans, La., 25.00;
of Rey. J.C. Schmidt from Grace Church in Greens-
boro, N. C., 12.00. A.C. BurGporr, Treas.
St. Louis, Mo., December 15, 1902.

Evangelical Lutheran Colored Churches,
New Or.iEans, La.
EV. LUTH. ST. PAUL’S CHAPEL.
1625 Annette Str., between Ciatburne and Derbigny-
Divine services: Sunday morning at 934 o’clock.
Sunday evening at 734 o'clock.
Wednesday cvening at 1% o'clock.
Sunday School: Sunday morning at 10% o'clock.
Adult catechumen class mects at 734 o'clock Tuesday

evening:
Singing School meets at 74 o'clock Friday evening.
F. J. LANKENAU, Missionary.

EV. LUTH. MOUNT ZION CHUROH.
Cor. S. Franklin and Thalia Strs.
Divine services: Sunday morning at 11 o'clock.
Sunday evening at o'clock.
Thursday evening at o'clock.
Sunday School: Sunday morning at 9% o'clock.
Adult catechumen class mects at 734 o’clock Friday

evening.
Young People’s Concordia Circle and Singing School
meet Wednesday evening at 74 o'clock.
L KRETZSCOUMAR, Missionary.

EV. LUTH. BETHLEHEM OHAPEL.
Oor. Washington Avenue and Dryades Str.
Divine services: Sunday evening at o'clock.
Thursday evening at 734 o'clock.
Sunday School at 5% o'clock.
Adult catechumen class every Tuesday at 7}40’clock and
after the divine service on Thursday evening.
Choir practice at 734 o’clock on Tuesday cyening and
r divine service on Thursday even ng.
Circle for Young People meets at the school every Tucs-
day cvening at ey o’clock.
J. W. F. KossMANN, Missionary.

Ey. Luth. Holy Trinity Church.
Springfield, Tl.

Divine services at half past 10 o’clock Sunday morning
and at 8 o'clock Sunday cvoning.
Sunday School at 3 o'clock P. M.
Oatechumen class meets Monday and Friday evenings.
Singing-school Tuesday evening,
——oo—Elleeee*

TERMS:

Tux Luraeran Pronger is published monthly,
payable in advance at the following rates, p
included, to-wit:

1 Copy Patceccatcccuescatescescecer $ .25
10 Copies +. 2.00
Oly es -- 5.00

Sy wgplscctrticcnsesticsccchoe +. 9.00
poop ate only allowed if all copies are to be sent

0! Tess.

ATIpaaiiiens communications to be addressed to
sQoneordia Foblishin House,” Jefferson Ave. and
Miami St., St. Louis, Mo. :
' All com*munieations concerning the editorial de-

ent to be add to Prof. R. A. BiscHoF?:
mcordia College, Fort Wayne, Ind.