The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1904, Page 93

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

93

eyes, and while she took out the many good things,
Johnny told her how they all came to him as a
Christmas present from some kind Christian folks.
Mrs. Morris also found the envelope with Hattie’s
half dollar, and another envelope enclosing a five
dollar bill, with these words:

‘“Accept these gifts for the sake of Him whose
birth we celebrate to-day, and may you all learn to
love Him as your Saviour from all sin, and trust
Him in your hour of need.”’

How changed was everything now in the humble
home of that poor family! They celebrated not only
a merry but.a blessed Christmas. Their hearts were
drawn to the Saviour, and they thanked Him for all
His loving kindness.

A

The Christmas Babe.

We love to think of Bethlehem,
' That little mountain town,

To which, on earth’s first Christmas Day,
Our blessed Lord came down.

A lowly manger for His bed,
The cattle near in stall,

There, cradled close in Mary’s arms,
He slept—the Lord of all.

If we had been in Bethlehem,
We, too, had hastened fain
To see the Babe whose little face
Knew neither care nor pain.
Like any little child of ours,
He came unto His own,
Through cross and shame before Him stretched,
His pathway to His throne.

If we had dwelt in Bethlehem,
We would have followed fast,
And where the star had led our feet
Have knelt ere dawn was past.
Our gifts, our songs, our prayers had been
‘An offering, as He lay,
The blessed Babe of Bethlehem,
In Mary’s arms that day.

Now breaks the latest Christmas Morn!
Again the angels sing,
And far and near the children throng
Their happy hymns to bring.
All heaven is stirred! All earth is glad!
For down the shining way
The Lord who came to Bethlehem
Comes yet, on Christmas Day.
Margaret E. Sangster.

For Us.

It is not sufficient to believe that Christ has
come, but we must believe also that He was sent
from God, that He is the Son of God, and also very
, man, that He was born of a virgin, that He alone

has fulfilled the Law, and that not for Himself, but

for us, that is, for our salvation. — Luther.

A Day of Rejoicing at New Orleans.

Joy and gratitude filled the hearts and minds of
the members and friends of our missions at New
Orleans, La., in the service held there on Novem-
ber 6. And truly, they had good reason for their
joy and their gratitude. What had long been felt
as a pressing need now stood before them an accom-
plished fact; what had been desired so earnestly for
many a day was now realized before their very eyes.
A college, ‘‘Luther College,’? had been organized
and on the date mentioned above its permanent
home was dedicated to its use.

Two years ago the representatives of the Synod-
ical Conference, then in session at Milwaukee, Wis.,
had placed before them the urgent need of provid-
ing a higher school for our colored boys and girls.
The matter was well considered, most carefully
weighed, and thereupon Conference concluded that
the want must be filled if our missions should
prosper. ;

Now, the beginning was not made by erecting
a building. It came about in quite a different way,

so that the necessity of building was forced upon us

by the growth and prosperity of the school. _

Let me tell you of its beginning, growth, and of
the day and doings at the dedication of the new
home of this college.

About a year or so ago, a number of boys and °
girls from our Lutheran parochial schools had ad-
vanced so far in their studies that they had finished
the grades taught there. Desiring to continue, they
would have-been forced to enter the state school, or
to go to one of the many sectarian colleges, In either
case they would have been drawn away in a greater
or less degree from the influence of the pure Word
of God. About the same time two young men from
one of our stations in New Orleans, and one from
Mansura, La., were found willing to enter school to
prepare themselves for work in the Lord’s vineyard.
Various matters and conditions forbade sending
them to other Lutheran institutions abroad. . They -
looked to us. God sent them here. We could not
judge otherwise. Now the beginning was made.
These pupils were sheltered during the schoolhours
as well as could be done under the circumstances in

the vestry of St. Paul’s Church, along but narrow”

room, and of irregular shape. The room is so nar-
row that it permits of but two desks to stand beside

each other, leaying only a small space in the center

of an aisle, though the desks have been placed close
to the walls at the other ends. Here the instructions
were given for about a year, when the increasing —
numbers demanded an increase of space..