The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1904, Page 95

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The Lutheran Pioneer. 95

NOTES AND ITEMS.

Cross or VoLuME.—This number closes another

- volume of our paper. The friends of the PIoNEER

will not forget that this is a good time to get new
subscribers for our mission paper. They can thus
.aid us in our mission work, since all the profits go
into the mission treasury.

New Orveans.— As our readers are told in this
issue by one of our missionaries, the new College
building for our colored Lutheran students was re-
cently dedicated with great rejoicing. There are
at present 25 students in attendance.— The school
at St. Paul’s station numbers 275 pupils, and there
are prospects of the number being increased soon
to 300.— Bethlehem congregation, Rev. J. Koss-
mann, pastor, resolved to give six of its communion
Sunday collections to the treasury of Luther College
and six to the mission treasury. The Sunday school
of this congregation will divide its monthly collec-
tions in the same manner.

Nortu Caronina.—As we learn from our Ger-
man mission paper, a very suitable piece of ground
of four acres in Greensboro, N. C., has been donated
for Immanuel College. It is to be hoped that the
Mission Board will be enabled soon to begin the
erection of the much-needed college building. Forty
colored students are at present attending college.
They are under the instruction of Rev. Prof. N. J.
Bakke and Rey. Prof. F. Wahlers.

Gorp Mepau.— The Lutheran School Exhibit at
the Exposition in St. Louis, in which also our col-
ored Lutheran schools in New Orleans took part,
has been honored with the Gold Medal.

BIBLE IN THE Puinippines.—Recent reports from
the American Bible Society in the Philippines show

‘that the Scriptures have been translated into many

of the Malayan dialects, and that the translations
into other native dialects are progressing favorably.
Since the society was established, four years ago,
272,400 volumes have been distributed.

Trust 1n Gop.— When Morrison, the pioneer
missionary of China, left New York in 1807 for that
distant country with its millions of heathen inhab-
itants, the owner of the vessel said to him, “‘So,
Mr. Morrison, you really expect that you will make
an impression on the idolatry of the great Chinese
Empire??’ ‘‘No, sir,’’ replied the missionary, ‘“‘but

expect that God will.”

Let us do our part faithfully, but trust wholly in
the Lord for results. :

Tue Wipow’s Mire.—A collector for missions
called upon a rich friend for a gift. ‘‘Yes, I must
give my mite,’’ said the rich man. ‘‘Do you mean the
widow’s mite?” asked the collector. ‘‘Certainly,’’
was the answer. ‘‘I shall be satisfied with half as
much as she gave,”’ said the collector; ‘Show much
are you worth?” ‘‘Seventy thousand dollars,’’ said
the rich man. ‘Well, then,”’ said his friend, ‘‘give
me your check for $35,000; that will be half as
much as the widow gave; for she, you know, gave
her all.”

———

A Christmas Tree for the Heathen.

A Lutheran pastor in Germany relates the fol-
lowing:

At our last Christmas celebration in the school
I was very much surprised on seeing three boys
enter the room with a Christmas tree which, among
other ornaments, bore a number of small paper
bags. The meaning of this I soon learned from the
following address: ‘‘Dear pastor, Since you love
the heathen and gladly collect gifts for them, we
also have thought of them in this blessed Christ-
mas time and have brought this tree, which bears
many fruits. These are indeed small, but they are
to help in bringing to the poor heathen the glad
tidings of the Saviour born at Bethlehem.’? Each
paper bag contained a few small coins, and the total
amount was about five dollars. It was a welcome
Christmas gift after the example of the wise men
from the East, who opened their treasures and pre-
sented gifts unto the dear Christ-child.

rr ooo

A Beautiful Custom.

The Christmas feeding of the birds is still prey-
alent in many of the provinces of Norway and
Sweden. Bunches of oats are placed on the roofs of
houses, on trees and fences, to furnish them with
their share of the Christmas bounty. Two or three
days before, cartloads of sheaves are brought into
the towns for this purpose, and both rich and poor
buy arid place them everywhere. Every poor man
and every head of a family has saved a penny or
two to buy a bunch of oats for the birds to have
their Christmas. On this day, on many farms, the
dear old horse, the young colt, the cattle, the sheep,
the goats, and even the pigs receive double their
usual amount of.food. - It is a beautiful custom, in
which the children take an active part.

Nor, ‘‘What will the world say?” but, ‘‘What
will the Lord say?’’ should be our rule.