The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1905, Page 47

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

The Lutheran iioncer" 47

Easter Sunday in Bethlehem Chapel at
New Orleans.

A lovely, bright Easter sun ushered in Easter
Sunday at New Orleans. ‘The weather was mag-
nificent; the trees, shrubs, and flowers were arrayed
in their brightest foliage; the birds sang their sweet-
est lays, and every man and woman, every boy and
girl seemed to wear a bright and happy Easter look
as they strolled along the avenues, responding to the
cheerful call of the church bells: Christ is risen!
Christ is risen! Come to worship! Come to worship!

So it appeared to the writer as he wended his
way to Bethlehem Chapel of the Colored Mission.
He reached the chapel shortly before 11 o’clock to
participate in the Sunday school service. It was
crowded with about 100 Sunday school scholars
and 39 adults, all arrayed in their best and all wear-
ing smiling faces in anticipation of the service ar-
ranged for the occasion.

The scholars ranged in ages from 5 to 15 years.
The service was conducted according to the pro-
gram arranged by Rey. A. T. Hanser, beginning
with the hymn, ‘‘Awake, my heart, with gladness.”
The children responded to the pastor’s questions on
Christ’s resurrection with songs at intervals. The
first class of the day school sang: ‘‘O joyous Easter
morning,’”’ during the first interval. In the second
interval the entire day school (three classes) sang:
“Rock of Ages.”’? In the third interval the second
day school class sang: ‘‘Christ the Life of all the
living,’’ the entire school falling in at the refrain:
“Thousand, thousand thanks shall be, dearest Jesus,
unto Thee!’’ In the fourth interval the first day
school class sang: ‘‘Christ is risen. Hallelujah!?’
the entire school joining in the chorus at the end of
each verse:

Christ is risen! Hallelujah!
Risen our victorious Head.

Sing His praises! Hallelujah!
Christ is risen from the dead.

At the close of the questions and answers the
third day school class, all little children from 5 to
10 years, sang: ‘‘I want to be with angels,”’ etc.
Then followed a recitation by Juanita Harris: ‘‘He
is risen! Heis risen! Tell it with a joyful voice.”
This was followed by four stanzas of the opening
hymn by the congregation: ‘‘I cleave now and for-
ever.’? Then, after the beautiful and grand Easter
liturgy and prayer and the benediction, the services
closed with the last stanza of the hymn: ‘‘Christ is
risen,’’ the entire congregation joining in the chorus.

It was very interesting to see all the little colored
Lutherans so happy and singing the Easter hymns
with devout earnestness and close attention.

During the preceding week envelopes for Easter
offerings had been distributed among the scholars,
to be returned on this day. The offerings realized
$15.00, all from the little ones. The chapel had re-
ceived, in the previous week, an appropriate Easter
garment, the altar, pulpit, and walls having been
refreshed and made quite cheerful by a new coat of
paint.

Bethlehem School is growing. Seldom a week
passes which does not bring in new scholars, and
the average attendance at the chapel during church
service is quite encouraging. F.J.O.

—————

Livingstone and the Lion.

The most famous of all missionary encounters
with wild animals was that of Livingstone and the
lion, which well-nigh cost his life. As it was, his
arm was permanently injured. A false joint, re-
sulting from the crunching of the bone, seriously
inconvenienced him during the thirty years of ar-
duous toil that followed. It rendered an important
service, however, after his death, by furnishing a
conclusive means of identifying his body when it
was brought to England by his followers in 1874.

In 1848, two years after his arrival in Africa,
Livingstone opened a new station in Mabotsa, a
place infested with lions. Not long after, nine sheep
were killed on a small hill opposite Livingstone’s
house. Greatly exasperated, the people started out
to kill the lions, and, hoping to inspire them with
courage, Livingstone went with them. After a
time, finding his assistance not needed, he started
home, but, in passing around the hill, discovered a
lion sitting on a piece of rock behind a small bush.
Taking deliberate aim, he fired both barrels into the
bush, wounding the lion, but not killing it. What
transpired as he proceeded to reload can best be told
in his own words, as recorded in Missionary Travels:

‘‘When in the act of ramming down the bullets,
I heard a shout. Starting, and looking half-round,
I saw the lion just in the act of springing upon me.
I was upon a little height; he caught my shoulder
as he sprang, and we both came to the ground be-
low together. Growling horribly close to my ear,
he shook me as a terrier dog doesarat. The shock
produced a stupor similar to that which seems to be
felt by a mouse after the first shake of the cat. It
caused a sort of dreaminess, in which there was no
sense of pain nor feeling of terror, though quite con-
scious of all that was happening. This peculiar
state is probably produced in all animals killed by
the carnivora, and if so, is a merciful provision by

bs

ST ULB Se alent een CE Ze