The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1910, Page 27

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

Se a ee

27

The Importance of Christian Instruction.

An aged pastor writes: “How important and
valuable is the instruction of children in Christian
schools!) During my long ministry I have min-
istered to many old people on their beds of sick-
ness, some of them near their end. I often found
that they comforted themselves with the Scripture
passages and hymns which they had learned as chil-
When I quoted from
the Bible, the Catechism, or the hymn book, the
sick would often take the passage from my lips and
finish it. I remember an oldefather who recited
whole psalms, which he had learned at school and
which gave him much comfort in his old age and
in the days of sickness.”

And Dr. N. Selnecker, the great Lutheran. di-
vine, tells of a pious lawyer who said in-his last
sickness :

dren, in Christian schools.

“Now I see and realize how useful it is
to learn God’s Word from youth up. For this I
would now not take all the world’s treasures, money,
and goods; for when I call to mind what I learned,
I have from this chapter (Is. 53) more help and
comfort than from all other books. Yes, I would
lose and forget and put away all books rather than
miss this one chapter.”

How Some Heathen Worship.

The people called Gallas, in Africa, worship a
large tree, that grows on the side of one of their
‘rivers. Crowds come from every part of the coun-

try to ask of it everything they desire: one asks ©

for health; another, for money; another, for good
crops; another, that he may overcome his enemies.
Only the men are allowed to present their prayers
at this spot. They think that females are not good
enough to pray to the great tree.

Another heathen tribe, called Tartars, have a -

praying machine. It is a round hollow box, fixed
upright like a grindstone; a string leads from it
to what is called a spindle. By treading on the
spindle the machine turns round, just like a grind-
stone, when men sharpen their knives. In the in-

side of the box are rolled up long pieces of parch--

ment, joined together, sometimes to the length of
several hundred fect. On the parchment a prayer
is written over and ovér again, perhaps as many as
a thousand times. When the box goes round the
prayers are moved around. The heathen think that
_ this is very pleasing to their gods, and will surely
' bring down a blessing. This is praying by whole-

sale. Every time the box is turned the Tartar con-
siders that he has offered one thousand prayers.

When we read of such things it should fill us
with pity for these poor, ignorant creatures. It
should also make us glad and grateful that we have
the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, which tells us
of the true God, and how we may be saved.

— oe

The Lord’s Pocketbook.

“Whose pocketbook is that which you carry?”
said. a friend to a business man as he drew a well-
filled wallet from his pocket.

“Why, my own, of course.
it be?” was the prompt reply.

“To whom the pocketbook belongs depends on
another question. If you belong to the Lord, I
guess the purse is His also.”

“Well,” said the man, thoughtfully, “I do be-
long to the Lord; but your remark throws a new
light on this subject. It never impressed me be-
fore, as it does just now, that I am to carry and use
this pocketbook, ‘my pocketbook,’ as my Lord di-
rects. I must think this matter out, for I confess
honestly I never have looked at it in the light in
which you place it.”

Whose else could

— ee

The Carpenter’s Dream.

A poor carpenter often said to himself and
others, “If I were only rich, I would show people
how to give.” In his dream he saw a pyramid of
silver dollars — all new, bright, and beautiful. Just
then a voice reached him, saying, “Now is your
time! You are rich at last; let us see how liberal
you are!” So he rose from his seat and went to
the pile to take some money for charitable purposes.
But the pyramid was so perfect that he could not
bear to break it; he walked all around it, but found
no place wherg he could take a dollar without spoil-
ing the heap, so he decided that the pyramid should
not be broken! —and then he awoke. He awoke
to know himself, and to see that he would be liberal
only while he was poor.

—EE

Please Remember!

There is-a time to whisper, to talk, and to laugh.
Yes. But that time is not during divine service.
“The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth
keep silence before Him.” Please remember!