The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1912, Page 4

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' The Lutheran Pioneer.

Africa.

Africa may still be called the Dark Continent,

. as large parts of that country are still covered by

the darkness of heathenism. ‘The largest number
of professed Christians is found in South Africa.
Yet six out of the seven millions of its native popu-
lation are still heathen. And if South Africa can
show one million native Christians, what of the
remainder of the huge continent? According to the
Statistical Atlas published by the Edinburgh World
Missionary Conference, the rest of Africa, with its

she had heard, wished to make an offering towards
the mission cause, but she had no money with her,
not even the smallest coin. She hurriedly wrote on
a piece of paper, “1 give my two sons,” and put
the paper in the collection basket. Her sons were
Samuel and Frederick, the one thirteen, the other
seven years old.

From that time on the dear woman looked upon
the two sons as given unto the Lord, just as Sam-
uel had been given unto the Lord by his mother
Hannah. She therefore never ceased to pray God
to bless her two sons, to make them useful men,

140 millions of heathen, cannot show another mil-
lion Christians. It is startling that the compara-
tively small corner at the South claims half. the
total of the African native Church.

Norwegian and German Lutheran missionaries
have for many years been doing a blessed work in
South Africa, especially among the Zulus.

A Valuable Mission Gift.

Many years since, a missionary mecting was held

in Utica, N. Y. A preacher from abroad spoke

yery eloquently on the importance and the needs of
mission work. After the address a collection was
taken up. A pious woman, deeply moved by what

A ZULU VILLAGE IN SOUTH AFRICA.

and to take them into His service, if He could make
use of them in the mission field as preachers of
the Gospel in heathen lands.

Years passed, and when the woman departed this
life, neither of her sons had in any way expressed
the least desire to become a missionary. And yet
the mother’s prayer was answered in God’s own
time. JF rederick became a missionary in ‘Turkey
and Samuel in China. The names of both are
honorably mentioned in the history of missions.
Samuel is none other than the well-known Dr. S.
W. Williams, who did good service for China by
his writings, and who, in 1853, accompanied Com-
modore Perry to Japan as interpreter, thus assist-
ing in the opening of that country also to Christian
missions.

fete,