The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1913, Page 13

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'The Lutheran Pioneer.

18

vidual contribution was $17.50; for 1912, the high-
est was $24.60. ‘Iwo members followed closely with
over $22.00, others with $14.00, while many con-
tributed from $5.00 to $10.00. And our young
people were also there with from $1.50 to $3.00
and $4.00. ‘True, some few again neglected to give
their congregation the support they easily could
have given; they withheld from the Lord eyen the
crumbs that fall from the table.

e During the past year our school has undoubtedly
experienced its most flourishing period since it was
founded, almost twenty-five years ago. Though we
had enlarged the school by adding another room
during the last summer, still we were not able to
accommodate all the children that applied for ad-
mission in fall. Many left again for other schools.
But notwithstanding all this loss, we closed the
year with 225 pupils actually in attendance. Since
then over one dozen new pupils have again applied.
For the future there seems to be but one thing to
do, to furnish more room. It can be done by rais-
ing the chureh-building and building a room under-
neath. Our congregation has already subscribed
over $50.00 for this plan, and $37.00 of this money
is paid.

Our three teachers are working untiringly and
with united effort for their school, ever planning
and scheming to improve all along the line, and
many of the pupils are too glad to help them, for
they love their school. May it please God to prosper
our school and chureh also in the future.

G. M. Kramer.

Brief Items from the Colored Mission Field.

The Colored Inmates of the County Infirmary
al St. Louis have regular religious services every
Wednesday afternoon. ‘These services are conducted
by the Students’ Missionary Society of our St. Louis
Seminary. ‘The services are attended by about thirty
persons, who seem to be very grateful for the sweet,
pure Gospel sermons they are permitted to hear.
The secretary of the Society, Mr. W. G. Schwelin,
says in his report: “Thus far all has been very
encouraging. May the good Lord bless the work of
our society !”

Our Colored Mission Board is carrying on its
blessed work in forty-two different localities. Over
forty colored and white laborers are active in this
work. ‘The forty-two stations are scattered over
eight states: Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Missis-

sippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, and
Virginia.

The Colored Mission owns twenty-six churches
and chapels, eight schools, two colleges, and seven
dwellings. ‘This mission property is valued at about
$115,000.

We mentioned in our last issue that “Mr. Un-
known” had visited the treasurer of our Colored
Mission for the sixteenth time with a gift of $500.00.
In the last biennial report the Board gratefully ac-
knowledges the receipt of a number of other larger
donations. Rev. H. Mueller, of Baraboo, Wis., made
the mission a present of $500.00. Mr. Frederick
Wolf, of Waverly, Iowa, donated $820.00. ‘The
John Scheve Foundation appropriated $1,000 for
indigent students in Greensboro, N. C. Father Wil-
liam Waltke, a member of St. Paul’s Church,
St. Louis, upon several occasions has donated sums
of $200.00 and $300.00. An unknown friend in
Sheboygan, Wis., has twice given $500.00. Another —
kind friend in Spring Valley, Wis., regularly con-
tributes from $20.00 to $30.00 every month. May
God in His grace reward these friends of Colored
Missions, and give the glorious cause many more
such friends and helpers!

eo

The Gospel’s Victories in Africa.

Inland from Cape Palmas, in Liberia, Africa,
live the savage Kroo people. A missionary among
this warlike tribe writes thus about his work in
The Christian Herald: —

“Work among these Kroo people is not without
its highly dramatic incidents. Once, while preaching
from the text, ‘Will a man rob God? a man sud-
denly sprang to his feet shouting, ‘I will not rob ~
Ged any longer. ‘Take all the idols from my house.
This we did, and burned and destroyed them pub-
licly, while a great crowd looked on in silent awe.
When our work started here, we found a naked and
almost utterly degraded people. But God is doing
wonderful things for the Kroo race, and the evi-
dences are about us in many forms.

“One of the most formidable influences we have
had to combat is that of the Voodoo men, or devil
doctors. ‘These men extol as virtues all the most
vile practices. Lying and stealing are a part of
their creed, and many of the baser crimes are quite
permissible as long as the perpetrator escapes de-
tection. They are continually fomenting petty wars

between the tribes and subtribes, and to them mur-