The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1914, Page 66

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66

O Christians, no one needs to despair, however
heinous his transgressions might be. Yea, though
his sins be as searlet, though they be red like
crimson, yet there is free salvation to be found
for him; “for God so loved the world that He
gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in Him should not perish, but have everlasting
life,’ John 3, 16. Then let us who believe this also
love Jehovah, our greatest treasure. HH. O.

>

A Great Change.

It was in the year 1872 that a young German
missionary came to Otjosazu, in Damaraland, now
a part of German Southwest Africa. Kukuri, a
Herero chief, had applied for his services. ‘The
location was wild and desolate, and the people were
savages. All of them were heathen who had
scarcely come into contact with the Word of God,
though the ‘Rhenish Mission Society had worked
in the country since 1844. ‘The appearance of these
savage Herero was repulsive indeed. The men were
tall and muscular in body, their clothing was a mere
loin cloth, and their ever-present war clubs they
were always swinging in their hands. The women
were clothed in rough skins, a leather hood of un-
couth design covered their heads, and on their arms
and legs they wore heavy iron rings. ‘The ex-
pression on, their faces was almost hideous and un-
utterably stupid, especially in the case of the

/ women.

Full of curiosity, old and young surrounded the
missionary as he drew up and halted his cart under
a great tree. His tools especially interested them,
and many a one tried to steal this or that tool.
When the missionary took them to task for their
attempted theft, they would innocently say, “Why,

_ teacher, I only wanted to take care of the thing
for you; I feared that somebody might steal it
from you.”

As a temporary home the missionary occupied
a mud hut which the women had made; but he at
once made preparations to erect a permanent dwell-
ing of stone. But who would help in the work?
The Herero were nomads, always going from place
to place in search of pasturage for their great herds
of cattle. Not one of them had ever thought of
tilling the soil. They knew of“no other work than

that of herding their cattle, and deemed all other
kind of labor beneath their dignity. By promising
them good wages, and board and tobacco besides,

The Lutheran Pioneer.

the missionary finally succeeded in inducing several
men and youths to help him. The young mis-
sionary led the way, showed what he wanted done,
and instructed them in the use of hammer and
saw, ax, shovel, and trowel. But it was an un-
speakably hard task to teach these stupid Herero.
Besides, they soon grew tired from the unusual
exertion and always wanted to rest.

Finally, however, the small building was com-
pleted; a little house it was, only two rooms and
a kitchen. But plain and simple though it was,
it seemed a grand edifice to the blacks, who had
never seen a house with doors’ and windows before.
Their own mud huts, called pontoks, were window-
less and dark, their only opening being a door
scarcely more than three feet high. ‘They soon
concluded that it must be far more pleasant to live
in such a light, airy house than in one of their
dark, smoky pontoks.

But how great was their astonishment when the
wife of the missionary arrived with beds, tables,
chairs, commodes, a clock, and even pictures to
decorate the bare walls of the house, and when- she
put up curtains to prevent the curious natives, who
were always surrounding the house, from looking
in at the windows. Every article drew forth ex-
clamations of wonder and astonishment. Again
and again they cried out, “O what a wonderful
thing! The whites are wise, but we are stupid
like our oxen.”

The house finished and furnished, the mis-
sionary next turned his attention to making a gar-
den. He planted maize, pumpkins, and various
Suropean vegetables, and set out young fig and
mulberry trees and grape-vines. Of all such things
the Herero had until then been wholly ignorant,
their exclusive food having been the flesh and milk
of their herds and various wild berries, onions,
and roots. When the fruits and vegetables were
fit to be eaten and they were given a taste, they
all enthusiastically declared that they, too, would
have gardens: And the missionary did what he
could that they might attain their wish; he pro-
cured spades, hoes, and rakes for them, gave them
seed and young trees, and even assisted them with
his own hands in making a proper start.

In the dry bed of the river near by the mis-
sionary sowed wheat.. He showed the people how
to handle the plow, and furnished them seed to
put out little wheat patches of their own. ‘Those
who sowed wheat according to his directions had
fine results. Fncouraged by the success of these,