The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1916, Page 27

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The Lutheran Pioneer.

29

The work is still young. However, it is making
satisfactory progress. The Lutheran Church is here
to stay and to advance, and in its.onward prog-
ress will deal death-blows to ignorance, heathenism,
superstition, and immorality. Presiding elders and
preachers, deacons and class-leaders, may in their
own selfish interest place obstacles in the way, but
as error cannot prevail against truth, or darkness
against light, or ignorance against Christian in-
telligence, so must these opposing forces, however
strong, retreat before the power of God’s Word and
Luther’s doctrine pure.

Some necessary changes had to be made in the
curriculum of the school, a sort of transformation
from a purely secular to a Christian school, with-
out detracting anything from the secular branches
already introduced. ;

Ifow would the children take to the new order
of things, and what would the parents say? We
are glad to state that the changes have been made
without any difficulty, to the satisfaction of all con-
cerned. On the first schoolday after our arrival
we opened our devotional exercises with “Praise God
from Whom All Blessings Flow,” ete., the only hymn
in which we could all unite at the time, and Cate-
chism and Bible History were introduced. hese
are plied every day, and the results are gratifving.
During these two months the advanced class has
covered the first three parts of the Catechism, the
intermediate the first and part of the second, and
the primary, to which the majority of the pupils
helong, has committed to memory the text of the
fifth part and the explanation of the Second Article.
A few hymns have also been memorized. ‘The
‘parents are delightfully surprised at the progress
their children are making. “Dis gal ob mine,” said
a mother, “knows mo’ erbout the Bible than her
daddy, an’ he’s a class-leader, an’ she’s larnt hit
in yo’ school yondah.”

. In the Black Belt hymn-books, organs, and other
musical instruments, except the banjo, are scarce,
and so are the “chunes.” I know of one church
that sings the same one “chune” at every service.
When the hymn-books and the organ arrived, we
began to devote some time every day to singing,
with the result that we now can sing the praises
of God in more than a dozen Imtheran melodies.

We organized a Sunday-school with 25, which
on the following Sunday increased to 65, and it
kept on growing in number and efficiency until
recently, when the big neighboring church, which,
according to reliable information, conducts a Sun-

day-school from two to three months a year, de-
cided to reopen this institution, and some of our
pupils were enrolled. Well, if we can be instru-
mental in arousing the native religious leaders to
some activity, even if that activity should be turned
against us, our life in the Black Belt has not been
in vain. In ‘addition to the missionary laborers
the services of several prospective members have
been enlisted in this work. We have five classes,
with an average attendance for February of 88,
but only three classrooms, two of which are small.
However, we soon expect to have better accommo-
dations.

Despite the inclement weather and the bad roads
the attendance upon divine services has been ex-
ceptionally good, so much so, that on some Sun-
days standing-room has been at a premium. ‘The
large classroom in which the services are tempo-
rarily being conducted cannot comfortably seat. over
a hundred. The carpenters have been at work for
iwo months on the unfinished chapel and school-
house. Owing to the large attendance, an average
of 130 for February, and to the expectation of an
increased enrolment for next year, another class-
room had to be added. When the building is com-
pleted, we shall have three classrooms, a chapel
30X40 feet, a small vestry, and a belfry, the cost
of which, without furnishings, will amount to ap-
proximately $500. In two or three weeks we in-
tend to dedicate the building to the service of the
Triune God.

Rev. Lane took charge of the advanced classes
on the first Monday in February. Miss Rosa Young
presides over the primary, and in her spare moments
studies diligently the Catechism and the Augsburg
Confession. ‘The children, accustomed to the ex-
cellent discipline of Miss Young, are easily con-
trolled, otherwise it would be difficult to manage
such large classes, considering the iriadequate equip-
ments we have had this winter.

We commend our mission here with its laborers
to the intercession of our Lutheran Christians, and
bespeak for it their continued generous support. -

N. J. BAKKE.

Sad News from Mansura, La.

On Tuesday morning, February 15, just after
religious instruction, I heard a loud rap on the
church-door. It seemed as though the person knock-
ing was trying to break down the door. On going
to the door, I saw that it was Mr: Coco, a white