The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1919, Page 22

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Lutheran societies are working with excellent re-
sults. The Lutheran Foreign Missionary Society
of Norway in 1914 had 25 chief stations, 780 con-
gregations, 22 missionaries, 99 native pastors, 901
catechists, 82,162 members, 3,434 catechumens,
22,125 scholars in Sunday-schools and 4,012 pupils
in 72 day-schools. This society also supports a flour-
ishing theological seminary, a well-attended normal
school, a well-appointed hospital and polyclinic,
a home for lepers, and a publishing house. In 1917
the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America had
7 chief and 66 outstations in Madagascar, 10 mis-
sionaries, 6 ordained natives and 142 native helpers,
over 2,000 members and several thousand Sunday-
school scholars. In its 12 day-schools there were
455 pupils. This mission was founded in 1890.
The Free Norwegian Church of North America in
1917 reported 4 chief stations, 4 preaching-stations,
over 1,000 members, 5 ordained American mis-
sionaries, 5 native pastors, 58 evangelists, an evan-
gelist school, one hospital, anda clinic. F. J. 1.

>>

A Lutheran Mission among Native
Australians.

The aboriginal population of Australia numbers
about 80,000. The evangelization of these peoples
has been greatly neglected because of its great diffi-
culty and the unpromising character of the natives;
but the burden of responsibility for their spiritual
welfare is in recent years being taken up by various
churches. The Moravians are working among them
at three stations in the northern port of Queensland.
The Anglicans are laboring in Queensland and
South Australia. The Presbyterians have begun
a mission on the northwest coast of West Australia.
The Lutheran Neuendettelsau Society was also car-
rying on work among -them before the outbreak of
the war.

A Wesleyan missionary was the pioneer evan-
gelist among the Australian natives. Four years
after him, in 1824, Rev. Thirlkeld began his work
in the midst of a considerable native population
on a grant of land comprising 10,000 acres received
from the New South Wales Government. He did
much for them, and the mission apparently thrived,
until the whole tribe migrated to another place and
he was left alone, a shepherd without a flock.

For a number of years our Australian brethren
have carried on quite a successful missionary enter-

The Lutheran Pioneer.

prise among the Australian natives at Koonibba,
South Australia. Here a mission-staff comprising
ten persons is doing fine and promising evangelistic,
educational, and industrial work on a reservation
of land set aside for mission-purposes. Under the
supervision of the efficient farm manager 2,550 acres
were plowed and sown last year. A large herd of
cattle is kept on the place. A children’s home is
conducted in connection with the mission-school.
A native kitchen is in charge of a competent person,
while a store, where the natives may procure their
necessaries at a most reasonable price, is in charge
of a member of the mission-stafl. Three two-roomed
cottages for young married natives are being con-
structed near the mission-buildings by way of an
experiment, and if the enterprise proves successful,
more will probably be erected as soon as the funds
will have been provided.

The evangelistic work of the mission, the real
work, is not in vain, for last year no less than
seven children and four adults were baptized and
thirteen persons were confirmed and admitted to the
Lord’s Supper. At the present time thirteen more
are being prepared for Confirmation, and four have
applied for Baptism. Compared with the results
attained by other mission-agencies, the success of
our brethren among the native Australians is’ truly
remarkable. Of all the members of the human
family, perhaps none occupy a lower position than
do the aborigines of Australia. They are of inferior
stature, and their intellect is very little developed.
Though unsurpassed in tracking and running down
his prey, the thoughts of the aboriginal are appar-
ently those of a child, and his desires are most.
primitive. Marital relations are very elementary
among them. The wife is valued as property with
the spear and club. Her body is usually covered
with spear-wounds received by way of punishment
for not supplying her master with sufficient food.
The natives’ desire to travel from place to place is
strong and their aversion to systematic labor of any
kind is deep-seated. The religion of the natives in
their natural state seems to begin and end in
a superstitious dread of ghosts and demons.

This short description of the aboriginal Aus-
tralian in his natural condition will help the reader
readily to see that the accession of 24 persons to
the church in one year, after a course of thorough
instruction extending probably over several years in
each case, is a token that God’s bountiful blessing”
is resting on the work of our Australian brethren.

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