The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1919, Page 30

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30 The Lutheran pSrecssay

do they need churches. How are we going to answer
the demand made upon us? As citizens of the North
we should be interested in providing these new-
comers with all that makes for good citizenship,
and we should seek to keep from them every in-
fluence that would have a tendency for evil. As
Christians not only the social condition of these
strangers among us should appeal to us, but in
a higher degree their moral and religious wants.
There comes to you and to me the double question,
“What are you doing for the body and soul of this
stranger that has come to live among you?”
F. J. L.

~~.» = S

Startling Facts about South America.

Total Population. — Estimated at 45,000,000.
Religion, Popish Mariolatry.

Number of Pure Indians. — Variously estimated
at from 6,000,000 to 15,000,000. Religion, Animism.

Number of Negroes in Brazil.—About 4,000,000.
Religion, Popish Mariolatry.

Area. —Twice the size of Europe, more than
twice the size of the United States, three times the
size of China, sixty times the size of the British Isles.

Illiteracy. — About fifty per cent. of the people

cannot read or write. Fifty years ago Japan was |

a pagan nation. ‘To-day there are three times as
many teachers and three times as many pupils in
the schools of Japan as in the schools of all South
America.

Illegitimacy.—About fifty per cent. of the people
are born out of wedlock. Not more than ten per
cent. of the priests live pure lives.

Disease —is sadly prevalent, and largely trace-
able to immoral conditions. Generally, no qualified
doctors are available outside of the larger towns.

Leprosy —is very common. One per cent. of
the people in Paraguay are lepers. ‘The number is
increasing. Nothing whatever is done for them,
and they mix freely with the other people.

Distressing Lack of Protestant Missionaries. —
In 1912 the number of foreign missionaries in
Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia was given as 244, 22,
and 16, respectively.

Astonishing Figures. — If we distribute the
23,000,000 people of the three republics among
these workers, each missionary has a parish of over
80,000 souls.

Tn India each missionary has 65,000 as his part.
In Paraguay the number to each missionary is
142,000. Paraguay is twice as destitute as India.

Huge Territory to Hach Missionary. — The mis-
sionary worker in Brazil has a parish of fifteen
thousand square miles, or about the size of Massa-
chusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut combined,
or equal to half the size of Scotland.

But in Inland South America each muissionary’s
parish contains something like fifty thousand square
miles, or about forty-five times as many as a mis-
sionary parish contains in China. — /nland South
America Missionary Union.

——~ 2

Giving and Getting.

“1 don’t see how Foreign Missions help the home
churches,” said Lou Baker, looking up at lier mother,
“The preacher said they did, yesterday, when he was
preaching about missions, you know.”

“Do you remember the beautiful bed of nastur-
tiums Mrs. Snow and I had last summer, Lou?”
asked her mother.

“Yes. But—”

“But what has that to do with missions?” re-
plied her mother, smiling. “Let’s see. Mrs. Snow
would not cut her flowers, you remember. Her bed
was a perfect blaze of color for a while. She wanted
it to be the finest in town, and for a short time
it was. ‘Then the vines began to.die, though she
gave them the best attention. Before August there
was nothing but dry stems left. The flowers had
bloomed themselves to death, and drawn all the life
from the roots.

“This year she did not plant nasturtiums; she
said they did not pay. My bed bloomed until frost.
IT was on the flower committee for the hospital,
and sent great bunches of my nasturtiums every
week to the sick people. I could not help it; they
were so lovely, and brought so much brightness into
the long, bare wards. I never thought of saving
my plants by giving away my flowers, but so it was.”

“So you think, mama, that the more we give to
Foreign Missions, the more we have at home?”
asked Lou.

“<«There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth,
and there is that withholdeth more han is meet,
but it tendeth to poverty,” quoted Mrs. Baker.
“When I saw the joy those flowers, gleaming like

great blotches of red and yellow sunshine, brought,

into the days of those poor sick ones, I loved my
flowers more than ever before, and thanked God
more heartily than T had ever done for the beautiful
gift of flowers. They taught me a lesson on Foreign
Missions.” — Mission Journal.

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