The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1919, Page 43

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T= gy ain LA eRe Ate iL aL A ae,

The Lutheran

Pioneer.

A Challenge.

chs

The Negro of the South has gone North in great
numbers. He has left his native home to come to
a land of big wages, greater educational facilities,
and a more endurable social condition, but a prom-
ised land without churches, without proper housing
facilities, without cleanliness, and without fresh air.
Wuat answer has the North given to the immi-
grant’s demand? ‘What has the colored man found
at the end of his northward journey? Has he re-
ceived a cordial welcome? What have the Churches
of the North done for the newcomer? - What has

our Lutheran Church done to take care of these’

thousands settling among us? What do we intend
to do for them? Ave we doing what we should do
to guard the spiritual interests of the Negro?

The colored influx into the city of Chicago has
been wonderful in the past few years. From 1916
to 1919 the colored population in Chicago has in-
creased from 50,000 to 150,000. Three years ago
the second ward of Chicago was twenty-four per
cent. colored; to-day eighty-six per cent. of the
population of this district is made up of Negroes.
Among these are hundreds that once attended our
mission-schools in the South. What are we doing
to stand by their interests ?

As we-stated last month, in no Northern city
has the increase of the colored population been so
large as in Detroit. From 5,000 in 1910 it in-
creased to over 10,000 in 1916, and at the present

. writing Detroit has a Negro population of no less
“han 15,000.

Among the millions of Greater New York there
are 175,000 Negroes. In this city is the greatest
colored congested. district in the world. Residing
in this district, called Harlem, there ‘are no less
than 65,000 colored people living in forty-five
squares, about 1,500 to the square! Our Church
has one congregation in this large colored popula-
tion of Greater New York. It is very small, wor-
ships in a rented building, we believe, a dwelling,
in the midst of a population of 40,000. Just on
the edge of New York, in Yonkers, we have a
growing congregation in charge of Pastor Hill.

Among the thousands of Negroes of St. Louis
we have carried on a mission for a number of years,
but the work has always been very seriously handi-
eapped for want of proper church and school ac-
commodations. But a few months ago Immanuel

Church turned over to our Colored Mission in
St. Louis the use of a part of its school-building,
and these better conditions will, we are sure, greatly
benefit the work. Our missionary in St. Louis also
has charge of the work done among the colored
people of Springfield, Il, where we have a seryice-
able and adequate chapel and school. The mis-
sionary in charge of the work in St. Louis and
Springfield is fortunate in so far as thé students
of our theological seminaries assist him at both
places, and in Springfield he has the able assistance
of one of the professors.

Of all the Northern cities having large colored
populations we especially mention Philadelphia.
While the influx of Negroes into this city may not
have reached the proportions it did in New York
and Chicago in recent years, Philadelphia’s colored
population always was large, and has continued to
grow steadily all the time. Also in Philadelphia
there are not a few who once attended our mission-
schools in the South.

In all these cities we should be working. The
opportunities in New York, Chicago, and Phila-
delphia are such that it is particularly to be de-
plored that our Board cannot open up the work.
he only comfort we have, poor thought it may be,
is that the other denominations have so far been
just as backward as we have been in taking care of
these people that have settled among us. We are no
worse than others im our neglect towards the colored
stranger among us, but nevertheless we have been,
and still are, neglectful towards him. The sooner
we own up to this fact, the sooner will we change
our attitude and endeavor to act so that the Lord
on the last day may commendingly say to us, “I was
a stranger, and ye took Me in.” F.J.L.

oe

Contributions by Our Colored Members.

It must be a source of great pleasure to our
readers to learn that practically every one of our
colored congregations has decided to increase its
contribution to the Mission Treasury in this year.
It is surely gratifying to hear that our colored
brethren are more and more realizing their financial
responsibility towards those who break unto them
the Bread of Life, as it is a cause for rejoicing to
see them conscientiously striving to’ live up to their
duties.

A number of our colored congregations took an