The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1921, Sheet 51

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Che Lutheran Pioneer.

A MISSIONARY MONTHLY.

PousBLisHED BY THE EvaNGELIcAL Lutmeran Synopica. ConrErENCE or NortH AMERICA.

REV. F. J. LANKENAU, Epiror.

Published monthly by Concordia Publishing House, St. Louls, Mo. Subscription price, 50 cts. per annum, payable So In advance.
Entered as sccond-class matter at the Post Office at St. Louls, Mo., under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for In section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized on July 5 5, 1918,

Vol. XLIII.

"ST. LOUIS, ‘MO., JULY, 1921.

No. 7.

*‘Come unto Me, I will Give You Rest.’’
(According to a story told by Caspari.)

A native of East India, overwhelmed

By sudden sorrow for his sin and guilt,

Went to the heathen priest, who counseled him

To wash in Ganges’ sacred waters. Peace

Would then be his; he did it, but in vain.

Then said the priest: Go on a pilgrimage

Unto a holy shrine which thou wilt find

Four hundred and fifty miles away from here.

This feat accomplished, the unhappy man

Had still not found the rest he fondly craved.

Then said the priest to him: Now hearken well!
Do this, and thou wilt surely find relief:

Take ten strong nails and drive them through your soles,
And on your shoulders take a heavy log,

Then walk on foot one hundred fifty miles

In spite of blood and pain. The man obeyed.

When he had dragged himself along in vain

For sixty miles and reached a little town,

The poor man’s strength gave way, and he broke down.
A large crowd gathered round him, listening

Unto a missionary who proclaimed

The tidings sw eet, of Christ, the Crucified,

The Lamb of God that takes away our sins,

Whose blood can cleanse the darkest spot. ‘These words
Fell on that heathen’s conscience like fresh drops
Of welcome rain upon the parch?d ground.
“This Man can help me!” he exclaimed aloud;
“T will believe in Him, and thus be saved!”

He was instructed, joined the Chureh, and went
Back to his home with a rejoicing heart,

For he had found the one most needful part.

H. Osternus.

Thank God for Our Christian
* Day-Schools. -

He was only a little “shaver,” was Johnnie Ross.
Out of his cheerful black face his large eyes, rolling
in continual wonderment, shone up at you. Artless
was his manner, Southern and soft his childish
speech. ‘The cares of this sad and sin-laden world
had not yet robbed his young life of its happy free-
dom when the Lord called his soul into eternity.

That morning Johnnie had, with his brothers,
left the squalid shack he called home for the bright
and cheery schoolroom of the “Lutheereans.” Trudg-
ing along, clad in his scanty blouse and panties, he
held fast under his arm the little reader out of which
he was to recite his lessons. As his bare feet. kicked
up the dust of the road, he may even have hummed
to himself the air of a Lutheran hymn.

“There goes the bell!” and Johnnie scampered
into line to mareh to his place and desk. Quietly
he folded his hands, while the teacher called on all
to lift their hearts and voices in praise to Him who
had watched over them as they slept.

Now I wake to see the light;

Lord, Thou hast kept me through the night.

To Thee 1 lift my voice, and pray

That Thou wouldst keep me, Lord, this day.

If I should die before ’tis done,

O God, accept me through Thy Son,
so they sang to their Creator. Then in simple style
the teacher told the Bible-story for the day, impress-
ing upon the minds of the children some outstanding
truth with regard to their Savior. ‘Thus the day
was begun in the fear of the Lord. And after it
had been spent in learning the three R’s, it was
closed again in like fashion. In unison the~school
repeated Luther's classic:

I thank Thee, my heavenly Father, through Jesus
Christ, Thy dear Son, that Thou hast graciously kept me
this day; and I pray Thee that Thou wouldst forgive me
all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously
keep me this night. For into Thy hands I commend
myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Thy holy
angel be with me, that the wicked foe may have no
power over me. Amen.

And with the saying of the Lord’s> ‘Prayer all were
dismissed: