The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1922, Page 92

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92

The Lutheran Pioneer.

Yes, the Lord hath need of our money to carry
on His great work! And, thank God! there is an
increasing number among us that is beginning to
realize this, and as they realize this fact, they are
ready to respond. Let me show this by means of
an example.

It is just about a month ago that the editor of
the PronreEr received ‘a letter from a person and
a place which he has promised not to mention. In
the letter was the following: “In a few days we will
have $25, which we have set aside as a thank-offering
to the Lord for having increased our salary. My
wife and I decided that we should like this to go to
some place where it is most urgently needed. I’rom
what we can see of the situation this little money
would likely be most needed among our Colored
brethren. If there is any particular place where you
would like to see it go, kindly pencil it on the
margin of this letter or on the reverse side of this
sheet and mail it in the inclosed stamped envelope.”
In answer the editor suggested that they give their
donation for the dormitory at Greensboro. Ina few
days the draft for $25 came and was forwarded to
Treasurer Schuettner at St. Louis. When the editor
then wrote to the unselfish donors that an acknowl-
edgment of their splendid gift would appear in due
time, this is what they wrote: “Referring to your
very kind letter of the 21st inst., we deeply appre-
ciate your kindness in regard to the public acknowl-
edgment of the gift, but we would rather that our
names were not mentioned in this connection, since,
after all, it is but a gift of the kind that a steward
gives when returning to his master what was first

‘given to him. Then, too, we often think how easy

it is to fall into a bit of refined selfishness; that is,
to think that by giving to God because He always
gives back more abundantly than we give, such a gift
as ours would be a good investment. We wish to
regard what we have given as a thank-offering for
the one fact that our souls have been redeemed with-
out cost to us.”

Now, dear reader, if you have time, read this
short article once more and permit the spirit of these
letters to grip you as it did the editor.

i F. J. L.

Inventive Minds.

Pastor E. H. Reuter, Logansport, Ind., sends
the Pioneer the following interesting bit of news:
“Some of the ladies of St. James’s Lutheran Aid
Society put in a little extra time the past summer

working for missions. Each lady in her own way
decided to earn an extra dollar which should not in
the least interfere with the congregational budget
for synodical purposes, nor with her contribution on
the annual Mission Sunday. The extra dollar was
made by washing, laundering shirts, sewing aprons,
baking coffee-cake and bread, raising vegetables,
selling auto tires, etc.

“The sum realized in this way was no less than
$77 and was distributed as follows: for Negro
chapels, $20; for training of Social Workers, $20;
for Board of Support, $20; for Mountain Retreat
in China, $17.

“The ladies intend to continue this scheme the
coming year and will try to interest more ladies to
take part. I doubt not that we shall be able to turn
in $100 easily by the end of the year.”

The interest in the great work of missions is
growing among us. Throughout our whole Church
there are signs of increasing interest. Let us not
allow it to die out; but let us rather do all we can
to spread and enlarge it. FJ. L.

Hindu ‘Superstitions.

The people of India are bound by the chains of
innumerable superstitions. When one first hears of

‘some of their childish ideas, they seem amusing, but
‘as @ person studies over the matter, the conviction

becomes stronger and stronger that these supersti-
tions are an awful curse to these poor people. Mis-
sionaries say that no man can mingle with them
very long without feeling that the burden of super-
stition under which they are ground down, as they
go through life, is too intolerable to be borne.
Superstition seems to be the native air of the
Hindus. They offer fruits, vegetables, and flowers
to stone images and imagine that these offerings
will be filled with divine power. The story is told
of a dog who once ate of the food offered to an idol
and went straightway to heaven. They believe that
animals offered in sacrifice at once go to heaven.
Dust that has clung to the feet of a holy man is
supposed to be sacred, and the water in which he
has washed his feet will be drunk by his venerating
followers. There.is a superstitious value attached

to amulets, charms, and spells; and bulls, monkeys,

snakes, rivers, and trees have divine attributes. So
many hundreds of superstitions current among the
people could be named. Such beliefs form the chief
religious ideas of the poor villagers.