The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1922, Page 94

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94

The Lutheran Pioneer.

no good. You must practise it.” The Korean
Christian smiled as he replied, “That’s the way
I learned it.’ Somewhat surprised, the missionary
asked him what he meant, and he said, “I am only
a stupid farmer, and when I tried to memorize it,
the verses wouldn’t stick. So I hit upon this plan.
I memorized one verse and then went out and prac-
tised that verse on my neighbors until I had it;
then I took the next verse and repeated the process,
and the experience has been such a blessed one that
I determined to learn the entire Gospel of St. Mat-
thew that way.” And he did it. — Wartman’s
Popular Aspects of Oriental Religions.

A Home Missionary.

“Send me a pincushion for Christmas.”

This is the spirit evinced by Miss Ida Harford
of near Proctor, N. C. For the past three years
Miss Harford has been living in one half of a box
car and teaching school in the other half. She gave
up a home of refinement and comfort, even luxury,
to answer the call that came from her heart.

At the request of the missionary society of her
church Miss Harford took charge of the children of
about eighty lumbermen and their wives, as far as
the Jumbermen would let her. At first this was not
far, for there seemed to be a fear of education. The
children were unwashed, undressed, unfed. ‘There
was no attempt at teaching the three Q’s.

The hardships that Miss Harford had to endure
would have broken the courage of many men. One
of the most distressing nerve-racking conditions that
had to be fought was the intense silence. The men
were far off in the woods at work. The women were
busy about household duties. The children were at
their lessons. The roar of a bear was heard at
a great distance, then all was still. The wind, sigh-
ing through the trees, sounded loud. Months passed
before she became even measurably accustomed to
the stillness that seemed to weigh on one like a heavy
garment, | '

The place that Miss Harford calls home would
not be worthy of the name if her wonderful spirit
were not always illuminating the gloomy interior.
A bed, the sides of which were made of blue packing
boxes and the ends of green ones, two straight-
backed chairs, the remainder of a carpet, a trunk
under the bed, a box used as a chiffonier, and a shelf
for books and “lynements,” used to relieve the pains
of the camp people, comprise the furnishings.

The results of the weary days and minutes of
toiling that Miss Harford has devoted to her chosen
work now show. The youngsters— seventeen of
them — are rapidly becoming more like the children
they should be. Imagine a baby of four or five years
of age chewing tobacco and occasionally drinking
whisky. In many of the homes, now, even grace is
said before meals.

At Christmas time, Miss Harford wrote to Wash-
ington, D. C., asking for gifts that would make the
Christmas of her children more real. Her sole per-
sonal request was for a pincushion.

The sacrifices she has made, the suffering she
has of necessity undergone, the opposition she has
endured, all make her the more determined to finish
the great work that lies before her. Enlightenment
for the careless inhabitants of the lumber camp is
the reward for which Miss Harford is seeking. She
has 1io selfish motive in the work. Long ago she
contributed all of her means available.

J. Frep Cirasr,
4 ; in The American Magazine,

Items of Missionary Interest.

Revier Cloruine Campaign.— Of indirect mis-
sionary interest is the very successful clothing cam-
paign just brought to a close by the Walther League.
More than 100,000 pounds of clothing and thou-
sands of shoes were gathered by the societies within .
a month, and were sent to Kurope to be distributed
in Germany, Russia, and other war-torn countries.

Unique Srrvices.— When a large party of
Walther Leaguers in the latter part of July held
a regular service on Pike’s. Peak, 14,000 feet above
sea level, that was the first organized service ever
held there, and when the same party held a service
on Mount Washburn, Yellowstone Park, almost
11,000 feet above sea level, this was probably also
the first ever held there.

A Srecrat Hospice Secretary. — At its recent
convention the Walther League authorized the em-
ployment of a full-time secretary, who is to devote
his whole attention to hospice work. We are pleased
to note the degree to which this important factor in
the conservation of our youth is being stressed and
hope that this phase of the League’s activity may
experience great expansion under the supervision
and direction of a full-time secretary.

ALABAMA. — We have been favored with a very
carefully prepared program of a mission-workers’