The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1925, Page 87

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

87

Our Colored Missions were fortunate in having the
benefit of his wise and judicious counsel for a con-
siderable period just during the formative years of
its existence, and the helpful influence of his
presence on its governing board has left its impress
upon the whole enterprise. As the Church has seen
but few men to whom God has granted so clear and
comprehensive an understanding of Christian doc-
trine, joined with a marvelous lucidity of expression
and presentation, so, too, God endowed the vener-
able Doctor in rich measure with the ability to see
the practical needs of the Church and the means of
meeting them. And it is this practical side of the
Doctor’s mentality that made his presence on the
Mission Board so very desirable’and did so much
to bring our Colored Missions to their present stage
of development.

May God’s richest blessings attend the future
days of the venerable Doctor, and may he for many
years to come continue to be a source of blessing to
the Church and its work! F.J.L.

Glimpses from the Black Belt.

1. Camden.

In passing through the little town of Camden,
in the heart of the Black Belt of Alabama, one
notices a little dark-green house, about 1440, un-
like the surrounding ones. But one need not
wonder long who lives there or for what purpose
the house is being used, for across the front in great
letters run these words: LUTHERAN MISSION
AND CHRISTIAN DAY-SCHOOL. So, then,
God’s Word lives there, a church and school are
housed there.

Yes, right in this little hut is preached and
taught God’s pure Word, as is done in all true
Lutheran churches the wide world over. This little
hut shelters a baby Lutheran church.

Nov, like most other Lutheran mission-stations,
it came into being with much difficulty and en-
countering many obstacles. A few of these may be
cited. About a month after the first service (which,
it must be said, seemed a decided success) the day-
school was opened. With its appearance the devil
began to lay plans by which to destroy the little
nursery of Christ. These plans were formulated
fare brought to bear against us in the person of a

“jack-leg” local Baptist preacher. Their effect was
fatt the second day of school. For on the first day
we opened with an enrolment of 22; on the second
only 8 of the 22 returned.

The trouble can readily be explained. Our Lu-
theran mission is situated in a nest of Baptist
people, that is, all around us and anywhere you
may turn are nothing but Baptists. Thus, with a
few exceptions, our pupils came from these homes.
And so all day and until far into the night of our
first day of school the Baptist “preacher” tramped
far and near, visiting house after house and plant-
ing vile, unreasonable lies and ugly, black thoughts
into the hearts of the ignorant mothers and fathers.
Hence the children were taken out of school. And
the devil was filled with glee because he had suc-
ceeded in robbing these blood-bought souls of an
opportunity to learn the simple Bible-truths taught
in our school.

So two months passed. At the end of that time,
however, our enrolment had crept from 8 to 36.

Temporary Chapel and School, Camden, Ala.
The blackboard to be scen in the lower right-hand corner of
the porch is a slate bulletin board, on which the teacher
writes telling Bible-verses.

But the devil, in the mean time, was not asleep;
for, seeing he had failed in his first attempt to de-
stroy the school, he tried again. “Sermon” after
“sermon” was preached against the Lutheran
Church in which the most unreasonable lies were
brazenly uttered and the bitterest hatred shown.
Sunday after Sunday the members of the local
churches were admonished “to stay away,” “don’t
have anything to do with ‘them things,’” “ ‘look
over them,’” “don’t associate with them,” and the
like. At a meeting of said churches it was definitely
decided to throw all forces, hitherto scatteringly
directed against all Lutheran churches, against one
place, namely, the Lutheran work in Camden. The
rallying cries were: “his church must be stopped !””
“Tt must not be allowed to take hold here!” “Tet?s