The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1926, Page 18

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18 THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

O Jesus, King Most Wonderful!

O help us to rely

On Thee, Lord Jesus strong!

For Thee, our Joy, we sigh,

Sweet Hope, for Thee we long;

Our hearts and souls to Thee,
the Friend of friends, belong.

Show forth by us Thy praise!
Extend Thy great renown,
Make known Thy saving ways,
And every foe put down,
Till gladly all Thy saints
in heaven King Thee’ll crown.
H. Ostreruvs.

Reclaiming Christ’s Heritage.

XIV.
SOUTH AMERICA (Concluded).

In the early days after the discovery of South
America the Catholics showed not a little mission-
ary spirit. Monks dnd priests, at first largely of
the Franciscan and Dominican orders, accompanied
the early expeditions. At a later period the Jesuits
put forth great missionary efforts. But because
these usually made use of the civil arm in their
work and forced the Catholic religion on the na-
tives, and then again, because these missionaries
often sacrificed the spirit of the Christian religion
just to get the people to accept the outward rites
and ceremonies of the Roman Church, it is not
wrong to say that Roman Catholic missions in
South America were largely a failure and that they

Ruins of a Jesuit Church in Brazil.

left the native Indians virtually what: they were
before — heathen.

The first Protestant missionary attempts in
South America were made as early as 1555 by a
number of French Huguenots. But this attempt

was not successful. Next, the Dutch made an at-
tempt at Bahia, Brazil; but this also failed. It
was not till a century later that the Moravians
began the first lasting and successful Protestant

A Missionary and His Wife on Horseback.

missions in Guiana. Another century found James
Thompson working in Buenos Aires under the
auspices of several missionary societies of England.
From Argentina he extended his work into other
republics, even’ as far north as Peru, where his
success was remarkable for a while. But soon the
reaction set in, and six years after he had begun
his work, he and those who had assisted him were
forced to return to England. In a few years all
results of their conscientious work had disappeared.

Captain Allen Gardiner.

Next looms up on the missionary horizon of
South America the heroic figure of Captain Allen
Gardiner, the noble British naval officer, who gave
up all earthly preferments and honors that he might
make known the Christ whom he had found so
precious. He turned his attention to what was
thought to be the most degraded people on earth,
people whom Darwin, the father of modern evolu-
tion, had called the sought-for “missing link’ be-
tween beast and man and of whom he had said
that they were wholly incapable of moral and re-
ligious training. Though Gardiner’s labors among
these pitiable people were of very short duration,
they were of sufficient length to prove to Darwin
that he was mistaken. Concerning Gardiner’s work,
Darwin wrote to the missionary society under whose
auspices the former naval captain worked: “The
success of the Tierra del Fuego mission is most
wonderful and charms me, as I always prophesied
utter failure. It is a grand success. I shall feel
proud if your committee think fit to elect me an