The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1928, Page 30

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30 THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

of sixty-one children attending Mount Zion School
was baptized some time ago. Missionary Luecke

reports that there are still fifty pupils in the school

who are not baptized.

Mansura, La. — Missionary C. P. Thompson has
an enrolment of sixty-four children in his day-
school. He is preparing four adults and four chil-
dren for confirmation.

Alabama. — The colored congregations in Ala-
bama gathered the sum of $1,036.22 as a harvest
home gift for a colored mission chapel in Phila-
delphia. When a person remembers how poor most
of our Alabama Christians are, he will realize that
this is a very large gift indeed. In connection with
this, and to prove what has just been said of the
poverty of our Alabama Christians, let us quote
a few words from a letter of Superintendent George
A. Schmidt: “I was in the dormitory, making up

bundles and packages for shipment to our congrega-

tions, and came across the boxes from you. I wish
your people could peep into these dreary colored
homes and see. the joy these splendid and useful
gifts cause. I am happy about it, the colored people
will be happy at Christmas-time, and the Savior
above rejoices over these gifts of love. May He
bless the donors abundantly !”

A Suggestion. — In the Editor’s town there are
two shoe dealers who for several years past have
given him their shelf-worn and out-of-date stock
in shoes for shipment to our colored congregations.
These dealers are not members of the Editor’s con-
gregation; in fact, one of them is not connected
with any church.. Up to a few years ago they used
to sell this stock to Jewish second-hand dealers for
a small sum; but when they heard from the writer
of the need among the freedmen of Alabama, they
both declared that they would rather give this
stock away than realize $10 to $25 from it, as had
been the case before. The Editor is of the opinion
that there are dealers in other towns who would be
willing to do just what these two dealers are doing
if only they were acquainted with the situation.
Why not talk to your shoe dealer, dry-goods mer-
chant, and clothier about the matter?

National Lutheran Publicity Week. — February

_ 12 to 19 has been set aside for a special endeavor to
make known our dear Lutheran Church, its doctrine
and its practise. It is surely in perfect accord with
Biblical principles and practise to make diligent use
of all legitimate means to draw the attention of
the people to that Church which has God’s pure
Word and the unadulterated Sacraments. All of

us should therefore earnestly strive to assist our
Synodical Press Committee in the laudable efforts
it is putting forth in bringing Lutheran facts and
figures before the people of our country.

Seventy Years Ago and Now. — About seventy
years ago a young Negro slave in Alabama sawed the
timbers and began the building of a large school
in which the children of his master were to be edu-
cated. As he sawed and planed and hammered, he
wished he might have the chance for study that
some boys were to have there, and he was still more
sorrowful because he felt that life had nothing of
this for his children. But the very building upon
which the young slave worked is now one of many
in a large institution for Negroes. The carpenter
lived to see his sons and daughters graduate from
its college and normal departments. He saw the
school grow little by little through many years,
and he loved it and its teachers; for they were
helping his people learn to work, to think, and to
study, and, above all, to know Christ, the Savior.

A Mission-School.— This is what one of the
mission-teachers has to say of her school: “I have
a right nice little schoolhouse. It has three win-
dows, with glass in them, and they slide up and
down. There is a desk and platform and black-
board. There are big pictures on the wall of Jesus
and Grant and Lincoln. I have about eighty chil-
dren on the roll, but they do not come all the time.
No, ma’am, I have no desks or benches, just planks
put across blocks. Most of the children are poorly
dressed, but I try to have them wash themselves
regularly and keep their clothes clean. Many of
them go barefoot even in cold weather. I try my
best to help them, and I reckon they know it; for
I get along quite well with them.”

Scattering Sunshine. — There is so little beauty
and order in most of the Negro cabin homes that
the mission-school is often a paradise to the children
fortunate enough to be there. From the schools the
children bring home drawings, paper chains, and
various other bits of work which they have made,
and with these things they decorate.the walls of
their homes and brighten them. Said a Negro
mother: “I don’t know what I should have done
when I was sick if it hadn’t been for Charles; every
day he would-come home and sing his little songs,
and it sure did make me happy.” And another
mother declared: “I didn’t have no time to see you
in the school, for I puts my children to school
through the wash-tub; but I wants ’em to larn
tight, and they sure is doin’ that mighty fast.”

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