The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1928, Page 66

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66

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

Fifty Years.

Did you know that the Pioneer is almost fifty
years old? Yes, indeed, it will be fifty years next
January that the PIONEER entered upon its duties
under the able guidance of Prof. R. A. Bischoff, of
Fort Wayne, Ind. The first aim of the paper was
to march with or before our missionaries among the
freedmen and prepare the way for them. It was
thus to help in the glorious mission of saving souls.
In plain, simple words the PionzExEr talked to its
readers about the truth as it is in Jesus. Few
people have the ability to present the saving doc-
trine of the Gospel so simply, so invitingly, and

Prof. R. A. Bischoff,
First Editor of Pioneer.

80 convincingly as could the first editor of the
PIONEER. For years the PIoNEER was the only
English church-paper published within the bounds
of the Synodical Conference; and such being the
case, it was highly valued also among its white
readers just because of its lucid and plainly written
doctrinal articles. In its columns the missionaries
told of their battles and triumphs in the mission-
field, though the missionary contents of the PIONEER
were small in those early years compared with later
days, for very obvious reasons.

-In its very first number the editor promised to
tell his readers interesting stories for their benefit
as time and space allowed. And in the selection of
these stories Professor Bischoff was most happy and
successful. ‘The present editor remembers very
vividly how welcome the PIoN=EER’s visits were to

him in his boyhood days just because of these little
stories.

The Pioneer has had a hard road to travel.
The number of its readers has never been satis-
factory. Even during the efficient editorship of
Professor Bischoff its circle of readers was far from
what it should have been, and during the editor-
ship of the writer it has not grown more satisfactory,
of course. It is a pity, indeed, that not abler pens
volunteer their services to make this paper more
interesting and instructive to the large membership
of our Synodical Conference. God knows that
a large body such as ours is, stands in need of
having widely read within its bounds, among its
rapidly increasing English-reading constituency, an
English missionary monthly.

All that we can do— all that we want to do —
is to commend the Pioneer also in the future to
the loving care of our most merciful God. For of
Him and through Him and to Him are all things ;
to Him be glory forever! Amen. F.J.1L.

——6o_

Letters of Congratulation.

The Pioneer is the proud and happy recipient
of letters of congratulation from Dr. L. Fuerbringer,
President of the Synodical Conference, Dr. F. Pfo-
tenhauer, President of the Missouri Synod, Rev. G.
E. Bergemann, President of the Joint Synod of
Wisconsin, and Rey. Chr. Anderson, President of
the Norwegian Synod.

Felicitations of President Dr: Fuerbringer.

Rey. F. J. Lankenau,
316 W. Clinton St.,
Napoleon, O.
Dear Pastor LANKENAU : —

I note that the Lurnreran Pioneer will cele-
brate its fiftieth anniversary in the near future, and
I wish to convey my sincerest congratulations and
best wishes to the dear little paper and to you, its.
present editor. I know that under God’s gracious.
blessing it has accomplished a great deal of good
among our colored people and also among our white
Christians. It has been my privilege in bygone:
years to visit our mission-fields among the colored
people in North Carolina, Virginia, and Louisiana,.
and I have found many traces of the PIONEER’s. .
wholesome influence. In one instance I remember-
having seen the PionEER used as wall-paper in
a poor Negro hut in North Carolina, and both.
parents and children would read its contents again