The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1928, Page 68

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

⤓ Download .txt · copy text

68

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

Society had worked in the country since 1844. The
appearance of these savage Hereros was repulsive
indeed. The men were tall and muscular in body,
their clothing was a mere loin cloth, and their ever-
present war clubs they were always swinging in
their hands. The women were clothed in rough
skins, a leather hood of uncouth design covered
their heads, and on their arms and legs they wore
heavy iron rings. The expression on the faces of
these people was almost hideous and unutterably
stupid, especially in the case of the women.

Full of curiosity, old and young surrounded the
missionary as he drew up and halted his cart under
a huge tree. His tools especially interested them,
and many a one tried to steal this or that tool from
him. When the missionary took them to task for
the attempted theft, they would innocently say,
“Why, teacher, I only wanted to take care of the
thing for you; I feared that some one might steal
it from you.”

As a temporary home the missionary occupied
a mud hut which the women had made; but he at
once made preparations to erect a dwelling of
stone. However, who would help in the work? The
Hereros were nomads, always going from place to
place in search of pasturage for their great herds
of cattle. Not one of them had ever thought of
tilling the soil. They knew of no other work than
that of herding their cattle, and they deemed all
other kind of work beneath their dignity. By
promising them good wages, and board and tobacco
besides, the missionary finally succeeded in inducing
several men and youths to help him. The mis-
sionary led the way, showed what he wanted done,
and instructed them in the use of hammer and saw,
ax, shovel, and trowel. But it was an unspeakably
hard task to teach these stupid Hereros. Besides,
they soon grew tired from the unusual exertion and
always wanted to rest.

Finally, however, the small building was com-
pleted; a small house, indeed; only two rooms and
a kitchen. Plain and simple though it was, it
seemed a grand edifice to the blacks, who had never
before seen a house with doors and windows. Their
own mud huts, called pontoks, were windowless and
dark, their only opening being a door scarcely more
than three feet high. They soon concluded that it
must be more pleasant by far to live in such a light,
airy house than in one of their dark, smoky huts.

But how great was their astonishment when
the wife of the missionary arrived with beds, tables,
chairs, commodes, a clock, and even pictures to
decorate the walls of the house, and when she put

up shades to prevent the curious natives, who were
always surrounding the house, from looking in at
the windows! Every article drew forth exclama-
tions of wonder and astonishment. Again and again
they cried out, “O what a wonderful thing! The
whites are wise; we are stupid like our oxen.”

The house finished and furnished, the missionary
next turned his attention to making a garden. He
planted maize, pumpkins, and various European
vegetables and set out young fig- and mulberry-trees
and grape-vines. Of all such things the Hereros
had until then been ignorant, their exclusive food
having been the flesh and milk of their herds and
various wild berries, onions, and roots. When the
fruits and vegetables were ready to be eaten and
they were given a taste of them, they all enthusi-
astically declared that they, too, would have gardens.
The missionary did what he could that they might
attain their wish; he procured spades, hoes, and
rakes for them, gave them seed and young trees,
and even assisted them with his own hands in
making a proper start.

In the dry bed of the river near by the mis-
sionary sowed wheat. He showed the people how
to handle a plow and furnished the seed to put out
little wheat patches of their own. Those who sowed
wheat according to his directions had fine results.
Encouraged by the success of these, the others fol-
lowed their example, and soon the river for a con-
siderable distance was under cultivation.

Because of the products of their gardens and
wheat-fields, the people were no longer dependent
upon their cattle exclusively, and so they became
more settled. A further result was that they began
to build more substantial dwellings, houses that
would not tumble down over their heads, as did
their former huts every time there was a heavy rain.

But while the young missionary was thus hard
at work on the outside, his wife was doing an equally
important educational work on the inside. She
instructed the girls, in bands of three or four, in
the art of baking, washing, cooking, and ironing.
She showed them the importance of cleanliness and
order. She formed sewing classes and taught the
women and girls to make shirts, skirts, and dresses,
yes, even men’s trousers and coats. Thus did the
young missionary and his wife work on from day
to day faithfully and hopefully.

However, some of you will say, “Is all this mis-
sionary work? Should not the missionary devote
his whole time to the preaching of the Gospel? Is
not that what he was sent there for?” ‘Kind friend,
the missionary fully realized that his real purpose