The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1928, Page 162

Transcription machine transcription, uncorrected

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Those Millions Over There.

They wait, those millions over there;
Our hope in Christ they do not share:
They wait for us to come.
Their time of waiting seems so long
For those who sit without a song
To bless their cheerless home.

They weep, those millions over there;

Our joy in Christ they do not share;
They weep in nameless grief.

Shall we not wipe their tears away?

Shall we not turn their night to day?
Shall we not bring relief?

They die, those millions over there;

Our life in Christ they do not share;
They die in sin and shame,

While Christ has died to save them all

And yearns to save whoe’er may call
On His sweet, blessed name.

And those dear millions over there

Heav’n’s richest gifts might fully share,
Glad trophies they might win,

Could they but see the Savior’s face;

Could they but share our Savior’s grace,
They’d triumph over sin.

But those sad millions over there,

Our hope in Christ they do not share,
Shall they, alas, be lost?

Should we withhold the precious Word

Of Him whose message glad we’ve heard,
Who saves at priceless cost?

Then help those millions over there
The Bread of Heaven sweet to share,
God’s sweetest message give
That sin’s sad end is not’ the grave,
That Jesus died our souls to save,

He died that we might live. Anon.

“Wonders of Transforming Grace.

UGANDA.

- Uganda is a British protectorate. It has an area
of more than 100,000 square miles and is larger
than Ohio and Indiana combined, or about twice. the
size of Illinois. ‘The population is over 3,000,000.
It has been richly favored by nature and abounds in

_ grassy plains, high mountain peaks, shady valleys,
and beautiful lakes. The soil is very rich, the
hills afford fine pasture, and the forests are filled
with game.

The people in Uganda, called Baganda, Buganda,
or Waganda, have reached a higher state of culture
than those of any other tribe of Central Africa,

_ though once they were most ferocious. These Bu-

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

ganda are very intelligent, polite, neat, clean, and
modest. Their homes are shaped like haystacks.
Sometimes a family may occupy a number of these-
huts, all of which are kept very tidy. The people
live in villages, which are usually situated in groves.
They own fine cattle and sheep and raise many
chickens. Sweet potatoes and other vegetables are
grown. The banana may be seen everywhere, for it
is of value for food and drink and clothing. The
Buganda number about 800,000 and are Christians.
They are ruled by a native king, Daudi Chwa,.
a grandson of the celebrated M’tesa, of whom we
shall hear more later on. At Kampala has been
built a great native cathedral capable of holding:
5,000 people, who sit on thé floor during services.
There is also a large church of 4,000 capacity
at Mongo.

Uganda has many miles of good roads and auto
service between its principal towns. There are:
several railroads, and telegraph lines connect most
parts of the country with each other and with other
parts of Africa.

Fifty Years Ago.

But it was not always thus in Uganda. Fifty

_ years ago Uganda was the hotbed of sin and cruelty,

the scene of man’s inhumanity to man. Before the:
coming of the white man, King M’tesa practised the:
horrid rites of kiwendo and ruthlessly slaughtered
thousands of victims while performing them. It is
claimed that when this king, who later became
a Christian, rebuilt his father’s tomb, the throats of
two thousand unhappy Christian victims were cut at
the dead king’s grave. Bxecutions then took place
by the hundreds by any method that took the
king’s fancy. ;
Modern Neroes.

Though M’tesa became a Christian, he all his
life proved a crafty despot and was subject to:
frequent reversions to Mohammedanism and even
paganism. His savage. heart more than once
evidenced itself in deeds of awful cruelty. His son,
King Mwanga, was a far weaker and much worse
man than his father. The murder of Bishop Han-
nington when he was on his way to Uganda, in 1885,.
lay at his door. Under Mwanga the missionaries

swere often in peril of their lives, and like Nero of

old he delighted in persecuting and torturing his-
Christian subjects. :
‘When the capricious and treacherous King
Mwanga panted like a wild beast for the blood of
Christian victims, he seized young lads whose only
crime or offense was their ardent, attachment to