The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1929, Page 53

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

53

ooo

I knew about it. And, believe me, that man told
me so much about what that passage teaches that
I had enough material for two sermons. I ‘pulled
that one over’ on that Lutheran missionary many
atime. That was a good one on him!”

After telling this, the colored preacher had a
hearty laugh, in which I joined him. But after a
while the preacher’s face became serious again, and
he continued: “Something wonderful happened
within me while that Lutheran missionary showed
me what God tells us in those passages to which
I had led the conversation. My eyes were opened
to see the truth. You know, before I ever saw that
Lutheran preacher, I was just a sectarian preacher,
that’s all. I knew mighty little about God’s Word,
and I did not know at all that Jesus is my Savior.
Why, I thought that God would forgive me my sins
and take me to heaven some day if I prayed a lot
and tried to live as much as possible as Jesus did.
I did not know that Jesus completely saved us
sinners by His innocent suffering and death and
that for His sake all our sins are forgiven. I know
better now. Thanks to God, who sent that Lutheran
missionary around to my house!”

There are many colored people who have been
won for Jesus by Lutherans through God’s Word
whose names are not on our church records.

E. H. WiLpGRuBe.

About Haiti.

Haiti is the second largest of the West Indian
islands. The western part of the island forms the
Republic of Haiti, often called the Black Republic
of the Caribbean. First a possession of Spain and
later of France, it gained its independence in 1805.
From 1805 to 1915 the history of Haiti is a con-
tinuous record of revolutions, bloodshed, assassina-
tions, and abdications of presidents. In the last-
named year, affairs became unbearable, and the
United States decided to intervene. Since then
our Government supervises the government of the
republic.

At the time of our intervention, Haiti was a
deplorable and almost incredible mixture of savage
customs and African superstitions. Out of a-popu-
lation of 2,500,000 fully 2,300,000 were unable to
read or write, nor had they progressed beyond the
barbarian state of living. Things have made slow
progress since the American occupation. Law and
order have been introduced to a considerable extent,
and many lawless bands that once terrorized the

interior have been wiped out. Sanitation has been
introduced in the larger towns, rats and stray dogs
have been exterminated, mosquito-breeding places
have been eliminated, and a system of good roads
has been begun.

But the following quotation from the Sunday-
school Times, which we clip from the Lutheran
Missionary, shows us that the religious condition
of the Haitians is still most deplorable.

Heathenism in Haiti.

“The President of Haiti may dispose of guns
and cannons, but the real rulers of the land are
the ‘Voodoos, heirs of the old witch-doctors of
Africa. These are called ‘Papaloi’ and ‘Mamaloi,
papa and mama ‘Trois,’ or kings. Idolatry is open
and flagrant. On the main road out of Port-au-
Prince is a sort of temple with a huge metal hog
hung over the entrance; and all over the land;
right up to the capital’s suburbs, one can constantly
hear the thunder of the long battle-drums that call
the initiated to nightly sacrifices and orgies. These
meetings are attended by masses of people from
all classes, and one can see even generals in full
uniform among them. ‘The Negroes dance and
work themselves into a real ecstasy, to which the
drums and howlings contribute their share. Led
by their papa and mama kings, they dance the night
through, froth often streaming from their mouths.
Intoxicants and other excesses play the part one
would expect in such orgies.

“Then there are sacrifices of black hens and
goats and, on special occasions, of black children.
These human offerings, with the accompanying
cannibalism, are not so common as formerly. A few
years ago a Catholic priest attended one of these
gatherings in disguise. After the animal offering
had been killed and the madness had reached its
height, the ‘Papaloi’ stepped’ forward, knife in hand,
to cut the throat of a black boy who lay bound on
the ground. The priest could not contain himself
and cried out to spare the child. This action nearly
cost him his life in addition to the rough treatment
he received.

“Papaloi? and ‘Mamaloi’ terrorize the people
with their secret plant poisons, the use of which
has come down from Africa. Some are slow-acting,
others immediate in effect. Many Europeans have
pined away because of poisons given them by a
servant who thus took revenge for bad treatment.
The Haitian ‘Papaloi’ sell these poisons and also
other witchcraft properties at great prices. They
also charge large sums for remedies and counter-