The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1930, Page 45

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

45

particularly pitiable. Literally millions of them
are suffering and dying of hunger and of the dis-
eases that always follow in the train of famine. —

Death of Dr. C. P. Friberg. — Dr. Friberg was
a medical missionary of the Augustana Synod. His
field of labor was in the Province of Honan, China,
where he served for twenty-two years with great
success and singular faithfulness. He expected to
come to America this spring and had applied for
a passport when death called him on January 22.
He is survived by his wife and three children. His
body was laid to rest in China, where five of his
children have been buried.

Santal Lutheran Mission. — The most success-
ful mission-work among the Santals of Northern
India is done by the Lutherans. The mission re-
ports a membership of 17,169 Christians. The
number of baptisms in the last year was 630 chil-
dren of Christian parents and 1,069 adults, who had
been converted from heathenism. Fifty-one foreign
missionaries are in this field, assisted by twenty-two
native pastors, 225 native elders, seventy Bible
women, and 143 teachers. The Santals are one of
the aboriginal races of India. They are very dark.
Hunting is one of the chief occupations of the men.
Mission-work among them has always been. very dif-
ficult because of their inaccessibility, distrust, and
their love to drink, by means of which indulgence
they sought to drown their fear of demons.

Early Lutheran Medical Missions in India. —
Dr. Schlegelmilch is the name of the first Lutheran
medical missionary in India. He arrived at Tran-
quebar in 1730. Two years afterwards he was joined
by Dr. Croll. Drs. Martini, Klein, and others ar-
rived later, all of them under regular appointment
by a Board of Missions (the “Fathers” at Halle)
in Germany.

A Loud Appeal Comes from Russia. — The
daily papers have told our readers much of the per-
secution set afoot against Christian churches by the
powers that be in the land of Bolshevism; but prob-
ably most of our readers do not realize that among
the persecuted Christians there are also many of our
own faith. Attempts are being made, and in part
have been successful, to bring these persecuted Lu-
therans out of Russia. Hundreds of them will
have landed on the shores of Canada by the time
these lines reach our readers. Our Canadian breth-
Ten are going to “adopt” these poor exiles for the
winter and care for them as well as they can. But
being mostly poor themselves, they will need our
assistance in this good work. Clothing and money

will be most welcome. Our Walther League is try-
ing to help these poor Lutheran brethren and their
families through its Hospice Department. Let us
help them in their work of mercy.

Lutherans in Siberia. — There are 505 German
Lutheran churches in North Siberia, with a mem-
bership of 108,816. These Lutheran churches are
an uplifting influence for Christ in the midst of
their non-Christian surroundings.

Island Church Serves Fishermen.

The Lutheran Free Church maintains a Home
Mission station in one of the most interesting spots
in the United States. The church is located on
Puget Island, seven miles long and one mile wide,
in the middle of the Columbia River. At this island
the river is approximately five miles wide, but
twenty-five miles away, at Astoria, Oreg., it is seven
miles across and widens as it nears the ocean.

The island is a haven for fishermen seeking
Columbia River salmon, among them some eight.
hundred Norwegian Lutherans. As the soil is very
fertile, most of the dwellers upon the island raise
crops all the year round on their tiny farms. Every
spring when the snow melts in the mountains, the
Columbia River raises its water level, frequently
inundating the entire island, thus forcing all the
inhabitants into the upper stories or the attics of
their houses. While considerable property that is
not firmly fastened down is carried away by the
water, every spring a deposit of heavy silt is spread
over the land, thus raising the island infinitesimally
year by year.

The flood does not last long, according to Rev.
H.C. Caspersen, secretary of the Lutheran Free
Church Board of Home Missions. Rev. O. J.
Raaum, the first Home Mission pastor at that sta-
tion, reported that during the first of the floods
after they arrived he and his family lived up-stairs
for only three or four days while the water gradually
subsided. When they moved down again, they dried
things out and began housekeeping again. He was
asked, “Where you not afraid?” and he replied,
“QO no; there is no danger. The ground is firm,
the current is not strong, the house is built on posts,
and everybody feels safe.” Since that time dikes
have been built around the island similar to those in
Holland, upon which highways run.

Pastor Samuelsen, successor of Pastor Raaum,
was devoted to his pioneer work among the Puget
Island fishermen and kept up active service until