The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1930, Page 62

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_ roads and 954 miles in automobiles.

62

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

Death and Illness in North Carolina. — A tele-
gram from Charlotte brings the sad news that Rey.
F. D. Alston departed this life Thursday, March 20,
at 10.25 p. um. More later. — We hear that the wife
of Prof. H. Meibohm is still on the sick-list.
God grant her an early recovery !

Yonkers, N. Y. — Our readers may remember
that our active colored congrégation at Yonkers
dedicated a new parish-house several months ago.
This parish-house also serves as a place of worship.
Director Drewes reports that the building cost
$12,000 and that it is a very fine and serviceable
building, well worth the cost. The congregation
was able to pay $8,000 of the cost, but was com-
pelled to borrow the balance at a bank. Possibly
some good friend who reads this will be able and
willing to lend the congregation a few’ thousand
dollars without interest. This is the first one of
our colored congregations that has carried out its
building program without the help of the mission-
treasury, and this enterprising spirit of the small
and struggling congregation is worthy of encour-
agement.

Piney Woods Country-Life School. — In an-
other column we are giving our readers a glimpse
of the religious work which our tireless worker,
Superintendent Geo. A. Schmidt, is doing at this
institution. We are in the happy position of being
able to promise our readers some interesting reading
coming from the students of this school in our next
number. Pastor Schmidt has sent several little
essays written by the Piney Woods students in which
they give expression to their reaction to the religious
instruction given them by our missionary. Be sure
not to miss these compositions, as they are surely
worth reading. — We can also tell our readers that
the Piney Woods Country-life School has been
offered our Mission Board as a present. This pres-
ent includes 1,500 acres of land and all the buildings
erected on the property. Two members of the Mis-
sion Board have been delegated to visit the insti-
tution and to confer upon all necessary matters with
the donors.

A Busy Home Mission Secretary. — Rev. Wm.
Hallerberg, the secretary of the Western District of
the Missouri Synod, last year preached sixty times,
met with mission-congregations forty-three times,
attended eighteen conferences in the interest of
Home Missions, met seventeen times with his Home
_ Mission Board, and traveled 25,739 miles on rail-
He wrote

no less than 479 letters in the interest of Home

May.

The Women’s Missionary Society of the
U. L. C.— The Women’s Missionary Society of the
United Lutheran Church in America numbers
58,769 active members according to their 1928
statistical report, an increase of one and one-third
per cent. over 1927. In addition, the organization
lists 10,199 active members of young women’s soci-
eties and 42,473 children in the “Light Brigades.”
This should be food for thought for some of us.

Mission-Property Transferred.—The Lutheran
Companion reports: “All property in North China
belonging to the American Board of Commissions
for Foreign Missions has been transferred to Chinese
control, according to a statement by Rey. Wynn C.
Fairchild, the secretary to the North China Mission
of the board. Of course, the Chinese Board takes
up the work as well. This transfer gives. full recog-
nition to the national aspirations of the young
China. According to Dr. C. Y. Cheng, general sec-
retary of the National Christian Council, the Amer-
ican Board is the first missionary organization to
place the entire responsibility and control of its
Chinese work in Chinese hands. The missionaries
under their new status are to serve on a basis of
complete equality with their Chinese associates.
They are expected to become members of a local
Chinese church and will receive their assignments
from the Chinese board. The young Church in
China is to be nationalized.” It appears that the
growing nationalism in China may force the Chris-
tian missions in increasing numbers to do what the
American Board has done.

Improved Conditions in China. — Due to abun-
dant rainfall, conditions have greatly improved in
China, though the situation is far from satisfactory.
This is the report of the American Red Cross after
carefully investigating conditions. It suggests
that a too free offer of help will tempt the war lords
of that country to continue to neglect their assump-
tion of full responsibility.

Many Gods Worshiped in China. — In a recent
survey of Chinese religions published by Newton
Hayes, it is claimed that the Chinese worship more
different gods than do the people of India. Besides
thousands of idols, they are said to worship horses,
cows, and snakes and to attribute supernatural
powers to certain insects. Mr. Hayes claims that
the Chinese do not recognize a supreme Creator
and Ruler of the universe. While all other nations
recognize a supreme deity, this writer claims that
China has none that occupies such a place among
its many gods. :