The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1930, Sheet 175

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

” 173

that of the mere official. All the missionaries I have
known, from Anglicans to American Baptists and
British Salvationists, throw themselves into their
work with the devotion of a life-long consecration to
a high task. This atmosphere of surrender to a great
purpose pervades all their work. ... There is more
peace within her [India’s] borders since the mis-
sionary came than for many generations before.”

“Seeing Sermons.” — Said a heathen one day to
a missionary: “I have never heard any of your ser-
mons, but I have seen them. I know a man who
once was the terror of the community in which he
lived, but since he accepted your Jesus religion, he
is a changed man.”

Contributions to Benevolences.—It is generally
conceded that the Northern Presbyterian Church is
the wealthiest per-capita church-body in our country.
But it is not in this body that the best average givers
are found. It is greatly surpassed by the Southern
and United Presbyterian bodies, and it also falls be-
hind the Reformed Church in America, only to
mention bodies closely related to it in creed and
government.

“Greater Love Hath No Man.” —A ship was
stranded, and when the boats had been let down, it
was seen that there was not room in them for all,
says an exchange. Lots were cast, and among those
who had to remain behind was a young and very
wicked sailor. He was very pale and those standing
near heard him mutter, “Lost, lost eternally!” But
he was picked up and thrown into one of the boats.
The man who had done that called to him, “You
cannot die yet, but I can die for you and am willing
to do so. But mind that I see you in heaven.” An old
sailor who often had told him of Jesus and asked
him to receive the Savior thus died in his stead.
Ever after, the young man, who really did accept

Christ, was wont to say, “For me two have died!”
N. L. C. Bulletin.

An Excuse.— A Singapore student who still had
his troubles with the English language had been in-
jured in an auto accident. The injury was not of
a serious nature, but he was not well enough to go
to school. To explain his enforced absence, the polite
student sent the following explanation to his teacher :
“JT entreat pardon for my awayness, but I am un-
readably sick, for I have had my limbs compressed
by an auto and am much scratched as to my leather.”

His Prayer.— A missionary lady had a little boy
named Shady, a Hindu orphan. One night, when
he was six years old, she said to him, “Now pray
a little prayer of your own.” What do you think
Shadi’s prayer was? It was a good prayer for any

little child to make. It was this: “Dear Jesus, make
me like what you were when you were six years
old.” — Ex.

“Handmaidens of Gods” Banned from Temples
in Travancore. — The administratrix of the native
state of Travancore in South India has banned the
so-called “handmaidens of the gods” from all Hindu
temples in her state. In doing this, she has sounded
the death-knell of terrible social evil which seemed
to have been indissolubly connected with Hindu-
temple-worship. These “handmaidens of the gods”
were supposed to be virgins, pure and chaste, oc-
cupied in serving the gods by dancing in their honor
during the hours of worship, but in fact the per-
formance of these ceremonial duties was but a thin
veil to cover the fact that these dancers and singers
were the poor victims of high caste men — par-
ticularly the Brahmans.

Korean Christian Giving.— The Korean church
has learned how to give. The average gift of the
adult church-member is 15 per cent. of his income.

An Ounce of Prevention.— Of every dollar spent
in our country, five cents go for checking crime;
fourteen cents are spent for luxuries; one and one
half cents are used for education; and three-fourths
of a cent is paid for religious purposes. Crime is on
the increase among us. Last year more murders
were committed in one of our cities than in all
England, Wales, and Scotland. Three eminent judges
are on record with the statement that of all criminals
brought before them none had attended Sunday-
school. Just suppose we should spend one cent less
for luxuries and one cent more for religious pur-
poses; do you not think that this would reduce our
expense for checking crime by two cents at least?
And if.such should be the case, it would not mean
the mere saving of dollars, but of precious human
souls.

A Vast Field.

The larger centers of population offer wonderful
opportunities for bringing the message of the saving
Gospel to patients and inmates of the public institu-
tions, such as hospitals, sanatoria, corrective institu-
tions, almshouses, and penal institutions. According:
to available statistics of the Associated Lutheran
Charities of the Synodical Conference, there are six-
teen city missions with thirty-two full-time workers,
city missionaries, and trained woman workers. These —
workers ministered to more than 346,000 people in
one year:+ . - ;

In the Twin Cities, St. Paul and Minneapolis,