The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1931, Page 12

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seed upon it, and grind it with a water-worn pebble
from the creek, the wet meal being pushed forward
into another pitchi, placed in front of the grind-
stone. The grinding process is repeated, making
a fine gray porridge, which is eaten raw by sticking
the fingers into the mess and then sucking them.

“Another staple article of diet is the yelca,
a tiny bulb almost indistinguishable from onion

- weed. The men set out every day shortly after

sunrise, hunting. They are accompanied by the
women when the women are not engaged in col-
lecting seeds and roots. Each man carries a couple
of spears and a woomera, with which to throw them,
and also a burning stick of wood.... Any small
food they catch is usually half-roasted and eaten
on the spot; the only meal-time which appears to
be regular is at night on the return to camp.
Although wallaby forms one of the staple articles of
diet, the Pintos have no idea of using the skins for

coverings, even on the coldest nights, when the tem-

perature falls below the freezing-point.

“They sleep in shallow hollows in the sand, with
not so much as a piece of brushwood over them;
their nearest approach to a house. is a piece of
brushwood thrown on the ground on the windward
side of them to protect them from the fiercest of
the blasts. The sleeping hollows are only about
eight inches apart, but on the intervening ground
a small fire is lit. We saw one family of ten sleep-
ing side by side, fires and hollows alternating all
the way, and some of the children had their chests
covered with yellow blisters from the flames. They
cannot count beyond four, their system of counting
being ‘one, two, two and one, two and two, plenty,
big mob, the last two being indefinite numbers,
which may mean anything at the discretion of the
speaker.” :

The religious ideas of these people are just a
few crude superstitions. They have their individual
totems, representing an article of diet. Tach indi-
vidual must conserve his particular totem as much
as possible. They also have some conception of a
soul in man. Mission-work among these people
would be extremely difficult on account of the im-
possible climatic conditions and the nomadic habits
of the natives. Supplies for the missionary would

_ have to be taken over hundreds of miles of desert

waste by camels or by aeroplane. And yet, where

there is a will, there is a way. If rich alluvial

d-fields were discovered in the middle of the
ustralian desert, men would devise means of get-
ing there and living there. — Australian Lutheran.

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER

Items of Missionary Interest.
(By the Eprror.)

St. Philip’s, Chicago, Ill. — Director Drewes
writes the Editor: “I found Rev. Carter and his
flock in good condition. THis field is practically un-
limited. Pastor Carter is evidently an active mis-
sionary. This is also the testimony of his people.
During the six years of his ministry in Chicago he
has taken in 259 baptized members; forty-two of
these came from other Lutheran churches. He has
confirmed three adult classes this year and is pre-
paring a fourth class. I spoke to the congregation
on last Sunday forenoon and again at night. Pastor
Boecler was there in the evening and made some
appropriate remarks. The congregation has a choir
of twelve members. The choir sings at every
service. Last Sunday the choir rendered four
anthems.”

Chicago Once More.— Here is another item
from Director Drewes’s letter that will interest you:
“Have you ever heard or read of Olivet Baptist
Church in Chicago? It is said to be the largest
Protestant church in the world. The membership
is variously estimated; some say 10,000, others
claim 12,000. The chief pastor, who hails from
Texas and is also the president of the Baptist Con-
vention, has three assistants. The first pastor re-
ceives a cash salary of $800 per month. The salaries
of the assistants are not known to me. As a rule
there are four services at the same time in four
different places in the church-building, the assistant
pastors taking charge of the overflow meetings.
Every Sunday from thirty to forty new members
are received, most of them by letter.”

Faithful Friends of Our Mission. — On Sun-
day, December 10, the Ladies’ Aid for Colored Mis-
sions, a society of white ladies in St. Louis founded
and sustained in the interest of our Colored Mis-
sions, celebrated its fifteenth anniversary in a special
service at the white St. Luke’s Lutheran Church.
Rey. Duever delivered the sermon upon the occasion.
This society has done splendid work for the St. Louis
colored missions and was largely instrumental in
giving St.“Philip’s, St. Louis, its beautiful chapel.

Mr. Theodore Eckhart Succeeds Himself. —
Mr. Eckhart will continue to serve as a member of
the Board for Colored Missions and as its treasurer.
Plans have been devised which will make it possible
for him to continue to give our Colored Missions
his valuable services.