The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1931, Page 73

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER

73

mation through our periodicals with regard to-our
work among the blind. We shall permit the blind
themselves to speak to you. Following are a few
excerpts from letters received lately from our
readers of embossed literature : —

“T have enjoyed every article in the February
Lutheran Magazine; it is truly strength for the
Christian and food for the soul, and I thank you
for it.” — A. B. M., Los Angeles, Cal.

“A blind man, Dr. W. P. of Norfolk, would very
much like copies of the Lutheran Herald.”
M.D. R., Norfolk, England.

“T am ashamed to be so long in acknowledging
the receipt of the Herald. The last two issues were
unusually good, I thought. It is such a task for me
to write, but I hope you will accept this expression
of my deep gratitude for your kindness.”

Mrs. S., Chicago, Ill.

“Just a few lines to let you know that the book
that you sent me has taught me the truth of God’s
Word. It has been twenty years since I heard this
good news. I was almost lost on the wrong road,
but now I understand the true Word of Christ and
will follow it. This book has also taught me how
to pray. When I found this book in the office,
I found my goal. I fare better in my work and
have more than I did before I found your magazine.
May God bless you!” — Ch. B., Philadelphia, Pa.

“T thank you so much for the missionary quar-
terly you sent me; it gave me much pleasure.
I wish to continue reading your magazine, and
I also have some friends who would like to read it.”

Miss R., Philadelphia, Pa.

“A lady sent me the Lutheran Herald some
time ago. I do love it so and should be very
grateful to receive it in the future. I am a helpless
cripple and blind. My father was a Free Church
minister. The little verses are the things I like
best in the Herald. I memorize them, and they
keep me company in the long nights when the pain
is severe. I feel that you are our friend and brother
in the Lord.” —M. H., Painswick, England.

“Just these few lines to say that a receive the
magazine and am very grateful to you.”
J.J., Tonypardy, England.
We are always prepared to answer any questions
regarding our Mission for the Blind. For further
information communicate with —

_ Pastor 0. C. ‘ScHROEDER,
2203 Bunts Rd., ‘Cleveland, “0.

A Talk on Italian Mission.

We bring below part of an address delivered by
Miss Esther Tassinari, a missionary deaconess work-
ing among the Italians of Union City, N. J. Miss
Tassinari graduated from the Fort Wayne Dea-
coness Training School in 1924 and has worked
with success among her people since then. This,
among other things, is what Miss Tassinari had to
say, as we find it in the columns of the Lutheran
Deaconess : —

“The Italian mission at Union City, N.J., under
the direction of Rev. A. Bongarzone, is located in a
very promising field of some sixteen thousand or
more Italians.

“While working in their midst, I found three
distinct groups of people — the extremely religious,
the lukewarm, and the atheists. The first group
I would subdivide again into Class A and Class B.
Class A are the more refined and very religious
Roman Catholics, who implicitly believe all the
teachings of the Church and are very faithful in
attending Mass on Sundays and other holy-days, of
which there are a great many. Class B are also very
devout Roman Catholics, but they are extremely
superstitious, having a special patron saint or sign
to whom or to which they turn for each trouble or
malady. ‘They also believe in witchcraft.

‘Above the inner main entrance of some of their
homes you will find a pair of large horns, with an
eye in the center, or you will see some ugly image.
These are put in that particular place for the pur-
pose of warding off evil spirits.

“Sometimes after the departure of a visitor who
is not in their favor they will raise two fingers over
their heads to represent horns, and then they will
fetch a broom to sweep the dust from the doorstep
to ward off any evil intent of the unwelcome visitor.

“The second group are those Roman Catholics
who accept their faith because they believe they
must adhere to what they learned in their child-
hood. They do not believe half of the doctrines,
however, which they have been taught, and they are
very indifferent. They do not go to church very
regularly. They refuse to listen to any person who
approaches them and asks them to investigate the
teachings of their Church more closely. This condi-
tion is the hardest to combat; for these people refuse
to listen to the missionary and will not read the
literature that is distributed among them. ~

“Among the 3 men especially have I found many

atheists, who ‘scoff, at, and blaspheme, the name of