The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1932, Page 172

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172

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER -

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that? Do the people of your great country send
the Gospel to us poor heathen and yet insult the
Savior?” The men looked a bit uneasy at his words,
but he went on, “I will, however, answer your ques-
tion, and answer' it from the gteat Book: You ask,
‘How is Jesus this morning? I reply from He-
brews 13, 8: ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and
to-day and forever.’”” And, making the men a po-
lite bow, he went on his: way. That evening two
British soldiers went to Sammy’s ‘house to thank
him for his plucky speech of the morning, which
had led them to give their hearts to Jesus, who is
ever the same, yesterday, to-day and forever.
Atlantic Bulletin.

Self-Sacrificing Native African Christians. —
The economic depression has reached also Africa.
White and colored are suffering greatly. In view
of this it is most encouraging to hear of the offer-
ings of the natives for their churches. The Leipzig
Mission and other mission endeavors in Africa
again and again speak in highest terms of the self-
sacrificing spirit shown by their native converts.
Here are a few examples: Since they had no money,
104 men and boys of the Gonja Mission worked
442 days for the mission and eighty-four women
and girls 208 days. The native teachers of the
Moshi School District gave three months’ labor to
the mission.

A Century of Christianity. — A century ago
the native Maoris of New Zealand were bloodthirsty
warriors, and even after peace had been established
between them and the early English settlers, they
were still cannibals. To-day they represent the
highest type of ex-savage to be found anywhere in
the world.

Why He Blew Out the Candle.

‘Before there was gas, electricity, or the coal-oil
lamp, candles were the usual source of light when
the sun had dipped behind the western horizon.
Even big merchants had to attend to their figures
by candle-light. !

. “It was in those days that John Murray, the

. successful Christian merchant, was living. Two
ladies went in to see him as he sat figuring. Their
purpose was to get a contribution from him for

_ @ needy cause. The moment the ladies came into
_ the room, John Murray blew out one of his candles.
: ‘Then, when the ladies had gtatedt their case, he at
once gave them £20.

one of oe) ladies; ‘I did not expect one half- spenny,
from you.

“What made you so doubtful in fear to my
benevolence ?? Mr. Murray desired to know:

“Your economy in blowing out the candle,’
was the answer.

“<¢That is the very reason, Mr. Murray vouch-
safed to explain, ‘that I could let you have the
twenty. One candle is enough to talk by.’”

Could we not all practise more economy in the
things that are less important and thus have more
to bring the one thing that is needful for the souls
of men? How much of the money which God has
put into our hands do we not apply to our own
comforts and even luxuries, and how very little in
comparison do we give in support of the greatest
cause in the world, the preaching of Christ’s Gospel!

Think it over. Should not a part of every dollar
be given to the Lord and His cause? Unless we
learn to do this and, in order to do this, learn to
economize, we can only expect God to withhold His
blessings, as He has already begun to do, just to
show us how much depends upon His grace and
blessing. So far God has only pinched us a little;
let this be sufficient to teach us the lesson He so
much would have us learn.

To withhold from the work of preaching God’s
Word our reasonable share, the prophet Malachi
calls robbing God; surely a strong term. God
preserve us from “robbing God” and thus calling
down upon us the severe punishment of the Lord
of all! F.J.L.

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A Queer Indian Custom.

In the northern part of Vancouver Island there
are Indians who set up queerly carved and weirdly
painted shafts or poles to keep evil spirits away
from their dear ones who have died. These grave
totems all indicate who the dead Indians were, what
their standing was in the tribe, and the insignia
of the tribe are always at the top of the pole. In
that country no young Indian is considered eligible
for marriage or can choose a bride until he has
built the grave fence which surrounds the plot of
ground reserved: for his own body and the bodies
of his future family. These fences are fancy in
design and usually painted white, pale-blue, or light-
pink, so that they offer a striking contrast to the
brilliance and crudeness of coloring of the grave
totems. \

Since the missionaries have come, not so many