The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1933, Page 9

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER ; 9

formative years; but there is no alternative. As far
as possible the missionary in charge and the board-
ing master give the boarders ‘a wholesome, happy
home life in a distinctly Christian atmosphere. Our
boys here at Vadak, between ten and twenty years
of age, soon grow accustomed to the life at the
boarding-school and enjoy it as only boys can.

Our boarding-house has no hoary history. It
was begun in June of 1926, with about ten boys
from the seacoast village Uvari, where we had no
school at the time. A dormitory, a kitchen unit,
and a house for the boarding master were built
about a year later. The dormitory was meant for
twenty-eight boys. This year it has had to accom-
modate about thirty-five lads, and it groaned under
the assignment. But what could a body do or ex-
pect in such times as these? And what prospects
were there for happier days, as far as financial ap-
propriations from the home base were concerned ?
But the Lord knew a way where we saw none.

Quite a number of individuals and societies in
the home Church have such a warm heart for our
cause that they undertake to support worthy boys
during the years of their education and training.
An annual gift of $40 “turns the trick.” Among
these benefactors was Mrs. M. D. Zeitz at Peoria,

‘Illinois, whose interest in our venture was so great
that she undertook to stipend several boys, and in
the course of the past years the providing of
stipends for our boarding-house boys has given her
so much joy that she now supports ten of them, one
of them in a government college.

During the summer of 1930 this good friend
with her family paid us a visit in Indianapolis to
hear more about our work and “her boys.” Some
months later I returned the compliment by visiting
her in Peoria. I mentioned, among other things,
the fact that our boarding-house was overcrowded.
She asked, quite casually, what amount would be
needed to relieve the situation. I guessed $600.
You can well imagine what sweet music sounded in
my ears when she said she would offer that amount
to the Lord for the furtherance of our work. And
in all her conversation and her letters on the subject
she brings out the point that she is rendering to the
Lord what is His; what she is thus giving is the
thank-offering of a soul joyous in the knowledge of
undeserved redemption. How happy we are when
we receive such a sum and can make it work for the
further dissemination of that precious Good News
in which she and we rejoice!

The accompanying picture shows that $600 con-

verted into a new dormitory here at Vadakangulam.
Not alone that $600, however. The actual check
read for $1,000, and that despite increasing “frozen
assets.” The warmth engendered by the love of
Christ was able to thaw loose, for purposes of the
Kingdom, what no economic ballyhoo is able to do.
In accordance with the donor’s wish we built our
dormitory of more substantial materials and some-
what larger than originally planned and neverthe-
less have over $200 left. It remains only to deter-
mine which building project, among many that are
necessary, shall benefit by this balance.

On September 11 we celebrated dedication day.
(The school-year had begun in June, but the new
building was not ready then.) I need not relate
all the items in the afternoon’s program. We had
obtained a fine studio portrait of the giver, which,

New High School Dormitory,
Vadakangulam, India.

wreathed in a fragrant garland, was unveiled with
appropriate remarks. I had translated from letters
of this benefactress many sentences in which she
stresses the spiritual blessings she meant to help
convey to her wards. The boarding-house inmates
thereupon presented a song and an illuminated gift
document, which I sent to Mrs. Zeitz. We concluded
the dedication service with prayer, the British na-
tional anthem, and distribution of betel-leaf and
areca-nut, according to old Indian custom. The
boys enjoyed special dishes on that Sunday in ad-
dition to their rice and curry, bread and coffee in
the morning, plantains at noon, and mutton-curry
at night.

The building itself is severely plain. It contains
a hall 45x15 feet, furnished with teak-wood
lockers, shelves for the boys’ metal plates and cups,
a mat-rack for their “beds” (a simple mat with a
small pillow), and desk-and-bench sets for the big
boys, with locker for each boy built into the desk.