The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1933, Page 73

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER

over 100 per cent. and twenty-five others of over
50 per cent. Sixteen cities now have 50,000 or more
Negroes each, the largest Negro populations being
New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Though the
Negro has made wonderful progress in education,
the Negro population is still 16 per cent. illiterate.
A large proportion is still seriously handicapped
religiously and economically. F.J.L.

——- —< —____

The Grace of Serving and Giving.

When a certain wealthy, childless couple recently
returned to their fine home, they found it burned to
the ground, and with the house the fine furniture,
costly paintings, and other treasures had been de-
stroyed. The neighbors, who had expected the loss
of the home and its contents to be a terrible blow
to the childless wife, were agreeably surprised to find
her take the loss very calmly. She admitted that
the insurance could not restore her treasures nor
repay them for their great loss in money. But she
continued: “My husband and I lately have been
investing in treasures that will not perish. We have
been investing in little orphans, mission-schools,
hospitals in mission-fields, and the like.”

Would it not be a wonderful thing if more Chris-
tian women would learn that the lives of boys and
girls are worth more than fine vases and embroi-
deries or pet cats and dogs? Said a pastor to me
not long ago: “The other day, as I was walking up
town, I saw the members of a bridge club gathering
at a home to spend the whole afternoon in that
fascinating game, while a block farther on a number
of women were sewing with might and main for
a box that was to be sent to the poor Negroes of
our Alabama mission-field. One of the members of
the bridge club had been asked to help sew, but had
found it more important to attend to the card-
playing than the sewing at the church. Another
had been asked to donate something to the box, but
she found that the demands upon her purse were
so many that she was compelled to refuse. Still
another gave a dime to help pay the freight on the
box and then spent a half-dollar to buy a prize for

the bridge game.” I wonder whether other pastors |

have had like experiences.

Of course, we do not wish to say that giving
grudgingly is useless, for even the grudgingly given
gift will relieve want; but the gift that is given
grudgingly will never bring a blessing to the giver.
The unwilling giver misses the grace of giving ; that
is, the blessing that God would give him through his

giving never comes to him. The grace of giving,
what a joy it brings to the giver! How many lives
have been sweetened and enriched and glorified by
the simple possession of the grace of giving! Just
look about you, and you will readily see that in all
God’s creation, things begin to shrivel and die as
soon as they cease to give.

The other day we were told of a woman who was
so particular about her parlor and its furniture that
she shut it up in fall to keep out the dust and soot
and that, when she opened it in the spring at house-
cleaning time, she found her carpets so damp and
mildewed and rotted that they had to be taken out
and burned. But in the neighbors’ sitting-room the
lively boys and happy girls tramped the carpets
every day, and still they lasted for years. There is
a saving that means loss, as there is a giving that
means increase.

Permit us to express another thought in this con-
nection. It isn’t worth while to wait for the wealthy
people to give large gifts. Some of them do give
liberally, but, after all, it will be best for the rank
and file to give as God has prospered them. Though
their gifts may be small, yet the multitude of these
small gifts will have the result that there will be
no lack. Here a little and there a little from many
is far better than a large gift coming at rare in-
tervals. God wants every one of His children to
have a share in the blessing of giving. God’s sun-
shine is intended for all, and it is only because some
people hide in the shade that they do not get its
benefits.

Of course, it is a delicate matter for liberal
givers to talk about the pleasures and blessings that
have come to them because of their liberality, and

it is just as hard for selfish persons to understand

that there are pleasures and blessings that are not
represented by dollars and cents. However, let us
continue to do our share and rest assured that God
will succeed in leading this or that person to see
the light and helping him to realize that it really
is more blessed to give than to receive.

~ We know of a member in a certain congregation
who would always remark when asked to give an
extra contribution, “Now, what is that for again?”
It so happened that his fellow-members in the
course of events elected him a member of the church
council. And when he found how much was needed
to carry on God’s work and how many others asked
just as he had done, “Now, what is that for
again?” he set himself the task of intelligently and
prayerfully answering the question. He grew im-
patient more than once as he saw the important and