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must say that the blasphemies of the Pope are far more damnable than the ordinary profanity of the street. The Pope curses with more elaborate detail than any ordinary blasphemer, and he curses those things which God particularly has blessed. He curses the Gospel of forgiveness by grace through faith alone. He curses the Bible societies. He curses freedom of religion. He curses freedom of speech and of the press. He curses every one who refuses to accept the laws made by him.

What greater misuse of God's Word can we imagine than the perversion of the Christian Gospel into a code of laws which one must observe in order to be saved? What greater blasphemy of Christ than to say that all His suffering, His crucifixion and His death finally did not avail to satisfy the justice of God; man must add his own good conduct to obtain salvation? Not only this, but the Roman Church has persecuted with the most fearful penalties all those who protested against this misuse of God's Word.

As for the Holy Name Society itself, all its members are under vow to pray the rosary with great regularity. In the light of Matt. 6, 7 it is plain that this odious repetition of formulas of prayer is a profane use of the name of the Most High. G. The Gospel in Spain. - There are at present six Protestant denominations doing work in Spain. In 157 localities about 15,000 Protestants are being supplied with the Bread of Life.

The Lutheran Reformation was suppressed by fire and sword when it had secured a foothold in Spain. Philip II, who in vain tried to crush out the Reformation in his crownland, Holland, succeeded in his own country through the aid of the Inquisition. According to exact research 220 persons were burned alive on account of their adherence to the Lutheran faith. This was about 1550. Three centuries later (to be exact, in 1870) Fritz Fliedner was sent by German Christians to preach the Gospel in Spain, and from this year dates a new era of self-sacrificing labor for the redemption of Spain.

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The priesthood has resisted the advance of Protestantism to the utmost. Small as this advance is, the Roman clergy has more than once been in a panic lest too much liberality be granted the "propagandists" and a great Protestant wave engulf a country which to-day is a bulwark of Roman power. September, 1899, the archbishop and the bishops of Spain met in the city of Burgos. The convention was horror-struck at the success which had of late attended the Protestant missions in Madrid and other large cities. "In the very capital itself they are building churches, and their 'poison' is spreading throughout the kingdom." What is to be done? The law, the government, must be called upon to put down the iniquity! A petition is drafted and sent to the queen regent. The queen, in her reply, reiterated the statement that the Protestant mission-work "violates the fundamental principles of the Constitution." She expressed her "great joy that the necessities of the Spanish Church are ever placed in connection with the firm adherence to an absolute obedience to the precepts and doctrines of our Most Holy Father Leo XIII.”

King Alfonso may or may not be fanatically Catholic; the first and foremost aim of His Royal Highness seems to be to enjoy life. Yet the priesthood has sufficient power over him to dictate letters which breathe devotion to the Pope. Soon after his accession to the throne the cardinal-bishop of Barcelona informed him with great concern that the Protestants had built a chapel right under his nose, "an instance of pernicious warfare against the true faith." In his reply Alfonso wrote: "As Catholic king and submissive and believing son of the only true Church I am deeply pained by this new attempt against the faith of our fathers and the state religion."

November 18, 1924, the King of Spain called upon the Pope, kissed his hand and foot, and delivered a speech of such colossal bombast about the glor-r-r-r-ious history of Spain that one stands aghast at the lack of humor in the king as well as in the Pope, that they did not break into peals of laughter at the comedy which they were enacting. But there are some unpleasant references to Protestantism in this address of Alfonso. Speaking of the past, he boasts that "for the defense of religion against Luther's adherents our troops rushed to Flanders and to the banks of the Elbe". a reference to the horrible wars of religion which Spain waged in order to crush out the preaching of the Gospel in Germany and Holland. As for the future: "If for the defense of our persecuted faith you should proclaim a crusade against the enemies of our most holy religion, Spain and her king will be obedient to your commands and never withdraw from the field of honor." Translated into modern language, this means that our Catholic hero will sit ninety miles behind the firing-line and by telephone and radio direct his Catholic troops against the Protestant wire entanglements. Are we living in 1925 or in the days of flint-lock warfare and heretic burning?

Meanwhile the priests everywhere are waging such war against the Protestant Christians in Spain as a rigid construction of their rights as official Church of the realm seems to permit. Only December 28, 1924, a sergeant of police at Camunas was directed by the priest to dispel a crowd of worshipers who were celebrating Christmas at the Protestant chapel. And at Ibahernando Rev. Vega was threatened with penalties of the law because he had delivered a public address at the burial of a Spanish Protestant! G.

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A writer in a recent issue of the America, a Roman Catholic weekly, suggests that the Roman Catholic Church "arrange for talks on Catholicism to be sent out over the radio on Sundays and thus give people a chance to hear the Catholic side of the question." At the same time the news was being published in the daily press that the Paulist Fathers of New York have completed plans for the installation of a powerful radio broadcasting station "for the purpose of acquainting the public with the Catholic viewpoint upon current affairs."

The same press dispatch calls attention to the broadcasting station of the Zionists at Zion City, Ill., of the Seventh-day Adventists at Berrien Springs, Mich., and of the International Bible Students on Staten Island. From the radio programs it can be seen that not a few church services are being broadcast. A recent issue of the Northwestern Christian Advocate says: "It is estimated that the Rev. S. Parkes Cadman, D. D., has spoken over the radio to more people than any other public speaker. His weekly mail frequently amounts to two thousand letters."

Our own radio station, "Station KFUO, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo.," was not installed and operated too soon. We surely could not silently have looked on while other churches and religionists were using the radio to tell the world what they believe and teach; we could not keep to ourselves the truth while others were spreading error.

Here are some ways in which others can assist in helping our Station KFUO to spread the Gospel:

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1. Pastors can insert a notice in their parish-paper and in the local secular papers.

2. Our members can call the attention of others to Station KFUO and ask them to tune in. J. H. C. F.

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Radioactivity of Satan. - That Jesus was not God, that He did not die for men's sins, that there is neither heaven nor hell as taught by Jesus these radiations of Satan come through most clearly from the amplifiers of the big, booming, superheterodyne adulterers of the Truth, like Harnack in Berlin, McGiffert in Union Seminary, and Shailer Mathews in Chicago U. But single-tubers like Fosdick and Crapsey often bring them in fairly well, and sometimes even little crystal hook-ups like Rabbi Markowitz, of Fort Wayne, or was it Toledo?-perform very acceptably. He celebrated Christmas by denying, in an article addressed to a local paper, that Jesus was the promised Messiah and that the New Testament books are authentic and reliable. Whatever the receiving apparatus, however, it is always "his master's voice." Beware of false prophets! G. The Names of Our Churches and the Transition. The matter is a simple one where the translation from German into English is the substitution of an English saint's name for the German. St. Pauls-Kirche or St. Paulus-Gemeinde naturally becomes St. Paul's Church, St. Paul's Congregation. Similarly St. Peter's, St. Andrew's, St. Luke's, etc., Church or Congregation. Yet some snags are struck here, as will readily

the evangelists and teachers. Missionary E. Riedel catechized the Middle School (High) students on the main Reformation events and then delivered the second sermon of the day. A hymn and the benediction concluded the service.

The attendance was large, some coming even from a distance. The arrangement and most of the work connected with the celebration was in charge of Missionary Riedel.

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occur to the reader. We shall mention only Sankt Jakobi which is never, O never, Saint Jacobi in English, but becomes St. James and nothing else. The possessive case makes trouble in some names. By all means let us say Immanuel (Emmanuel) Church, not Immanuel's. It is Zion Church, not Zion's. Some names are bound to make trouble. There is

Friedensgemeinde, which sounds very well in German, but cannot be made to sound English. Peace Church is not idiomatic. Church of the Divine Peace would be good English, but would sound strange to those accustomed to Friedenskirche. Cross Church sounds as strange to American ears. Some modifying adjective or phrase is demanded - Holy Cross Church, Congregation of the Holy Cross.

Outlook and Review.

Correspondence.

G.

REFORMATION FESTIVAL IN HANKOW, CHINA. Reformation Day, 1924, was celebrated by our brethren in Hankow, China, on the anniversary of that epochal event. Preparations had been made on a larger scale than ordinarily to draw out a representative Chinese Christian attendance and to enlist the interest of outsiders. The results were gratifying in every respect. God be praised for His exceeding grace!

A folder of four pages announcing the occasion, and containing the program and the outstanding facts of the Reformation, had been printed. Luther is shown on the first page at the church-door at Wittenberg with the ninety-five theses and a hammer in hand. His determined features are clearly to be seen. However, if nothing else attracted the Chinese imagination, this must have been done by the sandals Luther is supposed to have worn, because this was bringing him close to Oriental custom.

To the right and left of Luther the first and the thirtyseventh theses are reproduced in Chinese characters. The superscription and the other wording on the first page contain messages announcing the occasion.

The service opened with the singing of the Battle-hymn of the Reformation, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." I am a witness to the fact that the words and the tune are gripping and inspiring irrespective of the language in which they are sung. The chorus of children and high school students surely made the neighborhood resound with the great hymn.

The liturgy was followed by a sermon delivered by one of our native religious helpers. The Apostles' Creed was sung by

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Services of this kind serve to deepen the Christian conviction of the surpassing grace of God in restoring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a languishing world. Also, they tend to dissemminate the great Reformation truths among friends and enemies.

May it please God to grant a lasting benefit to all who participated in this celebration! FREDERICK BRAND.

PROGRESS IN MISIONES, ARGENTINA.

In Misiones, the Jesuit stronghold of Argentina during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Lutheran Church is gaining a strong footing. In 1920 we had one lonely missionstation on the border of Brazil, served by a traveling missionary from Brazil; to-day we have twelve mission-stations, scattered throughout the territory, served by a more or less resident missionary. The 110 Lutheran families under the spiritual care of the missionary are of German, German-Russian, Scandinavian, or Brazilian descent. In two colonies, services are conducted in the Spanish language, while in the other ten colonies the German language is used. Of the last six confirmation-classes (five classes this year) three Swedes were instructed and confirmed in the Portuguese language, one Swede and three German-Italians in the Spanish language, the rest in German. One young Brazilian is being instructed in the Portuguese catechism now. Esperanto would solve the language-question; then we could also reach the other ten nationalities represented in Misiones. Of the 46 confirmands in the last six classes 14 were adults. One adult was baptized. Services are conducted in whatever place of assembly can be found, mostly in sheds used for drying tobacco; whenever the shed proves to be too small, services are conducted in the open air. The missionary boarded with some of his people for two and a half years, but had no private room. His extensive traveling was done in the saddle.

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work in Paraguay. One Paraguayan colony was served by the present missionary for two years, when the people of this colony moved to a colony in Misiones. The missionary lacked time to carry our work farther into Paraguay.

After many futile attempts, endless red tape, and patience practised for fifteen months, we were finally successful in buying a colony as a home for our Misiones mission. The funds for this undertaking were presented to us by missionfriends in the States. An old shed on the mission-colony, formerly used for drying tobacco, was rebuilt and converted into a chapel. The lumber had to be cut by hand, and the shingles were also "home-made." We exercised patience for fifteen months until the lumber was ready for use. While hauling it to the building-site, the driver was arrested, and the missionary was threatened with imprisonment. "Good friends" of our cause tried to check our work in this manner. They accomplished nothing, but looked on with utter disgust as we dedicated our chapel in the latter part of August.

This is the first Lutheran chapel in Misiones and of Northern Argentina. It is located but twenty miles from the

Lutheran Parsonage at Misiones, Argentina.
Rev. G. Huebner on Camp Chair.

famous Jesuit mission-ruins at San Ignacio. Our building I will also decay in the course of years, even as the Jesuit mission-buildings of red sandstone are decaying now. But the aim of our mission-work is quite different from that of the Jesuit missions, and therefore the success of our work is bound to be quite different from theirs, although not so apparent. The Jesuits polished merely the outer man and taught their

people to adore the Virgin Mary, but kept them in spiritual bondage, while we preach the Word of God, which regenerates man and shows him his Savior, his Emancipator from sins.

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In two other colonies chapels are being built now. mission-stations are about to be organized into congregations. During the summer months school is to be conducted at four mission-stations. Since last October an American-made buggy helps to cover long and tiresome distances in less time and with less effort than was possible before. Our present parsonage and kitchen, as seen in our picture, are about to give way to a three-room parsonage built of brick. The present "parsonage" is twelve feet wide, fifteen feet long, and "forehead-high." For the last months it served for everything, from kitchen to study and schoolroom. After boarding for years without having a private room one learns to appreciate that shack as "home, sweet home."

The progress in Misiones is the Lord's doing. We trust that He will grant further progress, and that Misiones, formerly groping in spiritual darkness under the Jesuits, will develop into a Lutheran stronghold enlightened by the pure Word of God. G. HUEBNER.

Mecking, Misiones, Argentina.

A FEAST DAY IN THE SOUTH AMERICAN METROPOLIS. Peals from the bells of the Catholic church close to our house woke us this morning, December 13. Pretty soon we remembered that this happened each year on that day. When we got out, we found that, like every year, the heavens were covered with thick clouds and it was raining. But like every year the bells continued pealing with interruptions during the whole day. December 13 is a holiday, celebrated in honor of Santa Lucia.

Large crowds of people, mostly women and children, are coming from all sides, all wending their steps to Santa Lucia. All come with the intention of having her do something for them. They carry handkerchiefs to be blessed, candles, and other things. Blessing of articles of all kinds is done by the wholesale during the whole day. Hundreds press around the statue of the saint, where a number of dirty vestry boys receive the handkerchiefs by the thousands during the day to wipe them against the feet or the dress or any part of the wooden statue. On the other side a priest harangues the crowd, telling them of the virtues of Santa Lucia. Rosaries and "Ave Marias" are heard in between, and a number of the people respond in disorder with an "Ora pro nobis" ("Pray for us"), while the rest of the crowd keeps on jabbering and babbling as each one sees fit. Such idolatry! We have come to the conclusion that for this very reason the 13th of December is always an unfriendly and rainy day in Buenos Aires.

But let us get outside, the air is stifling in the building. For blocks to every side from the church, and especially in front of the building itself, even in the very church-door, hundreds of street-venders are offering their wares, candles, flowers (paper and natural), cakes, biscuits, cookies, amulets, pictures of the saint, crucifixes, rosaries, etc., etc. Innumerous unkempt and dirty beggars, most of them parading some kind of deformity in order to arouse the sympathy of the people, and busy pickpockets, are doing a rushing business, and the babble of the throng, the impudent clamoring of the venders, the crying of the children, the crushing of bodies in the crowds, and the accompanying odors in such a seething mass of humanity nearly make one faint.

There is nowhere the least sign of reverence in the crowd, neither inside the church nor outside. The whole thing is a heathenish festival with its accompanying turmoil. Here you see a lady "jewing" for a lower price on a candle she intends to donate to the saint (she seems to be aware of the fact that the saint does not know anything of the prices anyway!); there a real Jew protests his innocence with regard to charging exorbitant prices for candles. (By the way, these Jews in Buenos Aires sell, and carry in stock, all kinds of these Catholic utilities, amulets, rosaries, pictures, candles, even breviaries and prayer-books, and they do not seem to be any the worse for it; especially on days like this they do a rushing business!) Here a lady is trying to calm her crying children who have been standing in this rainy weather for hours, while there a dirty beggar is clamoring for alms in the name of Santa Lucia - although some of these "poor" beggars of the streets of Buenos Aires are the most assiduous customers of

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the National Lottery! Here a boy is offering a small bunch of about six sickly carnations for 20 to 50 centavos (worth 15). Candles worth about 5 to 10 centavos are sold for 20 centavos up, and every time a customer comes up, the usual "jewing" with its accompanying insults (reciprocal between vender and buyer) takes place. By the way, these candles - we have it on good authority -are by no means burned in honor of the saint, but they are reverently repacked and resold to the public on another occasion, since the whole candle business is in the hands of the priests, who thus are able to sell and resell the candles innumerable times.

Finally Santa Lucia gets her airing! (For two years this was made impossible on account of the rain.) It is not Santa Lucia in person who is carried on the shoulders through the street, but a small wooden statue with a very loud red dress in medieval style, covered with all kinds of gilded fritters, but wearing a crown of real gold and diamonds. Amid the peals of the bells the statue emerges from the building; necks are strained, bodies are crushed, and loud "Ohs!" and "Ahs!" are to be heard amid the blaring of the metal instruments. A number of brass bands strike up lively dance-music, the girls along the street drop in time with vestry boys, boy scouts, recently confirmed children, a number of beatonas (a certain number of old maids addicted to one and the same church, who regularly go to confession), a few old men, and numerous priests who are trying to keep at least a semblance of order among the boys, thus the procession forms and marches down the street a few blocks. When the statue passes, old women sigh, girls stare and jabber, men laugh (mostly), beggars stretch their hands, as though imploring the help and the mercy of Santa Lucia, and beatonas look holy. Here and there some one throws a bunch of flowers at the wooden goddess, which generally misses the mark and is trodden upon, and finally the whole procession marches back to the church.

When you hear of such idolatry in the Roman Church of Argentina (in the interior of the country it is much worse), does not something tell you: We Lutherans, with the pure Word of the Gospel, must be up and doing to bring to these poor people the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? And do you know that we Lutherans of the Missouri Synod have not one church-building, no, not even a small chapel in Buenos Aires where we could publicly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ? I beg to be permitted to ask one question: Do you, who read this, really think that we are doing our duty in bringing the light of the Gospel to such as are deprived of it, as Christ expects it from us? Will not these 2,000,000 souls of Buenos Aires who are kept in darkness stand up against us on Judgment Day?

When shall we have the church we so sorely need? Where are we to get it from? Our small band of Lutherans here is not able to begin even. You, dear reader, are you not blessed with temporal goods so that you could erect a monument of thanksgiving to the Lord in Buenos Aires? All around us the sects and pseudo-Lutherans are erecting chapels and churches. And we?-Your missionary has now worked for eight long years without getting a chapel; he has not murmured. His work seemingly has been in vain. He will continue working. But will you permit our Lutheran Church to be housed, in the future as in the past, in unworthy private houses and shacks, while in fifteen years, with the rent alone, we could nearly have paid for a chapel and a dwelling for the missionary, not to say a word about the slanders cast at our Church because we have not even a proper house of worship?

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A real Lutheran church for Buenos Aires - let us make that a slogan, and let us fulfil our duty in 1925! Buenos Aires, S. A. A. T. KRAMER.

DEDICATION AT RIVERSIDE, CAL.

In Southern California, sixty miles from Los Angeles and fifty miles from the Pacific Ocean, is situated the city of Riverside. Two features connected with this city have given it a nation-wide reputation. Here were grown the first navel oranges in the United States, and here is located the Mission Inn, a famous hostelry, designed after the mission chapels so common in California during Spanish sovereignty. Riverside's many paved streets are lined with pepper- and palm-trees, and flowers bloom on the lawns all the year around. This article is being written amidst flowers and green trees, but looking up at the snow on the mountains,

In this city our Lutheran Church has carried on work for sixteen years. Faithful service was rendered by a number of pastors, but the progress of the work was hampered by lack of a church home. The necessity of such a building was realized long ago, but the congregation was unable to put such wishes into effect. At the beginning of this year the congregation once more prayerfully decided to endeavor to obtain a church home. Its prayers were soon heard. Several years ago a sum of money was collected in our Synod for the mission congregation at Banning, Cal. The congregation at that place is not in a position at the present time to use this money, and so the use of it was offered to Riverside at a low rate of interest. The Riverside congregation took advantage of this offer, and the church of the Seventh-day Adventists was bought. The congregation has used this building for a number of years and consequently feels at home here. The church has one hundred and fifty opera chairs in it, but there is room for more. A furnished basement underneath provides ample room for Sunday-school work and social affairs. The church can easily be reached from all sections of the city.

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On the First Sunday in Advent this church was dedicated to the service of the Lord. Appropriate sermons were preached by Pastors G. H. Smukal, of Los Angeles, and A. Hansen, of Pasadena.

A renewed zeal has been manifested in our work since this church was purchased. People have taken confidence in our church. They now feel that we are established here. The necessity of chapels and church-buildings in our mission-work has once more been demonstrated. May all our Christians actively support the Church Extension Fund!

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DEDICATION AT NEW ORLEANS.

On Sunday, the 21st of December, 1924, St. John's Ev. Lutheran Congregation at New Orleans was permitted to dedicate its new house of worship. In the morning service the Rev. M. W. H. Holls, pastor of the congregation, delivered the dedicatory sermon. The Rev. G. J. Wegener, president of the Southern District, preached in the afternoon. On Monday evening a special Young People's and Children's Service was held, at which the Rev. Miles S. Gebauer of this city preached the sermon.

The construction of the new church was begun in the latter part of June. Messrs. G. E. and E. E. Reimann were the contractors. Preliminary planning was done by the Committee on

Church Architecture of the Missouri Synod. The Rev. F. R. Webber aided the building committee during the entire time of construction, being ever ready to offer good and sound advice as to Lutheran architecture. To him, to Mr. Sam Stone, Jr., architect, and to our able building committee we owe thanks for the beautiful structure, which is Gothic in architecture, built of tapestry brick, and trimmed with Bedford stone. The interior height of the nave is thirty-five feet, and there is a balcony over the narthex for the choir and organ. The approach of the chancel is of stone. The pulpit, the altar, and the lectern, which are still under construction, will also be of stone.

The church will easily seat four hundred and fifty people. It was erected at a cost of approximately sixty thousand dollars, including all interior equipment and the lighting fixtures, which are of special design and will be in perfect keeping with the pure Gothic architecture.

St. John's Congregation was organized in 1852. The present pastor is the Rev. M. W. H. Holls. Mr. O. M. Lind is president of the congregation. A Christian eight-grade day-school is maintained in which over 100 children are instructed by Teachers Heintzen, Eggersmann, and Schoenhardt.

May God continue to bless St. John's Ev. Lutheran Congregation of New Orleans!

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Mount Calvary Chapel, the sixth church of our Synod in Omaha, was dedicated Sunday before Christmas. Pastors Oelschlaeger, Hartmann, and Wolter preached the sermons, and choirs from three of our churches sang during the services. Many Omaha Lutherans were present to rejoice with the members of this new mission.

About a year ago the Mission Board of the Northern Nebraska District called Pastor W. W. Stoeppelwerth, of Scottsbluff, Nebr., to begin mission-work in a fast-growing section of the city. Although not many of our own people live in this district, the Mission Board decided, after a thorough canvass had been made, to locate permanently in this part of the city. The canvass of the missionary showed that over 300 unchurched families live in this territory, which is enjoying a steady growth.

The only building that could be rented was a sectarian church, and this church could be gotten only in the afternoon. You may be sure that afternoon services in a city could hardly be expected to be popular. A Sunday-school was organized, and the enrolment is over fifty children. This number will, no doubt, be increased now that morning services will be held.

The chapel which was dedicated is 28X40 feet and is built in the bungalow style, so that it may be converted into a dwelling without much expense. Although not elaborate or extravagant, the chapel serves its purpose very well. The Church Extension Fund made the erection of this chapel possible. If our people could only realize how necessary it is for our missionaries to have suitable buildings, the Church Extension Fund would not suffer from lack of money. Morning services in a city the size of Omaha are an absolute requirement for successful mission-work.

Though handicapped by lack of a suitable building, the work of the missionary has not been in vain. To hear the children tell about their Savior on Christmas Eve was a rare pleasure. The majority of these children would not have learned to know their Savior were it not for our mission. The parents of several children wish to have their children baptized. Thus you see that the preaching of God's Word is never in vain. What a blessing it would be if all of our missionaries had suitable buildings, so that the great work of saving souls would not be hindered! You can help by supporting the Church Extension Fund. CORR.

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living without even having obtained a divorce from his legal wife. It was one of the most atrocious crimes ever committed in Macoupin County, the further details of which need not be mentioned here. Due to the quick and efficient work of the officers of the law he was soon apprehended and placed behind the prison-bars at Carlinville. Public indignation was at white heat. Preparations were made for a speedy trial. In due time he was summoned before the bar of justice to be tried. But to the surprise of the curious crowd that filled the court-room the young man pleaded guilty and threw himself upon the mercy of the court. For his frank confession he expected to escape the extreme penalty of death. But he was mistaken in his man. The judge courageously performed his duty and said: "This is an extreme case, which deserves the extreme penalty." Lester Kahl was sentenced to die on the gallows. An effort was subsequently made by friends to have the governor of the State grant a reprieve, but the governor declined to interfere. The law must take its course, was his decree. Kahl must hang on the 22d day of December.

The death-sentence made little or no impression on the hardened culprit. His speech remained as foul and nasty and his demeanor as frivolous and ungodly as ever. About a week before the time set for his execution I was summoned by one of the officials of the jail to call on him for the purpose of impressing upon him the seriousness of the situation and, if possible, to have him realize the necessity of preparing to meet his Maker. I willingly, though with some feeling of trepidation, responded to the summons. I sat down beside his cell and through the prison-bars began to reason with him. Turning the search-light of God's holy Law upon him, I showed him his sinful and damnable condition and the terrible end of it eternal damnation in hell. I did not mince words. A spade was called a spade. Upon the authority of the Word of God I pronounced upon him the curse of a just and angry and outraged God. This I followed with "the sweetest story ever told," the wondrous story of the unspeakable love of Jesus for wretched, doomed, dying sinners. Jesus, the Savior of men. the only Savior of sinners, was held up before this poor, benighted soul. Nor was it in vain, thank God. The day following my very first visit I was pleased to hear one of the guards say to me, "He has already changed his tune." I continued to call on him, daily pointing out to him that faithful saying, worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom he was chief. 1 Tim. 1, 15. He finally admitted the damnableness of his heinous crime, professed faith in Jesus Christ, and two days before his execution asked to be baptized. I expounded to him the story recorded Acts 8, 26-39 and asked him whether he, too, like the eunuch, believed that Jesus is the Son of God and his only Savior. Without hesitancy he replied, "I believe that Jesus is my only Savior." He was baptized on the evening preceding his execution in the presence of all the officials of the prison. When the solemn ceremony was concluded, one after the other of the officers of the law came forward, and each with a warm handshake expressed his pleasure over the fact that Lester Kahl had changed from a once callous, foul-mouthed ruffian to a mellow and penitent confessor of the Christian religion. On the morning of his execution, before the death-march to the gallows began, he prayed almost incessantly, asking the Lord to forgive him, and calling upon Jesus not to forsake him. On the gallows I once more, on bended knees, offered our wellknown prayer of confession with him. It was a moment of great solemnity. Several hundred witnesses stood by with serious mien and uncovered heads. After making a brief confession of his faith in Jesus before the crowd assembled, this penitent sinner's soul winged its way to eternity. While the rope was being adjusted, he prayed, "Jesus, be with me! Father, forgive me!" and similar fervent cries for mercy.

To conclude, dear reader, you have in this account an illustration of the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Rom. 1, 16. If the Gospel of Christ can save so vile a criminal as was the subject of this story, it can also save you. Again, we see in this case that "lack of religious training, which deprives the youth of a moral code upon which to build its character" is the reason for the lawlessness which is sweeping over our country. Therefore, if your congregation has a Christian dayschool, support it with might and main. If you have no Christian day-school, make every effort to get one as soon as possible. Carlinville, Ill, GEO. BEIDERWIEDEN.

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