# Der Lutheraner_St. Louis Missouri_1854 05 23_S156
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

156

itself a school examination would be held. There appeared now nearly all the women, youths, maidens and children of both sexes, from the largest to the smallest. Of men only three were there, namely the nearest neighbor of the mission house, Bemagojin (called Stephanus in baptism) Wabigonschkom, an old heathen, who had resolved upon baptism but had still always put it off, and his son-in-law Isaac, who had only recently gone with his wife Rebecca to the holy Supper. It may be mentioned here at the same time that a short while ago for the first time the holy Supper had been administered to Indians and English together. Hitherto, namely, a fear had shown itself among the Christian Indians to receive the Sacrament of the Altar, because the Methodists, who always appeared at Bethany as the corrupters of the Church of God, had cast suspicion upon it to them as mere wine-drinking. Besides, Lutheran Indians in former times had witnessed into what raptures, violent sighs and unnatural shouting the Methodists fell after partaking of the holy Supper. Then the apprehension had seized them that the partaking of the holy Meal, or as the Methodists expressed it "the wine-drinking," might bring forth such effects of spiritual exuberance. This wretched impression of a false use of the holy Meal among the Methodists and its ruinous consequences had first to yield to a thorough preparation for the holy Supper.

With great eagerness the children awaited the beginning of the examination, although their hearts throbbed somewhat. Among those to be examined were also grown-up youths and maidens, who gladly join the children, in order to be instructed with them and to learn to read the Bible. The school is divided into three classes; therefore they were also examined one after another. The subjects of the examination were reading, writing, arithmetic, Catechism, Bible history, singing. The last delights the Indians, young and old, in the highest degree; their voices are pure and clear and melodies impress themselves easily upon them. This examination also gave testimony of it. Bible history is taught from pictures, and the scholars, at least the older ones, proved that they had well understood the Kaiserswerth picture Bible, since they knew how to set forth in orderly connection, by oral narration, the persons and circumstances. Pictures are very attractive to the Indians; therefore, if any one among the dear readers should have a supply of good pictures of sacred history, he would, by a gift of such to the mission station Bethany, afford the Indian brethren a great service of love and true joy. As to the Catechism, the 10 Commandments, the Creed and the Lord's Prayer are known to all and familiar; the other chief parts together with the Lutheran exposition are expected only of the older scholars, who are well versed in them. Yet it has not come so far that any one among the Indians could confess the Catechism with such readiness without assistance, as perhaps a good catechumen in most Christian congregations. In arithmetic the majority seem not yet to have got far; it is limited mostly to correct counting and to the solution of the simplest examples of the one species. Writing shows again how capable the young Indians are of cultivation; we saw specimens of writing, over which we had great joy. Reading, finally, has progressed so far among the most advanced that they can read the New Testament passably in the Indian language; the middle class spelled out syllables and the lowest spelled letters. The smallest children, finally, were still occupied in learning the A. B. C., which seems to come very hard to them. With regard to discipline we found a considerable difference in comparison with the school at Shebahyonk. At the latter place we noticed no breach of school discipline; on the other hand, there was also no lively activity to be perceived among them. At Bethany it was quite otherwise. One saw, even at this rather solemn examination, how the liveliness of the spirit everywhere wanted to assert itself also in what was forbidden, and therefore had to be watched. And so it was even on the following day during the church service. They imposed no restraint upon themselves, to avoid disturbances, but went out and in as need required, without betraying any anxiety whatever. Friendly admonitions were indeed obediently heeded, but with a kind of merry astonishment that any one could have occasion for them.—

Meanwhile it had become time to make some house visits. Above all things it was a desire with us to visit the old Sahrah, 100 years of age. We took the interpreter with us, and after we had gladdened the dear old woman with a new warm garment, which had been made for her by the Frankenlust sewing society, we began a conversation with her. We rejoiced at her bodily well-being, and she herself declared that it did not go with her as is the way of the world, that she, say, shrank together more with increasing age, but she grew stronger and stronger with the years. We then asked her whether she had already partaken of the holy Supper for the strengthening of her faith; she answered that she had not expected that some of her red fellow-believers would join in the celebration, otherwise she would also have reported herself for it. In the background there seemed to have been with her also a certain shyness, perhaps as being the first of all to report herself for this partaking of the Body and Blood of the LORD. She promised, however, that at the next celebration of the holy Supper she would no longer let herself be kept back, but would also come forward, after she had been prepared for it. To express her gratitude she brought out a little cloth, into which she put a few pieces of dried venison with the request that [illegible] the friends who had made her presents should be given a share. — After taking leave of her I went with the interpreter Gruet into his family, to greet them. I found that they had been led by the LORD upon His good ways. The mother and her eldest daughter had renounced the false Roman church and had become members of the Lutheran church, in that they had taken part in the last celebration of the Supper. The head of the house also had reported himself for the transfer, and only a few hindrances of the public act were still to be removed. From the missionaries I learned that Gruet had faithfully fulfilled his duty as interpreter in the mission, and was being more and more healed of his old infirmities.

On Sunday morning the earliest churchgoer was the old Sahrah, who, led by her granddaughter, entered the parlor in order to recover from her walk and to warm herself before she attended divine service. The public assembly was numerous, although so many heads of families were absent. Miss. Miessler held the morning, Miss. Röder the afternoon sermon. After the morning sermon the two Shebahyonk Indians, who had come along in our company, brought in to us a relative, who lived 6 miles from Bethany in the bush with his father-in-law. The whole family of his had until then still been given to heathenism; yes, his mother-in-law had last summer, as a terrible warning to all of like mind, been shot dead in the midst of her heathen life by her own 13-year-old son, by accident, as he was getting out of the canoe. The young man who had now come in, about 30 years old, was very thoughtful and seemed to have something on his heart. The missionaries began a serious conversation with him about his spiritual state; he entered into it and let himself be willingly rebuked for his unbelief, that he had so long despised God's Word. Thereupon he offered his Boschu and left the room, leaving behind with us the hope that the word he had heard would bear fruit in its time. This fruit we were soon to behold. For already after a quarter of an hour he returned with the earnest request to be admitted to baptism yet today. The afternoon service should already have begun; but now it was delayed a further quarter of an hour, in order to have the necessary preliminary questions answered by the Indian and to obtain a good confession from him. This turned out satisfactory, and one could hardly see a more salvation-desiring sinner than this young man. Baptism was performed as soon as the ordinary service was ended; in the public assembly the candidate, led by two other Indians, stepped forward to receive the Sacrament of holy Baptism. Loudly and distinctly he answered the questions concerning the renunciation of the devil, and all his