Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1893-12-27

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a little faithful band of the elect in the
midst of this land of Egyptian darkness,
and unless you hold together, stand by
each other and the pure Lutheran faith,
and hold aloof from all intercourse with
the pestiferous sectories who infest the
region round about us, ye will imperil
your souls salvation. Ye can no longer
plead ignorance, for l have forewarned
you in the name of the Lord. And be-
ware lest, though you yourselves remain
faithful, your children go astray. Siren
voices of temptation besiege their hearts
from all sides. Remember, you will be
called to account for them on the last
day. The prospect Of wealth, political
office and influence and a high seat in
the synagogues may lure them away
from the simple faith and simple virtues
of their fathers. But l tell you we have
to choose between the kingdom of God
and the kingdom of Mammon. What
will it profit you on the last day to have
been American legislators or sheriffs or
county clerks, or to have learned the
English language, of which some are SO
foolishly proud? What will it profit
you, ask, in the sight of him who de-
mandeth not foreign languages, but truth
in the inmost parts"
The pastor continued for another half
hour in this strain warning his hearers
in the most impressive language that
they could not learn the English Ian
guage or hold intercourse with Ameri-
cans without running grave risk of
, eternal damnation. He elaborated his
theme with great ingenuity and ended
with an appeal for the endowment of
parochial school under the direct super
vision and control of the Norwegian
Lutheran synod. He finished this APP
peal with long and fervid prayer, in
which he besought God to save his peo-
pie from the denominations of desolation
from the unhallowed and soul destroy
ing dance around the Golden Calf, which
was, forsooth the god of the heretical,
mammon worshiping nation wherewith
it had pleased him to surround them.
The meeting was then at an end, and
the pastor devoted himself for another
hour to private solicitation, buttonhol-
ing one by one the well to do members
of the church, and refusing to let them
go until they had pledged themselves in
writing for an amount which he thought
fair. If any one, knowing that his turn
would come next, tried to steal away
unobserved the jealous clergyman dex-
terously intercepted him, and shamed
him with appeals to his pride and his
fear until he had contributed his quota.
When he approached the Widow Mat
son, who had made no attempt to es-
cape, Gunnar thought with fear and
trembling that now she was in for it,"
He was therefore astonished when the
pastor grasped his hard and cracked fist
in his soft, moist hand, and asked with a
kind of harsh friendliness how. he was
getting ON. The boy was afraid to COM
init himself on SO ticklish a subject and
looked up into his mothers face, as if
expecting her to answer.
"Oh, God help us, Mr.. PASTOR" the
widow replied, che isn't getting ON at
all. The spirit of the world the flesh
and the devil is strong in him. He does
not think Of God, Mr.. Pastor, but only
of quarreling and sinful fooling and
deviltry."
81 am sorry to hear such bad reports
Of you, Gunnar," observed the pastor
with warning shake of the head.
HE actually fought during the meet
ing" the mother continued; fought
with fists till blood flowed"
She made an effort to get hold of the
boys left hand, which he now discovered
was quite bloody. But the delinquent
thrust it guilty into his pocket and
made an effort to retire behind his moth
er's back. She talked on for some min
utes, lamenting his wickedness, not, how
ever, in the usual whining voice of a
complaining woman, but in tone of
stern accusation. She scarcely observed
that the pastors replies showed but a
faint interest in the subject, and that he
was more than once ON the point of in
terrupting her.
"Well, well, my good woman" he
broke in impatiently, "we'n talk more
about that another time. What came
to ask you about concerns, however, your
boy very closely. How much are you
willing to contribute to the school which
we are about to found, where youths of
our church can be brought up in accord
ance with the true Lutheran faith?"
81 am widow, pastor, and earn in
the sweat of my brow the pittance
which we require to keep body and soul
together"
1.-The widows mite, you remember,
was particularly acceptable in the eyes
of our Lord" said the pastor with unc-
ton.
There was no gainsaying such an ar
gument, and after moments hesitation
the widow pledged herself for s.. But
she could not be persuaded to promise
to send her boy to the school; first, be-
cause he was not to be trusted away from
her, and secondly, because she needed
his help on the farm.
CHAPTER II.
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