{Rev. C. H. Little, Editor
Mahone Bay
Rev. W. M. Weaver, Business Manager
Lunenburg
Nova Scotia Lutheran
Official Organ on the Lutheran Synod of Nova Scotia
Mahone, N. S.,} April 20, 1911
Dear Mother:
As another week has passed since I wrote you last I will see what I can do in an epistolary way tonight again. Easter is past and over once again. I trust you enjoyed the happy season. I got through reasonably well with the extra work involved by Passion Week and the Queen of Festivals. From Monday night till Sunday night I preached nine times, eight of these being different sermons. I preached three Easter sermons here on Sunday, one at the Matin Service at 8 o’clock, again at 10:30 with communion, and also in the evening. The early Matin Service was a new feature and was not very well attended; but the congregations in the morning and evening were well attended. I had 103 communicants at the Main Service, but had only one for confirmation. In consequence of this I held confirmation service at Matins. I was very much disappointed over the poor showing and feel that my work through the year was well nigh a failure, but I did the best I could and can’t help it. If people don’t want to be confirmed you can’t force or drag them into it. The trouble is with the parents. They let the children do as they please and give them no encouragement and everything devolves upon the pastor and the result is that very little is accomplished. The one that
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I did have is a married woman of about 50 years of age. This congregation will show a loss of a dozen or more through the year, eight so far through death and four or five through removal to other congregations elsewhere. I am going to discuss the matter over with the Council when we have our next meeting, which will be next week, and see if this state of affairs is to continue or whether some way can be found to improve the situation. Most of the other pastors have been quite successful this year, as you have seen and will see from reports in the Nova Scotia Lutheran. The Ladies Aid held their annual birthday bag party on Tuesday night. They gave quite an enjoyable entertainment of a humorous or farcical nature and about $85 was brought in by the birthday bag offering. On Good Friday I preached here in the morning and at New Cornwall in the afternoon. Yesterday we held a meeting of the Orphans’ Home Board and extended a call to the Rev. C.B. Lindtwed to become House Father of the Home. I think he will accept. In the afternoon I buried a little child at Blockhouse. Monday and Tuesday I drove around giving communion to old people who could not get out to Church. There are a good many such around here and it is customary for the pastor to do this, and a very good custom I think it is. I have two parishioners that are past 90 and quite a number between 80 and 90. I took Carolus with me on the trips and he had to drive
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all the way. He is growing fast and thinks himself quite a man. He is beginning to form sentences now and talks quite plain. Horses and oxen take his eye as quick as anything. He will stand at the window and say “I see the oxen”, “I see the boys” or “I see a horse” as the case may be; and every day he picks up some new words. Herman too is as bright and good and pretty as a baby can be and is growing rapidly. He sleeps five hours at a stretch in the night and unless the weather is too cold he sleeps with the window up. He sleeps alone in his cradle as Carolus did. He is perfectly healthy and surprisingly strong for a lad of his years. Bonnie thinks he is just perfect and I guess she isn’t very far out of the way. The weather continues cold. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we don’t have another snow by morning. No leaf or anything green has appeared yet so we have had to postpone gardening for awhile. My tomato plants are coming up which I planted in a box the other week. I hope to have some ripen this year by fall. I broke my smoking fast at noon on Easter and am again enjoying the pipe of peace. I feel much better when I smoke than when I don’t. It seems to be a great aid to digestion. As we have had no rain since the big snow, the roads are getting fairly good now and the frost is pretty well out of the ground in open places. Bonnie began house cleaning today with the aid of a helper hired for the occasion. House cleaning in this country is a semi-annual institution which must be endured as sort of necessary affliction. But I must close. With love and all good wishes, I am Most Sincerely yours
[signed] Carroll H. Little
