The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1927, Page 93

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER.

93

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work, but the strain of a walk of ten miles again
put him on his back. A slight stroke affected his
brain, and it became necessary to take him to the
hospital. Pastor Kreft spoke to him on several
occasions and prepared him for the end. From the
hospital, Tom was moved to the jail, to be kept there
until papers could be obtained for his removal to an
institution for the mentally unbalanced. Pastor
Kreft found Tom there lying in a cell on the stone
floor, torn and bruised. But he was again able to
point him to the crucified and risen Savior and also
saw to it that he was taken'to the home of a niece in
Mobile. From there he was removed to the asylum,
where he died May 10, but not before he had given
the missionary the assurance that he was looking to
the Savior for deliverance from all evil.

Tom Davis is dead. As we write these lines,
eyes are wet with tears in that little home at Kings
Landing. But God will wipe away those tears, for
old Grandma Davis and her little grandchild have
the assurance that their own dear Tom is now in
heaven.

To-morrow we shall lay Tom’s mortal remains
to rest under the trees on the plantation where Tom
had lived so many years, not far from that one-room
shack, to await the glorious resurrection on the Last
Day. And while we type these lines, — yes, for-
ever, — Tom is in the company of the saints of God,
where he will live forever, free from the trials and
the pains and the sorrows of this mortal life. And
God will give to Tom’s aged wife and granddaughter
_ steadfastness to reach that home, eternal in the
heavens. He has promised this.

What if our Lutheran Church had not brought
the message of salvation to Kings Landing? Where
would Tom be to-day ? G. A. Scour.

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His Good Deeds Shall Live After Him.

A recent number of the Lutheran Witness
brought a news item under this heading. It referred
to the gifts of Mr. Louis Kaemper, of Los Angeles,
Cal., who at various times during his life, as the
item mentioned, had given to the Missouri Synod’s
Church Extension Fund and to the same body’s
Board of. Support Fund a total of $37,400. Parts
of these gifts were in the form of annuities, on which
the interest was to be paid to the donor during his
life and after his death to his sister Josephine as
long as she lived. ‘The item continues to say that
Miss Kaemper, upon her brother’s death, declared
' that she released all her claims on the interest ac-

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cruing from the annuities, so that the splendid gift
of Mr. Kaemper immediately begins to do its blessed
work for the Lord’s kingdom.

However, we have something else to tell our
readers in connection with these good deeds of Mr.
and Miss Kaemper. Surely many of our readers
will remember a number of years ago the treasurer
of our Colored Mission Board reported that an un-
known gentleman would come to him at more or less
regular intervals and bring him cash gifts amount-
ing to hundreds of dollars for our Colored Missions.
If we mistake not, in the course of years these gifts
of the unknown donor — Herr Unbekannt (Mr. Un-
known) our treasurer called him — amounted to
over $14,000! Now we learn that Mr. Louis
Kaemper was this unknown friend of our Colored
Missions; that he was the unassuming, quiet gentle-
man who came again and again to the relief of our
sore-pressed treasurer and brought him the funds
so greatly needed.

We should like to say all that we have recently
learned of the character of this Christian brother
who has now gone to his heavenly reward, but one
that was very near to him, just at the time when he
was so kind to our Colored Missions, assures us that
it would not be pleasing to the departed were much
made of him or his gifts. We should not like to
betray the confidence reposed in us and disclose any-
thing that would prove distasteful to the departed,
if he were still among us, or to his noble sister.
However, we feel that we may yet add this to the
above: Mr. Kaemper, while yet living, declared that
he considered his gifts to Christ’s Church and its
members to be “good investments.”

God grant His Church an increasing number of
men and women who, like Mr. and Miss Kaemper,
will regard their gifts to the Church of Christ as
“good investments” and give proof of their con-
viction by their actions! F.J.L.

Items of Missionary Interest.
By the Eprror.

Immanuel College, Greensboro, N.C. — Com-
mencement exercises were held on May 12. A class
of thirteen graduated from the High School and a
class of two from the Theological Department. The
commencement address was delivered by Prof. M.
Lochner, of the River Forest Normal School. One
of the theological graduates will be called to North
Garolina and the other to Alabama. — Building
operations on the new dormitory for girls are pro-