The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1933, Page 40

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40

THE LUTHERAN PIONEER

Beautiful Gratitude.

The following account is taken from a recent
issue of the Northern Illinois Messenger. Its
authenticity is vouched for, though for very ap-
parent reasons the writer’s name is not given. It
reads as follows : —

The effectiveness and the results of the work
done by the Chicago City Mission Board cannot be
seen in their entirety by the reports made in the
regular meetings of the society because in some cases
there is such continuity of results that a whole sub-
sequent life is just one act of gratitude after an-
other. Such is the case of a man whose story is
herewith given.

It began some sixteen years ago, when others,
now sainted, carried on this soul- and body-saving
work in particularly one institution. It all hap-
pened like this. We'll call him Tom. He was born
and reared where even to this day much of the crime
that is entered on the records of Cook County is
hatched and perpetrated. The family into which
he was born numbered eleven children. Tom always
was a distressing problem to his parents even when
a little boy, and the older he grew, the larger grew
the circle of his criminal activities. He was way-
ward in school and a truant. When sixteen years
old, his police record began and, in less than one
year he was involved in more than a dozen criminal
acts. But like so often in cases of his type, he al-
ways was released back to society.

He seldom spent a continuous week at home. If
circumstances demanded it, he slept in railroad
yards and vacant buildings. According to his own
words he often just went into eat shops and walked
out without giving any explanation or attempting to
pay for what he had eaten. But notwithstanding all
his evil inclinations he avers he never became lech-
erous and therefore never became involved in that
kind of immorality.

But crime and sin always get their due reward.
While attempting an escape following a crime, he
stumbled and broke his wrist and also hurt himself
internally. That brought him into one of our county
institutions. While he was confined there, our, city
missionary during his bedside visits also came into
contact with him. As Tom tells it: “He told me
that he could see in my eyes that I was not at peace
and wanted to know what was the matter.” That
interest in him shown by the city missionary struck
a responsive chord in his soul. Regular visits were
made by the missionary, which not only gave him a

different view of life, but showed him the power to
get out of the shackles which were holding him. He
learned to know all about sin and about Christ, the
Savior, his Savior, from sin and its power.

Before long he was released from the hospital.
The missionary kept up his contact with Tom.
Upon his invitation Tom consented to spend a day
in the company of the missionary on a trip at an-
other institution. On that day the missionary im-
proved the opportunity to admonish him henceforth
to lead a respectable, yes, a truly Christian, life. He
had a conference with a police official, and not long
after, Tom, instead of being a criminal, was trained
to follow the footprints of other criminals and to
bring them into the meshes of the law.

The new life brought him into better contacts
than he ever imagined were possible. By an ar-
rangement of the missionary he attended an affair
of Lutheran young people, where he fell head over
heels in love with a fine young Lutheran girl. One,
two, three a real love union was formed, and a few
years later Tom not only became the husband of a
fine young woman, but also a devoted member of our
Lutheran Church.

And talk about gratitude! If from outward ap-
pearances one could establish a standard of right liv-
ing, his life would be a fine example. The Bible in
his home is not a dust-laden volume, but a well-
fingered daily-used book from which he reads at the
family devotion. His seat and the seats of every
member of his family are always occupied during
the church services; his contributions for his church
and for Synod are by far the largest in his congre-
gation; his willingness to give assistance when
necessary for his church or to do committee work is
an inspiration to others. And as a special act of
gratitude for what our Church has done for him in
reclaiming him from a life of crime through the
mission agency of our Church he has annually desig-
nated a part of his earnings (which have been very
good) for the relief of unfortunate families and in-
dividuals of his church. His pastor, who at his re-
quest calls upon him for a contribution to a good
cause when necessary, says that his benevolences run
into a few hundred dollars a year and include pur-
chases of suits and overcoats, payments of physi-
cians’ services and hospital bills, delivery and pay-
ment of milk bills, and always a practical supply of
Christmas cheer. And nobody else knows of this ex-
cept his good wife and his pastor. He prefers to
have it done this way. That is his earnest and gen-
uine gratitude for what others have done for him.