294 The Story Of A Pioneer Pastor Paul Gerhardt Tonsing

THE STORY OF A PIONEER PASTOR: PAUL GERHARDT TONSING by Ernst F. Tonsing, Ph.D. Thousand Oaks, California

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I. FROM CLEVELAND TO KANSAS My father, the Rev. Ern[e]st F. Tonsing, of Topeka, Kansas, received the Private Church Book of his father, the Rev. Paul Gerhardt Tonsing, a pioneer pastor in Kansas. Containing notes of pastoral acts during 1895 and 1896, while he was serving the congregation of Zion Lutheran Church in Beloit, the little red covered "Composition Book" provides insights into the life of a prairie congregation a century ago.1 Paul Tonsing2 came to Kansas in 1886 as a sixteen-year old from Cleveland, Ohio, a city to which his parents had moved from Oak Harbor, Ohio.4 Heading west to "seek their fortunes," Paul and his stepbrother, August Mylander,5 had just enough money to get them to Kansas. Arriving in the eastern city of Topeka on an extremely hot day, they decided to continue to a cooler place. Waterville, Kansas, some eighty-five miles west, sounded just right, and they left the train there.. While Paul tried his luck at farming, living with a Mr. Hersey, and his brother at house painting, they became acquainted with a kindly pastor of the German-American community there, the Rev. James A. Lowe, who had become pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran congregation in September, 1883 6 Seeing in the ambitious young man the prospects of a greater service, Pastor Lowe tutored Paul, and then sponsored his education beginning in the Fall of 18877 at Midland Academy about to open in the Missouri River town of Atchison.8 To prepare the buildings, Paul Tonsing washed windows and cleaned\the building.9 Carl Brown, a member of the congregation to which Paul Tonsing was to serve, wrote in 1936 that he recalled having heard that Paul "was an energetic, ambitious, tousleheaded youngster—on his own. He had to work his way through school. He carried papers and used a cart and horse. He was a familiar figure in those days—and gave his subscribers the best of service. The man—young or old—was always anxious to give good service. Such integrity was always one of his good qualities."10 3

After two years in the preparatory high school, he went on for four years in the college, the last being counted as the first three years of study at the Western Theological Seminary (later to become Central Seminary when the college and seminary moved to Fremont, Nebraska).11 At that time the seminary consisted of a staff of four and two visiting lecturers, with only six students enrolled.12 In 1892 he was in the second graduating class of Midland College. He married Ruth, the oldest daughter of the tenth governor of Kansas, Colonel John A. Martin, on September 7, 1893, and graduated from the seminary and was ordained as a Lutheran pastor in 1895.13

Zion Lutheran Church in Beloit, in the Blue Hills of Mitchell County in north central Kansas, was organized by the Rev. J. G. Trefz, September 1, 1886. The language was German, and it first remained independent of any synodical connections. The congregation displayed such zeal that it proceeded at once to build a solid stone church, thirty-two by sixty feet, with a vestibule and belfry, at a cost of $3,000. A few months later, on July 23, 1887, it was dedicated.14 During Trefz's pastorate he also served the parish of St. Paul's in Glasco, a large German community twenty miles north of Minneapolis, Kansas.15 In the fall of 1894, the Zion congregation made application and was received into the Kansas Synod. Pastor Trefz resigned in December, and was followed in June by Paul Tonsing, who remained until February, 1901.16 Zion Lutheran Church was quite careful in selecting its pastor. After two visits (March 23 to April 2nd, and May 19 ), and after hearing the new pastor preach both in English and German, the congregation issued a call on May 19, 1895, to take effect on June 1st [p. 117].17 The pastor arrived in time to preach and celebrate the Eucharist on June 2nd. Twenty days later, on Saturday, June 22, his wife, Ruth, arrived. Just before the family was to depart for Beloit their horse and cart was stolen. All they had left was the buggy and harness. Horses were loaned to them for the transfer, and, later, Paul Tonsing went to Nebraska and obtained a bay mare, "half broken to harness," which they called "Dolly."18 Such moves, then as now, were not easy, and Paul spent the next day in bed, too sick to preach!

II. PARISH LIFE ON THE PRAIRIE While most of the services at Zion Lutheran were in German, English was gradually introduced as the "new" Americans tried to adjust to a strange, wild country. But, the youth group, The Luther League, held all of its meetings in English, the young pointing to future directions for the congregation.19 The years preceding 1895, however, were years of disasters. By the beginning of 1895, crop failures had brought suffering to western Kansas. In the north western county of Cheyenne, 1894 saw no crops, and '93 only seed grain.20 Towns in eastern Kansas responded by sending aid to the distant counties and provisions came even as far as Pennsylvania21 and Santa Ana, California.22 Severe storms and zero temperatures increased the hardships, and at Lebanon in the adjoining Smith County, a fourteen-hour sand storm blocked the movement of all traffic, especially trains carrying needed coal. Tornadoes24 and hail as "big as hen's eggs" compounded their plight.2 Then, in July came floods, driving five hundred people from their homes in Salina to the south of Beloit.26 To complete the cycle of terrors that year, an earthquake shock was felt throughout most of the state on October 31.27 Yet, despite natural tragedies, the ministry continued. In the little book, Paul Tonsing carefully listed the titles and Biblical references of the sermons, the topics

reflecting the concerns not unlike congregations today: June 2, "The Outpouring of the Holy Ghost (Acts U 17); June 16, "Prayer" (Luke XVIII 9-14); June 30, "God's Love" (Jno. HI 16), July 7, "The Bible"; July 14, "The deceptiveness of Sin" (Heb. Ill 13). On August 4th, "The Destruction of Jerusalem," was for the English members, and to the German gathering he preached on 'The Christian as Citizen," matching the divergent concerns of the two groups. The notes, "house filled" (Oct. 6, 9, et al), indicates that the pastor was well received. One sermon, however, on "True to our Confession," was left undelivered. Engaged to preach at the English Lutheran Church, Atchison, on the evening of June 9th, a terrible electric storm dissuaded all but the pastor to come to the church. it.

The status of women received some attention at the November 17 evening service. "The new woman" (Prov. XXXI10-35). One wonders what was said. A note in the Annals of Kansas for March 5, 1896, states that the "Women's fencing drill at K[ansas] U[niversity] was cancelled because school officials objected to bloomer suits."28 A note on June 29, 1895, stated that "Mary E. Lease, who had taken up bicycling, threatened to call on M. M. Murdock of the Wichita Eagle, who was "anti-new woman," in a fancy bloomer suit."29 Concern with Kansans' drinking habits led to opening the church doors to Union "Temperance" meetings beginning November 24th. That concerns were justified is confirmed by the report that between April, 1895, and April, 1896, that "the Veteran's Keeley League at the Soldiers' Home, Leavenworth, had treated 1,359 men for alcoholism, opium addiction and the tobacco habit."30 Pastor Tonsing made regular visits to the Reform School and the Girls Industrial School in Beloit, and these visits inspired sermons on 'The Race of Life" (Oct. 13, 1895) and on the "Cure of Evil Friends" (Jan. 19, 1896). "Education," (Jan. 26, 1896), "Martin Luther" (Nov. 10, 1895), "Home Life" (Feb. 18, 1896), 'Toreign Missions" (March 28, 1896), are representative of the interests both of the pastor and the congregations. Long lists of pastoral visits and frequent notices of funeral sermons interposed in the record of sermons preached give evidence of those difficult times on the prairies, of Kansas winters with severe energy and food shortages. A September 13 , 1895, sermon on "Death, Disease, Poverty. Man's three enemies," no doubt prepared those who, exhausted and disheartened by a meager harvest, were anticipating a difficult winter in 1895-6. Ecumenical contacts were few, but there is a note that, on September 29, that he heard a Rev. King of Minneapolis, Kansas, Baptist Church preach on "Little Things." Life was not any easier for the Baptists. On January 19, 1896, the German Baptists at Abilene had to cut the ice on the Smoky Hill River to immerse their converts. 1 The first Lutheran baptism which the new pastor conducted was proudly announced in bold letters, emphasizing by the broad strokes of the ink pen: "Evan Walker Tonsing born October 21st '94. Only son of Paul G. & Ruth M. Tonsing/baptized Aug. 4th 1895 in the Lutheran church of Beloit, Ks. Mrs. Tonsing sponsor & mother

brought EW forward" [p. 37], One adult baptism, of a fifteen-year old girl, is then noted [p. 38], and, thirteen entries later is the note on April 5th, 1896, of the baptism of Orpah Tonsing, daughter of the pastor and wife, born January 8th [p. 40]. Offerings were meager. At the service of October 6th, 1895, $15.50 was received, with $6.00 for Home Missions, $4 Sunday treasurer, and $5.50 for Beneficent [?] Education. "Luther Day" expenses, November 17, brought $10.55 for home missions [p. 49]. Accessions to the church listed thirty-six for June 10, 1895 to July 26, 1896, twenty-four by renewal, four by letter, eight by confirmation [pp. 57-8]. The pastor's wife, Ruth Tonsing, was added to the church "by letter" on October 6, 1895. The complete roll of the congregation (October 15, 1895) listed sixty-five members [pp. 7779]. Losses that year of two men, aged seventy and twenty-three [p. 67], reduced the list by two. As there was no parsonage, the family lived in a small, five-room house a block northwest of the church. Not mentioned in the little book is the salary. It was not much, only $500 a year, from which was paid a monthly rent of $5.00. Their food was supplemented by a flock of hens which supplied fresh eggs, and, later, a cow for milk. Members brought vegetables for their table.3 While the denomination is not mentioned, The Annals of Kansas contains the humorous note that a "Wabaunsee county farmer donated two rows of potatoes toward the preacher's salary. 'If the Lord wants you to have $20 from me,' he said, 'He will water them well.'"33 Confirmation classes attendance patterns, I suspect, have not changed in a century. Of nine persons entering, four missed the first class (August 23), three the second, with two not returning after the third class, and only four being confirmed after the ninth meeting on October 5th [p. 47]. Carl Brown, for many years later the Editor of the Atchison Daily Globe, displayed the lowest attendance of three meetings. Besides preaching, visiting and catechetical instruction, the pastor notes additional duties of teaching the "young ladies classes," playing the violin for Sunday School [p. 87], conducting YPSCE meetings [p. 91], speaking on "Church Union" at a picnic celebrating the Fourth of July in Woods Grove and on "Midsummer Rallies" to the Luther League Convention at Abilene on October 19* 1895 [p. 97]. There were also "socials," such as the "soap bubble party at pastors residence for little folks" on October 12, 1895 [p. 123]. Church council meetings had troubles familiar to today's congregations, of failing to achieve quorums (Sept. 2), discussing insurance (July 6), preparing reports to the Synod Offices (Sept. 8), examining candidates for Confirmation and receiving members into the congregations (n.d), and electing delegates to Synodical conventions. Heat, then as now, received special attention. A council committee was "appointed to see after getting a stove and coal" for the church sanctuary [pp. 107-9]. Congregational meetings adopted a new constitution as given in the Formelbuch, and an appeal to the Board of

Home Missions for aid was made (July 21) [p. 117]. The aid, in the amount of $200, received prompt attention and was granted on July 31st [p. 1]. Three entries concern attendance at services. Records showed nineteen persons at the eleven a.m. English service on June 2, fourty-five at the eleven a.m. German service October 6th. The latter had a "collection" of $9.61. The English service on October 6 at four p.m. had an attendance of nineteen, and a "collection" of $1.74 [p. 121]. Two absences of the pastor from the services were for sickness (July 16) when "Bro Evan read a sermon from the Christian Herald," and because of his attendance of the Kansas Synodical convention in Abelene on October 20th [p. 127]. Grand events of the congregation were the "Union picnic" of the Sunday Schools of the surrounding Lutheran churches in the woods Grove of Beloit, July 4, 1895, and the annual S[unday] S[chool] picnic in Dan Kochs Grove. "Over 100 present. Everybody had a good time. Good feelings prevailed throughout. Fine cool day. Rendered quite a large program" [p. 129]. Death notices recorded the diverse origins of the members of the congregation. They had come to Kansas from various eastern states as well as Europe. Typical was the following entry: 4. Augusta Gnatkovski. Wife of Carl Gnatkovski, died 26 Oct. 1895, after an illness of over 3 years of a complication of diseases. She was born in Fahowark [?] in Konigsberg Ger. On the 10th of May 1831. She was married to Carl G in 1850 & came to this country in 1871. The marriage was blessed with 11 children, 4 of whom mourn her death. The rest having died while children" [p. 132].

ffl. THE COUNTRY PREACHER Carl J. G. Brown, formerly of Beloit, but then editor of the Atchison Daily Globe, wrote an article about his pastor at Paul Tonsing's death in 1936, relating stories when he was a young boy and the pastor was fresh from seminary. He described him as "young, hopeful, good looking, husky, smart, and became the idol of the children out there— because he liked them." He wrote that the pastor was helpful to everyone: "Indeed, some folks out there good naturedly said that Paul spent so much time doing good that he didn't have much time to work on his sermons. Which inferences were somewhat true, but not discreditable to him. Real eloquence is in the good deed."34 Whenever something was broken, it was taken to the pastor: "All the boys took their bicycles to Paul when repairs were needed and the girls took their tricycles. And if any child offered Paul a quarter for the job, he, Paul, would redden and then instruct the child to tell the child's parents not to put funny ideas into the child's head. The young preacher man loved tofixbicycles because he loved children."35 The adults of the town and also the countryside also adored Paul Tonsing, for he could always be counted upon to do manual labor for the sick, the helpless and the poor.

"I recall this incident that describes the great heartedness of the man," says Brown. "Mr. and Mrs. Dan Koch, who belonged to the little stone church in Beloit, had 10 girls and no boys. Needless to say that Dan, the gardener, had to work hard to support his family. Came time for the annual Sunday school picnic, and Dan casually remarked that he would be unable to attend, for the very good reason that his sweet potatoes had to be hoed. Instead of verbally deploring the predicament in which Dan found himself, Paul, the young preacher man, grabbed a hoe, and for two days hoed sweet potatoes, so that Dan's hearty laughter would not be missing from the Sunday school picnic. And that's the kind of preacher Paul was—he preached the whole Bible with a hoe, for a fellowman."36 His famous father-in-law had been a printer, and it was "in the blood" of the family. Brown recalled that "Paul had a little printing office in a barn back of the parsonage at Beloit. In that dingy little shop he edited and printed a breezy little church paper, and also printed calling cards, bill heads, letter heads and hand bills." Brown remembers that, "one day Julius Johnson, my chum, and I were loitering in Paul's printing office and observed that Paul had a little hand press apparently not in use. The young preacher noticed the fond looks we two boys cast on that press. 'Do you boys want that press?' Paul asked. The affirmative reply came with alacrity. 'If you can get me 12 orders for calling cards, you can have the press,' Said Paul. We got the orders. Mr. Tonsing threw several old fonts of type into the bargain. And the world had two more young printers and potential journalists." Another story concerns a young lady who was the only support of her mother. She needed a job to teach school but could not get to the county school boards for the necessary interviews: "So Paul hitched up his horse, and spend [sic] days seeking for a teaching position for the young lady—and finally succeeded. He was always preaching great sermons by doing suchfinethings for folks."37 Carl Brown notes that his mother was a widow, and had to support herself and her "careless boy" by being a seamstress. She also had to rent out rooms in her house. "I can now see Preacher Paul running around in Beloit in search of tenants for my mother."38 IV. THE PREACHER PRINTER The Spanish-American War broke out in 1897, and Paul Tonsing thought of entering the service as a chaplain. His wife, Ruth, thought otherwise, however, and convinced him that the needs of his wife, three babies and church were greater. By that time, anyway, most of the battles were over and the recruits saw only Florida. After a goodly time at Beloit, Kansas, the pastor resigned from the congregation and in February, 1899, moved the family to Hardy, Nebraska. Times were hard, and the congregation there offered a salary of $500 a year with a parsonage. But the life in Nebraska was harder. There were two more years of drought when all of the crops failed. The Tonsing family did not even have enough feed for their horse, Dolly, and were

forced to sell her. The pastor's bicycle now was their only transportation. Then, on June 10, 1902, their year-old baby, Cyril, died. Paul Tonsing submitted his resignation from the congregation and prepared to travel down to the opening of the Oklahoma Strip to homestead free land. The mother of Ruth, Mrs. Ida Martin, came from Atchison to take Ruth and the three children and the body of Cyril and return to her home. The dead baby was buried in the family lot at Mt. Vernon Cemetery. After his bout with typhoid fever and upon the medical doctor's recommendations, in September, 1903, Paul Tonsing moved back to Atchison and out of the stresses of the parish ministry. Shortly after, another baby, Robert Lowe, was born.40 The loss of Cyril was to affect both parents to the end of their lives. I remember the change in voice of Ruth Tonsing when she spoke of the experience, and, while young myself, I registered in my memory the pain which she expressed in word and facial expression. Paul Tonsing returned to Atchison to take up the printing business again. But, true to his great energy and intelligence, he set up his own shop and solicited adds to support a city directory for the town. He called at every home, every business, and everything else in the city, and, through this, became acquainted with the entire population of the city. Carl Brown notes that, "Always he was well mannered. He was a close observer, and gave hundreds of news items to the Atchison reporters—but never betrayed a confidence." His attention to details and passion for accuracy led him to offer five dollars to anyone who could find the smallest error in printing. He never had to pay that award. There were times when he was as hard up as anyone could be, "but he never whined. He was cheerful in word and gesture. He kept his troubles buried in his own bosom," said Brown.41 In Atchison, Paul Tonsing's job was not enough to sustain his growing family. As each child matured, they were put to work at the printing shop, a discipline and training which was to sustain the character of the children throughout their lives. This work must have entered the genes, for many of the grandchildren, too, are involved in the trade. To supplement this work, Paul Tonsing continued to supply the pulpits of congregations around the north eastern portion of Kansas. He was a person who enjoyed people. There are many stories from people of the Lutheran church in Valley Falls. They recall his long conversations after the services, when he would suddenly remember the time and run off, huffing and puffing, to the railroad station. Invariably, he would arrive as the cars were pulling away, and he would reach up to catch the hindmost handle and last step of the train as it gained speed. There were times, however, when Paul Tonsing missed the train. A note in the bulletin of Valley Falls Lutheran Church, July 12, 1923, says that, "Last Sunday Fred Littleton and family and Miss Flora Staub our church organist, took the pastor home to Atchison. Thank you." Many years later both the son of Paul Tonsing, the Rev. Ernest Tonsing, and grandson, the Rev. Dr. Ernst F. (Fred) Tonsing, supplied the same pulpit.

V. THE CRUSADER One special issue became the concern of Paul Tonsing, that of Prohibition. He became a leader of the "Drys," and employed the little publication which he printed for the Lutheran Evangelical General Synod of Kansas., The Church Visitor, as a vehicle for his convictions. Brown notes, "In that little paper Mr. Tonsing jumped onto the 'wets' in rough shod manner. He showed real bravery." 2 For example, Paul Tonsing, according to his son, Ernest Tonsing, always pursued his subjects with a passion. In the deepest days of Prohibition he discovered that the Atchison Elks Lodge was operating a bar for its members. He wrote the Kansas State Attorney General reporting the violation of the law. When he received no response, he wrote again, threatening to expose the lodge in The Church Visitor. This was enough to move the Attorney General, and the bar was closed. Tonsing then proceeded to publish a story on the incident.43 It was clear to the members of the lodge who was behind the closure. One day, as Paul Tonsing left the Atchison Post Office, four men, the sheriff and three of his cronies, obviously inebriated, tumbled out of the door of the nearby lodge and began to pursue him. One of the men named Billinger had a very large frame which towered over the very portly Tonsing. He was able to trip Tonsing, holding him by the leg. Only by kicking him in the head was he able to escape. Tonsing then ran down the street and entered the Telephone Office, and so escaped. It is ironic that it was liquor itself that had prevented the menfromcatching and thrashing him!44 Possibly connected with the same event was another episode late one evening. Paul Tonsing was walking home over the viaduct that went over the railroad tracks in Atchison. Part way over the bridge he noticed a large black man walking behind him. When he quickened his steps, the man did the same. Tonsing went down the steps alongside the automobile road on the viaduct, going toward Commercial Street, and the man still followed. When he broke into a run, the man did also. It was then that grandfather saw the flash of a knife, and there was no question about the man's intent. Tonsing ran to Commercial Street and rounded the corner to the office of the newspaper, The Globe, and began to pound on the door. Fortunately, someone was working there at night and opened the door. The man did not follow him inside. After a long while, Paul Tonsing called a taxi, and thus returned home safely.45 It seems as if the mayor of Atchison had known of the illegal activity in the Elks Lodge but did nothing to intervene even after Paul Tonsing had brought it to his attention. When Tonsing went over his head, this was noted in an article in The Church Visitor. Additional evidence of misconduct by the Mayor Frazer, a medical doctor, was reported when it was discovered that he had used city horse teams and drivers to level and haul dirt to a series of terraces in Atchison upon which he built the "Frazer Apartments." With this revealed, the mayor was removed from office.46

Irony, again, played its tricks, for when Paul Tonsing's wife, Ruth Tonsing, gave birth to the twins, Ernest and Ida, it was Dr. Frazer who was the attending physician! Brown notes: "But through it all [Paul Tonsing] did not lose his good nature, and his personal greetings to the men he editorially lambasted were cheery. While Mr. Tonsing may have been a bit radical in those days, we can't say that anything has since transpired to prove him wrong."47 This pioneer preacher was a beloved figure of Atchison. Carl Brown sums up the estimation of all: "In most respects, Preacher Paul was a humble man. He made no pretension toward greatness. He knew his limitations in pulpit and in business. He never proclaimed himself as having attained success. But I take it on myself to state that Paul attained a great deal. He and his good wife educated a big family, every member of which is a good, useful citizen. I consider that a triumph. And when I permit my mind to wander back 40 years, [to] the wind swept prairies of western Kansas, there I see the stalwart form of Paul Tonsing, the Preacher man, helping the children, helping the young folks, helping the farmers and the town men, and hoeing Dan Koch's sweet potato hills for two days, so that Dan could go to the Sunday school picnic. If service to good, plain folks is success, Paul Tonsing succeeded admirably."48 That this pioneer preacher was held by the members of this congregation in beloved memory is clear from the note in the Atchison Daily Globe of November 29, 1942, that, "Recently Evan Tonsing delivered an address in a Lutheran Church at Beloit. He occupied the pulpit from which his father, the late Rev. Paul Tonsing, preached in the nineties.. ."49 At the end of his article Carl Brown apologizes for the lack of dignity of his label, "The Preacher Man" for Paul Tonsing. But, respect for a person is not necessarily indicated by titles. It is the unseen reality behind such names which matters: " . .1 wish always to think of him as we folks of the prairies thought of him—Paul, the young preacher man, going about, in a rattletrap cart, doing good." Paul Gearhardt Tonsing died unexpectantly after but a few days illness on March 1, 1936. Paul Tonsing was about to publish the 1936 Atchison city directory, so that work was carried on by his children, again with the care and attention to details which characterized their father. He also had published the city directories and phone directories of Arkansas City, Kansas, Joplin, Missouri, and Winfield, Kansas. "The death of Rev. Tonsing has ended the career of one of the best known men in our synod," said the Kansas Synod Lutheran50

VI. THE LEGACY OF PAUL G. TONSING "They say Paul Tonsing of Atchison is dead," writes the Rev. Charles A. Puis." I refuse to believe this even though I read a Scripture lesson and a collect at his funeral service. True, I saw his huge body as if asleep in an oversized casket and heard his pastor all but exhaust the gamut of virtues trying to find the adjectives that described the

gentleness and humbleness of P. G.'s life, but on the question of Brother Paul's death, I remain a skeptic."51 Paul Tonsing had died in the home he had occupied many years, the house built on the bluffs of the Missouri River in Atchison by his wife's parents, Governor John A. and Ida (Challiss) Martin. He had left a large family: his wife, Ruth, and children, Mrs. Paul Denton, Atchison, Mrs. Pearl L. Mellenbruch, Springfield, Ohio, Evan Tonsing, of the Atchison Daily Globe, Luther Tonsing of Los Angeles, the Rev. Ernest F. Tonsing of Atchison, Paul Tonsing, Jr., of Atchison, Robert Tonsing, telegraph editor of the Wichita Eagle, Wichita, remained, as well as his surviving sister, Mrs. Minnie Jasper of Cleveland, Ohio, and three half-brothers, Henry, Louis and Jasper Mylander, all of Oak Harbor, Ohio. "Men who lived like he lived don't die," writes Charles Puis. "He might have died and been utterly forgotten had it not been for the way he spent his days. Strong arms could have placed his casket on the grave-rods of steel between canyons of floral sprays, and friends might have left the scene of his interment with an aptitude to forget the man they buried. But his friends won't forget him, and when a man lives in memory almost as vividly as he lived in life, no one can say that he died. Brother Paul's memory, like the dyes of Lydia, will not fade. His friends discovered more of the real man himself after his so-called 'death' than they knew of him when he walked the streets of Atchison. Really his "death" made him a bigger man.52 "So many people die. Then they are forgotten. Why? Because there is nothing about them that remains alive after they are gone. A part of our immortality we build ourselves. Those who sow no seeds, leave no flourishing field of waving memories to follow in their train when they have advanced to the far side of the hill. But P. G.'s life was not like that. He sowed seeds, many of which sprouted with orchid-like beauty as soon as men said 'he's dead.' When one leaves behind him a field full of seed ready to grow into the abundant strength of the man who sowed them, dare we be so bold as to say that the man is dead? Certainly, he is more alive than many of the folks who attended his funeral.53 "No, Brother Paul is not dead even though friends laid his body to rest. He has preceded the rest of us in the marching column of Christian warriors who move each day into the realm where their faces shine in the presence of the King and where the voices of the saints sing the praises of Him who omnipotent reigneth.54 "His personal presence we shall miss. Others must rise to take his place of cordiality. Other hands, perhaps the hands which he himself trained, will set the type for our Synodical paper. Yes, his personal presence we shall miss. His spiritual presence we shall feel. P. G. will live as long as this generation of Lutheran friends endures, for men like P. G. don't die. They simply move on to their coronation." The person who wrote these words had long been a friend of Paul Tonsing, and had had an opportunity to help him in a special way when he served as pastor of Trinity

Lutheran Church in Lawrence, Kansas. This congregation acted as the "home" church for students at the university. During one of the meetings of the Lutheran Student Association, "Daddy Puis," a man of great generosity and hospitality, "made it convenient" for a boarder in his parsonage and another student to meet and later to become engaged. The lodger was Ernest Tonsing, son of his old friend, and the woman was Dorothy Peterson of Falun, Kansas, parents of this writer. 56 This pioneer preacher of Kansas was legendary for his enthusiasm, generosity and bravery. He was a preacher who preached most eloquently in deeds. That, in itself, is a lot to cherish—and a lot to emulate.

Ernst F. Tonsing, Ph.D. June 12, 1998 1

An account of these years was written by Ruth Tonsing, and is included in Ruth (Mellenbruch) Martin, Family Tree: Challiss, Harres, Martin, Tonsing, Otis (Fort Worth, Texas: Paul Tonsing, 1979), pp. 63-4. Most of the materials in this article are newly discovered, and the narrative will touch Ruth Tonsing's only at certain places where additional information will supplement the story. See also, Rebecca Chaky and Ruth Martin, Ruth Martin Family Tree 1995 (Friendswood, Texas: Never Done Press, 1995), pp. 92 ff. 2 Paul Tonsing was born January 3, 1870, and died March 1, 1936. Ibid, p. 92. 3 Kansas Synod Lutheran, Atchison, Kansas (March, 1936), vol. xxiii, no. 3, p. 1. 4 In 1877. Ibid, p. 81. 5 August returned to Cleveland shortly thereafter. Ruth Tonsing p. 63. 6 H. A. Ott, A History of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod ofKansas (General Synod) Together with a Sketch of the Augustana Synod Churches and a BriefPresentation of Other Lutheran Bodies Located in Kansas, Published by the Authority of Kansas Synod (Topeka, Kansas: F. M. Steves & Sons, 1907), pp. 170-1. Rev. Lowe remained until December 15, 1898. 7 Ruth Tonsing, p. 63. 8 Ott, p. 231. The Lutheran school opened September 15, 1887. 9 Ruth Tonsing, p. 63. 10 Carl Brown, Editor, "Paul, The Preacher Man," Atchison Daily Globe, Match, 1936. 11 The seminary formally opened November 12,1895. Jennie Small Owen, Annalist, Kirke Mechem, editor, The Annals of Kansas 1886-1910 (Topeka, Kansas: Kansas State Historical Society, 1910), vol. 1, p. 199. 12 Ott, p. 248. 13 Ruth Tonsing, p. 63. 14 Ott, p. 60. 15 Ibid, pp. 86-7. The congregation was formed in 1876 by the Rev. William C. Seidel. 16 Ibid, p. 60. 17 Page numbers in brackets indicate the citations from Paul Tonsing's Private Church Book, in which he recorded his activities. 18 Ruth Tonsing, p. 63. 19 Ott, p. 60. 20 Owen, Feb. 4, 1895, p. 189. 21 Ibid, Jan. 24, 1895, p. 189. 22 Ibid, Feb. 12, 1895, p. 189; May 21, 1895, p. 194. 23 Ibid, Feb. 6, 1895, p. 189. 24 Ibid, May 1, 1895, p. 193, July 5 and 7, 1895, p. 195. 25 Ibid, May 6, 1895, p. 193. 26 Ibid, July. 10,1895, p. 196. 27 Ibid, October 31, 1895, p. 198. 28 Ibid, March 5, 1896, p. 210. 29 Ibid, June 29, 1895, p. 195.

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Ibid, April 3, 1896, p. 212. Ibid, January 19, 1896, p. 209. 32 Ruth Tonsing, p. 63. 33 Owen, May 31, 1895, p. 194. 34 Brown. 35 Ibid. 36 Ibid. 31 Ibid. 38 Ibid 39 Ruth Tonsing, p. 63. 40 Ibid, pp. 63-4. Robert was born on September 20, 1903. 41 Brown. 42 Ibid. 43 Personal communication from the Rev. Ernest F. Tonsing, 1979. 44 Ibid. 45 Ibid. 46 Ibid 47 Brown. 48 Ibid. 49 Cited in "How Time Flies (From Globe Files)/40 Years Ago," The Atchison Daily Globe, November 29, 1982. S0 The Kansas Synod Lutheran, Atchison, Kansas, March, 1836, vol. XXIII, No. 3, p. 1. 51 Ibid, Rev. Charles A. Puis, p. 2. 52 Puis, p. 2. 53 Ibid. 54 Ibid. 55 Ibid 56 The Rev. Charles A. Puis subsequently became President of the synod, and, upon his death, his bishop's cross was given to the son of his friend, Ernest, who passed it on to me. The cross is 4 3/8" x 3 3/8" in size, with a "Latin" cross inscribed in the middle containing the Chi/Rho symbol, and the treifoil limbs containing a hand with descending rays extending down from clouds in the top field, a cruciform-haloed lamb resting atop a closed book with seven round seals hanging from its pages on the left, the right with a dove descending from clouds, and the bottom limb with an open book with the words, "HOLY BIBLE," written across the top. The back contains the legend: 31

Rev. Charles A. Puis PRESIDENT

EV.LUTH. SYNOD OF KANSAS & ADJ STATES 4/22/37-4/19/39