^ 
 
 %u..%^, hi-^c..^^ 
 
 jgu-lA^jS'L. 
 
 A^ 
 
 
 o^.,^^ < 
 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2010 with funding from 
 The Library of Congress 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/lifeofprofftkempOOquar 
 
^7<^-ry/ 
 
THE LIFE 
 
 PROF. R T. KEMPER, A.M, 
 
 THE CHRISTIAN EDUCATOR. 
 
 _ 3' ^■^'' BY 
 
 / A-; QUARLES, D.D. 
 
 Published for Mrs. S. H. Kemper. 
 
 BURR PRINTING HOUSE, 
 
 New York. 
 

 :2 ^ z 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 INTRODUCTORY. , v 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 The Family History.. 15 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Home and Early Life ......... , 29 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 Leaves Home for Missouri ..... 47 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 Marion College 63 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 Life at Marion College 79 
 
 CHAPTER VL 
 
 In Marion County, After Graduation. 103 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 The Boonville Boarding-School 120 
 
 CHAPTER VIIL 
 The Male Collegiate Institute of Boonville. 140 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 His Marriage 164 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 Kemper Family School 179 
 
iv CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Westminster College. . , . .. .o ............... . , . 197 
 
 CHAPTER XH. 
 The Kemper Family School, 1861-1881. 219 
 
 CHAPTER Xni. 
 The Reunion 238 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 Well Done ! 258 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 The Perfected School . . 280 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 The Educator , 301 
 
 CHAPTER XVn. 
 The Maker of Men 321 
 
 CHAPTER XVHI. 
 The Sage 343 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 The Moralist „ 364 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 The Christian 384 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 The Victor Crowned 406 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 A Bereaved Mother 453 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 "Who reigns within himself, and rules passions, desires^ and 
 fears, is more than king." — Milton. 
 
 There are several classes of great men. There are 
 some whose grandeur of spirit never manifests itself, 
 except to the small inner circle of special friends. 
 Another class of the world's elite, 
 
 "... the few, the immortal names^ 
 That were not born to die," 
 
 succeed in securing a place upon the scroll of fame, 
 and as poet, painter, sculptor, and historian, photo- 
 graph their memory for future generations. These 
 are of two widely distinct classes, the intellectually 
 great and the morally great. It is a curious and 
 sad fact that many if not most of those whom the 
 world has delighted to honor have achieved their 
 distinction by virtue of mental rather than of moral 
 power. Run the eye down the galleries of the tem- 
 ple of fame, and you will find that the towering and 
 conspicuous statues are of those who have extorted 
 the homage of mankind by making the widow sigh 
 and the orphan weep. They " have paved their way 
 with human hearts." They have changed the map 
 of nations by new boundaries, traced with the red 
 lines of human blood. They have changed the cur- 
 
VI IN TROD UCTOR V. 
 
 rent of the world's history by choking its channel 
 with the bodies of their victims. 
 
 "... On history's fruitless page, 
 Ten thousand conquerors for a single sage." 
 
 Of a few, happily, this is not true. One of the 
 greatest of uninspired men is here the most illustri- 
 ous example. He was merely a student and a teacher. 
 He never wore a warrior's heralet nor drew a sol- 
 dier's sword, and yet his influence over human 
 thought in western civilization, for nearly twenty 
 centuries, was well-nigh supreme. To-day, though 
 no '^ storied urn nor animated bust" may exist to 
 perpetuate his memory, yet in the text-books and 
 the languages of Christian civilization, and in the 
 thinking of the world's sages, he possesses a " mon- 
 umentum sere perennius," and the college senior as 
 w^ell as the learned philosopher unite with the school- 
 man of the Middle Ages in calling Aristotle " The 
 Master" in the realm of human thinking, even as 
 Dante saw him, in the world of departed spirits, 
 " seated amid the philosophic train," " maestro di color 
 che saitno." 
 
 But they are the world's true heroes who are so 
 written in the heraldry of heaven. The man who 
 brings his selfishness, his genius, his life, and lays it 
 all upon the altar of service to his fellows, shows a 
 spirit likest unto His who went about continually 
 doing good, who came not to be ministered unto, but 
 to minister and give His life a ransom for many. The 
 spirit of Christ is the spirit of self-renunciation for 
 the sake of others. 
 
 It is not meant that every one who does a kind act 
 is entitled to be called great. Eminence is essential 
 
INTRODUCTORY. Vii 
 
 to greatness. A great conqueror must show skill 
 beyond that of the average of soldiers. The great 
 thinker must display an intellectual vigor which 
 elevates him above his compeers. So the man for 
 whom the highest of all claims is made, that of moral 
 grandeur, must be one who has distinguished himself 
 by a spirit of generosity and by deeds of benefaction. 
 Every rivulet is not a river, nor any pond a sea. 
 If we call every hill a mountain, what name shall we 
 give to the peaks that pierce the clouds and crown 
 themselves wnth the eternal snows .'^ 
 
 But there are grades as well as kinds of greatness. 
 A hill may not be a mountain, and yet it is not a 
 part of the valley or the plain. Within the limits of 
 a district more or less wide, to his own generation 
 and in his own profession, a man may be eminently 
 useful, far above his contemporaries and associates, 
 and yet he may not attain unto the first or even 
 the second rank of the heroes of the race. A great 
 mind, or a warm heart, or a strong will, used for a 
 grand purpose, makes a great life. 
 
 It is such a life that we are now to consider. A 
 life rooted in the soil of true humility, but lifting 
 its trunk and magnificent branches above the sur- 
 rounding forest — a banyan in its wide-spreading 
 influence, a cedar in its evergreen freshness, an oak 
 in its majestic strength, an apple in its generous 
 fruitfulness, a tree of knowledge from whose laden 
 boughs hundreds of eager souls have eaten and been 
 made wise. Frederick Thomas Kemper was a man 
 among men. Richly endowed in intellect, in feel- 
 ing, and in will, he devoted his life, with all its 
 wealth of resource and with a heroic singleness of 
 
viii IN TROD UCTOR V. 
 
 purpose, to the work of raising his fellow-men from 
 ignorance and vice to intelligence and virtue. 
 Forty years he spent in the school-room. Forty years 
 of labor, patient, persevering, self-sacrificing, in- 
 telligent, efficient, successful. A teacher, a profes- 
 sional teacher— more than that, an educator ; a worker 
 upon and within the human mind ; the developer of 
 thought ; the purifier and elevator of affection and 
 desire ; the trainer of habit ; the fashioner of char- 
 acter ; the maker of men. The giddy, greedy, am- 
 bitious world did not know him. No listening sen- 
 ates nor applauding multitudes ever recognized his 
 merits. No roll of musketry nor roar of cannon 
 sounded their coarse praises as he was laid to rest. 
 But to hundreds and thousands who did know him 
 well, he was the simplest, truest, noblest soul ever 
 met in these days of sham and mediocrity, these days 
 of energy and intelligence. As we shall reviev^r his 
 life and study his character, we shall be taken to 
 Mount Olympus, and there see him a veritable Jupiter 
 Tonans, wielding the sceptre of conscious power, 
 and reducing to unquestioning obedience every soul 
 around him. But we shall also be led up the height 
 of Calvary, and there behold him as '' the disciple 
 whom Jesus loved," as the gentle, generous spirit to 
 whom a dying Saviour would have intrusted his 
 weeping, desolate mother. 
 
 This volume is a biography. It is, however, not 
 so much a record of events of a startling or even an 
 impressive nature, as it is an attempted portraiture 
 of a strong and noble character. In the life of the 
 most earnest and successful teacher there is little to 
 gratify an idle curiosity or to enlist the interest of 
 
INTRODUCTORY. ix 
 
 the reader of romance. Those for whom it is spe- 
 cially written will be most gratified where the 
 draughtsman shows the least of his art and the most 
 of his subject. His fellow-workmen will appreciate 
 it in proportion as they shall find in it a true and 
 living description of their foreman. 
 
 In one sense it is a volume of memoirs, in an- 
 other it is not. While it contains some personal rec- 
 ollections of his friends, these do not form a prom- 
 inent feature of the work. It is, however, a piece 
 of mosaic. Most of the beautiful squares were fur- 
 nished by the master himself. Indeed, it is largely 
 an autobiography, and the purpose has been to make 
 it as much so as possible. Let him be seen as he 
 was, and as he revealed himself in his own acts and 
 words. He kept a journal from his earliest man- 
 hood ; not of his acts (for there is very little of his 
 outer life in the records), but of his thoughts, feel- 
 ings, purposes, plans. Thus has he for himself set 
 forth his inner life. 
 
 The work, as has been already suggested, is a bou- 
 quet, its richest beauties cut by the great teacher 
 himself. But other flowers have also been contrib- 
 uted. Of these, some of the chief are from his sister, 
 Mrs. Sarah M. Bocock, whose graceful pen and 
 tender, touching thoughts will be recognized in the 
 earlier portions of the life. His cousin, Mrs. Louisa A. 
 Kemper, of Cincinnati, has also furnished a very in- 
 teresting sketch of the family history. But, except 
 himself, the work is chiefly indebted to the woman 
 who for nearly twenty-seven years had the honor to 
 be his cherished and respected wife. Tliere is no one, 
 perhaps, " with soul so dead " that he can read un- 
 I 
 
X INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 moved her simple recital of his closing hours, or 
 with an undimmed eye can turn the pages which 
 tell of the seven little graves that were made before 
 their father was laid beside them. 
 
 To the reputed author of the volume has belonged 
 the humbler service of furnishing the tie which binds 
 these flowers together. It is hoped that the band, 
 which is not of silk, will not be seen ; or, if seen, 
 will not be noticed. It need not be said that the 
 honor was by him unsought. " It is no easy thing 
 to write for the public eye an account of a deeply 
 venerated friend whom death has newly taken. It 
 is a task on which one might w^ell shrink from en- 
 tering, save at the wish of those whose desire m such 
 a matter carries the force of a command. He who 
 makes the attempt can scarcely avoid two opposite 
 perils. Strangers will be apt to think his admira- 
 tion excessive. Friends more intimate than himself, 
 on the other hand, will find a disappointing incom- 
 pleteness in any estimate formed by one less close 
 than they, — one who, seeing only what his own 
 nature allowed him to see, must needs leave so much 
 unseen, untold. Between these conflicting dangers 
 the only tenable course is one of absolute candor. 
 To fail in candor, indeed, would be to fail in re- 
 spect. Obedience is the courtesy due to kings, and 
 to the sovereigns of the world of mind, the courtesy 
 due is truth." 
 
 It was only at the call of Mrs. Kemper, supple- 
 mented by the urgency of several common friends, 
 that the work was undertaken. It has been a labor of 
 love ; nay, more, of reverential gratitude. The writer 
 was put under Mr. Kemper's care in the year 1845, 
 
IN TK OD UC TOR V. X i 
 
 and continued with him until the summer of 1854. 
 No other pupil was so long under his tuition. Since 
 his manhood he has felt more and more that in 
 this he enjoyed an inestimable privilege. Moreover, 
 contrary to every expectation of his early life, he 
 has been led, in the providence of God, to the 
 teacher's profession. This has given him a sympathy 
 with his old master and an appreciation of his char- 
 acter, which he could not otherwise have enjoyed. 
 No one who is not himself a Christian is in a posi- 
 tion rightly to estimate the character which is now 
 to be reviewed ; for, as will be most clearly seen, the 
 foundation of that character was a reverent trust in 
 the Lord Jesus Christ as the Saviour of sinners. 
 
 The author has accepted the trust with a reverent 
 purpose to discharge it to the best of his ability, and 
 to inscribe upon the effort, as the chief end to be 
 sought, the sentiment, so fully realized by Mr. 
 Kemper, and by him often written in his journals — 
 Jo^a tgS deep. 
 
THE LIFE 
 
 OF 
 
 PROF. F. T. KEMPER. 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE FAMILY HISTORY. 
 
 "It is indeed a blessing when the virtues 
 Of noble races are hereditary, 
 And do derive themselves from the imitation 
 Of virtuous ancestors." Nabb, 
 
 In this land of democratic ideas we find several 
 evil tendencies, so far as family pride is concerned. 
 Of these, the worst, undoubtedly, is the disposition to 
 pay court to wealth Money is not a thing to be de- 
 spised in itself. Indeed it is a good and necessary 
 thing. Moreover, when it is associated with gen- 
 erosity and intelligence it deserves to be honored. 
 Still more, when it is the symbol and proof of frugal, 
 persevering, wisely directed, and honest industry, in 
 those who have amassed and hold it, it becomes the 
 index of mental and moral qualities which challenge 
 our esteem. But surely in civilized lands there can 
 be no more abject idolatry than that which fawns upon 
 and flatters the rich merely because they have money. 
 Nevertheless there are thousands that do it. The 
 wealth may have been gotten by trickery, or by open 
 dishonesty, or by grinding the faces of the poor ; it 
 may be associated with ignorance, boorishness, and 
 depravity, and yet " the cloth of gold," as Hare says, 
 " hides all these blemishes," and the wicked, ignorant 
 millionaire is looked up to as a demigod, his wife is 
 
1 6 THE LIFE OF FROF. KEMFER. 
 
 courted in society, and his children are flattered as 
 paragons. 
 
 But men who may not bow at the gilded shrine of 
 mammon may become excessively democratic in dis- 
 paraging the nobility of birth. But heredity is a law, 
 both in the natural and the moral worlds. God wrote 
 it, with his own finger, on the stony tablet, when 
 he declared that the iniquity of the father should be 
 visited upon the children of the third and fourth 
 generations, and that his mercy should be shown 
 to thousands of pious generations. It is a law which 
 is seen written in the flesh and bones, in the habits 
 and character, to a more or less marked degree, of 
 every family in every ct)mm unity. Like every other 
 law, it is subject to modifications, from the co-opera- 
 tion or opposition of other laws ; so that the excep- 
 tions are but the operation of the composition of 
 forces. It is a great thing to belong to a good family. 
 It is a blessing to come of a healthy stock ; so that 
 the soul has a good house in which to live, and good 
 tools with which to work. It is a greater blessing to 
 come of an intelligent stock, to inherit a mind capa- 
 ble of conceiving and of executing great and noble 
 plans in life. It is perhaps a greater blessing to 
 come of a gentle, cultured stock ; to be cradled and 
 trained in the nursery of refinement and social ele- 
 gance. It is the greatest blessing of all to come of a 
 pious stock ; not from a family of Pharisees, but 
 from one whose various branches can say, "The 
 Lord has been our dwelling-place in all generations ;" 
 and of whom others may say, " Ye are a chosen gen- 
 eration, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar 
 people." 
 
THE FAMILY HISTORY. 17 
 
 They whose family has no claim to consideration 
 beyond its wealth vulgarly magnify the value of 
 riches. They whose family record is either negative 
 or positively besmirched, upon whose escutcheon the 
 bar sinister is a conspicuous feature, naturally under- 
 rate all family pretensions. They whose ancestial 
 record is chiefly negative, but also contains some 
 bright and it may be brilliant pages, and yet them- 
 selves are at best but negative, are prone to overvalue 
 the blood which infinitesimally they inherit ; while 
 the genuine " blue blood" of a truly noble ancestry, 
 as it now courses through the veins of the undegen- 
 erate sons of worthy sires, is but a stimulus to em- 
 ulate the virtues which have served to make their 
 ancestral name honored or illustrious. 
 
 As will be seen from the family traditions now to 
 be given, the Kempers were immigrants to this 
 country from Germany, and were of a generous 
 stock. It is believed, however, at least by some of 
 the family, that they were originally Danes. Mrs. 
 Louisa A. Kemper, the accomplished wife of An- 
 drew C. Kemper, M.D., of Cincinnati, furnishes, in 
 a letter to the wife of the subject of this volume, the 
 following interesting statement of the ancestral his- 
 tory : — 
 
 " I have ' dug and delved ' until I have pieced out 
 the records so satisfactorily that, as far as they go, 
 they may be relied on as authentic. I doubt not 
 Missourians will be glad to know that Frederick T. 
 Kemper and Bishop Jackson Kemper were of the 
 same lineage, the good bishop being a grandson of 
 John Jacob Kemper, who settled in New York in 
 1 741. His elder brother John had come to Virginia 
 
1 8 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 in 1714. John Kemper was the great-great-grand- 
 father of Frederick T. Kemper. 
 
 " My own personal correspondence with Bishop 
 Kemper's grandson, Mr. Adams, and with Miss Eliza 
 S. Quincy of Boston, has settled beyond dispute the 
 fact of the brotherhood of John Kemper of Virginia 
 and Jacob Kemper of New York. 
 
 " From the fact of three brothers bearing the names 
 of John, John Heinrich, and John Jacob, it is presum- 
 able that their father bore the name of John. This 
 John Kemper was a colonel in the army of the Prince 
 Palatine (Frederick I. of Prussia), but after being, 
 severely wounded was forced to retire upon a pen- 
 sion. He was made Hereditary Commander of the 
 fortress of Boekrack on the Rhine, in his native 
 province of Nassau. 
 
 " Kemper is a Dutch name, signifying a champion, 
 a soldier, a defender, a striver for. [It is probably 
 the German Kaempfer, which has the same meaning. 
 There is a German name Kaempfer, seen in the 
 author of the " History of Japan and Description of 
 Siam." Q.] These Kempers were Palatines by birth 
 and education, and seem to have zealously espoused 
 the cause of the German Calvinistic Church. They 
 became restive under the restraints of ' Church and 
 State,' and two of them set out for Holland, where 
 there was greater religious freedom. Shortly after 
 reaching Amsterdam, John Kemper, the oldest brother, 
 joined a colony about to set out for Virginia. The 
 names of the twelve men composing the colony 
 were John Kemper, John Fishback and his brother 
 Holtzclaw, Utterback, Hoffman, Weaver, Martin, 
 Coons, Wayman, Handback, and Hitt. 
 
THE FAMILY HISTORY. 19 
 
 " This was the colony settled by Governor Spots- 
 wood on his place in Orange County, and known as 
 'Germanna.' But these sturdy Palatines were not 
 content to stay with so hard a taskmaster as the gov- 
 ernor ; and so, about 17 17, John Kemper, the Fish- 
 backs, and some others decided to push northward 
 into the woods of Lord Fairfax. This new settlement 
 was called Germantown, and is now to be found a 
 few miles south-east of Warrenton. 
 
 " John Kemper married Alsey (Alice) Utterback ; 
 and John Fishback married Agnes Hager, ' daughter 
 of Parson Hager.' John Kemper and his wife Alsey 
 had nine children — John Peter, Catherine, John, 
 John Herman, Mary, John Jacob, Dorothy, John 
 Henry, and Elisabeth. 
 
 *'John Peter Kemper married Elisabeth, daughter 
 of John Fishback and his wife, Agnes Hager, Dec. 7, 
 1738. They opened up the tract of land, given by 
 his father, known to us as ' Cedar Grove.' Here 
 were born to them ten children — John, Peter, Sarah, 
 Frederick, Judith, James, Charles, Elisabeth , Agnes, 
 and Ailsie. 
 
 " Frederick, the fourth child, was born June 20, 
 1748. The house in which he was born is still stand- 
 ing. Over the door was the Bible verse, '■ Believe 
 on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, 
 and thine house,' carved by a knife in a board, in 
 German. I saw it when at Cedar Grove in 1875, and 
 will send you a photograph of it, if you would like 
 to have one. Frederick married Mary Jeffries, and 
 they had five children — William, Agnes, Sarah, Su- 
 sannah, and Lucy. He died Nov. 20, 1783, aged 35 
 years and five months. He was thrown from a horse 
 
20 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 and killed, or he died from the effects of it. He lived 
 at ' Pig Mountain,' Fauquier County, I suppose, from 
 references in grandfather's diary. For many years 
 the entry is made, ' Rod-e to Pig Mt., and saw sister 
 Molly, all well.' 'Spent the night at Pig Mt.— had 
 a settlement with sister Molly.' 
 
 " I suppose you know William Kemper (the father 
 of Frederick T.) came to Cincinnati nearly eighty 
 years ago, to study under his uncle James. There 
 seems to have been a very strong attachment between 
 them, a proof of which William Kemper gave in nam- 
 ing a son (the Governor) for his uncle. Governor 
 Kemper told me that he was grandfather's namesake. 
 
 " I have run out an outline for you, showing your 
 husband's ' line of descent ' unbroken. There is much 
 else in my books and ' in my head ' which I will fully 
 give if it is wanted. 
 
 " That in Germany the Kempers were somewhat 
 better than the ordinary line of emigrants is proved 
 by some of John Kemper's possessions. The family 
 Bible^and books were extant and perfect when last 
 seen (i 834) by living witnesses. I made a fruitless jour- 
 ney into Garrard County, Ky., three years since, to 
 find and see the Bible, which is described as a huge 
 brass-bound book, weighing fifty-three pounds. At 
 Cedar Grove is a gun, sent from Germany to John 
 Peter Kemper, that proves, by its workmanship and 
 elegance, to have been too costly a present for a 
 peasant. 
 
 " The Germantown people talked and worshiped 
 in ' a German dialect,' up to the time of the war of 
 independence, when they became merged in their 
 surroundings. 
 
THE FAMILY HISTORY. 21 
 
 " The Kemper likeness is something quite wonder- 
 ful, cropping out as it does in the most unexpected 
 way. Governor Kemper and my husband are wonder- 
 fully alike. The pictures of Bishop Kemper's little 
 great-grandchildren are very much like my own. The 
 children of Dr. Kemper, of Muncie, Ind., descended 
 from John Herman and John Henry Kemper, are 
 strikingly like my own. Here in Cincinnati the 
 prevailing ' ear-mark' is the brown eye, known as 
 ' the Kemper eyes.' ' ' 
 
 Mrs. Sarah M, Bocock writes: "The two ancestors 
 of the Kemper family of this country came over from 
 Germany about the year 1700. They were said to 
 have been Danes originally, and to have gone over 
 into Germany from Denmark during some political 
 troubles. Two of them came to this country and 
 settled, one in New York and the other in Virginia. 
 The descendants for a great while were principally an 
 agricultural and also a godly people." 
 
 From these statements it will be seen that the 
 Kempers were Germans, that their earliest known 
 ancestor was Colonel John Kemper, of the Prussian 
 army ; and that the genealogy of Professor Kemper in 
 the male line runs : Colonel John Kemper, the father of 
 John Kemper, the immigrant to Virginia (wife, Alsey 
 Utterback) ; the father of John Peter Kemper (wife, 
 Elisabeth Fishback) ; the father of Frederick Kem- 
 per (wife, Mary Jeffries) ; the father of William 
 Kemper (wife, Maria E. Allison) ; the father of Pro- 
 fessor Frederick Thomas Kemper. 
 
 Of the Kempers of this country there are at least 
 four, besides the subject of this volume, who have 
 been distinguished men : The Rt. Rev. Jackson Kem- 
 
2 2 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 per, D.D., LL.D., bishop of the Protestant Episcopal 
 Church, who first presided over Indiana and Mis- 
 souri, and subsequently over Iowa and Wisconsin. 
 He was of the New York family. 
 
 Colonel Reuben Kemper, born in Fauquier County, 
 Va., the son of a Baptist preacher. He settled in Mis- 
 sissippi, and became one of the most noted characters 
 of that south-west country during the first quarter of 
 this century. He was the determined foe of the 
 Spaniard, the leader of several expeditions against 
 them in Florida and at Mobile, the commander of 
 the Americans who went to help the Mexicans throw 
 off the Spanish yoke, and the trusted assistant of 
 General Jackson in important and perilous duties 
 connected with the defence of New Orleans. He was 
 undoubtedly a strong character and a man of unusual 
 courage. Kemper County, Mississippi, was named 
 in his honor. 
 
 The Rev. James Kemper, Presbyterian Bishop of 
 Cincinnati, in the last decade of the eighteenth cen- 
 tury, was perhaps as remarkable a man as either of 
 the preceding. He was born in Fauquier County, 
 Va., Nov. 23, 1753 ; was the son of John Peter Kem- 
 per and Elisabeth Fishback ; and it is over the door 
 of his father's house that the Scripture verse, already 
 alluded to, is to be found engraved. When he was 
 thirty-four years of age he was licensed, by the Pres- 
 bytery of Transylvania, as a catechist, on the condi- 
 tion " that he would not, by virtue of this appoint- 
 ment, attempt to explain the sacred Scriptures, preach 
 the gospel, or dispense the sealing ordinances there- 
 of." He was licensed to preach, by the same pres- 
 bytery, when he was thirty-six years of age, and 
 
THE FAMILY HISTORY. 23 
 
 ordained to the full work of the ministry at Cincin- 
 nati, Oct. 23, 1792. Of him the Rev. J. G. Montfort, 
 D.D., says: "Perhaps no man in the valley of the 
 Mississippi has been a first pioneer in so many places 
 and departments as James Kemper. He was the first 
 catechist ever appointed west of the Alleghanies and 
 south of Virginia; the first student of theology ; the 
 first licentiate of the first presbytery ; the first supply 
 on the north side of the Ohio, in answer to the first 
 request for preaching. He preached the first sermon 
 in Ohio that was preached by a representative of the 
 Presbyterian Church. He was the first minister or- 
 dained on the north side of the Ohio, He preached 
 the first sermon at the first meeting of the first pres- 
 bytery that met in Ohio, it being his own ordination 
 sermon. He received the first call, and was installed 
 the first pastor on the north side of the Ohio. More- 
 over, he preached the first sermon at the first meeting 
 of the Presbytery of Cincinnati, and of the Synod of 
 Cincinnati, in 1829. He was elected the first Moder- 
 ator of the Presbytery of Cincinnati, and also of the 
 Synod of Cincinnati." He settled Walnut Hills at 
 Cincinnati, and was largely instrumental in founding 
 Lane Theological Seminary. 
 
 The last of the four is Governor James L. Kemper, 
 the youngest brother of our Professor Kemper, still 
 living in his native county in Virginia. He was a 
 General in the army of the Confederate States, and 
 was wounded and taken prisoner at the battle of Get- 
 tysburg, where he greatly distinguished himself. He 
 was chosen Governor of Virginia in the fall of 1877, 
 and served his State to the satisfaction of the people. 
 
 From this survey it is manifest that the Kempers 
 
24 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 are a family of positive characteristics, among which 
 the most marked have been intelligence, courage, en- 
 terprise, and piety. 
 
 Of our Professor Kemper's family history, on his 
 mother's side, we have no extensive information. 
 There is, however, one character among the mater- 
 nal ancestors so remarkable that every reader will 
 thank Mrs. Bocock for the sketch of her which she has 
 furnished for our perusal. It is the maternal grand- 
 mother, Mrs. Mary D. Allison. Mrs. Bocock says : — 
 
 " Mrs. Allison's maiden name was Dorothea Stad- 
 ler. She was the only child of Colonel John Jasper 
 Stadler. He was a trusted friend of General Wash- 
 ington, and the engineer to whom was intrusted the 
 planning of the fortifications of three States — Ma- 
 ryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. His child 
 thought that she had never known so perfect a char- 
 acter as her father, and long after his death would 
 amuse her children and grandchildren by telling 
 them how^ she knelt and kissed the prints of his 
 horse's feet as he rode off to headquarters, after a 
 visit to her and her mother in their Stafford home. 
 
 " Her early life was one of singular happiness in 
 her own home, and she and her mother enjoyed to- 
 gether the society that gathered about the old town 
 of Fredericksburg in that day. She married Mr. 
 Thomas Lawson Allison, a man of many attractions, 
 but too fond of wine and sport. Both of her parents 
 died soon after her marriage, and in a few years 
 her husband died, leaving her many debts and five 
 young children. Her father had received from the 
 Government for his services a grant of a large body 
 of land in what is now Kentucky, and on a part of 
 
THE FAMILY HISTORY, 
 
 25 
 
 which Lexington stands. While surveying the land 
 they were surprised by the Indians and some of the 
 party killed. Before it was -safe to return, Colonel 
 Stadler died. His only child being a daughter, and she 
 ■in what seemed to be prosperous circumstances, but 
 little effort was made to secure her Kentucky land. 
 Thus before arriving at middle life she found her- 
 self a widow, in totally changed circumstances pe- 
 cuniarily, and poorly fitted to battle with adversity, 
 
 '' In order to meet her husband's debts she sold 
 her home and the greater part of her servants, and 
 moved to a cottage on a small farm about ten miles 
 above Fredericksburg, where she tried to adapt herself 
 to her new conditions. Here she sought and found 
 Him who is, as He promised to be, the Husband of 
 the Avidow and the Father of the fatherless. 
 
 " Many were the anecdotes told of her faith and 
 its rewards. So powerfully were her neighbors im- 
 pressed by her life that some of them were in the 
 habit of recording her strange experiences. From 
 these I send you two. 
 
 " After she had become somewhat tranquil in her 
 new life, a debt of considerable amount, of which she 
 knew nothing, was brought against her. She felt 
 almost powerless to meet it. Nevertheless she sold 
 her gig and horse and whatever else was not neces- 
 sary for her comfort, and still quite a little sum was 
 needed to make up the amount Her habit now was 
 to commit all her ways to the Lord, who, she seemed 
 to realize, was indeed her ' Father in heaven,' and thus 
 she was enabled, in an unusual degree, to Svait upon 
 Him.' 
 
 " One night she dreamed that a letter was handed 
 2 
 
26 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 her, which on opening contained a bill or draft of 
 just the amount needed to finish paying her debt. 
 It was from Mrs. Race, then living in Genesee, N. Y., 
 who had been her intimate friend in prosperity, but 
 from whom she had not heard for a long time. Very 
 soon after a neighbor, Colonel Briggs, rode by to tell 
 her that he was going to town that day, and would 
 attend to any command from her. She sent for some 
 little purchases, and asked him to inquire at the post- 
 office, as she was expecting an important letter. 
 
 " The next morning a servant came, bringing the 
 package, but no letter. Later in the day Colonel B. 
 rode over and said, 'Well, Mrs. Allison, I suppose 
 you received your package and letter ? ' She told 
 him of her disappointment, and he assured her that 
 he had not only got a letter, but had noticed that 
 it was from Genesee, N. Y. ; and as it had been a 
 long while since they had heard from their friend 
 there,- that was one reason why he had come over 
 that day. He at once rode back, made the servant 
 show him just which way he had walked, and found 
 the letter. It was from their mutual friend, and con- 
 tained the sum needed to finish paying the debt. Mrs. 
 Race, feeling anxious to hear from her old friend, 
 and knowing of her reverses, had written this letter 
 of inquiry, asking her to accept the inclosure as a 
 memento of their early friendship. 
 
 " At another time she was very anxious to attend 
 a meeting of presbytery, which Avas to be held in 
 Fredericksburg. Having no suitable conveyance 
 now, she 'made her request known unto God,' as 
 she believed she had a right to do. She became sat- 
 isfied that she would go, and made all needed prepara- 
 
THE FAMILY HISTORY. 27 
 
 tion. On the day on which presbytery was to meet 
 she dressed herself ready to start, put up such cloth- 
 ing as she thought would be needed while there, 
 and laid out her bonnet ready to put on. When her 
 family and servants spoke to her about it, she told 
 them that God knew her desire to mingle with his 
 people in worship, in his sanctuary on that occasion, 
 and that she believed he would grant her request. 
 
 " Toward the middle of the day a friend, Mr, Grin- 
 nan, who lived in Madison County, forty miles away, 
 drove- up in a gig. He sent a servant in to say that 
 if she could get ready in a short time he would be very 
 happy to have her compnay to town, but was sorry 
 that he could not wait long, as he had a note to meet in 
 bank on that day. She put on her bonnet, sent her 
 little baggage by the servant, bade a loving adieu to 
 her family, and was on her way to presbytery in a 
 few minutes. 
 
 " She never doubted the direct providence of God 
 in these and many other incidents in her life. The 
 light of her faith shone round about her to her dying 
 day, and remained as a beacon to guide and animate 
 surviving friends for generations afterward. The di- 
 rectness and clearness of her faith was what impressed 
 all who came in contact with her. 
 
 " Her servants confided in her and loved her. and 
 her God was worshiped by them as their God and 
 Guide also. Though but a little child when she died, 
 I well remember with what awe I listened to her 
 voice at her family evening prayers, and how she 
 would conclude the services by calling on ' Uncle 
 Jack ' (an aged Christian slave) to pray. I recall as 
 yesterday the tearful, earnest manner in which he 
 
2 8 THE LIFE OF FROF. KEMPER. 
 
 would beg for blessings for every member of the 
 family. 
 
 "The two aged Christians, mistress and slave, have 
 long since been washed and made white in the blood 
 of the Lamb. In heaven they have loved their 
 Saviour and each other none the less for the relation 
 w^hich providentially existed between them here, and 
 which both so beautifully adorned. Doubtless their 
 prayers have stood as a memorial before God through 
 succeeding generations ; and it may be seen yet, in 
 the unfoldings of eternity, that the great grace given 
 the subject of your memoir was partly in answer to 
 those very prayers. Certain it is, he always cherished 
 the most loving and tender memories of his grand- 
 mother, whose love for him, as her oldest grandson, 
 he valued as a rich inheritance. 
 
 " ^ Uncle Jack ' lived a good while after his old mis- 
 tress's death. I well remember his pleading prayers, 
 after her death, when I was older and could be more 
 attentive. It was in Stafford County, forty miles from 
 our home. Our mother was in the habit of going 
 there in. our childhood. She, too, enjoyed Uncle 
 Jack's prayers." 
 
 From these two recitals it is clear that good blood, 
 both from the father's and the mother's side, minsfled 
 in the veins of Frederick T. Kemper, and, as we shall 
 see, showed itself in his character. His masculine 
 virtues seem to have come from the paternal line, 
 while the softer graces of his nature were an inheri- 
 tance from his mother's ancestry. With regard to 
 both, we are reminded of the Psalmist's words, " God 
 is in the generation of the righteous." 
 
CHAPTER IL 
 
 HOME AND EARLY LIFE. 
 
 *' I love that dear old home ! My mother lived there 
 
 Her first sweet marriage years, and last and widowed ones. 
 
 The sunlight there seems to me brighter far 
 
 Than wheresoever else. I know the forms 
 
 Of every tree and mountain, hill and dell ; 
 
 Its waters gurgle like a tongue I know ; — 
 
 It is my home." Mrs. Frances Butler. 
 
 The father of our Professor Kemper, as we have 
 ah^eady learned, was William Kemper, who in his 
 earlier life was a merchant at Madison Court-House, 
 Virginia. There are probably many readers who are 
 somewhat mystified by the term " Madison Court- 
 Ilouse.'" They will be relieved by the statement that 
 it was quite common, in the settlement and organiza- 
 tion of Virginia, to call the county capital or seat of 
 justice the Court-House. Thus we have Appomat- 
 tox Court-House, rendered famous by the inter- 
 view between Generals Lee and Grant. Madison 
 Court-House was the village in Madison County 
 where the courts were held. 
 
 Mr. William Kemper was a successful merchant, 
 but, tiring of the business, he invested his means in 
 lands not far from the Court-House. He was a man 
 of strong and sterling traits of character. There lie 
 
30 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 before me some half a dozen letters written by him to 
 his sons. The earliest are dated 1832. In those days 
 there were no envelopes for letters. Many of us for- 
 get how, in these little things, times have improved 
 since our childhood. People comparatively young 
 can remember when mucilage and blotting-paper 
 were unknown, and we thought the old red wafer and 
 the sand-box great conveniences. It was a part of 
 the regular instruction, given by Professor Kemper on 
 the art of letter-writing, to show us how to fold a sheet 
 of old-fashioned letter-paper so that it would be 
 smooth and the direction could be written on the last 
 page. Those, too, were the days when there were no 
 star routes nor expedited mails, and yet every letter 
 cost its writer or reader twelve and a half cents post- 
 age if a single sheet, and double that amount if two. 
 In one of the epistles of William Kemper, to which 
 we have alluded, reference is made to a letter on 
 which the postage was seventy-five cents, and the old 
 gentleman very gravely doubts whether its contents 
 were worth the money. 
 
 As another illustration of the progress of this coun- 
 try, we read in one of his letters, written in the year 
 1836, the following about Chicago and Illinois : ''You 
 will sometimes see the women wading through the 
 mud up to their ankles, barefooted and barelegged. 
 When you go into their houses, instead of a broom 
 you will see a shovel or a spade to clean out the mud. 
 Then read the description of Chicago, Illinois, in the 
 Observer^ and you will see how easy it is for people 
 who are interested to paint things in high colors. 
 But the richness of that soil will sustain such a dense 
 population that, I have no doubt, the time is not far 
 
HOME AND EARLY LIFE. 31 
 
 distant when they will sway the destiny of these 
 United States," In less than fifty years that son lived 
 to see Chicago a city of more than half a million of 
 inhabitants and the grain emporium of the world. 
 
 One marked trait in the father's character, as re- 
 vealed in these letters, was a disposition to look on 
 the dark side of any question which greatly concerned 
 him. It sometimes shows itself in a way that is 
 almost amusing. 
 
 These letters further evince that he was a man of 
 strong native intelligence. There is a robustness and 
 vigor about his thoughts and modes of expression 
 which make you cease to wonder that the unlettered 
 merchant and farmer should have been the father of 
 a Governor of Virginia, of one of the most distin- 
 guished teachers of the country, and of a daughter 
 who is worthy of being named in company with her 
 illustrious brothers. 
 
 He was a man of a high sense of commercial honor. 
 It is unnecessary to give the details, but one of his 
 letters clearly reveals this, in the advice given to one 
 of his sons, but a boy, who might be influenced, he 
 was afraid, by the questionable advice of another. 
 
 More than all this, he was, without doubt, a man 
 of sterling though modest piety. He was an elder 
 in the church for many years; and there is hardly 
 one of these letters which does not show that with 
 him religion was "the one thing needful." A few 
 brief extracts will here be interesting. He writes : 
 " I have one request to make of you, and that is, to 
 make a business of writing to your younger sisters 
 and brothers, separately and by name. I am the 
 more anxious for this because I think you can make 
 
32 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 a more powerful appeal to their tender consciences, 
 and a deeper and more ^lasting impression on the 
 subject of religion, in this than in any other way, 
 and think that you can be the means of doing them 
 more good than if you were present." Again : " It 
 would be vain, in such an ignoramus as myself, to 
 say a word on the subject of religion to one Avho has 
 now been about four years under, I hope, the best 
 and the brightest ; but I will say that I think all 
 knowledge, is worth but little without religion. 
 Therefore, read your Bible, and pin your faith to no 
 man's sleeve." Once more : " I know that education 
 is an all-important thing, and I have felt the want of 
 it all my life. But the most of the literary men are 
 poor ; and when I read in your paper last year about 
 the German literature, I had almost concluded that 
 it had made them fools. I have no doubt but many 
 a poor illiterate Christian, who never read anything 
 but his Bible, is happier and will shine much brighter 
 in heaven than they will, with all their mistaken the- 
 ology." 
 
 Frederick T. Kemper was also the son of Maria E. 
 Allison, whose remarkable mother has already in- 
 terested us. The cases are certainly rare in whicli 
 great men have not been the offspring of mothers of 
 more than ordinary character. How far the physical 
 law of heredity will account for this it is perhaps 
 impossible to say. There are moral reasons for it, 
 however, which it is not difficult to see. As the 
 whole shape and durability of a house depend on the 
 foundation, so the superstructure of the matured 
 life is generally determined by the early influences 
 which form the basis of the character. These early 
 
HOME AND EARLY LIFE. ^2> 
 
 influences are mainly furnished by the mother, during 
 those impressible years when her plastic power 
 moulds the habits and fashions the principles which 
 are the foundation of the after-life, and make or mar 
 the man. 
 
 Mrs. William Kemper was such a woman, not en- 
 dowed with masculine or heroic virtues, but gifted 
 with powers which are none the less potent though 
 more gentle in their operation. She was naturally a 
 poet, fond of music and of flowers. Who can meas- 
 ure the moral might of a mother's lullaby, as, with 
 words which breathe the sentiments of heaven and a 
 voice whose melody is that of the angels, she sings 
 her son to sleep night after night for half a score 
 of years ? His pupils, at least of the earlier days, 
 often heard him sing Kirke White's " Star of Beth- 
 lehem." He learned that song from his mother's lips 
 as she rocked him to rest, a little boy on the moun- 
 tains of Virginia 
 
 Mrs. Bocock writes : " Do you remember a story 
 that brother Frederick used to tell the boys some- 
 times, in talking to themi about the love of a mother 
 and their duty to her .? When a boy he had spoken 
 rather petulantly to his mother one day, when she 
 made some request of him. He went off to his 
 duties, but his conscience hurt him so he could not 
 rest. He went to her chamber to ask her forgiveness. 
 She was not there. He looked all around, but could 
 not find her. Then he sat down and wrote her a loving 
 note, asking her pardon for his manner to her that 
 morning. He gave it to a servant, telling her to hunt 
 for her mistress until she found her. After a while 
 the servant returned, bringing him a large, beautiful 
 
34 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 rose! She had been found among her flowers, and, 
 true to the delicate promptings of her nature, she 
 sent this beautiful rose, without a word, knowing 
 that his instincts would enable him to understand 
 the meaning it conveyed." Can literature furnish a 
 more exquisite incident than this ? Did we not say- 
 truly that she was a born poet? 
 
 She was also a woman of decided piety. Her love 
 of truth and conscientious fear of deviating from it 
 were such as often created a smile among her friends. 
 To say that Mrs. Kemper made a statement was 
 understood to mean that no further testimony could 
 be needed. What higher element can a character 
 have.f* No one without it can be rich; none with it 
 can be poor. The Rev. Daniel B. Ewing, D.D., 
 writes in her obituary : " The spiritual welfare of 
 her household was the most prominent object of her 
 life. It was her habit, when her children were young, 
 to retire daily with them, and, kneeling before her 
 God, to commend them with tears to his fatherly 
 care. Who can tell how much of that grace, which 
 has shone in children and in children's children, is 
 due to her prayers and influences ?" 
 
 Well might each of her sons and daughters say : 
 
 " She led me first to God ; 
 Her words and prayers were my young spirit's dew, 
 
 P'or when she used to leave 
 
 The fireside every eve, 
 I knew it was for prayer that she withdrew. 
 
 How often has the thought 
 
 Of my mourned mother brought 
 Peace to my troubled spirit, and new power 
 
 The tempter to repel ! 
 
 Mother, thou knowest well 
 That thou hast blessed me since my natal hour." 
 
HOME AND EARLY LIFE. 35 
 
 We shall be interested in the following family notes 
 furnished by the facile pen of Mrs. Bocock : — 
 
 " Brother Frederick thought that there were but 
 few homes, even in old Virginia, which combined so 
 many elements of beauty as that of his boyhood. It 
 is still in the family. An old-fashioned brick house, 
 in the midst of shade trees and shrubbery, on an 
 eminence that commands a view in front of over fifty 
 miles of the Blue Ridge mountains, with a wide ex- 
 panse of hill, valley, and running streams between. 
 To the rear is the Thoroughfare Mountain, a part of 
 the family estate, and between the old-fashioned 
 ' falling-garden' and that little mountain is the Fam- 
 ily Graveyard. 
 
 " Here his taste for the beautiful was cultivated, 
 not only by the surrounding scenery, but under the 
 influences of a gentle, refined Christian mother, 
 whose memory he ever loved to keep green. She 
 lived to be eighty-five years of age, and her love for 
 the young, for music and flowers, for kind and char- 
 itable deeds, never abated. Even to old age she was 
 rarely seen without some little flower or sprig of 
 green upon her bosom. She drew and painted 
 quaint pinks and roses until after she was eighty 
 years old. This is a true, though faint, picture of 
 his mother. His pupils will recall, in his talks te 
 them, many an allusion, made with softened tone, to 
 ' My mother in old Virginia.' 
 
 " Here too, no doubt, in the overflowing hospitality 
 of his father's house, he imbibed that genial liabit 
 which was so conspicuous in his social life. 
 
 '' It is probable also that his ideas of independence 
 on his own farm were acquired from the patriarchal 
 
36 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 example of his father, who (and this was not unusual 
 in the South in those days) kept his own mill and 
 shops — shoemakers', blacksmiths', and carpenters' — in 
 full operation for the benefit of his own family and 
 slaves. 
 
 " His father never Vv^anted office of any kind, or he 
 could have had any within the gift of his county. 
 One thing is well remembered : he ardently desired 
 to see some suitable system adopted for. the gradual 
 emancipation of the slaves of the South. He never 
 thought the relation in itself was wrong, however, and 
 was himself a most humane master. 
 
 " The subject of this volume inherited much of his 
 sterling love of right from his father, who was left 
 fatherless when a child, and lovingly cared for his 
 widowed mother and for his sisters all through his 
 long life. His son Frederick felt the value of ' a 
 good name ' as an inheritance, when once, while a 
 student at Marion College, Missouri, he needed 
 a sum of money promptly, and went to an old 
 Virginia settler to borrow it, offering good security. 
 The old man replied, ' If you are a worthy son of 
 your father, I need no security ; and if he has an un- 
 w^orthy son, I shall not expose him.' 
 
 " The population of Madison County was always a 
 quiet, moral one. No railroad has penetrated the 
 county to this day. 
 
 " There were eight children in the family— four sons 
 and four daughters. Mrs. Mary Freeman, the old- 
 est child, died recently at her home in Georgia, a con- 
 sistent Christian. Mrs. Susan Matthews and Mrs. 
 Maria Botts lived honored Christian lives in Cul- 
 peper County, Va., and died some years ago. Will- 
 
HOME AND EARLY LIFE. 37 
 
 iam, the second son and third child, went with 
 his older brother Frederick to Missouri, graduated 
 at Marion College, then took charge of a classical 
 school at Raymond, Mississippi, and died there of 
 fever in less than a year. His character was a singu- 
 larly pure and attractive one, much inclined to inno- 
 cent merriment, and a joyous, earnest Christian^ 
 His death was the first great sorrow of his mother's 
 life. John, the third brother, is proprietor of the old 
 home, ' Mountain Prospect,' and is a useful citizen, 
 James L., the youngest brother, is practising law at 
 the county seat of his native county, after having 
 served his country as a brave officer and his State as 
 legislator and governor." 
 
 The family list is made complete by the addition of 
 Frederick Thomas, the oldest son, and Mrs. Sarah 
 M. Bocock, the youngest child. Of Mrs. Bocock 
 nothing further need be said, as she speaks for her- 
 self most engagingly in this volume. Her husband, 
 however, deserves special mention. He was a brother 
 of the Flon. Thomas Bocock, one of the ablest repre- 
 sentatives whom Virginia has sent to the national 
 Congress. He was the Rev. John. H. Bocock, D.D., a 
 distinguished clergyman of the Presbyterian Church, 
 a man of vigorous intellect, a veritable Titan in the 
 pulpit. 
 
 At Mountain Prospect, the family residence, in Mad- 
 ison County, Virginia, on the fourteenth day of Octo- 
 ber, 1S16, Frederick Thomas Kemper, the second child 
 and oldest son of William and Maria E. Kemper, began 
 his eventful life on this earth. We have already learned 
 the influences around him in the family circle. 
 
 The "fecenery of his home must also have made a 
 
38 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 great and lasting impression on him. We who have 
 been born and bred upon the rich and beautiful 
 prairie plains of the interior West can hardly have a 
 conception of the blended beauty and sublimity of 
 the mountains. It has been the writer s privilege not 
 only to cross the Appalachian chain of the East at 
 several different points, but also to stand upon the 
 snow-capped summit of the greater Rocky range of 
 the West. What shall one used to a softly roll- 
 ing prairie say, as he stands at the foot of a real 
 mountain, whose regal height the pines strive in vain 
 to reach, though they gnarl their roots far up on 
 its rocky sides in the endeavor ; whose towering top 
 the hardy grasses, clambering inch by inch, fail to 
 find ; whose majestic coronet is of granite, porphyry, 
 agate, opal, and topaz, and upon whose shoulders 
 there ever gracefully rests a mantle of snowy ermine ? 
 He can only kneel in rapt adoration, and, as he looks 
 still higher, exclaim, " Behold what hath God 
 wrought !" " As we look up to thee it would seem 
 as if God made thee with His mighty hand to notch 
 His centuries in thy eternal rocks." As we see the 
 flower, the grass, and the tree vainly struggle to 
 gain thy pure and lofty summit, we think of human 
 efforts to reach the mount of perfection, where the 
 soil of earthliness is not known, and where all va- 
 pors crystalize into the spotless snow of innocence. 
 As we gaze upon thy pure, unshadowed height, our 
 soul longs to breathe thy heavenly air, and we recall 
 to mind a mount higher far than thine own, yet on 
 whose top the tree of Calvary grows, around which 
 the Rose of Sharon exhales its fragrance, and where 
 the Lily of the Valley raises its head in modest but 
 
HOME AND EARLY LIFE. 39 
 
 glorious triumph. It is not strange that mountains 
 should make poets, and freemen, and Christians, and 
 men. 
 
 " My mountain home, my mountain home ! 
 Though valleys fairer lie, 
 My spirit pines amid their bloom — 
 
 It shuts me from the sky. 
 The mountains holier visions bring 
 
 Than e'er in vales arise, 
 As brightest sunshine bathes the wing 
 That's nearest to the skies." 
 
 As to the early education of our Mr. Kemper, we 
 know that it was conducted at a home school on his 
 father's place, until he was sent off to college. His 
 father and Colonel Henry Hill, who had a large family 
 on an adjoining estate, for many years employed 
 teachers for the benefit of their own and their neigh- 
 bors' families. 
 
 Of his earlier teachers we know only two by name. 
 Of one, the pastor of the family at the time, the Rev. 
 A. D. Pollock, D.D., writes: "His own teacher, so 
 far as I know (Alexander L.), was a very ordinary 
 man, a dull man ; anything other than a genius in 
 teaching or in anything else. In fact, the man that 
 is a man usually makes himself, or rather comes 
 out from within himself. Frederick did this in an 
 eminent degree." 
 
 The other teacher of whom we know was William 
 H. Field, Esq., afterward a successful lawyer for 
 twenty-five years in Louisville, Ky., of whom Pres- 
 ident Laws, of the Missouri State University, once 
 remarked that he was a man of senatorial dignity 
 and intelligence. But'he well illustrates what is un- 
 fortunately a very lar^e class of the teachers of this 
 
40 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 country. They are men, many of them, of very re- 
 spectable talents, who teach merely as a stepping- 
 stone to something else. Mr. Field made an eminent 
 lawyer; he might have made an eminent teacher. 
 But it is morally certain that he could and did ac- 
 complish but little during the few months which he 
 gave to the school-room. 
 
 Mr, Kemper continued to attend the home school 
 until the fall of 1829, when he was nearly thirteen 
 years old. From a memorandum made by him on 
 the back of one of his early journals, we know that 
 he was placed as early as this in the store of Finks 
 & Banks, at Madison Court-House, and that he re- 
 mained in their employ tvv^o years. We know that he 
 left Virginia about the first of October, iS3i,togo 
 into business as a clerk with Messrs. Lough & Mc- 
 Kee, merchants in Market Street, in the city of Balti- 
 more; that he remained with them one year, when he 
 returned, on account of the prevalence of cholera, to 
 Madison Court-House, to enter the store of his uncle, 
 Mr. Henry Allison, with whom he continued until 
 January, 1834. The next two and a half years, until 
 he was ready to leave home for Marion College, were 
 probably spent in teaching his younger brothers and 
 sisters, the first service which he performed in the 
 profession in which he was destined to become so 
 eminently useful. Mrs. Bocock says that he disliked 
 the business of clerking. It does seem incongruous, 
 with all we know of him, that he should ever have 
 stood behind a counter. Boy as he was, he must have 
 felt like Samson when he was grinding in the prison 
 of the Philistines. That he was a popular and effi- 
 cient clerk we know both from the testimony of the 
 
HOME AND EARLY LIFE, 41 
 
 living and of the dead. We do not doubt this, for he 
 was a man of conscience, and if he had been a boot- 
 black he would have done his work thoroughly and 
 well. 
 
 We come now to one of the most interesting expe- 
 riences of his life, indeed it is the most important, 
 for it was the turning-point in his history. It was in 
 the Fall of 1833 that he was converted to Christianity 
 and joined the Presbyterian Church at Madison Court- 
 House. He had just completed his sixteenth year. 
 About a year before there had been a very remarkable 
 revival of religion in the church at Fredericksburg, 
 under the ministry of the Rev. S. B. Wilson, D.D. 
 We have before us, in one of Mr. Kemper's letters, the 
 testimony of an eye-Avitness that there were as many 
 as one hundred and fifty anxious inquirers at one 
 time. This meeting produced a great impression in 
 all the surrounding country. In the fall of 1832 the 
 Rev. A. D. Pollock took charge of the Presbyterian 
 Church at Madison Court-House. Frederick T. 
 Kemper had but lately returned home from Balti- 
 more. Dr. Pollock gives this account in a letter to 
 Mrs. Bocock : " Dr. Post, of Washington City, was 
 holding a sacramental meeting at the Court-House, 
 and thus I commenced my stationed ministry. When 
 the communion board was spread, three persons came 
 forward and were announced as communicants for 
 the first time. One of the three was Frederick, 
 then a clerk in Mr. Allison's store. That was forty- 
 eight and a half years ago. That good and honest 
 old man, your father, was then an elder of the 
 church." 
 
 Mrs. Kemper says : " He was favored with an 
 
42 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 intimate acquaintance with Mrs. Ann Swift, the 
 mother of Mrs. Henry Allison. She was a w^oman 
 of rare accomplishments and earnest piety. She was 
 descended from a wealthy and influential French 
 family, by the name of Roberdeau. The association 
 and influence of this cultured woman doubtless had 
 much to do in forming the character and destinies of 
 the young boy. At this time a series of meetings 
 were conducted by the Rev. Septimus Tustin, and 
 Mrs. Swift attended them, taking Frederick with 
 her, who at an early stage of the meeting became 
 interested for his soul's salvation. 
 
 " Mrs. Swift was not well at the time, but she was 
 so concerned for her young charge that she would 
 not stop. So the disease of her throat became so 
 serious that medical skill failed, and she died after a 
 few days' illness, testifying to the last hour her per- 
 fect trust in her Saviour. Already Frederick had 
 united himself with the people of God, and this 
 sudden death of one he loved and who had guided 
 his footsteps in the path of everlasting life, stamped 
 most deeply his religious character." 
 
 Mrs. Bocock gives a different but not an inconsis- 
 tent, statement of the attending circumstances: — 
 
 " The churches at Madison Court-House were in 
 such a cold state that people said that religion was 
 dead. The ministers who lived there at last resolved 
 to hold a ministers' prayer-meeting, to pray for a re- 
 vival. The young men w^ere mostly sceptical, under 
 the lea.d of a young lawyer, who was a pronounced 
 infidel and a cultivated, scholarly man. The general 
 prayer-meeting of the village was a union one, but 
 poorly attended. After a while it was noticed, to the 
 
HOME AND EARLY LIFE. 43 
 
 great joy of the ministers, that there was an increase 
 of the congregation, and they appointed nightly ser- 
 vices. Soon some of the sceptical young men were 
 seen in the audience. One night (I have heard 
 brother Frederick tell it with tears in his eyes) the 
 room or house was crowded. There was deathlike 
 solemnity. The ministers invited every one who was 
 anxious about his soul's salvation to make it known, 
 that they might be assisted in their inquiries. To 
 the astonishment of everybody in the house, the in- 
 fidel young lawyer arose and asked to be prayed for. 
 He said that he was utterly wretched. He knew 
 that he had led others astray, and now would earnestly 
 beg all who had been thus influenced by him to ask 
 God for mercy, and to start with him to the heavenly 
 kingdom. This had such an effect that a powerful 
 revival continued for a long time. Almost all the 
 people of the village, and many around, became 
 Christians. That young lawyer is now the Rev. 
 Horace Stringfellow, who, though now old, is one 
 of the most useful men and ministers of the Episco- 
 pal Church. Brothers Frederick and William were 
 brought in at that time. I never heard, however, 
 that either had ever been sceptical." 
 
 It is a mighty change in any man's life when he 
 becomes a Christian, whether previously he had been 
 moral or immoral. The Scriptures call it a new 
 birth, a resurrection from the dead, a new creation. 
 These terms are not extravagant, nor meant to be 
 Oriental hyperbole. They express a sober and a 
 pregnant fact. Many, however, Christians and non- 
 believers, mistake its nature. It is not such a moral 
 transformation that its subject immediately becomes 
 
44 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 a perfect character. Thus it might have been, doubt- 
 less, if God had so thought it best. So far from 
 this, the converted man is, in one aspect, but little 
 more like an angel than he was before. 
 
 Habits and dispositions to form habits are the 
 great facts and factors of human character. Habits 
 are a growth, and are necessarily of slow and gradual 
 formation. They are the exhibits of character, and 
 are themselves the outgrowth and the proof of the 
 dispositions that lie back of them and give them 
 being, complexion, and development. When a man 
 is converted, his dispositions are thoroughly and 
 radically changed, but his habits are not. His moral 
 tendencies are reversed, and in this lies the great 
 fact and interest of his renewal. There is a new 
 creation ; but it is a new creation, and must be de- 
 veloped. It is a resurrected life, but a life that must 
 be lived, and matured in the living of it. It is a new 
 birth, but a birth into spiritual babyhood, that must 
 have its infancy and youth before it reaches a ripened 
 manhood. There is a new disposition, but this dis- 
 position is to cast out the old and form and perfect 
 new religious habits. This may be done very slowly, 
 very gradually ; but always as surely as the purposes 
 of God and the efficacy of Christ's atonement and 
 the efficiency of the Spirit's sanctifying power can 
 make it. 
 
 It is a great thing then to become a Christian ; for it 
 is the starting upon a new road, that leads onward and 
 upward to the higher and the perfect life. It is a great 
 thing to become a Christian, not only for himself, 
 but also for the sake of others. For it is the intro- 
 duction of a new spiritual force into our ruined 
 
 I 
 
HOME AND EARLY LIFE. 45 
 
 world, which, by the power of its moral attraction, 
 is to lead others with it on the ascending path of 
 purity and piety. Who can estimate the worth of 
 that change in young Kemper's heart, when he was 
 but sixteen years of age ? What a different boy he 
 was, and how different a man shall be forever after- 
 ward ! How much higlier and purer have been, and 
 shall be, the lives of hundreds of others for the same 
 reason ! 
 
 He became a Christian when he was a boy. Scep- 
 ticism may carp at this, and sneer that religion is for 
 boys and women, and yet praise Epicurus for be- 
 coming a sceptic at twelve. But these same boys, 
 when they become men, yea, giant men, with " wrest- 
 ling thews that throw the world," still cling to their 
 religion as the dearest treasure of the mind. Our 
 Frederick entered the Master's service in the morn- 
 ing, and continued until the sun went down. The 
 brightest, the strongest, the most useful Christians 
 are the early ones. This is the rule, to which there 
 are but few exceptions. The Bible pledges that it 
 shall be so. The law of habit teaches that it must be 
 so. A general observation shows that it is so. The 
 case before us is a brilliant illustration, as we shall 
 see, of this interesting truth. 
 
 From the time of his connection with the Church, 
 by a personal profession of religion, the evidence 
 lies before us, in the letters of his pastor and his 
 friends written nearly fifty years ago, that he was an 
 earnest and decided Christian. Boy as he was, he 
 witnessed a good confession, and left behind him in 
 the Old Dominion, among his neighbors and friends, 
 the name of a humble, steadfast follower of the meek 
 
46 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 and lowly Jesus. Writes Dr. Pollock : " We were 
 sitting alone together, and talking of our personal 
 troubles as Christians, and his soft voice said of him- 
 self (I can hear it now), ' I am not worthy to name His 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 LEAVES HOME FOR MISSOURI. 
 
 "Ah ! you never yet 
 Were far away from Venice, never saw 
 Her beautiful towers in the receding distance, 
 While every furrow of your vessel's track 
 Seemed ploughing deep into your heart ; you never 
 Saw day go down upon your native spires, 
 So calmly with its gold and crimson glory, 
 And after dreaming a disturbed vision 
 Of them and theirs, awoke and found them not," 
 
 Byron. 
 
 Fortunately for us, Mr. Kemper kept a journal, 
 beginning Tuesday, March 29th, 1836, and continued 
 more or less regularly throughout his life. It is not 
 a record of facts, but mainly of thoughts, feelings, 
 purposes ; of his inner, not of his outer life. It is all 
 the more precious and interesting to us that it is 
 such. While we are surprised and disappointed to 
 find tliat the allusions which he makes to the most 
 important changes in his history are quite meagre, 
 and that to some of them there is no reference in his 
 journal, yet we can bear this with patient gratitude 
 as we turn page after page, richly freighted with 
 revelations of his real self, the hidden man of the 
 heart. 
 
 While these lines were all written with the thought 
 
48 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 that no CLirious eye would ever read them, and that 
 they would never be exposed to the garish gaze of 
 public scrutiny, yet they contain nothing unworthy 
 of the man that wrote them, and much that show him 
 to have been a profound philosopher of the mysteries 
 of the human spirit, and at the same time the most 
 humble and unsparing critic and censor of himself. 
 
 There is need, of course, of the most judicious care 
 in selecting the extracts to be published. No man 
 would wish his inner life exposed recklessly to the 
 view of the cold, critical, unsympathetic world. 
 There are passages in the lives of us all,' which per- 
 haps to our intimate friends are the tenderest and 
 dearest, yet over which, for that very reason, there 
 should be thrown the veil of hallowed privacy. 
 
 He is now a youth, something more than nineteen 
 years old. A few pages from his journal, made at 
 this time, will show what kind of a young man he 
 was : — 
 
 " Tuesday^ 29//? March., 1836. — I have this morning 
 made this book for the purpose of keeping a record 
 of my history, and the manner in which I may spend 
 my time in future. I have for some months past 
 wasted much valuable time. May I be enabled, O 
 Lord, so to number my days as to apply my heart 
 unto wisdom." 
 
 " Thursday, i^th April. — Spent greater part of 
 forenoon in writing, or rather in learning to write. 
 Think I have improved some since Monday, when I 
 commenced going to the writing-school, taught at 
 Madison Court-House by Mr. Davis. It is, in my 
 judgment, no small or useless accomplishment to 
 write a fair hand." 
 
LEAVES HOME FOR MISSOURI. 49 
 
 ^^ May /\th. — I have, notwithstanding my resohi- 
 tions, wasted a great deal of my precious time in 
 reading improperly as to manner and matter, vitiat- 
 ing my taste, debasing my intellect, and making my- 
 self a smatterer in every kind of knowledge as well as 
 morals. I was thinking of these things this morn- 
 ing, and of amendment. I think I am a being in the 
 universe of God, my Maker. Whether I have talents 
 few or many, I was made for something. What is 
 it ? To glorify God and enjoy him forever. To be 
 active, to improve my talents, to be useful. What 
 are the best means to these ends? Study of God's 
 will, in his word and providence ; prayer, self-com- 
 munion ; obedience universal. Industry from morn 
 till dewy eve. Self-denial, straining up perfection's 
 hill. Order in conduct and distribution of my time. 
 Keeping a strict account of every day's duties and 
 sins, and examining at its close how I have fulfilled 
 these obligations, and complied with these known 
 duties. 
 
 " I thank Thee, O Lord, that Thou hast given 
 me health ; that Thou hast given me Christ to help 
 my infirmities, and to be my whole Saviour. Help 
 me to follow him daily ; yes, to-day, and to-morrow, 
 and all my days. Melt my heart. Grant me repent- 
 ance and faith, and every Christian grace. May I 
 grow every day in Thy likeness. Give a direction 
 to my thoughts that they may always run upon 
 profitable subjects. Keep me humble, and useful, 
 and holy, for Christ's sake. Amen and amen. 
 
 " I purpose reading fifty pages per day in ' Watts 
 on the Mind,' till I get through that book ; and then 
 reading ' Abercombie on the Intellectual Powers.' 
 
5o THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER, 
 
 As much as that, if I do not spend a good deal of 
 time in reading explanations of his technical words. 
 Lord, enlighten and strengthen my mind. May I 
 improve morally and mentally, beyond my expecta- 
 tion, and all to Thy glory and my good. Amen. 
 
 " I will try to rise at 4 o'clock throughout the re- 
 mainder of the spring and during the approaching^ 
 summer, and to improve all my time, nay, 'redeem ' 
 lost 'time,' I will strive to have my Greek grammar 
 well committed to memory by the first of June, and 
 Watts and Abercrombie both well read, and well 
 understood, and well remembered, anti well pondered, 
 and well practised. If this be done it will be but a 
 small month's work, in comparison with the labor of 
 such men as Ashmun. 
 
 " I will have also a large portion of the Old Tes- 
 tament (and some of the New) read by the first of 
 June, if I live. Keep me, Jesus, from falling. Keep 
 me low in the dust of humility. Make me vigorous 
 and active." 
 
 '■^ May 24M, Tuesday. — Am reading 'Watts on the 
 Mind.' Much pleased with it. To extract its sweets, 
 it must be read as his chapter on reading directs that 
 any book should be read. 
 
 " Had many temptations to-day. I praise and 
 thank God that the sword of the Spirit was victorious 
 in every conflict. I find more pleasure in quenching 
 one of Satan's darts by the shield of faith, than in 
 all sensual enjoyment. Keep me in my place, O 
 Father, in the dust at Thy feet. 
 
 " Did tolerably well in Greek grammar Have 
 accomplished more than in some weeks of irregular- 
 ity and sensual pursuits." 
 
LEAVES HOME FOR MISSOURI. 51 
 
 " June Wi^ Wednesday. — I am very sensual ; too 
 much so for a Christian or a student." 
 
 ^^ Saturday^ June i^th. — Rose this morning very 
 late, after breakfast, owing in some measure to being 
 up late last night. Without my morning devotions; 
 which, I am sorry to say, have been much neglected 
 of liate. I went to Mr. S.'s shop, where I met with 
 such company, the keeping of which would justly 
 give me the character of a companion of fools. I 
 must confess that I was not benefited by this com- 
 pany. I have been criminal in keeping it. If I do 
 my duty at my various studies, I have but little time 
 to spend in any company. Of course that should be 
 of the best sort possible. Lost a day. Oh, how 
 wicked, how unspeakably wicked ! May I awal^e to 
 a sense of my religious and social obligations. I 
 have been asleep all my life. Take me out of the 
 pit of sloth, O Lord, and grant that I* may walk in 
 the pathway of diligence and usefulness. 
 
 " I have had a new confirmation of the importance 
 of beginning the day by prayer to God. I can truly 
 say that, to the best of my knowledge, all my days, 
 begun in this way, have been (all other things being 
 equal) much the happiest and most useful days of 
 my life. 
 
 " I have been confirmed in the importance of 
 learning something from every person with wliom I 
 meet. In a walk to James City, in a little casual 
 conversation, I learned several things about the 
 growth of wheat. In another casual conversation, 
 learned something about elections, unknown before. 
 I have been impressed with the importance of reading 
 with more attention, and devoting more time to it; 
 
52 THE LIFE OF PROF. K EM PER. 
 
 with the importance of speaking the truth strictly 
 upon all occasions ; the importance of order in 
 conduct. Learned something about the culture of 
 tobacco. 
 
 " Observed to-day, when an individual was reading 
 aloud in my hearing, that those parts which he under- 
 stood least he read the loudest. ' Empty barrels 
 sound the loudest.' 
 
 "I may be what I have resolved to be, and I may 
 do what others have done, have been confirmed to 
 me to-day," 
 
 These copious extracts, from the first pages of his 
 journal, have been given mainly for the purpose of 
 showing from his own pen, his mental and moral 
 condition at this period, when about twenty, and 
 before he had left his home to come under the in- 
 fluence of strangers. They show him as his character 
 was formed and developed by his family, his church, 
 his neighbors, his home. If his father and mother 
 could look upon this photograph of their son, taken 
 with the lights and shadows of the family fireside, 
 they surely need not and would not blush, except as 
 honest pride might mantle their cheeks. 
 
 We have come now to another epoch in his life. 
 He is to leave the old Virginia roof-tree, and, in the 
 far distant West, as it was then, continue and complete 
 his preparation for the duties of his mature manhood. 
 He is to leave Virginia. Reared in the fertile valley 
 of the Mississippi, the writer well remembers the 
 feelings of mingled disappointment and pity which 
 possessed him when he first looked on the red hills, 
 the pine forests, and the sterile fields of his ancestral 
 State. Only a few months since he again visited a 
 
 I 
 
LEAVES HOME FOR MISSOURI. 53 
 
 county adjoining Madison, and was impressed with 
 the fact that, in many things, the old State seemed a 
 lialf century behind the progressive West. 
 
 All this may be so, and yet he who sneers at Vir- 
 ginia betrays a lamentable ignorance of her history, 
 or a woeful want of appreciation of the highest merit. 
 
 " What constitutes a state ? 
 Not high-raised battlement or labored mound, 
 
 Thick wall or moated gate ; 
 Not cities proud with spires and turrets crowned ; 
 
 Not bays and broad armed ports, 
 Where, laughing at the storm, rich navies ride ; 
 
 Not starred and spangled courts. 
 Where low-browed baseness wafts perfumes to pride. 
 
 No, — men, high-minded men — 
 
 Men, who their duties know, 
 But know their rights, and knowing, dare maintain. 
 
 These constitute a state." 
 
 Triedby this test, the "mother of States and of states- 
 men" at once comes to the very front. Like the 
 mother of the Gracchi, her children are her jewels ; 
 and though she be now and for years back arrayed 
 in the weeds of mourning and humiliation, yet she 
 finds herself adorned with a coronet in which there 
 sparkle the brightest gems in our country's history. 
 Who gave to our Revolutionary fathers their leader, 
 '' first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of 
 his fellow-citizens " ? Whose pen was it that wrote 
 the charter of the nation's liberty, on the fourth of 
 July, 1776.? Who was the ablest exponent and ad- 
 vocate of the grandest piece of .political wisdom 
 ever devised by man, the Constitution of the United 
 States.^ All these, the proudest names in our coun- 
 try's annals, were Virginians. Take the work of 
 
54 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 Virginians out of the warp and woof of our national 
 life, and the whole web would fall to pieces. Vir- 
 ginia has furnished the best blood of Kentucky, Ten- 
 nessee^ Arkansas, Texas, Missouri, southern Illinois, 
 Indiana, and Ohio. They are her children, and what 
 they are to-day, in the purest elements of their civ- 
 iliz'ation, they owe largely to the mother state. It 
 was Virginia that nourished Kentucky's greatest 
 statesman, the princely " Harry of the West." It was 
 Virginia that bared her gallant breast to the storm 
 and received the scars of the mighty conflict which 
 for four years shook this continent to its centre. It 
 was Virginia that furnished the able and gallant 
 Thomas to the Union, and Lee, the second Washing- 
 ton, and Stonewall Jackson, the military genius of 
 the age, to the Confederacy. It was Virginia that 
 gave to the world of science the modest Maury, who 
 
 " Laid his hand upon the ' ocean's mane,' 
 And played familiar with his hoary locks." 
 
 It is Virginia that has to-day within her beautiful 
 valley some of the most excellent schools in this 
 land. It is Virginia that, on the eastern slope of her 
 mountains, has her famous university, the pride of the 
 Southland, the pride of this country, whose diploma 
 is the highest literary honor given an undergraduate 
 on this continent. 
 
 She has been as renowned in the Church as she has 
 been in the state. We speak alone now of Presby- 
 terians, as being more familiar with their history. It 
 is doubtless true that in other branches of the Church 
 she has been as eminent. But to the Church of 
 Calvin and Knox she has given Davies, the Alexan- 
 
LEAVES HOME FOR MISSOURI. 55 
 
 ders, the Hoges, the Lacys, the Rices, the Breckin- 
 ridges, the Browns, Stuart Robinson, and, peer of 
 them all, Robert L. Dabney. There are no more 
 illustrious names in the annals of the Church upon 
 this continent than these, and no other State, north or 
 south, can present such an array. 
 
 But the grandest glory of Virginia remains to be 
 told. Eminent as she is in cabinet, in Congress^ in 
 the White House, on the tented field, in the halls of 
 learning, and in the pulpit, her proudest honor is to 
 be found in her quiet homes, her yeomanry, her 
 honest, gallant men, her virtuous, refined women. 
 The truest chivalry in this land is in the Old Dominion- 
 She may be poor, but there is less of crime, both in 
 its grosser and subtler forms, within her borders ; 
 and there is more of domestic and civil virtue and 
 genuine piety than may, for territory and popula- 
 tion, be found anywhere else, perhaps, on this wide 
 world. 
 
 Mr. Kemper is now to leave the grand old State 
 and wend his way westward to complete his educa- 
 tion on the sunset-side of the Mississippi. This 
 seems to us a strange move. It was not for lack of 
 good schools in Virginia. There was old William 
 and Mary ; there was Washington College, now 
 the Washington and Lee University, at Lexington, 
 where his youngest brother, Governor Kemper, was 
 educated. There, within less than a day's ride on 
 horseback, was the great University founded by Jef- 
 ferson. Why he was not sent to any of these, and 
 why he went over a thousand miles to a college in a 
 frontier State, we m.ay not be able fully to understand. 
 It is perhaps enough to say that the spirit of adven- 
 
56 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 turous enterprise, which leads so many westward, 
 and the fame of the college at that time, of which we 
 shall have occasion to speak more fully hereafter, 
 were the principal inducements. 
 
 . At any rate, on Tuesday, August 23d, 1836, he took 
 the western stage at Madison Court-House, and start- 
 ed to Cincinnati on his way to Marion College, Mis- 
 souri. The meagre notes of his journal will describe 
 the trip : 
 
 '• Tuesday, 2yd. — From the Court-House toWalker's, 
 on side of the mountain, this side of Stanardsville. 
 Fine weather. Spent the day at Paris' Hotel, in Al- 
 legheny County. Charged me one dollar for dinner, 
 supper^ and washing three pieces. Took stage after 
 dark, and spent Tuesday night at Shumate's. 
 
 " Wednesday. — From Shumate's to Callaghan's to 
 breakfast. Dined at the old man's, who did not live 
 there, but stayed; did not know beef from mutton. 
 Night at Dean's. 
 
 " Thursday morning. — Breakfast at a long fellow's 
 house. Have forgotten his name (Morris, perhaps). 
 Dined at a short mans. Excellent dinner. Supped 
 at Kanawha House in Charleston. 
 
 ''''Friday. — Breakfast at 'a fine old fellow's.' Saw 
 Hawk's Nest, then the Burning Spring and salt works 
 in Kanawha. Dined at Guiandotte. Supped on 
 steamboat. 
 
 " Saturday. — Breakfast on steamboat. Dined at 
 Cincinnati Hotel." 
 
 He was thus five days going from Madison Court- 
 House to Cincinnati, partly on the stage and partly on 
 steamboat. This was good traveling for that period. 
 The same distance can now be traversed in a day. 
 
LEAVES HOME FOR MISSOURI. 57 
 
 He spent several weeks at the metropolis of Ohio in 
 company with his relatives, the family and descendants 
 of the Rev. James Kemper, the noted pioneer preach- 
 er. His venerable widow, whom he calls "Aunt 
 Nancy," was then alive. 
 
 He manifestly enjoyed his visit, and almost every- 
 thing he saw made a pleasant impression on him. 
 His kindred lived at Walnut Hills chiefly, which is a 
 most delightful portion of the suburbs of the city. 
 He attended a lecture at the Lane Theological Sem- 
 inary, and heard Dr. Joshua Wilson preach. There 
 are some interesting entries in his journal made while 
 here : 
 
 " Sunday., \Wi Sept.^ 1^36. — Feel somewhat indis- 
 posed. No calm contempla,tion, /.<?., no protracted 
 thought, such as is requisite for forming energy, de- 
 cision, and perseverance of character. How I have 
 hitherto neglected the study of the Bible and prayer. 
 I have had the path of duty pointed out, but I have 
 not walked in it. I know that I would better omit 
 one meal each day, than not to have time for the 
 study of my Bible and for prayer. I have time., but, 
 owing to the bustle of company and continually mov- 
 ing from one place to another, I have not recently 
 searcJied t\iQ Scriptures. O Lord, 'pardon my iniqui- 
 ty, for it is great.' 
 
 '' Mo?ida)\igth Sept., 1836. — Walnut Hills has every 
 advantage : good health, good water (for the State of 
 Ohio), rich land, and a location near Cincinnati, 
 where everything brings good prices. People live 
 as well here as they do in Virginia, and more happily, 
 I doubt not. The girls wash, cook, and do anything 
 that is to be done ; nay, I?lack shoes. These things 
 
 3* 
 
58 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 don't detract from their high mental improvement. 
 They have not that affeetation and that want of any 
 tangible character which are so often observable. 
 There are no slaves, and often no servant of any kind ; 
 yet all is neat, and generally rich. The gilt mirror, 
 the Brussels carpet, the mahogany sideboard are the 
 furniture seen ; and the ladies grace the parlor, the 
 library, or the kitchen, as occasion serves. Happy 
 people! 
 
 " John H. Kemper's calf, 4 months old, weighs 415 
 lbs. James Kemper refused $500 for his bull, 2 yrs. 
 old. One yearling and one two-year-old calf of James 
 Kemper's sold for $1080. John H. Kemper's Russia 
 breed of hogs will weigh 500 lbs. He took 400 bu. 
 corn from 4^ acres, four years ago, and thinks he has 
 as good a crop this season. Land raises pumpkins 
 enough to pay three dollars an acre rent, for wood- 
 land and all. 
 
 " Wednesday^ 21st Sept., 1836. — I find that living dis- 
 orderly is the very way to live uncomfortably. What- 
 ever ought to be done ought to be done well ; and 
 however small, it is true philosophy to devote atten- 
 tion to it, in proportion to its relative importance. 
 I find that when I devote proper attention to my toi- 
 let in the morning, I haA^e the satisfaction of feeling 
 that something is well done. 
 
 " People at Walnut Hills have very few springs. 
 They drink what they call ' cistern water ;' that is, 
 rain water drawn from the top of the house and kept 
 in a cistern. It is cool, and not unpleasant. The well 
 water is not so good as ours." 
 
 " They do not envy us our slaves. David R. Kem- 
 per, while shewing me his cistern, said, ' This thing 
 
LEAVES HOME FOR MISSOURI. 59 
 
 cost me seven dollars, and I would not take that for 
 two months' use of it. I would not take a negro for 
 it. No, I would not give it for a negro.' " 
 
 " They have tea for dinner, and use preserved to- 
 matoes." 
 
 While in Cincinnati he first stopped at the house of 
 Samuel D. Kemper, with whose son, Frederick E. H., 
 he promised to correspond. 
 
 On Wednesday, September 21, he left Cincinnati 
 for Louisville, about 11 o'clock a.m. He took passage 
 on the General Pike, a good boat, but w^hich was so 
 crowded that the dining-tables and the cabin floor 
 were covered with mattresses for the sleepers. At 
 2 o'clock A.M. on the next day he reached his des- 
 tination, and put up at the Louisville Hotel. 
 
 Here he met his maternal uncle, Mr. John Allison, 
 who was living at Richland, near the city. He 
 speaks of him as " a real friendly, open-hearted Alli- 
 son and Virginian." By him he was introduced to a 
 Mr. Nesbit, at whose house, on First Street above 
 Walnut, he dined. At his table he met a very agree- 
 able old lady, from whom he learned, as one of the 
 instances of change of fortune, that the widow of 
 William Wirt, the distinguished Attorney-General of 
 the United States under more than one administra- 
 tion, was reduced to poverty, and was teaching a 
 school in Richmond, Va. 
 
 Mr. Nesbit entertained him in an interesting con- 
 versation on the facilities for making money in the 
 West at that time. Among other things, he told him 
 that the aggregate amount of goods sold in Louis- 
 ville in one year was about eight millions of dollars; 
 that of bagging and bale cord alone, nearly a million 
 
6o THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 dollars' worth was sold in a year; that " lots at Alton 
 on the Ohio (?), which sold a few years since for six 
 dollars per foot," would then sell for six hundred 
 dollars ; that it was an easy matter for men to make 
 money then, by investing their capital in the rapidly 
 growing towns and incipient cities of the West. 
 
 At Louisville he met his old friend and teacher, 
 William H. Field, Esq., who was then a young lawyer 
 there. 
 
 While he was at his uncle John's he wrote several 
 pages in his journal on the subject of social conversa- 
 tion, from which we give the following : — • 
 
 " I feel rather dissatisfied with my day's work, be- 
 cause I have pleased too little in the social circle. I 
 feel as if I always made the social hours of those 
 with whom I am not intimately acquainted, drag 
 heavily. If they do not observe it, I feel a degree of 
 embarrassment in their company. If they do not see 
 it, they are influenced by my barrenness at conversa- 
 tion. We talk, but it is not conversation ; for this 
 implies a flow of soul. Conversation is the spirit of 
 social intercourse, speech is the effect. This should 
 always be the case. But my mind is all the time 
 thinking of something else, lamenting my want of 
 colloquy, etc. Why is this ? It may be from an in- 
 ordinate and proud desire to shine in conversation, 
 valuing the praise of man too highly, uneasiness be- 
 cause I cannot shine as others. Look at that lady. 
 Her company is courted. She is pleasant and agree- 
 able ; and yet half she says is nonsense. Can I not 
 do as well .? Yes, I can be as agreeable, and speak 
 truth and good sense in a good humor. If you pre- 
 pare a few subjects, upon which to converse and 
 
 J 
 
LEAVES HOME FOR MISSOURI. 6i 
 
 make it a business to lug them in, it will look stiff 
 and unnatural, and you will not enjoy the talk, nor 
 will your company. You should be able to converse 
 upon every subject. But this is not the most impor- 
 tant thing, for they often please best who know least. 
 The solution is, to be free and easy ; let your mind 
 be untrammeled, so much so that you can keep 
 silence without feeling abashed for it." 
 
 Sunday, September 25, was a very pleasant day to 
 him. He went with his uncle Johm and family to 
 hear an Episcopal minister, the Rev. Mr. Page. He 
 was delighted with the sermon, which he characterizes 
 as " a very argumentative, reasonable, plain, terse, 
 practical, pious discourse," from Luke 13 134. He 
 writes in his journal: ''There is nothing," said he, 
 " so simple as the religion of Christ. It is to feel that 
 you are spiritually naked, and miserable, and blind, 
 and wretched, and to put your confidence in the 
 mercy of God in Christ, in his atoning sacrifice. 
 When he was telling the ' way,' I was musing, and the 
 fire burned. 1 felt that it was the way for me. I 
 hated sin. I had an unction, and knew all things. 
 Several Scripture principles were brought to my 
 mind, while I was, as I hope, under the guidance of 
 that ' spirit of truth,' whose office it is to lead men 
 into all truth." 
 
 On Tuesday, September 27th, before breakfast, his 
 brother William, who had come down the Ohio on a 
 boat, rode up to their uncle John's. As their cousin, 
 William McCoy, was waiting in Louisville for a boat 
 to carry him to St. Louis, they concluded to take pas- 
 sage with him. Accordingly at noon of this same 
 day they boarded the Clinton for St. Louis ; when. 
 
62 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 to their dismay, William became aware that he had 
 left his money in his berth on the General Brown, 
 Fortunately, however, it had not been stolen. They 
 made the trip to St. Louis without any recorded in- 
 cident or accident ; and Sunday, October 2, finds 
 them on the steamer Quincy, bound for Marion City, 
 Missouri. This was their landing in Marion County, 
 nearest to Palmyra, the county-seat, their next objec- 
 tive point They landed the same day, and on the 
 next day, Monday, walked to Palmyra. On Wednes- 
 day, he walked to Marion City and back to Palmy- 
 ra to dinner. In the afternoon he went to Marion 
 College, and he and William were settled as students 
 of that institution, of which we shall give some ac- 
 count in the succeeding chapter. 
 
 It had required six weeks to make the trip from his 
 home in Virginia, a large part of which, however, had 
 been passed in the agreeable society of his kindred at 
 Cincinnati and Louisville. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 MARION COLLEGE. 
 
 " At my nativity, 
 The front of heaven w^as full of fiery shapes, 
 Of burning cressets ; and at my birth, 
 The frame and huge foundation of the earth 
 Shaked like a coward." Shakspeare, 
 
 The Presbyterian Church in Missouri has been un- 
 fortunate in the most of its college enterprises. 
 While it has always been one of the glories of this 
 church that it has been the steadfast friend of educa- 
 tion, and has conducted its schools not only with abil- 
 ity but also with success, yet it is true that there are 
 in Missouri the graves of no less than three Presby- 
 terian colleges — the City University in St. Louis, 
 Richmond College in Ray County, and Marion Col- 
 lege near Palmyra. This last was the first and most 
 magnificent failure of them all. As it is an interest- 
 ing story in itself, and as the college was the alma 
 mater of our Mr. Kemper, we shall devote this chap- 
 ter to an extended account of it, taken from the cat- 
 alogue of 1835-36. 
 
 '•' The reputed richness of the soil of Marion Coun- 
 ty, about nine years since, turned the tide of. immi- 
 gration, previously setting toward the western side 
 of the State of Missouri and the Boonslick Country, 
 
64 T}7E LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 to the north. In two or three years the county had 
 acquired a respectable population. Palmyra, the 
 seat of justice, had become one of the most thriving 
 villages of the State, and the prairie west of that 
 town, in which the college is situated, contained a 
 dense settlement. The inhabitants were principally 
 from Kentucky. 
 
 " A few of the residents of the prairie, west of Pal- 
 myra, Marion County, applied to the legislature, in 
 the winter of 1830-31, for a charter locating a college 
 in their midst. An ample charter was obtained, 
 eleven acres of land were given for the site, and a 
 log school-house was erected. Tiie Rev. David Nel- 
 son, M.D., became at once bo\h the presiding officer, 
 called for by the charter, and the teacher of the 
 school. 
 
 " About this time it was determined to endow the 
 institution with the land unoccupied around the build- 
 ing, and depend on its internal wealth and t\\Q physical 
 strength of the students in bringing it forth, for its 
 support. 
 
 "At this time the views of the friends of the col- 
 lege were very limited. A few thousand dollars, it 
 was supposed, would be sufficient to purchase the 
 necessary quantity of land, erect some plain dormi- 
 tories for students ; while, from the benevolent it was 
 hoped that the necessary library and philosophical ap- 
 paratus could be procured. The principal aid was 
 expected from citizens of Missouri. In this home 
 agency Dr. Nelson was employed, while the Rev. 
 Cyrus Nichols was commissioned to travel east and 
 lay the wants of the institution before the benevolent. 
 These agencies, however, resulted in procuring a 
 
MARION COLLEGE. 65 
 
 very small sum. A number of log cottages were 
 erected and a small building for recitation rooms. 
 
 "Another effort was now made,' and, through the 
 agency of Dr. Nelson, a promise was obtained from 
 the General Assembly's Board of Education (of the 
 church) of ten thousand dollars, with which to pur- 
 chase the necessary land. A misunderstanding arose 
 between the agents of the trustees and the Education 
 Board, growing out of the character of certain land 
 purchased ; in consequence of which the original 
 agreement was annulled, and the whole purchase be- 
 came the property of the Assembly's board. 
 
 " Disappointed in their anticipated aid from the 
 benevolent, and at the saQie time aware that the re- 
 luctance did not proceed from indifference to the proj- 
 ect, but from the incredulity of the public mind as 
 to the practicability of their self-supporting scheme, 
 the only remedy appeared to be in borrowing the 
 funds necessary to make the experiment- As a body 
 corporate the trustees held no property to any amount, 
 and consequently individual private estate must be 
 pledged to effect a loan. Three of the trustees, whose 
 labors had already been the most abundant, and 
 whose confidence in the practicability of the plan re- 
 mained unshaken — the Rev. David Nelson, Dr. David 
 Clark, and William Muldrow — in April, 1833, bor- 
 rowed in the city of New York, on their own respon- 
 sibility, by mortgaging their property, $20,000 for 
 ten years, at seven per cent interest. A condition 
 of this loan was, that not less than four thousand 
 acres of land should be purchased in one body. With 
 this money 470 acres only were secured in the vicinity 
 of the college. For the body of land required by the 
 
66 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 agreement, that it might be obtained at the govern- 
 ment price, it was necessary to go a distance of four- 
 teen mil€S, where, in the midst of a beautiful and well- 
 watered prairie, 4019 acres were purchased. For the 
 purpose of securing timber and coal for fuel, it was 
 subsequently deemed expedient to purchase of indi- 
 viduals, at a higher price, 480 acres additional. 
 
 "The individuals above mentioned organized them- 
 selves into an association, by the title of the ' Educa- 
 tion Company of the West,' and having, for the sake 
 of counsel, increased their number to seven, proceed- 
 ed to carry out the details of their plan. Accommoda- 
 tions for students were increased to one hundred ; a 
 boarding-house and farm-house were erected, and the 
 small tract put under cultivation ; while arrange- 
 ments were made to erect accommodations for an 
 equal number of students on the large tract, and to 
 bring it under cultivation with the least possible 
 delay. As soon as funds, other than those borrowed 
 by the gentlemen above named, began to be used in 
 the improvement of the farms, they, by a deed dated 
 in October last, conveyed the title to the whole prop- 
 erty to the Trustees of Marion College, in trust, for 
 education purposes, securing only the right to direct 
 the execution of the details of their plan, 
 
 " The method of support at this time proposed was 
 to furnish each student, fifteen years of age, with 
 twenty acres of land, which was to be cultivated by 
 employing equal portions for the production of corn, 
 oats, wheat, and timothy grass. Half of the product 
 was his own, while the other half went to defray the 
 expenses of the farm. He was to pay $50 per annum 
 for his board, and $30 tuition. A confidence in the 
 
MARION COLLEGE.. 67 
 
 success of the enterprise now began to be felt, and a 
 gradual accession of students commenced, which it 
 was subsequently necessary to check for want of 
 room. 
 
 " Recourse was had to the appointment of numer- 
 ous traveling agents, in order to obtain the funds 
 needed to put the land into a state of cultivation, 
 and meet the expectations of the public. Though 
 many of these agencies were voluntary, others were 
 entered into at a salary, and resulted in bringing the 
 institution in debt. It will not be a little surprising 
 to many to learn that, up to the first of November, 
 . 1834, less than $6,000 had been received as donations 
 by the trustees and Education Company. 
 
 " During the last winter the three members of the 
 board of trustees before alluded to visited the East 
 for the purpose of conferring with the prominent 
 friends of education in relation to their plans, and 
 more perfectly enlisting the benevolent in the cause 
 of the institution. This visit resulted in securing a 
 large number of warm friends, by whose counsel it 
 was determined to enlarge the plan, and connect 
 with the college a theological school. Accordingly, 
 at a meeting of the trustees, held the nth day of 
 May last, \i.e.^ 1835] the fundamental regulations of the 
 Theological Seminary were adopted, and three pro- 
 fessors and an assistant teacher chosen. Previously 
 to this, the Rev. William S. Polts, of St. Louis, hav- 
 ing signified his acceptance of the presidency of the 
 institution, in August last, the regulations of the 
 literary department were adopted, the college fac- 
 ulty organized, and classes regularly formed. At 
 the same meeting of the board, the Rev. D. Nelson, 
 
6S THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 Dr. Clark, and W. Muldrow, having stated that the 
 funds to pay the New York loan had been received, 
 tendered a surrender of the direction of the trust 
 estate of the corporation, which was accepted by the 
 board, and the necessary writings ordered to be pre- 
 pared. By this act the existence of the ' Education 
 Company of the West ' ceases, and the whole respon- 
 sibility and control of the property rests with the 
 corporation, 
 
 ''The smaller tract of land will be occupied by the 
 classes constituting the college proper. On this, 
 buildings will be erected for the accommodation of 
 the president, professors, and students, a boarding- 
 house, and a house for the steward and farmer. The 
 president's house and a new boarding-house are now 
 under contract, and will be finished as speedily as 
 possible. 
 
 " Upon one division of the larger tract is the pre- 
 paratory department, where accommodations for one 
 hundred students, it is hoped, will be completed this 
 fall ; comprising dormitories, a recitation house, a 
 boarding-house, and residence for the steward and 
 farmer, who superintends the labor of the students 
 in this department. 
 
 " In the centre of this tract will be the buildings 
 necessaryfortheaccommodation of the professors and 
 students of the Theological Seminary, and the farmer 
 having the supervision of their labor. It is also the 
 purpose of the trustees, should circumstances war- 
 rant it, to connect Law and Medical schools, under 
 competent teachers, with the plan. A Female Semi- 
 nary of a high order will also be located in the vi- 
 cinity. 
 
MARION COLLEGE. 69 
 
 '' The plan at present proposed for the support of 
 the professors and students is as follows : The presi- 
 dent and each of the professors in the Theological 
 School is to receive the net income of five hundred 
 acres of college land, fifty of which is to be cultivat- 
 ed in grain and vegetables, and the remainder in 
 timothy grass. Each of the professors in the literary 
 department and the principal of the preparatory 
 school is to have the net income of three hundred 
 acres, thirty of which are to be cultivated as a garden, 
 and the remainder in timothy. Each student will be 
 expected to cultivate one acre of this land as a gar- 
 den, and harvest nine acres of timothy. The garden 
 land will always lie in the immediate vicinity of the 
 student's dormitory, and the corner stake of his acre 
 will be marked with the number of his room. This 
 will be worked principally by hand, and in the hours 
 assigned for labor in term time. The timothy will 
 demand his attention only in harvesting and prepar- 
 ing the hay for market, which will occur during vaca- 
 tion. The timothy land will lie some distance from 
 the college, and the students will encamp upon the 
 meadow, and continue there until the whole work of 
 cutting, curing and baling is completed. The hay 
 will be cut by a horse-power machine, and baled by 
 a power press. 
 
 ^' The products of the land of each professorship 
 will be divided, one third to the professor and two 
 thirds to the student cultivating it. By this plan, five 
 hundred acres of land are to support one professor 
 in the theological department and fifty students; and 
 three hundred acres support a professor in the liter- 
 ary department and thirty students. The garden- 
 
70 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 land, after supplying the grain and vegetables neces- 
 sary for the consumption of the boarding-houses, will 
 be used for such crops as the state of the market may, 
 from time to time, dictate as most profitable. The 
 hay will be received by a trading-house at the Mis- 
 sissippi River, established for the purpose, at the 
 fair market price, and by them shipped to the New 
 Orleans market. The tuition fees will go into the 
 treasury of the institution, to be used in keeping up 
 repairs, paying salaries not otherwise provided for, 
 and incidental expenses. One acre of land in the 
 vicinity of the college, cultivated in onions, peas, 
 beans, or hops, it is believed from experiments made, 
 will yield to the student more than a sufficiency to 
 pay his board. The hay market, extending from 
 the mouth of the Ohio to the Gulf of Mexico, and 
 even to the West Indies, is too extensive ever to be 
 glutted, and the price scarcely ever falls below $20 
 per ton (the last season it has brought $40). The 
 price of freight will not exceed five dollars per ton, 
 giving from ten to fifteen dollars as the fair market 
 value of hay delivered upon the bank of the river in 
 Marion County. The land owned by the college, it 
 is estimated by farmers best acquainted with its ca- 
 pabilities will cut two tons to the acre. From these 
 estimates it will be easy for any one to demonstrate 
 the entire practicability of the self-supporting sys- 
 tem proposed by the board of trustees." 
 
 So much from the history of the founding of the 
 college, as given in the catalogue. Taking the es- 
 timates given as reliable, it would seem that the entire 
 practicability of the self-supporting system was dem- 
 onstrated. 
 
MARION COLLEGE. 71 
 
 For each student the yield would be : — 
 
 6 acres of hay, 12 tons at ^10 $120 
 
 Garden crop of onions, enough for board. 50 
 
 Total for each student $170 
 
 For the president and each theological professor : 
 
 150 acres of hay, 300 tons at $ro feooo 
 
 Garden crop of 50 students, \ 1250 
 
 Total for each. .... $4250 
 
 For each college professor : — 
 
 90 acres of hay, 180 tons, at %\o $1800 
 
 Garden crop of '30 students, -g- 750 
 
 Total $2550 
 
 These sums would seem to have been ample to 
 sustain pupils and teachers well in those early days. 
 But who can suppress a smile as he reads this plan, 
 with all of its details ? The morus multicaulis craze or 
 the South Sea scheme were hardly more wild and 
 chimerical. Doubtless to the infatuated imagination 
 of Col. Muldrow and Dr. Ely, it was as beautiful as 
 any bubble that ever polarized the light of the sun. 
 But to the common-sense judgment of practical men 
 it was as sure to burst, as burst it did, in less than 
 ten years. A grand university, with college, and 
 theological, law, medical, and female schools attached, 
 to be supported by five thousand acres of raw land in 
 the wilds of the West! The different departments 
 fourteen miles apart; and the students to sustain it, 
 in their leisure moments, by raising onions and cutting 
 timothy hay ! Surely, as Dr. Rob^ert Breckinridge 
 once remarked, Presbyterians, in some things, seem 
 to be the Lord's silly sheep. Yet this enterprise had 
 
72 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 connected with it, as we shall see, some of the grand- 
 est men that ever trod the soil of Missouri, or labored 
 for the salvation of souls within its borders — Nelson, 
 Potts, Ely, and Gallaher. 
 
 We shall now, from the information contained in 
 the catalogue, set forth the course of study, plan of 
 government, and other interesting facts concerning 
 the college, at the time when Mr. Kemper first en- 
 tered it as a pupil. 
 
 The course of study was arranged upon the ordina- 
 ry plan of the graded curriculum. An examination 
 in all previous studies was necessary for admission 
 to any of the college classes. In the freshman year 
 the studies were : ^neid, Livy, Latin Composition, 
 Ancient Geography, Roman and Greek Antiquities, 
 Cyropgedia, Graeca Majora, Algebra, Declamation, 
 and the Bible. In the sophhomore : Bucolics and 
 Georgics, Cicero's Select Orations, Horace, Iliad, 
 Graeca Majora (Oratorical and Philosophical), Geom- 
 etry, Composition, Declamation, Reading, and the 
 Bible. In the junior : Cicero de Oratore, Juvenal, 
 Critical, Miscellaneous, and Epic extracts of the 
 Graeca Majora, Longinus, Greek Testament, Hebrew 
 (optional), Trigonometry, Conic Sections, application 
 of Algebra to Geometry and Trigonometry, Rhetoric, 
 Elements of Criticism, Evidences of Christianity, 
 Political Economy, Original Speeches, Composition, 
 and the Bible, In the senior : Tacitus, Cicero de 
 Amicitia and de Senectute, Graeca Majora, Hebrew, 
 German, and French (these three optional). Mental 
 nnd Moral Philosophy, Natural Philosophy, Astron- 
 omy, Chemistry, Geology and Mineralogy, Original 
 Speeches, Composition, and the Bible. 
 
MARION COLLEGE. 73 
 
 This seems quite a full course of study, especially in 
 the Latin, where Caesar and Sallust were read in the 
 preparatory department. In the mental sciences we 
 observe the absence of Natural Theology and Logic. 
 It is noticeable that the natural sciences are post- 
 poned until the senior year. But the most impor- 
 tant criticism to be made is, that, for the average 
 student, such'a long list of studies was impracticable. 
 The catalogue says upon this point : " The course 
 here laid down is simple and practicable, and each 
 student will be required to master it fairly." We 
 may place ourself outside of the current of opinion 
 among teachers, but we venture to say that it was 
 and is a rare mind which could or can master the 
 above course within the limit of four years. It is our 
 belief that this is one of the practical mistakes made 
 by our popu4ar schools of to-day. In the attempt to 
 do too much, nothing is really and fully done. In 
 the senior year of the above course, there are no less 
 than ten different books, embracing nine distinct 
 branches to be pursued and completed. This omits 
 Hebrew, French, German, and the Bible. Seven of 
 these branches are confined to this year. Now we 
 declare it as our judgment, that, for nine tenths of 
 our young people, it is impracticable to master the 
 elements of Mental, Moral, and Natural Philosophy, 
 Astronomy, Chemistry, Geology, and Mineralogy, 
 and complete a course of Latin and Greek, within 
 the space of nine calendar months. For the remain- 
 ing tenth it may be practicable, but for them it is 
 unwise. 
 
 While the course thus prescribed was necessary for 
 the regular college degree, it was provided that ir- 
 4 
 
74 THE LIFE OF PROF, KEMPER. 
 
 regular students e^hould receive '^ at the end of their 
 course certificates from the professors they have at- 
 tended." We do not approve of the graded plan, 
 which ordinarily obtains in our colleges and high 
 schools. We believe it to be unnatural, and impos- 
 sible of execution, except at the expense of the best 
 results in three fourths of our students. In Marion 
 College certificates were granted the irregular stu- 
 dents by those professors on whom they attended. 
 Why may not this be done by every college working 
 under the graded system 1 It surely may, and ought 
 to be. Here is a young man, who goes to our State 
 University to study languages. He has special capa- 
 bilities in that direction, and the university has excel- 
 lent teachers to instruct him. Why, then, should he, 
 after having studied Latin, Greek, French, German, 
 Hebrew, and Anglo-Saxon triumphantly, tee dismissed 
 without any testimonial of his success "^ He does not 
 merit A B , but he. ought to be pronounced a grad- 
 uate in languages, and have a diploma to attest the 
 fact. 
 
 As to the "rules for the internal government of 
 Marion College," there are some points of interest. 
 One of the distinctive features of its plan was, as we 
 have already seen, self-support and the maintenance 
 of the professors by the manual labor of the students. 
 We are therefore not surprised to see among the 
 rules, that each student would " be required \.o\?Coov.,'' 
 in the cultivation of ten acres of land, " three hours 
 per day." In case of bodily infirmity, it is provided 
 that he might be excused from this. Although this 
 was a fundamental principle in the organization of 
 the college, we know that it was not enforced, and 
 
MARION COLLEGE. 75 
 
 the whole thing was doubtless entirely optional. If 
 a student preferred to pay, he did so ; if he preferred 
 to work, he did so. As a matter of fact, Mr. Kemper 
 often said that the only manual labor upon the col- 
 lege land which he performed, during his stay of five 
 years, was to help a fellow-student one morning to 
 dig his potatoes. 
 
 As to religious exercises, a blessing was asked at 
 the table before, and thanks were returned after, eat- 
 ing. Morning and evening prayers were held in the 
 chapel daily. Divine worship was conducted every 
 Sabbath morning at ii o'clock, and a Bible-class re- 
 cited in the afternoon at 3 o'clock. All the students 
 were required to attend upon these several services. 
 
 An interesting and rather peculiar feature of the 
 college government was the use made of monitors, 
 selected from the students. There was a monitor 
 for each class, taken in alphabetical order, and serv- 
 ing each one week. He kept the class roll, marked 
 absentees from the various recitations and religious 
 services, and reported to the professor conducting 
 prayers on Saturday evening. 
 
 The students did their studying in their bedrooms. 
 " All romping, wrestling, scuffling, vulgar familiari- 
 ties, noise, whooping, swearing, playing with cards, 
 dice, checkers, chess, or any other game," were " abso- 
 lutely forbidden." No student was allowed to use, 
 have in his possession, or bring upon the college 
 grounds any intoxicating liquor, or to keep or use fire- 
 arms on the college premises. The punishments pre- 
 scribed were admonition, private and public, rustica- 
 tion, and expulsion. There was quite an unusual 
 arrangement of the terms and vacations. There were 
 
70 THE LIFE OF PROF, KEMPER. 
 
 three vacations, the chief one commencing the Last 
 Thursday in June and continuing eight weeks, a re- 
 cess of two weeks from the first Monday in October, 
 and one of two weeks from the first Monday in April. 
 Board was fifty dollars per annum, or one and one 
 fourth dollars per week. That seems cheap, when hay 
 was worth a minimum of $20 per ton, and '' one acre 
 of land in onions, peas, beans, or hops would yield to 
 the student more than a sufficiency to pay his board." 
 Tuition was I20 per annum. 
 
 The trustees of the college were : Rev. William S. 
 Potts, Rev. David Nelson, M.D., David Clark, M.D., 
 J. A. Minter, Joseph Lafon, M.D , Colonel William 
 Muldrow,* James Spear, Samuel Sloane, M.D., Rev. 
 Cyrus Nichols, Theodore Jones, Esq., Henry Dunn, 
 James Porter, Major Henry Willis, John Dunn, Thom- 
 as L. Anderson, Esq., Jeter Hicks, and Rev. William 
 P. Cochran. 
 
 The faculty of the literary department consisted of 
 Rev. William S. Potts, president, w^hose memory is 
 blessedly fragrant to tlie hearts of the older Presby- 
 terians of Missouri; Rev. Job F. Halsey, teacher of 
 mental and moral philosophy ; Rev. Samuel C. Mc- 
 Connell, teacher of natural philosophy and mathe- 
 matics ; John Roche, A.M., teacher of Latin and 
 Greek ; Samuel Barschall, teacher of Hebrew, Ger- 
 
 * This Colonel William Muldrow is said to be the original of 
 Mark Twain's Colonel Mulberry Sellers. He could have sat for the 
 portrait. As we have seen, he was one of the founders of the col- 
 lege, and the originator doubtless of its scheme of endowment. 
 It IS said that a gentleman by the name of Hutchison actually 
 called one of his own sons, " Onward Opposition to Bill Muldrow 
 and Marion College Hutchison." 
 
MARION COLLEGE. 77 
 
 man, and French ; Rev. Allen Gallaher, principal of 
 preparatory school. 
 
 The theological teachers were Rev. Job F. Hal- 
 sey, professor of pastoral theology ; Rev, James Gal- 
 laher (the author of " The Western Sketch Book" 
 and of "The Pilgrimage of Adam and David,'' and 
 one of the most noted preachers of his day in the 
 West), professor of didactic theology and sacred 
 eloquence ; Rev. Ezra Stiles Ely, D.D. (the Eastern 
 Coryphaeus, who came West to be one of the lead- 
 ing spirits in this, to be, magnificent university), 
 professor of polemic theology, biblical literature, 
 and sacred criticism ; and Rev. Charles W. Nassau 
 (for many years afterward the accomplished head of 
 a female school at Lawrenceville, near Princeton, 
 New Jersey), assistant teacher of the original lan- 
 guages of the Sacred Scriptures. 
 
 It strikes us as strange that Dr. Nelson, the au- 
 thor of " The Cause and Cure of Infidelity," and one 
 of the really strong men of his time, did not belong 
 to the faculty at this date. He was the original found- 
 er and president of the institution. That he was not 
 continued as a teacher is doubtless due to the fact, 
 stated in some of Mr. Kemper's papers, that, with all 
 his splendid talents as a preacher and writer, he was 
 not fitted for the school-room. 
 
 The catalogue of students for this year, 1835-36, 
 furnishes some interesting items. There were three 
 seniors, who, we may presume, were graduated. 
 There were none in the junior class. There were 
 seven sophomores. There were ten freshmen, among 
 whom we are interested to see H. A. Nelson, A. L. 
 Slayback, and Sheppard Wells. There were sixty 
 
78 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 in the preparatory department. There is no list of 
 theological students, and this fact probably indi- 
 cates that this department was not opened until the 
 fall of 1836. 
 
 It will interest and surprise many to learn that, of 
 these eighty students enrolled in this infant college 
 on the west side of the Mississippi in the year 1835-36, 
 only sixteen were from the county in which it was 
 located; only twenty-eight from Missouri altogether; 
 while Maryland, Connecticut, and Illinois furnished 
 one each ; Louisiana, two ; Kentucky, Tennessee, and 
 Massachusetts, three each ; Virginia and Ohio, six 
 each; and Pennsylvania and New York, no less than 
 thirteen apiece. At least one half of the students 
 came, in those days of slow travel, from a distance of 
 not less than one thousand miles. The old States of 
 Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsyl- 
 vania, Maryland, and Virginia, six of the original 
 thirteen, sent thirty-seven students to this college, 
 not yet out of its swaddling-clothes, whose buildings 
 were of logs, and whose support was dependent upon 
 the hay and vegetables produced by its pupils. It 
 is not probable that the annals of education, even 
 in this wonderland of ours, can furnish a parallel to 
 this. We cease to think it strange that our Mr. 
 Kemper and his brother William joined this eastern 
 caravan of youthful pilgrims seeking for knowl- 
 edge as it flowed from the Pierian spring in Marion 
 County, Missouri. But we do wonder that Iowa 
 sent not a single student, and Illinois but one, while 
 New York and Pennsylvania, with three broad States 
 intervening, furnished almost as many as Missouri 
 itself. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 LIFE AT MARION COLLEGE. 
 
 " Giv^e me 
 Leave to enjoy myself. That place that does 
 Contain my books, the best companions, is 
 To me a glorious court, where hourly I 
 Converse with the old sages and philosophers." 
 
 Fletcher. 
 
 As we have seen, the Marion College premises em- 
 braced two tracts of land. The smaller contained 
 four hundred and seventy acres ; wsls in the vicinity 
 of the point originally selected for the location of the 
 college ; was about twelve miles west from Palmyra; 
 and had for its post-office, West Ely. The larger 
 tract, subsequently purchased, contained about forty- 
 five hundred acres ; was six miles south of Palmyra, 
 and twelve miles west from Hannibal. The former 
 was known as'^ Upper College," and was the seat of 
 the college proper. The latter was styled " Lower 
 College," where the theological seminary and pre- 
 paratory department were located. 
 
 Mr. Kemper was not- prepared to enter the fresh- 
 man class of the college, but spent the first two years 
 of his sojourn here in the preparatory classes. He 
 remained a student of the college five years, with one 
 interval of about eight months, graduating with the 
 
8o THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 class of 1841. We have the benefit of his journal for 
 less than two years of this period. There is a gap 
 from July, 1S38, to 1849. ^^ is almost certain that he 
 kept a record of these years, but it has been mislaid, 
 probably has perished. We are quite thankful for 
 the journal of the early months of his stay at Marion, 
 as it reveals to us much of his character and spiritual 
 history during this period. We shall be tempted to 
 make liberal extracts, as almost every page is replete 
 with interest. 
 
 " Sunday^ October 9^ 1836. — To-day heard Dr. Ely 
 preach from ' This is a faithful saying,' etc. I hope 
 the Lord blessed me, though evil and unthankful. 
 I came back to my room and uttered the feelings of 
 my heart in Doddridge's ' God of my life,' etc. I hope 
 that the Lord is leading me, the chief of sinners, to 
 some establishment in the divine life. I feel as if I 
 wanted to ' get away ' from sin. 
 
 " Tuesday^ October 11. — I have to-day recited the 
 three declensions of Greek nouns to Mr. Marks [the 
 Rev. J. J. Marks, D.D., now of Springfield, Mo.]. 
 He seemed to be quite pleased with my recitation. 
 I have accomplished very little yesterday and to-day. 
 Why is it ? I rise too late. I do not observe regu- 
 larity in my times for exercise and relaxation.- I 
 eat too much. I am getting too familiar with some 
 of the students, and visit too long, I have not com- 
 menced the days by fervency of prayer and dedica- 
 tion to God. I have done minor business in the best 
 study hours. Let me to-morrow avoid these sins, 
 and see the effect on the day's study. Lord, inspire 
 me with diligence in business and fervency of spirit. 
 Let me rise and be at my Greek grammar by the 
 
LIFE AT MARION COLLEGE, 8i 
 
 time I can first see to read it. Let me exercise and 
 relax after breakfast. Let me keep at home. Let 
 me commence the day with God. Let me practice 
 my golden rule for diet, eat as much as will support 
 the system in the best way, and best prepare it for 
 the day's work. We never regret having eaten too 
 little, was Jefferson's maxim. 
 
 "^ Wednesday^ Octobei' i3. — To-morrow want to com- 
 mit adjectives and pronouns in Greek grammar, if 
 possible. Begin long before day, if I can get up. 
 Have regular devotions. I have always felt most fit 
 for the duties of this life when I have felt best pre- 
 pared to leave it. Bene orasse, etc. Eat little. Go 
 into no one's house unless absolutely necessary. 
 
 '' Wednesday, October 26. — Commenced reading the 
 fifth book of Caesar last Friday. I am further ad- 
 vanced in Latin than this, having read Caesar and 
 Virgil before. My object is to read them over again 
 simultaneously with my Greek studies. I want to be 
 perfect in the classics. 
 
 ^^ Monday, November "]. — This evening T attended 
 monthly concert. I hope the Lord was there, and, in 
 a measure, scattered the thick clouds of doubt and 
 hesitation which have hung over my head this after- 
 noon. I felt more for the cause of missions than I 
 ever did before, I think. Felt ready to make any 
 sacrifice for my divine Master. I hope I felt so. 
 Spent good part of the afternoon in digesting some 
 maxims and regulations for my conduct. 
 
 *' Wednesday, November 9. — When at public prayers 
 this morning, Mr. Marks reiterated the importance 
 of improving every moment, and prayed against 
 slothfulness and procrastination, I felt guilty. Yester- 
 
 4* 
 
82 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 day I did not do a full day's work. My excuse was, 
 that I was weak and feeble from loss of sleep. I 
 suppose it will take me six months' effort to acquire 
 the habit of doing with little sleep. I eat too much 
 to sleep little. I resolved, for the next six months, 
 to live on vegetable food and acquire this habit also. 
 But let me think before I adopt this habit. My 
 plans are adopted too hastily, and I don't enter 
 them from established principles, and thus I am 
 liable to be defeated. At any rate, T will do without 
 animal food until I shall have thought more about 
 the six months' time. 
 
 "When a question of duty arises, I must say, 
 ' Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do"^' and in a sub- 
 missive, childlike spirit, go and do it. If I am not 
 willing to do what is my duty, I am no Christian. 
 ' If a man hate not his own life, he cannot be My 
 disciple.' 
 
 " This evening Mr. Park invited me to attend a 
 private meeting next Tuesday night, the object of 
 which is to promote a revival of vital religion. 
 
 ^'■Friday, November ii. — This evening feel that 
 Mr. Park was right. Nothing so simple as the cross 
 of Christ. ' Come, let us all serve the Lord,' was 
 my feeling. 
 
 " Tuesday^ November 15. — To-day read first lesson 
 in the Greek Reader, and second lesson in Sallust. 
 
 ^'Friday, Nov. 18. — Teachers' meeting at night. 
 To-day have been vexing myself to know whether I 
 would be willing to do this or that, if Christ should 
 wish me to do so. This is vain. I hope I am willing 
 to do every duty, when it is made plain. I hope I 
 can, calmlv and through choice, do every duty, one 
 
LIFE A T MARION COLLEGE. \ Z^ 
 
 after another as they come up. This alone is my 
 business. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. 
 God will bless me in this. 
 
 " Sunday^ Nov. 20. — I hope I enjoy the calm retire- 
 ment of the Sabbath. I feel as if my ' Sabbath days 
 can never be too long.' During the past week I have 
 attended the meeting for the promotion of a revival 
 here. I attended the teachers' meeting on Thursday 
 night, the debating society on Friday night." 
 
 It is manifest from these entries that he taught in 
 the preparatory department the first year of his stay 
 at Marion College. 
 
 " I hope I have entered upon the plan of eating 
 slowly, and only enough to support nature in the 
 best discharge of all her functions. The advantages 
 I find are unspeakable. 
 
 "The faults of the week : i. Want of regularity 
 in hours of retiring, which makes me lose a good 
 part of the morning, and unfits my soul for spiritual 
 enjoyment, and my body for easy, cheerful discharge 
 of its functions. 2. Carelessly wasting monients in 
 the company of students. 3. Devotigns neglected or 
 partially attended to. 4. Praying without the un- 
 derstanding; not thinking upon the holiness and 
 greatness of God before adoration, for instance. 5. 
 Not cultivating benignity of spirit and cheerfulness 
 of countenance and expression. 
 
 " Thursday^ Nov. 24. — From loss of sleep I did not 
 rise this morning till the last horn for prayers. Had 
 not time then to prepare my lessons for recitation, 
 and did not know them ' exactly,' as Dr. Beecher 
 says. These lessons will take almost as long to re- 
 view them critically as to learn them at first. 
 
84 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 " If I neglect one duty to attend to another, instead 
 of furthering my plans for usefulness, I fail in the 
 very duty for which I sacrificed the other. ' Con- 
 jurat amice. ' There must be harmony. Order is 
 heaven's first law. An interesting teachers' meet- 
 ing to-night. 
 
 " Thursday^ Dec. i. — Have enjoyed more real pleas- 
 ure this morning in reading and meditating upon 
 Lord Chesterfield's rules for the improvement of time, 
 etc., than I ever could have done in sensual enjoy- 
 ment. Although they are his, they are good in- 
 deed. 
 
 ^'- Sunday^ Dec. 4. — I agreed to open the remarks at 
 the next conference, because I made a remark in 
 conference this evening ; which remark made me 
 feel more on the Lord's side than if I had neglected 
 it. I am convinced that, having professed to be a 
 Christian, I should shrink from none of the duties of 
 a Christian, but perform them fully. 
 
 '' Monday, Dec. 19. — Commenced boarding ourselves 
 last Thursday. Live mostly on mush, bread, and 
 molasses. Like it much. With the exception of 
 Thursday, I have breakfasted ever since on bread 
 and water. 
 
 '-''Monday, Dec. 26. — I believe that daily self-ex- 
 amination is indispensable to correct habits and my 
 religious walk. I sometimes am persuaded by lazi- 
 ness that it is not my imperious duty. Everything 
 is my imperious duty which helps me in making the 
 most of myself." 
 
 '"'- Sunday, Jan. i, 1837. — Glorious indications of a 
 revival of religion. Last night some of the pious 
 students held a 'watch-meeting,' at which several 
 
LIFE AT MARION COLLEGE. §5 
 
 persons came out and expressed an anxiety for the 
 prayers of God's people. 
 
 " Tuesday, Jan. 34. — Studying Greek Reader, Sal- 
 Just, Worcester's History, restudying Latin Gram- 
 mar, and expect soon to restudy Greek Grammar. 
 
 "'Feb. I, 1837, — I feel a considerable anxiety this 
 morning lest I should not improve this month to the 
 utmost. I never have improved my time wisely. 
 God be merciful to me, a sinner. 
 
 " Man's wisdom is to seek 
 His strength in God alone ; 
 And e'en an angel would be weak 
 That trusted in his own !" 
 
 *• Thursday, Feb. 9.— Attended a prayer-meeting to- 
 night in Park's room. I was requested to lead it, and 
 did so ; the first time I ever led, I believe. I have 
 always been deterred from activity in the cause of 
 Gody from motives of uBworlhiness in myself. To- 
 night, however, I took the lead cheerfully ; I suppose 
 because of some meditations at my devotions. 
 
 ''Monday, /^^^. 20.— Last Tuesday I engaged my- 
 self as agent for the American Tract Society^ from 
 April 15 to October 15, six months. 
 
 " I Avould here notice a remark of Mr. Marks last 
 Friday, with respect to self-denial. It is as necessary 
 to mental eminence as to spiritual. That man may 
 do anything who becomes so much master of him- 
 self as to eat and sleep only enough to support na- 
 ture. He went on amplifying the thought until my 
 aspirations were as large as the round world. Oh 
 that I would (for I can) attain such a mastery over 
 my passions as to make them complete servants of 
 my intellect and conscience. 
 
86 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 '' Plan for the day: i. Get Pantheon till noon. 
 2. Devotions. 3. Exercise one hour. 4. Dine. 5. 
 Greek grammar, one and a half hours. 6. History, 
 two hours. 7, Recreation, and devotions, and exer- 
 cise. 8. Get excited, and conclude speech. 9. Com- 
 mit dialosfue. 
 
 "The mastery of myself is my object. Gratia sit 
 mihi addenda. 
 
 " Saturday, Feb. 25. — The evidences of the Chris- 
 tian religion should have been a prominent object of 
 my investigation, and I can give no consistent, log- 
 ical reason of the hope that is in me. As a conse- 
 quence, I have lived without an abiding sense of 
 Christian responsibility. I have been looking to others 
 to take the lead in religion, w4ien I should have been 
 an example to them. Instead of giving my influence 
 fearlessly to the cause of truth, and instead of form- 
 ing a model for others, who need it very much, I 
 have weakly formed my habits upon their model. 
 It must be my object to have a consistent chain of 
 argument to support my religious belief. If it can- 
 not have this, it must be discarded. I must also be 
 more intelligently and devotionally acquainted with 
 the contents of the Bible, as well as the evidence of 
 its truth as a whole. That man is silly who suffers 
 his opinions to outrun his proofs, and his character 
 will never stand out boldly useful from the herd of 
 mankind. 
 
 ^''Sunday., Feb. 26, — I hope I enjoyed to-night's 
 sermon. I was reminded in it of several things, of 
 which I am too forgetful. Mr, Marks said : ' There is 
 no happiness like dying daily. The man of the world 
 is the slave of the world.' I also called to mind a re- 
 
. LIFE A T MARION COLLEGE. 87 
 
 mark of his, on a former occasion, concerning Ed- 
 wards, that he resolved there should not be on earth 
 a holier man than himself. I hope I feel that all 
 hope of being better in the future will fail, unless I 
 no%v begin, and now become such as my better judg- 
 ment points out. If I do not begin this moment, the 
 probability that I shall do it to-morrow is less. Every 
 day that I defer being what I ought to be, I increase 
 the difficulties of being what I ought to be, and, of 
 course, lessen its probability. 
 
 " I regard the maxim of living day by day as es- 
 pecially important. An anxious thought about to- 
 morrow will lessen present attainments. If I am 
 this moment breaking off from all sin and ' learning 
 to do well,' it is all that the best nian can do, and is, 
 at the same time, the best assurance that I shall do 
 well to-morrow. 
 
 '''Monday, Feb. 27. — The subject for spiritual med- 
 itation to-day is, entire, universal action for Christ, 
 in eating, drinking, wearing. Singleness of eye. I 
 am bought with a price. I am not my own. The 
 minutest actions of my life must not be done in the 
 sight of my own eyes. But I must walk this day by 
 faith. The tempted soul who resists is higher in 
 moral greatness than the soul that is holy without 
 trial. 
 
 " Tuesday, Feb. 28.— I will make the following 
 maxims : i. Always feel that you have enough to 
 do every day to keep you busy. Do not simply feel 
 that you have a great deal to do, and then stand off 
 and dread it, but have it on hand. 2. If you see any- 
 thing that ought to be done^, never stop to inquire 
 whether your motives in doing it would be correct. 
 
88 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 If you do, you will probably neglect to do what you 
 confess ought to be done, and your motives by this 
 neglect will be getting no better. On the other hand, 
 outward performance of duty will tend to spiritual- 
 ize the mind. For instance, I know that I ought to 
 be diligent in study, and accomplish a great deal 
 every day. But I must not be idle, or cease to labor 
 hard, because I fear I am not doing it entirely for 
 God's glory. Do your duty in any respect, and you 
 will be favorably inclined to all duties. 3. In aim- 
 ing to be strictly religious, let it not create an un- 
 natural sadness of countenance, or a want of suavity 
 and gentleness, or an unnatural demeanor in the per- 
 formance of any duties. If you do, there will be a 
 reaction, and your supposed sanctity w^ill create dis- 
 gust, and you will perhaps fall lower than you were 
 before you tried to live above this earth. Wisdom's 
 ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are 
 peace. 
 
 " Monday^ April 3. — Have been rising late for some 
 time past. Am getting too fat. This has contrib- 
 uted to it, I think. Rose quite early this morning. 
 Wish to acquire that industrious habit which would 
 hQ ptmis/iedhy lying late. 
 
 '^ Smiday^ April g.~l desire to record it here that 
 the Lord has this evening put it into my heart to 
 dedicate myself to him anew. I do hereby reject all 
 dependence on myself, and, in gratitude for any dis- 
 position I may now have to serve him, I would 
 depend on that same influence for future preserva- 
 tion. My object is, that I may learn and do the will 
 of God. Is it not my privilege to do the will of my 
 Father in heaven, and, like Enoch, to have the testi- 
 
LIFE AT MARION COLLEGE, 89 
 
 mony that I please God, and, like Paul, to keep al- 
 ways a conscience void of offence toward God and 
 toward men ? All my help is in Thee." 
 
 Shortly after this last date, probably about April 
 15, 1837, he entered upon his engagement as colpor- 
 teur of the American Tract Society. He continued 
 in this arduous, self-denying missionary labor until 
 the closing days of February, 1838. It seems an 
 humble work for a man of his gifts and abilities for 
 higher spheres of Christian effort and usefulness. 
 He did not think so, but manifestly entered upon his 
 mission with the conviction that it was, at that time, 
 the thing which the Lord would have him do. That 
 he did not despise it, nor shrink from its self-denials, 
 is plainly seen in the fact that he continued in the 
 service several months after the originally stipulated 
 period for its termination, and after the fall term of 
 the colleo:e had commenced. 
 
 There are a few facts, gleaned from his journal, 
 which occurred during the period of this agency. 
 He mentions visiting Mr. Bowling, Mr. Griffin, Mr. 
 William Henry, Mr. Dimmitt, Rev. F. R. Gray, Mr. 
 Tyre Haden, Mr. Peter Leonard, Mr. Bond, Mr. 
 Fike, and Mr. Fisher. He seems to have been very 
 unfavorably impressed by New London, in Ralls 
 County, of which he says : '' I suppose it is a Sodom. 
 I should judge there are not ten righteous men in 
 it." 
 
 He had quite an exciting experience on one occa- 
 sion at a religious service. He was allowed to pre- 
 sent his cause by the minister, who, however, proved 
 after all to be an ignorant, conceited bigot, and vio- 
 lently opposed him, on the ground that the Tract 
 
90 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 Society was sectarian ! He remarks that the minis- 
 ter's own wife sided with the society, and that the 
 opposition did not prevent the sale of books. 
 
 One of the gentlemen with whom he lodged, a 
 good man, but manifestly a fanatic, averred and be- 
 lieved that, when he was converted, " he saw Jesus, 
 and was within six feet of him." 
 
 When he visited Mr. Fike's the last time, he found 
 him dying, and remarks : " How solemn did I feel ! 
 
 1 felt that I was in the presence of death, and that 
 ' the chamber where the good man meets his fate 
 is privileged above the common walks of virtuous 
 life, quite on the verge of heaven.' 
 
 Amid the bustle and worry of this nomadic life, 
 he found time to write in his journal : " Two of my 
 errors have been called to mind. First, Asking God 
 to give me repentance, when that is the very thing 
 w^iich the Spirit is asking me to do, and I am not do- 
 ing it." [Yet repentance is the gift of God, and is to 
 be sought for in answer to prayer. Acts 5 : 31 ; ii : i8 ; 
 
 2 Timothy 2 : 25.] ^'Second, Expecting to get filled 
 with the Spirit during the business and cares of the 
 day, when I neglect or slightly perform my morning 
 devotions. It is very clear that unless I get baptized 
 with the Holy Ghost before business commences, I 
 will not be afterward. This error is as unphilo- 
 sophical as it is discordant with Bible injunction." 
 " John Wesley was always in haste, but never in a 
 hurry. ' Hence' says he, ' I never undertake any- 
 thing more than I can perform with perfect calmness 
 of spirit.' Resolved to go only into that company 
 (except to do them good) from which I may get the 
 most possible benefit while in it. A companion of 
 
LIFE AT MARION COLLEGE. 91 
 
 fools sliall be destroyed. He that walketh with wise 
 men shall be wise." 
 
 When he resumed his duties as a student, on the 
 last day of February, 1838, it seems from his jour- 
 nal that he was located at the Upper College ; and 
 yet it is even more clear that he was still pursu- 
 ing the branches taught in the preparatory depart- 
 ment, as he mentions modern geography, Pantheon, 
 Greek and Latin grammar as the studies in which he 
 is engaged. It is probable that it was found far 
 more economical, and in every way expedient to 
 bring the more advanced students of the preparatory 
 school to the college, in order that they might be 
 tauglit by the professors. We know, from a letter in 
 our possession, that the Lower College was aban- 
 doned altogether at the ensuing fall session. The 
 w^onder is that they should ever have attempted to 
 carry them on fourteen miles apart. 
 
 Having witnessed an unprofitable discussion be- 
 tween his brother and chum, he is led to say, " Re- 
 solved never to dispute unless with a view of doing 
 my antagonist good, by reclaiming him from error. 
 When it is plain that the talk is verging toward 
 crimination and recrimination, to desist immediate- 
 ly. Also to cease whenever there is no probability 
 of gaining my object — that is, refuting a material 
 error." 
 
 '^Sunday, April 22, 1838," he w^rites : "I think 
 every day how circumspect I will be to-niori'oiv. Just 
 as if, to use an expression of President Wayland's, 
 a man should be always neglecting his duties, and 
 devising how he would do if he lived in the moon. 
 I am very much one of these lunatics. Why, if I ever 
 
92 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 do my duty, it will not be done to-morrow. To- 
 morrow is not mine." 
 
 About the first of June he made an engagement to 
 deliver the" Comprehensive Commmentary'' to sub- 
 scribers at forty-five cents a volume. This work he 
 attended to probably during the holidays, and was 
 the means, doubtless, of providing him with this valu- 
 able thesaurus of criticism upon the Scriptures. It 
 became, we know, the basis of all his subsequent 
 study of the sacred volume. 
 
 On the 4th of July, 1838, he was made the super- 
 intendent of the college Sunday-school, and entered 
 upon its duties with a spirit of earnest and humble 
 activity. This is a signal proof of the highest esti- 
 mate which was placed upon him as an intelligent 
 and useful Christian, when he was still but a student 
 in the preparatory department. 
 
 We are now about to lose the light of his journal 
 for a period of more than ten years. We deeply re- 
 gret this, for every reader doubtless agrees that the 
 extracts from it form by far the most interesting and 
 valuable portions of this volume. We shall give the 
 last entry, made July 4th, 1838 : " The Bible com- 
 mands me to be above the world ; not to fear the 
 world ; to keep my conscience void of offence tow- 
 ard God and toward man, though in so doing the 
 whole neighborhood should despise me or laugh in 
 a chorus. There is a rock that is higher than I, 
 which rock is all triLth. Though I cannot compre- 
 hend all truth, though I see in part, yet there is no 
 error in this rock. If I settle upon any part of'it, I 
 have a clue to the rest. Truth is harmonious, with- 
 out inconsistency, without disaster. Doing one duty 
 
LIFE AT MARION COLLEGE. 93 
 
 will aid another. Being humble will help me to be 
 self-denying. Though I am in a thorny maze, and 
 cannot see all the duties, or the propriety of some 
 things which I confess to be duties, yet I will do 
 duty. I will do His will, assured that I shall know 
 of the doctrine. I will be humble. I know that is 
 duty. I know moreover that I cannot err in being 
 humble. I am on the rock. I'll swing to it, though 
 'earth were from her centre tossed!' (collaterally, I 
 shall thus acquire force of character). Yes, I'll be 
 humble, even if humility is out of fashion. It is 
 delightful to have such an anchor, some lamp, some 
 unerring oracle. Such an oracle is the word of 
 God." 
 
 From his journal and some letters that have been 
 preserved, there are a few additional facts connected 
 with his life at Marion College, which may be noted. 
 We have^already observed that board was only fifty 
 dollars for the entire school-year of forty weeks. 
 This seems to us very cheap. Our wonder, however, 
 is somewhat lessened when we read of the diet that 
 was in vogue at that time. Twice in his journal he 
 speaks of boarding himself, and of living on mush, 
 bread, and molasses, and on bread and water. 
 Thomas Curd Hart writes to William H, Kemper : 
 " I am still boarding myself, and shall continue to 
 do so. I can study better, and then it is very essen- 
 tial that I practice the most rigid economy. I tell 
 you what, if I should ever be so fortunate as to get a 
 wife, I'll make up for lost time in the way of living. 
 I shall call to mind very often the bread and water 
 of Marion College. You would always have your 
 coffee and eggs, and kick up such a hurrah with 
 
94 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 your batters, that it was much more expensive for 
 you to board yourself than at the boarding-.house." 
 
 We may here say, witli regard to Mr. Kemper's 
 younger brother William, that he was thought to 
 have excelled his brother Frederick in scholarship, 
 and gifts of composition and oratory. He became 
 discouraged, however, at the failure of the college 
 to help them pay their own way, and went to Ray- 
 mond, Hinds County, Mississippi, to teach a private 
 school, and died there in less than a year. 
 
 D. J. Garnett writes from Lower College to Mr. 
 Kemper at Upper College : " We are living on corn 
 bread and water, which costs us something less than 
 a shilling a week ; cheap living, but as good as I de- 
 sire. For while it affords sufficient nourishment, it 
 leaves the mind clearer and in a better condition for 
 hard study than richer food. We generally retire at 
 lo o'clock and rise at 4 o'clock." His father, in one 
 of his letters, refers to the very meagre diet which he 
 allowed himself, and is apprehensive of its effects 
 upon his health. There are not many students from 
 good families now who would be willing to live on 
 bread and water in order to secure an education. It is 
 certainly a blessing that very few, if any, are compelled 
 so to do. It is more than doubtful whether such a 
 diet is conducive to either mental or bodily vigor. It is 
 a mistake to starve the body in order to feed the mind. 
 It was a cruel and most miserable economy which, 
 a generation ago, prevailed in our boarding-schools, 
 in giving poor and insufficient food to those who 
 were expected to study hard. The hungry days of 
 one's life are those spent in the school-room ; and na- 
 ture demands, for brain as well as brawn, that an 
 
LIFE AT MARION COLLEGE. 95 
 
 abundance of wholesome and nutritious food should 
 then be given and received. It is very probable that 
 Mr. Kemper laid the foundation of much suffering, 
 which we shall observe in his subsequent life, by the 
 partial starvation to which he subjected himself dur- 
 ing his college days. An abundance of food and of 
 sleep is necessary for a healthy growing brain. 
 
 Another very interesting point, settled during his 
 college life, was his choice of a profession. He had 
 been put to service as a clerk in a store when he was 
 not quite thirteen years of age. In this work he had 
 continued at least five years, and for it he had shown 
 an unusual aptitude. While he was at Marion a 
 tempting offer was made him to go into business as a 
 merchant. This, however, he at once and peremp- 
 torily declined. It is manifest, from many proofs, 
 that it was his expectation, when he left home for 
 Marion College, and perhaps for the first three years 
 of his stay there, to prepare himself for the Christian 
 ministry. His Virginia pastor, the Rev. A. D. Pol- 
 lock, D.D., alludes to this fact in several of his letters 
 to him, giving him such counsel as would be appro- 
 priate in such a case. Moreover, in the letter of in- 
 troduction which Dr. P. gave him to Professor's Hal- 
 sey and Agnew, he speaks of his seeking admission 
 to the college as a passway to usefulness in the min- 
 istry. He made the impression that this was his pur- 
 pose on his relatives at Walnut Hills, Ohio, as he 
 passed through Cincinnati. A letter from his father, 
 written not long after his entrance into college, refers 
 to such an intention on his part. A letter from his 
 Virginia friend, Dr. C. W. Ashby, of Jan. 32, 1839, 
 says to him : '' I hope you have not changed your 
 
96 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 mind in regard to the ministry." His special friend 
 and fellow-student, W. T. Davis, in two letters to him, 
 written early in 1840, refers in decided terms to 
 this expectation, as entertained by both of them. If 
 further proof were needed, we have it in one of his 
 own manuscripts, which is headed, " Notes of a Ser- 
 mon preached at the Camp-ground of New Provi- 
 dence Church, August, 1838." These notes are in- 
 dorsed as " No. 2, Weak Faith," showing that he had 
 prepared a sketch of a sermon once before. TJie 
 text was Rom. 14: i, and the notes are such as any 
 preacher might profitably use. Had he carried out this 
 intention, he would have made a learned and eloquent 
 preacher and a devoted, faithful, pious pastor. 
 
 In the year 1840 he had changed his mind and 
 turned his thoughts toward the law. We have the 
 evidence of one letter, written in 1837, that so early 
 as this he was wavering, hesitating between the law 
 and the ministry. But April 26, 1840, in a letter from 
 his father to his brother William, it is said, ''Fred- 
 erick writes that he intends to turn his attention to 
 the law." As appears from the context, this was not 
 in accordance with iiis father's judgment, and was, 
 perhaps for that reason, abandoned. It is doubtful 
 whether he would have suited this profession. If he 
 had entered it, he would have been better adapted to 
 the judicial gravity and research of the bench than to 
 the contentions of the bar. 
 
 Having given up both of these, he finally and fully 
 decided upon making teaching the profession of his 
 life. 
 
 In the year 1839 Dr. Potts resigned the presiden- 
 c}', and was succeeded by the Rev. Hiram P. Good- 
 
LIFE A T MARION COLLEGE. 97 
 
 rich, D.D. The institution was doubtless like a ship 
 in the midst of breakers during the whole period 
 of its history. The scheme for its support, though 
 devised by practical men, was manifestly imprac- 
 ticable. It is as much as one set of men can do to 
 carry on a university or a college. They must be 
 select men to do that. To expect the same men to 
 manage a farm of five thousand acres and support 
 the college from the proceeds is as Utopian an idea 
 as the uncrazed brain of man ever conceived. We 
 are not surprised, therefore, to see that Dr. Goodrich 
 was compelled to canvass for the college to secure 
 funds for its maintenance ; nor that, in the year 1840, 
 the very recitation benches were sold for debt, the 
 entire lot bringing less than four dollars at the forced 
 sale. About the same time Professor Thomson, the 
 able professor of mathematics, committed suicide in 
 the college campus, and Dr. Ely's wife returned from 
 Philadelphia deranged and speechless. 
 
 On Jan. 13th, 1840, Mr. Kemper was invited, by a 
 committee of the Palmyra Temperance Society, to 
 deliver an address before them on the evening of 
 the first Tuesday of February. The committee were 
 R. J. Wright, W. P. Cochran, and J. L. Hyde. He 
 accepted, and made the speech. He received the 
 thanks of the society and a very earnest request for 
 the publication of the address. We have no informa- 
 tion as to whether he agreed to its publication or not. 
 
 In the fall of 1840 he entered the senior class, 
 and having passed through the entire curriculum 
 with distinguished honor to himself, he was gradu- 
 ated with the degree of A.B. in the summer of 1841. 
 
 In connection with his life at Marion College he. 
 5 
 
98 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 formed a friendship to which we wish to call special 
 attention, for the reason that it may serve to link with 
 his name the memory of another good man and con- 
 scientious, efficient teacher. We refer to William T. 
 Davis. He was born in Washington County, Mo., 
 May 3, 1817, and was educated at Marion College, 
 where he was graduated in 1841. He was a profes- 
 sional teacher, devoting his entire life to the work. He 
 first taught in the country schools around Fayette, 
 in Howard County; then in Columbia; then in Fay- 
 ette, in connection with Mr. W. T. Lucky; then in 
 the Masonic College at Lexington, of which he was 
 at one time president ; and finally at Glasgow, as the 
 principal of the Male High School there, from 1859 
 to the fall of 1864, when he died a triumphant Chris- 
 tian death, October 14. 
 
 He was a man of good mind, unusual intelligence, 
 
 sound judgment, imperturbable good humor, and 
 
 sincere Christianity. No kinder, truer husband, 
 
 father, friend, or neighbor ever lived. As a teacher 
 
 he was universally beloved and respected by his 
 
 pupils, hundreds of whom doubtless still live to 
 
 revere his memory. The esteem in which he was 
 
 held by Mr. Kemper is plainly shown in the fact that 
 
 more of his letters were preserved than of any three 
 
 other correspondents outside of his father's family, 
 
 and in the further fact that he gave a most cordial 
 
 and flattering indorsement to the effort to make him 
 
 professor of mathematics and natural philosophy 
 
 in the State University, in the spring of i860. His 
 
 letters deserve this honor, for they are remarkably 
 
 good specim.ens of friendly letter-writing. We shall 
 
 give a few extracts from them. While a country 
 
LIFE AT MARION COLLEGE. 99 
 
 teacher, trying to make money to complete his edu- 
 cation, he writes : 
 
 " My leisure time, for the want of books, has not 
 been very profitably employed, being spent in read- 
 ing truly 'miscellaneous.' But lately I have obtain- 
 ed Glass's " Washingtonii Vita," which I am perusing 
 with all the interest the novelty of such a work and 
 the subject itself are calculated to excite. The work 
 is accompanied by the recommendations of some of 
 the best scholars in the country. J. Q. Adams says 
 it is written in 'pure Ciceronian Latin.' There is 
 something very ingenious, and to me sometimes a 
 little diverting, in the manner in which Glass has 
 adapted the ancient Latin to modern arts, improve- 
 ments, and names. For instance, he q'cxW^ fij^earnis 
 ' arma ignevoma ;' the Quakers^ ' Tremebundi ;' a gov- 
 ernor, ' gubernator;' cannon, ' tormenta majora,' etc. 
 I have no news to tell you, and my main object in 
 writing is alere flammam aniicitice. There is a great 
 deal of sickness in some parts of this county. This 
 exhorts us to be also ready, to have our lamps 
 trimmed and burning, to 'walk thoughtful on the 
 silent, solemn shore of that vast ocean we must sail 
 so soon.' 'Tis a solemn though a glorious sight to 
 see a Christian die, to see his lamp of life ' melt away 
 into the light of heaven.' But to see a sinner leaving 
 the world, which he had made his home, his all — 
 oh, who can endure the sight? Kemper, my friend 
 and brother, when I think of these things, I feel 
 that there should be more to tell the tale of Calvary, 
 more laborers in the fields, which are already white 
 to the harvest. There is now a great moral battle to 
 be fought, upon the success of which depend our in- 
 
lOO THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 dividual salvation and that of our country, the pros- 
 perity of the Church, and the glory of its matchless 
 King. This warfare is for life, and as earnest as the 
 interests of heaven, earth, and hell can make it." 
 " I fear that in our most religious institutions there 
 is not enough of heart-c\x\\.\xxQ in proportion to the 
 head-culture. The moral powers are of more impor- 
 tance than the mental. They give character and 
 dignity to man, and direct all his other powers, 
 either for good or for evil. Therefore we should be 
 anxious that every college in the land have a high 
 tone of morals— not the cold morals of the deist, but 
 the warm, living piety of the Gospel. For nothing 
 else, I verily believe, will do. He that would serve 
 his country well must act from the law that compre- 
 hends all our social duties, ' Whatsoever ye would 
 that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto 
 them.' " Every line of these letters is worthy of 
 preservation, but space here forbids. 
 
 Another of his fellow-students was the Rev. John 
 Leighton, D.D., one of the most scholarly and 
 thoughtful ministers of Missouri. His graceful pen 
 will close this account of Mr. Kemper's college 
 days : 
 
 "Saint Louis, April 20, 1881. 
 
 " Dear Sir : Learning of the worthy purpose of publishing a 
 memorial of the late Professor F. T. Kemper, I am prompted to 
 write you. For though I have nothing special to communicate, 
 my recollection of that excellent man covers a period in his life 
 further back than is reached by the memory of most of his surviv- 
 ing friends and admirers. 
 
 "It was in the autumn of 1837" [1836, the Kempers en- 
 tered] *' that he and his younger brother William, together with 
 myself, entered Marion College, then an excellent and flourish- 
 
 1 
 
LIFE AT MARION COLLEGE. loi 
 
 ing institution under the presidency of Dr. William S. Potts. 
 As the college was admirably manned, especially in the chairs of 
 philosophy and classical literature, none of the alumni had the 
 least apology for lack of drill or thorough scholarship. The 
 eminent and life-long career of Mr. Kemper as an educator has 
 been no more than a practical reflection of what his ahna mater 
 was in those her best days. 
 
 "After a lapse of more than forty years I retain a distinct 
 remembrance of Mr. Kemper's personal appearance, as a youth- 
 ful student. His presence was unusually commanding. His 
 bearing was remarkably easy, yet always dignified. His coun- 
 tenance was open. His large genial face was radiant with amia- 
 bility and intelligence, and seemed always ready to pass into a 
 smile. 
 
 " If Mr. Kemper was not always facile princeps in his studies, 
 he was certainly never second to any in his class. One pecu- 
 liarity of his method I well remember. In preparing for recita- 
 tion, he was not content — as most even good scholars are — to 
 understand well all that bore directly on the subject. If, in 
 his investigations, other matters not understood came within 
 view, he would step out of his path to master these also. The 
 thought then occurred to me that this industrious research would 
 make him a man of wide intelligence. Those who have known 
 him in later life, as I have not, can testify how far this expecta- 
 tion was verified. 
 
 " The religious and orthodox atmosphere of Marion College, and 
 especially the pungent and eloquent sermons of President Potts, 
 ' worked wrath,' and occasioned the outcropping of sporadic 
 cases of infidelity among the students. But our friend remained 
 far removed from the young sceptics, whose elevation of mind 
 lifted them above the ' mists of superstition.' While, indeed, 
 he distanced them all in the differential calculus, and easily 
 silenced them in literary debate, in religious things he never pre- 
 tended to a penetration of mind that enabled him to see any in- 
 consistency between reason and revelation. He remained a 
 humble and avowed believer. 
 
 " It was, I think, in the summer of 1843," [probably the spring 
 of 1844] " and during the first year of my pastorate in Palmyra, 
 that Mr. Kemper made me a visit, having in view the establish- 
 
102 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER, 
 
 ing of a school of high grade in that place. Bearing upon the 
 project, he gave us an able lecture in the church. But our peo- 
 ple were so short-sighted as to fail to see the inviting door he 
 opened. As they that evening gave no response to his overture, 
 he soon after directed his steps toward the Missouri River. In 
 the educational wealth thus conferred on that region during 
 nearly half a century, the people of Palmyra may to-day see 
 their own loss. Thus often upon the pivotal incident of an hour 
 turns the whole subsequent career of a good man's life. A local 
 obstacle in the channel deflects the river's course, and the tide of 
 its healthful influence is shed far and wide over regions other- 
 wise unvisited. Fraternally yours, 
 
 "John Leighton." 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 IN MARION COUNTY, AFTER GRADUATION. 
 
 " Nursed with skill, what dazzling fruits appear ! 
 
 Even now sagacious foresight points to show 
 
 A little bench of heedless bishops here ; 
 
 And there a chancellor in embryo ; 
 
 Or bard sublime, if bard may e'er be so, 
 I As Milton, Shakspeare, names that ne'er shall die ! 
 
 Though now he crawl along the ground so low. 
 
 Nor weeting how the muse should soar so high, 
 • Wisheth, poor starveling elf, his paper kite mayfly." 
 
 Shenstone. 
 
 The first instruction which Mr. Kemper received 
 was at the home school, sustained by his father and 
 one of his neighbors, for the benefit of their own 
 children and those immediately around. Here he 
 remained until he was thirteen years old. He then 
 served as a clerk in a store between four and five 
 years. Whether he then attended school again in 
 Virginia, Ave do not positively know. He probably 
 did for a year or more ; for he says in the catalogue 
 of 1876 that he " studied Latin for a year or two at 
 a country school ;" and it was most likely done at 
 this time. After this he tells us that " his father built 
 a small school-room in his yard, where he installed 
 him as teacher of his younger brothers and sisters " 
 How long he was the instructor of the family school 
 
I04 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 we are not told. We know that he left home for 
 Marion College in the summer of 1836, before he 
 was twenty years of age. He had then read Caesar 
 and Virgil and begun the study of the Greek. He 
 spent the succeeding eight years, or, more accurately, 
 seven years and seven months, from October 2, 1836, 
 to May, i8j|/j, in Marion County. Of this period, six 
 and a half years were passed in connection with 
 Marion College. The last year he taught a private 
 boarding-school at Philadelphia in the same county, 
 less than a mile from the Upper or main College. 
 
 He says that he was tutor in Marion College for 
 two and a half years. From the statements made in 
 connection with this in the catalogue, it would seem 
 a natural conclusion that this service as tutor w^as 
 performed after he was graduated. If so, it does 
 not, of course, include the teaching which he did the 
 first year that he spent as a pupil in the preparatory 
 department at the Lower College It is manifest 
 from his journal, as already quoted, that he was a 
 teacher at that time, probably until he left to act for 
 the Tract Society. If not, w^hy should he have at- 
 tended the teachers' meetings, as he did.? If this 
 conclusion be correct, then he taught some three 
 years and a half at Marion College and one year at 
 Philadelphia, or more than half the time he spent in 
 the county. 
 
 The last six years of this period are the most ob- 
 scure in his life. We are entirely without the im- 
 portant aid derived from his journal. Of those who 
 knew him then, and were in daily association with 
 him, but few survive. Forty years have rolled their 
 oblivious waves over those scenes, so that where no 
 
IN MARION COUNTY, AFTER GRADUATION, 105 
 
 contemporary memoranda were made we may ]ook 
 in vain for anything more than the most general 
 statements from the personal recollections of his 
 friends. Yet it must have been an interesting por- 
 tion of his life, for it covers the entire time which 
 he spent in the college proper and the first years of 
 his professional career as a teacher. 
 
 We would call this the period of his apprenticeship 
 in the school-room, did we not fear that his lips, 
 though silent, would rebuke the statement. We 
 have often heard him say that it required a minimum 
 of twenty-five years of faithful, laborious service as 
 a teacher before the best man could claim that his 
 apprenticeship was passed, and he could be, con- 
 sidered a graduated journeyman or master-workman 
 in the profession. He often said to us, who were 
 among his earlier pupils, that he was but an appren- 
 tice, learning how to teach, and that he should con- 
 sider himself fortunate should he acquire the art at 
 the end of a quarter of a century. The most then 
 that we can affirm with his approval is, that this was 
 the beginning of his professional apprenticeship. 
 
 Before we take our final leave of Marion College, 
 it may be interesting to many to learn what became 
 of it. We know the circumstances of its origin and 
 the facts of its earlier years. It was a grand con- 
 ception : too grand for those days and for this un- 
 developed country. As Livy says,, in his preface, it 
 was one of those great things that perish by their 
 own ponderous gravitation. Nevertheless it was a 
 great scheme, and was engineered by great men. 
 No more worthy names occur in the annals of Mis- 
 souri than those of David Nelson, William S. Potts, 
 
 5* 
 
io6 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 James Gallaher, Ezra S. Ely, and Hiram P. Good- 
 rich. They were strong men then, and would be 
 accounted giants now. Under their ministration the 
 college accomplished a great work for the young 
 men who were privileged to enjoy its benefits. It 
 gave them the advantages of a classical and mathe- 
 matical education which have hardly been surpassed 
 in Missouri since. Some of its pupils have been 
 among the useful and distinguished men of the State. 
 If it had done nothing more than the education of 
 Mr. Kemper, it surely would not have lived in vain. 
 But a college is like a man. However great its 
 soul, it cannot live without a body. Marion Col- 
 lege ^-as a grand soul in the mere phantom of a 
 body. The body perished from sheer inanition, and 
 the soul passed to immortality, in the limbus col- 
 legioriim perditorum^ where it, by no means, finds 
 itself alone. It is to be classed with the visionary 
 manual labor colleges. Its demise occurred prob • 
 ably in the year 1845, when it passed into the 
 Masonic College. As such it was removed to Lex- 
 ington, Mo., 1847. There it was conducted with 
 some degree of success by the Masonic fraternity, 
 and took a part in the training of quite a number of 
 young men, some of whom have since been well 
 known in the State. It was donated by the Masons 
 to the State of Missouri to be converted into a mili- 
 tary school, which was known as the Missouri Mili- 
 tary Institute. During the war the buildings and 
 grounds were occupied as a camp by the garrison, 
 and around it occurred the siege of Lexington, 
 which resulted in the surrender of its defenders, 
 under Col. Mulligan, after a gallant resistance, Sep- 
 
IN MA RION COUNTY, AF TER GRA D UA TION. i o 7 
 
 tember 20, 1861, to Gen, Sterling Price, commanding 
 the State forces in connection with the Confederacy. 
 
 After the war the main building was repaired by 
 the State and a military school opened. Its fame 
 attracted to its classic halls an attendance of seven 
 boys and eight girls, whereupon the State returned 
 it to the Masons, The Grand Lodge generously do- 
 nated it to the Southern Methodist Church in the fall 
 of 1 871 ; and so, by a series of changes, the Marion 
 College, founded for boys by the Calvinistic Presby- 
 terians, under the lead of Dr. David Nelson, has 
 become the Central Female College of the Arminian 
 Methodists. 
 
 Among the letters preserved by Mr. Kemper there 
 is one from John Clark, a student of Masonic Col- 
 lege, in which there are some interesting state- 
 ments. He speaks of the Masons having charge, 
 and of the president, a Mr. Smith, as a jolly old 
 bachelor from the East. They proposed to extend 
 the course of study, and to put algebra, Virgil, Greek 
 Testament, and part of the GrcEca Majora into the 
 preparatory course. Upon this he very wisely re- 
 marks : " It should ever be remembered that it is not 
 the number of studies that makes the scholar, but it 
 is the studying well those that he has anything to do 
 with." This idea is not very elegantly expressed, 
 but it shows that John Clark, whoever he was, had 
 caught sight of a truth that many of our teachers fail 
 to see. Cramming, cramming, cramming, as though 
 the human mind were a mere receptacle for the stor- 
 ing away of facts, instead of a living, sensitive 
 energy, whose vital forces are to be conserved, de- 
 veloped, controlled, and directed. In this respect 
 
lo8 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 there is a striking analogy between it and the body 
 which it inhabits. Let the food be of the most 
 wholesome and nutritious character, still it is not 
 wise to gorge the stomach with it. Every ounce 
 taken beyond that which is assimilated, and thus used 
 for blood, and bone, and nerve, and muscle, is not 
 only a waste but a positive injury to the body which 
 is burdened with it. So any truth or fact, no matter 
 how pure and important it maybe, that is taken into 
 the mind, and lies there as so much foreign matter, 
 ■unappropriated and undigested, is an incubus and 
 not a blessing. It is only those studies that improve 
 the mental powers, that stimulate and nourish them, 
 which are of real service. Take any mind, young or 
 old, and ply it with facts, and pile truth after truth 
 upon it until it is all a crudis indigestaque moles., and 
 you injure that mind. There are a great many such 
 persons to be seen. The ministerial and teaching 
 professions furnish the greatest proportion of them. 
 They have been aptly styled " learned fools." They 
 are walking encyclopaedias. They know more about 
 Latin, Greek, and Hebrew than they do about Eng- 
 lish. They are more familiar with the past than 
 with the present. The recondite facts of astronomy 
 and geology are as well known to them as are the 
 names of their children. Yet these men are failures 
 as teachers, preachers, or in any other profession in 
 which they may engage. They are not educated 
 men. They are simply learned men. Their minds 
 have been treated as storehouses, and so have be- 
 come mere lumber-rooms. If they had memorized 
 only one half and thought twice as much, they would 
 have been vigorous, useful, practical workers. The 
 
 ( 
 
IN MARION COUNTY, AFTER GRADUATION. 109 
 
 success or excellence of a school is not to be esti- 
 mated by the extent of its course, but by the careful, 
 painstaking manner in which it does its work, and 
 especially by the habits of life and thought which it 
 induces in its pupils. 
 
 Mr. Clark's letter furnishes an account of quite a 
 tragic scene in the life of the founder of Marion Col- 
 ledge, the Rev. David Nelson, M D. Dr. Nelson 
 was undoubtedly a great and good man. In his 
 early manhood he had been a sceptic ; but his vigor- 
 ous mind, under heavenly guidance, worked its way 
 out of the fog of infidelity up into the clear, sunlit 
 regions of eternal truth. Thenceforward he became 
 a David in the army of Israel. His book, " The 
 Cause and Cure of Infidelity," is one of the best on 
 the subject, and his voice from the pulpit carried 
 conviction to many an erring and doubting soul. 
 He, however, was not a believer in African slavery. 
 He shared the views, which prevailed at Danville, 
 Kentucky, and which were not uncommon even 
 among those who themselves were the owners of 
 slaves. He probably expressed his views freely and 
 independently. This arrayed against him the igno- 
 ant and prejudiced among the slaveholders of 
 Marion County. Mr. Clark' writes : "Last Sunday 
 Dr. David Nelson strayed to Little Union, and was 
 asked to take a seat in the pulpit. He did so. In a 
 few minutes Old Bosley walked in. It was soon 
 discovered that there was an evil spirit in his breast 
 larger than a woodchuck. At the close of the ser- 
 mon the Baptist preacher called on Dr. Nelson to 
 close. Just as he arose, Old Bosley jumped up and 
 said, ' Stop ! stop ! sir ; you are the d — d rascal that 
 
no THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 has been running off all the negroes for the last 
 three years ! ' He then walked up into the stand and 
 took Dr. Nelson by the scalp-lock and led him out 
 of the house. Nevertheless the meeting broke up 
 in tolerably good order. The Baptists have re- 
 ported Bosley to the grand jury. Dr. Nelson has 
 two suits against him — one for slander and one for 
 assault and battery. He says that he is going to run 
 him to the last notch." 
 
 But to us the most interesting portion of Mr. 
 Clark's letter, is that which has personal reference 
 to Mr. Kemper. He writes : " It has been said that 
 the Masons have said that the college cannot go on 
 to any advantage without they get you here as a pro- 
 fessor. I do not know ho\^^ true that is, but I heard 
 Mr. Montgomery say that the Masons would have 
 you here if there was a chance." This lets us know 
 what reputation he had made for himself as a 
 teacher while in the college and at Philadelphia. Mr. 
 Kemper was not a Mason, so that there was no rea- 
 son of society affiliation why their thoughts should 
 be directed to him. It is one of the stones in the 
 monument of his professional success that he should 
 have been thought, by those who knew him best, to 
 be necessary to the success of the college, whence he 
 had been so recently graduated. 
 
 His friend William T. Davis, teaching near Fay- 
 ette, writes during this period several letters, from 
 which we make a few extracts: " My school goes 
 on this session very much as it did last. ' Victorious 
 Analysis ' is toiling away slowly under my direc- 
 tion, digging out Latin roots, clearing away the 
 rubbish from angles and parallelograms, and hew- 
 
IN MARION COUNTY, AFTER GRADUATION, iii 
 
 ing out equations. Hem ! fine figure that ! Some 
 of my boys are lazy, shirking scamps, and if they 
 had long ears I could give them a still more appro- 
 priate name. Others are doing tolerably well. 
 
 '' I have made one or two attempts to analyze the 
 rule of Position, but have not succeeded to my satis- 
 faction. Yet I think surely it must be susceptible of 
 demonstration, as well as the verification of the 
 result. If yo.u have succeeded, send me your work. 
 I, too, think that every teacher ought to be able to 
 show the reason of the arithmetical rules. 
 
 " I have been thinking how it would do to devote 
 one's self entirely to teaching and the study of the 
 sciences and literature. I should like it extremely ; 
 and though I know so little of those that I have 
 slightly dipped into, I scarcely know how to give 
 them up, which I shall be compelled to do if I go 
 to pettifogging. To borrow Carlyle's style a mo- 
 ment, Parnassus is high up toward heaven, and 
 one can stand there and almost converse with the 
 blessed gods {^(XKapioi 5foz) ; but he can' t quite reach 
 the goblet of nectar, and he is too high up to be 
 well supplied with bacon and bread ; also it is very 
 cold there. After all, it seems that poverty, with his 
 grim visage and afflicting scourge, will drive me into 
 a profession in spite of all I can do." 
 
 One of the most interesting papers we have seen, 
 in our examination and search for materials for this 
 volume, is the following document, the original of 
 
 which lies before us : — 
 
 '•'Philada., May ist, 1843. 
 ^^ All to whom it may coticern : 
 
 "We, the undersigned, taking into consideration the interest 
 of our district, and the absolute necessity of employing a good 
 
112 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 and competent teacher for the present term, and also finding the 
 funds appropriated by law insufficient to employ Mr. F. T. 
 Kemper, the present gentleman wanted by the district, do hereby 
 bind ourselves to pay to him, the said Mr. F, T. Kemper, the 
 following amounts respectively subscribed, payable at the end of 
 the session in such articles as may be subscribed : 
 
 " Subscribers' Names. Articles stibscribed. 
 
 Jesse Ewing, 3 barrels of corn next year. 
 
 D. C. Winget, pd. $6 in furniture. 
 
 F. B. Jeffries, pd. $6 in smithing. 
 
 John B. Singleton, pd. $2 in tailoring. 
 
 Wm. R. Walker, $5 in trade. 
 
 James Z McCormick, pd. $i in trade. 
 
 I. M. McCormick, pd. i cow at Hickes'. 
 
 Joseph Clark, pd. i sow with her pigs. 
 
 Will. Muldrow, pd. rent of 12 acres of land in the 
 
 Ely field." 
 
 The private boarding-school at Philadelphia did 
 not continue longer than a year. Its history, how- 
 ever, embraces a part of two years. It was probably 
 begun some time early in 1S43, ^^^ was continued 
 until April, 1844. We have proof of this in two let- 
 ters from the pen of Mr. Kemper himself. It was a 
 boarding-school for boys, and received both sexes to 
 the privileges of the school-room. The boarding de- 
 partment was presided over by Mrs. Mary Allison, 
 the wife of Mr. Henry Allison, the maternal uncle 
 with whom Mr. Kemper had served as salesman at 
 Madison Court-House, Virginia. This gentleman 
 had a strong attachment and great respect for his 
 nephew, and had followed him to Missouri in quest 
 of a new field, where he might repair his broken 
 fortunes. 
 
 The school was not a failure, and yet it was not 
 without its troubles. They greatly mistake who 
 
IN MARION COUNTY, AFTER GRADUATION. 113 
 
 suppose that the best schools always sail over smooth 
 and prosperous seas. This would be true, were not 
 human nature a weak and, too often, a wicked thing 
 as well. The very excellence of instruction and dis- 
 cipline is sometimes the cause of provoking the hos- 
 tility of ignorance and depravity in pupils and pa- 
 trons. We have known institutions which rode upon 
 the topmost wave of popular approval, but which 
 were merely gilded hulks, whose unseasoned or rot- 
 ten timbers could not have passed honest inspection, 
 nor stood the wrenching of the slightest storm. 
 
 The mission of the teacher is to instruct, to culti- 
 vate, to control, to direct the ignorant, crude, way- 
 ward, wandering mind and heart. The untamed 
 horse does not relish the curb of the bit and bridle. 
 Nor does the human spirit naturally like the strong, 
 firm master's hand, that demands its obedience and 
 submission to the law of right. There is an aggra- 
 vation of the difficulty in the well-known truth, that 
 the greater the ignorance and wickedness, the less 
 consciousness of the need and the greater the hostili- 
 ty to the necessary instruction and discipline. The 
 very crudeness and inexperience of the child are, in 
 him, somewhat of a palliation of the offence. But it 
 is one of the severest trials in the life of the honest, 
 faithful, intelligent teacher, that after he has taxed 
 all his powers in the vain endeavor to make some- 
 thing out of a poor, ill-mannered, uncultured, disobe- 
 dient, and indolent pupil, instead of receiving the 
 thankful and cordial co-operation of the parent, he 
 is visited with his unmerited and ungrateful maltreat- 
 ment and abuse. To the credit of our race be it said, 
 that such cases are not common, but are the rare ex- 
 
114 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 ceptions. Nine tenths of parents do really, if not 
 fully, appreciate the wise and patient efforts of the 
 true educator, and give him a solace for the opposi- 
 tion and insults of the remaining pestiferous tenth. 
 
 Mr. Kemper, as is well known, was no mere figure- 
 head in his school, nor did wilful ignorance, indo- 
 lence, and insolence find a comfortable lodging 
 there. We are not surprised, therefore, to know 
 that there were two cases of somewhat serious trouble 
 during his short stay at Philadelphia. They were the 
 occasions of his writing a letter to the parents, in each 
 instance, copies of which he kept, and they are well 
 worthy of permanent preservation. 
 
 " October 20, 1843. 
 ^'Mr. W M . 
 
 " Sir: A man who wants a school for his children at all wants 
 a good one. To secure this object, nothing is more necessary 
 than that parents and teacher should work together • both must 
 pull at the same end of the rope. It is to secure this important 
 object that I write. But I should not undertake to present the 
 subject to your consideration, if I did not think you would view 
 it reasonably and candidly, and in the spirit of a gentleman. I am 
 sure you will, 
 
 " In the first place it is manifest that, during the past term, 
 there has not been that co-operation of parents and teacher that 
 is so necessary. There is one very singular circumstance con- 
 nected with the teaching of your children, of which I presume 
 you are not aware. For I believe, if you had known it, I should 
 have received the most ample justice, instead of the treatment 
 which I have endured. The circumstance is this — that while 
 your children were treated as well or better than any other schol- 
 ars, they are the only ones, out of upward of fifty, that I could 
 not satisfy. After I found that they were, one after another, leav- 
 ing the school, until on the last day they had vacated, books and 
 all, I put the question to my remaining scholars (about thirty), 
 whether I had ever treated your children worse than them. They 
 
IN MA RION COUNTY, AF TER GRA D UA TION. 1 1 5 
 
 unanimously answered, No. On the contrary, they agreed that 
 my attentions to your children were marked with kindness. 
 
 " Every good teacher feels under the most sacred obligations to 
 the parents of his pupils. But the test, whether he fulfils those 
 obligations, should be a fair one. This is a very different thing 
 from condemning him with one-sided evidence, or judging him 
 without opportunit}'' of defence. Now is it not ? 
 
 " In regard to my treatment of your children, I have no expla- 
 nation to make. The time for such explanation is past. Though 
 I hold myself responsible for all my acts, and rejoice to meet that 
 responsibility, still I must have a fair hearing or none at all. It 
 has long been a maxim with me to do my duty, and let my repu- 
 tation take care of itself. It will always do it. But the teacher 
 who has to go around the neighborhood and patch up his charac- 
 ter every time a scholar is offended, is unfit for his business, and 
 deserves to be drummed out of town. If I do a man a real, or 
 even supposed, injury, I am always glad to make explanations 
 and acknowledgments. But it is surely proper that we come 
 face to face, that we may mutually understand each other. This, 
 I apprehend, is the right way to settle difficulties. But the treat- 
 ment I have received is not, in my humble judgment, the best 
 way to promote peace in communities, the prosperity of schools, 
 or that sweetness of disposition in children, which is a far more 
 important part of education than the learning of a little algebra 
 or grammar. 
 
 " Parents should never intrust their children to a teacher whom 
 they cannot respect. But when they have one who is both com- 
 petent and faithful, they should sustain him through thick and thin. 
 It is destructive to the best interests of their children, whenever 
 they say or do anything that diminishes a scholar's profound re- 
 spect for the teacher. This respect is of the utmost importance 
 to successful teaching, and it may always be secured, even though 
 a teacher is not perfect. Perfection does not grow on earth. The 
 great point to settle is this : Is the teacher capable, and is he 
 willing to do his duty when he knows it ? 
 
 "The business of teaching is too little understood. I believe 
 that wherever it is understood it is conceded that there is no pro- 
 fession on earth that demands more varied talents and learning, 
 or is really more useful. I can truly say that my labors as a 
 
Il6 THE LTFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 teacher have taxed all the best powers that I possess. It has 
 been my unceasing study, day and night, to promote the highest 
 interest of my scholars, and especially to infuse into my school 
 mental activity and love of books, instead of that languor and 
 dread of confinement which are so common with young scholars. 
 In order to secure these objects, I have been actuated by prin- 
 ciples based on truth ; I have pursued a systematic plan ; I have 
 studied all my teaching beforehand, from the simplest copy that 
 I have set up to the most obtuse parts of arithmetic that have 
 needed explanation. In every case I have succeeded where I 
 have had a chance to bring my plans fully to bear on the 
 scholar's mind. I believe that I can make a good scholar, with 
 just as much certainty as you can make a crop of corn, if I am 
 properly sustained by parents. But it is a hopeless case if I have 
 to work against the bad habits children have acquired at other 
 schools, and, at the same time, under the threats and fault-find- 
 ings of their parents. Such teaching as I have aimed 2X (whether 
 successfully or not is not for me to say) not only demands the 
 approbation of parents, but their warmest gratitude. Its value 
 can never be estimated in dollars and cents. 
 
 "I will give you one incident that occurred with Miss L 
 
 and myself, which will illustrate what I mean by having a chance 
 to apply my plans successfully. It is painful for me to tell it. 
 
 " It was an arrangement of my school that in study hours we 
 would have no more talking than there is in church, allotting a 
 regular time for all talking, and playing, and moving about. 
 This arrangement was succeeding admirably, and would have 
 succeeded entirely but for some embarrassments thrown in the 
 way by some of the larger scholars. These were affection- 
 ately reasoned with, and persuaded, and admonished, and finally 
 
 threatened. Miss L did well for a time, and promised to do 
 
 well ; but finally cut loose restraint, and not only trampled the 
 authority of the school under foot, but said, in the presence of 
 other scholars, that she would talk as much as she pleased. 
 This remark of hers she seemed to put into execution, and finally 
 
 I took occasion to say : ^ Miss L , you must quit talking. Ypu 
 
 have been laughing and talking a g7'eat deal this momitig, and it 
 will not do.' She seemed angry, and appeared in school no more. 
 
 " Whether I did right or wrong it is not the business of this 
 
IN MA RION CO UN TV, AF TER GRA D UA TION. 1 1 '/ 
 
 letter to discuss. My object is not to find fault, or I should have 
 written long ago ; and you would never have heard from me 
 about schools if I had not learned that you propose to send to 
 me again. It is with the hope that we may have some more 
 pleasant way of adjusting difficulties that I have mentioned the 
 subject at all. Yours very respectfully, 
 
 " Fredk. T. Kemper." 
 
 The second letter is as follows : — 
 
 " Philadelphia, Mo., March 20, 1844. 
 " Madam : 
 
 " As you probably have some curiosity to know what I have 
 to say about your son's leaving my school, and as there would 
 seem to be propriety in the measure, I have determined to 
 write you on the subject. I feel the less delicacy in doing this, 
 as I have nothing to say but what is well known here, and can 
 easily be substantiated. 
 
 " Your son was formerly on the most intimate terms in this 
 family, and seemed as perfectly at home as if he were in your 
 house. Nor did he only seem so, he said so. This state of feel- 
 ing was pleasing to us all, and was encouraged. This intimacy 
 showed itself in various ways— in the interchange of some little 
 present or presents, perhaps some letters, and in the thousand 
 nameless civilities that go to sweeten the intercourse of friends. 
 
 *' About three months ago his whole demeanor was changed. 
 The day is distinctly recollected. From that time to the day of 
 his departure he has been as sullen and as sour to my aunt as 
 he was before bland and polite. He has sat three times a day 
 within about one foot of her ; I sat immediately opposite to him 
 at table. I do not believe he has ever spoken to my aunt, when 
 he could avoid it, during the time above mentioned. 
 
 "This strange state of things was seen by her with mingled 
 feelings of surprise and regret. She expressed these feelings 
 frequently to myself and to several of her boarders. I for a long 
 time persuaded her not to regard it. I attributed Mr. O.'s con- 
 duct to a nervous irascibility consequent upon hard study. Long 
 after he got in ' his way,' as we called it, I was the same as before, 
 as can be abundantly testified. My aunt, however, was un- 
 happy about it, an4 deputed two of her boarders, at two different 
 
Ii8 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 times, to find out what was the matter, without seeming to 
 be sent by her. They reported that nothing was the matter. 
 Nothing was the matter, but J.'s conduct got no better. I could 
 now assign no cause but malignity for his demeanor, and I de- 
 termined that at table I would have as little to say to him as he 
 had to say to her. I found this state of things to be so unnatural, 
 and so gloomy, and so different from the former mirth that pre- 
 vailed at the table, that I de;termined to have some explanation 
 from J., or to send him away. I would live thus no longer. 
 
 " I wrote to him that I wanted an understanding, and nothing 
 more. If I had injured him, or if any of the family had, we would 
 make reparation. In my letter was the following sentence, 
 which was the offensive one : ' Every man has a civil right to be 
 unsocial, taciturn, or grum if he chooses ; but such conduct, after 
 a year or two of warm friendship, is calculated at least to excite 
 inquiry.' 
 
 " His reply was, that he was of a retiring disposition ; that at 
 public boarding-houses people were not obliged to be social, and 
 that the friendship between us would never have been broken up 
 if I had not enveloped myself in ' icy chilliness,' 
 . "As to his retiring disposition, he surely had a right to com- 
 mend it if he chose. But it seemed odd to us that he was so 
 peculiarly retired the /<7j/ three months of his intercourse with us — 
 people of very retiring habits commonly showing it the most on 
 first acquaintance, and not after a year or two of intimacy. As 
 to his being under no obligation to be social, I had acknowledged 
 that in my letter. But still, if he chose to change his demeanor 
 from that of a member of a private family on terms of intimate 
 friendship, to that of a boarder at a public tavern, while he had a 
 civil right so to do, we still thought it demanded some explana- 
 tion. We thought it strange that a student who was making such 
 progress in the study of the humanizing arts should so utterly 
 forget one essential attribute of true greatness, viz., to be kind 
 and condescending to the meanest servant that ministered to his 
 wants. 
 
 " I was truly relieved to learn that he had nothing to allege 
 against my aunt, and that my ' icy chilliness ' was the sole cause 
 of breaking up existing friendship. Whether I am chilly to my 
 other boarding scholars will appear from the inclosed certificate. 
 
IN MA RION CO UNT Y, AF TER GRA D UA TION. 1 1 9 
 
 It is signed by every pupil who boarded with us. I have taught 
 sixty scholars this term, and I have no doubt that from fifty-nine 
 of them I could get a similar certificate. But the subject is too 
 ludicrous for a very grave reply, and the charge has already 
 excited much merriment among my scholars and my neighbors. 
 
 "I believe that J.'s charge of icy chilliness will appear to 
 his calmer judgment as a miserable and disingenuous subterfuge, 
 and that he will class this whole affair among the graver follies of 
 his youth. My hope is that this rupture with him will make him 
 wiser, and conduce to his future discretion and happiness, for 
 which no one is more sincerely desirous than. Madam, 
 "Your ob't servant, 
 
 " Fredk. T. Kemper." 
 
 The certificate referred to is signed by Edw. B. 
 Dyer, William C. McAfee, Thomas J Montgomery, 
 Isaac H. Jones, and Benjamin Lafon. 
 
 These letters reveal the heartaches and sore cares 
 which harass a teacher's life, and at the same time 
 show the tact and good judgment which Mr. Kemper 
 displayed in dealing with them, when he was an 
 inexperienced young man of twenty-seven — a mere 
 apprentice, as he called himself. The last letter is 
 valuable as showing that even a good student may 
 have very crooked ways, give his teacher serious 
 trouble, and by his persistence in evil-doing prove 
 himself unfit to be allowed to remain in a well- 
 regulated school. 
 
 The next chapter carries us to the scene of his 
 greatest usefulness and triumph, at Boonville. 
 
CHAPTER VIT. 
 
 THE BOONVILLE BOARDING-SCHOOL. 
 
 " Yet is the school-house rude, 
 As is the chrysalis to the butterfly, — 
 To the rich flower, the seed. The dusky walls 
 Hold the fair germ of knowledge, and the tree 
 Glorious in beauty, golden with its fruits, 
 To this low school-house traces back its life." 
 
 Street. 
 
 Mr. Kemper was now in the twenty-eighth year of 
 his life — the maturity of his young manhood. He had 
 seen enough of the practical side of life on the farm 
 where he was reared, and in the counting-room, to 
 lift him above the follies of the mere pedant. He 
 had pursued a liberal course of science and litera- 
 ture, and had been graduated with signal honor from 
 an institution in charge of men of acknowledged 
 ability, and which commanded the patronage of the 
 most intelligent States of the East. After years of 
 hesitation and earnest, prayerful thought, he had 
 finally turned away from the ministry and the 
 law, and dedicated his life without reserve to the a 
 
 arduous, misimderstood, and greatly undervalued 
 profession of education. He had begun his novitiate 
 as the instructor of his own brothers and sisters in 
 Virginia. He had served his alma mater as tutor for 
 
THE BOOJVVILLE BOARDIATG-SCHOOL, 121 
 
 three years. He had conducted with success, on his 
 own responsibility, a private boarding-school under 
 the very shadow of the college whose diploma he 
 bore. Now he began to ask himself as to a per- 
 manent arrangement for the future. While we do 
 not know that there were any special discourage- 
 ments at Philadelphia, and we do know that he met 
 with decided encouragement there, yet we may 
 readily see that the disastrous failure of Marion 
 College and the smallness of the community where 
 he had begun to teach, working upon his desire to 
 make his life as largely useful as possible, would 
 cause him to consider whether he might not find a 
 more favorable field for the prosecution of his life 
 work. 
 
 At any rate, we know he determined to leave 
 Philadelphia, and that, as we are told by Dr. Leigh- 
 ton, he first offered himself to the people of Palmyra. 
 That they failed to respond to his proposal should 
 not be misconstrued to the injury of Mr. Kemper 
 as an acceptable teacher, nor to the discredit of the 
 intelligent enterprise of the citizens of that goodly 
 town. With the wreck of their hopes at Marion 
 College, we can easily see that the people of that 
 section would be suspicious of any new educational 
 enterprise. 
 
 We are told by Mrs. Kemper that his thoughts 
 were directed to Boonville through the influence of 
 a New School Presbyterian minister at that time 
 living there. This was doubtless the Rev. Mr. Slo- 
 cum, who had a short and not very glorious career 
 in Boonville. This is quite probable from the fact 
 that, up to this time, Mr. Kemper's associations had 
 6 
 
T22 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 been mainly with trie New School element in the 
 church. His old pastor in Virginia, Rev. Dr. Pol- 
 lock, was of that party. Dr. David Nelson and Rev. 
 James Gallaher, both of whom he very greatly ad- 
 mired, were on that side of the question. We are 
 not surprised, therefore, that his first affiliations were 
 with the Slocum party in Boonville, nor, on the 
 other hand, that he turned to the Bell, or O. S. side, 
 as soon as he saw the spirit of Mr. Slocum. As far 
 as the doctrinal issue in the case was concerned, it 
 is doubtful whether Mr. Kemper took the trouble to 
 thoroughly post himself; and if he did, his sympa- 
 thies may have been with the exscinded synods on 
 constitutional rather than doctrinal grounds. 
 
 But whatever may have been the inducing cause 
 or causes, Mr. Kemper left Marion County in the 
 spring of 1844 and came to Boonville, then the most 
 beautiful, attractive, and flourishing town in central 
 Missouri. It was the lowest point on the river 
 which was readily accessible from the south by 
 means of good roads running over an unbroken 
 country. In those days, before railroads had revolu- 
 tionized the commerce of the State, it enjoyed a 
 large and lucrative wholesale and forwarding trade 
 with the southern counties, extending to the ex- 
 treme south-west. When the writer was a school- 
 boy it was a usual sight to see its broad and level 
 streets filled with wagons from Springfield and the 
 lead regions of Newton County. 
 
 As this place is to be henceforth, with the excep- 
 tion of five years, the scene of Mr. Kemper s labors, 
 we shall copy from the Centennial Catalogue of the 
 school what is there said concerning it ; 
 
l^HE BOONVILLE BOARDING-SCHOOL. 123 
 
 " Boonville is near the geographical center of 
 Missouri, on the south bank of the Missouri, one 
 hundred and ninety miles from its mouth. In its 
 aboriginal state. Central Missouri was, on the north 
 side of the river, the hunting'-ground of the Foxes, 
 Sacs, and other Indian tribes; and on the south, of 
 the Osages. In 1805 Daniel Boone, who then lived 
 near St. Charles, discovered the Boone's Lick Salt 
 Springs, in Howard County, thirteen miles from 
 Boonville, where Nathan and David Boone, his 
 sons, settled and made salt from 1806 to 1810. This 
 seems to have been the earliest settlement in Central 
 Missouri, and from it an indefinite region, from St. 
 Charles westward, on both sides of the river, was 
 called the 'Boone's Lick Country.' 
 
 " Other settlers followed, and as early as 1810 a 
 small community had built and occupied Kincaid's 
 Fort, a few hundred yards up the river from the 
 present site of Old Franklin (directly opposite Boon- 
 ville), while another was established in Cooper's 
 Fort, a few miles above The south side of the 
 river was settled in 181 1. Cole's Fort was built in 
 that year, two and a half miles below the present 
 site of Boonville, on a bluff overhanging the river. 
 About the same time ' Widow ' Cole's Fort was built 
 on the flat ground at the mouth of the stream flow- 
 ing into the river near the north-east corner of the 
 city. This was the first settlement inside of the pres- 
 ent city limits. 
 
 " All development of the country was stopped by 
 the war of 1812-15 with England. The Indians 
 sided actively with the British ; the forts on the 
 north side of the river were besieged, and the men of 
 
124 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 those on the south were shot by ambushed foes. It 
 was at this period that the famous exploit of Miss 
 Cooper was performed. Cooper's Fort was besieged 
 by an Indian force so overwhelming that its reduc- 
 tion was only a question of time. Miss Cooper met 
 the emergency by mounting a horse and riding at 
 full speed over and through the enemy. She was 
 greeted with a shower of bullets, but escaped un- 
 harmed, and soon brought a reinforcement from 
 Kincaid's Fort, which broke up the siege. 
 
 '* The war closed in 1815, and during that year the 
 first house in Boonville, outside the fort, was built 
 by a man named Roup, on or near the site of the 
 residence of Judge Adams, and two or three hundred 
 yards from the school buildings. The stream which 
 runs through the play-grounds is called from him, 
 Roup's Branch." [This was Gilead Rupe, who is said 
 to have been the first white man to settle within the 
 present limits of Lafayette County. It is asserted 
 that he built his house two and a half miles south- 
 east of where Lexington now stands, about the year 
 1815 — the very year in which Roup built the first 
 house in Boonville. We have documentary evidence 
 which makes it somewhat doubtful whether the 
 date assigned to Gilead Rupe's settlement in Lafay- 
 ette County is correct. It is the original patent 
 issued to him for the very land, S. W. Quarter, Sec- 
 tion 9, T. 50, R. 27, on which he is said to have built. 
 It was granted July 30, 1821, is signed in autograph 
 by President James Monroe, and gives the title to 
 "Gilead Rupe, of Howard County, Missouri." 
 Cooper and Lafayette counties had both been detach- 
 ed from Howard. We have other evidence which 
 
THE BOONVILLE BOARDING-SCHOOL. 125 
 
 makes it certain that he did not come to Lafayette 
 County prior to the fall of 1818. There is a Rupe's 
 Branch running from this tract into the western 
 borders of Lexington. Thr5 Gilead Rupe kept the 
 ferry at Boonville during these early days.] 
 
 " The second building was erected the next year 
 by Dr. Asa Morgan, on the present site of the Cen- 
 tral National Bank. The first court in Boonville 
 was held in the house of ' Widow ' Cole, inside the 
 fort, in 1816, David Barton [who penned the original 
 constitution of Missouri], afterward United States 
 Senator, presiding. The fear of Indian troubles 
 having passed away with the war, 1816 and the suc- 
 ceeding years were marked by a large influx of set- 
 tlers. To use the words of one of our oldest and 
 best citizens, who has lived in Cooper County since 
 1815, ' they came by hundreds.' 
 
 "In 1817 Dr. Asa Morgan and Charles Lucas, 
 father of James H. Lucas, of St. Louis, drew the plan 
 of Boonville, but no lots were sold until August, 
 1819, when, the county of Cooper having been formed, 
 the embryo town was made its capital. By this 
 time, however, the town of Franklin was rapidly 
 developing on the low ground of the opposite shore ; 
 and it was not until 1834, when it became evident 
 that the treacherous current of the river would 
 finally sweep it away, that Boonville showed any 
 signs of prosperity. From that time its develop- 
 ment was rapid for many years ; but the loss of its 
 wholesale trade, caused by the extension of railroads, 
 has materially checked its growth. 
 
 " The city now contains 5000 or 6000 inhabitants. 
 In point of educational advantages it has, besides the 
 
126 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 public graded schools, seven private schools of 
 various grades. There are ten churches of various 
 denominations. The M. K. & T. Railroad, which 
 crosses the Missouri "l^iver here, puts the town in 
 direct and easy communication with Chicago and 
 the East on the one hand, and with Texas on the 
 other. An elegant iron bridge, one third of a mile 
 long, spans the river for its use. The O. V. & S. 
 K. Railroad also gives us Eastern connection through 
 Tipton and St. Louis. 
 
 "In healthfulness and beauty of situation, Boon- 
 ville stands unrivaled among the towns of Missouri. 
 Built on hills which come boldly up to the edge of 
 the river, it enjoys all the beautifying effects of 
 water and undulating landscape, without exposure to 
 the exhalations of low grounds. Cholera visited the 
 city once or twice in its early history, but for many 
 years it has escaped both cholera and small-pox, 
 though they have been very fatal at points but a 
 few miles distant. In the course of thirty-two years 
 the Kemper Family School has lost but one student 
 by death." 
 
 Mr. Kemper came to Boonville during the spring 
 of 1844, the time of the great flood in the Missouri 
 River, when its waters attained their maximum 
 height, since the white man first became acquainted 
 with them. It not only overflowed its banks, but 
 stretched from bluff to bluff, five miles from shore to 
 shore. Not only the houses of the unfortunate 
 inhabitants of its bottom-lands were daily seen float- 
 ing down the stream, but the steamboats lost them- 
 selves in the wide waste of waters. Roup's Branch 
 and the dry ravines that drain into it became unford- 
 
TFIE BOONVILLE BOARDING-SCHOOL. 127 
 
 able by reason of the water backed up from the swol- 
 len river. The writer of these lines, then a lad of 
 seven, came near drowning in a gully that now runs 
 through the play-grounds of the school, and was 
 rescued by the kindly help of his friend and neigh- 
 bor boy, George W. Tracy. 
 
 Mr. Kemper bore with him, when he went to 
 Boonville, the following letter of recommendation : 
 
 "Saint Louis, March 30, 1844. 
 
 " I have known Mr. F. T. Kemper as a student in Marion 
 College for about two years, while holding the office of President 
 of that Institution. His progress in study was rapid, and his 
 scholarship sound and thorough as far as he had then progressed. 
 I regarded him as a very promising student, of commanding 
 talents, great prudence, and amiability of disposition. He has 
 sustained the character of a consistent Christian for several years. 
 The vocation of teacher has been assumed by him since I left the 
 college, and of his success I have no personal knowledge, but 
 have every reason to believe him peculiarly well fitted for that 
 responsible work. William S. Potts, 
 
 *' Pastor Second Presb. Ch., St. Louis." 
 
 We quote again from the Centennial catalogue : 
 " The Kemper Family School was opened in 
 Boonville on Monday, June 3rd, 1844, using for a 
 school-room a one-story frame building standing on 
 the present site of the banking-house of Aehle & 
 Dunnica [at the corner of Main and Spring Streets]. 
 The principal was then and for several years after 
 unmarried, and his aunt, Mrs. Mary S. Allison, was 
 matron of the school family. The first family resi- 
 dence was a small frame house, still standing nearly 
 opposite the Methodist Church (on Spring Street). 
 This house being inadequate to lodge the few 
 boarders Mr. Kemper brought with him, an office 
 was used, which stood on or near the present site of 
 
128 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 Weber's Agricultural Works [on the south side of 
 Spring Street, between Main and Sixth]. 
 
 " The boarding department Avas soon moved to a 
 brick building, stili standing on the old Fair Grounds 
 [just east of the city limits, near the river]. After a 
 few v^reeks the school- room was moved to the second 
 story of the [brick] building standing at the south- 
 east corner of the court-house square, and now the 
 residence of Rev. W. D. Mahan. It had been pre- 
 viously occupied as a school-room by Mr. Jaffray, 
 who sold his furniture and interest to Mr. Kemper. 
 
 " The original course of study embraced the entire 
 Cambridge course of mathematics, and the course of 
 classics then cuirent in Western colleges." 
 
 It may well excite our wonder how it was possible 
 for one man to teach the alphabet and the advanced 
 classics, spelling and the calculus, and all the 
 grades betw^een. It matters not what may be the 
 mental and physical capacity of the teacher under- 
 taking it, such a thing is an impossibility. Such a 
 thing has never been done successfully, and never 
 can be. Herein lies one of the errors that prevail 
 in our country district schools. Some influential 
 man in the neighborhood has a son or a daughter 
 who has passed beyond the branches appropriate to 
 the preparatory district school. He insists that the 
 teacher shall instruct this child in the studies of the 
 high school. There are forty other pupils in the 
 lower grades. These must be drilled in all the 
 fundamental branches. He is fortunate if he finds 
 them reducible to four grades. With four studies to 
 each grade, these would give him sixteen recitations 
 in a day. During the six hours of the school-day 
 
THE BOONVILLE BOARDING-SCHOOL. 129 
 
 there would be an average of less than twenty-three 
 minutes to each recitation, making no allowance for 
 recesses. When, then, is he to teach this advanced 
 pupil Latin, algebra, and the sciences ? Allowing 
 this pupil four daily recitations, we find that he can 
 give to each of the twenty recitations but eighteen 
 minutes each, allowing himself no time for recre- 
 ation, morning or afternoon. We are free to say 
 that, in our judgment, no man can accomplish suc- 
 cessfully such a task. 
 
 Look at it again. Here is one pupil who has 
 already received all the advantages of the district 
 school, and yet claims that one fifth of the teacher's 
 entire time shall be given to him ; while forty 
 others, to whom the district school properly belongs, 
 must content themselves with the remaining four 
 fifths. That is, he who has no rights in the case 
 claims ten times as much of the teacher's care and 
 labor as every other pupil, for whose special benefit 
 the district school is conducted. This is not only 
 an injustice, as here set forth, but in its practical 
 workings results either in the breaking down of the 
 poorly paid and overworked teacher, or else in his 
 neglecting the primary classes for the benefit of his 
 advanced pupil. The State law ought to forbid the 
 teaching of the high-school studies in the preparatory 
 district schools. 
 
 How was it with Mr. Kemper 1 How came he to 
 undertake this impracticable task "i It was necessary 
 for him to essay this work in those early days of the 
 school. The attendance and the tuition fees did not, 
 at first, justify his employment of help. Yet he did 
 not attempt this work alone. He relieved himself in 
 6* 
 
130 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 a way that no one but a teacher of his genius would 
 have thought feasible or proper. He employed his 
 pupils as assistants. But here was the peculiarity of 
 his practice : he used them, not for the primary 
 or fundamental branches, but for the more ad- 
 vanced. We shall speak of this interesting educa- 
 tional question at greater length when we treat of 
 his plans as a teacher. We merely allude to the 
 matter here, and state that his wisdom in this can be 
 fully vindicated. It is our present purpose to give 
 a history of the school in its external aspects, its 
 incidents, changes, and development. 
 
 The record of the opening day shows the at- 
 tendance of only five pupils, four of whom Mr. 
 Kemper brought with him from his school at Phila- 
 delphia — his two cousins, William H. and Rober- 
 deau Allison, sons of his uncle Henry ; Edward B. 
 Dyer, of Fulton, Mo., and Isaac H. Jones, of Pal- 
 myra, Mo. The Allisons remained as pupils for 
 several years, and were by him trained as teachers. 
 As such they have been a credit to him. It was said 
 of the older brother, when he taught in the district 
 schools of Lafayette County, by the intelligent and 
 discriminating county commissioner, Prof. George 
 M. Catron, that he was probably the best teacher in 
 the country schools of that enlightened and progres- 
 sive county. Mr. Dyer belonged to a well-known 
 and highly esteemed family, many of whose mem- 
 bers are still resident in Callaway County, and one 
 of whom, Mr. Watkins, a nephew of Mr. Dyer, was 
 for several years the successful head of the Ashley 
 Seminary, in Pike County. Of Mr. Jones we know 
 nothing. 
 
THE BOONVILLE BOARDING-SCHOOL. 131 
 
 De Witt Clinton Mack has the honor of being the 
 first Boonville boy to enter the school, and the only 
 one for several weeks. He died long since, and his 
 widow is the excellent woman whose discharge of 
 the responsible duties of matron at the Fulton Synod- 
 ical Female College has contributed greatly to the 
 success of that popular institution. One of his 
 daughters is the wife of the Rev W. E. Burke, the 
 Presbyterian minister at New Bloomfield, in Cal- 
 laway County. 
 
 June 24, 1844. — John H. Hogan — "Jack" as we 
 used to call him — George W. and John T. Tracy, 
 William M. Quarles, Alexander B., William, Joseph, 
 and Samuel B. Russell, were entered as pupils — all 
 Boonville boys except the Russells, who were from 
 the county adjacent. The Tracys were sons of 
 Joshua L. Tracy, for many years the head of one of 
 the most popular schools for girls ever established 
 in Missouri. George is still living, a modest but 
 honored citizen of Kirkwood. John, one of the 
 writer's dearest boyhood friends, became a genial 
 man of the world, a wandering cosmopolitan, fond 
 of adventure, and finally died among strangers in 
 South America. Peace to his ashes, and joy to his 
 generous spirit! William M. Quarles became a 
 physician, graduating at the University of Pennsyl- 
 vania, and was regarded by his friends as a Chester- 
 field in manners. He met his death as a soldier in 
 the first battle of the war in Missouri, dying alone 
 upon the field. The older Russells are dead, and 
 Joseph and Samuel are living in Texas. 
 
 July 16. — John and Mark Ainslie, John R. Lion- 
 berger, Horace A. Hutchison, and William G, 
 
132 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 Buckner were enrolled. John Ainslie, the son of 
 English parents, was a natural gentleman. He died 
 in the South. Mark was a rough, warm-hearted 
 boy of ultra-sanguine temperament. We cannot 
 forbear recording here an incident, very honorable 
 to Mark and his mother, although it brings a blush 
 to the writer's cheeks. We were both boys in our 
 early teens. I was a professor of religion and a 
 member of the church. Mark made no such pre- 
 tensions. We were spending the night together in 
 the country. Although I had been taught to pray 
 before I went to bed, and felt it a Christian duty so 
 to do, I was afraid that Mark would ridicule me 
 should I do it in his presence. I therefore com- 
 promised with my conscience by determining that I 
 would attend to my devotions after I was in bed. 
 Being ready first, I jumped in, and was compos- 
 ing myself, when, to my great surprise and mor- 
 tification, Mark said, " Jimmie, my mother has 
 taught me never to neglect my prayers before I go 
 to sleep. So you will please excuse me." It was 
 an arrow to my heart, and I immediately arose, and 
 we kneeled together to commend our souls to God, 
 I acknowledged my cowardice to Mark, and thanked 
 him, as I do still, for the lesson of moral courage 
 which he taught me. 
 
 George Ainslie, a third brother, now represents 
 Idaho Territory in the United States Congress. John 
 R. Lionberger has become one of the wealthy and 
 influential citizens of St. Louis — a leader in its finan- 
 cial enterprises. Horace Hutchison, or "Shad," 
 as we were wont to name him, is the popular circuit 
 clerk of Cooper County, a cultivated gentleman and 
 
 / 
 
THE BOONVILLE BOARDING-SCHOOL. 133 
 
 a poet of genuine genius. "Gill" Buckner is a 
 respected citizen of Brownsville. 
 
 William D. and Howard Porteus Muir appear 
 upon the register, with John Young Rankin, July 
 23. William Muir became a lawyer of acknowl- 
 edged talent, and was one of the most elegant 
 gentlemen of Boonville up to the time of his early 
 death. '* Ports" never returned from the Southern 
 struggle, and now sleeps in a soldier' s grave. John 
 Rankin was noted for his big foot and bigger heart. 
 He went to Texas. 
 
 September 2. — John B. Holman and Leonidas Mo- 
 reau Lawson became pupils. John Holman is now 
 a successful practitioner of medicine in Boonville. 
 "Lon" Lawson entered the school September, 1844, 
 and continued to enjoy its privileges until June, 1 85 1 . 
 He taught the advanced classes during the school 
 year of 1851-52. He was, without doubt, Mr. 
 Kemper's favorite pupil during the long period of 
 his attendance, and well did he deserve the honor- 
 able distinction. He was the son of a poor but 
 very intelligent and worthy gentleman, whose busi- 
 ness was that of a cabinet workman. He was very 
 carefully raised by his parents, who were naturally 
 and properly proud of him. He was always facile 
 pi'inceps in his classes. Indeed there was no one to 
 dispute his acknowledged pre-eminence in all the 
 branches of the full college course, which he pur- 
 sued under Mr. Kemper. He seemed to have no 
 special talent, or rather he had a mind which readily 
 grasped and mastered every subject which it under- 
 took. His was a mind among a million. He was 
 equally apt in all the athletic sports of the play- 
 
134 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 ground. He could run faster, jump higher, strike a 
 ball better, swim and skate more gracefully than 
 any of us, whom he distanced in the school-room. 
 He was a manly, courageous boy. The writer re- 
 members well one occasion, when, in this, he was 
 sorely tried. We were in the woods near the branch 
 when a difficulty arose between him and several of 
 the boys. He w^as alone, and more than one of his 
 antagonists were older, stronger, larger than him- 
 self. One of these, backed by the rest, attacked 
 him. He saw that resistance was useless. With a 
 calm courage and an unblanched cheek, he received 
 the blows, refusing to strike in return, and as steadily 
 refusing to do what they were seeking to force him 
 to do, until they saw that he was more than a match 
 for them all, and they left him, the undaunted victor 
 upon the field. We have never witnessed a sub- 
 limer display of heroism. As a speaker he was 
 without a parallel in the history of the school. In 
 matter thoughtful, and in manner graceful in 
 gesture and eloquent in diction. He was the para- 
 gon of the school, the pride of the teacher, and the 
 beau-ideal of his fellow -pupils. He went to the State 
 University, entered the senior class, and although 
 crippled by a spell of serious sickness, he was gradu- 
 ated with the highest honor in 1853. He was at 
 once called to a professorship in William Jewell 
 College, and during its incumbency he studied 
 law, and was in due time admitted to the bar. He 
 rose rapidly in his profession, and was soon sent, 
 though quite young, to the Legislature of the State 
 from Platte County, by a majority very much greater 
 than that of his colleague on the same ticket. Very 
 
THE BOONVILLE BOARDING-SCHOOL. 135 
 
 much to the surprise and disappointment of many 
 of his friends, who looked forward to his reaping 
 the highest honors in the political preferments of 
 the Republic, he turned abruptly from the blooming, 
 beckoning path of professional and intellectual fame 
 that opened before him, and gave his splendid powers 
 to a life of financial enterprise. In this he has suc- 
 ceeded, and he is now a member of the substantial 
 firm of Donnell, Lawson & Simpson, bankers, of 
 Broadway, New York, whose business connections 
 extend from London, England, to San Antonio, 
 Texas. 
 
 October 17.— Henry C. Hayden entered the school. 
 He was the son of Peyton R. Hayden, one of the 
 most popular lawyers of the Boonville bar, the com- 
 peer of Abiel Leonard, John G. Miller, J. B. Garden- 
 hire, Washington Adams — all men of the first repute 
 in their profession. Henry was a talented boy, and 
 much respected by his school associates. The most 
 serious difficulty which occurred in the school, the 
 first ten years of its establishment, was in connection 
 with him. Those who witnessed it have never been 
 able to forget it. It occurred at the noon recess, and 
 was considered by Mr. Kemper of so serious a char- 
 acter that he spent the afternoon in a solemn lecture 
 to us on the subject. Henry never attended the school 
 again. It was feared that it might prove his ruin, 
 and that he and his teacher would never be friends 
 again. But it proved otherwise. Though for some 
 years he was not what he might have been, he was 
 given what is the grown man's greatest earthly bless- 
 ing, a wise and faithful wife. He became an earnest, 
 consistent Christian, and in Fulton first and at St. Louis 
 
136 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 afterward he rose to competence and eminence as a 
 lawyer, and at his death was regarded one of the 
 ablest advocates in Missouri, His career shows that 
 it is possible to retrieve the errors of one's youth, and 
 thus to pluck victory from disaster. The triumph is 
 all the grander when it is so achieved, and reminds 
 us of the words of the singer of the " Psalm of Life," 
 
 " Nor deem the irrevocable past 
 As wholly wasted, wholly vain, 
 If, rising on its wreck at last, 
 To something nobler we attain." 
 
 During his manhood Henry was one of Mr. Kem- 
 per's stanchest friends. 
 
 This closes the record of the first term, during 
 which thirty-three pupils in all were enrolled. It 
 seems a strange time for it to begin and end. The 
 arrangement was doubtless due to Mr. Kemper's un- 
 willingness to spend his first summer at Boonville in 
 idleness. 
 
 The second session began November 25th, 1844. 
 The records show an attendance of sixty-five during 
 the term. Among these were Henry L. McPherson, 
 for many years a pilot on the Missouri and after- 
 ward the captain of several steamers on the same 
 river, now an enterprising railroad builder, one of the 
 most chivalrous, noble-hearted men that Boonville 
 has ever known ; Henry C. Gibson, for many years, 
 and now, a successful physician at Boonville; Benj. 
 F. Gibson, the doctor's brother, a farmer, who should 
 not be allowed to sit on his load of hay while it is on 
 the scales, for a reason that every acquaintance will 
 appreciate ; Robert Ruxton, a boarding pupil, a can- 
 ny Scotchman, an intelligent, substantial gentleman, a 
 
THE BOONVILLE BOARDING-SCHOOL. 137 
 
 subsequent teacher in Saline County, who wrote to his 
 former preceptor: — "Mr. Kemper, what a fearful 
 state of ignorance I have been living in for the last 
 twenty years ! And for what reason ? Because I had 
 not Webster's Dictionary. I tell you, sir, if I was de- 
 prived of this invaluable book, I would ride three 
 hundred and fifty miles any time to read what he 
 says about the letter A. And surely I would ride a 
 thousand miles for the privilege of reading an hour 
 in any other part of it " — a major in the Confederate 
 service, an ardent admirer of his old teacher; Joseph 
 C. Terrell, for a long time now a prominent lawyer at 
 Fort Worth, in the Lone Star State; John W. Houx, 
 a boy and a man that every acquaintance likes, 
 one of the original settlers, and now a prominent 
 merchant of Sedalia ; John Y. Leveridge, the execu- 
 tive officer, as secretary of the Fair Association of 
 Kansas City; J. A. Quarles, who was matriculated 
 February 18, 1845, and continued a pupil until June, 
 1854. 
 
 "The first building for the use of the school was 
 erected during the summer of 1845. The ground was 
 purchased of Solomon Houck, May 20 of that year. 
 It had a frontage on Third Street of one hundred and 
 twenty feet. The building then erected, which con- 
 stitutes the right front of the present main building, 
 was put up by a joint stock company, with the under- 
 standing that Mr. Kemper was to purchase their 
 stock in the course of time. This was promptly 
 done." Before the removal to these premises, the 
 family lived for some time in the frame building on 
 the south-east corner of Main and Chestnut streets, 
 which is still standing. We remember this fact dis- 
 
138 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 tinctly, although Mr. Kemper does not aUiide to it in 
 the centennial catalogue. 
 
 This first building on the grounds, which have 
 since become historic as the permanent seat of the in- 
 stitution, was a two-story brick, having two rooms 
 and a hall or entry below, and three rooms above. 
 The first floor was for the family. The room in the 
 south-west corner above was Mr. Kemper's bedroom. 
 By the side of this, in the south-east corner, was 
 a small recitation-room. On the north was the main 
 school-room, approached by an outdoor stairvA^ay on 
 the west side of the building. Every survivor can 
 doubtless recall our pleasurable emotions on the 
 day when we were transferred from the corner of the 
 court-house square to these new, more comfortable, 
 and, as we thought, elegant quarters. The exact date 
 we cannot recall, and as it is not recorded we do 
 not know. It was probably early in the fall of 
 
 1845- 
 
 The third session began June 2, 1845, and although 
 held during the heated term, witnessed the enrol- 
 ment of fifty-six pupils. Among the new ones were : 
 James Preston Beck, who was sent to Mr. Kemper 
 an orphan boy from Lexington, Mo. He gave 
 his teacher more than usual trouble, though he was 
 intelligent and capable. He afterward was sent east, 
 and was graduated in law at Harvard, and also in 
 medicine at some Eastern institution. He became an 
 elegant, cultured person, and was the hero of a ro- 
 mantic courtship in connection with his second mar- 
 riage. Tyre C. Harris, afterward, in 1847, a teach-er 
 of the school. He became a Baptist minister. The 
 records of that large and influential church doubtless 
 
THE BOONVILLE BOARDING-SCHOOL. 139 
 
 contain the name of no contemporary in Missouri 
 who stood so high with his own brethren and the 
 outside community as Tyre Harris. He was cut down 
 in the flower of his manhood, but honors had crowded 
 thick upon him, and before him lay the promise of a 
 life of distinguished usefulness. Charley Cope, Henry 
 Marquis, William Henry Rector, and W. Woodfin are 
 known as matriculates of this session. 
 
 We stop here, for the reason that the school entering 
 its own building chose for itself a new name. Up to 
 the close of this term it was called "The Boonville 
 Boarding School." Henceforth for some years it 
 was known as "The Male Collegiate Institute." 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE MALE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE OF BOONVILLE. 
 
 " That heart, methinks, 
 Were of strange mould, which kept no cherished print 
 Of earlier, happier times, when life was fresh, 
 And love and innocence made holyday : 
 Or that owned 
 
 No transient sadness when a dream, a glimpse 
 Of fancy touched past joys." Hillhouse. 
 
 The fourth semi-annual session of the school 
 now known as The Male Collegiate Institute, 
 began November 24th, 1845, and its register shows 
 an attendance of sixty-six pupils. J. Wellington 
 Draffen was one of these. Mr. Draifen is still a 
 resident of Boonville, and is a proof that the 
 Jewish proverb, "No prophet is without honor 
 save in his own country," has its exceptions, or is 
 misinterpreted when it is made to affirm that true 
 merit may not be and is not often recognized by 
 those most familiar with its possessor. He has not 
 shown himself a genius of eagle wing, able to fly to 
 heavenly heights of eminence by a few bold strokes 
 of its majestic pinions. But while his upward march 
 has been the slow and toilsome progress of the 
 climber up the steep and rugged mountain-side, in 
 this he has displayed traits of character no less noble 
 
MALE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE. 141 
 
 and sublime, and his proud position to-day, as one 
 of the foremost lawyers of Central Missouri, shows 
 the substantial stuff of which he is made. John R. 
 Woodfin is another, and was one of the most assid- 
 uous and successful students of the higher branches 
 in these early days. He went to California across 
 the plains a few years after this, and it was remarked, 
 in allusion to very unusual natural endowments 
 which suggested the conceit, that he used one of his 
 ears as a mattress and the other as sufficient covering 
 in the nightly camping on the way. 
 
 The fifth term began May 11, 1846, and shows 
 an attendance of seventy-one pupils. Of those en- 
 rolled for the first time we observe the name of 
 James B. Harris. He was an older brother of the 
 Rev. Tyre C. Harris, and along with him was an 
 assistant teacher in the year 1847, twelve months 
 from this date. He still lives in Callaway County, 
 and has represented his senatorial district in the State 
 Legislature to the satisfaction of his constituents. 
 He was the presiding student at the reunion in 
 1874. John Dow, the popular and the irrepressible, 
 and A. H. C. Koontz are new names on the roll. 
 Hiram Koontz was, as he is now, a positive charac- 
 ter. He was a very ardent and ultra temperance 
 man during the days of the Billy Ross excitement. 
 He thought that Mr. Kemper was too conservative 
 on the great issue of that day. Since then he has 
 doubtless seen that our teacher was wiser than he. 
 
 The sixth semi-annual session began September 
 21, 1846. Seventy-five pupils were entered during 
 the term. William Brown was one of these. He 
 was one of the marked students of the school. 
 
142 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 Obedience to its regulations and earnest in his en- 
 deavors for self-improvement, he always stood high 
 in the estimation of his teacher. Having removed to 
 Jacksonville, Illinois, he studied law, and has there 
 practised his profession with eminent success ever 
 since. He has been honored by his fellow-citizens 
 with several important positions of trust, and has 
 been favorably mentioned as a suitable person to fill 
 the Governor's chair in that imperial State of the in- 
 terior. He is now assistant solicitor-general of the 
 Wabash Railroad, having charge of all its legal busi- 
 ness east of the Mississippi River. Leonidas Boyle 
 belongs to this year. He was the son of one of the 
 best men that ever loved the Saviour and served his 
 fellow-men in Missouri, the Rev. Joseph Boyle, D.D. 
 ''Lon" was a wayward boy, but of open heart and 
 generous disposition. His life was a checkered one. 
 He became a Methodist minister, and is now dead. 
 John L. O'Bryan entered at this time. His father, 
 Jordan O'Bryan, was one of the most respected 
 citizens of Cooper County in those days, and John 
 is now one of its leading public men. David Gib- 
 son and Boyle Hayden were two of the good boys 
 of the school. Dave was a little mischievous and 
 rather fond of sly fun. It was he who was so full 
 of life that on one occasion he whistled aloud in 
 school. Upon being called to account for it, he very 
 naively replied, "Mr. Kemper, I didn't whistle; it 
 just whistled itself." This reminds us of another 
 ridiculous incident that occurred in connection with 
 Sam Russell, one of the pupils of the first term. 
 While the teacher was calling the roll, Sam was busy 
 relating to a neighbor an adventure he had had a 
 
MALE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE. 143 
 
 short time before. Being very intent upon his story, 
 he had not observed that the time was approaching 
 for him to answer. Just as Mr. Kemper called his 
 name, he was in the act of saying " screech-owl" in 
 his narrative, and so there rang out upon the solemn 
 air of the school-room, from the teacher, "Samuel 
 Russell," and the response, "Screech-owl!" Sam 
 was like Dave, he could hardly realize that he had 
 said it. Mr. Kemper could scarcely believe his ears. 
 But it was unmistakably so, and all, from teacher 
 down, except Sam, laughed in hearty chorus. Eli- 
 sha S. Rector belongs to this period. 
 
 Up to this time, so far as the records show and our 
 information goes, there were no regular assistants 
 who gave their whole time to the work of teaching. 
 Here was a school of seventy-one pupils of various 
 grades to be instructed by a single teacher. We nat- 
 urally say that it was impossible, and so indeed it 
 was. While we cannot recall who the helpers were, 
 we distinctly remember that Mr. Kemper always- 
 freely used his older and better trained pupils as as- 
 sistants, giving them those classes which needed the 
 least drilling and control. In this way, we were 
 sure, he met the exigencies of the school. As a 
 straw confirming this view, it is a matter of record 
 that, during this last term, John O'Bryan, Frank 
 Chilton, and Well. Draffen were the regularly deputed 
 penmakers of the school. We may infer from this 
 that they were good whittlers. It may be that some 
 of our children may not understand why there should 
 have been penmakers. It is possible that some of 
 them have never seen nor heard of an old quill pen. 
 Be it known unto you, then, dear children, that in 
 
144 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 those good old times of which you have heard your 
 grandfathers speak, but which we hardly think that 
 even they would wish to see come again, steel pens 
 and gold pens were unknown. The geese must be 
 plucked, not only to furnish feather-beds on which 
 poor humanity sweltered during the days of the dog- 
 star, but also that their quills might be used for 
 pens. It was one of the necessities of the teacher's 
 profession that he should know how to cut a quilL 
 He might be ignorant of arithmetic and grammar, 
 but he must know how to make a pen. Moreover, 
 w^hen a quill was once fashioned into a pen, it had a 
 naughty way of not remaining so. It was in con- 
 stant need of repairing, especially when used by the 
 unskilled fingers of those learning to write. Imagine 
 now one man, in addition to teaching mathematics, 
 and the classics, and the three R's to seventy-one pu- 
 pils, undertaking to make and mend pens for them ! 
 We can easily see that Mr. Kemper was wise in call- 
 ing his pupils to the rescue, and that Draffen, Chilton, 
 and O'Bryan did not have a sinecure. We wonder 
 whether they can make, or as the Germans say, cut^ a 
 pen now. 
 
 In the fall term of 1846, beginning Sept. 21, Mr. 
 Kemper determined to have regular help. Accord- 
 ingly he made arrangements to that effect with James 
 B. and Tyre C. Harris, two of his former pupils. 
 Mr. Kemper occupied the main school-room, and 
 supervised and directed the movements of the entire 
 body of pupils. Tyre Plarris met his classes in Mr. 
 Kemper's bedroom, and James B. Harris his in the 
 other small recitation-room. 
 
 In the fall term of this arrangement, seventy-five 
 
MALE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE. 145 
 
 pupils were enrolled; and in the spring session, be- 
 ginning March 8th, 1847, there were sixty-six. Mrs. 
 Kemper found among the papers this interesting 
 statement : " Gross income of Kemper, Harris and 
 Harris for first session of their partnership, ending 
 March 2, 1847, $655.35. Second session, ending 6th 
 of Aug., 1847, I551.76." This is a total of $1207.11 
 for three men, for teaching an average of seventy 
 pupils for an entire school year. It shows us that 
 either many of the pupils failed to pay, or that the 
 average charge did not exceed twenty dollars for 
 each one. 
 
 Among the names of this spring term of 1847 
 we find Edw. H. Harris. He was not of the same 
 family as the teachers. He is now the head of an 
 interesting family, most of the children grown, and 
 is a prosperous merchant and farmer at Pilot Grove, 
 in Cooper County. He has a son whom he is proud 
 to call Frederick Kemper Harris. Hardage L. An- 
 drews was a pupil for several years, and is now a 
 resident of California. William M. Givens was one of 
 the most mature pupils that ever attended the school. 
 He was successful in his studies, then attended the 
 medical lectures, and is now a physician at Gallatin, 
 Mo. 
 
 The eighth session opened Sept. 13, 1847, and is 
 credited with fifty-five pupils. At this time we first 
 find a daily record kept of every boy's lessons, ab- 
 sence, etc. The partnership with the Harris brothers 
 did not continue longer than a year, so that Mr. 
 Kemper was now again doing the whole work, with 
 the help of his pupils. We see that the time for be- 
 ginning the school year has been gradually changed, 
 7 
 
146 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 until it is now brought to corresppnd with the cus- 
 tom of other schools. This was a wise movement, 
 for the manifest reason that it gave to teacher and 
 pupil their period of rest during the enervating days 
 of summer. 
 
 The ninth session, beginning Feburary 21, 1848, 
 enrolled fifty-four pupils. Jeff. B. McCutchen died 
 from wounds received at the first battle of Boonville. 
 We sigh as we think of him cut down in the early 
 promise of his manhood. Oberon A. Kueckelhan 
 was the son of Dr. A. Kueckelhan, a graduate in 
 medicine from one of the universities of the Father- 
 land, and one of the most skilled physicians of Mis- 
 souri. Obe is a farmer near Boonville. W. C. P. 
 Townsley — "Chan" we called him — was an intelli- 
 gent and orderly boy, standing well in tlie regard of 
 his teacher and fellow-pupils. He became a carriage- 
 maker, and worked at this business until the war. 
 He prosecuted the study of the law while thus en- 
 gaged, and surprised many of his friends by his sud- 
 den and unexpected appearance at the bar. He was 
 given the commission as judge of the Lafayette 
 Judicial Circuit of Missouri, and despite his inexperi- 
 ence and the general dissatisfaction at the manner of 
 his entering upon the bench, he made a respectable 
 record as a jurist. He is now in Kansas. His 
 brother, Leopold M. Townsley, is a dentist. 
 
 There were forty-two enrolled during the tenth 
 session, which began September nth, 1848. During 
 this term cnere first appears upon the register one of 
 the worthiest names connected with the history of the 
 school. It is that of Edward Roberson Taylor. His 
 father was from Tennessee, and a cabinet workman 
 
MALE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE. 147 
 
 of slender means. He did not live many years after 
 he settled his family in Boonville. Edward was thus 
 left, an only son, with several sisters to the care of 
 his widowed mother. He continued to prosecute his 
 studies Avith very honorable success, always main- 
 taining a position among the foremost of his class. 
 Although quite young, he had studied the higher 
 mathematics and read a fair course in the Latin and 
 Greek classics before he was compelled to leave 
 school to aid in the support of the family. He entered 
 the tobacco factory of Mr. David Spahr, and began 
 work as a stemmer. He soon held other, higher, 
 and more responsible positions in the factory. This 
 life, however, did not suit him, and he entered a 
 printing-office, and began to learn " the art preserva- 
 tive of all arts," in the composing-rooms of the 
 Boonville Observer. A. W. Simpson was then the edi- 
 tor, and the paper was recognized as one of the ablest 
 organs of the Whig party in the State. Edward's in- 
 telligence, industry, and trustworthiness brought him 
 rapid promotion, and before he was twenty-one years 
 of age he was the foreman of one of the best conducted 
 printing-offices in the West. During this time he 
 wrote several poems, which were highly commended 
 by judicious critics. The family then removed to 
 California, and Edward studied medicine, taking the 
 doctor's degree. In this, as in everything else, he was 
 a very diligent and successful student. He was the 
 author of several able articles, which were published 
 in the medical journals, and attracted the favorable 
 notice of his professional brethren. He tired, how- 
 ever, of medicine. He became the private secretary 
 of Governor Haight, and received license to practise 
 
148 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 law. He is now of the firm of Taylor & Haight, at- 
 torneys-at-law, San Francisco. He still at irregular 
 periods cultiv^ates the muse of poetry, and contributes 
 to this volume one of its chief attractions. T. C. 
 Davis belongs here. " Kink " was our name for him, 
 in allusion to his curly head. 
 
 There were only thirty-five pupils in attendance 
 upon the spring session, which opened February 
 26, 1849. As this is one of the smallest aggre- 
 gates for any term, we make it the occasion for say- 
 ing that it does not indicate a waning in the popu- 
 larity of the school. The most thoroughly established 
 institutions in the land have their ebb and flow, pro- 
 duced by a number of conspiring causes. But in 
 addition to this, and far more important in the his- 
 tory of the Kemper school, is the fact that its founder 
 and head was always favorable to a small and select 
 school, never desiring more than he could himself 
 personally teach and control. From his journal 
 we know that he limited his number this year to 
 thirty. This may seem strange to some, but his wis- 
 dom in it will be shown when we discuss his princi- 
 ples and plans as a teacher. ' 
 
 Horace Bingham, the eldest son of the distinguish- 
 ed painter, G. C. Bingham, was one of the matricu- 
 lates of this term. Frank Lionberger, the artist of 
 Boonville, was another. James Porter, of the Boon- 
 ville ferry, was another. Lewis Miller, the son of 
 the Hon. John G. Miller, one of the ablest and purest 
 public men that Missouri has ever sent to Washing- 
 ton City, was another. Lewis became a lawyer, re- 
 moved to Saline, married an accomplished lady, and 
 died a few years since. James P. Dow, who lives on 
 
, MALE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE. 149 
 
 an island in the Missouri River above Boonvilie, 
 "monarch of all he surveys," belongs to this period. 
 James Madison Byler is still another. No pupil of 
 this period of the school can ever forget Byler and 
 his pony. As there was congenital malformation of 
 both hands and feet, the pony was indispensable, and 
 he was therefore as regular an attendant as was his 
 master. Byler was very proud of " Pony," and took 
 pleasure in descanting upon his excellent traits. One 
 day he told us that there was one sure mark of afast- 
 gaited horse, and then pointed to Pony to show us that 
 he had it. Pony, if urged, could gallop probably four 
 miles in an hour. He was a sorrel, and wore his hair 
 short behind. Byler was a good student. That Mr. 
 Kemper regarded him with favor is clearly shown in 
 his employment of him as an assistant in 1851. He is 
 now a real-estate agent at the flourishing young city 
 of Sedalia. 
 
 The twelfth session witnessed the enrolment of 
 sixty-three pupils. It began September 10, 1849. 
 Among the number were William B. and Richard 
 A. Hening. The Hening boys were sons of the Rev. 
 John A. Hening, an able, pious, but somewhat eccen- 
 tric Methodist minister. Dick was a sprightly boy, 
 industrious, intelligent, inquisitive. Many of the 
 old pupils will probably remember his peculiar ren- 
 deringof Longfellow's '' Excelsior," a favorite piece 
 for declamation. The support of his father's family 
 soon devolved upon him. He accepted the trust as 
 a brave, true man, removing to Neosho, in Newton 
 County, that he might more successfully meet its re- 
 sponsibilities, and there he has since died. 
 
150 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 Mrs. Kemper sends the following item connected 
 with this term : 
 
 " Should the education of females be equal to that 
 of the males ? 
 
 ^^ Aff. — Givens, Quarles, Mack, Taylor, Dow, M, 
 Ainslie. 
 
 '' Neg. — Torbert, Lawson, Mitchell, J. Ainslie, 
 Tucker, Morton." 
 
 As it has been the writer's lot to preside over the 
 education of girls during the best years of his life, 
 he is gratified to find that in his boyhood (for he 
 was only twelve years of age then) he was the advo- 
 cate of woman's right to a full participation in the 
 privileges of a thorough education. The strength of 
 truth was on the side of the affirmative, but the 
 heavy guns of debate were with the negative. Tor- 
 bert and Lawson were the orators of the school. J. 
 W. Torbert is another of the most distinguished 
 pupils that the school has known. He was a 
 faithful student, and eagerly ambitious for self-im- 
 provement. He was far more mature in years than 
 the rest of us. At this time he was probably nearly 
 or quite twenty-one years of age. He was invited 
 while a pupil to take charge of the city public school, 
 and accepted the trust. He was specially gifted as a 
 speaker. Of commanding appearance, having a fine 
 voice, great fertility of thought, affluence of speech, 
 and grace of movement, he was a natural orator, 
 capable of commanding the attention of any audi- 
 ence he might address. There were lively times in 
 the Boonville Lyceum when he and John H. Hening, 
 Esq., were pitted in debate against each other. They 
 were both vigorous thinkers and effective speakers. 
 
MALE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE. 151 
 
 Torbert threw himself into politics, was very popular 
 upon the stump, and was sent by Taylor or Fillmore 
 as consul to the Island of St. Thomas, we believe, 
 and there died. If he had lived to middle age there 
 is hardly a doubt that he would have left behind him 
 a name historic in the annals of his country. 
 
 The thirteenth semi-annual term began February 
 25, 1850, and during its continuance fifty-seven 
 names were registered. For the next school year, 
 embracing the fourteenth and fifteenth sessions, the 
 records have been lost, and we have no means now of 
 ascertaining how many were enrolled, nor the names 
 of particular pupils. As yet the custom of publish- 
 ing an annual catalogue had not begun. 
 
 In 185 1 the school building was improved by an 
 addition, which nearly doubled its capacity. It was 
 put up as an ell to the front building, already de- 
 scribed, at the north-west corner, inclosing in a hall 
 the steps leading to the second story. This improve- 
 ment was necessary for the accommodation of those 
 who wished to avail themselves of the benefits of 
 the school. We are satisfied, however, that Mr. 
 Kemper's own judgment did not approve this en- 
 largement. He was always favorable to a small 
 school. We must bear in mind that he was still, and 
 for several years longer, a bachelor, and that the 
 enlargement was not for boarders, but for an increased 
 attendance of day pupils. The addition had a hall 
 and one large room on each of its two floors. Mr. 
 Kemper took the intermediate pupils into the lower 
 room, James M. Byler was given the primaries in 
 the old school-room, and L. M. Lawson took charge 
 
.152 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER, 
 
 of the most advanced classes in the upper room of 
 the new building. 
 
 From statements made in his journal we learn 
 that this improvement cost about three thousand 
 dollars, and that he was expected to pay for it within 
 three years. The centennial catalogue tells us that 
 it was put up by a joint -stock company, with the 
 understanding that Mr. Kemper was to purchase the 
 interest of the other stockholders. This he doubt- 
 less did to a great degree by educating the sons of 
 those who had taken stock. We know from his 
 journal that before he had occupied the building a 
 year he had paid more than seven hundred dollars 
 upon it. 
 
 The year succeeding this improvement of the 
 premises is noted in showing the largest attendance 
 in the history of the school. In the fall term there 
 were enrolled one hundred and twenty-seven pupils, 
 and in the spring one hundred and twenty-one. 
 These were large numbers for three teachers to 
 handle. They were well graded, however, and in 
 those days the range of studies was not as extensive 
 as now. The largest proportion was under Mr. 
 Kemper's personal care, and the smallest in Law- 
 son's room. 
 
 During the first term of the eighth year, beginning 
 September 8, 1851, Elijah Workman's name appears. 
 He was the son of English parents, who lived near 
 the upper landing for steamboats. They did not 
 tarry long in Boonville, but soon removed to Cali- 
 fornia, where they have since resided. Charley 
 Reinhart is still in Boonville, with a pleasant smile 
 and a hearty shake of the hand for any of the old 
 
MALE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE. 153 
 
 pupils he may meet. Leverett Leonard, the son of 
 one of the best farmers that ever tilled the soil and 
 improved the stock of Cooper County, carries on a 
 magnificent farm in Saline, the banner county of 
 the State for the richness of its soil. Leverett 
 was graduated at Dartmouth College and studied law, 
 but prefers the more quiet and independent life of 
 the husbandman. 
 
 During the spring term, beginning February 9, 
 1852, William Workman became a pupil. With his 
 name there comes to us a throng of pleasant memories. 
 He was one of the best of boys. Simple, unaffected, 
 generous, true, we loved him as though he had been 
 a brother. In those days his family was poor. As 
 already stated, they went to California, and have there 
 become wealthy, owning extensive orange and lemon 
 groves, fig orchards, and vineyards in Los Angeles. 
 We sometimes wonder whether money has contracted 
 or expanded the noble sympathies of his nature. We 
 should love to meet him again ; but, if not here, then 
 we hope to do so in the amaranthine bowers of the 
 upper Paradise, more beautiful, more fragrant, more 
 perennial than the orange groves of his California 
 home. David Lionberger belongs here ; he was the 
 youngest of five brothers, all of whom were pupils — 
 John R., De Witt C, Frank, William, and himself. 
 Their father was for many years one of the prominent 
 citizens of Cooper County. David studied medicine, 
 and went to Paris to perfect himself in his profession. 
 But his delicate constitution soon yielded to disease, 
 and he filled an early grave. Ralph Augustus Quarles 
 entered during this session. He and Dr. William M. 
 and J. A. Quarles were all sons of Colonel James 
 
 7* 
 
154 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 Quarles, who became a citizen of Cooper County in 
 1836. Himself a teacher in early life, he prized the 
 advantages of education, and gave to all three of his 
 sons both a collegiate and professional course. Au- 
 gustus went to Westminster College, and then to 
 the medical school. Since his graduation he has 
 practised his profession in the city of St. Louis. 
 
 The ninth year opened September 20th, 1852, and 
 during its first term one hundred and ten pupils were 
 registered. Scott Benedict, one of the best boys of 
 the school, was of this number. He went to Califor- 
 nia. John M. Weidemeyer is another. He was one 
 of the most athletic boys that ever graced the cam- 
 pus of a school. He excelled in all kinds of sport, 
 but was specially proficient at foot-ball, where activity, 
 strength, and endurance were all required. He was 
 one of the most popular students of the school — popu- 
 lar with his teacher and loved by his associates. He 
 bore a captain's commission under the Confederacy, 
 and, we are sure, was a gallant soldier. He is now 
 an enterprising merchant at Clinton, Mo. William 
 Wyan Trigg, instinctively a modest, refined gentle- 
 man, and Beverly Bunce are pupils of this period. 
 Beverly Bunce has reason to remember the writer of 
 this volume. We were playing bandy. The writer 
 had a stick, on the curve of which a hollow bone had 
 been fastened, to give it weight. He had gotten pos- 
 session of the ball on a part of the field where there 
 was no one to interfere with him. He prepared, 
 therefore, to give the ball the heaviest possible stroke. 
 Beverly was standing right in front to intercept it. 
 When the stroke was made, the bone flew from the 
 stick, hit Beverly squarely in the forehead, and he 
 
MALE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE. 155 
 
 fell as if he had been shot. The striker feared that 
 he had killed him. But fortunately the skull is 
 thick there, and no serious damage was sustained. 
 During the war we saw a Southern soldier, at the 
 battle of Glasgow, with a Minie ball imbedded in 
 his forehead, and yet he was walking around and 
 joking merrily about it. 
 
 During the second term there were enrolled 
 eighty-two pupils. William B. Napton, Jr., the son 
 of the distinguished jurist of the same name, was 
 one of these. He became a lawyer, and practised for 
 some years in Kansas City. He has now retired to 
 his farm in Saline County. David W. Thompson. 
 Joseph S. RobersonandJamesC.Wood,allfrom Pettis 
 County, belong to this time. Dave was a steady, 
 studious boy. Jo and Jim were rollicking fellows. 
 Jo was smart, and witty, and handsome, and generous, 
 and popular. He and Jim were both fonder of the 
 girls than of their books. Jim lost his heart at Mr. 
 Tracy's, and Jo his at Mr. Bell's. It was love, how- 
 ever, that did not ripen in either case. Jo went 
 West, and we have lost him; but no friend on this 
 broad earth has a greener place in our memory than 
 this same light-hearted, frank, impulsive, noble Jo. 
 
 The winter of 1853 marks an era in the history of 
 the school, from the fact that an effort was then 
 made to convert it into a college. For this purpose 
 the following charter was secured from the Legis- 
 lature of Missouri: — 
 
 "An Act to incorporate Boonville College. 
 "Whereas, the school known as The Boonville Male Colle- 
 giate Institute, located in Boonville, Cooper County, has sus 
 tained itself for many years, has fitted pupils for high standing in 
 
156 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 the advanced classes of the best colleges, and has been supplied 
 by its founder, F. T. Kemper, with suitable buildings and fixt- 
 ures ; and whereas, it is desired by the community sustaining 
 said school to erect it into a college, which shall, in addition to 
 the usual routine of literary and professional instruction, have 
 normal and agricultural schools for the special education of 
 farmers and teachers ; the whole to be no engine of any sect, and 
 responsible to no ecclesiastical judicature, and yet remaining as 
 heretofore, under Presbyterian influence ; therefore, 
 " Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as 
 follows : 
 
 "Section i. That John G. Miller, James Quarles, John Col- 
 houn, William H. Trigg, James Walter, E. W. Brown, Jordan 
 O'Bryan, Smith Walker, Caleb Jones, James M. Nelson, C. L. 
 Loomis, Jeremiah Rice, Richard T. Jacobs, F. T. Kemper, 
 Chester Brewster, William G. Bell, F. W. G. Thomas, and Elisha 
 Stanley, are hereby constituted a body corporate, under the 
 name and style of ' Boonville College ;' shall have perpetual suc- 
 cession and a common seal ; and, in their corporate capacity, 
 may sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded, defend and be 
 defended in all courts and places whatsoever. 
 
 " Sec. 2. Said Board of Trustees shall have power to receive, 
 acquire, recover, and hold any money, or real, or personal estate 
 that may be granted, donated, or devised for the use of said in- 
 stitution ; and may purchase and dispose of property, in such 
 manner as will best promote the object of their organization. 
 
 " Sec. 3. Said corporation shall have power to confer all the 
 literary honors or degrees, conferred by similar institutions, and 
 to create such other degrees as may best promote the education 
 of agriculturalists and professional teachers for common and high 
 schools. 
 
 " Sec. 4. Said Board of Trustees is hereby empowered to ap- 
 point a faculty, the president of which shall be, ex-officio, 
 president of the Board of Trustees ; and to appoint other officers 
 and tutors as the interest of the institution may require. They 
 may also displace the same, and make such by-laws and reg- 
 ulations as will further the interests of the college, provided 
 they be not inconsistent with the law of the land. 
 
 " Sec. 5. Said corporation shall have power to displace mem- 
 
MALE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE. 157 
 
 bers of their own body, who shall become disqualified for duty 
 by age, infirmity, or otherwise, or who shall fail to perform 
 their duties from neglect of the interests of the institution, 
 
 " This act to take effect from its passage. 
 
 "Approved February 12, 1853." 
 
 As is manifest from the charter, the design was to 
 make a college for the special benefit of farmers and 
 teachers. Mr. Kemper himself was both, and he 
 took the liveliest interest in the agricultural classes 
 as well as in teachers. His favorite idea, however, 
 was the normal college. We must remember that at 
 that time there was none such in Missouri, and but 
 very few in this country. It was his great ambition 
 to inaugurate such a scheme in connection with his 
 school in Boonville. We have before us an elaborate 
 report on the subject prepared by him and submitted 
 to those who were interested in Boonville College. 
 In it he first states and elaborates the proposition, 
 that '^ education should be a professional business," 
 "a learned profession," "that teachers should be 
 professionally educated." He then suggests "a plan 
 for a school of pedagogics." " We think," he says, 
 " a three years' course of professional training, after 
 leaving college, as little as the wants of the true 
 teacher will admit. ... In three departments of 
 study and practice. The first scientific, the second 
 educational, the third practical exercise in teaching. 
 . . . In the scientific department we would have 
 teachers not only to review, but greatly extend their 
 inquiries. ... 2. The educational department. 
 Here let the embryo teacher learn the nature, the 
 history, and the present state of education. Let him 
 study how to govern a school and control his tern- 
 
158 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 per ; how to exemplify, before his pupils and the 
 world, the wisdom, and knowledge, and moral virtue 
 which he is to inculcate. Let him study school ar- 
 chitecture, the laws of health, the true relation of the 
 teacher to his pupils, to the other professions, and 
 to society ; and last, though not least, the economics 
 of his profession, or the way to make it pay. . . . 
 3. We would attach to the college a preparatory de- 
 partment, in which all theories on education should 
 be brought to the test of experiment, and in which 
 the results of the wisest investigations might be em- 
 ployed in fitting children for future collegiate and 
 business life " 
 
 As an additional incentive to professional excel- 
 lence, he proposes, with reference to the normal 
 graduate, " Having started him out, a man of real 
 learning and skill in his business, let him, after 
 teaching three years, if he demonstrates his success, 
 be counted worthy the degree of Doctor of Fhilos- 
 ophyy 
 
 One hundred thousand dollars, in addition to the 
 endowment of the college, he thinks would put such 
 a school on a solid foundation ; and he suggests 
 that it be raised " by subscriptions of one dollar each 
 from the patriotic and Christian ladies of our beloved 
 country." 
 
 There has been preserved one of these original 
 subscription lists. The heading was written by Mr. 
 Kemper. It is : — 
 
 " We, whose names are affixed, agree to pay the 
 sums opposite to our names respectively to the Treas- 
 urer of Boonville College, for the purpose of endow- 
 ing the ' School of Professional Teachers in Boon- 
 
MALE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE. 159 
 
 ville College.' July 18, '53. ~A. H. Bailey, $1.00 ; A. 
 S. Jefferson, |i.oo ; E. J. Slack, li.oo ; G. S. Johnson, 
 li.oo; M. McFariand, li.oo; S. B. Hammond, |i 00." 
 
 The plan for endowing the college proper was the 
 one which at that time was quite popular in 'Mis- 
 souri, by means of scholarships. There were to be 
 six hundred, at one hundred dollars each. They were 
 transferable. A single scholarship entitled its holder 
 to sixteen years of tuition in the regular collegiate, 
 or collegiate and preparatory course. A half scholar- 
 ship gave four years' tuition. A scholarship and a 
 half entitled its owner to eight years in the prepara- 
 tory department, in addition to the sixteen years of 
 the single scholarship. Three scholarships gave the 
 right to perpetual tuition. 
 
 Boonville College was never put into operation. 
 There is no allusion to the scheme in his journal. 
 We seriously question whether, outside of the nor- 
 mal features, Mr. Kemper ever had any very great 
 interest in the project. It failed, probably because 
 it was found impracticable to raise the means neces- 
 sary for its endowment. At that time the Masons, 
 at Lexington; the Methodists, at Fayette; the Bap- 
 tists, at Liberty ; and the Presbyterians, at Fulton and 
 Richmond, having founded colleges, were endeavor- 
 ing to raise the funds for their maintenance. Another 
 non-sectarian college, "yet remaining under Presby- 
 terian influence," was impracticable. While we do 
 not know it to be so, it is our opinion that Mr. Bell, 
 the pastor of the Presbyterian Church, and a man of 
 intelligent enterprise, was really the prime mover of 
 the scheme. He was the president of the board of 
 trustees. 
 
i6o THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER, 
 
 We ail should rejoice that no college was institut- 
 ed. Missouri has of them all that will be needed 
 probably for a hundred years to come. But it has no 
 other school which has done or can do the work ac- 
 complished by the Family School or academy of Mr. 
 Kemper. We need twenty more of the same kind in 
 Missouri now. 
 
 Before dismissing- Boonville College we shall be 
 pardoned for saying a word about C. L. Loomis, who 
 appears in the charter as 'one of the incorporators, 
 and who was the secretary of the board of trustees. 
 He came to Boonville as a Yankee school-teacher, 
 some years before this. He at first taught a boys' 
 school on Main Street, opposite the present residence 
 of Mr. James M. Nelson. It was, in some sense, a 
 rival of Mr. Kemper's. There was never, however, 
 the slightest unfriendly feeling between them. They 
 were both bachelors, and both Presbyterians. Mr. 
 Toomis had rather the harder cases of the town. He 
 did his work well — so well that he was invited by Mr. 
 J. L. Tracy to take the principalship of the flourish- 
 ing school for girls over which he presided. There 
 he was invaluable. Indeed, he was quite a remark- 
 able man. Very homely in his personal appearance 
 and ungraceful in his gait, he was one of those rare 
 men that seem to know everything and to be able to 
 do anything. To our youthful eyes he was a won- 
 der, and as we look back to him, after a lapse of 
 more than a quarter of a century, we can truthfully 
 say that, modest as he was, he was one of the marked 
 men we have met in this world. He married finally 
 Miss Ruggles, one of his associate teachers, and went 
 
MALE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE. 161 
 
 as a missionary to Africa. Where he is now we do 
 not know. 
 
 The tenth year of the school opened September 19, 
 1853. During the first term tiiere were entered eighty- 
 five pupils, among them Frederick Kemper Free- 
 man, a namesake and nephew of our teacher. Fred 
 was a sprightly, good-hearted boy, universally pop- 
 ular. He went west into the Territories for a while, 
 then gave his services to the Confederacy during 
 the war, and is now living in Georgia. George 
 H. Houck is a name which prompts a sigh. Poor 
 boy! be has gone to his reckoning, and to his own 
 Master he stands or falls. With many good traits of 
 character; he was utterly unfit for such a school. It 
 would have been better had his father kept him with 
 himself on his trips back and forth to Santa Fe. We 
 know not which to pity most, poor George or his 
 poor teacher. John T. and James H. Chandler, twin 
 brothers, were so much alike that their own father 
 could not distinguish them, and was compelled, there- 
 fore, to whip them both, to be sure that he had the 
 right one. Boys of robust minds in robust bodies, 
 substantial characters, but full of mischief and fun. 
 They were good students and fine speakers. They 
 taught in the school the next year, and afterward for 
 several years in various parts of the State. John was 
 a tutor in William Jewell College. They were both 
 Southern soldiers, John gaining a major's commis- 
 sion. James is now loaning money on Kansas City 
 property, and is a resident of that thriving place. 
 John became a lawyer, was sent to the State Legisla- 
 ture from Clay County, has been presented by his 
 
i62 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 county as its candidate for Congress before the nom- 
 inating convention, and is now a substantial citizen 
 of Liberty, Mo., and tlie treasurer of William Jewell 
 College. William Gentry was the son of Richard 
 Gentry, of Pettis County, iahis day the leading farm- 
 er of Missouri, and one of its most remarkable men. 
 William is now one of the heavy men of his native 
 county, an extensive and prosperous bachelor farm- 
 er. Philip E. Chappell, from Callaway, opposite 
 Jefferson City, and William G. McCarty, from the 
 capital, belong here. Both good boys and good men. 
 Phil was a favorite. We all remember his bright 
 face and sparkling eyes. He has given himself to a 
 financial life as a banker, and is now the honored 
 Treasurer of the State of Missouri. That his love 
 never waned for his old teacher, and that his pen has 
 not lost its cunning, are shown in the very excellent 
 tribute which he pays in this volume to the character 
 of Mr. Kemper. William Ballantine, then from Bruns- 
 wick, now of Nebraska City, had all the generous 
 impulses of his Irish ancestry Dan Woolridge is 
 the popular druggist of Boonville. 
 
 There were eighty-one pupils during the second 
 term, beginning Feb. 13, 1854; among them Lewis 
 Nelson, son of James M. Nelson, probably the 
 wealthiest man and certainly one of the worthiest 
 citizens of Cooper County. 
 
 This closes the record of the writer's personal at- 
 tendance upon the school. For nine years and a half 
 he had been a registered pupil. It was an inestimable 
 privilege to sit at his feet for so long a time. He is 
 almost ashamed to confess it here, as such advantages 
 
MALE COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE. 163 
 
 should have shown themselves in a more fruitful life. 
 It was not the teacher's fault that they have not. 
 The influence of his mighty spirit has been the at- 
 tending mentor of his life, and, though twenty-eight 
 years have since sped their course, he still lives under 
 the grateful shadow of his teacher's presence. 
 
 Another, far more important, fact makes this a 
 proper pause for the close of this chapter. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 HIS MARRIAGE. 
 
 Woman is not undeveloped man, 
 
 But diverse. Could we make her as the man, 
 
 Sweet love were slain, whose dearest bond is this 
 
 Not like to like, but like in difference. 
 
 Yet in the long years liker must they grow ; 
 
 The man be more of woman, she of man. 
 
 He gain in sweetness and in moral height, 
 
 Nor lose the wrestling thews that throw the world ; 
 
 She, mental breadth, nor fail in childward care. 
 
 More as the double-natured poet each. 
 
 Till at the last she set herself to man 
 
 Like perfect music unto noble words. 
 
 And so these twain, upon the skirts of Time, 
 
 Sit side by side, full-summed in all their powers, 
 
 Dispensing harvest, sowing the To be. 
 
 Self-reverent each, and reverencing each. 
 
 Distinct in individualities, 
 
 But like each other, even as those who love. 
 
 Then comes the statelier Eden back to man. 
 
 Then reign the world's great bridals, chaste and calm. 
 
 Then springs the crowning race of human kind." 
 
 Tennyson. 
 
 We know from his journal that .Mr. Kemper did 
 not contemplate a bachelor's life as a permanent 
 arrangement. From our knowledge of his character, 
 it seems rather strange that he should have postponed 
 his marriage to so late a period. As from our 
 
HIS MARRIAGE. 165 
 
 observation and reflection on the subject we judge 
 early marriages the wiser arrangement in all ordinary- 
 cases, we have queried why Mr. Kemper did not 
 think so. Several reasons may suggest themselves. 
 Among these there is one, which we know exerted 
 a considerable and perhaps a determining influence 
 with him : it was his unwillingness to ask any one 
 to share with him the inconveniences of comparative 
 poverty. He alludes to this several times in his 
 journal. We do- not believe in this principle. A 
 poor man needs a wife as much as a rich one, and a 
 true woman will not hesitate to share the fortunes of 
 the man she loves. Another reason may have influ- 
 enced him, and doubtless did. It was the fact that 
 he never met the woman of his choice until he saw 
 his wife. 
 
 There was at Boonville, almost as far back as we 
 can remember, a flourishing school for girls, known as 
 the " Pleasant Retreat Female Seminary." It was the 
 property and under the control of the Rev. William 
 G. Bell, the first pastor of the Presbyterian Church of 
 Boonville. It was an excellent institution, perhaps 
 the best in the State at that time. Mrs. Bell was 
 unusually well qualified for the responsibilities of her 
 position, as she was a superior housekeeper, a refined 
 lady, and an excellent manager of girls. The school 
 was quite popular, attracting pupils from all parts of 
 the State. Its students are now among the cultivated 
 women of Missouri. 
 
 In the early part of the winter of 1849 there was a 
 vacancy in the school, and Miss Ruggles, who was 
 then a teacher in the Tracy school of Boonville, sent 
 for one of her former pupils, Miss Susan H. Taylor, 
 
1 66 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 of Hoosick Falls, New York, to fill the vacancy. As 
 Miss Taylor had finished the regular course of study 
 in the academy of this place, and was only giving 
 attention to music and drawing, she was able to leave 
 at once, and reached Boonville in the latter part of 
 November. She was introduced to Mr. Kemper the 
 first day of her arrival, at the church prayer-meeting. 
 Six months perhaps elapsed before they were throw^n 
 together again. After this they were frequently in 
 each other's company, and became well acquainted 
 by means of the singing-schools, lyceums, and school 
 exhibitions which they attended. Both were members 
 also of the church choir. In this way two years 
 passed, and they recognized each other as friends, 
 bound together by the tie of mutual respect. A Bible 
 class was then formed, composed chiefly of the teach- 
 ers of the Sunday-school. Hon. John G. Miller was 
 one of its members. He was an elder, the superin- 
 tendent of the Sabbath-school, and a devout Christian. 
 Captain James Walter, Thomas Slack, Colonel James 
 Quarles, and Dr. William M. Quarles were also re- 
 membered as connected with the class. These are 
 all dead but Mr. Slack, who now lives in Jefferson, 
 Texas. He is a brother of General Slack of Con- 
 federate fame, and is remembered as an honest, good 
 man, very fond of singing; which he did, not only 
 with the spirit and the understanding, but also with 
 his whole body. 
 
 Mr. Kemper was the teacher of this Bible class, and 
 the prophecy of Daniel was the first study. It was 
 here that the attachment between Mr. Kemper and 
 Miss Taylor began; in the mutual study of God's 
 word their friendship ripened into love. Mr. Kem- 
 
HIS MARRIAGE. 167 
 
 per wa,s a man of strong feeling and ardent attach- 
 ments. The schoolboy who showed a spirit of 
 obedience and a disposition and ability to learn al- 
 ways stood very high in his estimation. So this 
 young woman, who studied her Bible lesson so as to 
 be able to answer the hard questions of this propheti- 
 cal and mystical book, at once won his heart. There 
 are some of his schoolboys probably still living who 
 may remember acting as postmen for their teacher. 
 They would take their stand at the door of the Pres- 
 byterian Church before the Sabbath-school began, 
 and hand Miss Taylor his letter as she entered to 
 take charge of her class. The answer was taken to 
 the Bible class in the afternoon, and placed inside a 
 book of reference, which was passed over to him at 
 the close of the recitation. But few letters were 
 thus exchanged before the important question was 
 asked and answered, and the engagement sealed by 
 the presentation of a handsomely bound copy of the 
 Greek Testament. A fitting courtship for so high 
 and hallowed a union^. 
 
 He was anxious that the marriage should take 
 place at the close of the session in the summer of 
 1852. But chivalry and prudence seemed to forbid, 
 for he said that he was in debt and could not ask any 
 woman to share a life of poverty. Miss Taylor 
 therefore returned to her home in the East. 
 
 In the year 1853 his father died in Virginia. From 
 the patrimony which now came to him he was able 
 to free himself from the load of debt and buy a 
 small farm, lying some five miles south of Boonville. 
 This farm, as we shall see, became one of the pets of 
 his subsequent life. 
 
1 68 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 There was now no obstacle to the consummation of 
 his marriage. He always preserved a dignified reti- 
 cence as to his private affairs. The writer, closing 
 his connection v/ith the school in 1854, was to be 
 sent to the University of Virginia. Hearing that 
 Mr. Kemper was also contemplating a trip to Vir- 
 ginia, he very naturally asked to be allowed to ac- 
 company him. The request was refused, without 
 explanation, but for a reason which in due time be- 
 came apparent. Miss Taylor was now living in 
 Muscatine, Iowa, and there, July 17, 1854, at the 
 house of Mr. David Kerr, she and Mr. Kemper were 
 married by the Rev. Samuel Baird. They made a 
 bridal trip to New England and to Virginia, visiting 
 the relatives of each. 
 
 '^ John Taylor came from England in 1639, ^^<^ set- 
 tled in Connecticut. He had two sons — John, born 
 in 1641, and Thomas, in 1643. In 1645, having busi- 
 ness that called him back to England, he set sail in a 
 ship of w^hich nothing was ever heard again, except 
 as a vision which is known in history as the ' Phan- 
 tom Ship' ; one of the 
 
 * Ships that sailed for sunny isles, 
 But never came to shore.' 
 
 *' When the boys were grown, John, the elder son, 
 moved to Northampton, Mass., while the younger 
 remained with his mother. The descendants of this 
 younger son enjoyed great prosperity and long lives. 
 Many men and women of influence and learning 
 and piety went forth to bless other communities and 
 portions of our great country. But the elder son, 
 settling in a portion of the country renowned for 
 
HIS MA RRIA GE. 1 69 
 
 Indian warfare and disturbances, many of his fam- 
 ily were killed or taken prisoners. Their widows 
 were thus left to struggle with poverty and hardships 
 in raising their children. As a necessary result, 
 there was less of wealth and learning in tliis branch 
 of the family, but quite as much of sterling worth, 
 and integrity and simple trust in God, 
 
 "John himself was killed by the Indians in 1704, 
 leaving a family of thirteen children. Thomas, the 
 tenth child, was in several battles with the French 
 and Indians, but after escaping the perils of war 
 was drowned in the Connecticut River. He left but 
 two children. The youngest, Thomas, was engaged 
 in Indian warfare, and while marching with a com- 
 pany of seventeen men was waylaid near Brattleboro, 
 Vt., by a party of one hundred French and Indians. 
 After a desperate encounter, in which most of his 
 men were killed, Captain Taylor was made a prisoner 
 and taken to Canada. He was kept in close confine- 
 ment for several months, but was finally released for 
 a ransom. The General Court of Massachusetts 
 rewarded him for his bravery by the payment of fifty 
 pounds, eighteen pounds for the loss of his gun, and 
 ten pounds for the loss of his leather breeches. 
 
 " Lewis Taylor, the father of Mrs. Kemper, and 
 grandson of Captain Taylor, erected a handsome mar- 
 ble monument, in 1874, on the spot where so many 
 brave men were killed and his grandfather was capt- 
 ured. 
 
 "At an early date this branch of the Taylor 
 family, meeting with so many losses and discourage- 
 ments, were inclined to emigrate and seek homes 
 in more fertile lands and beneath sunnier skies. 
 
l-jo THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 Calvin Taylor, a surgeon in the U. S. service, located 
 in Mississippi as early as 1790. But as he died be- 
 fore the expiration of a year, his brothers were de- 
 terred from following his example. But the next 
 generation three of the brothers left their New Eng- 
 land home, going first to New Jersey. But the 
 father of Mrs. Kemper was recalled to take charge of 
 his father's farm. The other two brothers went on 
 South. One of them established a celebrated school 
 for girls at Sparta, Georgia. The other, Calvin 
 Taylor, still lives, a hospitable, noble, good man on 
 the Gulf coast of Mississippi. 
 
 *' This spirit of emigration prevailed to such an ex- 
 tent that at the present day this family has a greater 
 number of representatives in Wisconsin, Iowa, 
 Mississippi, Louisiana, and California than in the 
 New England States. 
 
 " All of the numerous branches of this family have 
 been a blessing in communities where they have 
 made their hom.es. 
 
 '* That they retain the integrity and virtues of 
 their ancestors is perhaps best shown in the corre- 
 spondence of Mr. Lewis Taylor, the father of Mrs. 
 Kemper, with Mrs. Porter (the wife of President 
 Porter, of Yale College), who belonged to the Con- 
 necticut family of Taylors. Their object was to im- 
 part and obtain information about both branches of 
 the family. Their combined research could find no 
 member upon whom any stain or dishonor rested, 
 and there was no record of a divorce or separation 
 of husband and wife. 
 
 " Mrs. Kemper's mother was a Webster of North- 
 field, Mass., and in this family were many gifted 
 
HIS MARRIAGE. 171 
 
 minds and noble characters. An uncle of hers, 
 Ezekiel Webster, who was graduated at Harvard 
 College, was pronounced by his classmates the peer 
 of Daniel Webster, both in intellect and powers of 
 oratory. But just after his graduation he met with 
 an accident that deprived him of his eyesight and 
 compelled him to lead a secluded life. 
 
 " Mrs. Kemper's grandmother Taylor bore the 
 maiden name of Christian Field, and was a woman 
 of renowned piety and an active worker in every 
 good cause. From this Field family have gone 
 forth men of enterprise, and worth and goodness to 
 all parts of the country. 
 
 "Susan Holton Taylor was born in Barre, Vt., 
 November 26, 1831, and was the fifth child in a fam- 
 ily of nine children. When only two years of age 
 her father removed to Hinsdale, N. H., to take 
 charge of his father's farm, situated at the junction 
 of the Ashuelot River with the Connecticut. This 
 w^as a manufacturing village, and the children had to 
 be sent away from home for an education. Susan 
 and her sister Emily went to Hoosick Falls, N. Y., 
 to prepare for Mount Holyoke Seminary. Emily's 
 health failed, and she was obliged to stop her studies. 
 Susan then entered Miss Lyon's seminary for a three 
 years' course, but after one year there she per- 
 suaded her father to let her return to Hoosick Falls. 
 She remained there until the time of her coming to 
 Boonville." 
 
 Mrs. Kemper is undoubtedly a representative of 
 the best elements of New England society. She 
 was a congenial companion for her husband. She 
 not only appreciated his many great excellences, but 
 
172 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 was also in thorough sympathy with all his tastes 
 and pursuits. Like him she was a scholar and a 
 student. Like him, she was a teacher and an ed- 
 ucator. Like him, she was a Christian and a 
 worker for Christ. Their communion of spirit 
 must have been perfect, and of the most elevated 
 character. With all her intelligence and learning, 
 she was a true woman ; not harsh and crabbed, as 
 some literary women are. There never was a pupil 
 of her husband, during the twenty-six years and m.ore 
 of their wedded life, that did not love and respect 
 Mrs. Kemper. She won the hearts of all. not by 
 the low arts of the demagogue, but by her gentle- 
 ness, and patience, and constant readiness to sym- 
 pathize with suffering and to relieve distress. She 
 was the friend even of the bad boys, and, like Gold- 
 smith's preacher, she 
 
 " Chid their wanderings, but relieved their pain." 
 
 Happy was our dear teacher in securing such a wife ; 
 and happy she in being honored with such a hus- 
 band ; for 
 
 " Happy they, the happiest of their kind. 
 Whom gentler stars unite, and in one fate 
 Their hearts, their fortunes, and their beings blend." 
 
 The intimacy of husband and wife is certainly the 
 closest, and should be the most hallowed of the re- 
 lations of life. No true and pure sensibility but 
 shrinks instinctively and relentlessly from all ex- 
 posure of these domestic treasures to the cold and 
 curious gaze of the public. These feelings we shall 
 certainly respect. The few extracts from letters 
 
HIS MARRIAGE. 173 
 
 which are here presented will not, we think, be a 
 violation cf this principle, as they simply show the 
 common loyalty of man and wife. 
 
 "Fulton, Mo., Christmas, 1856. 
 " There is only one thing more sacred than the marriage rela- 
 tion, and that is our relation to God. In thinking of you, I feel 
 that it is cruel to have such ties sundered by death ; but I repress 
 the rising thought, for all our relations here are polluted by sin, 
 and the world where they neither marry nor are given in marriage 
 is our true home. I have brighter hopes of heaven by reason 
 of my relation to you. If the unbelieving husband is sanctified 
 by the believing wife, the latter has much responsibility, as well 
 as a glorious mission." 
 
 From Mrs. Kemper to her husband in St. Joseph : 
 
 " BooNViLLE, Mo., Jan. 15, 1875. 
 
 "We all miss you very much. Grace says she is in ' distress ' 
 because her father is away. Stella and Freddy say : * We are 
 so lonesome, and wish our father would coroe home ; but we 
 work some every day and try to be good children.' 
 
 *' May the Lord guide and keep you, and bring you back in 
 safety to those who have no joy while you are absent." 
 
 From Mrs. Kemper, after starting on a journey : 
 
 "St. Louis, July 8, 1878. 
 
 " I feel very unhappy about leaving, and would gladly turn 
 back if a sense of stern duty were not resting upon me. Even 
 now I think I would return if Grace did not take a cry every 
 time I speak of it, I hope you will not undertake any hard work ; 
 for your continued life and health are of more value to your fam- 
 ily than all other earthly good. Indeed I should be a thousand- 
 fold happier in that old log cabin at the farm with you, than with 
 a gay company in a palace-car, seeing all new places and objects, 
 and traveling the world over." 
 
 " Fulton, June 12, 1857. 
 
 " I hope it is well with you and with the child. You are all 
 the world to me, and more. I hope our pilgrimage will be marked 
 
174 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 by growing- affection, wisdom, and usefulness, and that we, with 
 no more long separations on the way, may be united in the world 
 where the most congenial spirits here will there have the most 
 intimate companionship. Whom could I greet with so much joy 
 on the plains of heaven as I could her who gave me her heart's 
 devotion here? Surely, after my Saviour, none could claim such 
 a glad greeting." 
 
 '-' Fulton, Mo., March 17, 1S61. 
 " Last night, in writing to my aunt Mary Kellogg, when I al- 
 luded to our dear departed boy I found the fountain of my tears 
 as copious as ever. I felt surprised once when I saw my father's 
 face quiver with deep emotion at the mention of my brother, who 
 died thirteen years before. I understand it now. I have a 
 mournful pleasure in thinking of our dear boy. It is certainly a 
 rich pleasure to think of those we love best as being in heaven. 
 Besides, you and I are more closely one by the common grief, as 
 well as joy, of our lot. I look toward the cemetery as I go to 
 college, and enjoy communion with Eugene and with his mother." 
 
 " Westminster College, March 14, 1857. 
 " We have been enjoying a course of lectures from Dr. Baird. 
 I told him that my wife was reading Greek, and when she felt 
 qualified to take my classes I thought of visiting Greece. But up- 
 on reflection I think that I can no more part with you, if there is 
 no better reason for it than learning — stern duty alone must part 
 us. I shall bring on my Greek Tesament, however, so that we 
 can read it together in the vacation, and I think we can accom- 
 plish more than when I was courting, Good-by. Without you 
 I am ' a bird with one imperfect wing to soar upon.' " 
 
 As the fruits of this marriage there were born 
 eleven children, six daughters and five sons. The 
 oldest three were born while the parents were living 
 in Fulton, all the others after their return to Boon- 
 ville. 
 
 Lewis Taylor was born May 16, 1857 ; Eugene 
 Allison, January 25, 1859 ; Ida Webster, July 19, 
 
HIS MARRIAGE. 175 
 
 i860; Julia Strong, September 16, 1861 ; Walter Ed- 
 win, August 15, 1863; Grace, Marcrh 22, 1865 ; Theo- 
 dore, May 20, 1866 ; Stella Ruth, September 6, 1868; 
 Frederick William, September 29, 1869 5 Susie Alice, 
 August 19, 1872; May Gertrude, March 17, 1874. 
 
 But the angel reapers have been in this precious 
 harvest field, and have gathered more than half to 
 the garnered treasures above. Eugene led the way, 
 and was first shown the path to heaven, January 15, 
 186 1. Then Julia followed, before she had l^nown a 
 single year of earth's sorrows, June 30, 1862. One 
 day after, Ida joined her and their angel brother, 
 July I, 1862. Lewis, the first-born, who had lived 
 long enough to become the hope, the pride, the joy 
 of his parents' hearts, fell with the leaves of autumn, 
 and his young spirit entered upon the eternal spring- 
 time of the soul, November 22, 1863. Then Walter, 
 another little bud that dared not open its petals to 
 the harsh blasts of this world, unfolded its loveliness 
 to the sunnier skies above. May 25, 1864, Theodore, 
 recognized as God's gift to stricken hearts, spent but 
 a single summer here, and found of all the shortest 
 path to heaven. Last of the sacred seven was Fred- 
 die, the father's namesake, the mother's love and 
 hope, whose mind had expanded enough to show 
 somewhat of the undeveloped riches it contained, 
 amid the glories of the centennial year, saw the beck- 
 oning nod of the six who had preceded him, and 
 went to join their happy company. Thus they went, 
 five sons — all, every boy that God had given them — 
 and two daughters, sweet companions in heaver for 
 their brothers. 
 
176 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 " Voice after voice hath died away. 
 
 Once in my dwelling heard. 
 Sweet household name by name hath changed 
 
 To grief's forbidden word ! 
 From dreams of night on each I call, 
 
 Each of the far removed ; 
 And waken to my own wild cry. 
 
 Where are ye, my beloved ?" 
 
 " Early, bright, transient, chaste as morning dew, 
 They sparkled, were exhaled, and went to heaven." 
 
 " Let them die. 
 Let them die now, thy children ! So thy heart 
 Shall wear their beautiful image all undimmed 
 Within it to the last." 
 
 With such mutual \oy as ever waits upon the birth 
 of children ; with such sweet discipline of sorrow, 
 as they saw them, one by one, taken to their home 
 above : how must these parents' hearts have been 
 welded into one, and how must they have been chast- 
 ened in this seven-times- heated fiery furnace of be- 
 reavement ! As we read such a record, that is not 
 without its parallel in many another pious Christian 
 household, do we wonder that probably the very first 
 problem discussed by the pen of inspiration was the 
 afflictions of God's people.? Whether Job be a myth 
 or a real person, he is the type of millions who have 
 succeeded him, and who have needed, in the dark 
 valley of sorrow, not only to read the lesson of his 
 faith and patience, but also the truth, taught by his 
 history, and which God has thrown as a rainbow of 
 peace and comfort across the dark cloud of our 
 earthly trials, " Whom the Lord loveth, He chast- 
 eneth." 
 
HIS MARRIAGE. 177 
 
 The common belief of man has been the contrary. 
 Unusual sorrows he interprets as the proof of un- 
 usual displeasure on the part of the Sovereign Dis- 
 penser of events. To many a crushed spirit, this has 
 been the most oppressive thought, God surely is 
 angry with me, else why does He pursue me thus.'' 
 That this is not so, is sufficiently proven by two in- 
 disputable facts, that notoriously and confessedly 
 wicked men often greatly prosper, while the good 
 and pure are correspondingly depressed. 
 
 '* In this wild world the fondest and the best 
 Are the most tried, most troubled, and distressed." 
 
 Why, how is this, if God rules and concerns Him- 
 self with human interests ? He could prevent all 
 this, did He think it wisest so to do. He does not 
 prevent it. He allows it. He brings it about. We 
 may not fully understand the special purpose in any 
 case. But we do know that He never errs, and that 
 He is always good. He tells us that the sorrows of 
 His people are not the punishments of a Judge, but 
 the chastisements of a Father; not the evidences of 
 His anger, but the sure pledge of His love ; that 
 "this present light affliction, which is but for a mo- 
 ment, worketh a far more exceeding and an eternal 
 weight of glory." The poet Moore caught the 
 inspiration of this truth when he sang : — 
 
 " Oh, Thou, who dry'st the mourner's tear, 
 How dark this world would be, 
 If, when deceived and wounded here, 
 
 We could not fly to Thee ! 
 The friends, who in our sunshine live, 
 When winter comes, are flown ; 
 8* 
 
178 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 And he who has but tears to give, 
 
 Must weep those tears alone. 
 But Thou wilt heal that broken heart, 
 
 Which, like the plants that throw 
 Their fragrance from the wounded part, 
 
 Breathes sweetness out of woe. 
 
 When joy no longer soothes or cheers, 
 
 And e'en the hope that threw 
 A moment's sparkle o'er our tears 
 
 Is dimmed and vanished too, 
 Oh, who would bear life's stormy doom, 
 
 Did not Thy wing of love 
 Come brightly wafting through the gloom 
 
 Our peace-branch from above ? 
 Then sorrow, touched by Thee, grows bright 
 
 With more than rapture's ray ; 
 As darkness shows us worlds of light 
 
 We never saw by day !" 
 
 So this marriage, begun July 17, 1854, and ended 
 March 9, 1881, a union of two noble Christian people, 
 and sealed by the birth of eleven children, was never- 
 theless shadowed by the wings of death, if death can 
 shadow a Christian household. Now the mother and 
 four daughters remain, to tarry here a little longer 
 before they too shall go to complete the family union 
 around our Father's glory-circled throne. To them 
 
 " Adversity's cold frosts will soon be o'er ; 
 It heralds brighter days : — the joyous spring 
 Is cradled on the winter's icy breast, 
 And yet comes flushed in beauty." 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 KEMPER FAMILY SCHOOL. 
 
 " I want to help you grow as beautiful as God meant you to be 
 when He thought of you first." — George Macdonald. 
 
 Mr. Kemper had now taught in Boonville ten 
 years. He was nearly thirty-eight years of age. 
 Although up to this time a bachelor, he had always 
 had a boarding department attached to his school. 
 This had been under the care of his aunt, Mrs. 
 Allison. Up to this period no special effort was 
 made to bring the boarding-house into prominence. 
 The school, while never without boarding-pupils, 
 was conducted mainly in the interest of those living 
 immediately around it. Now, however, Mr. Kemper 
 was married, and his wife was a teacher in full sympa- 
 thy with the profession of her husband. This led to 
 a change in the character of the school. From this 
 time forth the boarding department comes into 
 greater and still greater prominence, until finally it 
 culminates in the exclusion of day pupils altogether. 
 
 For the first year and a half it was called The Boon- 
 ville Boarding School. It then received the name of 
 Male Collegiate InstiUtte. The change in its character 
 for the coming year is shown in the fact that it is 
 opened, in the fall of 1854, as The Kemper Family 
 School. This eleventh year began September 18, and 
 
i8o THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 there were enrolled during its continuance sixty-one 
 pupils, of whom nineteen were boarders. He received 
 the assistance of John T, and James H. Chandler, who 
 Avere intelligent, energetic, and efficient teachers. 
 
 It is worthy of remark that, while Mr. Kemper was 
 a decided Presbyterian, and the school was regarded, 
 as slated in the charter, as being under similar in- 
 fluence, his assistant teachers, so far, were taken al- 
 together from other Christian connections. The 
 Harrises and Chandlers were Baptists ; Lawson was 
 from a Methodist family, but has since become a 
 Baptist ; and Byler was a Univeralist. This, as well 
 as every other act of his life, shows the liberality of 
 his spirit. There never was the faintest tinge of 
 bigotry about him. 
 
 The session of 1855-56 opened Sept. 17, 1855, and 
 during the entire term there were entered but thirty 
 pupils. There was no assistant teacher for this 
 year, as none was needed. He determined to limit 
 the number to those whom he could personally teach. 
 
 This brings us to a gap in the history of the school 
 at Boonville. In the summer of 1856 Mr. Kemper 
 was elected to a professorship in Westminster Col- 
 lege, He accepted the position, and held it for five 
 years. During this time the school passed through 
 several hands. It was continued as a school for boys 
 for one year by the writer of this sketch, who had 
 come home from the University of Virginia to spend 
 a year in the recruiting of his health. The property 
 was then sold and occupied as a school for girls, 
 under the control, first of a Mr. Fielding, and after- 
 ward of Mr. Lawson G. Drury. 
 
 This break in the continuity of the school, or its 
 
KEMPER FAMILY SCHOOL i8i 
 
 transfer, in a sense, to Fulton, furnishes a convenient 
 place to pause and turn to his journal, that we may- 
 glean from it matters of interest and instruction. 
 
 We shall give, first, some incidents that occurred 
 in his management of the school, and which he 
 thought of sufficient importance to be recorded. 
 
 ''^ Friday Mornifig^ Oct. 13, 1848. — I have just heard, 
 by the merest accident, that I have offended one of 
 my scholars — excited bad feelings and a boasting that 
 he was not afraid of me, etc. This boy entered the 
 school Monday last, I believe. As I think this case 
 develops certain laws of very common application, I 
 will detail the affair very circumstantially. 
 
 '''' Impfimts, I had devised a new plan for teaching 
 punctuation. (See blank book of copies.) I was 
 flushed with interest and pleasure in prospect of hav- 
 ing my scholars learn punctuation so readily as I ex- 
 pected ; pleased at the prospect of learning it myself ; 
 pleased at having penmanship learned simultaneously 
 with punctuation ; pleased that all the writing-class, 
 both grammar scholars and smaller ones, could learn 
 at once ; and that in one half hour I could comfort- 
 ably teach so much ; get and give so much improve- 
 ment. 
 
 " This was the second day that I had been at the 
 first lesson in punctuation. I approached L., found 
 him busy, but employing his time in utter ignorance 
 of the very principle to be learned, a principle which 
 I had reiterated again and again. I did not rebuke 
 him exactly, as I remember, but in the flush of my 
 anxiety that all should do well, and disappointment at 
 what I regarded the stupidity of so large a scholar, I 
 told him what he ought to do, referred to my reitera- 
 
1 82 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 tions for two days, wrote his exercise correctly, and 
 left him." 
 
 The next incident shows that he was an honest and 
 severe critic of himself. 
 
 " Wednesday^ Jan. 24, 1849. — I have been uncom- 
 fortably, though not disgracefully, vexed to-day in 
 in the rehearsal of a drama preparatory to exhibition. 
 Causes : — 
 
 " I St. I had not severely studied the drama; conse- 
 quently I knew not the subject-matter, nor had I con- 
 ceived of the proper character of each individual 
 person. Indeed, some of the persons did not know 
 what parts had been assigned them. 
 
 " 2d. Of course, boys were unprepared for interest- 
 ing performance, and misbehaved. 
 
 '' Lesson : I must be prepared in all respects, and 
 know how to prepare my boys. Then I shall have 
 perfect se// control during the performance, and can 
 control others successfully and pleasantly to them 
 and me." 
 
 The next illustrates one of the great practical evils 
 in all our schools, public and private — absenteeism. 
 No pupil ever loses one hour from the regular exer- 
 cises of school except to his own injury and to the 
 discomfort of his teachers. There are cases in almost 
 every school where the year is practically wasted, the 
 pupil kept constantly behind his class, and the teacher 
 perpetually harassed by this evil. The strangest thing 
 about the matter is that some parents expect the 
 teacher to deduct from the tuition of the child on ac- 
 count of these absences. Such is the case here re- 
 corded. We have had such in our experience ; we re- 
 member one distinctly who sent his son in the year 
 
KEMPER FAMILY SCHOOL. 183 
 
 1856-57. He insisted that we should discount for 
 every day and half day on which his boy should be 
 away. Such pupils give their teachers more trouble 
 than any two obedient and industrious ones that never 
 lose an hour ; and yet the teacher is expected to lose 
 by the very thing which gives him this double trouble. 
 Mr. Kemper, as we shall see, yielded to this unrea- 
 sonable demand, as did we. But he learned afterward 
 to assert his rights, and did so in a very decided way. 
 We know of a case which shows this. 
 
 After he had changed the school to one exclusively 
 for boarders, he limited his number to fifty pupils, for 
 whom he provided rooms, and servants, and teachers. 
 He then published that he would receive no pupil for 
 less than the school year, and that he would hold 
 each parent responsible for the bill of the whole 
 year. A gentleman entered his son and removed him 
 within two months of the beginning of the term, or 
 the time of entering. He was required to pay the 
 bill for the entire year. He objected at first, and con- 
 sulted a lawyer on the subject. His counselor assured 
 him that he was legally bound for the whole time. 
 This is undoubtedly true ; and while we would not, 
 except in extreme cases, enforce it to the full extent 
 of the bill, yet there are good reasons which justify 
 the doing so. 
 
 In the first place, there is the clear contract be- 
 tween the parties. If any parent does not wish to 
 enter his son upon such terms, he is free to keep him 
 at home or to send him somewhere else. Having 
 promised to pay the bill of the year, he is under 
 moral and legal obligation to do so. 
 
 Again, the teacher incurs certain obigations on the 
 
1 84 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 faith of these promises of parents. He provides a 
 large and expensive building; he furnishes the rooms 
 engaged; he provides food for such a number ; he 
 employs teachers for the entire year. Now, if it is 
 the privilege of one pupil to withdraw, it is the priv- 
 ilege of all. Let all do so, and we see at once that 
 the teacher is ruined. 
 
 The same principle applies to many other kinds of 
 business. Let a man engage an architect to build 
 him a house. The workmen are hired, the materials 
 are all bought, and the house is half finished. The 
 owner now suddenly concludes that he will not com- 
 plete the building. Will the architect be satisfied 
 with payment for the work already done and the ma- 
 terials already used 1 A landlord rents one hundred 
 acres of tillable land to a tenant for a year, begin- 
 ning with March. September ist the tenant gives up 
 the land ; does he owe only for the six months he has 
 occupied it ? 
 
 These cases show that common sense and com- 
 mon justice vindicate the teacher in demanding that 
 those who rent his rooms for a year and then fail to 
 use them, should nevertheless be expected to pay for 
 them. One of the two parties must lose, and, mani- 
 festly, the loss should fall on that one who fails to 
 avail himself of the privileges of his engagement. 
 
 This discussion has been entered into because there 
 are many good and intelligent men who think that 
 the teacher is almost dishonest when he refuses to 
 lose the time during which they keep their children 
 away from school. If these excellent people were 
 teachers, or would stop a moment to think of teach- 
 ing as a business, they would see this matter in quite 
 
KEMPER FAMILY SCHOOL. 185 
 
 a different light. In this connection, is it not a sig- 
 nificant fact tliat the teacher, who more than supports 
 his family by his profession, is a rare man in the 
 ranks ? There are not twenty-five, among the thou- 
 sands of teachers in Missouri, who more than make a 
 decent support by their labors in the work of educa- 
 tion. 
 
 The following incident has suggested these 
 thoughts : — 
 
 '' October 25, 1849. — One parent has to-day with- 
 drawn a boy at my request. More than a year ago, 
 having experienced much loss of labor from absent 
 boys, I restricted my number to thirty scholars, and 
 made very specific arrangements as to their punctual 
 attendance. Among other cases was that of T. 
 Although his boys had come badly, and I was badly 
 paid in bad lumber badly sawed, I agreed, upon a 
 promise of punctuality, to receive them, and turned 
 off other scholars, cash ones. The promise of punct- 
 uality was not fulfilled and / lost the time. The boys 
 failed in their studies. One gave up grammar. The 
 other, after extra help out of school in geography, 
 lost so much relish as to be forced to get what would 
 have been pleasurable, and declared that he would 
 hold his head as if he were getting his lesson, but 
 would not do it. That is, I might lead him to the 
 waters of knowledge, but he would drink or not as 
 he pleased. 
 
 " These circumstances, after the lapse of six months, 
 were detailed to the parents, and the arrangement 
 was made that but one boy should come at a time, 
 and he should be punctual. He has lost the last two 
 weeks or more. His father was advised to remove 
 
1 86 THE LIFE OF PROF, KEMPER. 
 
 him, if there should be any necessity for a recurrence 
 of absences. He has removed him because, as he in- 
 forms me in a note, he anticipates future absences. 
 Query : how do the past absence of two weeks, and 
 the expectation of future absences, comport in sin- 
 cerity with past promises of punctuality and past ar- 
 rangement for the same.?'' 
 
 ''^November 5, 1850. — To-day it rained all playtime, 
 but several boys played town-ball all the recess, who 
 were tardy in the morning on account of rain. One 
 boy, who says he was kept at home by his father for 
 an hour or so, after school let it out that he too 
 would have been here if he had supposed the boys 
 would play." 
 
 ^^ April 10, 1851. — J. W. good-natured, but don't 
 know how to study. After various troubles and for- 
 bearances, found that he did not know how to find 
 answers to questions in arithmetic. We cannot ex- 
 actly take it for granted that a new scholar knows 
 nothing, for then we could teach him nothing. But 
 we must take it for granted that he knows next to 
 nothing ; that he knows not how to study ; that he 
 has been accustomed to disobey rather than do an 
 unpleasant duty." 
 
 '"''January 34, 1853. — M. comes into my room this 
 morning, showing considerable passion in his face, 
 and says, ' My pa says if the boys can't let me alone 
 I must quit school.' ' Very well,' I replied. 
 
 *' Now, first, he is in a bad moral tone himself. 
 Second, his father is the main cause of it. Since his 
 father's return he has been steadily deteriorating. 
 Third, last week I whipped a boy for trespassing 
 upon his rights, and would defend them successfully. 
 
KEMPER FAMILY SCHOOL. 187 
 
 But no one else has been complained of till this ir- 
 regular and impolite way of departing. He don't 
 want his rights, but is glad of an excuse." 
 
 We think that we remember this case, where a boy 
 was whipped on his account. If we are not mis- 
 taken, it was F. Octave Bush, a French boy from 
 Louisiana. It was the only time during the nine 
 years of our observation of him when we thought 
 that Mr. Kemper gave an unjust punishment. In 
 this case he gave to Bush what properly belonged to 
 M. Bush was a good boy, and M., at that time, as 
 Mr. Kemper found out the next week, was making 
 himself quite disagreeable. 
 
 We shall now present some extracts from his 
 journal referring more exclusively to himself. 
 
 ^^ Monday^ Sep.t. 23, 1850. — Resolved to emulate the 
 piety of Nelson and Payson, to make this the great 
 controlling principle of my life. Here I will look for 
 symmetry of character. Here 1 will look for decision 
 of character. Here I will look for happiness. Alms, 
 prayer, and fasting shall be in secret, looking con- 
 fidently thai the open reward will follow without any 
 direct effort for the same. 
 
 '' Tuesday^ Sept. 24, 1850. — Yesterday used modera- 
 tion in eating, and had a hearty play at cat before 
 9 o'clock this morning. Now at noon my skin is 
 clear. Feelings comfortable. May cheerful hope 
 and joy, such as Christianity inspires, be companions 
 of my way through life. God grant it — my covenant 
 God!" 
 
 Mr. Kemper had probably inherited a constitution 
 which was disordered as to its biliary secretions. 
 This native weakness was seriously increased by his 
 
1 88 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 inattention to the laws of health while he was a 
 college student, and for many years afterward. In- 
 sufficient and improper food, irregularity of diet, and 
 want of proper rest in sleep all conspired to impair 
 his digestive powers, and to bring upon him, in a 
 chronic form, the unutterable horrors of dyspepsia. 
 He was the suffering and at times the agonized 
 victim of this disease for many years. As late as 1856 
 we have a statement that he went to bed at half past 
 nine o'clock p.m. and rose at four o'clock a.m., giving 
 himself six and one half hours sleep. With the strain 
 upon the nervous system necessarily involved in 
 teaching and in the management of boys in a board- 
 ing school, we are quite sure that this was not enough 
 time for sleep. While it is, in a sense, true that 
 work seldom injures and very rarely kills any one, 
 yet work, and especially care, without proper repose 
 and recreation, will undermine and ruin any ordinary 
 constitution. In his great zeal for professional ex- 
 cellence and his earnest, conscientious desire to do 
 the utmost possible for his pupils, he violated the 
 laws of his physical nature and brought upon him- 
 self years of suffering. 
 
 In addition to want of sufficient sleep, he injured 
 himself by his habits of abstinence. A man that 
 works must eat. His food should be nutritious, 
 abundant, and in regular quantities. Mr. Kemper 
 imposed frequent fasts upon himself, and at other 
 times abstained from certain forms of food for which 
 he had an evident relish. These were mistakes, in 
 our judgment, for the reason that, being a dyspeptic, 
 he needed to practise the utmost regularity in his 
 diet. He was a man of ardent nature. The drains 
 
k:emper fa mil y school. i 89 
 
 upon his physical energies whetted his appetite. He 
 was therefore prone to follow a season of abstinence 
 by one of too free indulgence. This was hurtful. 
 Thus he alternated between extremes, both of which 
 were unnatural and improper. With the daily de- 
 mands upon him, requiring hard work and constant 
 care, he should have taken daily a regular supply of 
 nourishing and digestible food. 
 
 In matters of diet he took the Venetian nobleman, 
 Luigi Cornaro, as a guide. Cornaro gradually reduced 
 the quantity of food which he ate until finally for 
 many years we are told that he lived upon a single 
 Q^^ a day, taking no other solid food. He died at 
 the age of ninety-eight. Such cases are not to be 
 used as examples. Whatever is so extraordinary 
 must be abnormal. Moreover, such a case furnishes 
 no encouragement to irregular habits of eating, fast- 
 ing to-day and feasting to-morrow. Cornaro found 
 that he could not suddenly increase the quantity of 
 food he took without serious trouble. This was Mr. 
 Kemper's mistake, and is the mistake of many a 
 dyspeptic. Regularity is a necessity for an impaired 
 digestion. 
 
 He says that he played at cat between breakfast 
 and the opening of school. For him we question 
 the wisdom of such hearty exercise, so soon after 
 he had eaten. But some of our children may ask, 
 What did he mean by playing at cat ? This game has 
 now, along with town and hot ball and bandy, gone 
 out of vogue with boys, and they have base-ball as 
 the substitute. This is probably an improvement 
 upon town-ball, which it resembles; but surely the 
 broken bones and bruised faces and blinded eyes 
 
190 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 for which it is responsible are a serious damper to 
 our enthusiastic admiration of it. But what is cat ? 
 It is a game of ball capable of several modifications, 
 according to the number engaged in it. Three can 
 play it, and it can make room for eight. It requires 
 but a small space, and may occupy a few minutes or 
 as many hours, at the choice of the players. Town 
 and base ball require larger numbers, and space, and 
 longer time. The ordinary game is played by four. 
 There are two bases, facing one another some twenty 
 steps apart. There are two batters, who occupy the 
 bases. Each has one in his rear, who acts as a pitcher 
 to the other batter and a catcher for himself. When 
 either batter strikes the ball, they exchange bases. 
 The catchers seek to win the place of the batters, 
 which they may do by catching, or by throwing the 
 ball between a batter and the base he is seeking to 
 make when they exchange. This last is called 
 " crossing out." 
 
 Mr. Kemper not only played at cat, but at town- 
 ball also. He was fond of both games. Indeed 
 town-ball was in a sense the game of the school in 
 the olden times. At noon, before we were dismissed, 
 Mr. Kemper would superintend the division of the 
 players into two parties, or ''sides" as we called 
 them. Unless business prevented, he always took 
 part, and was an energetic, interested, and successful 
 player. On the playground, while preserving his 
 dignity, he was always pleasant and condescending. 
 He never used his authority in the conduct of the 
 games ; for he w^ould say that in taking part in these 
 sports he made himself one of us, and had no more 
 authority in the game than the rest of us. Perfect 
 
KEMPER FAMILY SCHOOL, 191 
 
 honesty and fair dealing characterized all his acts on 
 the playground. He was always ready to yield a 
 doubtful or disputed point. Several of the boys were 
 more successful players than he, so that he was never 
 chosen the very first on either side. Vachel Hobbs 
 was the best batter we ever had, and Nat Smith the 
 most accurate thrower of the ball to cross a runner 
 out. This participation with us in our sports never 
 abated our respect for Mr. Kemper, while it brought 
 him very near to our sympathies and furnished him 
 much needed relaxation. 
 
 While suffering from the depression of dyspepsia, 
 he wrote, July 26, 185 1 : — 
 
 " I will record my desponding views of my enter- 
 prise in B(oonville), and hereafter my cheerful ones, 
 that by contrasting them truth may be elicited. Sup- 
 pose the house contemplated is put up, and I have 
 one hundred scholars and two assistants. This is 
 one teacher to thirty-ihree and one third pupils. If 
 they average twenty dollars, it will be two thousand 
 dollars. One thousand will be needed each year for 
 three years to pay for property. Then one thousand 
 divided between three persons would leave for me 
 three hundred and thirty-three dollars. Would this 
 pay fire-wood, food, clothes, taxes, servants, expenses 
 for self and wife V ' 
 
 Place by the side of this the following, of July 14, 
 1853, a year afterward : — 
 
 " Here I will record some things in my property 
 affairs for which to be grateful. My pecuniary af- 
 fairs are in a much better condition than when I 
 came to B. Then I rented dwelling and school-room. 
 Now I pay my board by rent of my dwelling, and 
 
192 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 get rent for one school-room, having my own free, 
 and am yearly paying for a good house and lot. The 
 past year I have paid upward of seven hundred 
 dollars on it, and some for school furniture. I pay 
 no security debts now : that is about all paid. My 
 library is greatly enlarged, clocks, outhouses, kitchen, 
 smoke-house, wardrobe, bookcase, tables, bed, bed- 
 stead, etc. Weil." 
 
 This he seems to regard as very en«"ouraging pe- 
 cuniary success. So it was, in comparison with 
 hundreds of other teachers. But surely it is a bur- 
 lesque on the appreciation of teachers by our people, 
 when one of the most remarkable of them, a bache- 
 lor, can congratulate himself that, by eight years of 
 very hard work and patient self-denial, he had suc- 
 ceeded in saving two or three thousand dollars' worth 
 of property. 
 
 ^^ August 1^^ 185 I. — Have just finished reading Dr. 
 Ray, in Schoul Friend., on the Dominical Letter, a 
 subject on which I have been thinking at intervals 
 for nearly twenty years without the full understand- 
 ing which I now possess. I have yet to read it re- 
 peatedly to make it perfectly familiar, though I now 
 comprehend it. 
 
 '"'' August 20., 185 I. — Have been to prayer-meeting, 
 and have felt greatly happier than the wealth of this 
 world could make me. Before supper I retired to 
 my closet with a view to prepare for prayer-meeting. 
 Twenty-four hours before 1 felt gloomy, and was led 
 to think sadly upon the fact that while an acquaint- 
 ance [doubtless the Hon. John G. Miller, elected to 
 Congress in 1850] was about to visit his Virginia 
 friends in high honor, I am a poor teacher, without 
 
KEMPER FAMILY SCHOOL. 193 
 
 health, wealth, or honor. I was unhappy at the 
 contrast. But I feel happy to night : happier than 
 earthly honors, or wealth, or pleasure could all three 
 make me. This friend has all that piety can do for a 
 man, and worldly good superadded. His piety is 
 not a dernier resort in the way of a substitute for 
 worldly pleasure. Now I feel that the greater in- 
 cludes the less, and is so infinitely above it that the 
 less is not missed — not missed — so far is the want of 
 it from making me unhappy. I learn this important 
 lesson: that men in high life have a kind of pleasure 
 (a poor kind) in attaining laboriously their ends, in 
 serving their ambitious passions. I, through grace, 
 am happy in making my passions serve me. How 
 infinitely superior !" 
 
 The summer of 1851 was a crisis in the history of 
 the school. It seems that he seriously contemplated 
 a removal. He alludes to this in the entry of July 
 26, w^hich has been already given. Again, on Sept. 6 
 he says : " Until lately I have been in such a state of 
 suspense as to whether I should remain in B(oonville) 
 or not, that I was unfavorably disposed for health." 
 For what reason he felt himself unsettled we do not 
 know. It was certainly not on account of any dis- 
 satisfaction on the part of the community with him. 
 This is proven beyond a question by the fact that this 
 very summer, as we have seen, his buildings were al- 
 most doubled by his friends and supporters, and by the 
 further fact that the school year 185 1-2 shows a larger 
 attendance than any other in the history of the en- 
 terprise. 
 
 " Sept. 6, 1 85 1. — For several days past, when gloom 
 and despondency have come over me, I have tried 
 9 
 
194 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 intercourse with my fellow-men, and found it charm 
 away my gloom." 
 
 *' April 26, 1852. — I am now happy. This is a heri- 
 tage better than houses and lands. This is a bird in 
 the hand worth two in your bushes, ye philosophers. 
 Goethe never enjoyed, he says, twenty-four hours of 
 true happiness. He never then properly governed 
 himself for that time, fasted, repented, or communed 
 with God." 
 
 ^^ Sunday, May 33, 1852. — Here I am in my private 
 room, to think and to meditate, to get wisdom, and 
 strength and rest. Oh, how many things have I to 
 reflect upon ! How many sins to be sorry for ! How 
 many errors to forsake ! How many improvements 
 to make ! 
 
 "There is so much to be redeemed, so much to be 
 done.^ and so much to be improved, that the most 
 strenuous efforts are required ; and yet strenuous 
 efforts often prostrate me with disease, and bring on a 
 season of doing nothing. I shall try to have a quiet 
 mittd, serenity, and cheerfulness to keep the body, by 
 exercise and moderation in food and study, in a com- 
 fortable condition, to have every school exercise 
 pleasant, and performed in the most perfect manner 
 possible, down to the singing of a hymn, and a word 
 of comfort and encouragement to every feeble little 
 scholar. God help me here." 
 
 ''''June 20, 1852. — I may approach toward God in 
 infinite progression, and I'll do it." 
 
 '■'' June 2T^. — This morning have had a season of 
 weeping in my morning devotions, and of prayer to do 
 God's w^i 11. Oh for help! The manna I must not 
 
KEMPER FAMILY SCHOOL. 195 
 
 want to store up. A contented and faithful improve- 
 ment of the present, I mttst secui-e. 
 
 " My plans for knowledge, my rules of diet and 
 conduct, are perhaps too much my masters instead of 
 my servants. A plan seems to conflict with spirit ; 
 routine to be inconsistent with new, fresh excitement ; 
 plodding, with spirit." 
 
 '■'- June 26, 1852. — Have spent three and a half 
 hours this morning in going over the tenth division 
 of history in Lyman's Chart. It is, I think, as diffi- 
 cult as all the rest of the chart. L. L. says he went 
 over the same in one and a half hours. 
 
 '''■ Jime 28. — Have this morning gone over the tenth 
 division in two hours. 
 
 '''■ June 2<^. — This morning went over the same in 
 one and three fourths hours." 
 
 *' Mr. Temple, the missionary, * evidently endeavored 
 to be as upright, as sincere, candid, gentle, kind, 
 benevolent, economical, true and good as he expect- 
 ed everybody to be in the millennium. This is noth- 
 ing more than simply carrying out the surrender 
 which one makes of himself to Christ when he trusts 
 in Him for salvation.' 
 
 This chapter will conclude by giving his opinion 
 of the benefits of fasting, as recorded in the spring 
 of 1853. 
 
 "I find my fast days almost the only ones on 
 which I do any one of the following things : — 
 
 " Improve my plans, fixtures and ways of teaching. 
 Keep cool under multitudinous petty cares, duties, 
 interruptions, and causes of vexation. Learning 
 lessons so as to know how to answer any questions 
 
196 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 which pupils may or could legitimately put to me, 
 and so as not to require more of them than I do my- 
 self know. Do every little thing, and see that no 
 law, however small, is a dead letter. Put things to 
 rights that have become confused. 
 
 " Reform scholars. Each man's special faults 
 specified and watched. Have comfort in school 
 duties. Write text-book memoranda or pray. Only 
 days in which happiness is in myself, and not de- 
 pendent on outward circumstances ; in which, after 
 school and walk, can return to the school-room and 
 feel that it is my attractive home, in which I have a 
 proper perception of the proprieties of things in my 
 profession ; in which I drive my business, and do not 
 let it drive me ; in which I cause my pupils to im- 
 prove rapidly and get their affections, and kill de- 
 spondency. 
 
 " If this extraordinary abstinence is the only thing 
 that brings me to the performance of my task, then 
 my task is too great. For such abstinence, if continued, 
 is incompatible with perfect health. It is hard to 
 plumb the true track of abstinence, but not harder than 
 to be a glowing Christian. There is a warfare or a 
 slavery^choose which it shall be. Any compromis- 
 ing warfare only insures defeat. It is either defeat 
 and slavery, or glorious victory." 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 WESTMINSTER COLLEGE. 
 
 " Who that surveys this span of earth we press, 
 This speck of life in time's great wilderness, 
 This narrow isthmus 'twixt two boundless seas. 
 The past, the future, two eternities ! 
 Would sully the bright spot, or leave it bare. 
 When he might build him a proud temple there — 
 A name, that long shall hallow all its space, 
 And be each purer soul's high resting-place !" 
 
 Moore. 
 
 The Presbyterians of Missouri are a feeble folk. 
 They number, counting both synods, less than twenty, 
 thousand communicants. They are, however, an 
 active, intelligent, enterprising people. This is seen 
 in the fact that they have nearly doubled their nu- 
 merical strength within the past fifteen years ; that 
 they hold a prominent position in all the centres of 
 commerce and intelligence in the State ; and that, in 
 proportion to their numbers, they are the leaders in 
 the educational enterprises of Missouri. Of the 
 private schools in the State, founded, owned, or 
 controlled by them, there are three male academies 
 in Missouri, four or five mixed schools, one manual- 
 labor college for orphans and other destitute persons, 
 eight female seminaries, and one male college. In 
 addition, this faith has the honor of furnishing, at 
 
198 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 the present time, to the State University its president 
 and at least two of its most distinguished professors. 
 
 The Presbyterians of Missouri have, however, had 
 their trials in the prosecution of their educational 
 labors — trials which have been neither few nor triv- 
 ial. These troubles have been the result of lack of 
 good judgment somewhere in every case. They have 
 made four attempts to establish a college in Mis- 
 souri, and have failed in three of them. Marion Col- 
 lege, Richmond College, and the City University 
 of St. Louis are all monuments of their folly. If 
 all the money which was thrown away on these 
 rash ventures could have been saved and concen- 
 trated on the remaining college conducted by them, 
 it would now be well equipped for the great work 
 which it is accomplishing. 
 
 This institution is Westminster College, a brief 
 sketch of which will be interesting to many. At a 
 meeting of the Presbytery of Missouri, Sept. 27, 
 1849, it was resolved, "that the moderator appoint a 
 committee of three to inquire into the utility and 
 necessity of memorializing the Synod of Missouri, at 
 its next meeting, upon the necessity of establishing 
 within its limits an institution of learning, to be 
 under the care of the same ; or the expediency of es- 
 tablishing a Presbyterial Academy within the limits 
 of our own Presbytery ; and that said committee be 
 requested to report at the next meeting of Presbytery. 
 Messrs. Robertson, Bell, and Reed were appointed a 
 committee for said purpose." We are told that Mr. 
 Bell did not favor but rather opposed this move- 
 ment. The chairman of the committee prepared the 
 memorial, presented it to the Synod, and strenuously 
 
WESTMINSTER COLLEGE. 199 
 
 urged its adoption. The Synod, however, voted 
 that it was not ready for such a move. 
 
 April 4, 1850, the committee reported its action to 
 the Presbytery of Missouri, and was continued. At 
 tlie meeting of the Synod the same year the matter 
 was again discussed, and some advance was made. 
 
 As there was uncertainty about the final action of 
 the Synod, a charter was obtained, Feb. 18, 185 i, for 
 an academy, to be under the care of the Presbytery 
 of Missouri. The grounds on which Westminster 
 College now stands w^ere bought. There were two 
 houses on the premises, one of which made a home 
 for the teacher, and the other was used for the school. 
 The academy was opened on the first Monday in Oc- 
 tober, 1 85 1, and was continued until it was merged 
 into Westminster College. 
 
 At the meeting of the Synod, held at Potosi in the 
 fall of 1851, on motion of the Rev. J. L. Yantis, D.D., 
 it was 'unanimously resolved, "That w^e rise up and 
 build." Messrs. Hamilton R. Gamble, William Pro- 
 vines, James Young, M. P. Cayce, James Sterritt, S. 
 S. Watson, P. B. Reed, John G. Miller, and Edward 
 M. Samuel were appointed commissioners to obtain 
 bids for the location of the college. This was done, 
 and at the meeting of the Synod in 1852, Richmond, 
 Boonville, St. Charles, and Fulton contended for the 
 location. Fulton and Richmond were the chief com- 
 petitors, as the other places offered but small induce- 
 ments in the way of subscriptions. The offer of 
 Fulton was, the eighteen acres of land on which the 
 college now stands, and fifteen thousand three hun- 
 dred and ninety-one dollars ($15,391), guaranteed by 
 the citizens of the town and count}^ ; twenty thou- 
 
200 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 sand dollars to be raised in scholarships ; with a 
 good strong Presbyterian influence in the communi- 
 ty. Richmond's bid was less than this. The vote 
 stood, Fulton, thirty -two; Richmond, eighteen; 
 Boonville, three ; St. Charles, three. 
 
 The charter for the college was approved February 
 23» 1853. Under the charter the board met March 
 19, 1853, and elected Wm. Van Doren professor, and 
 Nathan C. Kouns assistant professor. It was re- 
 solved that the first session commence on the first 
 Monday in May, 1853, and that the tuition fees be 
 the salaries of the teachers. These steps, however, 
 were only preliminary to the real opening of the 
 college. 
 
 The building was erected by Solomon Jenkins, the 
 corner-stone being laid July 4, 1853, on which occa- 
 sion Dr. Ryley spoke, and the Rev. N. L. Rice, 
 D.D., delivered his famous address on "The Three 
 Great Interests of Man." The name " Westminster 
 College" was chosen by the Synod, on the motion of 
 the Rev. H. P. Goodrich, D.D., former president of 
 Marion College. For most of the facts concerning 
 the founding and early history of this college, we 
 are indebted to the Rev. W. W. Robertson, D.D. 
 
 In the fall of 1853, at the meeting of the board held 
 during the sessions of Synod at Liberty, Dr. Rice 
 was elected president, but declined. The following 
 March the Rev. William L. Breckinridge, D.D., was 
 chosen president, and William Van Doreri, the Rev. 
 S. S. Laws, and Thomas D. Baird were elected pro- 
 fessors. Mr, Laws was at the time preaching at 
 Lexington, Mo., and declined a call to that church 
 to accept the professorship at a much smaller salary. 
 
WESTMINSTER COLLEGE. 20i 
 
 The call for Dr. Breckinridge's services was prosecuted 
 before the Presbytery of Louisville by Dr. E. T. 
 Baird and Professor Laws. They were unsuccessful, 
 but Dr. Bullock facetiously remarked that they had 
 the argument, but the white handkerchiefs (alluding 
 to the ladies present and weeping in the church) beat 
 them. 
 
 The college was founded by the Old School Synod, 
 is owned and managed now by the Southern Synod of 
 Missouri, and is located at Fulton. No more judi- 
 cious site could have been chosen,- as it is the 
 centre of the principal Presbyterian element of the 
 State, is a healthy locality, and is a community noted 
 for its intelligence, morality, enterprise, and hospital- 
 ity. 
 
 Rev. W. W. Robertson, D.D., Hon. Preston B. 
 Reed, and Dr. Alfred A. Ryley were probably the 
 principal agents in originating this college Its first 
 and largest endowment was due to the energy and 
 financial skill of President Laws. The original 
 board of trustees consisted of these gentlemen and 
 Joseph Charless, Revs. John G. Fackler, R. L. Sym- 
 ington, John F. Cowan, S. J. P. Anderson, D.D., 
 William P. Cochran, D.D., A. V. C. Schenck, 
 D.D., and D. Coulter, D.D., Hons. H. R. Gamble, 
 S. S. Watson, E. M. Samuel, John G. Miller, Drs. 
 William Provines and H. R. Smith, and Mr. James 
 Whiteside. Six of these are still living, but the Rev. 
 Dr. Robertson is the only one now connected with 
 the board. He has been a member continuously from 
 the first, and has never been absent from any of its 
 regular meetings. 
 
 The faculty, as announced in the first annual cata- 
 
 9* 
 
202 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 logue, consisted of William H. Van Doren, A.M., 
 Rev. Samuel S. Laws, A.M., and Thomas D. Baird, 
 A.M., professors, with James G. Smith tutor. Profes- 
 sor William H. Van Doren was a professional teacher 
 who had taught in Lexington, Mo., and who had been 
 in charge of the Male Academy in Fulton, which 
 was the forerunner of the college. 
 
 The same catalogue shows an attendance of one 
 hundred and fourteen pupils during the year 1854-55. 
 This was a remarkable beginning. The students are not 
 classified, so that we could not tell how many were in 
 the regular college classes, except for the distinct 
 statement in the catalogue that " about half the 
 number" were pursuing the higher studies of the 
 college proper. This is a good proportion ; for in 
 the year 1879-80, of the ninety-five students enrolled, 
 only forty-six belonged to the regular college classes. 
 The pupils came from a wider area than we should 
 have supposed. There were four from beyond the 
 limits of the State, thirty-one more from outside of 
 Callaway County, and thirty-three from Callaway 
 outside of Fulton. Three fifths, therefore, of these 
 first students were not from the town where the col- 
 lege was located. In the year 1879-80, over two thirds 
 were from outside of Fulton. 
 
 It is a matter of interest to compare the curriculum 
 of studies, as laid down in this first catalogue, with 
 that now prescribed in the college. The general 
 statement may be made that there is no marked 
 difference. In mathematics, physics, and metaphysics 
 they are substantially the same. In Greek, the cata- 
 logue of 1853-4 is peculiar in prescribing the Cyro- 
 paedia, the Gospels and the Acts, Plato's Contra 
 
WESTMINSTER COLLEGE. 203 
 
 Atheos, Longinus' De Sublimifate, Aristotle's Art of 
 Poetry, and Demosthenes' De Corona. The curriculum 
 of 1880-81 has peculiar to it in Greek, the Anabasis, 
 Herodotus, the Odyssey, Plato's Crito and Phsedo, 
 and Comparative Philology. In Latin, the first cata- 
 logue's course contains Ovid, Horace's Epodes, and 
 Terence, which are not laid down in the curriculum 
 1 880-8 [. On the other hand, this latter has Nepos, 
 Quintus Curtius, Christian Authors, Seneca, and 
 Pliny's Letters, not found in the original course. It 
 is a striking fact that the catalogue of 1853-54 lays 
 down among the preparatory studies, prior to the 
 freshman year, Caesar, Ovid, Sallust, Virgil, and 
 Cicero's Select Orations. There are but few colleges 
 which would require so much Latin as the condition 
 of entering the lowest class. 
 
 Among the students of the first year were T. P. 
 Boteler, J. P. McAfee, James Rickenbaugh, Revs. H. 
 M. Corbett, Alexander Machett, and John A. McAfee, 
 Hons. John A. Hockaday, L. W. McKinney, and 
 Robert McPheeters, John H. Jameson, Esq., Prof. 
 Joseph Watkins, and Drs. E. M. Kerr and B. A. Wat- 
 son. 
 
 The Philologic Society was organized the first year 
 of the college. 
 
 The original endowment, as usual in those days of 
 comparative poverty, was upon the specious, but 
 we think necessarily fatal, scholarship plan, proposed 
 by the Rev. S. J. P. Anderson, D.D., who stated that 
 Alexander Campbell had in this w^ay sucessfuly en- 
 dowed Bethany College. One hundred and fifty dol- 
 lars gave the privilege of a full college course to the 
 purchaser of the scholarship, and to all his sons after 
 
204 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 him, one at a time, for twenty years. If the purchaser 
 had no children, then he might send any pupil, one at 
 a time, for twenty years. The idea was to sell twelve 
 hundred of these scholarships, and in this way to 
 raise one hundred and eighty thousand dollars. Such 
 a scheme is, in our judgment, a delusion, and must 
 work disastrously whenever attempted. Some wiser 
 men, and more successful financiers than we, think 
 that the failure was not the fault of the plan, but of 
 the working of the plan. In connection with the 
 finances, it is an interesting fact to record, that, in 
 the report of the board of trustees made to the synod 
 in 1859, the college is shown to be possessed of $102,- 
 898.78 of permanent endowment property, not in- 
 cluding Dr. Wayland's conveyance of land, out of 
 which w^as subsequently realized in money $3000 ; 
 and that the current annual income is said to be 
 110,298,12. 
 
 Despite the loss of its original endowment, West- 
 minster College has had a long, prosperous, and useful 
 career. It has diffused the light of accurate, sub- 
 stantial Christian knowledge for nearly thirty years. 
 Its faculty of instruction has embraced some remark- 
 able men, and the average ability has been very high. 
 Its alumni number less than one hundred and twenty, 
 an average of about four a year. This is an honor- 
 able record, far more so than if there were twice as 
 many. Of these graduates, two are merchants, two 
 editors, eight farmers, seventeen doctors, eighteen 
 teachers, twenty-six lawyers, and thirty-one ministers 
 of the gospel. At least four have been members of 
 the State Legislature, five have been made Doctors of 
 Divinity, two have been Attorney-Generals of the State, 
 
WESTMINSTER COLLEGE, 205 
 
 sixteen have been professors or presidents of reputa- 
 ble schools or colleges. 
 
 It is in a prosperous condition now. Though by no 
 means adequately endowed, it is out of debt and has 
 a fair financial foundation. The multiplication of 
 Normal Schools and the great prosperity of the State 
 University have together contributed to deplete the 
 attendance at the several denominational colleges of 
 the State. Westminster, however, has, in proportion 
 to the strength of the Synod that sustains it, the most 
 encouraging attendance of them all. Three of its 
 five professors are its. own graduates, and are men 
 who would honor their specialties in the best insti- 
 tutions of the East The grade of scholarship which 
 it demands and secures in its pupils is very credit- 
 able. The moral influences surrounding it are the 
 very best. The local community is noted for its in- 
 telligence, piety, and enthusiastic interest in the 
 young men gathered there for instruction. less 
 than a half dozen of its pupils have died during 
 their connection with the college, since its founda- 
 tion. 
 
 We have written thus in detail about Westminster 
 College because Mr. Kemper's life from 185610 1861 
 was in connection with it. He had previously 
 taught in Boonville twelve years. Not one term of 
 all that time had been a failure. Indeed the whole 
 of it was a grand, triumphant success. If he wished 
 a large school, he had it, up to one hundred and 
 thirty-one pupils. If he preferred a small, select 
 school, he had it, down to thirty, the number beyond 
 which he would not go. He had acqidred valuable 
 property in Boonville, consisting of good lots well 
 
2q6 the life of prof. KEMPER. 
 
 located, and suitably Improved to meet the wants of 
 his school. 
 
 In view of these things, we naturally ask why he 
 consented to make so radical a change in his educa- 
 tional plans. Mrs. Kemper says that she advised 
 him to do so, for two reasons chiefly. For his health 
 she thought the change advisable. The personal 
 labor incident to a boarding-school is necessarily 
 very great. When the principal undertakes to do 
 most if not all of the teaching, and to bear all 
 the burden incident to discipline, to the boarding- 
 house, and to the finances, it is enough to task the 
 strength of a combined mental and physical giant. 
 As she believed that Mr. Kemper was exhausting 
 himself prematurely by this excessive labor and care, 
 she thought it wise that he should relieve himself 
 of it. 
 
 Again, it is manifest that he could find little leisure 
 for favorite studies while oppressed with all the 
 cares of a boarding-school. We know from his 
 journal that he had serious thoughts of authorship 
 upon several subjects which he thought specially in- 
 teresting and important. It was impossible, how- 
 ever, to carry out these washes if he continued to do 
 the drudgery incident to the headship of a family 
 school. This v^as also an inducement to him to ac- 
 cept the literary luxury of a professorship. 
 
 Another special inducement which doubtless ex- 
 erted some influence upon him was the fact that the 
 president of Westminster found it necessary to go 
 into the field and actively aid in the effort to endow 
 the institution. His place must be supplied. It was 
 difficult to find one suitable for such an emergency. 
 
WESTMINSTER COLLEGE. 207 
 
 When appeal was made to Mr. Kemper by President 
 Laws himself, it doubtless seemed to him a direction 
 of Providence. 
 
 He was not favorable to making moves or changes 
 of any kind, and Mrs. Kemper says that he never 
 made one without the remark, " This is the last move 
 I wish to make until I am taken to my grave." 
 While God's providences are over all His people, 
 and He doubtless directs their paths, yet it is a ques- 
 tion with us whether this was a wise change for Mr. 
 Kemper. The reason for this opinion we shall 
 briefly give. The duties of a college professor and 
 of the principal of a family school are very different. 
 Some men are suited to one, and some are adapted 
 to the other. Mr. Kemper could have filled any one 
 of a half dozen chairs in a college with profit to his 
 pupils and honor to himself. Yet he might not have 
 been eminently useful in the one he undertook to 
 fill ; his was not the mind of the specialist, but the 
 comprehensive and accurate intelligence of the broad" 
 er and more general scholar. Moreover, the school 
 principal is an educator, while the college professor 
 is simply a teacher. We shall discuss this point 
 more fully hereafter. Suffice it to say here that the 
 work of the educator is inestimably more important 
 than that of the teacher. There are many teachers? 
 but very few educators. Mr. Kemper was one of the 
 most successful of the few. In our judgment, there- 
 fore, his was the humbler, more laborious sphere of 
 the school principal, rather than the higher, more 
 luxurious, but less useful chair of the professor. It 
 is our conviction that such was his own opinion. 
 In the summer of 1856 he made all of his arrange- 
 
2o8 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 ments to reopen the Family School as usual, in the 
 fall. He had engaged all the boarders whom he 
 could accomm.odate. When his plans were thus com- 
 plete, the overture came in August from Westminster 
 College, urgently asking him to accept a life position 
 in the faculty, and to assume the duties of the general 
 administration during the temporary absence of Pres- 
 ident Laws. He determined to accept the position as 
 a call from Providence to devote the remainder of 
 his life to the service of the college. 
 
 An incident occurred, in connection with his re- 
 moval from Boonville, which deserves to be recorded. 
 Mr. Kemper was always courteous in his business 
 transactions, and, being perfectly honest himself, was 
 very slow to suspect knavery in those with whom he 
 dealt. He never went to law, but settled all diffi- 
 culties by arbitration. But he was not pusillanimous, 
 and would not suffer himself to be cheated. The 
 incident to which we refer occurred when he sold his 
 personal effects, preparatory to his removal to Fulton. 
 A shopman in the town had bought some of the 
 household furniture. Mr. Kemper took the bill, with 
 the receipt of payment on it, as a delicate way of 
 collecting the amount, and handed it to him. The 
 man examined it a moment, and then said, "Yes, it's 
 all right — ' Received payment.' " He placed it at 
 once in a drawer, and was about locking it, when Mr. 
 Kemper, comprehending the case, threw off his coat 
 and said, " You dare, sir, to do that trick ! I will 
 beat you until you will be glad to give back the 
 bill." The sharper was so overawed by this un- 
 expected turn of affairs that he readily paid the 
 amount. 
 
WESTMINSTER COLLEGE. 209 
 
 For the first year, during the absence of the presi- 
 dent, Mr. Kemper could not have found that he had 
 materially relieved himself, so far as care and work 
 were concerned. Mrs. Kemper was absent, visiting 
 her relatives in the East. He took with him twelve 
 of the boarders, whom he had engaged for his Boon- 
 ville school. These were under his direct personal 
 charge, boarding with him, and were therefore, as 
 much of a care to him as they would have been in 
 his Family School. The general duties of the exec- 
 utive head of the college devolved upon him. These 
 were as complicated, as delicate, as onerous as those 
 he had left behind. He was compelled to do miscel- 
 laneous work as a teacher. As the president was 
 absent, he was expected to take a part of his classes. 
 His special charge was Greek. But in addition to 
 Greek and metaphysics he must take a share of the 
 natural sciences, as that chair was, for two years of 
 the t ime, vacant. Mrs. Kemper has furnished the 
 following, as a list of the branches taught by him 
 while at Westminster College : — Butler's Analogy, 
 Constitution of the U. S., Composition, English 
 Grammar, Rhetoric, Arithmetic, Mineralogy, Zo- 
 ology, Natural Philosophy, Botany, First Lessons in 
 Greek and Reader, Greek Gramm.ar, Literature, 
 Prose Composition, Memorabilia, Anabasis, Iliad, 
 Longinus, Plato, Aristotle's Ethics, Sallust, Livy, and 
 Horace. Of course he could not have taught all 
 these at the same time ; but first and last during the 
 five years he spent in Fulton, he had classes in all of 
 these branches. With the care of his boarders, the 
 executive duties, and the wide range of classes taught, 
 we can see that his position was very far from being 
 
2IO THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 a sinecure, and that the objects for which he had 
 made the change were not likely to be realized. 
 
 It is an interesting fact that President Laws insisted 
 that Mr. Kemper should deliver the diplomas to the 
 graduates of 1857, and he actually did so. This was 
 honorable to both the real and the acting president. 
 
 Mr. Kemper was the professor of Greek. That was 
 the chair to which he was elected, and whose duties 
 he discharged afterward, as we shall see. That this 
 had been his favorite study and was his choice of all 
 the branches of the college cours^ we do not know. 
 It is probable that he was assigned to it chiefly be- 
 cause it was the chair which had not been otherwise 
 filled. He could have taught Latin, mathematics, or 
 English equally as well, inasmuch as he had em- 
 braced a full course in all of these, among the 
 branches pursued in his Boonville school. He could 
 also have filled the chair of physics, for Olmsted's 
 University Philosophy and Astronomy were text- 
 books that he had used. 
 
 As to metapliysics, embracing mental, moral, and 
 political science, he had given it but limited attention 
 at Boonville. This is a strange, and would be an un- 
 accountable fact, were it not true that a similar 
 neglect of this branch of science is very general. 
 One of the best endowed of the private colleges of 
 Missouri has never paid any attention to it — that is, 
 has never had a special teacher for it. Westminster 
 College, since Dr. Rice's departure in 1874, has suffer- 
 ed its Potts professorship of metaphysics, founded in 
 1858, to go unfilled, distributing its duties among the 
 other chairs. In our public schools and academies 
 the same neglect is quite common. No better proof 
 
WESTMINSTER COLLEGE. 211 
 
 could be given of the materialistic tendencies of our 
 age and country than this. Pope has said, " The 
 proper study of mankind is man," Sir William 
 Hamilton put over the entrance to his lecture-room 
 these words of Phavorinus : — " On earth there is 
 nothing great but man. In man there is nothing 
 great but mind." If these are true sentiments, 
 and we believe them to be, it is surely a gross 
 mistake that we should allow other things, far 
 less dignified and important, to crowd out the study 
 of the human mind and its higher, spiritual interests. 
 Mathematics, languages, physics, are all of them im- 
 portant. We say no word in derogation of any one 
 of them. But surely the mysteries of the human 
 spirit, which claims kinship and likeness to the in- 
 finite, are not to be despised and thrust into a corner, 
 and made to wait till these others are served. " Know 
 thyself," the Grecian sage proclaimed twenty odd 
 hundred years ago. Shall we of the nineteenth 
 Christian century answer, No, we will give ourselves 
 to the material ; we will content ourselves with " The 
 Dirt Philosophy".? "M7 yevoirol'' 
 
 From his election to the chair of Greek in West- 
 minster College, Mr. Kemper is legitimately entitled 
 to be called Professor Kemper. If we shall fail to do 
 so, we plead two excuses as palliations of the of- 
 fence. For over nine years in daily association with 
 him ; looking up to him as more than father or 
 mother, the embodiment and representation to us of 
 human law, we learned to reverence and obey him as 
 Mr. Kemper. So he was to us, to the day of his 
 death. It sounds sweeter and better, because it 
 brings us nearer to him, and recalls more vividly the 
 
212 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 golden memories of long ago. Moreover, it was his 
 own favorite designation. His wife so addressed 
 him, and so speaks of him. He taught even his latest 
 and youngest pupils so to call him. He had a decided 
 disrelish for the title Professor. Can we blame him ? 
 
 How many professors do you suppose there are in 
 Missouri to-day ? We are all sovereigns, and there- 
 fore we must all have a title. How many men are 
 there, outside of the penitentiary, that have none ? 
 How many inside that have ? The whole matter of 
 titles has become a sublime farce. Captains, majors, 
 colonels, generals, judges, squires, doctors, honor- 
 ables, and professors are as thick as "autumn leaves 
 in Vallombrosa." The commune comes to the help 
 of the meagre, untitled remnant left, and salutes 
 each of the canaille as citizen. So if it be not General, 
 or Judge, or Doctor, or Professor Stubbins, it shall 
 be at least Citizen Stubbins. 
 
 In the flourishing town of Slater, in Saline County, 
 Missouri, we had occasion lately to need the ser- 
 vices of a tailor. There were two in the town, and 
 we were politely shown to the shop of the nearest. 
 Feelings of awe almost overcame us as we read the 
 golden legend upon the sign, "Professor Dietrich 
 O' Blatherskite." We doubted whether we should 
 obtrude ourself upon a gentleman of such dignity, 
 as it was only a trivial rent in the pocket of a duster 
 that needed his professional attention. We boldly 
 made the venture, however, and to our great relief 
 found the professor bland and accommodating. He 
 condescended to mend the rent, and our admiration 
 was complete when we found that he charged only 
 one dollar for fifteen minutes' work. It was nearly 
 
^:^l^<^^t^ 
 
 U-r.^ ^ijSS^S'.rJ.tii-Sonslj-^arcla.y-SirJJrr. 
 
WESTMINSTER COLLEGE. 213 
 
 fifteen minutes of his precious time that it took. Let 
 us think of it ; Professor Dietrich O'Blatherskite of 
 Slater, will not only mend your duster, but he will 
 do so for the modest sum of one dollar for fifteen 
 minutes, four dollars an hour, thirty-two dollars a 
 day, ten thousand dollars a year. Is it not strange 
 that Mr. Kemper refused to be called professor? 
 
 Is a reform of this evil impossible ? It probably is ; 
 but it would be a wise move if effectual steps could 
 be taken to reduce the awarding of titles to something 
 like a reasonable law. For example, let no man be 
 saluted with a military title unless he is either in 
 actual service or has won his name upon the tented 
 field of a real campaign. Let Honorable be prefixed 
 to the name of those only, who are at the time hold- 
 ing prominent official position. Let no man be 
 called Professor unless he is the actual incumbent 
 of a chair, in a regularly chartered college. 
 
 There were associated with Mr. Kemper, as his 
 colleagues in Westminster College, three remarkable 
 men. At their head stood the president of the col- 
 lege, the Rev. Samuel Spahr Laws, LL.D. It is not 
 too much to say that Dr. Laws is one of the first 
 men w^ho have ever claimed citizenship in Missouri. 
 If he had turned his thoughts to war he would have 
 been as persistent as Grant, as invincible as Stonewall 
 Jackson, as wise a stategist as Lee. If he had be- 
 come a lawyer he would have mastered its profound- 
 est principles, and have passed into history as an 
 eminent jurist. If he had courted politics he would 
 have become a Senator, and taken high rank as a 
 practical legislator, as well as an expounder of the 
 Constitution. Medicine would never have suited 
 
214 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 him. In early life he was a minister of the gospel 
 and the successful pastor of a church. If he had 
 continued in the pulpit, he would have discussed its 
 grand themes with consummate ability, and rendered 
 plain to the common mind the subtleties of theology. 
 He is a graduate in the sciences, a graduate in 
 theology, a graduate in law, a graduate in medicine. 
 There are but few men in this or any other country 
 who have won these four diplomas. Moreover, he 
 is a skilled financier and a practical inventor. He 
 patented an instrument which is used in every city 
 of this country, and which has brought him an ample 
 competency. But he is not a preacher, nor a lawyer, 
 nor a doctor, nor a financier, nor an inventor. 
 These are his recreations and accomplishments. He 
 is a teacher and an executive, a professor and a pres- 
 ident. As an instructor, we have never known his 
 superior. Comparing him as such, with the great 
 men whom we knew at the University of Virginia 
 and the Princeton Theological Seminary, we pro- 
 nounce him the peer of the best of them. The ab- 
 struse points of metaphysics never became lucid to 
 us until we heard him set them forth. As an execu- 
 tive, his ability is proven by the prosperity of West- 
 minster College during his administration, and by 
 the grand success he is achieving at our State Uni- 
 versity. President Laws is, without doubt, one of 
 the really great men whom our countr}^ has pro- 
 duced. His is one of those mighty minds that impress 
 you as having an unlimited reserve of force which 
 it never needs to call into action. 
 
 Rev. M. M. Fisher, D.D., LL.D., was the pro- 
 fessor of Latin, He is now with President Laws at 
 
WESTMINSTER COLLEGE. 2>i5 
 
 the State University, in charge of the same specialty. 
 That he is one of the most accomplished and success- 
 ful teachers of Latin in this country is conceded by 
 all who know him. That he has the affection and 
 respect of every pupil whom he has ever taught is 
 the universal testimony. His work on '' Latin Pro- 
 nunciation" has made him known by scholars all 
 over this country, and even in England. He is re- 
 garded as the champion of the so-called English 
 pronunciation of Latin. We think that he has made 
 a mistake in adopting and advocating this system. 
 It is a grief and disappointment to find him an ob- 
 structionist, defending a scheme which is so unrea- 
 sonable in itself, and which is condemned by the 
 progressive scholarship of English Latinists. The 
 idea of imposing a foreign pronunciation upon a lan- 
 guage is apparently so absurd that it should require 
 necessity to justify it. That any one should think 
 of making English the standard of pronunciation for 
 any tongue would certainly seem to any intelligent 
 foreigner the acme of folly. English has no pro- 
 nunciation of its own. Its anomalous oddities are 
 the sport of eA^ery philologist. Rather let English 
 beg an orthoepy from the law-regulated Latin, and 
 not seek to impose its northern harshness upon the 
 rich old father-tongue, which grew to mellow sweet- 
 ness beneath the sunny skies of pellucid Italy. But 
 for all this Professor Fisher is a great teacher and a 
 distinguished Latinist. Mr. Kemper more than once 
 said, " Professor Fisher is the best teacher of Latin 
 I have ever known." 
 
 Professor Alfred Marshall Mayer, a native of Bal- 
 timore, held the Charless professorship of physics. 
 
2i6 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 The American edition of Chambers's Encyclopaedia 
 says of Professor Mayer, " He was for a time one of 
 the editors of the American Journtl of Science and 
 A7^ts, and has published a number of contributions 
 to science, of which may be noted : ' Estimation of 
 the Weights of Very Small Portions of Matter,' 
 1858; 'Researches in Electro-Magnetism,' 1873; 
 and ' Researches in Acoustics,' 1874. Since his con- 
 nection with the Stevens Institute of Technology, at 
 Hoboken, N. J., he has made a specialty of acoustics, 
 in which he has made many interesting experiments 
 and some valuable discoveries. He has established 
 the connection between the pitch and duration of 
 sound, has invented a method of determining the 
 comparative intensity of sounds with the same pitch, 
 and has located the organs of hearing in the mos- 
 quito. He has also developed new processes for 
 analyzing sound, and has made researches into the 
 nature of electricity." 
 
 No Western college has ever been blessed with 
 four stronger men, at one time, than Westminster, 
 when Laws, Kemper, Fisher, and Mayer taught to- 
 gether in her classic halls. 
 
 When Mr. Kemper went to Fulton, it was feared 
 by many of his friends that he would find it un- 
 pleasant to assume the relation of a subordinate, 
 and that there would likely be unpleasant friction be- 
 tween him and President Laws. A teacher is neces- 
 sarily an autocrat. Mr. Kemper had for so long a 
 time ruled without any to share the responsibility with 
 him — he was a man of such positive traits, and had 
 such decided convictions as to all matters of instruc- 
 tion and discipline, that it was apprehended he would 
 
WESTMINSTER COLLEGE. 217 
 
 not submit to the authority of a president with 
 characteristics equally as pronounced as his own. 
 These fears proved groundless. No two men ever 
 cooperated more harmoniously than did they. This 
 was chiefly due to the fact that each apprehended 
 the true relations existing between them, and each 
 respected the other in his sphere. Dr. Laws organ- 
 ized the college on the university plan into indepen- 
 dent schools. Each professor was thus made re- 
 sponsible for the instruction and discipline of his 
 own classes, independent of his colleagues, and was 
 responsible to the board of trustees alone. The plan 
 worked well in the relations of the professors to 
 each other and to the president. Here is Mr. Kem- 
 per's own statement, as made to the board in i860, 
 and published in the catalogue for that year : " For 
 the success which has attended the discipline in the 
 school of Greek, a due acknowledgment should be 
 made to the sagacity and efficiency of the honored 
 president of the college. The division of the work of 
 instruction into distinct schools has been made 
 under his auspices, and has been found most satis- 
 factory in practice. The respect which he commands 
 in presiding over the general interests of the college 
 is felt in every department, while the independence 
 and supremacy of each man in his own sphere secure 
 executive efficiency, and leave no reasonable occasion 
 for collision with president or professors." 
 
 The college was very prosperous during the period 
 of Mr. Kemper's connection with it. One third of 
 its alumni were graduated in the five years which 
 cover the time of his professorate. The average at- 
 tendance was largely in excess of the general aver- 
 10 
 
2i8 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 age of its history. We have the catalogue of i860. 
 It contains the names of one hundred and fifty-six 
 pupils. Of these, one hundred and four were non- 
 resident, representing ten States and thirty-one coun- 
 ties in Missouri. Seventy-four were in the college 
 proper, and nineteen were sub-freshmen. Some of 
 the most distingu'shed alumni were his pupils. 
 These embrace Revs. H. M. Anderson, Charles 
 Fueller, J. P. Forman, R. A. Davison, T. C. Barrett, 
 G. Sluter, C. B. Boyd, A. Machette, J. G. Bailey, 
 John A. McAfee, E. R. Nugent, H. M. Corbett, E. P. 
 Cowan, D.D., J. F. Cowan, D.D., T. Gallaher, D.D., 
 and C. C. Hersman, D.D.; and Hons. John A. Flood, 
 D. H. Mclntire, John A. Hockaday, and Charles R. 
 Scott. Of these, we shall be pardoned for particular- 
 izing Drs. John F. Cowan and C. C. Hersman, and 
 Hons. D. H. Mclntire, and John A. Hockaday. 
 Dr. Cowan is a "country parson," and yet is one 
 of the most scholarly and cultivated gentlemen in 
 Missouri. Dr. Hersman is now the honored pres- 
 ident of the college, and is, with varied attainments, 
 especially distinguished as one of the leading Greek 
 scholars of this country. Gen. D. H. Mclntire, the 
 present Attorney-General of the State, and Gen. John 
 A. Hockaday, one of his predecessors in the same 
 office, are two of the ablest and most prominent of 
 the public men of Missouri to-day. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE KEMPER FAMILY SCHOOL, l86l-l88r. 
 
 " Alas, poor country ] 
 Almost afraid to know thyself ! It cannot 
 Be called our mother, but our grave ; where nothing 
 But who knows nothing, is once seen to smile. 
 Where sighs and groans, and shrieks that rend the air, 
 Are made, not marked ; where violent sorrow seems 
 A modern ecstasy ; and the dead man's knell 
 Is there scarce asked for whom ; and good men's lives 
 Expire before the flowers in their caps." Shakspeare. 
 
 April 12, 1861, the Confederates of the South 
 opened fire on Ft. Sumter, and it was evacuated on 
 the 14th. The next day President Lincoln issued his 
 call for 75,000 men to coerce the seceding States 
 back into the Union. April 20, the U. S. Arsenal at 
 Liberty, Missouri, was seized by the State guards. 
 April 25, Captain N. Lyon moved the war stores 
 from the U. S. Arsenal at St. Louis to Alton. May 
 10, Captain Lyon and Colonel F. P. Blair captured 
 Camp Jackson, near St. Louis, now elegantly built 
 over by the city. May 21, General W. S. Harney 
 for the U. S. and General Sterling Price for Mis- 
 souri made a compromise of peace. June i, this 
 compromise was repudiated by President Lincoln, 
 Harney was removed, and General Lyon appointed 
 to the command in Missouri. June 13, Governor 
 C. F. Jackson issued a call for 50,000 State militia. 
 
2 20 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 June 17, the first battle was fought at Boonvdlle, 
 General N. Lyon commanding the U. S. troops, 
 and Colonel John S. Marmaduke the State forces. 
 Thus was civil war inaugurated in Missouri. Jt was 
 destined to continue for four long, weary, cruel, 
 bloody years, growing worse and worse as the 
 months wore on. The Northern States knew com- 
 paratively little of the horrors of this conflict. 
 While here and there a son, or brother, or father 
 went forth to the battle and came not back again, 
 yet they knew nothing of sanguinary battle-fields, 
 of slaughtered heaps, of burning or desolated homes. 
 Tiie North grew rich while all this was going on. 
 Nor did the extreme South realize what a fratricidal 
 contest it was, of neighbor against neighbor, of son 
 against father, of brother against brother. Kentucky, 
 and Missouri, and Virginia drank these bitterest 
 dregs in the cup of civil war. There is not a neigh- 
 borhood in Missouri where deeds of violence were not 
 perpetrated on one or the other, or on both sides. 
 Non-combatants were imprisoned, property of all 
 kinds was stolen or destroyed, houses were burned, 
 women were insulted, old men were assassinated or 
 shot down like dogs in the streets or on the high- 
 ways, or even while at work in their fields. Byron 
 describes it : — 
 
 " All that the mind would shrink from of excesses ; 
 
 All that the body perpetrates of bad, 
 All that we read, hear, dream of man's distresses ; 
 
 All that the devil would do, if run stark mad ; 
 All that defies the worst which pen expresses ; 
 
 All by which hell is peopled, or as sad 
 As hell — mere mortals who their power abuse, — 
 
 Was here." 
 
THE KEMPER FAMILY SCHOOL. 221 
 
 Mr. Kemper was at Westminster College when 
 this horrible struggle began. He remained there at 
 his post until the close of ttie term in June, 1861. 
 There were then several reasons which led to his 
 resignation and return to Boonville. Chief among 
 these, in the judgment of the writer, was his con- 
 viction that he had made a mistake when he ex- 
 changed the labors of an educator in general for 
 those of a special department; that his was not the 
 work of a mere contributor, but the higher mission 
 of the control and guidance, of the development and 
 moulding of character. Another weighty reason 
 doubtless was, that in some cases of discipline, in- 
 volving the sons of prominent persons, the faculty 
 were not sustained by the other authorities of the 
 college. It greatly galled him to be censured for 
 doing his duty by those who (jught to have sustained 
 him. 
 
 The ostensible causes for the change were : that 
 the war probably would cause the suspension of 
 the college ; that it was a time for every man 
 to seek the natural harbor of his home; and 
 that his school property in Boonville had been 
 deserted, unpaid for by the purchaser. We are told 
 by Mrs. Kemper that it was his purpose to dispose 
 of the property in Boonville and retire to his farm, 
 about five miles south of the city. There he would 
 open a small select school for twelve boarders, 
 whose education, in all of its details, he could him- 
 self personally supervise. This fact shows conclu- 
 sively the bent of his mind, and his realization of 
 his appropriate work. As he was unable to make 
 any suitable disposition of the building in town, he 
 
222 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 was compelled to abandon the project of the country 
 school, and to occupy the old premises again. In 
 this his friends are able to see God's wise and gra- 
 cious superintending providence. Had he gone to 
 the country, it is quite pobsible, if not probable, that 
 he would have fallen a victim to the spirit of lawless- 
 ness which prevailed and which held no human 
 life as too costly a sacrifice, 
 
 A word may be said here as to Mr. Kemper's 
 position on the issues involved in the war. He was 
 Southern born and Southern reared. He had never 
 lived in the North. His associations had been almost 
 exclusively with Southern people of the Border 
 States. His father's family in Virginia were actively 
 enlisted for the Confederacy. His brother was a 
 general in the army of Lee. On the other hand, his 
 journal shows that he was favorably impressed by 
 the Northern society and customs with which he 
 came in contact at Cincinnati, on his first journey 
 West. He had been under the influence of Dr. 
 Nelson, and regarded him with admiring veneration. 
 He had chosen as his wife a lady from New England. 
 We know, from his journal, that he considered the 
 Southern movement injudicious, in its management 
 at least. Putting it all together, we are satisfied 
 that his sympathies were with the South and his 
 judgment with the North, as was the case with 
 many intelligent people on both sides of the line. 
 But we are not left altogether to conjecture; for 
 we are told that one of his pupils asked him during 
 the war, '' Mr. Kemper, what are you .?" (meaning, 
 of course, Unionist or Secessionist). He at once 
 replied, " I am your teacher, sir." 
 
THE KEMPER FAMILY SCHOOL. 223 
 
 The school was reopened in Boonviile Sept. 16, 
 1 86 1. There were but two boarders at the outset, but 
 the number increased to about a dozen during the 
 year. There were also enrolled seventy-one day 
 scholars. 
 
 For the first time in the history of the school, girls 
 were admitted as pupils. This was doubtless due to 
 an extreme pressure brought to bear on Mr. Kemper, 
 by reason of the fact that there was no suitable school 
 for girls in Boonviile during those troublous war 
 times. We are satisfied that this was the case, from 
 the fact that the privileges of admission were granted 
 young women during the four years of the war only. 
 Though one or two were afterward received, it was 
 as a special personal favor. It was a surprise to us 
 when we first learned that he had adopted the prin- 
 ciple of the co-education of the sexes. We did not 
 then know that it was a temporary and, as it were, 
 forced arrangement. There are good, and wise, and 
 experienced teachers who accept and practice the 
 doctrine of co-education. There are others, more 
 wise, who reject it. " Woman is not undeveloped 
 man, but diverse." She is different physically, men- 
 tally, morally, from her more robust brother. The 
 views of Clarke, as given in " Sex in Education," are 
 sound, as every physiologist and psychologist, as 
 every observant parent and teacher knows or ought 
 to know. 
 
 The peculiarities of each sex do not manifest them- 
 selves in their fulness at the first. For this reason it 
 is practicable in our public district schools, and in the 
 preparatory classes of our colleges, to unite them. 
 But as soon as boys show themselves masculine, and 
 
224 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 girls develop the physical and moral peculiarities of 
 womanhood, it is best for both that they should sepa- 
 rate. For reasons of flesh and blood, this is expedient. 
 For mental considerations, it is wisest. The mascu- 
 line mind is stronger, and is capable of a longer and 
 more exhausting effort. The feminine is quicker, 
 earlier developed, and sooner exhausted. Here and 
 there a girl can go, pari passu^ with a boy through the 
 regular college course. Such cases, however, are 
 rare and exceptional. When done the boy comes out 
 fresh, and stronger than when he began. The girl 
 runs the risk of finding herself at the close a nervous 
 wreck. The time usually allotted to a school-girl's 
 college course embraces one of the critical periods of 
 her life. She cannot bear an undue strain upon her 
 energies as she is entering upon her maturity. The 
 majority of girls are not physically nor mentally able 
 to pursue a full collegiate course. 
 
 For moral reasons it is wisest to keep them sepa- 
 rate. "Familiarity breeds contempt." Girls lose 
 the soft blush of feminine delicacy by daily contact, 
 as competing companions, with rough boys. The 
 boys lose the high and gallant regard which they 
 would otherwise have for the softer sex, by being 
 brought into constant intercourse and direct rivalry 
 with them. The tendencies, at least, in both cases 
 are in the direction indicated. 
 
 Vassar, Wellesley, and Smith Colleges for women 
 are grand institutions, and are wholly devoted to 
 separate female education. All honor to the noble 
 men and women who founded them. They are, how- 
 ever, above the intellectual reach of the mass of 
 student girls in this country. There are compara- 
 
THE KEMPER FAMILY SCHOOL. 225 
 
 tively few who can pursue the course prescribed in 
 any one of the three, without serious risk to her con- 
 stitution. But Cornell and other colleges and uni- 
 versities which invite young women to enter the 
 regular classes with men, and strive not only for the 
 diploma but also for the class honors, are, we think, 
 doing an injury to the physical, intellectual, social, 
 and moral future of our country. These are the 
 harbingers of female suffrage, female lawyers, female 
 lecturers, female politicians, female lobbyists, female 
 drunkards, female ruin. Where are we to find our 
 future sweethearts, wives, and mothers ? 
 
 " To rear the graces into second life ; 
 To give society its highest taste ; 
 Well-ordered home man's best delight to make, 
 And by submissive wisdom, modest skill, 
 With every gentle, care-eluding art. 
 To raise the virtues, animate the bliss, 
 And sweeten all the toils of human life : 
 This be the female dignity and praise." 
 
 Mr. Kemper associated with him.self in the joint 
 management of the school Mr. Edwin H. Taylor, 
 A.M., a graduate of Dartmouth College and a 
 brother of Mrs. Kemper. This arrangement lasted 
 four years, and during its continuance the school 
 bore the name of "Kemper & Taylor's Institute." 
 With the exception of Mrs. Kemper, this is the first in- 
 stance of his securing help from any other source than 
 his own pupils. There was a time when he and Mr. 
 William T. Davis contemplated conducting the school 
 together, but the arrangement was not consummated. 
 It may seem strange to some that he always preferred 
 his own pupils as assistant teachers. Nothing, how- 
 
2 26 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 ever, is more natural and proper. Where a principal 
 has original and peculiar ideas about the management 
 of his school (as every really successful one has), he 
 needs some one to aid him whose ideas and habits 
 are in sympathy with his own. Where can he as 
 certainly secure these as in those selected pupils who 
 have imbibed his principles and are en rapport with 
 him in carrying them out ? It is the highest expres- 
 sion which a principal can give of his confidence in 
 his own work, when he voluntarily uses as his helpers 
 in preference to others, those whom he himself has 
 trained. 
 
 The year 1862-63 began Sept. 15, 1862. During its 
 continuance there were enrolled one hundred and 
 twenty-four pupils in all the departments. Of these, 
 twenty were girls. 
 
 This year is noted for the corps of teachers engaged. 
 At their head stood the principals, Mr. Kemper and 
 Mr. Taylor. Then there were Mrs. Kemper, Miss 
 Georgia Bliss, William H. Allison, Hamilton Galla- 
 gher, and W. H. H. Hill. Miss Bliss was from 
 Brattleboro, Vermont. She taught in the school this 
 year, returned to it in 1868, and taught five more years, 
 when she was married to the Hon. John Cosgrove. 
 That she should have had a relish for such a school, 
 and that she should have been kept by Mr. Kemper 
 as a helper for six years, shows that she was a woman 
 and a teacher of genuine merit, and that Mr. Kemper 
 acted wisely in occasionally going outside of his own 
 pupils to secure his assistants. It also clearly proves 
 that, in the judgment of Mr. Kemper, there are wom- 
 en who are adequate to the most thorough drill as 
 teachers. 
 
THE KEMPER FAMILY SCHOOL. 227 
 
 From the time of her marriage Mrs. Kemper has 
 been not a constant but an efficient helper in the 
 class-room. She has taught Latin, Greek, mental 
 and moral philosophy, botany, vocal music, and 
 drawing. The last three were her special depart- 
 ment. Miss Bliss had charge of the higher mathe- 
 matics and Latin. Messrs. Hill and Gallagher 
 were pupils, and at the same time tutors. Mr. 
 Allison, an old pupil and the cousin of Mr. Kemper, 
 had charge of the primary department. 
 
 For the school session of 1863-64 there were entered 
 eighty-nine pupils, of whom twenty were girls. The 
 teachers were the same as the preceding year, with 
 the exception of Miss Bliss. 
 
 In 1864-65 the primary department was dispensed 
 with, and the school was reduced to its lowest limits, 
 only thirty pupils being admitted. 
 
 Mr. E. H. Taylor having lost his wife, determined 
 to return to the East. He accordingly dissolved his 
 connection with the school in June, 1865. This made 
 it necessary to change the name, and so from 1865 
 to 1874 it was called " Kemper's Family School." 
 It was the purpose to strictly limit the number of 
 pupils. As the buildings were then, it was thought 
 that about a dozen boarders and thirty day-scholars 
 would be the proper numbers. We accordingly find 
 that for the year 1865-66 there were forty-six enrolled. 
 Mrs. Kemper refers to this as a specially happy 
 year. "It was" she says, "truly 2i family school j for 
 all sat around the same table to study the night 
 lessons. Those who could spare the time from their 
 studies gathered around the open fire to talk, and 
 laugh, and read the papers before bed-time. The 
 
28 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 doctor was not needed for a single person during 
 the year, and there was not a case of discipline in the 
 school." Among the pupils were Uncas McCluer 
 and Hon. James Gibson, now Mayor of Kansas City. 
 Of the former gentleman, now the Rev. Uncas 
 McCluer, of Virginia, Mrs. Kemper writes: "I re- 
 member, as though it were yesterday, when Uncas 
 McCluer, of St. Charles, applied for admission. 
 Mr. Kemper was not at home. I told him that I was 
 sure we could not take him, for we had already 
 taken two or three over our limits. He very com- 
 placently said, if we had taken any over our limited 
 number, we could easily take one more. He did 
 remain, making our number just sixteen. A great 
 comfort and help this same Uncas McCluer was to us, 
 for he had such a good influence over all the others." 
 There were ten counties in Missouri represented in 
 the pupils of this year. 
 
 In the summer of 1866 the school-room, now used 
 as a study-hall and detached from the main building, 
 was put up. This added to the lodging capacity of 
 the boarding-house. 
 
 The session, which opened September, 1866, 
 witnessed the enrollment of fifty-five pupils, of 
 whom there were about twenty boarders. The 
 States of Virginia, Mississippi, and Louisiana were 
 represented, besides a number of counties in 
 Missouri. 
 
 The session of 1867-68 enrolled sixty-four pupils. 
 As the number had increased, it was found nec- 
 essary to secure the assistance of Mr. Roberdeau 
 Allison, a cousin of Mr. Kemper and one of the 
 original pupils of the school. For several years 
 
THE KEMPER FAMILY SCHOOL. 229 
 
 there had been no girls in attendance, but this 
 session there were eight admitted. 
 
 Since the year 1854, when the writer dissolved his 
 connection with the school, he lias not thought it 
 best to call particular attention to any individual 
 pupil. He must be allowed, however, to deviate 
 from this rule in the case of Mr. T. A. Johnston. 
 This gentleman became connected with the school 
 first in 1867, as a student. He was graduated in 
 1869. He remained two years longer as a post-grad- 
 uate and tutor. He entered the senior class of the 
 University at Colum.bia in 1871, and was graduated 
 in 1872, receiving A.M. in 1875. He was invited to 
 accept a position in the University, but preferred the 
 work at Boonville, where he was, from the fall of 
 1872, associated with Mr. Kemper in the joint man- 
 agement of the school as Junior Principal, until 
 Mr. Kemper's death. He was selected by our 
 revered teacher as, of all his pupils, the one best 
 fitted to be trained as his successor. He now wears 
 the mantle of the master worthily, successfully. No 
 higher honor could we give him. He'is a gentle- 
 man, a Christian, a scholar, a teacher, an educator. 
 
 Only twenty-nine pupils were entered during the 
 session of 1868-69. Mr. R. Allison ceased to teach, 
 and Miss Georgia Bliss, now Mrs. Cosgrove, re- 
 turned to the school, and continued with it for the 
 next five years. Green Majors was a pupil of this 
 year, and his name suggests the following very in- 
 teresting incident, related by Mrs. Kemper as one 
 of her pleasant memories : — 
 
 "The last day of the year 1869 a pleasant com- 
 pany were assembled at the dinner-table, and among 
 
230 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 them Mr. Alexander Majors, the father of one of 
 our students. Mr. Majors was a man of rare interest, 
 a successful business man, and an earnest Christian. 
 Without any advantages to acquire an education, he 
 yet possessed fascinating powers of conversation, 
 and wielded an influence for good over all about 
 him. 
 
 " He made a large fortune before the war, owning 
 horses and wagons that traversed the vast Western 
 plains. He would employ no driver who drank 
 liquor or used profane language, and as far as 
 possible he had Christian men in his service. His 
 men were bound to him by strong ties, for he was 
 in the habit of calling them together before every 
 trip and conversing with them separately about 
 their private affairs ; and then, while they all knelt 
 down, he commended them to the care and keeping 
 of the God of the universe, their kind Heavenly 
 Father. His power was so great over these rough 
 teamsters that it was rare for his rules to be broken. 
 
 '' During the war he met with heavy losses, and 
 called himself a poor man, although managing quite 
 an extensive business, and possessing means that 
 made him very independent and useful. 
 
 " In the parlor he had entertained us wnth inci- 
 dents and startling events of his busy life, and at 
 the dinner-table we had discussed topics of interest. 
 Just before we were ready to leave the table, Mr. 
 Majors remarked, ' This is the last day of the year, 
 and on the morrow we shall separate, never all to 
 meet again ; and it is more than probable, before 
 the last day of another year, some of our number 
 will have passed away from earth. Now, that this 
 
THE KEMPER FAMILY SCHOOL. 231 
 
 day may be remembered by us all, as a golden link in 
 memory's chain, let us, before leaving the table, go 
 around and ask each one what words that our Sav- 
 iour spoke while upon earth have impressed us 
 most deeply, or afforded us most comfort in all our 
 trials and disappointments. Now, Mr. Kemper, let 
 us hear from you first. 
 
 " Mr. Kemper answered, ' Come unto me, all 
 ye that labor and are heavy laden ; and I will give 
 you rest' (Matt. 11 : 28). 
 
 " Rev. Mr. Jeffries sat next, and he quoted John 
 14 : 27 : 'Peace I leave with you, my peace I give 
 unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. 
 Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be 
 afraid.' 
 
 "Professor E. P. Lamkin was called upon, and 
 he replied, ' Whosoever therefore shall confess me be- 
 fore men, him will I confess also before my Father 
 which is in heaven' (Matt. 10 : 32). 
 
 " Mrs. Lamkin quoted John 6 : 37 : ' And him that 
 Cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out.' 
 
 "Miss Georgia Bliss said, 'I cannot recall any 
 particular verse, but the whole of John 14 comforts 
 me most.' 
 
 " Miss Gertrude Bliss, who had been deeply inter- 
 ested in Mr. Majors' conversation, had left the table 
 just before this subject was introduced, and was so 
 much distressed about it that she requested me to 
 write down the conversation and quotations, so that 
 she might add it to her book containing the Life of 
 Mr. Alexander Majors^ which she promised to write 
 as soon as she could collect the materials. Miss 
 Gertrude was a young lady of cultured intellect and 
 
232 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 refined feelings, and shrank with horror from anything 
 coarse and rude. She was charmed beyond measure 
 with the polish and piety of a man who could 
 scarcely read or write, and who had passed nearly all 
 of his life in the frontiers of barbarism. So she 
 had asked him to let her take notes while he talked, 
 and she felt that she had lost an interesting inter- 
 view. 
 
 " Mrs. Kemper was next in order, and she said, * I 
 have never thought of any of Christ's sayings, as re- 
 gards choosing the best or most comforting, and 
 will only give one that is very cheering, and seems 
 proper to an occasion of feasting. This is Christ's 
 words to the woman at the well of Samaria : ' Who- 
 soever drinketh of this water shall thirst again ; but 
 whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give 
 him, shall never thirst ' (John 4 : 13, 14). 
 
 " Green Majors said that he chose the same as 
 Mrs. Lamkin ; Matthew Singleton selected the same 
 as Mr. Jeffries; Landon Rains the same as Mr. 
 Kemper. 
 
 " Mrs. McCutchen sat on the right of Mr. Majors, 
 and as she quoted, 'It is finished,' Luke 19 : 30, he 
 turned, and placing his hand upon her shoulder, 
 said, ' My friend, you have come very near my 
 choice. To me there is nothing so comforting to 
 poor, dying, sin-condemned mortals, who have toil- 
 ed, and struggled, and prayed, and then have such 
 dim hopes of eternal life, as the Saviour's words to 
 the thief on the cross : ' To-day shalt thou be with 
 me in paradise ' (Luke 23 : 43). 
 
 " We left the table, and an hour afterward the 
 company dispersed, true enough, never to look upon 
 
THE KEMPER FAMILY SCHOOL. 233 
 
 each other's faces this side of eternity. Only about 
 six weeks elapsed before Miss Gertrude Bliss went 
 to her rest and reward; and in October of the same 
 year Landon Rains died, far away from his home. 
 As far as I know, the remaining persons of that 
 company are living, except the honored host ; but we 
 have never looked upon the guest again, whose 
 words of instruction and wisdom made that dinner 
 party an occasion of rare interest, and to be remem- 
 bered as long as our days shall last upon the 
 earth." 
 
 The hero of this incident belonged to the freight- 
 ing firm of Russell, Majors & Waddell, which did 
 such an immense business across the plains before 
 the Pacific Railroad was built. Another interesting 
 fact, illustrating his sterling Christian character, we 
 have learned. He would never permit his teams to 
 be driven on Sunday. It was sacredly observed, by 
 man and beast, as a day of rest. As a consequence, 
 his train would be passed, while resting on Sunday, 
 by those who thought that they could not aiford to 
 lie by for a whole day, even if it was the Sabbath. So 
 it would be during the first half of the trip. On the 
 last half it would be reversed. While he still refused 
 to travel on Sunday, his train would almost daily 
 overtake those who had hurried on, giving them- 
 selves and animals no rest. Often they would be 
 broken down, and he would help them ; and in every 
 case his train would reach the end of the journey in 
 better condition and in shorter time than those who 
 had started with him and had regularly violated the 
 Lord's Day. " If thou turn away thy foot from the 
 sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day ; 
 
234 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, 
 honorable ; and shalt honor Him, not doing thine 
 own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speak- 
 ing thine own words : then shalt thou delight thyself 
 in the Lord ; and I will cause thee to ride upon the 
 high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heri- 
 tage of Jacob thy father ; for the mouth of the Lord 
 hath spoken it " (Isa. 58 : 13, 14). 
 
 James Gibson, Hugh Elliott, and T. A. Johnston 
 were graduated this year, forming the first regular 
 graduating class of the school. 
 
 There were thirty-six pupils during the year 1869- 
 70, thirty-five the next year, and thirty in 1871-72. 
 
 In the year 1872 the most ornamental portion of 
 the building, as it is now, was put up. It is the main 
 building in front, as seen in the cut of the premises. 
 It cost several thousand dollars, and added materially 
 not only to the beauty but also to the comfort and 
 capacity of the house. 
 
 In the year 1872-73 Mr. T. A. Johnston became 
 identified with the school as the junior principal. 
 There were enrolled forty-one pupils. 
 
 Miss Georgia Bliss closed her connection with the 
 school in 1873. Miss Maria McCutchen. succeeded 
 her, and taught four years. Miss McCutchen was 
 trained for her work by Mr. Kemper. She entered 
 into his plans and appropriated his ideas with intelli- 
 gent zeal. Since 1877 she has been the principal of 
 a school, first at Brownsville, and more recently at 
 Higginsville. At both places she has proven herself 
 an efficient educator. 
 
 During the session of 1873-74 there were forty-two 
 enrollments. During this term William M. Hoge 
 
^ 5 
 
 ^- c 
 
 "^ r 
 
 ^ 2 
 
 I' 2 
 
THE KEMPER FAMILY SCHOOL. 235 
 
 and George W. Johnston entered. They were su- 
 perior students, completed the course with honor, 
 and were graduated from the State University in 
 1880. They at once returned to the school as assist- 
 ants of Mr. Kemper, and are now the assistant 
 principals of Mr. T. A. Johnston. 
 
 Since the beginning of the year 1871-72 day scholars 
 have been excluded, and it has been strictly a family 
 school. That this is the plan for securing the best re- 
 sults is, in our judgment, true. It is, of course, practi- 
 cally impossible to adopt such a plan for the educa- 
 tion of the masses. It must necessarily be expensive, 
 but for those who can afford it, it is worth all that it 
 costs. Day and boarding pupils together are incon- 
 gruous elements intimately associated. Regulations 
 which are appropriate to the one class are not adapt- 
 ed to the other. That the true work of education 
 may be successfully accomplished and safely guaran- 
 teed, the family school system, rigidly excluding all 
 who are not under the domestic regulations, is not 
 only expedient, but we may say indispensable. After 
 the additions made to the buildings in 1872 there was 
 room to accommodate about fifty pupils. This is 
 enough for one family and one supervision, and 
 furnishes a pleasant society in itself. 
 
 In the year 1874-75 the name Kemper Family 
 School was resumed and fifty-eight pupils were 
 entered, sixty-two in 1875-76, and forty-seven in 
 1876-77. 
 
 As this was the last change made in designating 
 the school, we will here present in one view the 
 several names which it has borne : Boonville 
 Boarding School, June, 1844, to November, 1845 ; 
 
236 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 Boonville Male Collegiate Institute, 1845-54 ; the 
 Kemper Family School, 1854-56 ; Westminster Col- 
 lege, 1856-61 ; Kemper and Taylor's Institute^ 1861- 
 65; Kemper's Family School, 1865-74; the Kemper 
 Family School, 1874 — . 
 
 Mr. E. L. Yager was another excellent student. 
 He acted as tutor from the fall of 1878 to the summer 
 of 1880, and then went to Princeton College, New 
 Jersey, to complete his studies there. W. M. Hoge, 
 G. W. Johnston, and W. E. Scobey w^ere tutors dur- 
 ing this term, as they were the previous year. 
 
 In 1877-78 there were fifty-three entries, and W. M. 
 Hoge and George W. Johnston were tutors. 
 
 1878-79 enrolled forty-five pupils. This year Miss 
 Mary Jasper Bocock, a niece of Mr. Kemper, entered 
 the school as teacher of French, German, Latin, and 
 piano music. She has proved herself worthy of her 
 lineage on both her father's and mother's side. 
 Mr., now the Rev. Joseph H. Gauss was a tutor this 
 year and the next. He is said by Mrs. Bocock to 
 have been one of Mr. Kemper's pupils, who seemed 
 fully to appreciate him. Mr. E. L. Yager also was a 
 tutor this year. 
 
 Fifty-six pupils entered in 1879-80. Messrs. Gauss 
 and Yager were tutors this year. 
 
 The thirty-seventh annual session of the school be- 
 gan Thursday, September 9, 1880, and closed June 15, 
 1 881. During its continuance sixty-two were en- 
 rolled in the various classes. Mr. T. A. Johnston was 
 the junior principal, Mrs. S. H. Kem.per and Miss 
 M. J. Bocock, and Messrs. W. M. Hoge and George 
 W. Johnston were the teachers. Willis Henry Bo- 
 cock and Miss Grace Kemper (the oldest living 
 
THE KEMPER FAMILY SCHOOL. 237 
 
 child of Mr. Kemper, and of whom he said that she 
 was everything he desired her to be) were graduated 
 in the classical course, John Joseph Campbell in the 
 Latin course, and Albert Beauregard Fink and 
 Samuel Murrell Sevier in the commercial course. 
 The pupils represented nineteen counties of Missouri ; 
 the States of Kansas, Virginia, Illinois, Texas, Indi- 
 ana and Colorado; the Territories of New Mexico 
 and Indian ; and Venezuela in South America. This 
 was the last year of Mr. Kemper's connection with 
 the school, as his death occurred before its close. 
 
 The session was successfully continued and com- 
 pleted after Mr. Kemper's death, and the school 
 opened in September, 1881, as usual. Mr. T. A. 
 Johnston is now the principal ; W. M. Hoge, and G. 
 W. Johnston are the assistant teachers. The year 
 1881-82 was one of the most prosperous in the history 
 of the school. The attendance, the health, the studi- 
 ousness, the morale^ have all been excellent; and 
 every one of us fellow-pupils may rejoice that our 
 beloved master laid the foundations deep and strong, 
 and that the blessing of the Father above rests upon 
 this school, which has won its way to public favor 
 by discarding all trickery, and offering to its patrons 
 the solid advantages of a genuine education. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE REUNION. 
 
 " Oh, these are the words that eternally utter 
 
 The spell that is seldom cast o'er us in vain ; 
 With the wings and the wand of a fairy they flutter. 
 
 And draw a charmed circle about us again. 
 We return to the spot where our infancy gamboled ; 
 
 We linger once more in the haunts of our youth ; 
 We retread where young passion first stealthily rambled, 
 
 And whispers are heard full of nature and truth." 
 
 On the 3rd day of June, 1844, Mr. Kemper first 
 opened the school in Boonville, with an attendance 
 of five pupils, four of whom he had brought with 
 him. On the 3d day of June, 1874, he was still in 
 Boonville, and at the head of the school which he 
 had founded thirty years before. Almost from the 
 first he had as many pupils as he desired. Indeed, 
 during much of the time he had felt compelled to 
 admit more than he wished to have. He had en- 
 rolled at Boonville and at Westminster College over 
 two thousand names, embracing probably twelve 
 hundred different pupils. Counting the years spent 
 in teaching before he came to Boonville, he had 
 served his self-allotted apprenticeship of twenty-five 
 years, and could claim to have been a master-work- 
 man for a half-score of years more. 
 
 It was thought by his pupils and friends that this 
 
THE REUNION, 239 
 
 was a suitable time to do honor to the successful 
 veteran of the school-room. It was determined that 
 it should be done by a rally of his pupils in a re- 
 union at Boonville. It was a noble thought, because 
 it was a genuine expression of respectful and en- 
 thusiastic gratitude to a man who had won it by 
 faithful, intelligent, and successful service to more 
 than a thousand of his fellow- men. These bene- 
 ficiaries of his skill were scattered far and wide. 
 Lawson was in London, representing the interest of 
 his bank in that metropolis of the world. Taylor 
 was in San Francisco, having followed the sun to 
 his golden setting on the Pacific. Others were 
 almost as far remote in the south or toward the 
 north. They were not only in all climates and lati- 
 tudes and countries, but they were engaged in all 
 kinds of pursuits. They were farmers with hard 
 hands, but soft and generous hearts. They were 
 physicians, ministering, like angels of mercy, to the 
 suffering. They were merchants, whose stores, like 
 a museum, contained the fabrics and products of 
 almost every clime. They were lawyers, pleading 
 for the vindication of the right and the punishment 
 of the wrong. They were ministers, ambassadors 
 of grace to their guilty fellow-men. They were 
 teachers, like the master himself, striving to make 
 men of the minds committed to their trust. All 
 these, a full regiment of soldiers on the battle-field 
 of life, heard the bugle rally that called them to the 
 quarters of their beloved chief. 
 
 They came from the plough and the workshop, 
 from the counting-room and the sick-chamber, from 
 the sanctum and the forum, from the pulpit and the 
 
240 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 school-room. The thought and feeling of each heart 
 found expression in these words : 
 
 " I find a pious gratitude disperse 
 
 Within my soul ; and every thought of him 
 Engenders a warm sigh within me, which, 
 Like curls of holy incense, overtake 
 Each other in my bosom, and enlarge 
 With their embrace his sweet remembrance." 
 
 The 23d and 24th of June were fixed upon as the 
 time, and they dawned and departed as propitiously 
 as heart could wish— model days of balmy summer 
 softness. 
 
 We are happy in being able to lay before the 
 reader a contemporary account, which appeared in 
 the columns of the Boonville Advertiser. It was 
 manifestly prepared by one in hearty sympathy with 
 the occasion : 
 
 "The students of Kemper's Family School have 
 long contemplated a grand reunion, when all could 
 once again meet in friendly commune, recall the 
 past, fraught with long and varied experiences, and 
 talk of the present, where all again would meet 
 their venerable preceptor. The culmination of their 
 intentions, after preliminary workings, took place 
 on the 23d and 24th, and the arrivals on last Satur- 
 day and Monday were many. 
 
 " The reunion commenced on Tuesday evening 
 with a grand reception given by Professor Kemper 
 at his residence, and it was indeed a most enjoyable 
 and enjoyed affair. The attendance was large, there 
 being between three and four hundred present ; some 
 who had not met their time-honored professor for 
 
THE REUNION. 241 
 
 many long and weary years, bearing the impress of 
 trouble and age, were rendered happy and spiritual- 
 ly youthful by once more meeting their old friend 
 and teacher, their old schoolmates ; noting the many 
 changes, and recalling old and happy associations. 
 
 " Prof. Kemper was surprised and pleased, in the 
 course of the evening, by the presentation of a mag- 
 nificent and valuable gold watch and chain, as a 
 token of respect and love from his old students. It 
 bore the inscription : ' Presented by Students of 
 Thirty Years.' Mr. Gallagher, of Illinois, with a few 
 significant remarks, made the presentation. Mr. 
 Kemper in heartfelt terms responded. It was not 
 the intrinsic value of the memorial, but that extrinsic 
 value made by association and circumstances, which 
 would render it of inestimable worth to himself. It 
 was a touching scene, easy to imagine but hard to 
 express : to see crowded around the venerable pro- 
 fessor the old and young, whose foundation of the 
 great edifice of education he had firmly laid, made 
 happy by the pleasure which beamed from his coun- 
 tenance on the reception of this token of their love. 
 
 "Many ladies, fair and beautiful, enhanced the 
 pleasure of the evening with their sweet smiles, 
 sparkling wit and humor. The supper was unsur- 
 passable, the tables being laden with substantials of 
 every kind and luxuries of every variety. Indeed, 
 when Mr. Kemper and his fair lady undertake any- 
 thing it is invariably a success. The festivities were, 
 to the pleasure of all, protracted far into the night. 
 
 "The next on the programme was a public m.eet- 
 ing at the Thespian Hall, on Wednesday morning, 
 when several very fine orations by men of talent and 
 
242 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 eminence — former students — were made, and a poem 
 was read. Below we give ttie order of exercises : 
 
 " President, Hon. J. B. Harris, of Callaway. 
 I. Address of Welcome, Professor Kemper ; 2. Ora- 
 tion, the Rev. J. A. Qiiarles, of St. Louis; 3. Poem, 
 G. W, Ferrel, of Boonville; 4. Speech, Prof. C. C. 
 Hersman, of Callaway; 5. Speech, James Gibson, of 
 Kansas City. 
 
 " Hon. J. B. Harris opened the meeting with a few 
 appropriate remarks. He was followed by the ad- 
 dress of welcome, by Mr. Kemper. He spoke in 
 that characteristically strong and precise style, so 
 well remembered by the many students present, bid- 
 ding all a hearty welcome in his natural and kind 
 way, and thanking them for the interest and kind- 
 ness manifest in the very inception of this reunion. 
 
 '^ The able oration by the Rev. J. A. Quarles, of St. 
 Louis, made a deep impression on his attentive audi- 
 ence. He reviewed the field of the educator, showing 
 that his vocation is the most honorable and important 
 one that man can pursue, developing the youthful 
 mind into the strong and vigorous character of man- 
 hood, laying the foundation upon which to build the 
 great temple of life. He recalled many features of 
 interest from the bygone past, reminiscences of his 
 school-boy days, under the tutorship of Professor 
 Kemper, to whom many tributes were paid, and 
 kindly and pathetically remembered his many school- 
 mates who have passed away. 
 
 " Mr. G. W. Ferrel then read the following very 
 fine original poem, possessing the great qualification 
 of more sense than rhyme : 
 
THE REUNION. 243 
 
 "A POEM OF WELCOME. 
 
 " O would that the dead, sweet-spirited Sappho 
 
 Might rise from the sea-waves of crystal ^gean, 
 
 And strike the Greek harp with tremulous finger, 
 
 Where beautiful fancies evermore linger, 
 But long to leap out in a glorious pean ! 
 
 ' O would that to us the winds of the centuries, 
 Fleeted forever and faded in hea\^en, 
 Might bear the sweet Lesbian's song v/ith the murmur 
 And beautiful grace of the long Grecian summer, 
 As though by the breath of the seraphim given ! 
 
 ' O would that each heart on this morning of welcome, 
 Might tremble with music's melodious measure, 
 And catch the soft lip of the fountain immortal 
 That gleams through the archway of heaven's wide portal, 
 A beauty forever, and forever a treasure, 
 
 " For blest is the morn 
 With the perfect and holy, 
 Sereneness of God resting sacredly, lowly, 
 In hearts through whose veins 
 Ru[i the currents of love, 
 All bright with the tide 
 Of that brotherly pride. 
 Binding heart unto heart 
 And our heaven above ! 
 
 Thrice welcome, O friends from the South and the North, 
 From the East and the West, who send their sons forth ! 
 Thrice welcome, O bosoms, so brave with the steel 
 And the armor of manhood, all ready to reel 
 Into ranks, into armies, and rush to the fray, 
 With the lances of Right, when the Wrong's in the way ! 
 Thrice welcome ! We meet as we never have met 
 In the days that are many and younger, but yet 
 
244 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 There's a sympathy sweet in our bosoms that beat 
 With a stroke that is strong, as each other we greet. 
 
 III. 
 
 " We gather together from near and from far, 
 
 With the glory of friendship abeam in each breast, 
 And as bright as the light of some radiant star 
 
 That burns down the beautiful slope of the West ! 
 We clasp the dear hand and we wreathe the bright smile, 
 We pluck the sweet blossoms of love, and beguile 
 These moments of bliss that we love still the more, 
 While we hope in the future and dream of the Yore ! 
 
 IV. 
 
 " O the Past, O the Past ! 
 Let us wander awhile 
 In the sweetness of memory 
 Down the green aisle, 
 Where the air of the evermore mystical time 
 Breathes into the heart from a heavenly clime. 
 The friend with the silver 
 
 Of age in his hair 
 Goes backward, far backward, 
 
 And sits him down there, 
 Till the ghost of his boyhood 
 Steals downward and lingers 
 Beside the old man, and it touches his brow 
 With pressure the fondest from mystical fingers. 
 That touch is both mystical, magical, all, 
 And the shadows roll back like a funeral pall, 
 As a glimpse of the better day flashes afar 
 On the eye of the fancy, methinks, like a star. 
 
 V. 
 
 " Oh, we love to go back, and we love to search out 
 The faintest of footprints that even yet stand 
 In the path of the years, where we wandered through tears, 
 And the sunnier journeys of boyhood's bright land ! 
 
THE REUNION. 245 
 
 Oh, we long to go back, and we long to live o'er 
 Our school days afar in years of the yore ; 
 When the glories of youth and the youngest of loves 
 Beat in at the heart like the coming of doves ! 
 
 ' We love to retrace what the suns had to sever — 
 
 Ail the old lessons and all the old faces ; 
 
 All of the beautiful, old-time graces. 
 Wove with a weft of the winsome forever. 
 
 ' But the years have gone by, and the fairies have shifted 
 
 The green of the grass and the red of the roses, 
 Full many a time, and the summer tide 
 
 Anew on the hills where the sunshine reposes, 
 
 ' Dear hearts have ceased beating, dear hands have been folded ; 
 
 Dear faces have faded away 'mid the beautiful 
 Flight of the angels, and in the grand temple 
 
 Have seen the reward of the sweet and the dutiful. 
 
 ' Hearts that to-day we would love to link fondly 
 
 To lives that live only in memory's keeping, 
 Lie under the sod 'neath the face of the violet, 
 Wet with the tears of its own tender weeping. 
 
 And distance has parted us — distance which darkens 
 The flight of the years that sweep onward forever, 
 
 And leave but a token of love to remind us 
 How widely we part, and how often we sever ! 
 
 By the murmurous sea, on the slope of the golden 
 And beautiful country that runs to the West, 
 
 Are the homes of companions that conned the old lessons 
 Together with us in the years we loved best. 
 
 By the mighty Atlantic and the lakes of blue water. 
 
 By the seas of the South where the summer-tides shine. 
 
 Still lie the dear homes of the friends whom we welcome 
 To-day with a welcome complete and divine. 
 
246 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 " Ye come, O friends, from the fields of the husbandman, 
 Lying in beauty and waving with gold ! 
 Ye come with the step of the merchant and tradesman, 
 As happy, as generous, ay, and as bold ! 
 
 " Ye come from the desk of the student who labors 
 From the flush of the morning far into the night ! 
 Ye come with the pen of the journalist, happy 
 In battling the wrong and upholding the right ! 
 
 " Ye come, O friends, from the courts of the lawyer^ 
 All covered with honor for deeds that are great ! 
 Ye come from the place where the people have sent you, 
 To stand like heroes at the helm of the state ! 
 
 " Ye come from the pulpit, with heaven's own beauty 
 Abeam in the face and aglow in the heart ! 
 Ye come from the ranks of the mighty physicians, 
 Ye come from the people — of heaven a part ! 
 
 VII. 
 
 " Thus do we welcome you, thus do we gather 
 Again to remember the blessed Old Times, 
 And the tenderer loves that leap through the bosom 
 And beat with the tinkle of wonderful chimes ! 
 
 " Down the green byways of holy affection, 
 Down the deep vistas of sweet recollection,' 
 Into a land like an amethyst, 
 Together we'll wander again, and we'll list . 
 To the lute of the angel of memory there, 
 As sweet as a song, and as hallowed as prayer ! 
 
 " The years may glide by like the brooks through the lea, 
 Like the currents of rivers that run to the sea. 
 And carry the shadow, and carry the sun. 
 From morning till eve on their course as they run ; 
 But sun, nor shadow, nor current shall take 
 From memory's tablet, for memory's sake. 
 
THE REUNION. 247 
 
 A single beauty, or grace, or love, 
 
 That may have fallen from heaven above 
 
 With a newer life and a stronger sway 
 
 Into the bosom this beautiful day. 
 
 It may be that we nevermore 
 
 Shall fneet each other on time's dark shore, 
 
 Banded together and bound by ties 
 
 That link us to the eternal skies. 
 
 It must be for some hearts to cease 
 
 Beating in sorrow to beat in peace 
 
 Beyond the wave and the turbulent tide, 
 
 Over upon the other side 
 
 Of Jordan, where there yet shall be 
 
 Reunion in Eternity." 
 
 We arrest the reading of the report of the re- 
 union here for a moment, to give our candid judg- 
 ment, that the commendations above given to the 
 oration and poem were colored by the enthusiasm of 
 the occasion. We do not think that either of them 
 met the demands of the day. So far as the oration 
 is concerned, we were at the time painfully conscious 
 that this was true. The poem is here to speak for 
 itself. We do not propose to criticise it. This 
 would not be proper, and we should not have felt it 
 our duty to say anything about it, except for one 
 very glaring defect it has. There is in it, from 
 beginning to end, no mention of Mr. Kemper, nor 
 the most distant allusion to him. This is certainly 
 the play of Hamlet with Hamlet left out. We now 
 resume the report : 
 
 " Professor C. C. Hersman, of Westminster Col- 
 lege, Fulton, delivered a very profound speech, 
 laying great stress on the fact that the acquisition of 
 truth is the foundation of education, the fountain- 
 head of knowledge. 
 
248 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 '■' Mr. James Gibson, of Kansas City, closed the ex- 
 ercises witli a short but expressive speech, receiv- 
 ing the repeated applause of the audience ; express- 
 ing the sentiments, when referring to Kemper's 
 Family School, of every old student present." 
 
 We heartily concur with these commendations, for 
 they were pre-eminently deserved. We never heard 
 a more excellent fifteen-minute speech than that 
 made by Professor Hersman on this occasion. It was 
 excellent in thought, excellent in expression, and 
 excellent in delivery. Mr. Gibson was quite brief, 
 but his words were golden. Every heart was thrilled 
 as he repeated these familiar lines, and applied them 
 to Mr. Kemper: — 
 
 " Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase !) 
 Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace. 
 And saw, within the moonlight in his room, . 
 Making it rich and like a lily in bloom, 
 An angel writing in a book of gold. 
 Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold, 
 And to the presence in his room he said, 
 ' What writest thou ? ' The vision raised its head. 
 And, with a look made of all sweet accord, 
 Answered, ' The names of those who love the Lord.' 
 ' And is mine one ? ' said Abou. 'Nay, not so,' 
 Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low, 
 But cheerly still, and said, ' I pray thee, then, 
 Write me as one that loves his fellow-men ! 
 The angel wrote, and vanished. The next night 
 It came again, with a great wakening light. 
 And showed the names of those whom love of God had blest, 
 And lo, Ben Adhem's name led all the rest !" 
 
 We resume the Advertise)^' s report : 
 
 " Banquet. — The grand finale of the reunion exer- 
 
THE REUNION. 249 
 
 cises took place on Wednesday evening", 24th inst., at 
 the Thespian Hall. Many happy faces assembled to 
 participate in the enjoyment of the occasion where 
 happiness reigned supreme. It was a golden summer 
 evening, a refreshing shower having settled the dust, 
 making the atmosphere cool and bracing. All vied in 
 rendering the occasion one long to be remembered. 
 
 " Grand preparations had been made. It was a 
 feast for both body and mind. A sumptuous repast 
 was spread, pampering the appetite of the most con- 
 firmed and fastidious epicure. Six toasts (non-Bac- 
 chanalian) were responded to in most earnest and 
 eloquent terms. The old students of thirty years for 
 tlie last time mingled in happy intercourse ; for the, 
 last time, perhaps, on like occasion, paid tribute to 
 their alma mater^ and bade a long and regretful fare- 
 well to their youthful associations ; for the last time 
 talked over and again enjoyed the school-day prank. 
 Men of eminence, grown gray in successfully fight- 
 ing the great battle of life ; alumni of Kemper's 
 Family School, having thrown into activity those 
 principles of truth inculcated by their honored in- 
 structor; in fact, men from every walk in life mingled 
 with the happy throng, and partook of the festivities 
 of the banquet. 
 
 *' Immediately after the supper the chairman, J. W. 
 Draffen, Esq., of Boonville, commanded order, and 
 consecutively called each toast, as follows : 
 
 " First Toast : Our Honored Teacher. Response 
 by M. M. Singleton, of Boonville. 
 
 " Second Toast : Education, the safeguard of the 
 country in the past, and its hope in the future. Re- 
 sponse by Professor F, T. Kemper. 
 
250 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 " Third Toast : The School, and Class of '74. Re- 
 sponse by W. A. Jacobs, of Greenfield. 
 
 " Fourth Toast : Our School Days. Response by 
 Judge W. H. H. Hill, of Sedalia. [Judge Hill was 
 unavoidably absent.] 
 
 " Fifth Toast : The Ladies. 
 
 "O woman, lovely woman ! Nature made thee 
 To temper man. We had been brutes without you.' 
 
 Response by Hon. J. B. Harris, of Callaway. 
 
 " Sixth Toast : To the Dead of our School. 
 
 "The first toast, by Mr. Singleton, paying a high 
 tribute of love and respect to * Our honored teacher,' 
 was appropriate and brief. It received twofold value 
 by being delivered in that earnest and natural style 
 (the gift of the orator) that carries conviction and 
 commands the attention of the audience. ' Those are 
 my sentiments,' were the whispered accents of many 
 of his auditors. 
 
 " Mr. William H. Allison, in the most choice and 
 forcible language, made tribute to 'Our honored 
 teacher.' In a review of his history, he followed 
 him through the trials and tribulations of his colle- 
 giate course — the honest and industrious student, a 
 member of the faculty of the Westminster College — 
 down to the permanent establishment of the great 
 institution, known throughout the length and breadth 
 of the land as Kemper's Family School. It was a 
 masterly effort, and many and long were the plaudits. 
 Grand and elevated ideas, evoked by the magic of 
 friendship and that love of the pupil for the teacher 
 to whom he owes so much, were clothed in language 
 which the gifted alone can command. 
 
THE REUNION. 251 
 
 '' ' Education, the safeguard of the country in the 
 past, and its hope for the future,' was responded to by 
 Mr. Kemper in that unassuming and natural style, 
 that exhaustive yet brief manner, in which Mr. 
 Kemper treats all educational questions. No edu- 
 cator in the West is more thoroughly versed, more 
 deeply founded in the profession than Mr. Kemper ; 
 and he talks to instruct and amuse, when the occa- 
 sion admits, as it did on that evening. The vocation 
 of the teacher is not merely to impart a little knowl- 
 edge, to instruct the youth in a few of the learned 
 sciences, but to mould the character, to develop true 
 and noble manhood ; and this kind of education alone 
 can prove 'the safeguard of the country.' 
 
 "The third toast, 'The school, and class of '74,' by 
 W. A. Jacobs, was enjoyed by all, and especially by 
 his schoolmates. Mr. Jacobs is a most estimable 
 young man, and in graceful terms toasted the class 
 of '74. The audience was highly entertained by his 
 school- day reminiscences. 
 
 ^' ' The Ladies' were toasted by the Hon. J. B. 
 Harris, Senator from Callaway. This is a toast that 
 always proves of interest, especially when responded 
 to in the happy strain and natural style of Mr. 
 Harris, 
 
 " During the interval between each toast, sweet 
 music was dispensed by the Home Orcliestra. 
 
 " In conclusion, we extend a friendly adieu to the 
 reunionists, and sincerely hope that they may long 
 live to honor their alma mater. " 
 
 There are but few men in the Valley of the Missis- 
 sippi ; indeed few in this broad land of ours, there is 
 not another in the imperial State of Missouri, who 
 
252 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 could properly be the recipient of such an honor as 
 was this reunion of pupils of thirty years. In the 
 length of time that he taught ; in the number of 
 pupils who came under his influence ; in the extent 
 of country from which they came ; in the universal 
 and enthusiastic gratitude which they feel for him ; 
 and, above all, in the character of the work as shown 
 by its practical results, Mr. Kemper stands almost 
 without a parallel among the teachers of our land. 
 The reunion revealed this fact with conspicuous 
 demonstration. 
 
 In this connection we call attention to the fact of 
 the indorsement of Mr. Kemper as an educator by 
 the most prominent and practical men in Missouri. 
 As illustrations of this truth, we shall refer only to 
 two. Col. Joseph L. Stephens, of Boonville, was 
 undoubtedly one of the remarkable men of Missouri. 
 Though not, perhaps, what might be called a brilliant 
 man or a child of genius, he was what is far better 
 and higher, a man of massive mind and comprehen- 
 sive intellect. Reared on a farm, he commenced 
 life for himself in Boonville as a lawyer, over- 
 shadowed by the commanding talent of the bar of 
 Central Missouri. It was not long, however, before 
 he was, though still young, one of its most successful 
 and trusted practitioners. We remember well, thirty 
 years ago, when he and Senator Vest (the most 
 gifted man in the State, then partners) were retained 
 upon one or the other side of every important case 
 in the Cooper Circuit Court. Turning from the law 
 to finance, he was equally successful, amassing a 
 fortune and being recognized, at his death, as one of 
 the leading financiers of the interior. Colonel 
 
THE REUNION. 253 
 
 Stephens put all of his sons under the care of Mr. 
 Kemper, boarding them with him, though his own 
 family residence was only two squares away. Though 
 possessed of wealth which would have allowed him 
 to send them to Rugby or Eton, he preferred his old 
 neighbor, whom he knew to be a " maker of men." 
 
 The other case is that of the Hon. James S. Rol- 
 lins, of Columbia. For forty years Major Rollins 
 has been one of our leading men. Though gifted as 
 an orator and prominent in the political history of 
 our commonwealth, his great distinction is in con- 
 nection with education. Among all our public 
 men, there is no one with such a record as his, in 
 the interests of our public schools. Our State Uni- 
 versity is his special pet and pride, to which he has 
 given the best labors of the best years of his life. 
 Indeed he may justly be called the father of the 
 University of Missouri. Major Rollins has intrusted 
 the education of his younger sons to Mr. Kemper. 
 
 We have a couple of letters written by him to Mr. 
 Kemper, while one of his sons was a student in the 
 Family School. We shall extract largely from them, 
 not only on account of the distinguished reputation 
 of the writer, but also because of their intrinsic ex- 
 cellence. 
 
 "Columbia, Oct. 20, 1873. 
 
 " Professor F. T. Kemper — Dear Sir: I have the pleasure 
 to acknowledge the reception of your favor of the 15th inst. I 
 approve all the suggestions which you make in regard to my 
 son. . . . 
 
 " I am gratified that he is interested in laying his foundation 
 well. As a general rule, so far as my observation extends, our 
 graduates can neither read, write, nor spell. It is seldom in my 
 life that I have met with a good reader^ even among educated 
 
2 54 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 men. I regard this as one of the highest accomplishments of a 
 scholar and gentleman. I had almost said that a man could be 
 neither without possessing it. 
 
 " At his age, I desire, above all things, that he should be ac- 
 curate in whatever he attempts to learn or read. I lay as much 
 and more stress upon accuracy in scholarship than Demosthenes 
 did upon ' action ' in oratory. The great fault with men is, that 
 they know nothing. With rare exceptions, all their information 
 is confused, loose, slip-shod. This is true both in regard to facts 
 and principles ; and all resulting from inaccurate and imperfect 
 training of the mind when young and pliable. Our whole system 
 of education is wrong in this, that our ablest and best/(3?V teachers 
 ought to have charge of the mind of the country in its early dawn. 
 ' Just as the twig is bent, the tree is inclined.' The apprentice 
 needs no longer his master, when he can handle well the tools 
 himself. But to learn this art, his master should be perfect, not a 
 botch ! 
 
 "John Randolph, in his first trip across the ocean, asked the 
 captain of the vessel, who was an educated Irishman, why it was 
 that in all the atlases a certain town in Ireland was always placed 
 on the wrong side of the river. The captain had never discov- 
 ered it ! Meeting with John Quincy Adams when I was a very 
 young man from Missouri, he asked me the population of St. 
 Louis. I gave it to him, when he contradicted me, and stated it to 
 me accicrately. He knew what it was ; I did not. This incident 
 made a deep impression upon me, but I have not profited by it ; I 
 am still a know-nothing ; but I would have it different with my son. 
 
 " Senator Benton once said to me, in his graphic style, ' Sir, if 
 I had not been Senator Benton, I would have been a Quintilian. 
 I missed my profession, sir ; I ought to have been a schoolmaster. 
 The boys would have -understood v^\i&\. I attempted to teach them.' 
 What a grand schoolmaster the illustrious Senator would have 
 been ! 
 
 " I know that all this depends greatly upon the memory. But 
 how best shall this important faculty of the mmd be fortified, 
 strengthened, improved, in order that it may retain what it 
 gathers ? 
 
 " I have received several letters from my son. He expresses 
 himself well pleased with the school, and also that he^ has a 
 
THE REUNION. 255 
 
 determination to excel. . . . For boys of his age, he thinks the 
 school a decided improvement upon the University. He seems to 
 be forming very decided opinions for himself. An occasional 
 virord from you will have great weight with him. . . . He has 
 requested me to send him a dictionary and a few good books to read. 
 I will do this from time to time, but with the distinct injunction 
 that his outside reading is not in any way to interfere with his 
 regular lessons. 1 impress upon him never to miss a recitation, and 
 alvvays to know his lesson well. 
 
 " I prefer that he should read but one book until it is completed, 
 and then take up another. For this desultory and irregular read- 
 ing, on the part of boys or men, I regard as the very bane of all 
 solid improvement. 
 
 " I have sent to him ' Lord Chesterfield's Letters to his Son,' and 
 requested him to read them carefully, with his English and Clas- 
 sical Dictionary near by, so as to make himself familiar with any 
 quotation or classical and historical reference. While there 
 are many things in Chesterfield which I do not approve, he is 
 nevertheless an easy and graceful writer, and his ' Letters ' abound 
 with profitable instruction for observant and smart boys. To 
 correct any mischievous tendencies which he may meet with in 
 Chesterfield, I will send him after a while Banyan's ' Pilgrim's 
 Progress,' Plutarch's 'Lives,' Goldsmith, 'Chambers's Mis- 
 cellany,' etc. . . . 
 
 " In my correspondence with him, I shall give him every en- 
 couragement, awaken in him as far as I can a thirst for knowl- 
 edge, and impress upon him always implicit obedience to your 
 orders and rules of government, and to which I trust you will 
 hold him with a steady and firm hand. 
 
 " Commending him to the friendly care of yourself and Mr. 
 Johnston, to whom I ask to be kindly remembered, I am, most 
 truly and respectfully, 
 
 * ' Your obedient servant, 
 
 "James S. Rollins." 
 
 There are sentences in this letter which ought to 
 be put on Major Rollins's monument, especially his 
 reference to primary education and to accuracy of 
 scholarship. 
 
256 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 The second letter was written on the occasion of 
 the reunion, and is as follows: — 
 
 Columbia, June 5, 1874. 
 
 " Mr. F. T. Kemper — My dear Sir : On account of the con- 
 tinued delicacy of my health, and the literary exercises to occur 
 here, in the University, and at the very time of the close 
 of your own school, it will be out of my power to be with you 
 on the occasion of the reunion of your old pupils of thirty 
 years past and gone. Nothing would have given more pleasure ; 
 and it was my purpose to induce my friend, the Hon. Daniel 
 W. Voorhees, of Indiana, who will address the two literary 
 societies here on the evening of the 22nd inst., to go with me. 
 I know he would have enjoyed the visit, and you and Mrs. 
 Kemper would have been charmed with him. He is a su- 
 perb man, and a most brilliant and accomplished orator. 
 
 " But the Board of Curators meet just at that time. I am the 
 President of the Board. A large crowd of strangers will be 
 present, and I have on such occasions to make myself as useful as 
 I can. My absence would not look well, indeed it would be inex- 
 cusable. These facts will contain my excuse for not accepting 
 your kind invitation to be present at the reunion of your old 
 pupils ; than which, I repeat, nothing would have given me greater 
 delight. 
 
 " I am satisfied that my son has done well since he has been 
 with you. I think he has turned a new leaf entirely. His ambi- 
 tion has been awakened, and he has now a high purpose to ac- 
 complish in life. He has learned how to control and direct his 
 faculties, and understands the art of studying to advantage. 
 These I regard as nearly half the victory, where a youth has 
 good native endowments. . . , 
 
 " I would prefer to make of him a lawyer, provided he has a 
 tough physical constitution, a sound legal mind, capable of com- 
 prehending great principles, discussing subjects logically and 
 metaphysically and with strong common sense ! I know this pro- 
 fession is crowded. There is a long line of sympathetic mourn- 
 ers, who are grieving for their want of success, and mainly be- 
 cause they are unadapted to the profession ! They might have 
 made good shoemakers, good carpenters, good farmers, good 
 
THE REUNION. 257 
 
 barbers, or bootblacks : and I would prefer to see my son excelling 
 in any of these, if he has not the ability to reach the upper story 
 in the legal profession, where, Mr. Webster says, there is ' always 
 an abundance of room.' ... 
 
 " I may drop you another line before the close of the session. 
 In the mean time present my kind regards to Mrs. Kemper and 
 Mr. Johnston, and believe me most truly, 
 
 " Your friend, 
 
 "James S. Rollins." 
 
 Other distinguished men, such as Hon. John G. 
 Miller, Richard Gentry, Hon. William B. Napton, 
 Hon. George G. Vest, and Revs. R. P. Farris, D.D., 
 and B. T. Lacy, D.D., gave their sons to him, and 
 were his ardent admirers and enthusiastic sup- 
 porters. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 WELL DONE ! 
 
 " Then fell upon the house a sudden gloom, 
 A shadow on those features pale and thin ; 
 And softly, from that hushed and darkened room, 
 
 Txvo angels issued, where but one went in." 
 
 Longfellow. 
 
 Mr. Kemper entered upon the labors of the school,, 
 in the fall of 1880, with a lighter heart than usual. 
 The general plan of the institution had been perfect- 
 ed. It was a private school, free from the control of 
 sect or trustee. He was the owner of the property, 
 and he had superintended the erection of every 
 building. It was as he wanted it, with school-rooms 
 and bedrooms for the family, teachers, and fifty 
 boys. There were ample grounds for exercise, for 
 garden, and for pasture. Moreover, he had a farm a 
 few miles away, which not only furnished him most 
 pleasant diversion, but also contributed to the com- 
 fort of the family school. The school was exclusively 
 for boarders — not a day scholar was admitted — and he 
 had secured the requisite number to fill the rooms, 
 without any drumming, or personal solicitation, or 
 any of the ordinary means by which teachers worry 
 themselves, provoke their rival teachers, and degrade 
 the profession. The school was of such established 
 
WELL DONE! 259 
 
 and widespread reputation that it did not need to 
 solicit pupils ; pupils eagerly sought it, and were 
 willing to pay a reasonable sum to gain its ad- 
 vantages. 
 
 • The revenues of the school were large, enabling 
 its proprietor to furnish the very best facilities, and 
 at the same time retain a handsome income for 
 himself. The same man who had taught the same 
 school at the same place twenty-four years before, 
 having seventy-five pupils to instruct, and dividing 
 the income with two others, and all three receiving 
 for their year's work but a pittance over twelve hun- 
 dred dollars — he now was limiting his pupils to fifty, 
 and receiving an aggregate gross return of over fifteen 
 thousand dollars a year. 
 
 He had still further and greater cause for gratifica- 
 tion in the fact' that he had now surrounded himself 
 with chosen pupils as teachers, to whom he could 
 safely commit the details of the grand work of edu- 
 cation in which he was engaged. They were men 
 of choice natural endowments, whom he had taken 
 in their early youth, and who, in thorough sympathy 
 with his spirit, had been trained to perfect familiarity 
 with his plans. He had the most complete confi- 
 dence in these men. He had tested them, and found 
 them faithful ; and he knew, therefore, that he could 
 safely intrust the administration and its details to 
 their intelligent and conscientious management. 
 
 Still another ground he had for satisfaction of 
 spirit, as he not only realized that he enjoyed the re- 
 spect of all good men who knew him, but also, and 
 especially, as he could see, on the farm and in the 
 workshop, at the bar and on the bench, at the bedside 
 
26o THE LIFE OF PROF, KEMPER- 
 
 and in the pulpit, the fruits of his work, the men 
 whom he had made^ standing in the forefront of the 
 fight for the right and the true. 
 
 Though a veteran of over forty years' experience 
 in the school-room, he had not yet reached his three- 
 score years and ten. Though he had always been 
 more or less delicate, yet he was now as hale as he 
 ever had been. Under all these auspicious circum- 
 stances, he withdrew himself from a personal par- 
 ticipation in the discipline and instruction of the 
 school far more than he had ever done. He now felt 
 that he could safely and properly do so. He had 
 not only earned a rest, but he saw that it was better 
 for the future of the school that it should be intrust- 
 ed more and more to the young men whom he had 
 chosen to be his successors. Everything, therefore, 
 was propitious ; and while a dolce far niente life 
 would never have suited him, it was possible that 
 he could make his labors less irksome, and turn them 
 partially to other channels. 
 
 Besides his wife, he had four daughters, w^hose 
 society he could enjoy and whose education he could 
 direct. 'He had his farm. How he loved that farm ! 
 Partly, perhaps, because it reminded him of his 
 youthful days. Partly because, to a philosophic 
 mind, the country furnishes retirement for medita- 
 tion. Partly because he loved the truthfulness and 
 freedom of natural life. Partly because it was a 
 change and a recreation from the heavy burdens of 
 the school. 
 
 ".'Tis very sweet to look into the fair 
 And open face of heaven — to breathe a prayer 
 Full in the smile of the blue firmament." 
 
WELL DONE! 261 
 
 Partly because it had cost him a great deal of 
 money, and was his favorite place for lavishing it. 
 This farm was undoubtedly Mr. Kemper's weakness. 
 He enjoyed it, and every friend loves to think of the 
 pure and almost boyish pleasure that it gave him. 
 It was his toy. 
 
 But, besides family and farm, he had other plans, 
 with which he could pleasantly and profitably occupy 
 the leisure gained from the labors of the school-room. 
 He had for years cherished purposes of authorship. 
 Several hints of this are found in his writings. 
 In one place, for example, he indicates a design of 
 preparing a work on " Biblical Orthoepy," and 
 another on " Professional Teaching." In the same 
 connection he speaks of editing or making a series 
 of text-books. In another place he gives quite a full 
 synopsis of a projected volume, which was to be a 
 "School and Family Bible, with Notes." He had 
 prepared material for school text-books, and for a 
 manual, at least, on the art of teaching ; and his 
 mind was richly freighted with treasures of knowl- 
 edge and thought, ready to be expended on the other- 
 subjects mentioned above. For the last three years 
 of his life there is no entry to be found in his 
 journal. We have, therefore, nothing in his writings 
 to the effect that his main object in relieving him- 
 self partially of his school cares was to give leisure 
 for authorship. Yet such is our opinion. Just here 
 w^e shall state a fact which will probably surprise 
 many. It is that Mr. Kemper personally supervised 
 the evening studies of his pupils until this session of 
 1880-81. He surrendered this duty to Mr. Hoge in 
 the fall of 1880, the very last year that he lived. 
 
262 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 Where shall we find a parallel to this fidelity to the 
 details and drudgery of the profession ? 
 
 With a part of the leisure thus gained he pre- 
 pared a series of short articles on IngersoUism, which 
 were published in the ^oown'iWq Advertiser. We shall 
 transcribe the final article, as it contains a summary 
 of the whole, and was probably the last thing that he 
 ever published. 
 
 " A Synopsis of the Seven Co?iundrtims on Ingersoll. 
 
 "i. When Ingersoll says it is the Christian sys- 
 tem that men are taken to heaven for abandoning 
 their families and sent to hell for cherishing them, 
 does he not know that he lies ? Certainly every well- 
 taught Sunday-school child, ten years old, knows 
 that that is not the Christian system. 
 
 "2. When he argues against thecorporal punish- 
 ment of children, by taking, possibly, a veritable case 
 of some man inhumanly beating a child, ' with 
 cheeks flushed with anger and brows knit with 
 wrath,' does he not commit the logical fallacy of ' a 
 false universal ' ? Admitting that his instance is not 
 overdrawn, does he not tell the truth as if it were un- 
 true ? 
 
 "3. What are his merits as a reformer? He ex- 
 pects civilization and science to regulate mankind. 
 It was shown that crime is less prevalent in Ireland 
 than in Massachusetts, and that property is safer in 
 Italy than in the old ' Bay State.' 
 
 "4. Is he right in his estimate of Thomas Paine ? 
 We adduced a few, out of many, witnesses to show 
 that Paine died a beastly drunkard, and there is 
 abundant evidence that he lived a beastly life. His 
 
WELL DONE! 263 
 
 physician, the historian Lossing, Dr. Francis, Thor- 
 burn, and others prove our position. Thorburn's 
 testimony was never disputed during his life-time. 
 Since his death the infidel journals have made a 
 liar, a plagiarist, and a thief of one of the most in- 
 teresting characters that have adorned the history 
 of this country. When we have done with Inger- 
 soU we will discuss Grant Thorburn as a matter of 
 justice. 
 
 "5. What species of the feathered tribe most 
 fairly represents IngersoU, in his caricature of relig- 
 ion and its ministers ? As in other articles, we raise 
 a question and state some facts, leaving readers to 
 make their own inferences. 
 
 " A passage in the life of the Rev. James Gallaher, 
 published in the Western Sketch Book, will illustrate 
 our question. About half a century ago Mr. G., 
 with other ministers, was on board a crowded steam- 
 boat on the Red River. A certain passenger under- 
 took, very successfully, to amuse the crowd by telling 
 anecdotes at the expense of the clergy. Mr. Galla- 
 her said that he was incomparably the best story- 
 teller he had ever heard. Every story was better than 
 the preceding one. They went up, he said, like stair- 
 steps. They were every one pointed at the preachers, 
 and the vast crowd were spell-bound. 
 
 " Having exhausted his artillery, and no one being 
 disposed to answer, he turned to Mr. Gallaher, and 
 asked his opinion of his final joke. Mr. G. declined 
 to discuss that question, saying he was too ignorant 
 of the facts ; but with his melodious and powerful 
 voice he called aloud to Major Jenkins, his traveling 
 companion, who was some distance off. His splen- 
 
264 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 did physique and inimitable manner at once arrested 
 the attention of the excited and expectant crowd. 
 
 " ' Major Jenkins,' said he, 'do you remember the 
 Sabbath-school address which I delivered the other 
 day at Shreveport ? ' 'I do,' said the Major. Per- 
 fect silence now reigning in the crowd, he resumed : 
 
 " ' I told the children how I should like to have 
 lived neighbor to the Patriarch Abraham. The spe- 
 cial feature of his character on which I dwelt was 
 his disposition to construe charitably the characters 
 of his fellow-men. When Sodom was about to be 
 destroyed, Abraham was confident there must be 
 fifty good men in the place ; and if that could not 
 be, there must be forty ; and so on down to ten ! ' 
 Breathless attention now concentred on the speaker. 
 ' I told them it was evident that Abraham was not a 
 man to be smelling around for dirty things ! ' Rapt 
 attention, and expectation on tiptoe. ' I went on 
 to illustrate from the feathered tribe. I told those 
 children if, on some fine shining morning, a dove 
 should fly out from its resting-place and sail over 
 the waving grain-fields, bathing its wings in heaven's 
 sunlight and resting in the cool shade, how peace- 
 ful its heart would be; and at night, if that bird 
 could talk, it would have nothing to tell about but 
 what was beautiful in earth and sky ! ' Great crowd 
 now well nigh entranced. ' But if a buzzard fly over 
 the same grain-fields, bathe his broad black wings in 
 the same sunlight, and rest at noon in the same cool 
 shade, when he gets home at night he will have 
 nothing to talk about but rotten 'possum or dead calf ! ' 
 " At this point the crowd became uncontrollable. 
 They shouted, they clapped, they stamped, they 
 
WELL DONE! 265 
 
 waved their hats in admiration and delight. A 
 United States military officer was so excited that 
 he ran up and down the deck, shouting, * Oh, that buz- 
 zard, that buzzard ! ' The scoffing story-teller got off 
 at the first landing, and Mr. G. heard of him no more. 
 
 " 6. Does the temper w^hich pervades his writings 
 marli the candid inquirer after truth ? We showed 
 that he puts his questions like an advocate, and not 
 like a judge or a cool philosopher ; that where he de- 
 manded a categorical yes or no, the true answer was 
 yes and no, according to facts. 
 
 ''7. On the moral influence of Ingersollism, we 
 cited the reformation of the Five Points and Water 
 Street in New York by Christian effort, as opposed to 
 the whole tenor of his philosophy. 
 
 " I have been led, Mr. Editor, to present these 
 vulnerable points of Ingersollism in a county paper, 
 because his books are hawked about the country, on 
 the railroad cars, and sent to the pupils in our 
 schools, who are easily led astray because they are 
 ignorant. One of our pupils, however, who was a 
 well-read historian, wrote a masterly review and refu- 
 tation of Ingersoll's book entitled ' The Gods and 
 other Lectures.' Ingersoll's glory, like that of Celsus 
 and Porphyry, and Voltaire and Paine, will fade as 
 the years go by. F. T. Kemper." 
 
 Another chief use which he desired to make of his 
 partial leisure was to devote it to various works of 
 kindly benefaction. He wished to visit the poor, the 
 sick, the distressed. He wished to take a more active 
 part in the gatherings of farmers, in the conventions 
 of teachers, and in the meetings of the Church. He 
 
2 66 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 made preparation to address the Missouri Legisla- 
 ture on the interests of education in the State. He 
 attended the Synod of Missouri, which met at Fulton 
 in the fall of 1880. 
 
 We have already alluded to his strong attachment 
 for his farm, and the large sums which he expended 
 in improving it. He spent a great portion of his 
 leisure there during the last four years of his life, 
 and he had the pleasure of seeing that the fine ponds 
 which he had made were of great practical service 
 during the seasons of drouth. Since his death many 
 of his neighbors have doubtless blessed his memory, 
 as they found a bountiful supply of water on that 
 farm during the protracted drouth of 1881. 
 
 We cannot forbear giving an instance of the simple 
 generosity of his nature, which sometimes led him 
 to be imposed upon. Every agent for the sale of 
 farming implements came to know this amiable 
 weakness ; and on one occasion, while sitting, with 
 one of his tutors, on the front porch of the school 
 building, he looked up the street and saw a 
 man approaching who was manifestly a peripatetic 
 vender of pumps. Addressing his companion, Mr. 
 Kemper said, " Do you see that fellow coming down 
 the street? You see that he is a pump-peddler. 
 Now he is coming here, I venture, to try to sell his 
 pumps to me ; but I do not intend to buy — I. have been 
 imposed upon too often." Sure enough, the man 
 came, and Mr. Kemper at first began to bluff him, 
 but before an hour passed he had bought three of 
 the fellow's worthless pumps. 
 
 The neighborhood of the farm was quite destitute 
 of churches or of church-going people. He there- 
 
WELL DONE! 267 
 
 fore at an early day established a Sunday-school in 
 the school-house. This he kept up for twenty-five 
 years, providing teachers from his pupils. It effected 
 quite a reformation in the vicinity, as all the citizens, 
 except the Roman Catholic element, seemed to be 
 interested. For several years prior to his death he 
 went regularly himself to this Sabbath-school. Mrs. 
 Kemper had a juvenile class. The remainder were 
 divided into classes, who recited a lesson to their 
 several teachers, after which he lectured the whole 
 school, explaining and illustrating the subject by 
 earnest and pathetic appeals. 
 
 Sunday was his busiest day. After teaching an 
 hour before church, he attended the regular morning 
 service. After dinner he rode out five miles to his 
 farm school, and returned just in time for supper. 
 When supper was over, he met his boys to conduct 
 a reading exercise, and then went with them to the 
 evening service in the church. Mrs. Kemper tried 
 to persuade him that it was best to remain at home 
 in the evening, after his fatiguing labors and cold 
 rides. But he feared that the people might not un- 
 derstand why he was absent, and thought it his duty 
 to set an example of faithful attendance upon all the 
 regular services. 
 
 At the beginning of this last school session he 
 said to his wife^ '^ You must try to be relieved from 
 home cares, so that you can go with me to places 
 where recreation or business may call me." She 
 thought to herself : " The time cannot be very long 
 that we shall be spared to each other. Though I am 
 confident, with his vigorous constitution, that he will 
 exceed his threescore years and ten, yet the time is 
 
268 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 short, and we must not be separated an hour longer 
 than is necessary." So she accompanied him to 
 several meetings for teachers in the county, to the 
 State convention of teachers at Columbia, and to the 
 meeting of the Synod in Fulton. They had arranged 
 to spend the Christmas holidays at Kirksville, but the 
 excessive cold prevented. Through all the storms 
 and cold of the winter of 1 880-81 they went together 
 to their little Sunday-school, five miles in the country. 
 Two or three Sabbaths the snow was so deep that he 
 thought none of his class could meet, and he did not 
 go to the school. But he did not rest at home ; for 
 he said that, as he had so few opportunities to visit 
 the sick and afflicted, he must improve that time. 
 
 There is one portion of Mr. Kemper's work, of 
 interest and importance, to which we can barely al- 
 lude. We i-efer to his short impromptu speeches, 
 delivered in teachers' conventions, in the church, 
 and especially to his boys at the dining-table. His 
 table-talks are said to have been frequently quite 
 interesting as well as instructive. We have unfortu- 
 nately no record of them. In these improvised 
 speeches, his native talent, his wealth of knowledge, 
 and especially his warm, tender, pious heart showed 
 themselves. During the week of prayer in January, 
 1881, at one of the meetings he made some remarks 
 which produced a universal and profound impression 
 on the assembled congregation. He spoke as if his 
 lips had been touched by a live coal from the altar of 
 heaven. Many that heard him seemed to realize 
 that he spoke under the promptings of the Infinite 
 Spirit of Grace, and seemed to them a messenger 
 from above. This was his last public talk. 
 
WELL DONE! 269 
 
 As Sunday was his busiest day, he had no leisure 
 until he returned from the service in the church at 
 night. This he appropriated to singing his favorite 
 hymns. On the last Sabbath night before he w^as 
 taken sick he practised with Mrs. Kemper a hymn 
 in which occurs this stanza : 
 
 " The while my pulses faintly beat, 
 My faith doth so abound, 
 I feel grow firm beneath my feet 
 The green immortal ground." 
 
 And another: 
 
 " It is not death to die, 
 
 To leave this weary road, 
 And, 'midst the brotherhood on high, 
 To be at home with God." 
 
 Two days before his sickness he read aloud to his 
 wife the following poem, which he had cut from an 
 old newspaper and pasted in his little pocket Testa- 
 ment : 
 
 "GUIDE US TO-DAY. 
 
 " Guide us to-day, O loving care, 
 
 Shielding our dangerous way. 
 The white mist binds the sky o'erhead, 
 The gulf beside is deep and dread. 
 Our course a maze, our path a thread ; 
 Guide us. Love's dearest care, 
 Guide us this day. 
 
 " Guide us to-day, sweet soul of peace, 
 Making men's hearts obey. 
 Our naked breasts bleed at a wound, 
 Oppression bows us to the ground. 
 Our hearts faint at a cruel sound ; 
 Kind, calm, consoling Peace, 
 Guide us this day. 
 
270 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 " Guide us to-day, O tender Grace, 
 From zenith shadows stray ; 
 A sad, deep murmur haunts the sea ; 
 The summer withers ; and the free, 
 Fresh wind has sighs of mystery. 
 Guide us, O tender Grace, 
 Guide us to-day. 
 
 " Guide us, O Love, and Peace, and Grace ! 
 Guide us, divinest Light ! 
 Through all our work, and care, and woe, 
 Through all the dizzy joys we know, 
 Through that ' dark valley ' where we go, 
 Guide us, Love's dearest Light, 
 To-day, to-night." 
 
 We now record the last scenes in the words of the 
 wife, who had been his loving companion and faith- 
 ful friend for more than a quarter of a century : 
 
 "Thursday Moening, March 3, 1881. 
 
 " Mr. Kemper took charge of Mr. Hoge's classes, 
 who was absent attending the wedding of Dr. McCoy 
 and Miss Hettie Rush. In the midst of this extra 
 work, he had, to use his own expression, the hardest 
 chill he had experienced for twenty years. He came 
 to the dinner-table and drank a cup of coffee, but 
 excused his class from going to his room to study, 
 and immediately went to bed. He asked that I 
 should bring him some hot drink to take a sweat. 
 But as soon as he was composed in bed, he said that, 
 as he felt so coinfortable, he thotight he only needed 
 rest and would take a vapor bath at bed-time. At 
 nine o'clock he took his bath and slept soundly all 
 night. 
 
 "In the morning he said that he would have his 
 
WELL DONE! 271 
 
 breakfast in bed, then dress, and go into the school- 
 room. But he had no appetite for breakfast, and 
 concluded to remain in bed all the morning. About 
 ten o'clock he thought that he ought to see the doc- 
 tor, who was sent for. On his arrival, he said that 
 there seemed to be danger of another chill, and 
 ordered hot and stimulating drinks immediately. 
 After an examination, the doctor thought there was 
 a threatened attack of pneumonia, which he hoped 
 could be averted. In the evening, having learned 
 that his little pet, Gertrude Cosgrove, was in the 
 house, he sent for her to come to his room. Soon 
 after Mrs. Cosgrove came in with her two boys, and 
 Mrs. Johnston and Bertha made a call. These, with 
 our own children, made quite a crowd in his room. 
 But he kissed the ch'ldren, and talked with them, and 
 their mothers. He also got his Greek books and 
 called Grace to read over her lesson. He did not 
 manifest any weariness, and at night I read to him 
 from the newspapers, and he talked with interest 
 about the items. 
 
 " Through the night, however, he was quite rest- 
 less ; but when I asked him if there was any pain, 
 he answered, * None at all ; I am very comfortable.' 
 I was giving medicine every two hours, and keeping 
 the room at a regular temperature; so I slept but 
 very little. Saturday morning he seemed better, 
 and I left Grace with him, while I attended to some 
 household duties. 
 
 " Before dinner. Dr. Jones, of Clinton, came, 
 bringing his son. After dinner he went into Mr. 
 Kemper's room and had quite a long talk. When 
 he left, my husband said, ' I am afraid that I talked 
 
272 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 too long. I get so interested about the entrance of 
 a new boy, as so many failures are made by not 
 starting with an earnest purpose to do their best. I 
 w^anted to present the case fairly to the father. Be- 
 sides, he was a very pleasant talker, and gave me his 
 remedy for catarrh, which I think I shall try.' 
 
 " That night I read the newspapers again, but he 
 seemed to b^ sleeping most of the tiaie. He had, 
 however, another restless night. Sunday morning 
 the doctor ordered his bed moved into the parlor, so 
 that he would not be disturbed by the noises. He 
 was not quite pleased to make a change, as he said 
 that he was not troubled by the noise. He concluded, 
 however, that it was best, on account of the morning 
 sunshine. From the beginning of his sickness until 
 his closing hours there was no complaint : his bed 
 was comfortable, his food and medicine pleasant to 
 take ; there was not a pain in any part of his body. 
 Although he groaned and tossed, he said that it was 
 only a habit, and that I must stop him if it would do 
 any harm. 
 
 ''As I had not slept for two nights, I was lying 
 on the side of his bed and sleeping some; I did not, 
 therefore, read aloud to him. As the doctor thought 
 that he was doing well and would sleep that night, 
 I concluded to stay alone with him again. But 
 toward midnight there were some new symptoms 
 Avhich made me very uneasy. T wandered about the 
 house to find some one whom I might send for the 
 doctor. But the doors were all locked, and I could 
 not waken any one without making considerable dis- 
 turbance. So I went back to work alone until day- 
 light ; but I never closed my eyes for a moment, nor 
 
WELL DONE! 273 
 
 rested at all. At five o'clock I sent for the doctor, 
 and he quieted all my fears. 
 
 '' From this time, however, he aroused from his 
 dreamy, quiet condition, and was constantly instruct- 
 ing the imaginary classes before him. He called the 
 names of pupils, many of whom had gone before him 
 to the spirit world. Those were very pleasant days 
 of teaching. There were no bad lessons. There 
 was no word of reproof, but every scholar gave pleas- 
 ure. Often he would turn to me and tell me how 
 well his boys were doing. When I would say that 
 it was not best to tax his mind with his classes while 
 he was sick, he would reply that there was no labor, 
 for every boy was doing well. This apparent wan- 
 dering of his mind, in thinking his classes were be- 
 fore him, did not extend to other things. No one 
 could enter the room, ever so lightly, without his 
 recognizing them and speaking. We could not 
 speak to him on any subject, that he did not fully 
 understand our meaning. 
 
 " On Tuesday, about noon, he commenced cough- 
 ing, but said that it did not hurt him to do so. I 
 felt alarmed at this new symptom, but the doctor 
 considered it favorable. All Tuesday night he 
 tossed and groaned, and I noticed that he held my 
 hand in a closer grasp, and often drew my head down 
 upon his pillow, although he talked but little. 
 Through his entire sickness there had never passed 
 an hour perhaps, without a prayer such as, ' O Lord, 
 help me ! O Father, let Thy will be done.' But he 
 never spoke of dying, and I do not think that he sup- 
 posed his sickness was serious / never dreamed of 
 the danger, until there was no mistaking the terrible 
 13 
 
2 74 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 reality. The latter part of the night I had given 
 him medicine to produce sleep. If that had not been 
 done, his mind might have been clear to understand 
 his true condition. The effect of this medicine was 
 to produce a heavy slumber, from which he never 
 fully aroused. 
 
 ^* When he saw us gathering anxiously around his 
 bed, he said, ' Sing.' Asking what we should sing, 
 his reply was, 
 
 ' Jesus paid it all, all the debt I owe.' 
 
 Our niece, Miss Jasper Bocock, and her brother 
 Willis then sang the chorus. Dr. Gauss, our pas- 
 tor, came in soon after, and asked him how he felt in 
 the prospect of eternal scenes. His answer was, ' I 
 know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that 
 He is able to keep that which I have committed unto 
 Him against that day.' I said to him, ' Do you think 
 that you are going to leave us?' and his answer was, 
 ' I do not feel that I am ! ' I added, ' Is it bright now ? ' 
 and he said, ' Yes, all is calm — no pain, no anxiety ! ' 
 He returned our kisses to the very last breath ; and 
 he clasped my hand tightly after his pulse had 
 stopped its beating. I believe that he at last real- 
 ized the leave-taking, but had not strength to express 
 his feelings. 
 
 " The doctor says that there was some trouble of the 
 heart the last morning, which balanced the scales 
 against him ; for, until that time, there was every 
 prospect of a recovery. This may have been true, as 
 years ago he had complained of some unusual action 
 of the heart, and several of his family had died very 
 suddenly, as though the life-current had been stopped 
 
WELL DONE! 275 
 
 without any warning. As I look back over his whole 
 sickness, it is my firm belief that no medical skill 
 could have saved his life. But oh, if I had realized 
 that there was even danger in his case, what delight- 
 ful talks we might have had about the heavenly 
 home, and what words of comfort and cheer he could 
 have left us! That we were denied this pleasure 
 teaches me that our Heavenly Father knew that it 
 was not best for us. We should learn the lesson, 
 that God does not permit all of His redeemed ones 
 to glorify Him in a dying hour; but they must do 
 this in health, and in possession of all their mental 
 powers. 
 
 "I neglected to mention that, toward the last, he 
 repeated over softly these lines : 
 
 ' Do noble things, not dream them all day long ; 
 Thus making life, death, and that vast forever, 
 One grand, sweet song ! ' 
 
 '' God grant that this affliction may be rightly im- 
 proved. If the youth who have been taught in this 
 school should be led by it to give more earnest heed 
 to the lessons of the past, and consecrate their lives 
 to nobler work, then the death of their teacher may 
 accomplish greater good than all his life labors." 
 
 Thus passed away, like a little child, this great and 
 good man, to join the good and great of earth who 
 had preceded him. Thus passed away this faithful 
 and successful teacher, to join his pupils and to sit at 
 the feet of the Great Teacher. Thus passed away this 
 wise and loving father, to join his seven little ones 
 who were already at home in heaven. Thus passed 
 
276 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 away this humble, trusting, useful Christian, to join 
 "the general assembly and church of the first-born," 
 and to sing again with his mother " The Star of Beth- 
 lehem," in that city where they " have no need of the 
 liirht of the sun nor of the moon." 
 
 " How fair and how lovely it is to behold 
 
 The sun in his splendor approaching the west ! 
 Its race is near ran, and, refulgent as gold, 
 
 It glides through the ether as hastening to rest. 
 It sinks, but in sinking 'tis only to rise, 
 
 Its grandeur and glory afresh to display ; 
 It sets, but, in other and far distant skies, 
 
 It rises and reigns in the brightness of day. 
 
 " Yet far more resplendent than this is the scene 
 
 Of the good man approaching the confines of time ! 
 All loving, all peaceful, all calm and serene, • 
 
 He passes away with a brightness sublime. 
 He dies, but no pencil can e-vier portray 
 
 The splendor and glory that burst on his sight, 
 As, guided by angels, he speeds on his way, 
 
 Through the portals of praise to the temple of light." 
 
 He died Wednesday, March 9, 1881. The funeral 
 services were held Thursday, March 10, in the Presby- 
 terian Church of Boonville, before a large and deeply 
 m.oved congregation. All were mourners ; for all — 
 the poor, the church, the community — felt that they, as 
 well as the family, were deprived of a valuable and 
 cherished friend and helper. In token of respect, 
 the mayor of Boonville, J. F. Gmelich, issued a 
 proclamation requesting that all places of business 
 be closed during the funeral. There was a cheerful 
 compliance with this request. He was borne into the 
 church and out of it bv his fellow-officers and members 
 
WELL DONE! 277 
 
 of the church, followed by his immediate family, as 
 well as by his large family of boys, who were most 
 deeply impressed by the removal from them of the 
 venerable founder and esteemed head of their school. 
 The exercises were conducted by the pastor, the 
 Rev! O, W. Gauss, M.D., assisted by the Rev. B. T. 
 Lacy, D.D. They consisted of the singing of fa- 
 miliar gospel hymns, Scripture reading, and a funeral 
 address. There was no formal text or sermon, but 
 the remarks of the pastor were so felicitous that Dr. 
 Lacy remarked afterward, "I did not say anything, 
 because to touch a thing that is complete is to spoil 
 it." The last hymn was one of Mr. Kemper's favor- 
 ites, and was sung to the tune which he preferred. It 
 was peculiarly appropriate to the occasion : — 
 
 " Palms of glory, raiment bright." 
 
 Before the congregation was dismissed, a telegram, 
 just received by Colonel J. L. Stephens from Hon. L. 
 M. Lawson, of New York, paying a touching tribute 
 of respect and love to the memory of his endeared 
 friend and honored teacher, was passed up to the 
 pulpit and read. This will be found in a subsequent 
 chapter. 
 
 The procession to the cemetery was long, and made 
 up of a much larger number of genuine mourners 
 than is usual in such cases. With loving hands and 
 weeping eyes, friends laid him in Walnut Grove 
 Cemetery, by the side of the sleeping dust of his 
 children, to await the blessed resurrection of the just. 
 
 This chapter cannot be more fittingly closed than 
 with the following extracts from a letter, written soon 
 after his death by his sister, Mrs. S. M. Bocock : 
 
278 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 " When the astounding intelligence of the death 
 reached me, almost my first thought was of Spur- 
 geon's illustration of the ^Abundant Entrance.' The 
 good ship on her homeward voyage, coming into 
 port on a fair day, with colors flying and music 
 playing, amid the greetings of an expectant throng 
 assembled for the welcome ! Then my heart cried 
 out, Must all that gentleness and goodness, that 
 loyal love of Right and Truth, pass away from 
 earth? Can we not keep his example living, though 
 he is gone? I felt that some one must try to photo- 
 graph the spirit in a meniorial volume. 
 
 '' His busy, loving, brave spirit, as seen in his every- 
 day life, is a picture on which my mind will ever love 
 to dwell. His ' table-talks ' were a perpetual marvel 
 to me. Would that we had notes of some of them ! 
 Often, often as I listened, I felt that if those ringing 
 words could have been delivered to an assembled 
 multitude, just as they were spoken there to those 
 fifty boys seated around his tables, what fame would 
 be his ! As I looked upon that earnest, beaming face, 
 surrounded by his velvet cap and cloak, as he read 
 and commented on some such Scripture as the 28th 
 chapter of Job or the prophecies about Babylon and 
 Nineveh and their fulfilment, or the latter part of the 
 nth chapter of Matthew, I sometimes almost im- 
 agined that one of the old Reformers had come back 
 to us ! But so modest, and so absorbed was he in his 
 life-work that, all unconscious of his greatness, he 
 desired no other audience than his pupils. What an 
 honest pride he had in those boys ! I can see him now, 
 standing in his door, hat in hand, on a calm Sabbath 
 morning, gazing on that solid phalanx of fine-looking 
 
WELL DONE! 279 
 
 boys, from ten different States, all in their^uniforms, 
 with their tutors and officers, marching to church. 
 He seemed to feel somewhat as St. Paul felt, when 
 he told the Thessalonians that they were his ' crown 
 of rejoicing.' 
 
 " I am spending the most curious winter of my life. 
 I am here at the sweet old home almost alone ; sleeping 
 in the chamber of my girlhood ; writing on a desk that 
 was my grandmother's a hundred years ago ; wander- 
 ing among shrubbery of my mother's planting; in 
 sight of the graveyard, over the falls (we didn't say 
 terraces in the old times), where my dead sisters and 
 I played in childhood ; going over what were my 
 husband's favorite walks in the ' long ago ;' sitting 
 where my father sat at family prayers : the very 
 air laden with memories, and I almost 'lingering for 
 the feet, which never more my steps shall meet.' 
 Thank God ! all, all who are gone were followers of 
 our blessed vSaviour, and I doubt not are now together 
 in ' Our Father's House.' " 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE PERFECTED SCHOOL. 
 
 " Knowledge and wisdom, far from being one, 
 Have ofltimes no connexion. Knowledge dwells 
 In heads replete with thoughts of other men ; 
 Wisdom in minds attentive to their own." 
 
 COV^PER. 
 
 As we have already seen, Mr. Kemper began his 
 life of teaching under the profound conviction that 
 he was entering upon a profession in which a quarter 
 of a century would be necessary to gain a knowledge 
 of its principles. Those twenty-five years were 
 passed by -him with single-hearted devotedness to his 
 chosen work. From the time he taught as a post- 
 graduate in Marion College, 1841 to 1866, when he 
 was the honored head of the Family School which 
 bears his name, his time, his energies, his talents, 
 his means were all engrossed in the work of educa- 
 tion. 
 
 While he had inherited the conservatism of Old 
 Virginia, which prevented him from making any 
 change for the mere sake of change, or whose pro- 
 priety might be questionable, he yet had breathed 
 the free Western air in his early manhood, and was 
 ready to put all plans and professed improvements 
 into the testing crucible, and to adopt them, if they 
 
■THE PERFECTED SCHOOL. 281 
 
 proved to be the genuine gold. Thus it was that 
 those years of self-allotted apprenticeship were years 
 of rigid experiment, of constant pruning, and of 
 equally constant growth and development. 
 
 He was permitted to continue his work for fifteen 
 years longer, and yet, to the day of his last service 
 in the field of education, he never thought that his 
 work was perfect. His conceptions and his plans for 
 realizing them grew year by year, so that he prob- 
 ably felt at the last that he was as far from reaching his 
 ideal as he had been when he began over forty years 
 before. Still there w^as a mighty change. He was 
 a different man, developed both in knowledge and 
 wisdom, as from infancy to manhood. The school, 
 since it began in Boonville in 1844, now that its 
 thirty-seventh year was ending, was as little like its 
 beginning as the oak is like the acorn, or the Father 
 of Waters like the incipient mountain stream. So 
 great were the changes, so many were the improve- 
 ments, that Mr. Kemper often said to us, who were 
 his early pupils, that we would hardly realize that it 
 was the same school. Had he lived a generation 
 longer, this process of development would doubtless 
 have continued. Every living man is a growing man. 
 As soon as he ceases to grow physically he begins 
 to die. So it is with him mentally and spiritually. 
 Growth is the law of life ; it is the law of every living 
 organism. 
 
 It took Mr, Kemper forty years to make this school 
 what it was and is. Every year it was doubtless 
 better than the one preceding; and he left it, in the 
 vigor of its growth, to the care of a skilled and pro- 
 gressive mind, in the maturity of young manhood, 
 13* 
 
282 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 under whom it will continue to expand, to drink in 
 more of the dews of heaven, and to absorb more of 
 the light of God's eternal truth. The best schools 
 are necessarily the old schools, in the hands of 
 living and progressive men. 
 
 We have said so much to prevent a misconception 
 of the title of this chapter. It is not The Perfect 
 School. Mr. Kemper would never have claimed it to 
 be so. We shall not do injustice to the memory of 
 his honesty by making such a claim. In want of a 
 better expression, we call it The Perfected School — 
 that is, the school as, and so far as, perfected, devel- 
 oped, completed by its founder. In this chapter, 
 therefore, we shall seek to present the school, in all 
 of its salient features, just as he left it. For this 
 purpose we shall use his last catalogues, as setting 
 forth his final views and plans on all the points of 
 which they treat. They say : 
 
 " We ask public attention to a few well defined 
 characteristics of our life-work. 
 
 "the school is small. 
 
 " Unlike the colleges and public schools, we are 
 limited by the accommodations and discipline of a 
 family. Fifty pupils fill our school-room, dining- 
 room, and lodging - rooms. No day scholars are 
 admitted. The small portion of our scholars from 
 the immediate vicinity board with the others, and 
 every hour of the day and night is faithfully em- 
 ployed in such labor or recreation as will promote 
 our great end, which is 
 
THE PERFECTED SCHOOL. 283 
 
 "the making of men."^' 
 
 "While assiduously increasing our familiarity 
 with such of the arts and sciences as we teach, and 
 conscientiously preparing for our daily recitations, 
 (giving more time to preparation than when we were 
 novices), we regard the imparting of knowledge as 
 a very small part of our work. What a boy is and 
 does, much more than what he has, determines his 
 destiny. Hence a wise training is indispensable. 
 This consists in an energetic obedience to law. This 
 done, the great work is virtually accomplished, the 
 powers are symmetrically developed, and the youth 
 is prepared for an intelligent, self-controlled man- 
 hood. 
 
 " While we take no notoriously bad boys, and al- 
 ways advertise that such cannot be satisfied here, 
 such boys are not the most dangerous characters in 
 school. 
 
 "physical culture. 
 
 *' A bountiful supply of good food, ample play- 
 ground, with facilities for rowing, skating, and swim- 
 ming, regular exercise in the open air, and sufficient 
 time for sleep, are as systematically attended to as 
 study in study hours. Only two pupils have died in 
 this family school during its long history. 
 
 * Not long before his death Mr. Kemper was called as a wit- 
 ness into court. To identify him, the usual questions were put 
 as to his name, residence, etc. When asked, " What is your oc- 
 cupation ?" he bowed his head a moment, then looked up and re- 
 plied, " The maker of men." 
 
284 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 " MORAL DISCIPLINE. 
 
 '' Referring to the ' course of study' for mental cult- 
 ure, it must be reiterated that the moral part is the 
 vital element in every true man's life. Education 
 that ignores this is radically defective, and may prove 
 a curse. Besides the daily reading and exposition of 
 the Scriptures there are two Sunday lessons. In one 
 of these the pupils study in a scholarly manner the 
 text of the Bible (English, Latin, or Greek, accord- 
 ing to their attainments) ; in the other they study the 
 whole range of Biblical and church history, as syn- 
 chronized with the history of the world in Lyman's 
 Historical Chart. Pupils, while their religious 
 preferences are respected, all attend church with 
 the family. 
 
 "But they are not simply taught the precepts of 
 morals; their moral habits are regulated with au- 
 thority. Industry, obedience, and respect for su- 
 periors are steadily enforced. 
 
 " SCHOOL GOVERNMENT. 
 
 "Our regulations are meant first to be based on 
 the laws of man's nature, and then to be invincible. 
 Giving boys all that a careful regard for their real 
 wants should accord, we still purpose to control 
 their evil tendencies, and to crush insubordination, 
 defiance, and impudence. While it is tyrannous and 
 wicked to break the manly spirit of boyhood, it is 
 alike ruinous to the good boy, the bad boy, and the 
 school, to allow indolence or disobedience to have 
 its way. The true conception of our relation to our 
 pupils is that of a father who has his children on 
 
THE PERFECTED SCHOOL. 285 
 
 drill ; while the ordinary idea of being ' a friend to 
 the boys' involves so much pandering to their in- 
 clinations as sacrifices their real interests and those 
 of the school. 
 
 " SMALL BOYS. 
 
 "A few small boys of from nine to twelve years 
 are admitted, if able to read respectably. Boys of 
 this age will room in close proximity to the tutors, 
 that they may be shielded from temptation and 
 guarded in their rights. The younger our pupils 
 are, the less we have to undo and reconstruct ; and 
 the hardest work we have to do is to make thinkers 
 of boys who come to us from the colleges. 
 
 " LABORATORY. 
 
 " The course of study in the departments of physi- 
 cal science and mixed mathematics is well illustrat- 
 ed. Without the expensive appliances of endowed 
 colleges, which would be out of place here, every- 
 thing is supplied which our course requires. We 
 have a superior surveyor's transit, a compass, and 
 suitable apparatus for illustrating chemistry, physics, 
 and astronom.y. Additions are made from time to 
 time as the progress of science demands. We have 
 also regular weather observations in connection with 
 the Missouri weather service, inaugurated by Prof. 
 Nipher, of Washington University, St. Louis. 
 
 '^ SIDE STUDIES. 
 
 '' Pupils ordinarily have three recitations daily, of a 
 kind to tax their powers. The invalid may, by order 
 of the school physician, have two, one, or none, ac- 
 
286 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 cording to his ability. But besides this substantial 
 work of the course, there are many other exercises, 
 at once recreative and improving. Studying the 
 visible heavens when the nights are clear, gymnas- 
 tics, military drill, vocal music, table-talk in the lan- 
 guages studied, drawing, and listening to the read- 
 ing of newspapers and other matter, illustrate this 
 feature. Webster's Academic Dictionary is not only 
 used as a book of reference, but its various depart- 
 ments are faithfully studied as a text-book, a kind 
 oif culture in the English language almost unknown 
 in the race after novelties. 
 
 " Some topics of English grammar, arithmetic, and 
 the English Dictionary constitute a 'table-talk ' for 
 the English scholars, corresponding to the conversa- 
 tional exercises of the students of the languages. 
 
 " SCHOOL UNIFORM. 
 
 " This promotes economy, suppresses vanity, and 
 identifies our pupils on the streets, so that they are 
 not chargeable with street rowdyism. The uniform 
 consists of coat, pants, and cap of cadet gray, cut in 
 the military style. It costs from I20 to $30, accord- 
 ins: to size. It must be worn on the streets, at all 
 public places, and on dress occasions, and one suit 
 must always be in order. But any clothing a pupil 
 may bring with him can be used in the school-room 
 and on the play-ground. Jewelry must not be worn, 
 and all foppery and dash in dress are discouraged as 
 unbecoming the character of students. With the uni- 
 form must be worn standing collars and plain black 
 neckties or bows. 
 
THE PERFECTED SCHOOL. 287 
 
 *' SLEEPING-ROOMS. 
 
 " The sleeping-rooms are used only for sleep, wash- 
 ing, and dressing. It would be subversive of all order 
 to allow undisciplined youth to study in their private 
 rooms. Studying is done in a common room, and 
 always under the supervision of a teacher. Pupils 
 have access, under proper regulations, to the sitting- 
 rooms and parlor. The lodging-rooms are airy and 
 not crowded. 
 
 " POCKET-MONEY. 
 
 '' No student is allowed to handle pocket-money. 
 Money designed for the use of our pupils should 
 never be sent to them, but to Mr. T. A. Johnston, 
 who will see that it is properly applied. The best 
 characters in the school spend the least money. Parents 
 should keep a small deposit of money with Mr. J. 
 for the contingent expenses of their sons. Students 
 are not allowed to go in debt, and parents are ex- 
 pected to agree not to pay debts contracted without 
 our consent. Our pupils are not allowed to receive 
 eatables from home. Their fare is that of a ' well-to- 
 do family.' They have an abundance, and superadded 
 luxuries unfit them for work. 
 
 '- parents' contract. 
 
 " Parents are expected to interfere as little as pos- 
 sible with the school government, and it is important 
 that they should at all times give it their hearty sup- 
 port. Ill-advised sympathy may confirm a boy in a 
 course of insubordination that will render it neces- 
 sary to send him home. Parents are expected to 
 make the following agreement and pledge, which 
 
2 88 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 will be sent them for signature at the time of enter- 
 ing their sons : 
 
 " ' I understand and accept the terms of the Kem- 
 per Family School, as set forth in the catalogue of 
 the past year. My son has not been ex- 
 pelled from any school or college ; and as far as I 
 understand his character, he is not likely to give 
 trouble to the government of the school. I will send, 
 or cause to be sent, any money designed for his use 
 only tb Mr. Johnston ; I will pay no debts of his, 
 contracted without proper permission ; and I will 
 not allow eatables to be sent him from home. I will 
 claim no refunding of his year's board and tuition 
 bill in case he leaves school without the consent of 
 the principals or school physician, or is expelled for 
 rebellion or general immorality.' 
 
 " BOOKS FOR ALL. 
 
 " The following books are used in all the courses, 
 and every student needs them. They may be brought 
 from home together with any others mentioned in the 
 list of studies : Fulton & Eastman's Bookkeeping, 
 with Blanks; Mason's Gymnastics ; Webster's Aca- 
 demic Dictionary ; English Bible ; American Tune 
 Book ; Lyman's Historical Chart and Key ; Quarto 
 Blank Book. 
 
 "preliminary examinations. 
 
 '* Quite a large proportion of our boys enter school 
 professing to have finished various sciences and olo- 
 gies^ and yet when a printed page is placed before them 
 they cannot master its ideas or pronounce its words. 
 In order to ascertain who are deficient in matters of el- 
 
THE PERFECTED SCHOOL. 289 
 
 ementary culture, our entrance examinations will in- 
 clude more or less extended practice in reading, pen- 
 manship, elementary arithmetic, and kindred points, 
 before we admit to classification ; and those who need 
 it will be kept at such work until they acquire profi- 
 ciency. 
 
 " LATIN AND GREEK. 
 
 " Latin and Greek are taught with the strictest at- 
 tention to pronunciation and grammatical structure, 
 and in reading the poets, to the laws of versification. 
 In the study of Latin, both the Roman and English 
 methods of pronunciation are taught and practised. 
 The Roman method is beautifully grand, simple, 
 and scientific, and reproduces the sounds in which 
 Cicero thundered and Virgil sang. The English 
 method, on the other hand, furnishes the easiest way 
 of learning the laws of our own tongue, and is the 
 system which usage has established for the pronun- 
 ciation of Classical and Biblical proper names and 
 scientific terms. In connection with the study of 
 Latin and Greek we have a system of table-talk, by 
 which the student learns and combines in simple 
 sentences the names of articles of food, dress, and 
 furniture, parts of the body, and other familiar ob- 
 jects. This talking exercise gives the tongue and 
 ear valuable culture not easily acquired in mere reci- 
 tation. 
 
 " OTHER POINTS OF CULTURE. 
 
 " All the scholars are exercised in tracing the con- 
 stellations and using the globes. Spelling is care- 
 fully attended to in connection with all written 
 exercises. Written exercises are frequent, and are 
 
290 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 made the means of efficient drill in penmanship, use 
 of paragraphs, capital letters, marks of punctuation, 
 and other details of correct writing. Stress is laid 
 on accuracy of pronunciation, and clear, forcible, and 
 correct speaking. Geography and Chronology are 
 taught in connection with history. Special classes 
 are formed on occasion to train those who are defi- 
 cient in spelling, reading, geography, and mental 
 arithmetic. 
 
 '' VOCAL MUSIC. 
 
 " Music is a short daily exercise for all. Those 
 who are incapable of vocalization are not expected 
 to sing, but they, equally with the rest, are required 
 to learn the principles of musical notation and the 
 art of reading music, as necessary points of good 
 culture. For practice in singing, a choir is formed 
 of those having good voices. 
 
 ''gymnastics and drill. 
 
 " In addition to the studies pursued, we practice a 
 system of gymnastics and military drill, which, with- 
 out being very elaborate or consuming much time, is 
 of value in promiOting precision and grace of bear- 
 ing. 
 
 " TIME OF admission. 
 
 " Every student who enters the school is held le- 
 gally bound to continue in it for one year, or for 
 the remainder of the year if he enters after its com- 
 mencement, unless bad conduct or the state of his 
 health renders it necessary to send him home. Ex- 
 cept in cases of confirmed bad health, we distinctly 
 
THE PERFECTED SCHOOL. 291 
 
 claim the payment of the bill for the entire year, or 
 of the part remaining after entrance. 
 
 '* EXAMINATIONS AND EXHIBITIONS. 
 
 " At the close of each school year the classes are ex- 
 amined before their friends and relatives and persons 
 specially invited, in the subjects pursued by tliem 
 during the year. These examinations are designed 
 to show the proficiency of the students in the subjects 
 studied, and also to illustrate the methods of instruc- 
 tion and drill that are followed. The relatives of 
 the students and the friends of education from a dis- 
 tance are specially invited to attend the examinations. 
 The only public exhibitions are the exercises of the 
 graduating class, which take place in the school 
 building. 
 
 "health arrangements. 
 
 "The subject of health receives special attention. 
 Two hours' daily exercise in the open air is a school 
 duty, and opportunity is given for three. The best care 
 is taken of the sick. The school physician is a gentle- 
 man of thorough medical culture, and is a salaried 
 officer of the institution. He visits the school daily, 
 and without charge to those who are treated, looks 
 after the health of all who need his services. If the 
 serious nature of a case demands it, he will bring to 
 it a consulting physician at his own charge. If any 
 one desires other medical attendance than that of the 
 regular physician, it must be at his own expense. 
 
 " TERMS. 
 
 " Board and tuition in all the branches (except 
 German, French, and piano, for which an extra charge 
 
292 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 will be made), including the former extras of phy- 
 sician's fee, pew rent, lights, and sick-room charges, 
 for scholastic year of forty weeks, $310. French 
 and German each %2 per month ; piano instruction, 
 $40 per session ; use of instrument, $10. Board and 
 tuition are payable, one half at the opening of the 
 session, and the remainder on the fifteenth day of 
 December. Negotiable notes bearing ten per cent 
 interest will be required, if payments are not made 
 when due. Drafts sent must be in St. Louis or New 
 York exchange. Charges on money sent by express 
 must be prepaid. 
 
 " The entire year consists of one session ; and any 
 student entering school during any particular ses- 
 sion is held bound for the whole or remaining part 
 of it. When the entrance is so late that it is neces- 
 sary to charge for a fractional part of the year, it will 
 be counted as consisting of thirty-three weeks instead 
 of forty. This rule is adopted to compensate us for 
 the trouble of fitting late students for classes that 
 have already made progress. The same rule is ob- 
 served in making deductions for absence. All de- 
 ductions are at our option. We hold bound for the 
 bill of the entire year all boys who leave school 
 Avithout our consent, or who have to be expelled for 
 immorality or rebellion; 
 
 " ADVANCE PAYMENT. 
 
 "To prevent all misunderstanding as to what 
 scholars are engaged, it is necessary to pay in advance 
 $30 of the school bill. Places are not reserved 
 against others who comply with the terms unless 
 this is done. The amount is forfeited if the student 
 fails to come. 
 
THE PERFECTED SCHOOL. 293 
 
 " INCIDENTAL EXPENSES. 
 
 " Parents must not expect us to pay the expenses 
 of boys and look to them for reimbursement. We 
 need our money for immediate use, and besides can- 
 not incur the risk of loss. Boys must not go in 
 debt when it can be avoided. When there is money 
 for a boy's use with Mr. Johnston, he will be allowed 
 to spend it discreetly under Mr. J.'s supervision ; but 
 when the amount is exhausted he will not be allowed 
 to purchase anything unless absolutely necessary for 
 comfort. Debt is the curse of business, and a boy 
 should not learn that he has such a thing as credit. 
 Rich parents must not allow their boys to spend too 
 much money. It begets in them expensive tastes 
 which they may some day be unable to gratify, and 
 in school it generates the same tastes in others who 
 have no superfluous money to spend. 
 
 " Washing costs from %\o to $25, according to 
 personal habits. Fuel is furnished for all study 
 hours and for sitting-rooms. Boys are not allowed 
 to have fires in their rooms except by special per- 
 mission, with due regard to health. The rooms are 
 used only for sleeping, washing, and dressing. 
 
 DAMAGE TO PROPERTY. 
 
 " Scholars are responsible for all damages to prop- 
 erty done by them, and the common occupants of a 
 room or any other property are jointly responsible 
 for its good condition. When damages are concealed, 
 
294 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 the cost of repair is divided among all the scholars. 
 We have formerly required a deposit of $3 to meet 
 such expenses, but experience leads us to believe the 
 moral effect will be better to assess them as they 
 occur. 
 
 " Sick boys are placed under the care of the family 
 physician and a competent nurse. 
 
 "Students while here must not use profane or 
 vulgar language, drink intoxicating drinks, or use 
 tobacco, either by smoking or chewing. 
 
 "Reports showing the scholarship and moral 
 standing of each pupil are made and sent to parents 
 every four weeks. Special reports are made if 
 a scholar's case requires it. 
 
 " While our pupils' legitimate correspondence is 
 sacred, and they get their mail as we do ours, we 
 allow no letters to be received from parties in Boon- 
 ville, without our inspection. This is a necessary 
 restraint upon the demoralizing influence of village 
 society. 
 
 " We occasionally exercise the right to examine 
 express packages sent to the boys, if we have good 
 reason to think that contraband articles are so sent. 
 And if a scholar's condition makes it needful, we 
 limit his correspondence to parties licensed by his 
 parents or guardian. Boys who have been expelled 
 must cease correspondence with any of our pupils, 
 except by special permission. 
 
 " Boys are not permitted to go on the streets with- 
 out special permission. 
 
THE PERFECTED SCHOOL. 295 
 
 " COURSE OF STUDY. 
 
 '' Our curriculum and drill are designed to fit 
 students in the most thorough manner for college 
 and the United States naval and military schools, 
 and to give those who may not wish to pursue their 
 studies further the best possible substitute for a full 
 educational course. 
 
 " Students have the choice of three courses of 
 study, which differ in the relative amounts of the 
 Classics and Sciences. Each course has three classes, 
 and is arranged for the nominal time of three years ; 
 but proficiency and not time is the requisite for ad- 
 vancement, and the length of time will vary in differ- 
 ent cases. Every student is required to enter and 
 continue in one of the courses, unless special circum- 
 stances make a change necessary. If parents desire 
 a particular course for their sons, they should give 
 explicit information on entering them. We provide 
 a more extended course for those who may wish to 
 continue their studies with us after graduation. The 
 names and studies of the courses are given below. 
 
 " The subjects in the numbered paragraphs under 
 the name of each class constitute the three daily 
 studies of each member of the class, and are pursued 
 in the order given. Those denominated side studies 
 are short daily exercises or weekly recitations. 
 
 '"'■ I. English Grammar completed. 2. Arithmetic 
 completed. 3. Latin begun (Harkness's Latin Gram- 
 mar and Jones's Lessons) ; Latin Prose Composition 
 (Harkness). 
 
296 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. ' 
 
 '' Side Studies. — Bookkeeping (Fulton & Eastman) ; 
 History (Lyman's Historical Chart) ; Declamation; 
 Letter Writing ; Bible ; Sacred History ; Vocal Music ; 
 Drawing ; Tracing Constellations. 
 
 "middle class. 
 
 " I. Caesar (Harkness) ; Latin Prose Composition. 
 2. Greek begun (Hadley's Grammar and Boise's 
 Lessons). 3. Algebra (Robinson). 
 
 ^^ Side Studies. — Bookkeeping; Lyman's Chart 
 continued; Declamation and Composition; Latin 
 Testament (Beza) ; Sacred History; Vocal Music; 
 Drawing; Tracing Constellations. 
 
 "latin course. JUNIOR CLASS." 
 
 The studies were the same as those of the Classic 
 cal Junior. 
 
 " MIDDLE CLASS." 
 
 The studies weretlie same as those of the Classical 
 Middle, except that, in place of Greek, Hooker's 
 Chemistry and Avery's Natural Philosophy, or Ger- 
 man, or French were inserted. 
 
 " SENIOR CLASS. 
 
 " I. Cicero's Orations; Ovid's Metamorphoses; 
 ^neid; Latin Prose Composition. 2. Moral Phi- 
 losophy (Peabody) ; Mental Philosophy (Alden) ; 
 Logic (Atwater) {German or French optional in place 
 of Moral and Mental Philosophy and Logic). 3. Ge- 
 ometry, Trigonometry, and Surveying, with use of 
 Surveyor's Transit, Compass and Plotting Instru- 
 ments. 
 
THE PERFECTED SCHOOL. 297 
 
 *''• Side Studies. — Double Entry Bookkeeping; 
 Lyman's Chart; Latin Testament; Church History ; 
 Vocal Music; Drawing; Tracing Constellations. 
 
 "commercial course." 
 
 The Junior studies were the same as those of the 
 Classical Junior, except that Science Primers of 
 Chemistry and Physics were put in the place of Latin. 
 
 The Middle Class studies were the same in this 
 course as in the Classical, except that Hill's Rhetoric, 
 Youmans's Botany, Chemistry, and Natural Philoso- 
 phy (with German or French optional instead of 
 them) were substituted for Greek and Latin. 
 
 In the Senior Class of this course, Geology, Min- 
 eralogy, and Steele's Zoology (with German or 
 French optional for them). Moral and Mental Phi- 
 losophy, and Logic were put in the place of Greek and 
 Latin in the Classical Course ; and Champlin's Po- 
 litical Economy was added to the side studies. 
 
 "post-graduate course. 
 
 "This course includes Spherical Geometry and 
 Trigonometry, Analytical Geometry and Calculus, 
 and sufficient Latin and Greek to fit a student for the 
 Senior Class in college. 
 
 " GRADUATION. 
 
 "Those who satisfactorily complete either of the 
 regular courses, and whose morals and conduct have 
 been good during their connection with the school, 
 will be awarded a certificate of proficiency on pay- 
 ment of a graduating fee of five dollars." 
 14 
 
298 THE LIFE OF PROF. I^ EM PER, 
 
 " PRIVATE SCHOOL. 
 
 " In contradistinction from the public and denomi- 
 national schools and colleges, this institution is an 
 independent private enterprise. Responsible to no 
 board of trustees and to no church court, its friends 
 and indorsers are the men it has ' turned out ' during 
 the thirty-six years of its history. In the strength of 
 this characteristic, it has held on its way without aid 
 from Church or State, and especially without the aid 
 of ' drummers. ' No pupil enters here at our personal 
 solicitation. Our work is pursued as a 
 
 " PROFESSION FOR LIFE. 
 
 "The Senior Principal has had more than forty 
 years' experience. With singleness of purpose and 
 enthusiastic ardor he has ' magnified his office' as an 
 educator of men, as distinguished from the mere 
 teacher. While advancing age will soon diminish 
 the amount- of his own labor, he has surrounded him- 
 self with younger men, graduates of this school and 
 of the State University, who enjoy advantages he 
 never had. 
 
 " SUCCESS REDUCIBLE TO LAW. 
 
 " This school is not a reformatory for bad boys ; 
 such should keep away. But it claims to be an insti- 
 tution for producing the best results with fair ma- 
 terial, and WITH THE CERTAINTY OF LAW. ' Train up 
 a child in the way he should go, and when he is old 
 he will not depart from it.' Training implies military 
 exactitude in small matters as well as in great. Going 
 with faithful scrutiny into all the details of a boy's 
 interests, why should we not realize in practice 
 
THE PERFECTED SCHOOL. 299 
 
 the desired results ? Let the history of two genera- 
 tions of obedient pupils educated here witness the 
 validity of this claim. 
 
 " THE pupils' rights. 
 
 ^' Before we demand obedience, we are careful to 
 accord to a pupil all that his health, comfort, and 
 self-respect demand. The school property covers an 
 area of over thirty acres, with the most ample play- 
 ground. There is a recess of ten minutes out of 
 every study hour, three daily play-times, a weekly 
 and a monthly holiday, and special holidays at 
 Christmas and Easter. All that skilled physicians 
 recommend is provided. A farm of four hundred 
 acres is carried on especially for the school, and the 
 supplies are characterized, without pretentious style, 
 by profuse liberality. Every one has daily opportu- 
 nity to bring his grievances to the proper authority, 
 and we would rather steal a boy's money than do in- 
 justice to his feelings. On the other hand, grumblers 
 are not tolerated. We know they are more disposed 
 to propagate slander than to get their rights. 
 
 *' SELF-DENIAL 
 
 lies at the basis of every valuable character. The 
 rose-water theories of education make it rather an 
 amusement than a discipline. We sometimes get 
 young men of fair exterior, who have never had to 
 do anything they disliked. They are here taught, 
 and very practically, that such characters may be in- 
 nocent, but cannot be truly virtuous. Every farmer 
 knows that if he should have a set of boy-laborers, 
 he would have to do the thinking and enforce his 
 
300 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 plans with all authority. We do not ignore the 
 homely truth that fixing the attention vigorously and 
 protractedly is harder work than ploughing. Without 
 this habit education is a failure and a snare. Hence 
 the failure of so many sons of the rich. They have 
 never learned to study so as to have higher than sen- 
 sual enjoyments." 
 
 We have copied almost the entire catalogue of 
 1879-80, in order that, in his own chosen words, 
 all the characteristics of the school might be fully 
 set forth. While there are doubtless features in 
 the management which he himself would have sub- 
 sequently modified, and other improvements which 
 he would have introduced, still this authorita- 
 tive presentation of the school as it was at the close 
 of his administration will be interesting to all his 
 earlier pupils, and will become increasingly so, in 
 the changes of the future, to all who enjoyed the 
 benefits of his personal training. 
 
 We shall now undertake to present and to bring 
 out more prominently what were the great facts of 
 his professional character as an educator. 
 
T. AJOHNSTON 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 THE EDUCATOR. 
 
 " A pleasant manner and a helpful word, 
 A manly spirit, from no task deterred, 
 A wholesome temper held in just restraint, 
 A soul that long endures without complaint, 
 A heart in strict accordance with God's plan, 
 Are attributes becoming any man." 
 
 The historical portion of this volume is now com- 
 plete. We are -yet to give such an estimate as we 
 can of the character of Mr. Kemper. Here, at the 
 very threshold, we stand abashed in conscious ina- 
 bility to do our subject justice. For such cold 
 analytical work requires a steadier hand and a less 
 impassioned judgment than belong to the closest 
 friendship. The honest biographer feels himself 
 steering his bark through narrow straits. He fears, 
 on the one hand, that the admiration of the pupil 
 may lead him to fulsome flattery ; and in guarding 
 against this he is liable to run upon the rocks of 
 cold, critical indifference. As Mr. Kemper was one 
 of the most honest of men, carrying his heart in his 
 hand, we shall endeavor to set him forth just as he was. 
 As he was a life-long teacher, we shall in this chapter- 
 present the salient points in his character as an 
 Educator. 
 
30 2 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 He had a very high ideal of what a teacher ought 
 to be. It may appear to some to have been visionary, 
 so far does it transcend, not only the realizations, 
 but also the aspirations of all ordinary instructors. 
 This will appear from the following extract, taken 
 from one of his commonplace books, written prob- 
 ably in the fall of 1848 : 
 
 " THE educator's FIELD OF LABOR. 
 
 " Hoc age et age solum. '0 aypoq eartv 6 Koofiog. 
 
 " Spelling, Reading, Penmanship, Arithmetic, 
 Geography, Grammar, Speaking, Music, History, 
 Languages and their Literature, Mathematics, Phi- 
 losophy, Bible, Education, Webster as an Ency- 
 clopaedia. 
 
 " In all the above the teacher must proceed upon 
 the idea that a book is an evil, a necessary evil — failing 
 in its interest and clearness far more than a written 
 sermon loses by want of gesture, and countenance, 
 and spontaneous feeling of the natural extempore 
 orator. He must be able to go ahead and out of the 
 book, equalling the author in knowledge of the sub- 
 ject, and superadding to this the peculiar technical 
 knowledge and contrivance of the teacher; exposing 
 the author's crudities, correcting iiis errors. 
 
 " The book, then, is a necessary evil. Thinking 
 the great art to be learned. Objects (sensible) to be 
 constantly studied. Much oral instruction and Hol- 
 brook exercises to be interspersed. Practical bota- 
 nists and chemists, etc., by manipulations to be made. 
 Practical accountants and letter-writers to be con- 
 stantly perfected and turned out as- such. The idea 
 that things are best learned practically by being 
 
THE EDUCATOR. 303 
 
 learned scientifically {i.e., as they are) and practically 
 applied, is to be demonstrated and exemplified. 
 
 " The affections of his scholars are to be inter- 
 ested, enlisted, by reflecting his own affections for 
 them. He is to be all as a man and a Christian that 
 it is desirable for them to be. To impose no task in 
 which he cannot lead and exemplify. Lastly, to 
 ' Paint for immortality.' 
 
 " The extent of this field is best seen by comparing 
 it wnth other fields : 
 
 " I. It embraces the profession of an autJior, The 
 teacher's attention to any one book in learning and 
 teaching it will equal that of the author. So he is 
 a classical editor, mathematical writer, etc., etc. 
 
 '' 3. Professor of Elocution and practical lecturer 
 {infer legendum). 
 
 "3. Professor of Penmanship. 
 
 " 4. Professor of English Language and Literature. 
 
 " 5. Professor of Mathematics. 
 
 *' 6. Professor of Latin and Greek. 
 
 " 7. Professor of Drawing. 
 
 " 8. Practical Bookkeeper. 
 
 "9. Professor of Music. 
 
 " 10. Professor and Lecturer on History and Statis- 
 tics. Statesman. 
 
 "11. Professor and Lecturer on Chemistry, Botany, 
 Astronomy, Natural Philosophy, and a dozen natural 
 sciences, 
 
 '' 12. Professor of Moral Philosophy, Bible, Chris- 
 tian evidences. Mental Philosophy, Polity, and Politi- 
 cal Economy. Lawyer and preacher. 
 
 " 13. Education. A Pythagoras, Socrates, and a 
 Pestalozzi. 
 
304 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 " 14. A gardener, orchardist, and student of health. 
 Doctor. 
 
 , "15. Student of Webster's Dictionary as an ency- 
 clopaedia, and of other encyclopaedias, large and small, 
 universal and special. Chatham read the dictionary 
 regularly through. 
 
 "16. A housekeeper, to sweep, dust, wash floors, 
 windows, clean stoves, keep library and school furni- 
 ture, books, copies, slates, pencils, in place and in 
 order. Carpenter for school architecture. Cabinet- 
 maker for school furniture. 
 " Another aspect : — 
 
 " Schedule each boy for every quarter in the day. 
 " Synopsis of each schedule, embracing studies and 
 time to each. 
 
 " Time each has been in school, and time he has 
 devoted to each study. Seat each. 
 
 '' Characterize each mental condition and means 
 for correction. 
 
 " Destination of each. 
 
 " Who during next week shall receive, and needs, 
 most attention ; who is sleepy, or has dislike to 
 teacher or school; and who simply has little interest 
 or is in danger of backsliding. 
 
 "Study parents' home government and how its 
 evils are to be removed. 
 
 " Study plans for getting public attention and 
 interest (best done by really subserving this interest). 
 " History of past failures and successes, and plans 
 based upon these facts." 
 
 This extract chiefly shows the comprehensive 
 range of duties which, in Mr. Kemper's estimation, 
 belong to the teacher's sphere. The extent of his 
 
THE EDUCATOR, 305 
 
 scholarship is here partially revealed. It may be 
 more specially stated that his studies were of quite 
 an extensive sweep. There were doubtless brandies 
 for which he had a special fondness, and in which 
 he was more than ordinarily successful. He was not^ 
 however, in any department a specialist. His scholar 
 ship was comprehensive. It embraced the entire 
 range of English literature, oratory, poetry, drama, 
 fiction, history, essays, travels, science, arts, theology, 
 as found in both books and periodicals. He was 
 well read in the classics of Greece and Rome. He 
 had probably read them all, from Homer to Lon- 
 ginus, from Terence to Tacitus. He had studied 
 thoroughly the entire course of mathematics, and 
 was well acquainted with its applications to survey- 
 ing, engineering, navigation, mechanics, and astron- 
 omy. He had familiarized himself, to a greater or 
 less degree, with Hebrew, French, Spanish, Italian, 
 and German. French he had taught. The elements 
 of all the natural sciences he had mastered, and kept 
 himself well informed as to the advances made in 
 these progressive studies. There are few men who 
 were as familiar as he with every department of 
 general history. In the metaphysical sciences he 
 had drunk at the fountain head of Attic philosophy, 
 and had followed the current of speculative thought 
 down through the middle ages, until it spread itself 
 out in modern times under the engineering of Bacon 
 and Descartes, into the seas of materialism and of 
 idealism. He had appropriated Flamilton and 
 Morell. He had made the Book of books a daily 
 study for half a century, until its history, geography, 
 ethnologv, antiquities, legislation, poetry, morality, 
 
 14* 
 
3o6 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 and theology were as familiar to him well-nigh as 
 his school or his farm. There are not many men, 
 even in professional circles, who had traversed the 
 entire field of liberal study so completely as had he. 
 As far as possible, he had mastered the pantology 
 of sciences. 
 
 Mr. Kemper's accuracy in his studies was fully as 
 remarkable as the range of them. Dr. Leighton has 
 alluded to this as one of his early habits. No in- 
 telligent pupil or friend could fail to observe it. 
 His commonplace books (of which he left several 
 which are extremely interesting) bear testimony to 
 it. For example, on Nov. 3, 1836, when, twenty years 
 old, he had lately entered the preparatory department 
 of Marion College, he writes: •'' Take up Adams's 
 Grammar and read over his list of Latin authors, 
 and think what you would give to be able to read them 
 fluently — to read them, as it is said Locke and Newton 
 did, for recreation. Now true wisdom in this matter 
 is to resolve to pass no recitation without having 
 completely mastered the lesson and laid it away in 
 the memory. Learn all about the derivation^ corn- 
 position, and proper use of every word. This mode of 
 study will create an absorbing interest and pleasure 
 in reading Latin, and will eventuate in filling the 
 wnsh intimated at the head of this page." In this 
 same book, on a former page, he says: "When you 
 enter upon a book or a science extract all its sweets, 
 if it takes twelve readings." Again, studying a 
 Greek Grammar written in Latin, he writes: "'O1;, 
 conson. seq. — ovk, vocali tenui seqiienii — ov X-, ^^<I- "i-^oc. 
 aspirat.' Now 1 could not conceive for some time 
 what ^ tenui vocali' meant; and as to an aspirate vowel, 
 
THE EDUCATOR. 307 
 
 thought I, who ever heard of it? But on reading 
 the Latin explanation, I found that there is such a 
 thing as an aspirate vowel, 6ri\ that ^ fdniii,' in 
 contradistinction to '■ aspirat' means smooth. I know 
 all about ojjt.'" 
 
 When a teacher he wrote: " Philosopher's stone in 
 studying : Fill up all the little moments in minutely- 
 studying small parts of lessons, and persevere till 
 the longest lessons are read in shortest time, say a 
 whole book of Virgil in fifty minutes, whole Chart 
 in two and a half hours or three." One more quo- 
 tation will suffice : *' The teacher must have an en- 
 tire scholastic course of learning, academical and 
 collegiate, so familiarized that a Saturday afternoon 
 for recreation, after the severer labors of the week, 
 he can read a book of the Iliad, or a tragedy of 
 Euripides, or two books of Virgil, or Lysias against 
 Eratosthenes, or Gospel of Luke, or Dalzell's Mis- 
 cellaneous Excerpts, or a book of Horace's Satires, or 
 Livy, or a book of Geometry, Conies, or Calculus, 
 or what either of my grammars teaches about nouns, 
 adjectives, verbs, etc., locating pages, also a dialect, 
 with every geographical, historical, archaeological, 
 mythological, etymological, syntactical, prosodial, 
 tropical or rhetorical, synonymical, and other al- 
 lusion." His motto was, ^'■Divide et Impera.'" 
 
 That he fully reached this extremely high standard 
 of scholarship he nowhere. asserts, nor do we claim 
 it for him. Such, however, was his ideal, and he 
 constantly strove for its realization, with a success 
 which but very few men have achieved. As we thus 
 review the unusual sweep and accuracy of his at- 
 tainments, we wonder that no institution ever did 
 
3o8 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 itself the honor to confer upon him that highest 
 scholastic title, the degree of LL.D. When leading 
 universities cast these pearls before swine, giving 
 them to brainless demagogues and pretentious 
 sciolists, it is perhaps as well that his name should 
 not have been written by the side of theirs. 
 
 As connected with his scholarship, there is another 
 interesting fact to be noted, in direct relation to his 
 work as a teacher. We refer to his habitual prep- 
 aration for meeting his classes in recitation. What 
 has already been noticed is of the character of gen- 
 eral preparation. In addition to this, it was his 
 custom to prepare specially for each recitation. This 
 was done sessionally, weekly and daily. During the 
 vacation he mapped out his work for the coming 
 year, deciding what branches should be taught to 
 each grade of pupils, and what text-books and other 
 appliances should be used. He reviewed and enlarged 
 his knowledge of all these branches so that he might 
 be a more intelligent teacher than he had been the 
 year before. 
 
 A large part of each Saturday was devoted to 
 making himself ready for the instruction of the 
 coming week. As he says in his note-books, '' All 
 lessons must be reviewed a week ahead." Finally, 
 each night he made a thorough and conscientious 
 preparation for the labors of the succeeding day. 
 He neglected no branch that he taught, from the 
 spelling-book up to the calculus. In the simplest 
 lesson there might be some word, whose pronuncia- 
 tion, meaning, geography, or history might need elu- 
 cidation. 
 
 With reference to this work he says : " In preparing 
 
THE EDUCATOR. 309 
 
 for school, inquire — First, Whether everything in the 
 lesson is perfectly known, so as to change place with 
 scholar and let him try to catch you without success. 
 Second, Whether there would be no shame in pres- 
 ence of a philosopher /;//^r ^^^^//^//;;/. Third, Whether 
 you can give prelections and prepare class for next 
 lesson and not assign one of improper length. 
 Fourth, Are week's lessons in tJiis department with- 
 in my grasp ? Fifth, Session's also. Sixth, Do I 
 know the circumstances and mental condition of 
 each member of the class, and his affections toward 
 me? Seventh, Parents' design in educating him, 
 and the state of feeling between parents, teacher, and 
 child. Eighth, Have I class list and text-book mss. 
 both in good condition, and the time devoted by each 
 pupil to this branch, and whether at school or at 
 home ? Ninth, How is it about the whole text-book ? 
 Can I find anything dark on fifteen minutes' review ? 
 Tenth, How often will a review be necessary to keep 
 the knowledge bright ?" 
 
 There is no question but that a lamentable and un- 
 necessary ignorance on the part of many teachers is 
 one of the chief causes of their shameful and dis- 
 astrous failures. This ignorance is largely unneces- 
 sary, because it is due. to a want of conscientious 
 industry on their part. It is undoubtedly a just rule, 
 that no person is fitted to take charge of a class for 
 recitation, unless he is perfectly familiar with the 
 subject treated in the lesson. He should know it as 
 thoroughly as the man who wrote the book. A 
 teacher who is a slave to his text-book, who must 
 have it in his hand and before him for the asking and 
 the answering of every question, is a stick, a mere 
 
3 TO TFIE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 machine, and a very poor one. Alas ! there are many 
 such. If such persons had the industry and the con- 
 science carefully to prepare for every recitation, so 
 that, as Mr. Kemper says, they could exchange places 
 with their pupils without shame, they would find 
 teaching a pleasure, and they would be of tenfold 
 more value to the minds intrusted to their care. No 
 teacher should face a class unless he has made special 
 and thorough preparation for the exercises. We 
 have heard some say that they did not need such 
 preparation. Mr. Kemper felt that he needed it the 
 very last year of his life. Agassiz studied fishes till 
 his death. He who does not study has ceased to 
 learn. He who has ceased to learn is retrograding, 
 and will never make a teacher. There can be no life, 
 no earnestness, no glow of spirit, no success in the 
 class-room, unless the teacher burns the oil of pa- 
 tient, persevering, plodding preparation. Young 
 men, young women, teachers, this is one lesson taught 
 by the great example of Mr. Kemper, the prince of 
 teachers. 
 
 We have said that Mr. Kemper had a high ideal of 
 what a teacher ouglit to be. We have seen what this 
 meant, so far as extensive and accurate scholarship 
 and conscientious preparation for his class work 
 went. We are now to look at it from a different and 
 a higher standpoint. He caused to be printed upon 
 the letter head of the Kemper Family School, this de- 
 vice, " Education, not Teaching, our Life-Work." 
 In these five words we have expressed the most im- 
 portant truths of his professional career. They are 
 words which ought to be engraved upon his monu- 
 ment. The principles which they embody, and which 
 
^ THE EDUCATOR. 311 
 
 were so fully realized in his life, made him without a 
 peer in the school-rooms of Missouri. There are two 
 main thouQ-hts in them. 
 
 He was an Educator, as distinguished from a 
 Teacher. There are some intelligent people, who do 
 not know that there is any difference between these 
 two characters. There is a connection between them. 
 The educator is always a teacher. He teaches as a 
 part of his work of education. The teacher, however, 
 is not always an educator. He may be, and too often 
 is, a sedticafor, if we may coin a word to express an 
 idea. A mere teacher has to do with the intellect 
 alone of his pupil. Indeed his work is hardly so 
 broad even as this. It may be said to exhaust itself 
 mainly upon the memory. His effort is to store the 
 mind of his pupil with truths and facts. If he suc- 
 ceeds, the pupil becomes a man of intelligence. He 
 has acquired knowledge more or less varied and ex- 
 tensive. Knowledge, sa3^s the great inductive phi- 
 losopher, is power, and is in itself a good and veiy 
 desirable possession. There is a sense in which it is 
 true that we cannot have too much of it. There is, 
 however, another sense in which a mind may have 
 too much knowledge. This is true when the facts 
 learned are either of a trivial or of an injurious char- 
 acter. But even with reference to important truth, 
 there ma}^ be a cramming or an overstocking of the 
 mind. As already said on a former page, the human 
 intellect is like the human stomach. Its digestive 
 capacity is limited. Every ounce of food, beyond 
 the digestive power of assimilation, is not only useless 
 but an injury. It docs not strengthen, it weakens. 
 So every truth, lodged in the mind as a piece of un- 
 
312 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 appropriated lumber, does not form a part of the 
 furniture or of the machinery of the soul. It is only 
 so much cumbersome rubbish. But, aside from all 
 this, the teacher does, in his pi-oper sphere, a very 
 necessary and important work. Truth is the food of 
 the soul, and, if given in pure and proper quantities 
 is a part of the life of the spirit. The teacher's work 
 however, at its very best, is, as we have already said, 
 extremely limited. At most it is for the intellect 
 alone. 
 
 The educator, on the other hand, is all that the 
 best teacher is, and he is infinitely more. His work 
 is to form the character, to mould the life, to develop 
 and to direct the immortal powers of man. The ed- 
 ucator is, under God, "a maker of men," av^poa- 
 Ttonoioi — not a portrait-painter, but a man-maker. 
 The educator concerns himself with the body of his 
 pupil, its health and comfort, and especially w4th its 
 proper development, that it may become the best 
 possible home and instrument for its indwelling 
 spirit. He concerns himself with the expected vo- 
 cation of his pupil, to see whether he is adapted to 
 it, and if so, to prepare him for it. He concerns 
 himself with the mind of his pupil, to learn its ap- 
 titudes and weaknesses, that he may take advantage 
 of the former and strengthen the latter. The educa- 
 tor concerns himself with the taste of his pupil, that 
 he may know its tendencies and deficiencies, and di- 
 rect, elevate, and purify it. He concerns himself 
 with the soul, the immortal, spiritual nature of his 
 pupil, that he may be fitted for a life of happy .and 
 holy usefulness in this world and in that which is to 
 come. He concerns himself with all the habits of 
 
THE ED UCA TOR. 3 1 3 
 
 his pupil, that these, tiie outgrowth of his native 
 disposition, his surroundings, and his practices, may 
 be radically changed if bad, and confirmed and ma- 
 'tured if good. The educator, as a potter, sees the 
 boy before him in a sense as a piece of plastic clay, 
 which he is to make or mar, to fashion into an Apol- 
 lo Belvidere, into a Gladstone in embryo ; or else is 
 to dismiss as a distortion, a caricature of manhood, 
 a possible Mephistopheles, a curse to himself and to 
 society. It is a high and holy work that engages 
 the brain and heart of the educator. He is God's 
 truest vicegerent, vicar upon the earth, and needs, 
 therefore, to be most like God in wisdom, love, and 
 patient power. There are many teachers in the 
 school-room ; there are but few educators. 
 
 Every good man is more or less an educator. In 
 proportion as he, consciously or unconsciously, in- 
 fluences and elevates the character of others, he is 
 engaged in the divine work of education. Every 
 minister of the gospel who realizes the spirit of his 
 calling is directly and distinctively an educator. 
 This is his great mission with reference to our fallen 
 race. He is God's chosen instrument, first to change 
 the direction of men's lives, and then to cultivate 
 them for the pure and exalted society of heaven. 
 The mother is the chief educator of the race. To 
 her primarily this sacred work is intrusted. The 
 child is linked to her by the chain of its helplessness, 
 during its earliest, most impressible days. Then it 
 is that, in nine cases out of ten, it receives its moral 
 impulse for time and for eternity. After it leaves 
 her side it rarely changes the general direction oi its 
 character. It becomes an angel or a devil, as she 
 
314 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 has started it upon the path of immortality. She 
 hands the youthful spirit over to the teacher, and for 
 ten years he chares with the parents the chief respon- 
 sibility for the character of the child. If it is already' 
 upon the right road, the teacher is to keep it there, 
 and to aid it to make true and rapid progress in all 
 the elements of a strong and virtuous life. If its 
 moral bearings are downward, if it has already be- 
 gun the career of ruin, he is to arrest it, to turn it 
 about, to show it the better path, to train it for the 
 skies. If he does so he is an educator; if he makes 
 no effort to do so, the blood of that soul will be 
 found upon his skirts. 
 
 Mr. Kemper was a teacher, and a very efficient one. 
 He was remarkably apt and successful as an instruc- 
 tor; and no boy, however ignorant he may have been 
 w^hen he entered the school at Boonville, ever left 
 without a material addition to his stock of valuable 
 information. But Mr. Kemper was more than a 
 teacher — he was an educator. He looked all over 
 and all through a boy, and from the very first day 
 it was his aim to make of that boy all that it was 
 possible for him to become, physically, mentally, and 
 morally. If he failed, as he sometimes did, it was 
 due to one or both of two causes, beyond his power 
 to prevent. Either the boy was already hopelessly 
 ruined, or else the parents failed to sustain the dis- 
 cipline of the school, or both causes conspired to 
 thwart the educator's best efforts. 
 
 There was emblazoned upon the shield, " Educa- 
 tion, not Teaching, our Life-work." These two 
 facts made Mr. Kemper what he was. He was an 
 educator, and education was his life-work. There 
 
THE EDUCATOR. 
 
 *3i5 
 
 is surely nothing stranger in the history of our civili- 
 zation than the false estimate which is put upon the 
 work of the school-room. How many men are there 
 in Missouri to-day, who, at some period of their 
 lives, have undertaken to teach? Of the educated 
 classes, it is doubtless true that a fair majority have 
 done so. How many of these taught five years ? 
 How many ten ? How many of the teachers in the 
 State to-day have taught ten years ? There are more 
 than ten thousand who are now teaching in this 
 broad commonwealth ; are there two hundred of 
 them who have seen a decade's service in the school- 
 house? The report of Dr. Shannon, ex-State Super- 
 intendent of Schools for Missouri, shows that in the 
 year 1882 there were 10,607 teachers in this State em- 
 ployed in the public schools, besides those who 
 taught in private schools, the State University, and 
 the normal schools. Again, how many of the ten 
 thousand now teaching expect to remain at their 
 post for ten years ? How many expect to make it 
 their life-work ? 
 
 These are serious questions, and the answers show 
 not only that there is, in the outside general com- 
 munity, an almost universal apathy as to the bearing 
 of these facts, but also that, among teachers them- 
 selves, it is the exception to find one who intends to 
 make teaching a profession, and to devote his life to 
 its assiduous cultivation. Misses enter the school- 
 room and undertake to teach until they marry. Men 
 do so, as a temporary makeshift, when they have 
 nothing else to do, or as a means to help them to some 
 other and permanent profession. My countrymen, 
 intelligent parents that love your children, it is a 
 
3i6, THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 shame that this is true. You do not intrust a suit, 
 involving a thousand dollars, to a man who is not a 
 professional lawyer. You do not call in, to treat 
 your family when sick, a man who practises medi- 
 cine merely as a stepping-stone to something better. 
 Wh)', then, will you intrust the education of your 
 children, the most high and solemn charge that any 
 man can receive, to 
 
 "Skulls that cannot teach and will not learn ;" 
 
 to men and women who despise the business, and 
 intend to quit it as soon as possible ? 
 
 Parents, you are to blame for this sad state of 
 affairs in our schools. Until teaching is made re- 
 spectable, there will be no improvement. Several 
 things must be changed before teaching becomes a 
 respectable profession. Our common schools must 
 be continued forty weeks in the year. The same 
 teacher must be retained for a series of years ; if 
 possible, for life. But, above all, the teacher must 
 be paid a respectable salary. The report of the 
 State Superintendent of Schools for the year 1882 
 shows that the average annual salary of the public 
 school teachers of Missouri was but a trifle over two 
 hundred dollars — about forty dollars a month for 
 five months' service. Men and women, who respect 
 themselves and who are qualified to educate your 
 children, will not continue to teach for a miserable 
 pittance of forty dollars a month for five months in 
 the year. As soon as w^e make up our minds that 
 we will respect the teacher as we do the lawyer 
 and the doctor, and allow him the same compensa- 
 tion, then we shall have men who will make it their 
 
THE EDUCATOR. 317 
 
 profession, and who will be able to educate our 
 children. Until then it will be as it is now. 
 
 Mr. Kemper believed that education was a profes- 
 sion, like the ministry, law, m.edicine, and statesman- 
 ship, and he devoted his life to it. In his view it 
 required the entire consecration of the best powers 
 of the strongest man for a lifetime to achieve success 
 in it. He considered himself an apprentice for the 
 first twenty-five years of his consecration to the 
 work. Only a devoted man could become a master- 
 workman, even at the close of that long novitiate. 
 He had a contempt for teachers who despised their 
 profession, who rushed in where an angel might fear 
 to tread. For over forty years he knew but one 
 thing. In winter and summer, by day and by night, 
 in sickness and health, in poverty and plenty, he 
 stood at his post, devoting body, mind, soul, prop- 
 erty, time, life itself to the divine work of education. 
 One fact will show the earnest spirit of his conse- 
 cration. For many years he pursued his work, if 
 not in comparative poverty, at least with no adequate 
 remuneration for his services. Think of it! He 
 leaves a memorandum behind him, showing that he 
 and James and Tyre Harris taught an entire school 
 year for some twelve hundred dollars ! Until the 
 death of his father gave him a small patrimony, he 
 was unable to undertake the support of a family, and 
 lived the life of a celibate. Nothing less than a 
 martyr's spirit carried him through those long years 
 of patient, unrequited toil. But he stood true to 
 his post, and would have died there in obscure pen- 
 ury rather than forsake it, for education was meant 
 by him from the beginning to be his life-work. 
 
3i8 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 We revert here to another important fact in his 
 work as an educator. At one time, if we are not mis- 
 taken, he allowed his name to be used by his friends 
 in connection with a professorship in the University 
 of Virginia, and not long after accepted a chair in 
 Westminster College. It is our belief that he after- 
 ward found that these were mistakes ; that his proper 
 position was at the head of an academy. Such was 
 his true sphere, because the real ivork of education is 
 best done in the family boarding-school This was his 
 matured conviction, and in it he was surely right. 
 As the head of the Kemper Family School he was 
 exactly where he ought to be. It was the ideal 
 place for an educator. He was in his own property, 
 untrammeled by trustees, with fifty boys under his 
 absolute control for seven days and seven nights out 
 of every week. Under these circnmstances, as he 
 said, education was reduced to the certainty of law. 
 
 Many intelligent people have never seen this, and 
 pass by such a school to send their boys to the col- 
 lege or the university. It is the judgment of the 
 writer that probably three fourths of the lads who 
 are at our colleges ought to be at some good acad- 
 emy. The college is the place for teaching, but not 
 for education. If a young man has studious habits 
 and a fair mind, he can and wnll become a good ele- 
 mentary scholar by his four years' attendance at the 
 university. If, however, he goes there uneducated, 
 wnth body, mind, and soul out of repair, in all hu- 
 man probability he will return in the same or a 
 worse condition. The professors in a college are in 
 a position to teach, but not to educate their students. 
 Education necessarily involves close, intimate asso- 
 
THE EDUCATOR. 319 
 
 elation between the teacher and his pupil. The 
 teacher must know all about his pupil, must have 
 unlimited control of him, must bring his personal 
 influence to bear directly upon him, or else he cannot 
 educate him. These are impracticable in the col- 
 lege. 
 
 • They are equally so in our crowded public schools. 
 People wonder that these graduate girls and boys 
 who lead a life of crime. It is said that the forth- 
 coming census report for 1880 will reveal^, to some, 
 the astounding fact, that the criminal and helpless 
 classes abound in proportion to the intelligence of 
 the several States. It is not surprising, however, to 
 those who have been looking beneath the surface, 
 and who know that the law of cause and effect pre- 
 vails in the world of morals as it does in the world of 
 matter. We have thousands of teachers all over 
 this country, and the school-house dots almost every 
 hill. We have, however, but few educators, and 
 fewer schools where an educator has any opportunity 
 to do his work. Our public schools, especially in 
 the cities, bring the children together in large masses, 
 in order that they may be taught cheaply at whole- 
 sale. They are taught many things that are found 
 in books. They become familiar with history, tlie 
 sciences, mathematics, and the languages. But what 
 does the teacher know of their habits ? In many 
 cases, what does it concern him ? The result is a 
 generation of sharpened intellects and untrained 
 affections and desires ; of overfed brains who propose 
 to live by their wits. 
 
 What we need in this good land of ours is a 
 Kemper Family School in every county and city ward, 
 
320 THE LIFE OF PROF, KEMPER. 
 
 presided over by Christian men, whose life-work it is 
 to educate the fifty boys who are annually committed 
 to their absolute control. These would constitute, in 
 the aggregate, a body of trained men, who would 
 prove the advance guard in the nation's march toward 
 a higher and a purer civilization. 
 
 The Kemper Family School, as perfected by its 
 founder, was and is the model school for education 
 in Missouri. It is the result of his life-work. In 
 such a school the personal qualities of the ruling 
 spirit are of unspeakable importance. He is its life 
 and soul. He is not only the trainer, but is also the 
 model of those fifty immortal spirits. As he is, he 
 will endeavor to make them. As he is, they are al- 
 m.ost sure in kind, if not in degree, to become. 
 What should such a man be } Certainly a model 
 man — a healthy man, an intelligent man, a culti- 
 vated man, a Christian man. Mr. Kemper realized 
 all this. He felt the responsibility of his position. 
 He knew that he was the cynosure of those immortal 
 eyes ; that his character would be impressed upon 
 them ; that those boys would probably bear his image 
 throughout eternity. Knowing and feeling this, he 
 strove to be what he tried to make them be, a per- 
 fect man, a faithful follower of Jesus Christ. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE MAKER OF MEN. 
 
 " 'The man who rules his spirit,' saith the Voice 
 Which cannot err, ' is greater than the man 
 Who takes a city.' Hence it surely follows, 
 If each might have dominion of himself, 
 And each would govern wisely, and thus show 
 Truth, courage, knowledge, power, benevolence, 
 All the princely soul in private virtiies — 
 Then each would be a prince, a hero — greater — 
 He will be man in likeness of his Maker !" 
 
 Mrs. Hale. 
 
 The preceding chapter has revealed to us the ideal 
 which Mr. Kemper had before him as a scholar, 
 teacher, and professional educator. That he did not 
 fully realize his own ideal is only saying what is true 
 of every man of lofty spirit. We may go further and 
 affirm that, in this world of imperfection, its complete 
 realization is a manifest impossibility, for the simple 
 reason that it demanded perfection. This throws no 
 discredit upon his good, sound judgment. The 
 Master has said, "Be ye perfect," and no impeach- 
 ment of His infinite wisdom can be made, for no moral 
 being can properly aim at less than the perfection of 
 his own character, however far he may come short of 
 the accomplishment. 
 15 
 
32 2 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 That he was conscious of his own failures we could 
 show, if necessary, by frequent quotations from his 
 diaries, which are almost plaintive in the revelations 
 which they make of his sense of self-humiliation. 
 Despite his heroic efforts, he could not reach the 
 cloudless summit of the mountain, and at times he 
 felt like throwing himself down upon the ground in 
 exhausted desperation. It was a heavy burden that 
 he bore. Not alone the care of those fifty boys, for 
 soul, mind, and body, morning, noon, and night, 
 Saturday, Sunday, Monday ; but it was also the 
 slanders of his enemies, the ignorant fault-finding of 
 the parents, the lack of proper appreciation by his 
 friends, and the isolation of a pioneer in an unoccu- 
 pied and unvisited country. There was no one trav- 
 eling with him to the top of that mountain ; though 
 there were^ a few who had caught his spirit and 
 were following him near the base. " Grand, gloomy, 
 and peculiar, he sat upon his throne, a sceptred 
 hermit, wrapt in the solitude of his own originality." 
 
 In this chapter we shall set forth more in detail 
 some of his peculiarities as an educator, or maker of 
 men. We shall first present a few points having 
 reference to himself^as fitting him for his mission. 
 
 We shall begin with that which he considered 
 the foundation, the basis of them all. He was a 
 Christian educator. We do not speak here of his 
 general character as a disciple of Jesus, but simply of 
 it as connected with his professional work. We shall 
 here quote an extract, which he made from the writ- 
 ings of a fellow-laborer, and whose sentiments he 
 adopted as his own : — 
 
 '' Whatever success I may have had as a teacher, I 
 
THE MAKER OF MEN. 323 
 
 attribute it wholly to the grace of God. If I could 
 not pray, I would not teach. The responsibility is 
 too great. I often wonder at my rashness in taking 
 upon myself so important a trust, and daily plead 
 most earnestly for the fruit of the Spirit — meekness, 
 gentleness, love. The spirit of a teacher is very apt 
 to be imbibed by the pupils. 'Tis not a sufficient 
 reward to have the approval of the parents of pupils, 
 though this is gratifying. So to teach them that they 
 may become useful members of society, be happy 
 themselves, make others happy around them ; that 
 they may love God and their neighbors, ' do unto 
 others as they would others should do unto them,' 
 is what I aim at in all my instructions." 
 
 Mr. Kemper sought to be an earnest, intelligent, 
 useful, cheerful Christian, not only for his own sake, 
 but also because of the immortal souls intrusted to 
 his care, and whom he must mould for time and for 
 eternity. No intelligent pupil could fail to see that 
 he made Christianity the basis of his belief, his in- 
 struction, and his discipline. There are texts of Script- 
 ure which he might have put in the shape of motto- 
 cards upon the walls of the school-room. This was 
 unnecessary, and would have been far less efficient 
 than his own frequent and most pointed quotation of 
 them. These passages have rung in the ears of some 
 of us for more than thirty years, and have often 
 proved a warning and a stimulus. 
 
 Another marked feature in his effort to fit himself 
 for the culture and direction of his pupils was his 
 earnest desire and endeavor to secure a perfect control 
 of himself. If he had a hobby, so far as his own pro- 
 fessional fitness was concerned, it was this. His jour- 
 
324 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 nals are, in a sense, full of it. There was no saying 
 of Solomon which he seemed to love so well to quote 
 as, " He that ruleth his spirit is greater than he that 
 taketh a city." Memory seems to say to us that we 
 have heard him repeat it a score of times. Lessing 
 makes one of his characters in " Minna von Barn- 
 helm" say, " Man spricht selten von der Tugend die 
 man hat ; aber desto ofter von der die uns fehlt" — 
 " We seldom speak of the virtue which we have ; but the 
 oftener of that which ive lack. " This may partly explai n 
 Mr. Kemper's admiration of self-control. We know 
 that, in his private writings, he sometimes bemoans 
 his want of this virtue. If we are not mistaken, this 
 is often true of men of positive character. The un- 
 ruly passion is different in different men. With Mr. 
 Kemper there was a special desire and effort to main- 
 tain a mastery of his temper. We believe it to be a 
 universal fact, that all really great characters are 
 endovvcd with this passion to an eminent degree. 
 Indeed it is as the fire to the engine, the source of the 
 power of the mighty motor. Washington is an ex- 
 ample. It is necessary, however, that it be held in 
 strict obedience to the intelligence directing it to the 
 attainment of high moral ends. This was the view 
 which he took. 
 
 Beyond the temptation growing out of any native 
 tendencies, there was that which proceeded from his 
 position as the head of the school government. The 
 discipline of the family and of the school are, and 
 ought to be, autocratic. The school is neither a 
 democracy nor an aristocracy. It is, and must be, 
 an absolute monarchy. The educator, of necessity, is 
 
THE MAKER OF MEN. 325 
 
 the unlimited master of his pupils. This fact is a 
 strong temptation to an imperious temper. 
 
 But these temptations, so far from justifying des- 
 potism in the autocrat of the school, make ii neces- 
 sary that he should conscientiously and rigidly guard 
 himself against it. As he is the embodiment of law, 
 and discharges all the functions of government, 
 legislative, judicial, and executive, it is indispensable 
 that he should also be the impersonation of wise, 
 calm, impartial justice. A teacher who has no con- 
 trol of himself, and plays the passionate tyrant in his 
 management of his pupils, is unfit for his position, 
 and should voluntarily abdicate, or be forced to resign 
 authority which he knows not how to exercise. All 
 this Mr. Kemper well knew, and it made him con- 
 scientiously earnest in his desire and endeavor to 
 obtain a complete mastery over himself. He says, 
 more than once in his journal, that he would as soon 
 be guilty of a crime as of doing injustice to the 
 meanest of his pupils. As an example to his boys, 
 and as necessary to his wise and efficient administra- 
 tion of discipline, he felt that he must learn to govern 
 himself. That he did it, to an eminent degree, will 
 be the testimony of every law-abiding pupil whom he 
 was called upon to educate. 
 
 There is only one other point, so far as his personal 
 characteristics are concerned, to which we will allude. 
 It is his attention to little things. The miscroscope 
 reveals the wisdom of God even more wonderfully 
 than does the telescope. The mind is, indeed, over- 
 whelmed with the sublimity of the conception of 
 infinite power, as it manifests itself in moons, planets, 
 comets and suns — the stellar families of the firma- 
 
326 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 ment ; these families, myriads in number, and yet 
 the nearest neighbors among them millions of miles 
 distant from each other ! But these stars, whether 
 central suns or planetary satellites, are all composed 
 of minute particles, every atom of which reveals the 
 wisdom and omnipotence of their Creator. It is the 
 atom before which the proud intellect of man stands 
 baffled in conscious impotence. He can see how 
 these atoms aggregate into elements, and elements 
 combine into manifold material forms, and material 
 forms make a world, and worlds make a solar 
 system, and solar systems make a universe. But 
 that atom, what is it } Whence came it .? The in- 
 teger of material being, the depository of ma- 
 terial force, unseen by human eye, unmeasured by 
 human compass, it is the final, unimpeached, unim- 
 peachable witness to testify to the being, wisdom, 
 power of the eternal Mind, who brought it forth by 
 creative energy from the depths of nothingness ! Give 
 finite power and wisdom atoms, and it can make ele- 
 ments ; from elements it can make compounds ; from 
 compounds it can make worlds ; from worlds it can 
 make a universe. But what finite mind can make an 
 atom ? It is there we find God. 
 
 It is thus the sublimity of wisdom to attend to little 
 things. Right here Mr. Kemper separated himself 
 from the herd of teachers. Hundreds and thousands 
 of them can teach Latin and Greek, and mathematics, 
 and the sciences. Few there are who will attend to 
 the Horatian metres, to the vivid elucidation of the 
 extraction of the cube root, to tlie proper sounding 
 of the small words of an English sentence, to the 
 accurate pronunciation of every proper name, to the 
 
THE MAKER OF MEN. 327 
 
 manner in which a boy articulates his answers, to the 
 condition in which the floor, and the desks, and the 
 walls of the school-room are kept. We know that 
 there is a tithing of mint and a neglecting of the 
 weightier matters of the law. -We know that a man 
 maybe a mere martinet, punctilious about trifles and 
 careless about great principles. The true man is he 
 who does what Christ enjoins : " These ye ought 
 to have done, and not to leave the other undone.'" Mr. 
 Kemper did not neglect the weightier matters ; and 
 yet there was no nicety of scholarship or of deport- 
 ment which seemed to escape his notice. Let one 
 illustration, of many that might be given, suffice. 
 He taught his pupils punctuation, not only in its 
 general principles, but in its details. For example, 
 there is one right way to point the date at the head 
 of a letter. Every other way is inaccurate and wrong. 
 He told us exactly how to do it. Thirty-five years 
 have rolled away since we heard him teach it, but 
 here it is, just as he gave it to us: 
 
 BooNviLLE, Mo., Jan. i, 1848, 
 Six stops, no more, no less, in the full and partly 
 abbreviated date, as here written. In every de- 
 partment of education he looked after the pennies 
 which make the pounds. 
 
 His attention to minutiae introduces us to some 
 interesting peculiarities of his professional work. 
 
 The first of these ideas to which he gave special 
 prominence as a teacher, was his practice of requir- 
 ing frequent reviews of all the studies pursued. 
 During the ten years while it was the writer s privi- 
 lege to enjoy his instruction, it was his custom to 
 
328 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 devote every Friday to a review of the work of the 
 week. He found reason to modify this plan in his 
 later experience. The change was doubtless a wise 
 one, as there are some branches, and some portions 
 of all studies, which require more speedy and more 
 frequent reviews than do others. The idea, however, 
 is the same. It is the wise teacher who not only 
 adopts it, but also knows how to make the most 
 judicious use of it. It is a necessity for all successful 
 tuition, especially of immature minds. The memory 
 has its laws, in accordance with which it does efficient 
 work. Among these, as laid down by Brown, is 
 the simple subjective law of the frequency of repeti- 
 tion. This lies at the foundation of mental as well 
 as of muscular habit. The first point is the clear 
 vision of the truth, when it is originally given to the 
 mind of the child. When that is gained, the same 
 truth must be brought before him again and again, 
 until he becomes familiar with it as an old acquaint- 
 ance. While older pupils, with cultured and in- 
 quisitive minds, may be expected to do this for them- 
 selves, the younger ones need the personal care of 
 the teacher and the stimulus of actual recitation to 
 secure it. No experienced teacher doubts that an 
 average class, which is exercised in frequent reviews 
 of a subject, will, at the end of the year, know at 
 least twenty-five per cent more of that study than a 
 similar class which has covered the same ground 
 without this exercise. 
 
 The greatest peculiarity of Mr. Kemper as a 
 teacher was what he called the General Exercise. 
 This requires explanation to all who were neither his 
 pupils nor observant patrons. It was simply this : he 
 
THE MAKER OF MEN. 329 
 
 devoted fifteen minutes every day to a lecture, given 
 to the entire school on some interesting- topic of in- 
 formation. This he called the General Exercise. 
 We knov^ from his journal that he prepared himself 
 carefully for it. He made out, during the vacation, 
 a list of these topics, upon which he proposed to talk 
 during the coming session, and made himself familiar 
 with them. Each Saturday he would arrange the 
 subjects to be presented the succeeding week. 
 Every night or morning he would prepare himself 
 for the next Exercise, so as to have all the facts con- 
 cerning it fresh and clear before his mind. In this 
 way he secured accuracy and the condensation of the 
 greatest possible amount of information within the 
 limit of a quarter of an hour's talk. The amount of 
 instruction which he was able to give in these few 
 minutes was in the aggregate very great, and of such 
 a character as many of his pupils w^ould not get from 
 their text-books. 
 
 We have before us one of the lists which he made 
 of these General Exercise Topics. There are over 
 two hundred of them ; enough to occupy him for 
 several years, as many of them would require a week 
 for their presentation. We shall here insert a few 
 of them, taking them from the beginning as they 
 occur : — 
 
 " TOPICS FOR GENERAL EXERCISE. 
 
 " I. History from image of Nebuchadnezzar. 
 
 " 2. How a fly walks on the ceiling. 
 
 '' 3. Nature of fog, dew, rain, hail, snow, winds, 
 storms, thunder, liglitning, meteors, meteoric stones, 
 water. 
 
 •5* 
 
330 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 ''4. Names of months and days of week, with the 
 number of days in each month. 
 
 "5. Seasons. Day and night. Sun nearest in 
 winter, but no more heat. 
 
 "6. Weather, climates, isothermal lines. 
 
 " 7. Why a mosquito bite swells. 
 
 "8. Why the skin breaks out in hot weather. 
 
 " 9. How and why we perspire. 
 
 " 10. Circumference of earth by N. P. star. 
 
 "11. Latitude and longitude. 
 
 " 12. Any experiments in chemistry from Dalton's 
 300. 
 
 " 13. Ancient and modern modes of reasoning. 
 Bacon's inductive method. 
 
 " 14. Distance of sun and moon by parallax. 
 
 " 15. What is known of distances of fixed stars by 
 annual parallax, and what of distances of nebulas by 
 proportionate telescopic effects." 
 
 These will serve as illustrations, Most of these 
 concern the natural sciences, but as we proceed we 
 find that almost the entire field of human knowledge 
 is covered by them. Those who were his pupils 
 doubtless recall this as one of the most valued feat- 
 ures in the school life at Boonville. The amount 
 of information thus given and received was great. 
 So far as important, practical ideas are concerned, it 
 was probably equal to that which many received 
 from the study of their text-books. 
 
 Another peculiar feature in Mr. Kemper's man- 
 agement of the school was the frequeitcy of recesses. 
 The plan of the " old field" schools was to begin at 
 sunrise and to dismiss at sunset, with little or no 
 recreation in the mean while. Some now think that 
 
THE MAKER OF MEN. 331 
 
 those were the good old days, and that their customs 
 should be restored. Leaving altogether out of view 
 the weary irksomeness of such protracted and unre- 
 lieved sessions, they were altogether inexpedient, 
 for the reason that more is accomplished in the 
 shorter hours of the new system. Mr. Kemper had 
 the reputation of being a very strict teacher, and 
 such he undoubtedly was. There was a determined 
 earnestness about him in the school-room which 
 would not brook disobedience or idleness. It will 
 therefore in this connection be a surprise to many 
 persons to learn that he probably allotted more 
 time to recreation than did any other teacher in Mis- 
 souri. It was his custom to give the entire school 
 an intermission of eight minutes every hour. There 
 were two recesses, therefore, in the forenoon, and 
 two in the afternoon. He divided each hour into 
 four quarters, having the bell rung at the end of 
 every quarter. In connection with this arrangement 
 every pupil was allowed to protract one of his fore- 
 noon and one of his afternoon recesses, so as to in- 
 clude the first quarter of the next hour. Taking 
 them altogether, these aggregated fifty-four minutes 
 during the day, or nearly one hour out of the six. 
 At the regular recesses, every boy who was not un- 
 der discipline was expected to go out upon the play- 
 ground and fill his lungs with fresh air. As result- 
 ing from this, no pupil became " sicklied o'er with 
 the pale cast of thought;" the body was kept in vig- 
 orous condition, the brain preserved its clearness, 
 and there was no excuse for idleness during the 
 time allotted to study. Every pupil was required to 
 give his earnest and undivided attention to the les- 
 
332 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 son before him. By this means the utmost possible 
 amount of information was gleaned by the student 
 from his book, and, what was still more important, 
 there was induced a habit of concentration of mind 
 which proved invaluable to him in after life. We 
 know a Kemper boy whose experience illustrates 
 this. When he went to college he roomed next to a 
 student who was devoted to the violin. Early and 
 late, in season and out of season, that instrument 
 was kept at work. It was an intolerable nuisance to 
 nearly all in the building who wished to study. It 
 did not disturb the Kemper boy. He had learned to 
 fix his thoughts on the book before him. We have seen 
 him since, unmoved and apparently unconcerned, 
 while writing or grappling with knotty questions, or 
 reading a book requiring thought, with his own and 
 other children making merry all around him. He 
 owes this largely to Mr. Kemper's frequent recesses, 
 which enabled him, when a lad, to form this habit 
 of fixed attention. 
 
 Mr. Kemper's rule was absolute, that nothing but 
 study was to be allowed in study time. This rule did 
 not mean that the pupil should keep his eye fixed 
 upon the book, as though he were petrified into a 
 statue. The teacher's practised eye could readily 
 detect when this attention was merely mechanical 
 and bodily. Such compliance with the letter, to the 
 neglect of the spirit, was not tolerated. It was worse 
 than a more open violation of the rule, For it added 
 to idleness, and loss of time, and neglect of improve- 
 ment, that which is worse than them all — hypocrisy. 
 If such an evasion of a wise law had been allowed, 
 Mr. Kemper could have made but a poor claim to be 
 
THE MAKER OF MEN. 333 
 
 considered an educator. There is no trait of char- 
 acter more radically vicious than hypocrisy. Hon- 
 esty, truthfulness, frankness — this is the basis of 
 true manhood. A heart that is without it is hollow, 
 rotten to the very core. Nothing but study in study 
 time meant a whole-souled devotion to the subject 
 treated of in the book before the eye of the pupil. 
 '' The double-minded man is unstable in all his ways." 
 
 " There lies no desert in the land of life ; 
 
 For e'en that tract which barrenest doth seem, 
 
 Labored of thee in faith and hope, shall teem 
 
 With heavenly harvests and rich gatherings'rife." 
 
 Perfect attention to the matter in hand suggests 
 another principle in his management of the school. 
 He required that every lesson should hQ perfectly learned. 
 This is apparently a harsh regulation. Yet it is not. 
 It was prompted by a wise regard for the best inter- 
 ests of his pupils. It was essential to the success 
 of his work as a teacher, and was no less a part of his 
 effort to secure a true education. It was one of his 
 maxims, that there is no knowledge which, so far as 
 it goes, is not perfect knowledge. Everything else 
 is mist, confusion, conjecture, uncertain guessing. 
 If a fact or truth is known, it is known ; if it is'not 
 known, it is simply not known. It was one of his 
 favorite aphorisms, in addressing his pupils, " If you 
 know a thing, you know it as well as anybody knows 
 it." He was careful to assign such lessons as were 
 well within the reach of the industrious boy of aver- 
 age capacity. Short lessons perfectly known were 
 better, he thought, than long ones superficially 
 scanned. Depth, not breadth, quality not quantity, 
 was his judgment. He would not hear an imper- 
 
334 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 feet recitation. If there were reasons that justified it, 
 the same portion vv^ould be assigned for the next day. 
 Ordinarily the delinquent pupil was required to make 
 up the deficiency in the hours set apart for recre- 
 ation. It must be perfectly recited before release 
 was given. 
 
 Not only for the knowledge thus acquired, but 
 even more for its influence on the character of the 
 pupil, was this a wholesome rule. The world is full 
 of abortions. The professions and the trades alike 
 show them. The man who makes a perfect shoe, 
 and the lawyer who prepares his pleadings wuth ar- 
 tistic accuracy, are the exceptional few. They are 
 the elite of their class. Every shoemaker and every 
 lawyer ought, because he may do this. It is not 
 because he cannot, it is because he will not. He 
 was never drilled to accuracy. He was never made 
 to do a thing seven times until he did it exactly 
 right. His habits were so formed when he was a 
 boy; so formed at home, so formed at school. With 
 him the rule is, '' Well enough is good enough." 
 As a result, he is a botch, a failure — at best, a me- 
 diocre. If he had been drilled by his teacher to learn 
 his lessons perfectly, as a matter of principle, as an 
 element of his chai-acter, his habits would have been 
 so moulded, and he would have carried them into 
 the duties of his mature life. Every pupil of Mr. 
 Kemper has reason to thank him that he was held to 
 the rule of perfect accuracy. In knowledge and in 
 character, the mass of men are like the old woman 
 who could always " tell" good " bluein','' it would 
 either sink or swim, she could not tell which. 
 
 One of the best points in Mr. Kemper's character 
 
THE MAKER OF MEN. 335 
 
 as a teacher is brought out in the following letter. 
 It is to his niece, Miss Jasper Bocock, in the prospect 
 of her leaving Virginia to make her home with him : 
 
 " BooNViLLE, Mo., Jan. 9, 1878. 
 
 "Jasper — My Dear Child: Your liule note pleases me 
 much. Every point in it pleases me. Your apprehension lest 
 you would not altogether suit, or be suited, shows caution and 
 prudence. • • ' 
 
 "Your fears are like those of Bunyan's Pilgrim. You will find 
 the lions chained. A woman of real character, so far from being 
 out of place in a boy's school, is the ' bright particular star' in 
 the firmament. If you want to study for some years, we can at 
 least give you time to study, self-support, and a masculine drill 
 that girls need, and do not often get at their schools. We don't 
 promise much salary till a girl is thoroughly fitted to earn it, here 
 or elsewhere. We can use all your German, and probably 
 French. You would do well to learn to speak both fluently. 
 . . . Now I think you are the farthest possible from a super- 
 numerary. Do as I tell you, without fear, and you can work 
 yourself up to be a necessity to us, no less than the joy of our 
 household. Will you do it ? 
 
 "The only thing you and your mother will miss is the charm 
 of old Virginia society. We are a mixed population, and every 
 one must have resources in himself. Can you bear the transi- 
 tion ? Compared with Virginia, we are new. But in many 
 things we are ahead of her. I have lost all the Virginian's clan- 
 nishness, and think it a great deal better to love one's fellow- 
 men than it is to love the Virginians. 
 
 " If you come, we will make geometry your especial pleasure, 
 notwithstanding your present aversion. Bocock and Kemper 
 blood ought to do anything. 
 
 "Another paradox: we could soon, after the first year, have 
 you teaching our senior class. But it would take several years 
 before we would trust you to teach the beginners. 
 
 "Haven't you a mission? Everybody has a mission that 
 has two hands to work, or nerves to suffer pain. ' They also 
 serve who only stand and wait.' Whether working, suffering, or 
 waiting, if we do it well, there is a glory, and character, and a 
 
S3^ THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 reward, in comparison with which the questions of wealth and 
 poverty, married or single life, popularity or persecution, are 
 baubles. 
 
 " Love to Willis and your mother. Write me a letter, pouring 
 out your heart. Your loving uncle, 
 
 -^'F. T. Kemper." 
 
 We refer, of course, to his paradox, that he would 
 intrust the care of his senior class to his fliece years 
 before he could his beginners. Popular opinion, as 
 tested bj general custom, is the reverse of this. The 
 fundamental work of starting children up the hill of 
 knowledge and of forming their first habits, is usual- 
 ly given to inexperienced, brainless girls, or to equal- 
 ly brainless and ignorant old women. There never 
 was a graver or a sadder mistake. The best mind in 
 a faculty should be put in charge of the preparatorv 
 classes. There is no portion of a child's school life 
 so important as its first five years. Those well-spent, 
 success is assured. Those wasted, or, as is usual, 
 worse than wasted, all future efforts are compara- 
 tively futile. In nothing was Mr. Kemper wiser than 
 in the special care which he gave to the primary 
 classes. Some of our best schools give the same or 
 higher wages to the teachers of the preparatory 
 studies. 
 
 One of the most marked peculiarities of Mr. 
 Kemper's management of the school we have had 
 occasion to notice in its early history. It was his 
 adoption of the system of the Quaker Lancaster, in 
 the free use of piLpil monitors to assist him in the 
 work of the school-room. He employed them as 
 subordinate teachers. In the first days of the school 
 at Boonville this was a necessity. The revenues did 
 
THE MAKER OF MEN. 337 
 
 not justify the employment of paid assistants. It 
 was not Mr, Kemper's conviction that sucli teachers 
 were equal, much less superior, to those whom he 
 might have chosen as salaried assistants. This is 
 manifest from the fact that when the income of the 
 school justified it, as it did in its later history, he dis- 
 carded the plan of pupil teachers, and used the other 
 system. The year he died the total enrollment of 
 pupils was sixty-two, and yet five teachers were em- 
 ployed besides himself to give them instruction. 
 The enrollment of 1846-47 was seventy-five, and he 
 had no assistance except from his pupils. It is a 
 benefit to the pupils who are thus employed as 
 subordinate teachers, but of course they are not 
 equal to those who make teaching their regular 
 business. Mr. Kemper, however, to the very last, 
 employed his own former pupils as his regular 
 teachers. During the more than forty years of 
 his professional life, he did not have half a dozen 
 teachers who had not been his own pupils. No fact 
 of his administration showed greater wisdom than 
 this. 
 
 But the monitor system was used by Mr. Kemper 
 quite extensively in other parts of school work be- 
 sides teaching. One rang the bell at the end of each 
 quarter of an hour. One inspected the desks daily, 
 to see that they were kept clean and in order. One 
 attended to the ventilation of the room during the 
 recesses. One, as sheriff, had charge of those who 
 were "kept in" during recess. One inspected the 
 schedules, to see that each boy had one in good con- 
 dition, and that he was complying with it. One at- 
 tended to the condition of the fires ; another to bring 
 
S3^ T/I£ LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 ing water, which, at a regular time, was distributed. 
 One had general charge of the cleanliness of the 
 room, floor, desks, benches, walls. 
 
 This system will commend itself to the practical 
 wisdom of every teacher. It saves the principal a 
 great deal of care, worry, and time. By confiding 
 these minor matters to chosen pupils, their self-re- 
 spect is increased. It was not always the best who 
 were selected for these offices. They were sometimes 
 used as a moral stimulus to a boy, and his moral 
 character was strengthened and improved thereby. 
 The duties were more efficiently discharged than 
 they could have been by the principal, in the midst 
 of his many responsibilities. 
 
 Allusion was made above to a monitor, who was 
 inspector of schedules. This suggests another distinc- 
 tive feature of the school. Every pupil, from the 
 youngest to the oldest, was required to have a pro- 
 gramme of his daily duties. As has been said, the 
 regular school hours were divided into quarters, 
 which were announced by the tapping of the bell. 
 For each of these divisions a regular duty was as- 
 signed to each pupil. These were written down 
 upon his schedule, and he was required to conform 
 his daily habits strictly to this programme. This was 
 true not only of his recitations, but also of the divi- 
 sions allotted to study. That is, one or more divi- 
 sions were assigned to the study of spelling ; these 
 and no others must be appropriated to this work. 
 So of every other study. 
 
 There are several advantages connected with this 
 
 arrangement. It saves all confusion of mind on the 
 
 _part of the student as to what he must do next. It 
 
THE MAKER OF MEN. 339 
 
 enables the principal to see at a glance whether he 
 has made a wise distribution of his time. Their 
 chief benefit, however, was in their educational in- 
 fluence upon the character of the boy ; the plan led 
 him to be methodical in his habits. 
 
 This leads us to refer to another prominent feature 
 in Mr. Kemper's administration, of which the pre- 
 ceding is an illustration. He was thoroughly sys- 
 tematic himself, and required his pupils to be so. 
 This principle was extended to everything. There 
 was a certain way that a boy must sit at his desk, 
 not as a motionless statue, but with head erect and 
 front face. There was a certain way that he must 
 move across the room, quickly and quietly. There 
 was a certain way that he must stand at recitation, 
 erect, without support, and toeing the mark. There 
 was a certain way that he must hold the book while 
 reading; and there was a certain finger and part of 
 the finger that he must use in pointing to his words. 
 Everything was orderly and systematic. The very 
 tones of his voice were controlled. He must have 
 nothing in his mouth or before his mouth, and he 
 must speak promptly and distinctly. Everything 
 must be kept perfectly neat. There must be no mark- 
 ing of the desks, benches, walls ; there must be no 
 littering of the floor by scraps of paper or by spitting. 
 As the president of a school for girls, the writer is 
 ashamed to say that he has never been able to keep 
 his study halls and recitation rooms as neat as were 
 those of the Male Collegiate Institute. 
 
 Some may think that all this was overnice and 
 particular. Let such consider that Mr. Kemper was 
 an e-ilucator, a maker of men, and no habit which 
 
340 THE LIFE OF PROF, KEMPER. 
 
 contributed to perfection of character was to be de- 
 spised by him. None of these niceties consumed 
 unnecessary time or interfered with study, while they 
 all contributed to the pupil's sense of self-respect, 
 and laid the foundation for system and neatness in 
 subsequent life. It is interesting to observe the in- 
 fluence of this early discipline. Take one trivial il- 
 lustration. We were taught not to deface the school 
 property. Among other things, he would say : 
 "Suppose I were visiting you, and, sitting in your 
 parlor, I should take my knife and scratch the 
 chairs and deface the piano, what would you think 
 of me ?" To this day, though often in the midst of 
 whittlers on the street, the writer has never been able 
 to bring himself to cut an empty dry-goods box. It 
 is Mr. Kemper's work. No boy who formed those 
 habits then has ever regretted them since. 
 
 But one more fact, and we are through with this 
 poor sketch of him as an educator. He assigned his 
 pupils only thi-ee studies at a time. This he would have 
 preferred as a teacher, this he was forced to do as an 
 educator. Most of our schools are conducted on the 
 theory of tuition — that the one great object is to 
 pack the mind as a storehouse with the treasures of 
 knowledge. As a consequence, every possible branch 
 is put into the curriculum, and the poor boy is forced 
 to cram it into his cranium. Take up the catalogues 
 of our popular schools, and you will find that each 
 class is expected to carry some six or eight studies at 
 a time. This we suppose is done; but it is our judg- 
 ment that more real knowledge would be obtained 
 during the four years' course, were only half the 
 number of branches pursued at a time.- 
 
THE MAKER OF MEN. 341 
 
 However this may be, we have no doubt of the 
 relative influence of the two systems upon the mental 
 development of the student. There are two reasons 
 why the cramming process is to be condemned, from 
 the educational standpoint. The mind is injured 
 when the memory is burdened with more truths than 
 the reasoning powers can properly elaborate and 
 digest. Such men become mental dyspeptics. They 
 are either lean and emaciated dyspeptics, because 
 even the memory is unable to retain the excessive 
 pabulum committed to it, or else they become 
 bloated dyspeptics, without nerve or muscle, with the 
 fats and sugars all absorbed, and the albuminoids all 
 rejected. 
 
 Another resulting evil is that this system tends to 
 induce the habit of superficiality. Let two students, 
 of the same capacity and industry, be compared under 
 the two systems. Let the one be given six studies, 
 and the other three. They each devote six hours a 
 day to faithful study. The one will give an average 
 of two hours to each branch; the other, of course, 
 only one. No ambitious, thorough mind ever found 
 that it had too much time to devote to any study. 
 If he wishes to go well into the subject, to learn all 
 about it, his two hours will pass away, and he will 
 wish for more. The other, however ambitious and 
 thorough he may be disposed to be, finds that it con- 
 sumes all his time, using the utmost diligence, to 
 obtain the truths which lie upon the surface of his 
 studies. The natural result is, that the one mind is 
 trained to habits of full and deep study, while the 
 other is forced to content himself with skimming the 
 surface. 
 
342 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 There are many other things which we might say 
 about Mr. Kemper as an educator. It would be well 
 perhaps to discuss some of his peculiarities as a dis- 
 ciplinarian. This the writer forbears to do, for more 
 than one reason. Candor compels him to say that 
 his maturer judgment has not approved some of the 
 features of the penal code of his revered teacher. 
 We believe that he was far better adapted to the edu- 
 cation of what are known as good boys, than he was 
 to the reclamation of those who were known as bad. 
 Moreover, he believes that this was Mr. Kemper's own 
 judgment of himself. No man is perCecc, and this is 
 the one serious criticism which we would make of 
 him as an educator; and in this he may have been 
 right and we wrong. 
 
 Take him all in all, as a teacher and as an educator, 
 both in its negative and positive aspects, it is our 
 profound conviction that Missouri has never had his 
 equal, and the country never his superior. Brethren 
 of the school-room, he was our Nestor, our model. 
 
 " Like some tall cliff that lifts its awful form, 
 Swells from the vale, and midway leaves the storm ; 
 Though round its breast the swelling clouds are spread. 
 Eternal sunshine settles on its head." 
 
CHAPTER XVIIL 
 
 THE SAGE. 
 
 " Knowledge is proud, thai he has learned so much ; 
 Wisdom is humble, that he knows no more." 
 
 COWPER. 
 
 Wisdom as a practical virtue is to be seen in acts 
 rather than in words. Every wise act, however, is 
 but the outward realization of a prior wise thought, 
 which prompted and directed it. Unfortunately 
 wisdom of opinon and wisdom of life are sometimes, 
 divorced ; the former may exist without the latter. 
 Sometimes these wise thoughts do not reveal them- 
 selves in words, but only in deeds. This is their best 
 expression, in one light ; and yet, for general use- 
 fulness " A word fitly spoken, how good is it ; it is 
 like apples of gold in pictures of silver.'' 
 
 We have thought it, therefore, desirable to gather 
 together into this chapter some of the more interest- 
 ing and valuable thoughts of Mr. Kemper, as we have 
 found them scattered through his journals and com- 
 monplace books. They will thus serve a double 
 purpose, as a revelation of his inner self, and as food 
 for reflection to those who may read these pages. 
 They will be arranged under two general heads — i, 
 TJiose which bear upon education ; and, 2, Those of 
 a more ofeneral character. 
 
344 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 EDUCATIONAL MAXIMS. 
 
 " The chief art of learning, says Locke, is to at- 
 tempt but little at a time." 
 
 '" Only save every moment of time that you now 
 lose, and you will be able to do anything.' — Todd." 
 
 " ' Make all you read your own, and you will soon 
 be rich in intellectual treasures.' — Ibid." 
 
 " Resolved never to punish a boy without clear 
 conviction of its necessity, and not in a passion." 
 
 '' Must do good. Pupils feel your character giving 
 weight to precepts." 
 
 " I will estimate my knowledge_by the number of 
 ideas, not by volumes or pages gone over." 
 
 " Great power is in the pen as a means of im- 
 provement." 
 
 " My school is too complex for one man to teach. 
 I must change my plan, in order that my energies 
 may be successfully applied. In either an infant 
 school, a common, or a high school, I might work to 
 my mind, if I could live by it." [Fie subsequently 
 acted accordingly.] 
 
 " Education first, Education last, Education al- 
 ways, with the Bible for the foundation and cap- 
 stone.'' 
 
 " The faithful teacher will industriously employ 
 all his time in school for the good of his scholars 
 (and out of school too) ; but after all he may find it 
 desirable to employ monitors to do one half the acts 
 that an unwise teacher will perform himself. Let 
 the teacher answer no question, do no work that can 
 be done as well by a scholar ; not that he may be 
 idle, but most efficiently employed." 
 
 " The professional teacher must be at home (as 
 
THE SAGE. 345 
 
 any other artist in his peculiar calling) at calculating 
 every eclipse as it occurs : analyzing every plant and 
 flower in his walks ; analyzing all the soils and 
 minerals, in his walks and vacation excursions ; con- 
 versing with fulness, and interest, and charming in- 
 struction on any topic in history that may be started 
 in his presence, or in polite literature ; demonstrating 
 any theorem, or solving any problem in his course 
 of mathematics, pure or mixed ; know his own work 
 for each hour as it passes, and that of his pupils, and 
 his own time and others' for each study daily, and 
 how long to finish." 
 
 '' Let everything be done with clear motives and 
 superior excellency, and your heart will soon be in 
 your work, and success will crown the result. It is 
 as necessary for the teacher to be * interestingly em- 
 ployed,' as for the pupil." 
 
 " Have no boy of whom you cannot be proud. 
 They are your representatives ; and as you labor 
 faithfully, it is right to labor so wisely as to get credit 
 for it." 
 
 " OPPOSITION IS THE BADGE OF MERIT. 
 
 ' My dark-eyed darling ! don't you know, 
 
 If you were homely, cold, and stupid, 
 Unbeni for you were slander's bow? 
 
 Her shafts but follow those of Cupid. 
 Dear child of genius, strike the lyre, 
 
 And drown with melody delicious, 
 Soft answering to your touch of fire. 
 
 The envious hint, the sneer malicious. 
 
 ' Remember, it is music's law, 
 
 Each pure, true note, though low you sound it, 
 Is heard through discord's wildest roar 
 Of rage and madness storming round it. 
 i6 
 
346 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 Serenely go your glorious way, 
 
 Secure that every footstep onward 
 Will lead you from their haunts away, 
 Since you go up, and they go downward.' 
 
 Mrs. Osgood." 
 
 '^ Labor, not pretended, but iinfeigried, interested 
 and devoted, is essential for teacher and pupil. This 
 clock doen'st run by weights, but by constant pull- 
 ing-" 
 
 '^ The teacher's manners toward his pupils, if he is 
 right, will not be — {a) those of society in general, 
 but those of a drillmaster; nor {p) those of a 
 meditative philosopher, calmly walking out to mor- 
 alize upon the nature of man ; but those of Cyrus's 
 commanders, when ordering the wheels to be lifted 
 out of the mud. {c) They will not be those of a man 
 seeking favor with the public, and afraid lest he 
 should lose it ; but those of a master-workman, who 
 can and does exact of the best portion of the public 
 to come up to his standard." 
 
 " Idleness persisted in is to be treated as wanton- 
 ness and rebellion." 
 
 " Perhaps all a teacher's errors and failures may, 
 in some way or other, be referred to neglect of little 
 things. See Jesus, the son of Sirach." 
 
 " The teacher may try it, and he will find that, in his 
 questions on the chart or mathematical demonstra- 
 tions, he loses his freedom and buoyancy, and power 
 to excite mind, when he has to refer to his book." 
 
 " Self-knowledge is secured by the application of 
 a perfect system of school regulations. ' 
 
 " Make most of each minute in recitation, by, ist, 
 knowing the lesson perfectly in whole and part; 2nd, 
 
THE SAGE. 347 
 
 by unlearning the lesson, or studying the mental 
 process of the boy in studying." 
 
 *' All scholars must know all their lessons all the 
 time. Nothing less is the standard." 
 
 " A boy's condition at a good school is that of a 
 triumphant victor, rejoicing as a giant to run a 
 race 
 
 ' (The noblest hero of the whole 
 Is he who does himself control) '; 
 
 or, it is that of the quarry slave, scourged to his dun- 
 geon, chafed perpetually by the cords that bind him." 
 
 '' The art of making men is the highest of arts. It 
 is an art — a difficult art — comprehending so many 
 arts, sciences, and moral principles, that, like the law 
 of gravitation, it was long unknown, and now is only 
 dimly appreciated by those who occupy 'the higher 
 regions of thought.' " 
 
 " The elements of language, properly taught, so 
 cultivate the powers that any language can be learned 
 as a by-business. See Milton on learning Italian." 
 
 " Never talk to a class unless the attention of 
 every member is fixed. As well teach a boy asleep 
 as inattentive, and far better. For an ineffectual 
 effort to do a boy good sears his susceptibilities, 
 hardens his heart." 
 
 " Whatever a boy says /// any redtafion^ is to be used 
 ■AS an exercise in propriety of speech,'' 
 
 " Break up entirely the mere mechanical coming 
 to school, and going through the round of recitations, 
 moving in a circle, withoiLt obvious advance. If a little 
 boy spells but one word at a lesson, let him know 
 everything about that word. The least motion for- 
 ward, if rightly done, is moving fast." 
 
348 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 "Let things be in the understanding before they 
 are put into the memory." 
 
 " Experience will show that numeration is the most 
 important rule ; it is the science of arithmetic." 
 
 " Self-possession and self-government before any 
 action." 
 
 "A good teacher is not the man who can answer 
 an interrogatory of an inquiring mind ; but a man 
 who first excites inquiiHes in the mind of dulness and 
 then answers them." 
 
 " Moral qualifications are more essential in a 
 teacher than intellectual, and the great moral con- 
 servator is prayer. He needs not to attempt to bring 
 his pupils to be influenced by their consciences, 
 unless he is himself." 
 
 " One grand reason for the unhappiness of the 
 teacher's life is, that his mind is oiU of his business. 
 He is looking forward to something else. As soon 
 as he can^ by the permission of the public, he is off 
 from the scene of his rage and torment, to get a 
 breath of fresh air and enjoy himself. There is 
 matter enough in science and in the imparting of it, 
 matter enough in the worth of a human mind, to 
 claim the teacher's attention, study, highest interest 
 and pleasure." 
 
 " The teacher's employment is often small to an 
 observer, when it is most philosophical and most 
 important. The teacher is as greatly employed in 
 teaching addition, as in teaching the calculation 
 of eclipses. The multitude do not see this ; but it 
 is because they think God is in the whirlwind, 
 the fire, the storm, when He is in the still small 
 voice." 
 
THE SAGE. 349 
 
 " ' Who reigns within himself, and rules 
 
 Passions, desires and fears, is more than king.' 
 
 Milton. 
 
 Is not the sublime picture of Milton the very essen- 
 tial requisite of a good teacher?" 
 
 '' When a boy is getting along badly, learn his sched- 
 ule ; give him more time and attention ; help him, 
 though undeserving, and you will love him better." 
 
 " When a boy is in a bad spirit, all that he does is 
 wrong, and it is useless to particularize. From the 
 time of his rising till he is asleep, if there is not 
 something wrong, it is because there is no opportu- 
 nity for it." 
 
 "The teacher need not fear that other teachers will 
 copy his plans, use his thunder, rise on his merits. If 
 a visitor could come into your school, and, by looking 
 on, wind himself up like a clock, which would then 
 operate in his own school, the teacher might fear 
 being supplanted by one of less merit. But no 
 teacher can copy another's excellences without copy- 
 ing his excellent spirit, his true manhood, his schol- 
 arly knowledge, and his technical knowledge of his 
 profession. Of all such copyists, the professional 
 teacher may well exclaim, ' Would that the Lord's 
 people were all prophets ! ' " 
 
 " ' I will pray for them first, and then I have no 
 fears that I will do them harm, either by my thoughts 
 or words.'— S. H. T.'s note. (Apply to bad boys, ig- 
 norant and bad parents, and to all who vex me in 
 any way.)" 
 
 " Knowledge, perfect as the best author, perfect as 
 the best scholai^ is required to recite, perfect as law of 
 mind requires the teacher to attain." 
 
35 o THE LIFE OF PROF, KEMPER. 
 
 " Look over roll to prepare for teaching Avith ref- 
 erence to the scholar's progress, his knowledge, in- 
 terest, moral character, and destination, parental 
 relation, etc." 
 
 " The teacher's talisman consists in three things : — 
 First, A right mental and moral condition in self and 
 scholars. ^Second, Attention to minutiae, as to con- 
 dition and progress ; e.g. what, how, where, and why 
 of spelling lessons. Third, Drilling in business qual- 
 ifications, accounts, mensuration, interest, letter-writ- 
 ing, good as to penmanship and diction." 
 
 " There is no danger of the honest teacher being 
 unfaithful ; but great danger of not being intellectually 
 employed each hour he teaches. (I refer to clear, 
 serene, strong intellect.) Secure the latter at all 
 hazards." 
 
 " There are things that are essential, without which 
 greatness and goodness cannot exist — viz. (i) Spirit 
 of prayer. (2) Clear plan and knowledge. (3) Dig- 
 nity and kindness — no shame. (4) Firmness and sub- 
 ordination in school. No pains to be spared for 
 these." 
 
 " I must go out of myself to my business, and return 
 to myself with pleasure. So even public worship, 
 and private too, are means. They must be used by an 
 intelligent agent, w^ho uses them and is not a nonentity, 
 or a passive being suffering their influence to fall 
 upon him. This will effectually save the teacher 
 from the trituration of little cares, and make him 
 strong as a giant, by daily conquering and control- 
 ling himself." 
 
 " True and steady estimate of my profession as a 
 teacher. Not, at one time elated to sublimest flights 
 
THE SAGE. 351 
 
 of philosophy ; and at another, debased to the level 
 of the itinerant, starveling kicked-out pedagogue." 
 
 " Teacher's greatest danger is from abnormal action 
 — physical, intellectual, and moral. The farmer gets 
 exercise and fresh air without thinking about them- 
 But the teacher must think about them and provide 
 for them, watch his own feelings and comfort, and 
 capability for business. He must make these the 
 rule of his system of exercise, diet, etc., and no dictum 
 of the physiologist. 
 
 " On the other hand, the farmer and most mechani- 
 cal employments require little of mental or moral 
 quality in their performance ; while the teacher is 
 all the time, and must of necessity be, performing 
 moral action, and that about the most minute things, 
 and always in circumstances specially trying. Then 
 mind, as the material he works on and the instrument 
 he works with, depraved nature to mould and control 
 in the pupil, the same in himself, and previous bad 
 habits in both. 
 
 " What but so walking with God as not to fulfil 
 the lusts of the flesh can keep that calm balance of 
 the powers, which make those powers successful, or 
 intelligently or comfortably employed? His petty 
 cares, like his manner of doing everything, require 
 mi nil fe attention, not slight but minute, exact attention- 
 He may neglect whenever neglect causes no petty^ 
 abnormal action. But let him remember that the 
 smaller the duty, the greater the danger of sin stealing 
 in unperceived. Economists save dimes. Christians 
 must mind every idle word; and he that despiseth 
 small things shall fall by little and little." 
 
 " Let the teacher have all right before God and 
 
352 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 man, before self and scholars ; let perfect truth and 
 holiness swell his bosom, and you can as soon pre- 
 vent a little leaven from leavening the whole lump, as 
 to prevent his usefulness, respectability, and hap- 
 piness." 
 
 " No scholar is so bad (if good enough to remain 
 in school) but a perfect teacher will secure his respect, 
 and control his powers, unconsciously to the scholar 
 himself. Every humble, pious man is respected. 
 ' When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh 
 even his enemies to be at peace with him.' ' Men 
 Vi\\\ praise thee, when thou doest well for thyself.' " 
 
 "'I venerate the man who knows what he means.' 
 — German Poet (quoted memoriter) . N ow the teacher 
 must know in regard to religion, health, profession, 
 toil, recreation, etc., etc." 
 
 "Under all provocations and petty cares, reflect 
 in a manly manner— not what punishment is deserved, 
 but what is proper for me to do." 
 
 "In order to usefulness to fellow-men, success 
 among them, or even admission to their society, 
 health, cheerfulness, and oneness of character are 
 requisite, perhaps essential, to the teacher, who vol- 
 untarily resigns the influence of wealth, fame, and 
 pleasure. All must be right within, that all may be 
 right without." 
 
 « " Let the educator enter upon his profession with 
 the perseverance of Forcellinus, who spent forty 
 years on his great lexicon." 
 
 " Resolved to learn more by conversation, and to make 
 my recitations a converse of the soul of self and 
 scholars. Thus we shall learn more, be happier in 
 learning, and retain it longer." 
 
THE SAGE. 353 
 
 '•'■ The teacher in studying must not do this to make 
 men distinguish him as a very learned man, above 
 most of his fellow-men. This isolation from his 
 fellows would make him lonely, unhappy, and unfit 
 for his business, even if he could attain it. But he 
 must study the higher branches to perfect him in his 
 calling, that he maybe more truly one of the people. 
 The best blacksmith in a country becomes, by his 
 superiority as a smith, more closely allied with the 
 people. They are more interested in him socially 
 and pecuniarily. So it should be with the teacher. 
 He can, moreover, acquire, if wise, a strong hold upon 
 the hearts of the people, in the way of gratitude and 
 confidence. The blacksmith who is superior to other 
 smiths in his vicinity is but a better citizen by the 
 operation, and therefore more closely allied to his 
 fellow-men. So no superiority in any calling should 
 raise the incumbent above his fellow-men (Deut. 
 17 : 20), but make him a better public servant, and dearer 
 to the people.^ and more intimate iv'.th them. ' I am no 
 better than other people.' — Jenny Lind." 
 
 " The teacher who finds his seven years of college 
 retirement, the monkish tendency of teaching all day 
 and studying lessons at night for next day, and 
 the abstraction of abstract thoughts and sciences — 
 make him unsocial, must allot a portion of time 
 systematically to visiting, and visit even though he 
 does not feel like it. He must cultivate those prac- 
 tical branches of study which throw him into com- 
 munion . with physical nature, with men of busi- 
 ness — surveying in field, geology, botany, etc. He 
 must seek the acquaintance of his fellow-raen ; be the 
 first to get acquainted with a stranger settling in the 
 16* 
 
354 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 town ; he must attend to his dress and manners, so as 
 to make himself agreeable to society, and especially 
 to get a passport to the MY society in any place where 
 he may sojourn ; always remembering that true Chris- 
 tianity is true politeness." 
 
 "The vast amount of knowledge to be acquired 
 shall not, in the first place, discourage me. Then I will 
 not make its vastness an excuse for hurry ; as haste 
 makes waste, and results in doing Yio\\\\VL^'\w progress^ 
 and worse than nothing in mental and moral habits. 
 But, thirdly, the vastness of what is to be done shall 
 be inducement to make wiser plans, and to pursue 
 them with the unchanging perseverance of the tortoise 
 when he beat the hare. Great attainments are to be 
 made by the lapse of time^ when individ.cal moments 
 have been improved. Acorns make oaks. Do well 
 wdiatever is done." 
 
 '* To be a perfect teacher (and every ^y?.?// teacher 
 must aim at perfection) you must make your arrange- . 
 ments to have perfect Character.^ perfect Health., and 
 perfect Knowledge. He who has not time to attend 
 to these three is a mechanic who has not time to take 
 care of his tools," 
 
 " The teacher's is a highly intellectual and spiritual 
 employment. He must use all the means of health 
 and of exhilaration in his business, with at least the 
 care of professional musicians, who live by their 
 concerts. The carpenter feels best while shov- 
 ing his plane. He whistles while at work. That 
 the teacher may feel like whistling at his work, he 
 must not only have character, health, and knowledge, 
 but he must have daily success. Where parents do 
 not give him an opportunity, they must be distinctly 
 
THE SAGE. 355 
 
 apprised of the state of facts. The teacher must be 
 so settled in his mind that the cause of failure is not 
 in his health, his excessive labors, or his want of per- 
 fect self and school government, as not to be disturb- 
 ed in his equanimity by any annoyance from want of 
 success in the case of any scholar." 
 
 " Resolved to pursue my calling so as to make it 
 interesting to my imagination, and pleasant. A 
 special guard must be had against trying to do too 
 much," 
 
 " The carpenter who whistles at his work, or 
 rather has the spirit of song while at work, will do 
 much more than another who is dull. The school- 
 boy who has to get up and feed and curry a horse 
 will be better for school by that diversion of thought. 
 But if he feeds a pig, which shall be his own pig for 
 market, how infinitely better for his feelings, 
 
 '^ The teacher who keeps everything in order, and 
 makes little episodes of cleaning up (even shoes), 
 may find his heart interested in the neatness, comfort, 
 and economy resulting, and will be greatly better 
 fitted for his monotonous duties. He will find him- 
 self whistling while at such- work. Then let him so 
 pursue his work as to be certain of success, and self- 
 poised in school, and then the attrition of little cares 
 cannot use him up." 
 
 " Your boys are bound to learn — don't be afraid. 
 Be enthusiastic, and give the teacher a chance 
 to succeed and to be enthusiastic himself. He 
 then will make them learn, as fast as they will take 
 it." 
 
 " Every teacher is a housekeeper in his school-room, 
 and, if a bachelor, in his chan^ber and sitting-room. 
 
356 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 These petty duties will relieve his mind and fit him 
 for school. But if he is a sloven here, he will be a 
 sloven in mentals and pedagogics ; and in these de- 
 partments he will work the ruin of scholars and of 
 self. See here great effects from little causes. Have 
 then a code of housekeeping.'' 
 
 " ' It is as hard to teach an hour as it is to preach 
 an hour.' Doing either all day will soon kill one. 
 Besides teaching a class, the teacher must watch 
 school — a double debt to pay." 
 
 " All pupils submit like little children at the start. 
 All the wisest will. The most foolish only have to 
 be made." 
 
 '' I am going to educate you. I do not mean to be 
 unhealthy over it, or to be exhausted by too much 
 work, or by worrying, or hurrying, or by anxiety or 
 despondency. I mean to carry you through, as the 
 Crotonian carried the bull through the stadium. 
 Yes., I, /will do what few can ; ITl walk the course, 
 firm as a giant and graceful as a tragedian. God 
 help this exertion of my will. Make me strong in 
 the strength which God supplies." 
 
 '' The teacher has no right to go into his school- 
 room in bad health, with his faculties dull, with his 
 bodily frame not elastic and not in perfect trim — i.e.., 
 so far as these depend upon the faithful use of every 
 possible means of health." 
 
 " Manage by love, get their affections. To this 
 end, you must love them, and be lovely yourself. To 
 be lovely is not to w^hine and feign a smile, when 
 you do not feel like it. But to be first pure and good 
 yourself., then express what you are.'' 
 
 " Boys must be made to study, if they will have it 
 
THE SAGE. 357 
 
 so ; but they ought to study, because they are inter- 
 ested and see the importance of it." 
 
 " Put yourself fully in the current of competition 
 in your school. Be second to none. Let no sister of 
 charity be kinder, no Wyman be more attentive to 
 the wants of pupils, no school be better fitted in 
 minutiae." 
 
 " The virtues, as love, patience, fortitude, etc. ; 
 the minor virtues, order, cleanliness, neatness, etc. ; 
 the Christian graces, love, joy, meekness, etc. ; and 
 the sciences and arts, mathematics, physics, reading — 
 all groiv in clusters. Any one will grow better by 
 growing with all the others, and no one can grow 
 well without some improvement in the others. See 
 here what a perfect man the teacher must be. In 
 greater and minor virtues, in Christianity, in learn- 
 ing (especially teacher's knowledge), he must honor 
 God and his calling, be at peace in the midst of 
 trials, serene, and resolute, and calm, and stern, and 
 self-possessed. But how immeasurably is his burden 
 increased when it is recollected that he must not 
 only possess these things in common with other 
 good men, but must impart them to others, must re- 
 form the wayw^ard, and labor for the ungrateful and 
 faultfinding." 
 
 ''Teachers' knowledge means this: Men, in 
 general, know a subject well enough, when they 
 have their purposes answered. The teacher never 
 knows a subject well enough, when anything could 
 be learned that would add to the interest of a pupil a 
 single particle, or save a second's time at reci- 
 tation." 
 
 " School government must be strong, successful 
 
3S^ THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. ' 
 
 (letting no villain avoid duty), administered with 
 perfect self-control on the part of the teacher, and in 
 the spirit of true Christian love, without affected 
 whining smiles, or artful efforts for popularity." 
 
 "^ General knowledge is all that is necessary for 
 the polite scholar. But the teacher cannot interest 
 these general, polite scholars without having all the 
 minutiae at hand always bright. Just as the minister 
 of the cross prepares himself laboriously for weeks 
 to elucidate a knotty point in theology [after having 
 gone through a college and theological course) ; although 
 it is enough for a hearer to listen attentively for an 
 hour that the difficulties may vanish. Teachers must 
 be able to recite all his grammars, make analyses of 
 geometry, elementary, analytical, and descriptive, at 
 any moment's bidding. Then descend to such ar- 
 bitrary things as recollecting labors of Hercules, nine 
 muses, positive and negative metals, conductors of 
 heat and electricity, seven wise men of Greece, twelve 
 patriarchs, twelve apostles, seven churches, books 
 and chapters in Bible, formulae in arithmetic and al- 
 gebra, verbatim methods of explaining rules in each, 
 verbatim definitions m2i\\ sciences, measures, statistics, 
 etc., etc." 
 
 " Teacher must know where each boy is now, 
 where he was a w^eek ago, so as to note progress. 
 Not only what his daily lessons are, but hoi& he pre- 
 pares them, what time he gives to them, how long he 
 is to come to school, how long to study each branch. 
 Such an exact plan, that the best half of every class 
 will perfectly exem.plify the mode of learning, and 
 the worst half may learn if they ivoiild. Thus shame 
 and faultfinding will %o where they belong. This 
 
THE SAGE. 359 
 
 implies, of course, that the teacher knows all that he 
 would have Ms scholars know, and is willing to sub- 
 mit to most severe tests." 
 
 We might have made many more extracts, setting 
 forth his ideas and plans as a scholar, a teacher, and 
 an educator. Enough have been given, however, to 
 show his most important thoughts, and to reveal him 
 as one of the most philosophical, exact, and pains- 
 taking of teachers. His co-workers in the school- 
 room will find in these extracts much matter for 
 practical, profitable reflection. 
 
 It was our purpose to put into this chapter some of 
 his religious meditations ; but as its limits will not 
 permit, we shall defer them until we discuss his 
 Christian character, and conclude by giving some 
 selections of a 
 
 GENERAL NATURE. 
 
 " Obey natural and moral law, and let happiness 
 and circumstances go to the winds, or where they 
 please." 
 
 " Anger and irritability are not forcible^ afraid to 
 be so ; but see the force of Leonard in court." 
 
 "It is not poverty that can make a man unhappy, 
 but discontent. This points the spear and whets the 
 edge of bad circumstances. This clouds the brow 
 with gloom. He should, as Tupper says, ' Smile and 
 be content.' Then sorrow grows bright. Discon- 
 tent unfits for business too, wears out the soul, works 
 death. It must be the portion of every ambitious 
 sinner, however successful ; for it is not in thQ nahire 
 or dtiratioii of earthly good to satisfy man. But a 
 quiet conscience and contented mind can do it. 
 
360 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 Present content improves to-morrow without car- 
 ing for it. I will enjoy what I now have, and * take 
 no thought for the morrow. Sufficient unto the day 
 is the evil thereof.' This is my ' crock of gold.' The 
 contented, humble man will acheive more than the 
 proud, though Jess noisy — more real goody 
 
 " Place, time, and manner for everything, and 
 everything in its place, time, and manner." 
 
 " ' Be a whole man to one thing at a time,' as 
 Brougham says. One thing at a time, and it well 
 done." 
 
 '' The first sure symptom of a mind in health is rest 
 of heart and pleasure felt at home, especially after a 
 a hard day's work, or week's." 
 
 " Do what experience shows is most comfortable. 
 This implies self-knowledge, self-possession, self-gov- 
 ernment, self-examination." 
 
 ^' Mens Sana in corpore sanoj ' 
 
 "Economize dimes; cancel debts as fast as pos- 
 sible." 
 
 " No inability arising from bad bodily or mental 
 health. See Bronson on the voice. Each day must 
 bring its due amount of rest, and nourishment, and 
 sleep. A nervous man must not only allow time 
 enough for sleep, but prepare for bed so as to get 
 sleep while in bed." 
 
 " Be a Christian and philosopher. No outward 
 circumstances can prevent one's being learned, wise, 
 good, polite, cheerful, and happy, if all is right 
 within." 
 
 "Be prepared for petty careshj a faithful perform- 
 ance of petty duties. ' Many a sensitive spirit is worn 
 away by the attrition of petty vexations.' Avoid all 
 
THE SAGE. 361 
 
 avoidable vexations, and rejoice in the unavoidable 
 ones as a part of God's direct disciplinary providence. 
 Thus you will avoid being vexed about what you can 
 help, and what you caiinot help." 
 
 '' Not only are emotions to be watched, but the 
 causes of them," 
 
 "A man of two minds is unstable in all his ways." 
 
 ^' Remember that despondency is the greatest of 
 weaknesses. It unfits for present duty, and retrieves 
 not a lost cent, nor a wasted moment." 
 
 " ' Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and 
 Taylor were all reflecting, dispassionate^ and self -poised. 
 Marshall was as undisturbed by passion as the moun- 
 tain is by the storms which war beneath its summit.' 
 Majestic soul !" 
 
 " Singtclarity and individuality, not for show, but for 
 the sake of that secret thought and devotion which 
 secure great results. He who produces great results, 
 or makes great attainments, uses peculiar means 
 which others despise. But this singularity gives him 
 individuality, self-respect, and self-reliance." 
 
 "Symmetry and uniformity of character can only 
 be secured by perfect attention to all moral action, 
 however small. The truth is harmonious, and it 
 alone is. Moral action, moreover, cannot exist with- 
 out attention ; it would be machinery and habit, not 
 moral action. 
 
 " Be so ' resolute and calm ' as, under the most dis- 
 tracting duties, to preserve 'virtue's awful eye,' the 
 power of a serene countenance, stern and severe if 
 need be^, but never passionate, or indicating any want 
 of self-control." 
 
 " Every meal should be : i. A sacrifice of gratitude 
 
362 TFIE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 to God. 2. An exercise of self-government, beautiful 
 regard for natural law. 3. Time for natural enjoy- 
 ment of food. 4. An occasion for improving the 
 social powers, politeness, etc." 
 
 " ' I see no fault that I have not myself committed.' 
 — German ^^^/ (memoriter). Then be not censorious, 
 but charitable and forgiving." 
 
 " Let no man despise learning through you, saying 
 that it unfits for business of life." 
 
 "'Honor all men. Be courteous, pitiful, gentle, 
 pleasing your neighbor for his good to edification.' 
 
 " As peace is worth more than knowledge, be 
 satisfied with present attainments, while using all 
 proper means for increase of knowledge. Work, but 
 don't worry. Haste, but don't hurry." 
 
 " Nothing but perfection will make the soul, cre- 
 ated in God's image, happy at all times. Be it mine 
 to aim at perfection, and to make daily progress in it ; 
 perfection, especially in little things — my words, my 
 books, my thoughts, my demeanor. This requires 
 that originality which does everything well and in 
 my own way. I can never secure happiness and the 
 highest wisdom by imitating other s."" 
 
 " Resolved, not only in matters of justice, but of 
 social expression of kindness and love, to regard all men 
 as brethren.' ' 
 
 '■'-^ Labor ipse voluptas.' Apply this to study, teach- 
 ing, and all employments." 
 
 " ' Be swift to hear, slow to speak.' The first is 
 promotive of knowledge, and is a good antidote to 
 absence of mind in company. The second prevents 
 scandal and imprudences, and gives influence, self- 
 possession, and self-respect."' 
 
THE SAGE. ^6t, 
 
 "'Did General Jackson go to heaven, in your 
 opinion ? ' ' Did he ever say he was going there ? ' 
 'I heard him say so.' ' Well, he went.' " 
 
 "Soul first (or you are an idolater) ; then health, 
 or you throw stones into your machinery ; then 
 school; then study." 
 
 Thus ends this collection of " orient pearls at 
 random strung." 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE MORALIST. 
 
 " There is a devil in every berry of the grape," — Koran. 
 •' Ten thousand casks, 
 Forever dribbling out their base contents, 
 Touched by the Midas finger of the state, 
 Bleed gold for ministers to sport away. 
 Drink, and be mad then, 'Tis your country bids. 
 Gloriously drunk, obey th' important call, 
 Her cause demands the assistance of your throats. 
 Ye all can swallow, and she asks no more," 
 
 COWPER. 
 
 It is the purpose of these closing chapters to give 
 a truthful and, as far as may be, comprehensive view 
 of Mr. Kemper's inner self. The preceding three 
 have bought out traits that were mainly intellectual. 
 This and the next will seek to present him as he 
 stood in the higher, the moral sphere, which contains 
 two continents, lying side by side like Asia and 
 Europe, the earthly and the heavenly. Either of 
 these is so extensive that its full discussion, within 
 a few pages, is impracticable. So far as mere natural 
 morality is concerned, there are many points of 
 interest and importance, in connection with Mr. 
 Kemper's character, which might be given : his truth- 
 fulness, honesty, generosity, hospitality, consideration 
 for the young, the lowly, the unfortunate. Suffice it 
 
THE MORALIST. 365 
 
 to say that, in all the duties arising out of the re- 
 lations of this" life, domestic, social, patriotic, and 
 philanthropic, his principles were enlightened and 
 elevated, and his practice such as made him a model 
 for young men. 
 
 As we cannot elaborate all, we have determined, 
 for several reasons, to select one, somewhat as a type 
 of the rest. Practically it is certainly one of the most 
 important in this age and part of the world. We 
 have been led, however, to select this, for the ad- 
 ditional reason, that he has left behind him a full 
 and eloquent statement of his views regarding it. 
 We thus accomplish a double purpose ; as the speech, 
 which will be given in full, will not only clearly de- 
 fine his position on this important question of morals, 
 but wall also furnish a fair specimen of his ability as 
 a rhetorician and an orator. 
 
 The proper use of alcoholic liquors, whether fer- 
 mented or distilled, is one of the most interesting 
 practical problems of this day. It is a question 
 which, more or less directly, affects every individual, 
 every parent, every wife, every child, every patriot, 
 every philanthropist, every Christian. It is the 
 skeleton in the closet of the majority of the wretched 
 families of this country. More secret and bitter tears 
 are shed over it, perhaps, than over all other miseries 
 combined. 
 
 Mr. Kemper was always, in practice, a temperate 
 man. He was more : he entirely abstained from the 
 use of intoxicating liquors. In the mind of many, 
 these are associated with tobacco, the narcotic 
 stimulant. He never used tobacco in any form. 
 This was his practice; his principles are presented 
 
366 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 in the speech we shall give, prepared when he was 
 a young man, and delivered by him on more than 
 one occasion. 
 
 " THE TEMPERANCE REFORM A WORK OF PURE 
 BENEVOLENCE. 
 
 '' I stand here to-day at the request of the presi- 
 dent of your society. You will allow me to say that 
 it is an honor which I am too well acquainted with 
 myself to have souglit, or even to have accepted, 
 but for special reasons. 
 
 *' Temperance is a subject which, when rightly 
 understood, deserves a noble rank among the great 
 moral movements of the age. Yet it is a subject 
 sometimes unworthily regarded as only fit for a 
 schoolboy's experiment, or for the flippancy and brass 
 of the village orator. In such a state of feeling, what 
 fiiend of the cause would, when called upon, shrink 
 from its advocacy.^ However feebly the subject may 
 be discussed to-day, it is in itself a tower of strength, 
 a theme in reference to which we may boldly say, 
 * Hear me for my cause, and be silent that you may 
 hear. ' 
 
 " One of the most interesting aspects of the tem- 
 perance society is its relation to the great cause 
 of man's improvement, intellectually and morally, 
 which so conspicuously marks the present age. Some, 
 even in the 19th century, have doubted whether man 
 has made progress in his best interests, and whether 
 all things are not as they were from the beginning. 
 This, if not a misanthropic, must be a misinformed 
 judgment, as it certainly is a very gloomy one. The 
 page of prophecy and the signs of the times indicate 
 
THE MORALIST. 367 
 
 just the reverse. Has not the harp of prophecy, ' in 
 tones as sweet as angels use, 'told of the period when 
 ' many shall run to and fro ; and knowledge shall be 
 increased ' ? Take a solitary instance of modern im- 
 provement for illustration : the steam-engine driving 
 the rapid wheel along the iron road or through the 
 billowy deep, instinct with life and motion, perform- 
 ing the labor and relieving the toil of a thousand 
 horses, yet governed by a touch of the hand, by which 
 a vapor, light as smoke, is revolutionizing the world. 
 " But it is not enough for man's highest interests 
 that he be iHtellectually illuminated and physically 
 benefited. In the language of a great master, ' All 
 that is great is ino?^alJ In vain shall the light of 
 knowledge blaze around us, until in prophetic lan- 
 guage, ' the light of the moon shall be as the light of 
 the sun, and the light of the sun seven-fold,' if there 
 is no correspondent improvement of those passions 
 and propensities, which have made the reader of his- 
 tory to sicken at its story. Shall we glorify ourselves 
 that modern science has made neighbors of the world's 
 antipodes, if it has only brought into contiguity the 
 same old elements of discord and moral death ? No, 
 not so. But this is not our unhappy condition. Not 
 only shall the human intellect, like the sun of the 
 morning, struggle above the mists of ignorance and 
 superstition, but the storm of human passion shall be 
 calmed till 
 
 " ' Peace on earth shall hold her easy sway, 
 And man forbear his brother man to slay.' 
 
 One song, one song of love, employs all nations, 
 
 ' ' And mountain top, from distant mountain top. 
 Shall catch the flying joy.' 
 
368. THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER, 
 
 " Now, whatever promotes a result so desirable 
 commends itself to our benevolence, our patriotism, 
 our philanthropy, and our religion. It is our purpose 
 to show that the teaiperance movement is an essential 
 element in that system of means which is to regen- 
 erate a world. In the prosecution of this argument 
 we shall not find it necessary to run foul of any man's 
 creed or to rasp unkindly across the feelings of the 
 most sensitive. 
 
 " Classic fable tells of a certain robber, Procrustes, 
 away back in the age of Theseus, who had an iron 
 bed on which he placed his victims. If they were 
 shorter than bis bed, he stretched them until they 
 equaled it in length. If longer, he barbarously cut 
 off the excess of length. A striking picture of an age 
 of savage darkness. Men talk as they please about 
 the dangers of freedom of opinion, and European 
 governments and professed republics may muzzle the 
 press ; but they can never alter the hard fact that, if 
 anything under heaven is sacredly and peculiarly a 
 man's own, it is his own opinion. This fact lies in 
 the very nature of things. It belongs to the existence 
 of mind, and is indestructible as mind itself. Yet 
 there will be opposers ; for, to use the words of a 
 celebrated Irish orator, ' Bigotry has no head, and 
 cannot think ; she has no heart, and cannot feel ; and, 
 if she pause a moment in her eternal flight, it is but to 
 whet her fangs foi keener rapine and replume her 
 wings for more sanguinary desolation.' 
 
 "We shall not attempt to further a benevolent 
 cause in any other than a benevolent spirit. Such 
 a course savors indeed of human weakness, but 
 is no part of the temperance reformation or of its 
 
THE MORALIST. 369 
 
 allies. It needs no such cdd. ' Non tali auxilio 
 teDipns egetj When I cannot promote a cause of 
 benevolence without vilifying those not connected 
 with it, and impeaching their motives, may ' my right 
 hand forget her cunning, and my tongue cleave to 
 the roof of my mouth,' I am opposed to the use of 
 intoxicating drinks as a beverage ; but among those 
 who make and sell the article I number some of my 
 best friends and most respectable citizens. I have 
 observed that this abuse is the result of great weak- 
 ness, and sometimes of that canting hypocrisy which 
 cares so much for the public morals as to neglect its 
 own. Never, I repeat it, is it the legitimate fruit of 
 temperance principles. 
 
 " A similar error is found in the extreme to which 
 some injudicious friends would push their opposition 
 to the use of spirituous liquors. Not content to 
 abandon its use as a drink, they would banish it from 
 the workshop of the artisan, the laboratory of the 
 chemist, and the shelves of the druggist. For such 
 a notion the temperance society is by no means re- 
 sponsible. This is not what we teach. We inculcate 
 that, apart from the vast evils of intemperance, it is 
 physically, chemically demonstrable, that alcohol is 
 injurious to the health of a healthy man. Therefore, 
 it is best not to use it as a drink. If any man chooses 
 to make temperance his hobby, and ride it till his 
 head can hold but one idea, to him alone be the folly 
 and the shame. 
 
 " In showing how intimately our cause is connected 
 
 with man's intellectual and moral improvement, it 
 
 may be of some interest to take a rapid glance at the 
 
 past history of the world. It will appear that in- 
 
 17 
 
370 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 temperance has had a prominent part in making the 
 world what it has been— a stage on which has been 
 enacted, from age to age, a tragedy of crime and 
 calamity, of blood and suffering. I recollect, when 
 qiute a small boy, to have read the fable of the Court 
 of Death. 
 
 " It represents Death, the King of Terrors, as about 
 to choose a prime minister. Having assembled his 
 most efficient emissaries, he declared his intention 
 to bestow this exalted honor on that servant who 
 had caused the greatest waste of human life. First 
 came War. He came thundering from a thousand 
 battle-fields. He strode with iron foot before the 
 assembled courtiers, and confidently claimed the 
 office. Next came Pestilence, and told how he had 
 mounted on the wings of the wind, and desolated 
 kingdoms, until the voracity of death was sated. 
 Then Consumption and Famine, meagre, and wan, 
 and attenuated, claimed pre-eminence among the 
 shadowy ministers of Death. But while these claims 
 were being considered, there was a pause and an 
 interest, as if some distinguished personage was 
 approaching. It was Intemperance. Bloated, and 
 stupid with beclouded brain and blunted sensibilities, 
 he stated his case. He had withered the rose from 
 the cheek of the blooming bride. He had multiplied 
 widows and orphans and beggars, had swelled the 
 catalogue of crime, demented judges, jurors, and 
 lawyers, physicians, ministers, and statesmen ; and 
 all diseases followed in, his train. The other appli- 
 cants retired, and Intemperance was installed the 
 Prime Minister of Death. 
 
 " It is a part of our blissful ignorance that we are 
 
THE MORALIST. 371 
 
 not assured of the existence of intemperance in the 
 antediluvian world. We do not know that this was 
 one of the sins for which the waves wheeled and 
 gamboled above the highest mountains. But we do 
 know that the ancient patriarch, just buoyed up 
 above a prostrate world, was made drunk and dis- 
 graced by wine. On every page of history, from 
 the days of Noah till the present, has this demon 
 rioted in his wild and besotting revel. The deifica- 
 tion of Bacchus, the god of wine, occurred in India 
 in its early history, and to the present day his rites 
 are mingled with the obscenities of the pagan wor- 
 ship. Athens, as she advanced in refinement and the 
 arts, paid her devotions more sedulously to the rosy 
 god, till Plato says he saw the whole city drimk on 
 a feast of Bacchus. Thus were drunkenness and de- 
 bauchery linked with the religious feelings of the 
 most enlightened people of antiquity. Here it was 
 that a theatre was dedicated to Bacchus which held 
 thirty thousand spectators ; and then, as now, the 
 favorite victims of this vice were men of genius, of 
 power, and capabilities of usefulness. 
 
 " Alexander the Great, that prodigy of humanity, 
 after having subdued the world by his genius, dies 
 in a drunken frolic, and yields his mighty soul a 
 captive to the reeling god. . He dies at Babylon, 
 where, two centuries before, that ' beauty of the Chal- 
 dees' excellency ' was laid in the dust, while her king 
 and a thousand of her lords were drunk with wine. 
 Yes, Babylon, the mistress of kingdoms, is no 
 more. As the Euphrates, like a pilgrim monarch, 
 passes the ruins of the wasted kingdom, the silent 
 ripple of its wave tells of wine and its attendant 
 
372 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER, 
 
 vices ; and the gray osiers that grow along its banks, 
 as they sigh to the breeze that wafts across the ruins 
 of the imbecility of man, mingle in the dirge their 
 warnings against intemperance as a national sin. 
 
 " But if the philosophy and morals of Socrates and 
 Plato were no antidote to this vice, we would surely 
 expect that iron-hearted Rome would scorn its effem- 
 inating influences. While her soldiers drank vine- 
 gar and water, she trod with iron foot on the nations 
 of the world. They marched with a weight of 
 armor under which a modern soldier can scarcely 
 stand. Here, too, are introduced the Bacchanalian 
 festivals. Feasts of revelry become part of the 
 Roman religion. They often worshiped in the 
 night, the strictest secrecy being enjoined on all 
 who participated ; and thus the holiest, strongest 
 feelings of the mistress of the world were enlisted in 
 a service where ' vice held carnival and sin kept 
 lent.' The senate, -not out of a regard for morals, 
 but from policy, abolished these festivals. But it 
 was too late : the greenness of youth, the freshness 
 of her heart were gone. 
 
 " Such was the world's addictedness to drunken- 
 ness before the process of distillation was discovered. 
 As a cliemical fact, the distilling of alcohol is inter- 
 esting, and forms a part of the progress of science. 
 But, alas for mankind, that there has been so little of 
 true knowledge connected with its origin and use. 
 It originated in the days of alchemy, when the 
 philosophers invoked witchcraft and magic for the 
 production of their universal solvent, by which any- 
 thing might be turned into gold. Its nature and in- 
 fluence have been little understood. Theoricus, a 
 
THE MORALIST. 373 
 
 writer of the sixteenth century, gives us the follow- 
 ing description : 
 
 " ' Alcohol sloweth age ; it strengtheneth youth ; it 
 helpeth digestion; it abandoneth melancholic; it 
 cureth the hydropsia; it puffeth away ventositie ; it 
 keepeth and preserveth the head from whirling, the 
 eyes from dazzling, the tongue from lisping, the mouth 
 from snaffling, the stomach from wambling, the heart 
 from swelling ; it keepeth the hands from shivering, 
 the sinews from shrinking, th e veins from crumbling, 
 the bones from aching, and the marrow from soak- 
 ing.' No wonder that there was no longer search 
 for the philosopher's stone ; for here was a substitute 
 answering far better purposes. 
 
 "We should have been glad of the use of distilla- 
 tion, if ignorance had not presided at its discovery. 
 Hence from a cloud, no larger than a man's hand, 
 has grown a' lowering and tempestuous blackness, 
 brooding over the world, and desolating the lands 
 with its tempestuous torrents. Distilled liquor was 
 first brought into ordinary use in the Hungarian 
 mines, to preserve the workmen from the effects of 
 damp and cold. In 1583 it was first dealt out to 
 English soldiers for almost the same purpose. From 
 this beginning it has grown until it has polluted 
 every walk of life. Drunken physicians have at- 
 tended the sick and the dying. Drunken lawyers have 
 enlightened the bench, that needed to be exhilarated 
 by alcohol. Drunken clergy have preached the 
 gospel to a people who have nourished intemper- 
 ance, till, old enough to live without its foster- 
 mother, the Church, it has been excommunicated 
 from her narrow precincts, to ruin family and friend, 
 
374 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 to disgrace responsible office, and to fill the grave of 
 the loathsome drunkard. 
 
 " Such is an outline of the past history of intem- 
 perance. It is very difficult to conceive adequately 
 of the magnitude of this evil as it exists among us 
 at the present day, so interwoven is it with sickness 
 and pauperism and crime and mental and moral 
 imbecility. Some years since a scarcity of provi- 
 sions was apprehended in Ireland, and a law was 
 passed forbidding the distillation of corn. The con- 
 sequence was that the anticipated scarcity was pre- 
 vented. Ireland exported corn that year, and bought 
 double the quantity of blankets she had done before. 
 Felix Grundy says that after thirty years' extensive 
 practice as a lawyer, it is his opinion that four fifths 
 of all the crimes in the United States can be traced 
 to intemperance. 
 
 " Why is it, then, that this evil, of such acknowl- 
 edged magnitude, excites so little interest among 
 men v/ho are, in general, the friends of temperance 
 and friends of their kind ? I answer, because we 
 deal in generalities, and do so little that gives spe- 
 cial point to our good wishes. This is precisely the 
 difficulty which the organization of temperance 
 societies meets and vanquishes. We look upon in- 
 temperance as we look upon death itself, until its 
 very familiarity renders us insensible to it. The 
 soldier can walk among the heaped-up corpses of 
 the battle-field with as little concern as if they were 
 so many stones. Familiarity with death makes its 
 impressions as transient as those of the wing of the 
 bird in its flight through the air. 
 
THE MORALIST. 375 
 
 ' As from the wing no scar the sky retains, 
 The parted wave no furrow from the keel, 
 So dies in human hearts the thought of death/ 
 
 Butler, in his 'Analogy,' accounts for this state of 
 things in a way that may give the friends of tem- 
 perance a lesson. He remarks that those impres- 
 sions in which we are passive, are always weakened 
 by repetition, while those feelings excited by the 
 active exercise of our own powers become more in- 
 tense with the activity put forth. So that our minds 
 and our benevolence, like the brawny muscles of the 
 blacksmith's arm, become large and strong by exer- 
 cise. 
 
 " Here is a vice which takes off from our land its 
 thirty thousand victims annually, erasing every orig- 
 inal, godlike lineament from every one of its victims, 
 and weighing like an incubus upon the breast of 
 human progress as it is palpitating to advance. 
 Look at its waste of intellect ; and the intellectual 
 resources of this nation need to be developed no less 
 than its natural wealth. Many a genius that would 
 have arisen and shed glory from its wings has 'gone 
 down to the vile dust from whence he sprung, un- 
 wept, unhonored, and unsung.' This waste of mind, 
 could we see it collected, would swell into mountains 
 and rise above the stars. It is insanity to talk of the 
 intellectual resources of this people being devel- 
 oped till this bane of intellect is banished. But the 
 loss to the community of an army of drunkards, 
 who might have filled the front ranks of usefulness 
 and honor, and the wail of a host of tattered and 
 disconsolate widows, are not the worst features of 
 this picture. There are the tears and woe of the 
 
376 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 friendless, uneducated orphans, thrown upon the 
 world's cold charity, with no affectionate home to 
 develop their sympathies : and with none to care for 
 their moral susceptibilities, they are schooled to vice 
 and invited to crime, each one liable to become a 
 nucleus, around which may cluster a thousand hered- 
 itary obliquities, and a radiant point for diffusing 
 the ribaldry and blasphemy and debauchery which 
 infect the lowest drunkeries. Ah ! the tombs of the 
 drunkard's uneducated and vicious children plead 
 eloquently for the full blaze of the era of the eleva- 
 tion of the individual man. 
 
 * No doubt, in those neglected tombs are laid 
 
 Some hearts once pregnant with celestial fire ; 
 Hands that the rod of empire might have swayed, 
 Or waked to eloquence the living lyre. 
 
 * Some village Hampden, that, with dauntless breast, 
 
 The little tyrant of his fields withstood ; 
 Some mute, inglorious Milton there may rest ; 
 Some Cromwell, guiltless of his country's blood. 
 
 ' But knowledge to their eyes her ample page, 
 Rich with the spoils of time, did ne'er unfold ; 
 Chill penury repressed their noble rage. 
 And froze the genial current of the soul.' 
 
 " Where is any effectual remedy for this vice ? It 
 is in abstinence from intoxicating liquors as a bev- 
 erage, a common drink. In this there is no monk- 
 ish austerity, and no refusal to enjoy God's gifts in 
 their most benign profusion. We hold that ' every 
 creature of God is good,' and that ^ He has given us 
 all things richly to enjoy.' But surely they are to be 
 enjoyed in accordance with the laws which God has 
 
THE MORALIST, 377 
 
 impressed on our physical constitution. God has 
 given us every article in the materia medica^ but are 
 we therefore to use tobacco and prussic acid and 
 arsenic as ingredients in our breakfasts and dinners 
 and suppers ? Is that what is meant by enjoying thank- 
 fully theblessings of Providence ? Everything is to 
 be enjoyed in accordance with its own nature. Now 
 what is the nature of alcohol, and what is its place? 
 It is useful to the physician, to the chemist, the artist. 
 Is it useful in the stomach of a healthy man ? Ask 
 Dr. Drake, probably the most distinguished medical 
 man in the West, and he will tell you "that alcohol 
 has no appropriate place there; that, when intro- 
 duced, it is neither converted into blood, flesh, 
 nor bone. Nor Dr. Drake alone; but every man 
 who knows the chemical properties of spirituous 
 liquors and the physiology of digestion tells the 
 same story. 
 
 " On the banner of temperance is inscribed, Tem- 
 perance consists in the moderate use of things useful, 
 and in abstinence from those that are pernicious. 
 Pointing to the superlative and unmitigated woe of 
 the past, and to the bright prospect of a glorious 
 future, she addresses neither our political prejudices 
 nor our sectarian feelings. With the most enlarged 
 philanthropy, she cries ' To you, O men, I call, and 
 my voice is to the sons of men.' Shall she not be 
 heard? Her face beams with benignity. In her train 
 follow Health and Peace and Prosperity. She even 
 approaches the poor inebriate, whose habits are an 
 iron collar around his neck, and bids him to be free. 
 For she stands upon the broken sceptre and the 
 shattered spear of the drunkard's captivity. 
 
37^ THE LIFE OP PROF. ICE M PER. 
 
 ' In faith and hope the world will disagree, 
 But all mankind's concern is charity.' 
 
 " The Bible is pre-eminent in forming the character 
 of this age. This volume gives countenance and 
 sustenance to the temperance cause. ' Look not 
 upon the wine when it is red, when itgiveth its color 
 in the cup : at last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth 
 like an adder.' ' It is not for kings to drink wine, nor 
 princes strong drink ; lest they drink and forget the 
 law.' ' It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink 
 wine, nor anything whereby thy brother is offended 
 or is made weak.' * Woe unto him that putteth the 
 bottle to his neighbor's lips.' 
 
 " But not to the Christian only does the thought 
 commend itself. I appeal to the philanthropist. I 
 ask, Where, in the circle of your benevolence, can 
 you do so much at so little cost as in promoting the 
 interests of temperance .? When can you find an evil 
 of sfreater masfnitude to be removed ? 
 
 " General Washington charged us, in his Farewell 
 Address, to cling to religion and pure morals as the 
 only hope of our country. Here is a great national 
 vice, and it draws with it a multitude of other vices, 
 taking annually into the drunkard's grave many who 
 would illustrate our country's annals by their genius, 
 and be a blessing to mankind. Where, then, is the 
 patriot who -will not give his countenance and co- 
 operation to the temperance cause 1 Pause, then, fel- 
 low-citizen, lover of your country, if you area friend 
 to public virtue — pause before you contribute in any 
 degree to the perpetuity of that vice with which all 
 other vices are interlocked, and vices too with which 
 are mingled 'all shapes, all forms, all modes of 
 
THE MORALIST. 379 
 
 wretchedness and agony and desperate woe.' Com- 
 merce, arts, wealth, and learning cannot save us. 
 Egypt was learned and rich, but her pyramids tow- 
 ered above a people morally degraded as the creep- 
 ing things they worshiped. Much as demagogues 
 may flatter us, our strength as a nation is but a rope 
 of sand if we neglect the subject of public morals. 
 
 *^ Could we go round to the graves of the thou- 
 sands of drunkards that are annually buried in our 
 country, and, standing at the head of the sepulchre, 
 could we summon back the dweller there and look 
 at his capabilities, we should find many a genius 
 of the highest order, lost to society. The gifted 
 Charles Lamb lamented that in the prime of life 
 his mind was so ruined by intemperance that it was 
 only at intervals that he could read and appreciate the 
 productions of his earlier and sober years. A multi- 
 tude of such men have been saved, and multitudes 
 more will be saved to their country and the world, 
 when the temperance cause shall have achieved its 
 triumph. The late Dr. Morrison, founder of the 
 Anglo-Chinese College and translator of the Bible 
 into the Chinese language, was taken up, a little dirty 
 boy, in the streets of London, and taken to the Sun- 
 day-school. There his genius was developed, and he 
 was saved from the vices of that city, with its five 
 thousand licensed temples of drunkenness. God speed 
 the cause, until many a Morrison shall rise to bless 
 the Celestial Empire, and many a youth be saved, 
 who, like Samuel J. Mills, shall say, ' We are little 
 men, but the world must feel our influence.' 
 
 " But, says some one, the argument against spirit- 
 uous liquors is valid, but to exclude wine and cider 
 
380 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 is an unnatural and unscriptural extreme. To this 
 I answer, ist. That the alcoholic stimulus, in what- 
 ever form, is not necessary to health. 2 0(1, That there 
 is danger in the popular use of them, especially in 
 this country. 3rd, That their use would embarrass the 
 cause of temperance, which every good man wishes 
 to succeed. Lastly, That these carping fault-finders, 
 who reproach us with going to an extreme, would 
 reproach us still more, and with greater justice, if 
 we stopped short of total abstinence. There will 
 always be some croakers, whom none can please. 
 They can throw more mud in an hour upon a good 
 man, or a good society, than can be lived down in a 
 year. A serious notice they do not require. They 
 are like one John Lilburn, in the time of Cromwell, 
 of whom it was said, that, if he were the only man in 
 the world, so bent was he upon antagonism, that 
 rather than lack occasion to dispute, John would 
 quarrel with Lilburn, and Lilburn would quarrel 
 with John. 
 
 ''What will be the influence of this reform, carried 
 out, on the unwashed and uncombed and penniless, 
 hereditarily diseased children of the drunkard ? Let 
 no one despise the act of that little boy who intelli- 
 gently takes his pen and pledges perpetual hate to all 
 that can intoxicate, That act may be worth his use- 
 fulness and respectability. Besides, children have 
 their influence. A farmer who was fond of his glass, 
 and who was accustomed also to furnish it to his 
 hands, on finding that his work did not get on so well 
 in consequence of this practice, determined to buy off 
 his laborers during harvest, by giving to every man 
 a sheep. He did so, but continued to drink himself. 
 
THE MORALIST. 38 1 
 
 One day, when he had been congratulating himself 
 on the improved state of his farm, since the abandon- 
 ment of the use of liquors, he was about to take a 
 drink himself, when one of his little boys said to him, 
 * Father, would not you better take a sheep too ? ' 
 He set down his glass, and drank no more. 
 
 ' A grain of corn an infant hand 
 May plant upon an inch of land, 
 Whence twenty stalks may spring, and yield 
 Enough to stock a little field. 
 The harvest of that field might then 
 Be multiplied to ten times ten, 
 Which, sown thrice more, would furnish bread 
 With which an army might be fed.' 
 
 " Shall young men refuse to co-operate in the tem° 
 perance cause ? With them especially it is a matter 
 of personal safety, no less than of benevolent effort. 
 Dissipation in some form is the besetting sin of 
 youth. I hazard nothing when I say that the young 
 man accustomed to take his social glass stands upon 
 slippery places. Oh, the self-confidence, how ill- 
 founded ! Go to the loathsome drunkard, that being 
 who has made himself the outcast of all things. You 
 will often find him the wreck of an amiable heart 
 and a lofty spirit. He was nursed tenderly as you 
 have been. In childhood his cheek was impearled 
 in many a mother's warm tear. As he grew to man- 
 hood, dignity sat upon his brow, and energy, nerving 
 his manly step, made many a tear of apprehension 
 to set to sparkle through the smile of parental inter- 
 est. Yet his own self has been ruined, and the fond- 
 est hopes have been blasted. The sword has pierced 
 through the soul of the mother that bore him, has 
 
382 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 created that indescribable anguish which exclaims: 
 ^ Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold 
 and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow.' 
 Is this a solitary instance ? Let your observation 
 answer. Is it not rather one of those ten thousand 
 shipwrecks of human character which lie strewn in 
 wild, disastrous confusion upon the shores of time ? 
 
 " But there is another motive. Not only are the 
 personal interests of many a young man bound up 
 in the temperance movement ; but where is the young 
 man who is maturing a character, and does not design 
 to accomplish large good to his fellow-men ? Ex- 
 pansive benevolence is surely one of the firmest 
 pillars of a desirable and useful character. Of 
 course, in this argument I address young men who 
 have some stamina of character. That youth whose 
 highest ambition it is to tie the prettiest knot in his 
 cravat is overshot in this appeal. But I address my- 
 self to such as I love to educate, those who mean to 
 be something and to do something. 
 
 " ' In the world's broad field of battle,' what higher 
 satisfaction could a soul possessed of such senti- 
 ments desire, than the assurance that he had saved, 
 by his influence, ^ some forlorn and shipwrecked 
 brother, sailing o'er life's solemn main' ? This has 
 been done in thousands of instances, and prevention 
 better than cure is now the safety of a multitude 
 of youth marching under our snow-white banner. 
 Here is goodness twice blessed — in the recipient and 
 in the bestower. Does no heavenly benediction rest 
 on such an instrument.? ' They that be wise shall 
 shine as the brightness of the firmament ; and they 
 that turn many to righteousness, as the stars, forever 
 and forever.' 
 
THE MORALIST. 383 
 
 '^ Finally, the cause commends itself to the ladies, 
 and there I leave it. If they enter into its spirit, my 
 work is more than done, my task more than accom- 
 plished. I commend it to them, not in the cant 
 phrase of fulson^.e flattery— I will not thus prostitute 
 this occasion. Then my honesty might be suspected 
 by all ladies of good sense. For, as the sensitive 
 plant shrinks from the first approach of a rude hand, 
 
 ' So female virtue should from flatter}^ fly, 
 And spurn the incense of its gilded lie.' 
 
 "I go at once to that perennial fountain of sensi- 
 bility which springs eternal in the female heart, and 
 simply lay this object of benevolence at her feet, as- 
 sured it will not go away unblest. 
 
 '' I moreover appeal to your righteous indignation. 
 Woman has suffered the curse causeless from intem- 
 perance. The rose has withered from her cheek, and 
 sorrows untold have* desolated her spirit, because 
 her husband or father or son has made himself a brute. 
 Let her now rise, in the majesty and fearlessness of 
 injured innocence, and the cause /////j-/ go forward. 
 
 "In savageism and immorality woman is a slave. 
 But she rides in the car of civilization and moral 
 improvement. She shines in peerless beauty only, 
 where the highest moral virtue prevails. Woman 
 must co-operate in the world's redemption. She will ; 
 and when the darkness of moral death shall have 
 fled away, the philosophical reader of history will 
 look, page after page, upon the influence of woman's 
 still and small but potential voice." 
 
 In this address we know not which most to ad- 
 mire, its eloquent beauty, its decided and lofty 
 principles, or its enlightened conservatism. 
 
CHAPTER XX, 
 
 THE CHRISTIAN. 
 
 " Life and religion are one, or neither is anything : I will not 
 say that neither is growing to be anything. Religion is no way 
 of life, no show of life, no observance of any sort. It is neither 
 ihe food nor the medicine of being. It is life essential."— 
 GhORGE MacDonald. 
 
 We have now come to that which is the founda= 
 tion, the shaft, and the capstone of the character 
 which has it. It is the warp and woof of the web of 
 life. As George MacDonald says, it is the essential 
 life itself. Religion is, and ought to be, and must 
 be, in and through and under and over every char- 
 acter, of which it is a true and active element. 
 
 We have already learned that Mr. Kemper, nour- 
 ished from his infancy in the atmosphere of piety, 
 under the tutelage of a' pious mother and a godly 
 father, made a personal profession of the relig- 
 ion of Christ, and joined the Presbyterian Church 
 when he was but a youth. It was his original pur- 
 pose to prepare himself for the gospel ministry, and 
 with this design in view he entered Marion College. 
 He went so far as to prepare notes of several ser- 
 mons, and, although he was never formally licensed 
 to preach, he delivered these sermons to public con- 
 gregations. As heretofore stated, we have one of 
 
THE CHRISTIAN. 385 
 
 these skeleton sermons. It is marked ''No. 2. Weak 
 Faith," and headed by the memorandum, "Notes of 
 a sermon preached at the camp-ground of New Prov- 
 idence Church, August, 1838. " It was upon the text, 
 '' Him that is weak in the faith, receive ye; but not 
 to doubtful disputations" (Rom. 14 : i). We make 
 a few extracts : " The apostle recognizes degrees in 
 faith. Weakness of faith is no part of religion, but 
 arises from the previous habits of thought and life 
 exercised by the individual. ... So habits of scep- 
 ticism will harass men whose judgment has been 
 convinced of the truth of the Bible." He shows the 
 peculiar weakness to which the Jew, the . heathen, 
 and the man raised under Christian influences would 
 be liable. As to the last he says : " A man in whose 
 ears the Bible and religious truth have been rung 
 from infancy will, if he neglect the truth, acquire a 
 habit of insensibility which will trouble him after he 
 commences the service of God." Again he says: 
 "This weakness of faith is manifested when people 
 say they are not fit to join tHe church, though they 
 are conscious of sincerity and earnestness in forsak- 
 ing sin. They erect a false standard as to what re- 
 ligion is. They think the Christian is a perfect 
 man, whereas he is the veriest babe 'at first, fed on 
 milk by hand, hardly able to stand or walk, liable to 
 be dashed over by any opposition. Their ideal 
 Christian, if earth ever sees such a one, is to be 
 looked for among those who have been long in the 
 church, and have been exercised much in applying 
 the knife to their sins and crucifying them constant- 
 ly. The church is greatly in error on this subject. 
 Every remarkable case of miserable persistence in 
 
386 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 rebellion, till the man is subdued as if in the storm 
 of battle, is rung through the land, and these cases 
 become the rule instead of the exception." 
 
 For satisfactory reasons, he abandoned the purpose 
 of entering the ministry. What these reasons were 
 we do not fully know. Of one fact we have no 
 doubt : that he was not at all influenced in his decision 
 by any decrease of interest in Christianity as his own 
 personal faith. His whole subsequent life proves 
 this to be so. 
 
 He transferred his membership from the church at 
 Madison Court-House, Va., to that at the Marion 
 College. When he removed to Boonville he car- 
 ried his church letter with him. He was accordingly 
 identified with the Boonville church from 1844 till 
 his death, with the exception of the few years he 
 spent at Fulton. From the first he was one of the 
 active members of the congregation, and in 1855 was 
 chosen a ruling elder. This office he held continu- 
 ously until he died. 
 
 Having given this brief statement of his church 
 life, we shall now present some of his religious prin- 
 ciples, and then set forth his religious habits. As to 
 his religious faith but little need be said. He was a 
 Christian theist ; firmly convinced of the existence 
 of an eternal, personal God, he was equally so of the 
 Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as an in- 
 spired revelation of His will. He believed in all the 
 cardinal doctrines of evangelical Christianity, the 
 Trinity of the Godhead, the divinity of Christ, His vi- 
 carious atonement for man, and the eternal separation 
 of the righteous and the wicked. There was only one 
 point with regard to which he differed from the mass 
 
THE CHRISTIAN. 387 
 
 of orthodox theologians. With respect to it his di- 
 vergence was merely theoretical ; his practice was 
 strictly orthodox. Moreover, we never heard him 
 express his peculiar views on the point in question, 
 and we find no allusion to it in his journals. 
 
 He was a Presbyterian ; he believed in all the es- 
 sential principles of the Westminster Confession of 
 Faith and Form of Government. His acceptance of 
 the office of elder required this. He was, therefore, 
 a Protestant, a Paedo-baptist, and a Calvinist, and 
 of course, in church government, a Presbyterian. 
 While he v/as intelligently, decidedly, and firmly at- 
 tached to these peculiar views, he had the utmost tol- 
 eration and respect for those who thought quite 
 otherwise. There was not a p;irticle of bigotry 
 about him. The circle of his religious friendship 
 embraced Christians of every shade of belief. The 
 circle of his social friendship embraced every respect- 
 able man and woman. 
 
 Mrs. Kemper has directed our attention to his be- 
 lief in special providences, and has given a number 
 of instances in his life as illustrations. With regard 
 to the doctrine of special providence, we may say 
 that all who believe in general must also believe in 
 special providence. As there can be no compounds 
 without elements, and no elements without atoms ; 
 so there can be no general management of the uni- 
 verse which does not necessarily include a supervis- 
 ing and directing attention to its details. There are 
 some, however, who misinterpret this doctrine of 
 special providence, as though it taught the continu- 
 ance of the day of miracles. God does no miracles 
 now. They are past, with the necessity for them. 
 
388 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 But that God so arranges the workings of His laws 
 and the free actions of men as to promote the inter- 
 ests of His people, sometimes in ways that are quite 
 remarkable, and even to us incomprehensible, is not 
 only reasonable but true. It is all done by the regu- 
 lar operation of natural law, and by the free volition 
 of voluntary agents, so that the divine promise is ful- 
 filled, " There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall 
 any plague come nigh thy dwelling/' Such was Mr. 
 Kemper's belief, God's hand is in everything that 
 concerns us. All providences are special providences : 
 '' The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord." 
 
 " In each event of life, how clear thy ruling hand I see ; 
 
 Each blessing to my soul most dear, because conferred by Thee.'' 
 
 There are some passages of our lives which mani- 
 fest this overruling care of God more strikingly than 
 do others. These we single out and call them spe- 
 cial providences. Such they are; but God's kind 
 and wise hand is no more in them than in the com- 
 mon happenings of our daily lives. They are extraor- 
 dinary, and as such they are adapted and designed 
 to arrest our attention, and make us feel that our 
 Father is watching over us. We shall record a few 
 of these, given by Mrs. Kemper. When he was a boy 
 he was accidentally thrown under the wheels of a four- 
 horse wagon, loaded with chestnut rails, both of the 
 wheels passing over his body. Though seriously in- 
 jured, he recovered. While at Marion College, he 
 was narrowly saved from drowning while crossing 
 a stream with his aunt and her two sons. A loaded 
 wagon again passed over him, as he was driving out 
 to his farm near Boonville, rendering him insensible 
 
THE CHRISTIAN. 389 
 
 for a time. On another occasion, in company with 
 his wife and Mrs. Bocock, all three narrowly escaped 
 serious injury, if not death, from the breaking of 
 the harness as they were descending a steep, broken 
 hill, and m.eeting a wagon in the narrowest place. 
 During the vacation of 187 1, he was driving from 
 Boonville to Marshall, with his wife, three small chil- 
 dren, and Misses Annie and Maria McCutcheon, in his 
 carriage, which was drawn by two small, well-trained 
 mules. When they reached the Lamine River, Mrs. 
 Kemper and the ladies and children left the carriage, 
 on account of their fear of the soundness of the old 
 boat which was to ferry them over. Mr. Kemper 
 drove the mules into the boat. They then became 
 quite restive, and, despite the fact that a man was 
 holding them at their heads, as soon as they neared 
 the opposite bank, " they leaped forward and went 
 down where the river was thirty feet deep. What 
 power was it that diverted sudden death from the 
 driver ; that loosened every fastening, and left the 
 carriage upon the boat with scarcely a fracture?" 
 
 Twice the school buildings were set on fire by bad 
 boys, who were boarding pupils ; and once a lamp 
 exploded in a part of the house not observed by the 
 family, and the resulting fire was discovered by a sick 
 pupil, who was excused from his studies to go to his 
 room. A similar accident was averted on another 
 occasion by the opportune return of the pupils from 
 church. In the cases of incendiarism, the flames were 
 discovered in what we call accidental ways. 
 
 In these things, the unbeliever sees nothing to call 
 forth his gratitude to a Father above, who watches 
 over His children ; but to the trustful spirit, who 
 
390 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 "can lift to heaven an unpresumptuous eye," and 
 recognize in them the loving care of Him, " who, 
 never weary, watches where His people be," they are 
 occasions of grateful joy. 
 
 " Behind the dim unknown 
 Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own." 
 
 " All nature is but art unknown to thee ; 
 All chance, direction which thou canst not see." 
 
 As still further setting forth his religious princi- 
 ples, we shall transcribe, from his commonplace 
 books, some of the meditations w^hich he has re- 
 corded. 
 
 " If I suffer more in health, or in circumstances, or 
 in reputation, than other men, I will be calm and 
 peaceful, for I desei've it. I will get close to the hand 
 rhat strikes." 
 
 " Every meal to be a sacrifice to God." 
 
 " A calm, huinble employment of my talents in 
 doing good would be better than proudly standing 
 oif on accotint of unworthiness, and trying to be good 
 before serving God. Sorrow and darkness in such 
 pride are a great blessings if they lead you to aban- 
 don it." 
 
 "Thoughts of past sins and their consequences 
 should excite humility as to self, gratitude to God, 
 freedom from all censoriousness toward fellow-m.en, 
 cheerfulness as to all thrf^e. Thus the devil wnll be 
 cheated out of the spoilji he has taken in the conflicts 
 of early youth. With his slaves, early sins excite 
 horror and apprehension, not the melting and joyous 
 repentance of the Christian. The consequences of 
 sin, in loss of property and health, excite shame, dis- 
 
THE CHRISTIAN. 391 
 
 content, remorse. They shall, by God's grace, excite 
 in me the opposite emotions, cheerful acquiescence in 
 merited chastisement, and gratitude that no more is 
 inflicted ; for more is deserved." 
 
 "Special things in regard to which my character, 
 habits, and temperament need to be changed — ist. Do 
 every duty pleasantly, without hurry, ambition, or 
 fatigue; 2nd, To cure myself of all anxiety for 
 future support. These involve clear knowledge of 
 my text- books and peace of God. So that all my 
 rules are resolved into perfect abiding in Christ. This 
 is the ^/zd" thfng; all else is scaffolding." 
 
 ''A heavenly countenance to be secured. Or, if 
 this is impracticable, just so much as is the fruit of a 
 heart filled with the love of God, and a mind thinking 
 justly and serenely." 
 
 " Judge of the love of God in the soul by keeping 
 His commandments. Preserve such assurance and 
 peace of conscience as will enable me to admonish 
 and turn many from iniquity without the retort, 
 'Physician, heal thyself.''' 
 
 " Crucify and watch besetting sins: despondency, 
 pride, unbelief, irritability." 
 
 " Resolved to labor to make daily perceptible progress 
 in the one thing needful, and then to ' let earth roll, nor 
 feel her idle whirl.' " 
 
 " He who pursues the one thing needful, with 
 suitable proportionate interest, will attend to life's 
 duties with relative subordination ; providing wisely 
 the necessaries and comforts of life as a matter of duty, 
 not of ambition or slavish pursuit." 
 
 "'Resolved, that I will do in my worst frames 
 what I see to be my duty in my best' — Edwards." 
 
392 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 " The letter killeth, but the spirit maketh alive. 
 All that relates to forms of worship, to posture of 
 worship, perhaps to distinctive creeds, may be 
 classed as belonging to the letter; while the spirit 
 embraces the temper, the conduct., and that essential 
 truth which is the basis of goodness. Hence, learn 
 to lay less stress on the mere posture in worship and 
 the appearance of a solemn countenance, and lay 
 more stress on the mightier matters of the law, judg- 
 ment, mercy, and faith." 
 
 "He who makes God his all will be satisfied with 
 that portion ; and he who does not, ougfit not to ex- 
 pect to be satisfied." 
 
 " So long as you are discontented with outward 
 circumstances, or uninterested in daily denying your- 
 self and taking up the cross, and following Christ ; 
 so long as you cannot live above the world; so long 
 as you are proud; so long as you look for your happi- 
 ness in earth, where it is not to be found ; so long as 
 you do not use stated prayer faithfully, and fasting 
 for that kind that goes out by nothing else ; so long 
 as a day passes by without growth in grace, or with- 
 out being usefully employed; so long as the joy of 
 the Lord is not your strength : just so long may you 
 expect a clouded brow and the rod of affliction. 
 
 " So long as you labor for a good character to feed 
 your spiritual pride; so long as you try to get such 
 a stock of sanctity and strength of character that it 
 will go on by its own impulse; so long God will cast 
 you into the mud. Your animalism and other grosser 
 propensities will ne%ier die in this world. They nmst be d at ly 
 CRUCIFIED, Then you nmst not be proud or self-complacent 
 that you have nailed thejn to the cross j but go on to fight 
 
7^ HE CHRISTIAN. 393 
 
 nianfully against your othej- more subtle spiritual foes: 
 secret pride, secret forget/ ulness of God [tmbelief), secret 
 discontent.^ or anything incompatible with the deepest humil- 
 ity and the loftiest spirituality of mind. This last war- 
 fare, against ' spiritual wickedness in high places,' 
 is the one in which God will vouchsafe evidences of 
 His acceptance, richer than can be won by monkish 
 austerity or a thousand costly sacrifices. 0f^ jioi 
 
 "In reading the Scriptures, there must be much 
 time employed. There is a devotional reading ; a <r^?/^- 
 prehensive r:Q2,^\Ti<g.^ embracing large portions ; a critical 
 reading, suited to interest a Bible-class and answer 
 their shrewdest questions in antiquities, history, 
 prophecy, etc. ; and lastly, a reviewing. These ought, 
 if possible, be attended to daily, and very largely on 
 Sunday, securing an obvious weekly progress in 
 knowledge and sanctification/' 
 
 " I seem to be driven to try much more fasting and 
 prayer (perhaps to try whole nights) before the 
 demons will be expelled from my bosom. Absti- 
 nence entire from animal food for one month and 
 fasting twice a week would be a good experiment." 
 
 '"The exercise of grace is its evidence.' — A. Alex- 
 ander''' 
 
 " A rational moral being may be all the time doi^ig 
 duty., and consequently happy, or at least calm and 
 peaceful, in sufferings even. ' For me to live is 
 Christ.' Just tJiink of ///"^ being but an enactment of 
 righteousness, a fulfilment of duty. You are always 
 to be doing or suff"ering God's will. 'Life has its 
 enjoyments, and is not the contemptible thing we 
 make it, but heaven on earth, when it is conducted 
 18 
 
394 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 OD right principles, directed to a right end, ?ind de- 
 voted to the will of God. What would we have 
 more, vv^hen the way to Heaven is through Heaven ; 
 if quiet passions, regular desires, contented minds, 
 pure wills, well-grounded hopes, holy longings, 
 happy foretastes, communion with God, and recon- 
 ciliation to death can make it so.' — Adams ^ in Compre- 
 hensive Commentary . '' 
 
 ''Nothing is done in the best possible way unless 
 in the spirit of prayer.'' 
 
 " I must consider clearly and calmly, and keep a 
 conscience void of offence, as to the frequency of my 
 seasons of fasting or abstinence, and the length of 
 time spent in secret prayer. Christ spent whole 
 nights in prayer, and rose a great while before day 
 to pray." 
 
 " My life is so much of it spent in laboriously 
 doing nothing that I must hasten and flee to the ark 
 of safety, and not look back nor tarry in all the 
 plain.'' 
 
 " What is hope gocd for, if it is not an anchor to 
 your soul, to keep it steady amid the cares of school 
 and life .? How sweet it is to be kept steady by hope, 
 not by slavish chains. The peace of God keep your 
 heart and mind." 
 
 "Religion involves self-denial, but not the unfeel- 
 ing, cheerless, iron-hearted self-denial of the stoic. 
 If we give up any indulgence, it is not with the oath 
 of the drunkard, who swears tiiat iie will not drink 
 for a limited time, and wants to drink all that time, 
 even though he should abstain. Not so have I 
 learned Christ. If He requires my pride to be cut 
 up by the roots. He plants and nourishes humility, 
 
THE CHRISTIAN. 395 
 
 which makes it easy to sacrifice pride. What is so 
 sweet, w^hat knocks off all the rough corners of care, 
 and makes a man so pleasant and approachable, as 
 this grace of Humility ? What a bargain has the 
 man made who has exchanged pride for humility ! 
 
 ' He that is down need fear no fall ; 
 He that is low, no pride ; 
 He that is humble ever shall 
 Have God to be his guide.' " 
 
 " ' Bene orasse est bene studinsse! " 
 
 " ' The trivial round the common task, 
 Should furnish all we ought to ask, — 
 Room to deny ourselves, a road 
 That leads us daily nearer God.' " 
 
 " If the devotional season has been attended to, has 
 there been a maintenance of the spij-it of the exercise, 
 more than of the accustomed form ?" 
 
 " The record of the past shows the truth of Cal- 
 vin's remark, ' We should fall a hundred times a 
 day, did not God uphold us.' 
 
 " I task myself too much; and when I am bright 
 in executing this task, I exhaust myself. Let my 
 only task be^ seek first the kingdom of god. What 
 this does not do for me, leave undone." 
 
 ^' My son Lewis dead. Three weeks ago to-day 
 the little darling slept, as we believe, in Jesus. 
 
 ' Our embraces will be sweet, 
 At the dear Redeemer's feet, 
 When we meet to part no more, 
 Who have loved.' 
 
 The briny tears do not cease to fall, but I do not 
 repine. Even so, Father. " 
 
396 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 " A well-regulated life must have unity ^ a great 
 central principle^. Allegiance to God is the great 
 law needed. 
 
 "To be a great man, one must have 2. great object. 
 God has not left great objects to the favored few. 
 Every humble Christian has an object greater than 
 the jurist, the statesman, the orator, the scholar, or 
 the mere divine. ' He that ruleth his spirit is greater 
 than he that taketh a city..' Cicero makes Caesar 
 greater in forgiving an enemy, and thus conquering 
 himself, than in all his previous victories. They are 
 amusing themselves with toys, whose highest am- 
 bition is earthly greatness." 
 
 " How beautiful is self-denial on the page of the 
 Bible, 'that book of ultimate truths in morals! ' 'If 
 any man be my disciple, let him deny himself, and 
 take up his cross, and follow me. ' " 
 
 These extracts, which might be greatly multiplied, 
 sufficiently indicate the high tone of his Christian 
 principles, and are many of them maxims, which 
 show an advanced stage of Christian experience. 
 We are now to show how he realized these principles 
 in his life. The Westminster divines say, " Truth is 
 in order to goodness." This is undoubtedly its ul- 
 timate design. It is one of the sad anomalies of sin, 
 thftt this design is not always reached. Paul speaks 
 of those who " hold the truth in tiwighteousness'^ — an 
 orthodox creed with an heretical life. They know the 
 truth, but they love the lie. But we shall find no 
 such contradiction between Mr. Kemper's faith and 
 his practice. 
 
 As to Mr. Kemper's religious life, its fundamental 
 habit was a daily, reverent, close study of the Script- 
 
THE CHRISTIAN. 397 
 
 Lires. There are few theologians who are as well 
 versed in the Bible as was he. It was his daily study 
 for fifty years. During forty years of this period he 
 probably gave an average of an hour a day to it. 
 This would be equivalent to five years' constant study 
 eight hours a day, every day of the week. We can 
 well see that, as a result, a man of his successful 
 habits of study must have amassed an extraordinary 
 amount of information as to the Bible in that time. 
 He used the " Comprehensive Commentary" as a con- 
 stant help. He read the New Testament critically 
 in the original Greek and in the Latin. These he 
 taught his pupils. 
 
 He studied the Bible largely for its mere literary 
 merits. To him it was surpassingly interesting for 
 these reasons. Like Sir Isaac Newton, he spent 
 weeks in the study of the genealogical tables of 
 Genesis. They were to him the key to ethnology 
 and to ancient history. He made himself thorough- 
 ly familiar with the antiquities and geography of the 
 Scriptures. He adopted the opinion of Sir William 
 Jones, that the Bible contained more sublime poetry 
 than all other books put together. The Proverbs 
 were to him an inexhaustible mine of practical wis- 
 dom. Not a day passed that he did not find an op- 
 portunity to use some of them in the management of 
 the school. The morality of the Bible he made the 
 basis of his own conduct and the standard for his 
 pupils. 
 
 But Mr. Kemper read the Scriptures devotionally. 
 While he admitted their literary excellences, he did 
 not forget that these were but the outer casket ; that 
 the jewel was within. The Bible was to him God's 
 
398 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 Word, and he read it daily as a communication from 
 the Heavenly Father to his soul. He took it to be 
 the nourishment, the bread, the strength of his spirit, 
 in its true and higher life. He realized that '^ Man 
 shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that 
 proceedeth from the mouth of God." The Bible 
 was, therefore, more to him than the gold of Ophir 
 or the jewel of the mine. It was to his eager, loving, 
 trustful spirit the very representative of God, the 
 vicar of Christ. He therefore sought it as the tryst- 
 ing-place of his soul with the Saviour. 
 
 Mr. Kemper was also pre-eminently a man of 
 prayer. No one who ever heard him as he led the 
 devotions of the sanctuary could doubt this. There 
 are some men who pray as if they were strangers to 
 God and to His worship. There are many more 
 whose language is a collection of unfelt, formal ut- 
 terances, with no more life or spirit than the Chinese, 
 who turns out his prayers with a crank. Such peo- 
 ple do not pray, in public or in private. They never 
 have a season of real, face-to-face communion with 
 God. With Mr. Kemper it was undoubtedly other- 
 wise. When he prayed, every hearer felt "that he and 
 God were friends : the one as a loving Father, the 
 other as an humble, trustful child. This country has 
 probably never had a greater mind than Dr. Charles 
 Hodge. He was remarkable in his public prayers. 
 He seemed, like Moses on the mount, talking face to 
 face with God ; and many a time the skin of his face 
 did shine as his wrapt spirit engaged in this sweet and 
 holy communion. 'Twas even so with Mr. Kemper. 
 Frequently it seemed as though the cup of his bless- 
 ing ran over, as he pleaded for himself and others ; 
 
THE CHRISTIAN. 399 
 
 and his tremulous voice and tear-filled eyes beto- 
 kened the sweet and awful nearness of his approach 
 to the mercy-seat. Such public prayers told plainly 
 of similar seasons of earnest and successful wrest- 
 ling with God in the privacy of the closet. They 
 were the overflow of the fountain, whose source was 
 down deep in the affectionate and trustful reverence 
 of his soul. 
 
 He has left on record, in his journals, several prayers 
 which were expressive of his desires at the time they 
 were prepared. We shall transcribe one of these : 
 
 " O Lord, the Father of my spirit, hear me in ray 
 distress. Thou callest Thyself the Father of the spir- 
 its of all flesh. I own and rejoice in my paternity. 
 But I have grievously departed from Thee, have lost 
 the lineaments of the divine character, and have been 
 a ' prodigal son.' My distress is great, but less than 
 I deserve. My vanity, pride, obstinacy, want of gov- 
 ernment of the tongue, want of the spirit of prayer, 
 want of love to God, and utter uselessness in the 
 church of which I have been so long a member — 
 these sins naturally produce sorrow, disappointment, 
 shame, and remorse. 
 
 " Life is far spent, and when its history is written, 
 O my God ! how shall I appear ? What useful work 
 have I accomplished ? What sinner have I saved 
 through grace ? What work of charity have I set on 
 foot 1 What kindly and blessed influence have I ex- 
 erted t Whom have I made happier .? What at- 
 tainments in grace have I made .'* 
 
 " O Thou, who knowest me altogether ; whose eye 
 has followed my path since Thou gavest me my being ; 
 who seest the wreck of my health, the depression of 
 
400 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 my spirit, the wounds in my heart, which sin has 
 made: O Thou 'Physician of souls,' heal my sin- 
 sick spirit. ' Revive my soul with grace/ Chase 
 away my doubts. Invigorate my health, the health 
 of all my powers, and make me a living sacrifice for 
 Thee. O Jesus, Thou meek and lowly Teacher, pity 
 a scholar, who has wrought folly and reaped disap- 
 pointment and wretchedness. Teach me effectually. 
 Take away every false hope, every impure desire, 
 every unworthy motive, every imprudent means of 
 compassing my ends, and give me that purity of 
 heart which Thou hast blessed, and that freedom 
 from anxious care which Thou hast enjoined, 
 
 "Enable me to abide in Thee, in my spirit and my 
 conduct. Give me an assured hope. Give me a spirit 
 of prayer, and enable me to watch unto prayer, and 
 for answers to prayer. 
 
 ' ' Are not all these petitions according to Thy will "^ 
 Hast Thou said to the seed of Jacob, Seek ye my face 
 in vain .? No, Lord, Thy promise is firm as the ever- 
 lasting mountains. He who asks receives. Then 
 heal me, and heal me now, if now Thou canst. ' Why 
 should I wander an alien from Thee ? ' Sin is a 
 monster in the universe of God, A state of sin is not 
 the natural state of things, when we look at man's orig- 
 inal structure. Then slay this foe of God and man, 
 
 " I cast him out. I engage here to be Thine ; but all 
 my strength is in Thee. Enable me to fight, to con- 
 quer, and to grow daily in grace and wisdom. Help 
 me especially this week on which I to-day enter. 
 May it be a week of recovery, of revival in my soul, 
 of prosperity in spiritual wisdom, of redeeming the 
 time, of fulfilling all Thy pleasure. Oh, may study 
 
THE CHRISTIAN, 401 
 
 notinterfere with health, or devotions, or with teach- 
 ing. May I be exceedingly joyous in all my tribula- 
 tions. 
 
 " Now, Lord, I feel relieved during the progress of 
 this prayer. Glory to Thee, who liftest up those 
 who are cast down ; who healest the broken in heart 
 and bindest up their wounds ; who hearest while I 
 am yet speaking. Now I am Thine. Oh what a 
 portion have I ! May it be my never-failing portion. 
 May I continually resort to my strong tower, break 
 the chain of evil habits, and stand free before God. 
 
 " Bless me especially in my Biblical studies. May I 
 be prepared to teach my Bible-class to their edifica- 
 tion, instruction, and comfort, not to the admiration 
 of my wisdom. May I be thoroughly prepared, not 
 in the letter only but in the spirit of my next lessons ; 
 and may those who have been members of the class 
 be more faithful in their studies and in their attend- 
 ance. May I know how to instruct my boarding 
 scholars each morning, so as to interest, teach, and 
 fit them for heaven. May I, in assisting them in 
 the preparation of their Sunday-school lesson, fur- 
 nish them for an honorable and pleasant recitation 
 each Sabbath morning. 
 
 " May my private reading increase in interest and 
 profit. May the Greek Testament abide in my heart 
 and in my affections. 
 
 " May I gain this week the confidence and love of 
 all my pupils, especially the disaffected and the 
 smaller ones. 
 
 ^'Help, Lord, with that power which is irresisti- 
 ble ; and Thine shall be the praise forever. Amen." 
 
 Another marked religious habit of his was fasting. 
 
402 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 This he practised in both forms, in abstinence from 
 special kinds of food, and, at certain seasons, from 
 all kinds of food. He had his req-ular and his occa- 
 sional days of fasting. He was fully persuaded that 
 this practice was beneficial to him, bodily, mentally, 
 and spiritually. His main design in it was spiritual, 
 to induce humility, a sense of dependence upon God, 
 and weanedness from- the world, and preparation for 
 a higher sphere of religious consecration. Such is 
 the connection between the soul and the body that 
 the mortification of the latter may be made to con- 
 duce to the purification and elevation of the former. 
 For this reason the Saviour has said, " The days will 
 come when the Bridegroom shall be taken from 
 them, and then shall they fast." In times of spirit- 
 ual depression, when we are called to mourn our 
 coldness and separation from the favor of God, when 
 the Bridegroom is not with us; then fasting is a 
 necessity, a duty, a privilege, a means of grace. 
 Those who most need it least practise it. There 
 has seldom been a Christian, who has been remark- 
 able, either for his piety or his usefulness, who has 
 not made it a part of the discipline of his soul. It is 
 to be regretted that it has so largely fallen out of the 
 habits of the Church. With Mr. Kemper it was pos- 
 sibly excessive. He may have carried it to an ex- 
 treme. We believe that he did, and that his health 
 and usefulness were injured by it. A man whose 
 digestive powers are impaired requires regularity, 
 and must, therefore, employ fasting as a spiritual 
 discipline very judiciously. 
 
 Mr. Kemper was conscientiously faithful in his 
 attendance upon all the services of the sanctuary. 
 
THE CHR'ISTIAN. 403 
 
 His punctuality was wonderful, when we consider 
 his delicate health and his excessive labors. There 
 was no one who was more regularly in his pew than 
 he— Sunday morning, Sunday evening, at the week- 
 ly prayer- meeting. He did this for his own sake. 
 He loved to be at the house of God, to engage in His 
 worship. A day in the courts of the Lord w^as to 
 him better than a thousand in the tents of wicked- 
 ness. He needed to be there for his own spiritual 
 life and health, and he refreshed himself from the 
 pure waters that issued there in prayer and praise 
 and instruction. He did this for the sake of others ; 
 for the encouragement of his pastor, whose heart 
 was cheered and whose hands upheld by his presence ; 
 for an example to his brethren, over whom the Holy 
 Ghost had made him a bishop, and that he might aid 
 them in the services of the sanctuary. He did it 
 especially for Christ's sake, in obedience to His com- 
 mand, and that he might thus publicly testify his 
 trust in Him, who never neglected a duty Fie owed 
 to us. 
 
 Mr. Kemper was a faithful teacher in the Sunday- 
 school. So long as we were with him, and to the 
 last, he never failed. We believe that he never 
 superintended the regular Church school. He pre- 
 ferred to teach, and conscientiously and laboriously 
 prepared himself for it. At times he taught an adult 
 congregational Bible-class in the afternoon of Sun- 
 day. After he became interested in his farm (which, 
 next to his family and school, was his pet), he estab- 
 lished a Sunday-school out there, and superintended 
 and taught it regularly every Sabbath afternoon. The 
 treasures of Biblical and spiritual knowledge which 
 
404 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 he had amassed he thus dispensed with a free and 
 loving hand, to others ; and doubtless many at the 
 last day will rise up and call him blessed, as having 
 led them to Christ, or neai-er to Him, 
 
 Mr, Kemper was a generous Christian. He freely 
 and bountifully gave of what the Lord had intrusted 
 to him. To the Church in her various enterprises, 
 and to the poor, he was the Master's almoner, 
 
 Mr. Kemper w^as a humble Christian. He never 
 felt that he had any piety of which to boast. His 
 journals sigh with the language of penitence and 
 self-humiliation. He quotes as appropriate to him- 
 self the remark of Bradford, as, pointing to a worth- 
 less drunkard, he said : '^ But for the grace of God, 
 there goes John Bradford/' The tree of piety never 
 reaches heaven whose roots do not go down deep 
 into the soil of lowly contrition. 
 
 Mr, Kemper was a spiritual Christian, His relig- 
 ion did not consist merely of his creed and the outer 
 observances of the Church — reading the Bible, prayer, 
 fasting, etc. His was the hidden man of the heart, a 
 life hid with Christ in God. The externals of re- 
 ligion, so abundantly and so carefully attended to, 
 were with him but the outer exhibits of this inner 
 spiritual life, 
 
 Mr, Kemper was a useful Christian, He did not 
 live for himself. He was not a disciple of Jesus se- 
 cretly. ''Where is thy brother.?" was a question 
 which echoed and re-echoed in his heart. Like Abou 
 Ben Adhem, he loved his fellow-men. Like the 
 Master, he was ever going about to do them good. 
 His was a consecrated life. Self was crucified, and 
 he lived to honor Christ, in working earnestly, ardu- 
 
THE CHRISTIAN. 405 
 
 ously, intelligently, successfully for his fellow- 
 men. 
 
 " I venerate the man whose heart is warm, 
 Whose hands are pure, whose doctrine and whose life, 
 Coincident, exhibit lucid proof 
 That he is honest in the sacred cause." 
 
CHAPTER XXL 
 
 THE VICTOR CROWNED. 
 
 " Exigi monumentum aere perennius 
 Regalique situ pyramidum altius ; 
 Quod non imber edax, non Aquilo impotens 
 Possit diruere, aut innumerabilis 
 Annorum series etfugatemporum." 
 
 Horace. 
 
 " I STILL live," said the dying statesman. '' By it he, 
 being dead, yet speaketh," was written, by the pen 
 of inspiration, of the shepherd, who fell, six thousand 
 years ago, the first martyr to the cause of conscience. 
 This is the land of the dying and the dead. All that 
 pass beyond it, across the river, enter the evergreen 
 fields of immortality- There are some, however, that 
 never die. Not Enoch alone, nor Elijah, who did not 
 pass through the portals of death to enter the city 
 which hath foundations. There are many others 
 that have not died and will never die. Adam and 
 Noah, and Abraham, and Jacob, and Moses, and 
 David, and Isaiah, and Paul, and Homer, and Soc- 
 rates, and Plato, and Aristotle, and Cicero, and 
 Virgil, and Confucius, and Brahma, and Zoroaster, 
 live on this earth to-day, more really and more in. 
 fiuentially than when their bodies could be seen and 
 heard by fellow-mortals. No material element or 
 
THE VICTOR CROWNED. 407 
 
 force has perished since creation's morn. Is spirit 
 and spiritual force less indestructible ? Says the 
 Roman orator, " Nemo paiaim diu vixit, qui virtutis 
 perfected peifecto functus est nmnere,'" Montgomery 
 
 sings : 
 
 " When the good man yields his breath 
 (For the good man never dies)." 
 
 Men live in the deeds that perpetuate them. Some 
 build colossal fortunes, and through these for a few 
 generations, possibly, they are still a factor in the 
 lower plane of human activity. Some mount the 
 red horse, and preside over the carnival of slaughter ; 
 and thus live, blessed by the victors and cursed by 
 the vanquished. Some live in the political institu- 
 tions they have devised and advocated and estab- 
 lished, like Burke, in the enfranchisement of the 
 Catholics, and Madison, in the Constitution of this 
 country. Some live in the works of genius they have 
 produced, the truths they have uttered, the beauties 
 and sublimities they have realized, as Copernicus, 
 Newton, Bacon, Angelo, Raphael, Mozart, Milton. 
 Some live in the charities they have inaugurated : 
 Alfred, Yale, Harvard, Vassar, GTrard, Peabody. 
 Are not such men more truly alive to-day, more in- 
 fluential in the present, moving, progressive world, 
 than one thousand millions of those who are now 
 breathing their useless breath upon the earth ? 
 
 The educator can never die. If he trains one single 
 soul aright, that soul will perpetuate, and, it may be, 
 even widen the potential circle of his influence. If 
 he train a thousand, each of these will be a centre, 
 a radiating point, whence his power will reach to ten 
 times or one hundred times as many more. So it 
 
40 8 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 will go on, on, till the latest generation of men will 
 be the purer and the happier, for the moral, elevating 
 force which he introduced centuries before. 
 
 Mr. Kemper lives to-day, and Avill never die. He 
 lives in the work wdiich he did in the Church ; in the 
 unknown and numberless charities which blessed 
 the poor and the stricken ; in the power which he 
 exerted over his fellow-teachers ; in the model school 
 which he perfected and intrusted to fitted men ; and 
 in the lives of two thousand pupils, whom he devel- 
 oped, controlled, and directed to usefulness and 
 virtue. He was a "maker of men"; and the men 
 whom he made, and enlightened, and elevated, and 
 cheered, gather around him now, to put the victor's 
 chaplet upon his revered and honored brow. These, 
 laurels will make a triple crown. The first will be 
 composed of evergreens, furnished by appreciative 
 friends. The second, of the Rose of Sharon and the 
 Lily of the Valley, intertwined by the loving hand 
 of the pastor from whose lips he gladly received the 
 word of life. The third will be a cluster of immor- 
 telles, presented by those who owed him the heaviest 
 debt of gratitude, his pupils. 
 
 From the Boonville Advertiser.^ on the occasion of 
 his death : — ■ 
 
 " A city is wrapped in mourning. Thousands of throbbing 
 hearts felt the shock of the lightning stroke of death that laid him 
 low. His name was a tower of strength ; his intellect was of 
 God's noblest handiwork ; his private life was purity ; his public 
 work a benefaction ; and he dwelt in the hearts of his fellow- 
 citizens. . . . From the [founding of this school to the day of 
 his death, Mr. Kemper, though always assisted by a corps of 
 competent teachers, was the active ruling spirit. By his extreme 
 individuality, great force of character, and profound learning, he 
 
THE VICTOR CROWNED, 409 
 
 succeeded in building up for the school a reputation, we might 
 say national in its scope. For years past its pupils have come 
 from all parts of the Union, and its graduates are scattered through- 
 out the length and breadth of the land. Many of them occupy 
 prominent positions in the social, business, and political world, 
 and all of them acknowledge with gratitude their obligations to 
 their Alma Mater." 
 
 From the Boonville Topic : — 
 
 " The pupils under his tuition, through the many 3'ears of his 
 teaching, number many thousands ; and all over Missouri and 
 the States and Territories farther west are representatives of this 
 school in the professions and other honorable callings. . . . He 
 was one of the most public-spirited, generous, and kind-hearted 
 persons we have ever known, and many a recipient of his unos- 
 tentatious charity will revere his memory and weep over his 
 grave. As a good citizen, as one to whom the education of the 
 young could be safely trusted, as a member of the church and a 
 Christian gentleman, and as a friend to the needy, he will be 
 sadly missed in our community." 
 
 Resolutions of the State Teachers' Association, 
 adopted at its regular session, June, 1881 : — 
 
 " Whereas, In the Providence of God, our brother and faithful 
 co-worker. Prof. F. T. Kemper, has been removed from us by the 
 hand of death, therefore, be it resolved by the Missouri State 
 Teachers' Association : 
 
 " 1st, That, in thedeathof Prof. F. T. Kemper, our Association 
 has lost a faithful and useful member, society an honored and 
 influential citizen, the cause of education a valuable and talent- 
 ed teacher, and the Church a noble defender of the faith. 
 
 " 2nd, That we extend to the bereaved family and friends of our 
 deceased brother our warmest sympathy." 
 
 Prof. George L. Osborne, President of the Normal 
 School at Warrensburg, pending the foregoing reso- 
 lutions, said : — ■ 
 
4IO THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 " It has been my pleasure and good fortune for six years past 
 to associate with Prof. Kemper in educational work. I found in 
 him a most cordial colaborer. He was ever ready with the kind- 
 ly smile, the encouraging word, the firm grasp of the hand, to 
 help those who needed help. The grand old Commonwealth of 
 Virginia has been eulogized as the mother of statesmen and 
 Presidents, but she never produced a nobler son than was Prof. 
 Kemper. The grandest monument that can be erected to human 
 greatness, he has built with his own hands. Its foundations lie 
 deep in the affections of his fellow-citizens,* its superstructure 
 rises through forty years of self-sacrificing devotion to the cause 
 of human progress." 
 
 From the Missouri Teacher^ Kirksville, Mo. : — 
 
 " His departure has saddened many a heart, and cast a shadow 
 of gloom over many a household. A good man has taken his 
 departure, and we shall greatly miss him. Prof. Kemper has 
 been identified with the educational interests of our State for a 
 number of years, and the work he has done will not soon perish. 
 He has built a monument in the hearts and lives of many noble 
 men that will not soon decay. Many rise up to bless him." 
 
 Captain James H. Rollins, U. S. A., of Columbia, 
 a patron, to his son at the school : — 
 
 "I feel that we have lost a dear friend, and the cause of ed- 
 ucation one of its best defenders and workers. Mr. Kemper 
 was a manly and good man, and a great educator. He had 
 strength and firmness without ostentation, or any disposition for 
 parade and show. He looked to the substance of all things in 
 this life, rather than the shadow. In your pathway through life, 
 you will rarely, if ever, come across another man with so high a 
 sense of duty, and, at the same time, with so much ability to per- 
 form it rightly and properly under all circumstances. You should 
 forever keep his memory green, and take his character and life as 
 a model and guide, and example to imitate and follow." 
 
 Mrs. Captain James H. Rollins, of Columbia, Mo., 
 writing to Mrs. Kemper: — 
 
THE VICTOR CROWNED. 411 
 
 " I do not know of any one, outside of my immediate family, 
 whose death could have touched my heart so nearly ; for I had 
 learned to love and admire Mr. Kemper so much. We have said 
 so often, since his death, that it must be such a sweet, comforting 
 thought to you to feel that his life here had heen so good, and 
 noble, and perfect." 
 
 Mrs. DsWitt C. Lionberger, of Boonville, Mo., a 
 friend : — 
 
 " A pillar of strength to his own family, an example to his fel- 
 low-laborers for Christ, and a model of social and philosophic 
 spirit to the community. Strong in Christ, and yet humble and 
 trusting as a little child." 
 
 Rev. A. J. Sparks, editor of the Sunday- School Rec- 
 ord, Sedalia, Mo. : — 
 
 " Prof. Kemper was one of the noblest and best of men. Mis- 
 souri has never had an equal to him as a teacher." 
 
 Mrs. E. McCutchen, of Higginsville, Mo., a life-long 
 intimate friend : — 
 
 " As much as I admired him for his many good and noble 
 qualities, I cannot find words to express my admiration of his 
 home life." 
 
 Mrs. Charlotte Campbell, of Kansas City, a pat- 
 ron : — 
 
 " I think in him, more than in others, the power of God was 
 manifested in the inner man ; but it was necessary to live with 
 him, and see him in every turn of life, to know how beautifully 
 the Spirit was moulding him into the image of his Master." 
 
 W. W. Thornton, Esq., of Shelbyville, 111., to his 
 son at the school : — 
 
 "While there are many educators of youth in the United 
 States, there was but one F. T. Kemper." 
 
412 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER, 
 
 Hon. James S. Rollins, of Columbia, Mo., the presi- 
 dent of the curators of the State University : — 
 
 " While his place can never be filled as a teacher and educator 
 of men, he has left behind him a most enviable reputation as a 
 good citizen, a gentleman, and a Christian." 
 
 Thomas T. Slack, an old friend, of Jefferson, 
 Texas : — 
 
 "As an educator and as an exemplary Christian gentleman, he 
 had but few equals." 
 
 Rev. B. T. Lacy, D.D., of Sedalia, Mo,, Stone- 
 wall Jackson's chaplain, a patron : — 
 
 " It was my sad privilege to attend the funeral of our noble and 
 lamented friend, Prof. F. T. Kemper. The loss is as great as 
 Missouri could have sustained in the death of any one of her dis- 
 tinguished and useful citizens. He was the best educator of this 
 country, and has accom-plished a grand work. Some lasting me- 
 morial of such a man and such a work should be prepared." 
 
 Rev. J. M. Curtis, for some yearsrector of Christ's 
 Church, Boonville, Mo., to Mrs. Kemper : — 
 
 " I felt that I must tell you, how (beginning his acquaintance 
 with a slight and perhaps half-unconscious prejudice, and always 
 seeing many important questions of life from a widely different 
 standpoint), the broad grasp of his intellect, his modest yet ac- 
 curate scholarship, his manly courage, his firm Christian faith, and 
 his tender Christian spirit, had so impressed me, the few years 
 that I had known him, as to make my own life abetter and more 
 earnest one, through the influence of his example." 
 
 Miss Carrie Bliss, of Brattleboro, Vt. , a friend : — 
 
 " I loved him as one of my best and truest friends. I think 
 every one, brought into contact with him, must have loved and 
 honored him. I am reminded of the following lines, which- seem 
 peculiarly applicable to him : * This brave and tender man, in 
 
THE VICTOR CROWNED. 413 
 
 every storm of life, was oak and rock; but, in the sunshine, he 
 was vine and flower. He Vvras the friend of all heroic souls. He 
 climbed the heights^ and left all superstitions far below ; while 
 on his forehead fell the golden dawning of a grander day. He 
 sided with the weak, and with a willing hand gave alms, and with 
 a loyal heart he faithfully discharged all public trusts. He added 
 to the sum of human joy, and were every one for whom he did 
 some loving service to bring a blossom to his grave, he would 
 sleep to-night beneath a wilderness of flowers.' " 
 
 Rev. James H. Brookes, D.D., of St. Louis, in a 
 letter to Mr. Kemper: — 
 
 " I am free to say, I have never seen a teacher who impress- 
 ed me so favorably with his style, his scholarship, and his enthu- 
 siasm. I can only indicate my estimate of your ability by declar- 
 ing that I would esteem it a very great privilege, did the pressing 
 duties of my ministry allow me, to spend at least a year in the 
 study of that plentiful and splendid language, the Greek, under 
 your instructions. I have often said to others, and am willing to 
 say to you, that I would rather commit a son of mine to your tui- 
 tion than to send him to any college in the land." 
 
 The following extended tribute comes from the 
 graceful pen of the late Rev. John S. Grasty, D.D., 
 the biographer of the saintly McPheeters : — 
 
 " F. T. KEMPER AS HE APPEARED TO ONE WHO LOVED HIM. 
 
 " There are deaths which create a sad vacuum in a particular 
 home circle, but are felt little beyond. There are deaths, again, 
 which cast a shadow upon an entire community, and cause mourn- 
 ing in many families. There are deaths, once more, that send a 
 pang throughout an entire commonwealth, and even farther. Of 
 this latter class was the unexpected departure of F. T. Kemper, 
 the widely known, and deeply loved, and sincerely honored teach- 
 er, scholar, and Christian gentleman, who presided over the school 
 called by his name, and located in the town of Boonville, Mo. 
 His decease leaves a vacancy which may not be filled for several 
 generations. Of a truth, the exact like of such a man can be 
 
414 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 found only now and then, at intervals of time and in places wide- 
 ly apart. 
 
 " Born in the same Stale with Mr. Kemper, I have known the 
 family stock from boyhood. The Kempers were a people of the 
 highest respectability and of pecuniary independence there in 
 Madison County, Virginia. Industry, force, desire for practical, 
 useful knowledge were general characteristics. The solid rather 
 than the gaudy was preferred by members of the house, as I have 
 personally known. Ex-Gov. James M. Kemper, a younger broth- 
 er, was a classmate when we were fellow-students at Washing- 
 ton College, Va. I can recall the period of his arrival at the insti- 
 tution. He was clad, not in the finest of French cloth, nor did his 
 apparel and manner indicate a youth who had come to impress 
 his fellows by means of a glittering wardrobe, and through brilliant 
 and showy ways. On the contrary, the boy of fifteen summers wore 
 a neatly-fitting suit of home-made jeans, and from hat to shoe 
 both the youth and his clothes seemed to say, 'We are here for 
 work.' And so it proved. For from the first day onward young 
 Kemper labored faithfully, gained ground steadily and surely 
 until the prize was insured. When the college days were over 
 we corresponded for a season, but this kind of intercourse (as 
 is usually the case) gradually fell away until it entirely ceased. 
 Nevertheless, I watched the upward progress of this valued friend, 
 as he rose step by step until reaching the highest summit of hon- 
 or within the limit of his native State. Nor was there ever a 
 charge of dishonesty, or of indirection even. The whole was 
 accomplished by ' square work,' such as conscience and the great 
 Master approve. I have ventured to say this much about the 
 younger brother, because he and F. T. Kemper were by nature 
 so much alike. And as I bad known the one in boyhood and 
 afterward, it did not require years or months to mark those points 
 of character which individualized the other. 
 
 " F. T. Kemper settled in Missouri about thirty-five years ago, 
 and selected teaching for his life-work. The personal acquaint- 
 ance that I had with him did not begin till the summer of 1873. I 
 had received an invitation to address the Society of Inquiry con- 
 nected with Westminster College, and while in Fulton a message 
 reached me from Mr. Kemper, which resulted in a visit to Boon- 
 ville. An acquaintance then began which ripened into an ever- 
 
THE VICTOR CROWNED. 415 
 
 growing friendship. And as the relations between us, for the past 
 six years especially, have not only been cordial but intimate, it 
 would seem rrore than strange did I not seek to throw a simple 
 flower, at least, upon the grave of my friend, now that death has 
 hung a veil between, 
 
 " That F. T. Kemper was a man of mark, that as an educator 
 he greatly excelled, has been confessed for twenty-five years. 
 Those who once smiled when he called himself the ' maker of 
 men,' have long since admitted the claim, as pupils from the 
 Kemper School have gone forth to fill offices of trust throughout 
 the entire West. That the city and neighborhood in which he 
 lived accepted him silently, or otherwise, as a leader of public 
 thought, must have been obvious to all. That his daily walk in- 
 spired universal confidence ; that the fathers themselves, who 
 had been taught, and disciplined in the ' Kemper Family School/ 
 whatever their experience there, preferred this school for their 
 sons, is a fact which in itself points to the excellence and the 
 enduring worth of the teacher at its head. 
 
 " Still farther, whenever a person notably succeeds in any im- 
 portant business, it is natural to inquire after the means and in- 
 struments through which this success was attained. How then 
 did this youn g emigrant begin at the bottom and build for himself 
 a name ? Was it because the land was fresh, and the country 
 invitingly open ? Ay, but the same opportunities were offered 
 to scores and hundreds of compeers, who entered the race together, 
 yet so began and ended their course as to make no sign ! Was 
 it for the reason that our friend had wealth and powerful connec- 
 ti6ns to help him in his task ? Not this ; for the amount of money 
 at command was moderate, while young Kemper was a stranger 
 in a strange land ! Was it on account of scholarship which his 
 adopted State could not match ? Just here, again, many were his 
 equals, while a few confessed superiors ! Were his intellectual 
 gifts so brilliant that the multitude was charmed? Never did this 
 teacher [lay claim to any quality that attracted by its glitter. 
 Nevertheless, the rnan succeeded, and succeeded notably at his 
 work. If I may be allowed to illustrate a person's character by 
 an edifice and its proportions, I would point to a building whose 
 foundations are broad, tough, and below frost. The sills are 
 thick, strong, and without a flaw ; while the materials which enter 
 
41 6 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 inlo the house at every angle, are selected for substance and not 
 for show. In all the structure, from corner to capstone, we find 
 nothing for mere ornament— no paper make-believes, no Dolly 
 Vardens — no pretended strength, no secret vveakness or deform- 
 ity covered up and hidden by means of plaster or paint. But 
 the house from bottom to top is honestly built — built for comfort, 
 built for summer and winter, and with strength to resist storms. 
 
 " Mr. Kemper was what we call a substantial man. He had a 
 moral base of depth and breadth with which to begin. When- 
 ever his calm judgment decided that a thought or act was wrong, 
 from that moment onward he put it away. He might be mistaken 
 in his decisions, but he loved the right, and looked for no ' fruit 
 to be desired ' from any undertaking which was not founded on 
 the truth. In his view, all lies, of whatever sort, must yield sor- 
 row in the end. Hence in every undertaking he was conscien- 
 tiously careful to look at the surroundings. Is it ' just, true, love- 
 ly, and of good report? ' were questions unspeakably more vital to 
 Mr. Kemper than the fairest promise of gold and silver from the 
 mine. Indeed, our friend came into the world with all the ele- 
 ments of a man, and these were developed as the years revolved. 
 Here, then, was a part of that capital with which young Kemper 
 began. 
 
 " It has been said already that the school- room was the field in 
 which Mr. Kemper chose to labor. By some, it may be, the rules 
 laid down in this Family School were considered stern, if not 
 needlessly severe. Yet, if the truth is fairly told, these regula- 
 tions bore hardly upon no one who had the heart and the pluck to 
 do right. This teacher, from his inmost soul, loathed shams, 
 pretence, and everything false or perfunctory. The sorry boy 
 who slighted the lesson, or the mean one who sought refuge in 
 untruth or prevarication, was found, out and corrected. Thor- 
 oughness was a motto for every class, and whenever the student 
 exhibited diligence, courage, and honor, the Principal warmed 
 toward such an one, and, If need arose, not only the heart but 
 also the purse was open to help. 
 
 " As man, and teacher, and Christian gentleman, Mr. Kemper 
 stood pre-eminent at home — in the city of his adoption. There 
 could not be found a respectable citizen in Boonville who did 
 not regard as representative both the ' Family School ' and its la- 
 
THE VICTOR CROWNED. 417 
 
 borious, accomplished, and self-denying head. And yet the 
 principal of this widely known and valued institution never took 
 on airs, and no one ever saw him walking abroad as some lofty 
 lord of the manor ! He seldom spoke of himself, and if at all, 
 in" language strikingly modest. In intercourse with pupils and 
 neighbors, courtesy and good-breeding always marked his bearing. 
 Every inhabitant of the county knew him, and he never passed 
 the humblest, poorest, or most ignorant without a sign of recog- 
 nition. Blood will tell, and it was impossible for this well-bred 
 Christian gentleman to tyrannize, rebuff, or be coarse, however 
 conscious he might be of superiority and power, or however lowly 
 and unfortunate the fellow-creature who stood in his presence. 
 On the contrary, he felt it a Christian duty to cultivate friendliness, 
 and this toward the community generally in which God had cast 
 his lot. Hence it became a constant practice with him to make 
 calls, if only of a few minutes, upon different households through- 
 out the entire city. Especially did he go, and with a sympathetic 
 heart and cheerfully helping hand, wherever affliction had entered 
 or the dependent called for aid. And not even the loved and 
 trusted wife of his bosom — so unostentatious were his deeds of love 
 — could recount his ministries to the sorrowing or his gifts to the 
 poor. His charity was abounding and his sympathies fresh and 
 sweet. Nevertheless, in all that he did, he considered himself a 
 steward. The inspired statement, " Ye are not your own, ye are 
 bought with a price," was accepted in its fulness. Self-praise, 
 therefore, from such a man was simply out of the question. Al- 
 though the ' Kemper Family School,' all things considered, had 
 been a splendid success, and notwithstanding it could point to a 
 long roll of illustrious names among its alumni in science, poli- 
 tics, and the learned professions, still the principal never boasted. 
 Never did he entertain a guest with histories of his own great 
 deeds, and point out the fine things his superior genius had dis- 
 covered. He allowed his 'labors under the sun' to speak for 
 themselves. And whatever might be the result of thoughtfully 
 laid plans, no one ever heard him complain that the sowing had 
 been his and the reaping another's. This man, with his great soul, 
 was too happy to have hidden a few grains under the soil which 
 should germinate, and yield sheaves to those who were to follow. 
 His fully informed head and sanctified heart forbade the thought 
 19 
 
41 8 - THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 of making self the theme. It was here, especially, that his early- 
 social advantages, and educational training ' stood him in good 
 stead,' He never forgot to be a gentleman. In the ' self-made 
 man ' alone, can egotism be charitably excused. For whatever 
 the privileges of after years, the lack of refined culture in youth 
 is seldom, if ever, wholly repaired. Together with striking — 
 and many times lofty — excellences in such persons, friends are 
 forced to mourn the presence of pride, intolerance, and painful 
 self-conceit. In the tree, although the root supplies the sap and 
 the life, yet the fruit, sweet or sour, or a mean between the two, 
 takes on its flavor from the nature of the graft." 
 
 " Of Mr. Kemper as a church member and office-bearer in the 
 house of God, what shall be said ? For surely a prince and a great 
 man in Israel is fallen. His praise was in all the churches. He 
 will be missed by the pastor whom he loved, by the associate elders 
 who were accustomed to take sweet counsel with him, and by the 
 Presbytery and Synod where his presence and influence were so 
 sensibly felt. It was a privilege above price for a particular con- 
 gregation to possess such a ruler. For there is not a point, in the 
 whole domain of ecclesiastical work, where a laborer like Mr. 
 Kemper does not leave a lasting sign. He was as regular in his 
 attendance on the prayer-meeting as the pastor, and his petitions 
 'at a throne of grace flowed from a full heart, and from an under- 
 standing profoundly enriched by familiarity with the Word. For 
 forty years, nothing short of serious sickness kept him from the 
 Sabbath-school, while he delighted in the Bible-class, and studied 
 the Scriptures as one who 'searches for hidden treasure.' And 
 what a hearer he was, whenever the preacher entered the sanctu- 
 ary with a message redolent of the truth and winged by the Spirit ! 
 What minister of the gospel, preaching in his presence, cannot 
 recall the lights and shadows that swept over his face as the am- 
 bassador for Christ Avarned the ungodly or else pointed' the 
 weary and heavy laden unto Him that gives rest. It is a grand 
 thing to enter the pulpit when the preacher feels assured of a 
 hearer like this! For," if there be nut another to hear, the well- 
 beaten oil can by no means be lost. 
 
 " Mr. Kemper was not only a wise and safe counselor in the 
 session, but joined the pastor heartily in watching for souls. For 
 if a case of religious interest occurred in the flock, he was sure to 
 
THE VICTOR CROWNED. 419 
 
 find it out. If any were tempted or perplexed, he could make 
 time to see them, and point out these tried and troubled ones to 
 One who giveth strength. As the head of a far-famed school, 
 with its reputation older than belonged to any contemporary — 
 with a name now become a household word over the State — this 
 honored Nestor of Missouri teachers did not think it beneath 
 him, from any point of view, to visit ihe fatherless and the widow ; 
 to enter the homes, however humble, of the sorrowing, and to 
 mingle his tears with those who, though mean in the eyes of the 
 self-constituted great, are nevertheless often rich in faith and 
 ' heirs of the kingdom.' Nor did he draw back when the trans- 
 gressor needed his care. For he remembered the words and the 
 ways of Him who was the greatest of teachers. Nor could he 
 forget the example of that ' Mighty Prophet,' who, speaking 
 comfortably to the amiable and gentle Mary and the careful and 
 busy Martha, did not refuse to eat with publicans and sinners, 
 while He allowed a poor, erring ' unfortunate' to wash His feet 
 with her tears, and to wipe them with the hairs of her head. Oh ! 
 if men would but learn it, how much more essential greatness is 
 there in simplicity, in deep sympathy for bereavement, in a single 
 faithful hour spent in reclaiming and cheering a lost Magda- 
 lene, than in all the bluster, arrogance, and false pretence which 
 mark the path of not a few vain, restless seekers after place and 
 power ! 
 
 '■ It was in Mr. Kemper's zealous efforts to carry the gospel 
 ' into the regions beyond' that he took into his system the seeds 
 of a fatal disease. Mrs. Kemper, a wife thoroughly worthy of 
 such a husband, wrote to Mrs. G. as follows : ' We were in 
 the habit of going to Sabbath-school, over five miles in the coun- 
 try, every Sabbath afternoon, and this very cold winter we suf- 
 fered greatly. But I could protect myself by covering head and 
 face with heavy shawls, while Mr. Kemper had to drive and watch 
 closely a team of gay horses. We would get home only in time 
 for supper. After supper we had a reading time v/ith the boys, 
 and I could not persuade my husband that it was his duty to rest 
 at home instead of going to night service. Two or three of the 
 last Sabbaths were so bad we could not go to the country, but 
 he did not rest, but visited the sick and alfiicted in town,' Here 
 was true greatness, and how small do the fussy, explosive, self- 
 
42 o THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 asserting heroes appear beside such a splendid man as this ! In- 
 stead of the sumptuous study, the afternoon slumber, the many- 
 idle if not misspent hours of the Sabbath day, this man, full of 
 business too, voluntarily taxed body and spirit in order to garner 
 an interval of time to be devoted to labors ' five miles away in 
 the country,' and this when every limb 'suffered greatly with the 
 cold.' It was with such inner forces as these that the Kemper 
 School first saw the light, and had been able to hold out through 
 dark days as well as bright. And it. was by means of such lofty 
 worth that the principal exerted a healthful and abiding power 
 over hundreds, not to say thousands, in the West and South, who 
 will never willingly let the name of the loved teacher die. 
 
 " Heads of schools and colleges, such as this man was, are 
 greatly to be desired. Let there be principals whose chief end 
 shall be not to impress the pupil and communities with ideas of 
 their own greatness, but teachers of larger girth than this, anxious 
 to spend and be spent in the cause of truth. 
 
 " It was the aim of Mr. Kemper to return full value for every 
 dollar that the student paid in. Hence bistable was bountiful, the 
 rooms arranged for comfort, extensive play-grounds "convenient ; 
 while the scholar had the opportunity, through moderate handi- 
 work on the little farm near by, of earning twenty, thirty, or even 
 forty cents per day, to be applied to tuition, or otherwise, as the 
 student himself chose. 
 
 " When the regular exercises of the day were over, it was de- 
 lightful to meet Mr. K, in the home circle. His hospitality to a 
 guest was overflowing, and it was exceedingly beautiful to witness 
 his gallantry to wife, tenderness toward children, united to his 
 warm consideration for all. His experiences were large, his 
 knowledge of particular subjects full, while the desire to make 
 those around him useful and happy never seemed to fag? I have 
 spent weeks together at his house, and each day had its scheme for 
 adding new pleasure, for the discussion of plans by which existing 
 evils might be cured. All the faith and the force that were in him 
 had been reduced to practice, and there is scarcely a position or 
 office that he might not have filled with honor. Had he chosen 
 the law, he must have excelled as a jurist. Had the gospel min-, 
 istry claimed him, his labors in such a field would have abounded. 
 Had he entered the army his comrades must have named him 
 among ' Ihe bravest of the brave.' 
 
THE VICTOR CROWNED. 421 
 
 " In person Mr. Kemper was of medium height and very com- 
 pactly built. True, he did not possess those physical proportions 
 which are usually called commanding, yet his bodily form, from 
 every point of view and in every sense of the word, was pre- 
 eminently manly. Looking on his face, with the forehead broad, the 
 mouth honest and full of meaning, whether the lips were wreathed 
 with smiles or compressed by resolve, the entire countenance in- 
 dicated harmony and strength, and without the marring of a feature. 
 The dark, lustrous eye especially attracted. For its light varied 
 with the thought, kindling at one time in righteousanger or just re- 
 proof, and then as sorrow entered melting into sympathetic tears. 
 Nature furnished a visage which was exceedingly fine. For the 
 countenance as a whole ' gave forth no uncertain sign' of benig- 
 nity, pity, mental power, and human kindness, combined with a 
 purpose to do right down ' to the uttermost farthing.' And one 
 needed not to commune with him long before it was seen that 
 here was a man ready to dare or to do anything duty demanded, 
 even if life itself were to be the sure forfeit. Fearless for the 
 right, and set against wrong ; with sympathies for the poor, and 
 not envious of the rich ; in reverence worshiping God, with good 
 will for fellow-man ; loving, liberal, laborious ; striving in faith 
 and patience to win the prize— this workman, living and dying, 
 was ' a nobleman of nature crowned with the diadem of grace.' 
 
 " When such a man departs from our midst the world seems 
 poorer. When we revisit his earthly home, and move and linger 
 about the places and amid the scenes where he once spake and 
 pilgrimed, how his voice is missed, and how the very silence 
 seems to bring back an invisible presence and utter his praise ! 
 
 " Many — and the writer especially, at whose house he so- 
 journed — can vividly recall Mr. Kemper's last visit to Mexico, Mo. 
 He came to attend the Teachers' Association, and was called to 
 address the meeting. The grandeur of the discourse deeply im- 
 pressed all. Many spoke of it as the noblest effort of the gifted 
 speaker's life. In concluding he said : ' I am growing old, and 
 my life work is nearly done. Standing on the bank of the river, 
 waiting to depart, I catch glimpses of those signal lights beyond, 
 which mark the path and wave me welcome to the further shore.' 
 Ay ! we are wiser than we know. For even then the hour had 
 begun to strike. Voices, deep but low, were whispering to this 
 
42 2 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 ripened saint of a ' home over there,' where unfading crowns, un- 
 speakable joy, and eternal life are the free but sure reward. The 
 day was breaking, the shadows fleeing, and with the battle fought 
 and the victory won, the veteran soldier laid aside his armor and 
 entered into rest. Thank God for such a life, for a record that 
 abounds 
 
 ' In deeds of noble rectitude — in scorn 
 
 For miserable aims that end with self — 
 
 In thoughts sublime that pierce the night like stars,. 
 
 And with their mild persistence urge man's search 
 
 To vaster issues. 
 
 He lived and made undying music, and then, 
 
 With high reverence, richly mixed with love, 
 
 Went up to join the choir invisible 
 
 Of those immortal dead who live again 
 
 In minds made grander by the once presence 
 
 Of those noble here.' " 
 
 Rev. S. S. Laws, LL.D., President of the Uni- 
 versity of Missouri : — 
 
 " Permit me to. express the hope that Prof. Kemper will be 
 allowed to tell his own story to the full extent that he has left 
 written materials for so doing. His English is singularly pure and 
 terse. His utterances have the directness of the man himself. 
 He was as sensitive as a child, but had true greatness of soul. 
 He had a ready and lively appreciation of worth, and an imperi- 
 ous detestation of all crookedness and baseness. He was touch- 
 ed by any kindly appreciation of his own worth and good work, 
 but proudly indifferent to the censure consequent on doing what 
 he conceived to be right and just. 
 
 " He was strict as a teacher, for the good of his pupil. In one 
 of my last conversations with him he boldly avowed himself in 
 his school as a tyrant. I ventured, by way of justice rather than of 
 compliment, to dissent, assigning as my reason that tyranny was 
 the exercise of arrogated authority, or of intrusted authority without 
 reason ; whereas I felt sure that he was careful to exercise only such 
 authority as he conceived legitimately belonged to him, and then in 
 
THE VICTOR CROWNED. 423 
 
 a reasonable manner, however sternly. His only response was 
 one of his good-humored and characteristic laughs. But it must 
 be said of him that he was never more exacting of others than of 
 himself. 
 
 " He had one trait as a teacher that I must mention as unique. 
 It was that of lifting his pupils by stages, ftis kindly personal 
 interest in every honest effort on the part of the learner won for 
 him their confidence and affection. After a time he would so 
 inspire them with confidence and self-reliance and freedom of 
 personal class-room intercourse, that some out-cropping would 
 indicate that the class began to think that they knew almost as 
 much about the subject in hand as the teacher. Then he would, 
 at once and abruptly, rise to a higher plane, and begin to pull 
 them up after him ; only to repeat the same experiences. This 
 was a feature of his class-work, such as I have never known it in 
 any other, and to some it made him a puzzle. 
 
 " It occurs to me that I must mention two incidents, of interest 
 to myself, at least. His testimony touching the plan of a lan- 
 guage chair taking full charge of the subject, from the grammar up- 
 ward, after trying it in Westminster, was, that it was a little more 
 work for the teacher at the start, but in the end less work and 
 better scholarship. 
 
 "The other is his opinion of my lecture on Metaphysics. I 
 sent him a copy, and asked him to give me the benefit of his view, 
 of it. It was the last time we were ever together ; and it was dur- 
 ing his attendance at the State Teachers' Association at this place, 
 1880, that, sitting on my veranda in conversation with myself and 
 some friends, he brought up the subject as something with which 
 he had charged his mind. He assured me that he agreed with 
 the lecture entirely, making only an incidental remark about one 
 unusual form of expression,* which I took occasion to point out 
 as having been expounded into greater plainness in another part 
 of the lecture. Of course I felt gratified and complimented by 
 the commendatory assent of so careful a reader and exacting a 
 thinker, and so frank and independent a speaker, on a discussion 
 so radical and far-reaching as the one in question. 
 
 "If the address delivered by Professor Kemper before that 
 Association has been left in manuscript, it will be a gem. But 
 * " Inferential intuition," page 351, as compared with pp. 415, 416. 
 
424 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER, 
 
 I fear that Mrs. Kemper's impression that it was never written is 
 true. It was certainly one of the finest efforts of his life. It 
 bristled with incisive and concisely illustrated points, uttered and 
 clothed as was possible only to an able and experienced teacher." 
 
 Rev. M. M.Frsher,D.D., LL.D., Professor of Latin 
 in the University of Missouri : — 
 
 " My acquaintance with Mr. Kemper began twenty-seven years 
 ago,, when, in my boyhood, I accepted my first professorship in 
 Westminster College. It will always be one of the most delight- 
 ful and precious recollections of my life that for a quarter of a 
 century a fiiend's place was accorded me in the heart and home 
 of one of the best and purest men it has ever been my fortune to 
 know. 
 
 " One of the most noteworthy traits in the character of this 
 prince among American educators v/as his unflinching adherence 
 to principle under all circumstances. What right and duty com- 
 manded he did, no matter whose frown might come, or what the 
 consequences might be. Seeking popularity by sacrificing prin- 
 ciple was utterly abhorrent to his nature. A more just man in 
 all the relations of life I never knew. Whether his pupils were 
 poor or rich, influential or the reverse, this great teacher held the 
 scales of justice with a hand whose impartiality could never be 
 called in question. His conscientious regard for duty extended 
 to everything. Mr. Kemper during his whole life was a student. 
 On one occasion, in talking over the duties of a teacher, he said to 
 me : ' I never hear a lesson in reading or grammar without 
 first studying it myself. It is necessary to arouse and keep alive 
 interest in my pupils.' And so he prepared himself beforehand 
 for every duty. What a volume of instruction there is here fur 
 all teachers. 
 
 " That such a man should be thorough mightbetaken for granted, 
 but the degree of that thoroughness was known by comparatively 
 few. Mr. Kemper did not acquire as rapidly as some scholars I 
 have known, but the painstaking perseverance that marked the 
 man always gave him the victory. His accuracy in pronuncia- 
 tion was proverbial, and almost astonishing. Only in one 
 instance in twenty-five years did I know his being in error. We 
 
THE VICTOR CROWNED. 42 , 
 
 had made an agreement to call the attention of one another to 
 mispronounced words. At the rhetorical exercises one Saturday 
 morning the -word' Graniczis was used, which he said he thought 
 ought to be pronounced G^-an'-i-cus. When asked for his author- 
 ity in private, he replied that he had seen the statement in some 
 English periodical, whose high standing had inspired him with 
 confidence in whatever it might say on such points. On further 
 examination he at once adopted the usual pronunciation, and said 
 Gra-ni' -cus. 
 
 " In his studies, teaching, and in fact in everything, he was sys- 
 tematic. This enabled him to do an amount of work, especially 
 in his earlier teaching life, that would otherwise have been 
 impossible. In talking about system being a necessity, he once 
 remarked : ' If I had a boy, and he had nothing to do but twirl his 
 finger around his thumb, 1 should v/ant him to have some system 
 in it.' 
 
 " There was one talent, in Mr. Kemper which has never been 
 spoken of to a very great extent, but which has been felt hun- 
 dreds of times, and that too by thousands. I refer to his power 
 as a speaker. For chaste, concise, elegant English he had few 
 equals in America. In point of rhetoric, some of his addresses 
 were not only powerful and successful, but also splendid and well- 
 nigh faultless. My conviction is that no teacher in our country 
 was superior to him in the ability to weave into his speeches, and 
 that too with matchless skill, the great events of history and the 
 every-day incidents of life. Some little incident that would pass 
 unnoticed by most men was often used by Mr. Kemper with even 
 thrilling effect. He had in a very extraordinary degree common- 
 sense, which may be set down as essential in all great educators. 
 To speak truth, no one can achieve real success without this 
 requisite. It has often been a source of regret with me that Mr. 
 Kemper's speeches were not committed to writing. A book con- 
 taining his educational addresses would itself be a treasure. 
 
 " As an educator he attained and held v»^ith the hand of a 
 giant a most exalted position. Many may be able teachers, but 
 few men in a generation can truthfully be called educators. Mr. 
 Kemper's aim was not to teach Latin or Greek, physics or 
 mathematics merely, but to make men — to send out men 
 thoroughly equipped to do what God called them to do. 
 
 19* 
 
426 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 "A feature of peculiar interest in the character of this eminent 
 man was his tenderness of heart. This reminds me of one of 
 the most gifted men in this generation, who was associated with 
 Mr. Kemper in Westminster College — I refer to Dr. S. S. Laws, 
 who has achieved such signal success in the University of the 
 State, and who ranks among the ablest university presidents 
 America has ever produced. Both these men, to a stranger, 
 might seem severe and rugged and unfeeling, but an intimate 
 acquaintance proved both men to be remarkably tender-hearted, 
 and to possess all the delicate sensibilities of the most refined 
 woman. Par nobile fratrum. I shall never cease to regard it as 
 one of the choicest and greatest blessings of my life that so much 
 of my time has been passed in association with these two grand 
 men, who have made an impression on this Empire State that 
 eternity alone can fully unfold. 
 
 " As a Christian, Mr. Kemper was one of the most humble, 
 earnest, and devoted men I ever met. He was greatly afflicted in 
 the loss of several children, to whom he was most tenderly at- 
 tached. All his trials seemed to bring him nearer to God. 
 Through life he was supported by the companionship of a wife 
 whose native talent and refined culture rendered vital assistance 
 in the great work of his life, and whose Christian fortitude was 
 always most conspicuous in hours of darkness and sorrow." 
 
 Resolutions of respect, in Memory of Professor 
 Frederick T. Kemper, deceased, passed by the City 
 Council of Boonville, on the occasion of his death : — 
 
 " Whereas, The Supreme Ruler of the Universe has seen proper 
 in His infinite wisdom to take from our midst our distinguished 
 friend and fellow-citizen, Prof. Y . T. Kemper ; and 
 
 " Whereas, We desire to place upon the records of our city a 
 recognition of the love of our people for the memory of the de- 
 ceased, as v/ell as our own individual esteem for his character; 
 now, therefore, be it 
 
 " Resolved, That we, the members of the Board of Councilmen 
 of the City of Boonville, and the representatives of the friends 
 and neighbors of the deceased, do profoundly recognize his death 
 as a public calamity, and sincerely and deeply feel that our com- 
 
THE VICTOR CROWNED, 427 
 
 munity has lost a worthy citizen and a good man, our people a 
 generous friend and kind neighbor, and our city a patriotic and 
 practical benefactor ; and that for ourselves and in the name of 
 our people we extend to his family and friends, in the hour of 
 their sad bereavement and irreparable loss, our profoundest sym- 
 pathies and deepest regrets. And be it further 
 
 ' 'Resolved, That, in token of our respect for the memory of our de 
 ceased citizen, and our high regard for his distinguished character, 
 we hereby ask the Mayor of our city to issue his proclamation, 
 requesting the people of our city to close their respective places 
 of business during the funeral of our departed friend ; and that 
 the offices of the city be draped in mourning for the period of 
 thirty days." 
 
 The next group of testimonials will embrace those 
 of a distinctively religious character. The first of 
 these is a paper passed by the Pastors' Union of Boon- 
 ville, embracing all the Protestant ministers of the 
 place : — ■ 
 
 " We feel thankful to God for the long and useful life which 
 Prof. F. T. Kemper, in the providence of God, was permitted to 
 spend in our midst. We feel deeply afflicted in the death of one 
 so long and usefully identified with the cause of religion and 
 Christian education. Now, as it has pleased Almighty God to 
 remove our'beloved brother from his labors on earth to his reward 
 in heaven ; therefore 
 
 " Resolved, That while we deeply regret the loss of his presence 
 and labors, we humbly submit to the action of Him who doeth 
 all things right. 
 
 " Resolved, That we extend to his bereaved family our Chris- 
 tian sympathy." 
 
 Resolutions of the Session of the Boonville Pres- 
 byterian Church, March 11, 1881 : — 
 
 " We recognize in this providence the wise, loving, and sover- 
 eign hand of Almighty God, and bow with submission to His 
 
42 8 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 holy win. ' The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away ; 
 blessed be the name of the Lord.' 
 
 " We desire to record, as a Session, our sense of personal be- 
 reavement, in the loss of this friend and counselor, in the work 
 intrusted to us as officers of the church. 
 
 " We desire to express our high appreciation of his character 
 as a man, his consistency as a Christian, and his faithfulness as 
 an elder. He was an Israelite in whom was no g-uile, an elder 
 who took the oversight of the flock willingly and of a ready mind, 
 not as a lord over God's heritage, but as an example to the flock. 
 
 " We tender our heartfelt sympathy to his sorely bereaved fam- 
 ily, and mingle our tears with theirs. Our prayer is that God, 
 whom he served, may be their Sun and Shield, their Keeper, and 
 their Shade upon their right hand," 
 
 The action of the Synod of Missouri, taken at St. 
 Louis in the fall of 1881 : — 
 
 " In making mention of the death of Ruling Elder Prof. F. T.^ 
 Kemper, the Synod records : — 
 
 " First, Its recognition of the sovereign, wise, and loving hand 
 of God, who killeth and maketh alive, who gave and has taken 
 away, in whose sight the death of His saints is precious. 
 
 " Second. Its sense of loss to the Church on earth in the re- 
 moval of such men from the ruling eldership ; for good men are 
 among our best gifts. 
 
 " Third. Its appreciation of Prof. Kemper as a man filling in 
 the largest measure his sphere in life. As a man, he exemplified 
 the virtues of truth, righteousness, and godliness ; as a Christian, 
 be was adorned with the graces of the Spirit, following in the 
 footsteps of his Master, who went about doing good ; a!s an offi- 
 cer in the church, he was prayerful, faithful, and fearless in his dis- 
 charge of the trust committed to him ; blameless, vigilant, sober, 
 of good behavior, given to hospitality, having a good report from 
 them that are without, taking the oversight of the flock willingly 
 and of a ready mind ; as an educator, he made Christianity the 
 basis of his work, not only by inculcating Christian maxims, but 
 by making the Bible a text-book in his school. 
 
 " Fourth. Its gratitude to God for leaving him with us so long, 
 for the bright example of his victorious faith, by which he being 
 
THE VICTOR CROWNED, 429 
 
 dead yet speaks to us, and for the works which follow him to the 
 lengthened shadows of his earthly life, 
 
 " Fifth. Its prayer to the great Head of the Church, that He 
 will raise up and endow many young men all over our Zion to fill 
 the high office of ruling elder of His house." 
 
 The last is from the Rev. O. W. Gauss, M.D., the 
 pastor of the Boonville Presbyterian Church : — 
 
 " PERSONAL REMINISCENCES. 
 
 " The first time I saw Prof. Kem.per was oi. the Sunday even- 
 ing service in the church of which he was an elder. The cordial 
 manner in which he came forward to greet me at once put-me at 
 ease in his presence. Fancy pictures to us the mental and phys- 
 ical characteristics of men of repute. Prof, Kemper's name was 
 familiar to me as one of the most prominent and successful edu- 
 cators in the land, and I expected to find him fastidious in dress, 
 imposing in person, and stern in the lines of his face. But the 
 man whom I saw coming out of- the congregation to the pulpit 
 was in every respect the opposite of this. In dress he was plain ; 
 his person was vigorous, but not imposing; and his face was 
 thoughtful, firm, and earnest, but not rigid. The thing which spe- 
 cially impressed me that night was the pleasant smile which 
 lighted up mouth, eye, and brow, and made me feel that the 
 grasp of the hand which he extended was more than a form. The 
 sweet guilelessness of his smile revealed a spirit that was Nathan- 
 ael's before his Lord, Forthwith my heart went out to him with 
 a confidence which v/as never v/ithdrawn, A friendship was then 
 formed which every young pastor so much needs, combining sym- 
 pathy and forbearance toward ipexperience, with the wisdom 
 and helpfulness of riper years. 
 
 " To undertake a narrative of his life, or even of that portion 
 of it which came under my observation, would be trespassing on 
 the domain of the biographer ; to attempt to estimate his charac- 
 ter as a whole would be more than I could manage ; but in the re- 
 lation which I sustained as pastor of the church, of which he was 
 an honored elder for about a quarter of a century, certain phases 
 of his religious character passed under my observation, which no 
 
430 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 one else would be so likely to notice in their bearing upon pas- 
 toral work. 
 
 " I cherish his memory as that of a man of the most humble 
 and most exalted type of piety, realizing as much as any one I 
 ever knew the Saviour's promise, ' He that humbleth himself 
 shall be exalted.' The beautiful lines he was wont to repeat, 
 as illustrating his conception of Christian character, fit well his 
 own : — 
 
 ' The bird that soars on highest wing, 
 Builds on the ground her lowly nest ; 
 And she that doth most sweetly sing, 
 
 Sings in the shade, whence all things rest. 
 In lark and nightingale we see 
 What honor hath humility.' 
 
 I esteemed many other things in him. Specially was his Biblical 
 knowledge such that I always felt that the proper place for me 
 was to sit at his feet and learn of him. But my most vivid im- 
 pression was derived from his.spirit of single-hearted consecration 
 to Christ. This was the key-note of his life, to which his business 
 affairs, hi? social intercourse, his church labors, his daily walk 
 were attuned. 
 
 " Few ministers of the gospel ever came within the circle of his 
 influence who will not heartily respond to this acknowledgment 
 of his uniformly kind treatment. In receiving them he received 
 their Master, and his attentions to them were acts of personal 
 devotion to Christ. His house was always open to entertain 
 them, his hand was always outstretched to help them, his heart 
 was always in sympathy with them. In the first few weeks of my 
 settlement over the Boonville church, he frequently expressed 
 concern lest the deacons might not be sufficiently thoughtful in 
 paying the salary, and so, as strangers, the pastor's family would 
 sufTer embarrassment. No one ever took a greater delight in 
 doing for others. He was jealous for the honor of Christ, as 
 intrusted to the ministry, and was grieved to discover any imper- 
 fection of character in those appointed to minister in holy things, 
 like the dead fly in the apothecary's ointment. He coveted for 
 them the utmost attainable perfection, puttmg the essential first, 
 but desiring that they might have every other possible excellence. 
 
THE VICTOR CROWNED, 43 1 
 
 It was in this spirit that he would sometimes criticise the preacher's 
 pronunciation, enunciation, grammar, and whole style. In one 
 of my first interviews with him he said to me, ' I want to be proud 
 of my pastor.' His language impressed me as the counterpart of 
 Paul's language to the Corinthian church, ' I have espoused you 
 to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to 
 Christ. ' As the pastor's most fervent desire is to see Christians liv- 
 ing near their Lord, so the heart of this good elder was filled with 
 such zeal for his Redeemer that he wanted the man who stood 
 forth as His ambassador to give him honor in all things. 
 ■ " He always came to the house of God hungry for the bread of 
 life. Keenly alive to the powers of learning, eloquence, and rheto- 
 ric in the pulpit, himself possessing these gifts to a remarkable de- 
 gree, he was yet always an appreciative hearer of the simple truth 
 as preached by men destitute of them. I have often felt, in the 
 years of my pastorate, that the man who was the best teacher was 
 the most teachable. It is not strange, therefore, that he loved the 
 house of God, and found a delight in the simple ordinance of Di- 
 vine worship, which was far more to him than anything the world 
 could afford. The language of David was his own : ' How ami- 
 able are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts. A day in Thy courts 
 is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in 
 the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.' 
 
 •' He gave to the prayer-meeting a special charm, and its in- 
 formal exercises were very dear to him. As the labors of his school 
 were lightened upon him in the latter years of his life, he made 
 one of a little company of six or eight to study the Sunday-school 
 lesson weekly. He took evident delight in this little meeting, 
 and never failed to give delight by the directness with which he 
 would seize upon the central truth of the passage under study. 
 
 " He had no set phrases in prayer, but with the simplicity of a 
 child poured out his soul before God in language that all could 
 understand, and with an unction that all could feel. A very com- 
 mon expression with him when he arose to pray was, ' O Thou 
 that hearest prayer,' as though his faith went forward to encour- 
 age his soul to press boldly into the Divine presence, and tell all 
 its needs. Another expression that was very common with him 
 was, ' Thou that receivest sinners,' and I can recall, as he uttered 
 these words, how his voice would become choked with tears. 
 
432 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 Whenever he spoke, and he often did, it was from the heart and 
 to the heart. In the week of prayer preceding his death, at a un- 
 ion meeting, after different persons had enumerated the things 
 for which they were thankful, just as the meeting was about to 
 close, he arose and said : ' I would like to say a few words. I 
 want to say that I ajn thankful for affliction. It is good for me 
 that I have been afflicted.' I do not remember much else that 
 was said or done there that night. But his own deep emotion and 
 earnestness, and the profound feeling of sympathy awakened by 
 his tender words, are as fresh to me as though I had heard them 
 but yesterday. This is only a sample of what his fellow-worship- 
 ers so often heard from his lips. A most instructive and pleas- 
 ing book could have been compiled out of his impromptu prayer- 
 meeting talks. 
 
 " But the occasions which more than any others discovered the 
 depths of his religious experience were the quarterly communion 
 seasons. At these times his whole soul seemed stirred. During 
 the preparatory services his voice was so choked with emotion 
 that his utterance, when praying to God or speaking to us, was 
 often impeded. It was a touching sight to behold the strong 
 man, with overflowing eyes, passing around and partaking of the 
 sacred emblems. That which moved him at these times was the 
 sense of his own sin and of his Saviour's grace. The love of the 
 cross overcame him. He has told me that his father's emotion 
 at the communion-table was painful, but that this was not the 
 case with him. His feeling was only an intense realization of 
 the kindness and love of God to him a sinner. He was accus- 
 tomed to speak of these communion seasons as the milestones of 
 the Christian's course, marking off our growth in grace and our 
 progress to our journey's end. He always mentioned with 
 trembling accents the thought that at each season he was possi- 
 bly^ passing the last stone. 
 
 "Without any of that irreverent familiarity which often pains 
 the ear in the language of some zealous Christians, he had all 
 that confidence in Christ which one cherishes in a friend who has 
 been tried and found true. Speaking one day of the story of 
 Jonah, as one of the hard things in the Bible for some people to 
 believe, he said : * I never had any trouble to believe this narra- 
 tive. Christ by recognizing it has set upon it the seal of truth. 
 
THE VICTOR CROWNED. 433 
 
 and I know Christ would not deceive me.' What a beautiful 
 illustration of childlike faith I In him was blended in sweet har- 
 mony the moral and intellectual strength of Christian manhood, 
 with the trustfulness of a little child. It has been said that, as the 
 perfect boy must have something of the man about him, so the 
 perfect man must have something of the boy in him. In the 
 common" acceptation of the word there was nothing of the ' boy ' 
 about Prof. Kemper ; but he did possess those childlike disposi- 
 tions which our Saviour commerided, and like his Master, who 
 said, ' Suffer the little children to come unto me,' he too ever had 
 open arms for the little ones. He has often told, with a peculiar 
 satisfaction and pride, how he could win little children to leave 
 their mothers' arms and come to his own. It was this childlike 
 spirit that vvon to him the stranger and the poor, for whom he was 
 always doing. I have been interested to see that, while in the 
 house of God he was courteous to all, he paid special attention to 
 plain people. Often, immediately upon the pronouncing of the 
 benediction, he was seen hastening back through the aisle to 
 greet some stranger on whom his eye had rested in the congre- 
 gation, ere he should leave the house. 
 
 " He would expect to find such a man always abounding in the 
 work of the Lord. Besides attending with conscientious faithful- 
 ness to the duties that devolved on him as an elder,, he failed not 
 to use every opportunity to do good. His heart was always on 
 the alert to win souls to Christ. I was in his carriage with him 
 once in company with two young men, one of whom was weigh- 
 ing the question of his call to preach the gospel. When in the 
 course of conversation the topic came up, he not only expressed 
 his conception of the work of the ministry, but his estimate of 
 that work, by saying, ' There is no work on earth like that of turn- 
 ing men to righteousness.' It was from the tone of his voice, in 
 giving emphasis to the passage, that I first caught the climax in 
 the promise, ' They that be zvise shall shine as the brightness of 
 the firmament ; and they that TURN MANY TO righteousness 
 as the STARS forever and ever.' 
 
 " He founded a little Sundaj-school in the neighborhood of his 
 farm, which for more than twenty years lived under his fostering 
 care, and was the means of great good in the community. Dur- 
 ing a large part of the time he personally superintended it^ and 
 
434 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 the rides back and forth in the severe winter weather may have 
 laid the foundation of his fatal sickness. As he had more leisure 
 from his school duties, he gave his encouragement to general 
 Christian work ; by his presence and instruction imparting the 
 main interest and profit to more than one Sunday-school conven- 
 tion which I attended with him. 
 
 " The system upon which his school was inanaged often gave 
 him the appearance of extreme rigor. But as a matter of fact his 
 heart was burdened with desire for the salvation of the youth 
 gathered under his roof, and he lost no opportunity to urge upoa 
 them the importance of a personal surrender to Christ. There 
 was no sight so beautiful to him g.s the young turning their feet 
 into the way of righteousness. When it was the privilege of the 
 session to receive such, tears of gladness have rained down his 
 cheeks, and words of tender counsel and sympathy have issued 
 from his heart as he took them by the hand to welcome them to 
 the Church of the living God. 
 
 " His piety reached down into his pocket. He stood at the 
 door of the Lord's vineyard, waiting for the command, * Go 
 work,' with his open purse in his hand, as it were. No call for 
 money to carry on the Lord's work ever failed to get from him a 
 cheerful and liberal response. He had proved and found true the 
 words of the Saviour, ' It is more blessed to give than to receive,' 
 and he gave out his own experience for the benefit of others in 
 the unction with which he so often said, ' The liberal soul shall 
 be made fat ; and he that watereth shall himself also be watered.' 
 
 "When the apprehension in regard to his recovery, which I 
 had felt for several days, was aroused to the keenest alarm by the 
 message of the servant, ' Mr. Kemper is dying,' I hastened to his 
 bedside to see that the angel of death had indeed come, and that 
 the light of the just man was about to be removed from earth to 
 shine in the Father's kingdom above. For three hours we 
 watched the Christian in the death struggle, until we beheld him 
 plant his foot upon the vanquished foe, and ascend to God on the 
 wings of his triumphant faith, shouting back to the weepers 
 around his couch, ' All is well,' 
 
 ' Jesus paid it all, all the debt I owe.' 
 
 In describing the dying of his last boy, he described his own : * It 
 
THE VICTOR CROWNED. 435 
 
 was a grand pageant of the soul ' ; so painless, peaceful, and 
 hopeful was his translation from earth to heaven. 
 
 " I am thankful that I was permitted to witness that scene, but 
 more thankful that I was permitted to know the man in his life. 
 By his faith he being dead yet speakelh of a true Christian man- 
 hood. Behold in him what God hath wrought, a beautiful piece 
 of the workmanship of Divine grace. He has gone from earth 
 to be with Christ, where he has eternally renewed his youth, 
 and already received the palm of victory and the crown of life, 
 of which he loved to sing on earth in the words of his favorite 
 hymn : — 
 
 " Palms o^f glory, raiment bright, 
 Crowns that never fade away. 
 
 Gird and deck the saints in light, 
 
 Priests, and kings, and conquerors they. 
 
 *' Yet the conquerors bring their palms 
 
 To the Lamb amidst the throne ; 
 And proclaim in joyful psalms. 
 
 Victory through His cross alone. 
 
 " Kings their crowns for harps resign. 
 
 Crying, as they strike the chords, 
 'Take the kingdom, it is Thine, 
 
 King of kings, and Lord of lords.' 
 
 " Round the altar priests confess, 
 ' If these robes are white as snow, 
 
 'Twas the Saviour's righteousness. 
 And His blood that made them so.' 
 
 " Who were these? On earth they dwelt, 
 
 Sinners once of Adam's race ; 
 Guilt, and fear, and suffering felt, 
 
 But were saved from all by grace. 
 
 " They were mortal too like us ; 
 
 Ah I when we like them shall die, 
 May our souls, translated thus. 
 
 Triumph, reign, and shine on high." 
 
436 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 We have reserved to the last the tributes of his 
 pupils. As theirs is the greatest debt, so theirs should 
 be the highest appreciation. 
 
 Resolutions passed by the Kemper Family School 
 March 9, 1881 : — 
 
 " Whereas, The hand of Divine Providence has removed our 
 beloved teacher, F. T. Kemper, from the scene of his temporal 
 labors, and from the students who profited by his ministry and 
 example ; and 
 
 " Wheteas, We are desirous of testifying our respect for his 
 memory and of expressing our earnest and affectionate sympathy 
 Vi^ith the household deprived by this dispensation of its earthly 
 head ; therefore, be it 
 
 ^* Resolved, That, in our natural sorrow for the loss of the 
 faithful and tender shepherd, we find consolation in the belief 
 that it is well with him for whom we mourn ; and 
 
 " Resolved, That while we deeply sympathize with those who 
 were bound to our departed preceptor by the nearest and dearest 
 ties, we share with them the hope of a reunion in that better 
 world, where there are no partings, and bliss ineffable forbids a 
 tear ; and 
 
 "'Resolved, That we tenderly condole with the family of our 
 deceased guardian in their hour of trial and affliction, and de- 
 voutly commend them to the keeping of Him who looks with 
 pitying eye upon the widow and fatherless ; and 
 
 ''Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be transmitted to 
 the family of the deceased, as a token of our respect and vener- 
 ation for the Christian character of a good man gone to his rest. 
 and the interest felt by his late students in those he loved and 
 cherished." 
 
 At a meeting of the former students of the 
 Kemper Family School, who are now residents of 
 Kansas City, Mo,, held March 16, 1881, the follow- 
 ing resolutions upon the death of Professor F. T. 
 Kemper were unanimously adopted : — 
 
THE VICTOR CROWNED. 437 
 
 " Whereas, God hath removed our friend and former beloved 
 teacher from all earthly labor and care ; and 
 
 " Whereas, We, his former students, are desirous of testify- 
 ing to our sincere respect for his memory, and of giving expres- 
 sion of sympathy to the family bereaved by this visitation of 
 God ; therefore, be it 
 
 " Resolved, That, in our grief for and remembrance of the loss 
 of one who was a scholar, friend, and Christian, we are consoled 
 with the belief that it is well with him for whom we mourn ; and 
 
 " Resiolved, That we tender our condolence to the family of t^e 
 deceased in this their time of trial and affliction, and commend 
 them to the blessing and mercy of God. 
 
 " Wash. Adams, Wyan Nelson, 
 
 " Andrew R. French, . T. W. Russell, 
 
 " James Gibson, George W. Ferrel, 
 
 " W. L. Campbell." 
 
 Frank Baird, Kirksville, Mo., a recent pupil : — 
 
 " He treated me just as a father would. Well do I remember 
 one day when he called me to his room and advised me." 
 
 Frank L. Webster, Topeka, Kansas, a pupil of 
 1874-76:— 
 
 *' He was 'a power for good in the world, and hundreds of 
 young men — even men who are no longer young — can testify to 
 his efforts in the advancement of truth and knowledge ; can tes- 
 tify that they are better because such a man lived." 
 
 Ralph Talbot, Esq., of Holmes & Talbot, lawyers, 
 St. Louis, a recent pupil : — 
 
 " I feel a strong personal grief in the death of one of the best 
 and noblest of all men whom I have ever known." 
 
 Edwin M. Price, Columbia, Mo., a recent pupil : — 
 
 " There are not many days that I am not called upon to put in 
 practice something I learned while at Kemper's Family School." 
 
 Adrian Dozier, St. Louis, a recent pupil : — 
 
43 S THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 "■ Mr. Kemper was undoubtedly the best teacher that I ever 
 saw. I think that I- learned more in the two years I attended his 
 school than I ever learned in any five years of my schooling 
 elsewhere." 
 
 Mrs. Maggie Miller Haddox, Nashville, Tenn., a 
 pupil : — 
 
 " I owe all that is good in me to my dear, good friend. My 
 ideas of what constitutes a good and honest man are formed from 
 what I know Mr. Kemper was." 
 
 The Rev. Uncas McCluer, Chatham Hill, Va., a 
 pupil : — 
 
 " It is not necessary for me to say how much I owe him for his 
 example and service." 
 
 A. R. Bradley, St. Labory, Neb., a pupil : — 
 
 " The death of none of my relatives would make me more un- 
 happy, as Mr. Kemper was a man whom I really loved." 
 
 L. C. Nelson, of Nelson & Noel, bankers, St. Louis, 
 a pupil : — 
 
 " There. might have been as good men in the world, but none 
 in my estimation were truer, greater, or better. His place will, 
 I believe, never be filled. I shall talk to my two little boys, as 
 they grow up, of his beautiful character and sterling worth and 
 integrity, and try to inspire them with a desire to emulate his life 
 and virtues." 
 
 William H. Goebel, U. S. S. Yantic, Navy Depart- 
 ment, Washington, D. C, a recent pupil : — 
 
 " One of Mr. Kemper's proverbs was that sin never pays. He 
 used to tell us that he did not want to be called Professor, be- 
 cause too many professions were going under that name." 
 
 T. C. Davis, Leavenworth, a pupil of 1848-50: — 
 
 " I often explain to my children the system, as taught by Mr. 
 
THE VICTOR CROWNED. 439 
 
 Kemper, and tell them it was a better system than is taught at 
 their school ; and our schools are supposed to be of the best," 
 
 Joseph C. Terrell, Esq., a prominent lawyer of 
 Fort Worth, Texas, one of the oldest pupils :— 
 
 "Of all the men whom I have known through life's journey, 
 none have done so much good to the human race as our loved 
 schoolmaster, F. T, Kemper. Not one man in a million lived so 
 little for self. He has indeed left indelible footprints on the 
 sands of time." 
 
 Frederick K. Freeman, Florida, a nephew of Mr„ 
 Kemper, an old pupil, and a member of the Stone- 
 wall brigade : — 
 
 " I have often thought that my uncle pOjSsessed very many of 
 the sterling traits ana noble, unswerving qualities which went to 
 make up the character of Gen. Stonewall Jackson. It has often 
 occurred to my mind that had uncle thrown his talents in a mili- 
 tary direction during the late war, he would have developed into 
 another Stonewall Jackson." 
 
 Elisha Stanley Rector, New Home, Bates County, 
 Mo., a pupil of 1846 : — 
 
 " Mr. Kemper called us four little boys, Reuben Garnett, Boyle 
 Hayden, Samuel Massey, and myself, his " ponies.' He was a 
 good teacher, a good man, and the world is better off for his 
 having lived in it." 
 
 Lambert Ott, M.D., a successful physician of Phil- 
 adelphia, Pa. : — 
 
 *' He was the first to point out to me a common error, so preva- 
 lent in our schools of learning — a lack of thoroughness in the ele- 
 ments — thus giving a vague and dim insight to the future acqui- 
 sitions, supported by a mass of imperfections. To my mind, the 
 secret of his success was in his earnestness, his acting with 
 thoroughness and deliberation in every thing undertaken. His 
 ideas, when firmly ground into the young mind, always gave 
 
440 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 promise of a useful man. I find his instructions of incalculable 
 benefit to me in my daily work, and I feel very grateful to him for 
 the sound principles inculcated. He was the first who taught 
 me how to study, how to control my powers, and the worth of 
 that prime factor of intelligence, attention." 
 
 Co T, Holland, M.D., Keytesviile, Mo,, a pupil of 
 1867:— 
 
 "I always will think that Mr. Kemper was one of the best 
 men that lived." 
 
 S. S. Simpson, principal of the public schools of 
 Nevada, Mo., an old pupil : — 
 
 " I shall ever hold his name in grateful remembrance, and 
 point to him with pride, as my teacher and benefactor." 
 
 Miss Maria McCutchen, principal of the Higgins- 
 ville Seminary : — 
 
 " He taught me how to teach, and as an educator is my stand- 
 ard." 
 
 Andrew R. French, grain merchant, of Kansas 
 City ; telegram on the occasion of Mr. Kemper's 
 death :~ 
 
 " Would I could be with you to-day ! The dead was one of the 
 noblest of men. I loved him like a father. Green will ever be 
 his memory in the hearts of those who knew him well," 
 
 Major Robert Ruxton, Miami, Mo., an old pupil : — 
 
 " His reputation was more than national. He was peerless in 
 his profession. In all the relations of life he was nearer perfec- 
 tion than any man we ever knew — the best balanced. He was the 
 only man -in whom we could never find a weak place. He never 
 allowed any time to go to waste. The daily walks for exercise 
 were improved ; the table-talks at meals were always pleasant 
 and profitable. His prayers evinced the deepest interest in his 
 school. His powers of imparting information were almost super- 
 
THE VICTOR CROWNED. 441 
 
 atural. His facility of illustration was most wonderful. In 
 everything he did and said, he kept steadily in view the prepara- 
 tion for a higher and better life, both in himself and pupils." 
 
 The Hon. D. H. Mclntyre, Attorney-General of 
 Missouri, a pupil at Westminster College : — 
 
 " An erudite gentleman, a consistent Christian, and a most 
 useful public servant, he was an ornament to society and one of 
 its most useful members. He seemed to think it his mission to 
 teach, and he discharged that mission with great zeal and patience. 
 Hundreds attest how successfully he followed his chosen calling. 
 In him the State has lost one of its most valued citizens.' 
 
 Elder Joseph K. Rogers, LL.D.,the distinguished 
 president of Christian College, Columbia, Mo., who 
 has since also entered upon his reward : — 
 
 "Such was my admiration of your husband's many splendid 
 qualities, and my appreciation of the noble life he led, that I feel 
 constrained to send this word of sympathy and condolence^ and to 
 express thus briefly my great sense of the loss sustained by the 
 whole country in his death." 
 
 Hon. William Brown, Jacksonville, 111., Assistant 
 Solicitor-General of the Wabash System, with juris- 
 diction of all the roads lying east of the Mississippi, 
 an old pupil : — 
 
 " Mr. Kemper was the best instructor of youth I ever knew. 
 His methods were the result of a deep and careful study. His 
 rules, many of which I yet remember, were calculated to impress 
 themselves upon the minds of boys, and to control their action at 
 the time and for the future. His great good sense, I can now see, 
 was an all-pervading presence in every detail of his school govern- 
 ment. I can more fully appreciate now, than I once could, the 
 wisdom of his requirements as to 'little things,' as they seemed. 
 He demanded that all things should be put to their legitimate use, 
 and should not be misused. I recall his little rule ' In opening 
 and closing a dool:, take hold of the knob.' That was the use for 
 20 
 
442 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 which the knob was placed there ; it was the best thing for such 
 a purpose; and, when so placed, he could see neither sense nor 
 decency in seizing the door instead of the knob. So in the essen- 
 tials, he was painstaking,^ patient, and comprehensive." 
 
 Hon. L. M. Lawson, of Donnell, Lawson & Simp- 
 son, bankers, New York, an old pupil. From this 
 gentleman we shall present, first, the following beauti- 
 fully-worded telegram, to which allusion has already 
 been made : — 
 
 " The intelligence of the death of Professor Kemper has over- 
 whelmed me with grief. Words cannot express my deep and 
 loving loyalty to the memory of my old teacher. The State of 
 Missouri has lost one of its most useful citizens, the cause of 
 education its noblest advocate, polite learning its brightest or- 
 nament, religion its purest example, and 1 my best friend." 
 
 We shall give also an extract from a letter written 
 to Mrs. Kemper : — 
 
 " I cannot tell you how grateful I am for the memory that 
 remains to me of his lovely life and noble character ; how 
 thankful I am for the light and joy he diffused, and his high ex- 
 ample of all that is true, and gentle, and brave, and good. In the 
 long years that have passed since I was his pupil, no day has ever 
 come that was not cheered and brightened with some memory of 
 his devotion and power ; and I could count the times by myriads 
 when I have turned from the arid wastes of life to the contempla- 
 tion of his character, rich and fertile as T knew it to be in every 
 great and good qualification. . . . We do know that his death 
 makes a large diminution to the earthly happiness of us all, 
 and we cannot but mourn for the loss of one whom we loved so 
 dearly and who so well deserved cur love. Yet there is pleasure 
 in the recollection of the extent, the variety, and depth of his 
 learning, the majesty of his simplicity, the fascination of his meek- 
 ness, and the power of his godliness, which entitle him to be held 
 in enduring remembrance ; and there is consolation too in the 
 fact that we behold beside his tomb the risen and sanctified spirit, 
 and we rejoice in the beauty and the bloom of his immortal life." 
 
-^^ ^^^^^r. 
 
THE VICTOR CROWNED. 443 
 
 Hon. Phil. E. Chappell, Treasurer of the State of 
 Missouri, an old pupil : — 
 
 " For many years I have been so accustomed to study the char- 
 acter of Prof. Kemper in the great depth and breadth and height 
 of its development, that single incidents, however striking, have 
 been lost in the most profound admiration for the finished struct- 
 ure, as it looms up to the view, like a pillar of cloud by day and 
 of fire by night, leading the old and the young to the higher and 
 better life. In all m.y life, I am sure I have never met his coun- 
 terpart, whether viewed as a successful educator, or as a citizen, 
 who in all the relations of life came so fully up to the most ex- 
 acting requirements of a robust. Christian manhood. 
 
 " Regarding his life as a trust too sacred to be trifled with, ils 
 hours too precious to be wasted in frivolous, unprofitable pleas- 
 ures, or squandered in the indulgence of unhallowed appetites and 
 passions, he dedicated it wholly to the pursuit of a calling in 
 which he could honor his God while serving his fellow-men ; by 
 training at the same time the head for the active duties of life, 
 and the heart for the joys and peaceful rest of the life to come, so 
 that when young men left his school to take part in the great 
 drama of life, they carried with them knowledge sanctified by his 
 teachings, and a sense of moral responsibility impressed upon 
 them by every precept and example of their faithful teacher. 
 
 " I have often, in reverting to the wonderful success of this 
 great and good man, in a field of labor wh-ere so many have met 
 the sorest disappointments and made the saddest failures, asked 
 myself, What was the secret of his success ? and as often have an- 
 swered, He started in life with a definite object in view ; he com- 
 prehended fully the duties and grave responsibilities of the pro- 
 fession he had chosen ; to the conscientious discharge of those 
 duties and obligations he brought a well-balanced mind, patient 
 industry, indomitable will and courage, tempered with the stern- 
 est sense of religious conviction, and executive ability which 
 grasped the purpose and details of all he proposed to do ; and he 
 enforced method, system, and discipline at all times and under 
 all circumstances, as the means by and through which all his ends 
 were to be accomplished. I am free to confess that for my busi- 
 ness success in life, such as it has been, I am indebted greatly for 
 
444 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 the lessons of order, system, and promptness which I received from 
 him. 
 
 " If success in any calling is the test and measure of ability, then 
 Professor Kemper was ^r^<5;^ in his profession. His life-work was 
 grand in its results, as it was noble in its aims. Look over the 
 State, and you will find hundreds of his pupils to-day ranking 
 among the most useful, deserving, and honored of her citizens, 
 who mourn the loss of him who, in his day and generation, was 
 useful to his kind, far above the average even of men to whom 
 the world has accorded great usefulness." 
 
 Rev. Charles C. Hersman, D.D,, president of West- 
 minster College, and one of his pupils there : — 
 
 " In regard to our beloved teacher, I have not words to express 
 to you the sense of personal loss which I felt when the sad news 
 of his death reached me. I. who had been instructed so faith- 
 fully, carefully, and thoroughly by him, who had known him as 
 friend, instructor, guide — a professor of Christ in public life, an 
 exemplar of all Christian virtues in private — I loved him while 
 among the living on earth, and cherish his memory now that he 
 is among the living in heaven. 
 
 " I always regarded him as a man of one aim, and that aim to 
 educate the young in the principles of Christianity for the battle of 
 life here, and for the triumph of life hereafter. He impressed me 
 as a man who cared nothing for money, and nothing for fame, 
 -only as a firm adherence to truth and right would secure it. 
 
 "While at Princeton Theological Seminary, a few of the stu- 
 dents formed a private class* and recited Greek to on$ of the pro- 
 fessors who had visited Germany and had been largely trained in 
 one of her universities. He asked me in what college and from 
 whom I had received instruction in Greek, I replied, ' From 
 Prof. F. T. Kemper.' He said that he was not aware that there 
 was a school in the West where the instruction was so thorough, 
 even in the minutiae of the language. 
 
 " He stood in the front rank of educators, accomplished a 
 noble work in his generation, and, departed, has left a record of 
 which we, his pupils, may be proud, and which we, his colaborers, 
 may well strive to emulate." 
 
THE VICTOR CROWNED. 445 
 
 This poem is from the pen and brain and heart of 
 Edward R. Taylor, M.D., of Taylor & Haight, 
 attorneys-at-law, San Francisco, an old pupil: — 
 
 "STANZAS ON THE DEATH OF PROFESSOR 
 F. T. KEMPER. 
 
 " This was the noblest Roman of them all. 
 . . . the elements 
 So mixed in him, that Nature might stand up, 
 And say to all the world. This was a man. " 
 
 Julius Ccesar^ Act v., Scene 5. 
 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. 
 2 Timothy 4 : 7. 
 
 I. 
 " All's over now ; ihat great heart beats no more ; 
 
 That nimble intellect has heavenward fled ; 
 Yet we, lamenting, question o'er and o'er, 
 
 Can it, indeed, be true that Kemper's dead ? 
 
 " He who but yesterday with vigorous tread 
 Strode through our midst the Titan that he was, 
 
 Whose energies in richest affluence spread. 
 Yet never known to halt or suffer pause ? 
 
 " When Death strikes sudden down some puny thing, 
 We marvel not, though sorrow's tear be shed ; 
 
 But when one falls like him of whom I sing, 
 We wonder more than can be writ or said. 
 
 " 'Tis then there burst and crowd upon the brain . 
 
 Thoughts deep and strange on what we know as Life- 
 Its myst'ries, its relations, loss and gain. 
 
 And what the meaning of its toil and strife. 
 
 " Thick grows the darkne^ss 'round us as we seek 
 To solve the problem that unsolved remains, 
 
 While Life and Death, relentless, ever wreak 
 Their fury oh us as they mock our pains. 
 
446 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 " Vain, vain all questioning ; he who trod 
 These academic shades*for twoscore years, 
 
 Now lies all breathless here as any clod, 
 And naught is left save memory and tears. 
 
 II. 
 
 " He was a IMan — ay, every inch a Man — 
 Alert in body and alert in mind ; 
 
 A glorious soul that ever sought the van. 
 And died had rather than to lag behind. 
 
 " He sprang from Old Virginia's honored soil, 
 Receiving heritage of blood and brain 
 
 That bore him on through years of ceaseless toil 
 To ripest harvests of the richest grain. 
 
 " No energy was lost on effort vain, 
 In bungling that he was not fit to do, 
 
 But seeing clearly what he could attain, 
 
 That polestar blazed fore'er before his view. 
 
 " To training youth he every feeling turned, 
 From earliest manhood to his latest day ; 
 
 And at the last the passion fiercer burned 
 Than when at first he started on his way. 
 
 '' He never faltered, never changed his course ; 
 
 He sauntered in no by-ways, howe'er sweet ; 
 His one aim seized him as a mighty force, 
 
 And carried him to Triumph's sunlit seat. 
 
 '" Of hard antagonisms there were enough 
 To make the proudest, stoutest nature quail , 
 
 But his was that indomitable stuff 
 Which could not, would not, dared not fail. 
 
 " And when he moved against opposing wills, 
 The right, at least to him, was clear and plain, 
 
 And firmly rooted as the granite hills : 
 Conciliation tried her wiles in vain. 
 
THE VICTOR CROWNED. 447 
 
 " He would be master in his own domain. 
 
 And King he was, a veritable Czar, 
 Who treated threats with haughtiest disdain. 
 
 Nor shrank from any consequence of war. 
 
 " Yet he was kind, and drew the wayward heart, 
 In love, respect and wonder, to his own. 
 
 And with such skill instruction did impart 
 That none but idiots could resist his tone. 
 
 *' His exposition was so clear and fuU, 
 And with it blent such passion for the theme. 
 
 And such forbearance, that the dullest dull 
 
 Were borne along in Learning's limpid stream. 
 
 '* The memorizing process he abhorred ; 
 
 'Twas his to train the faculties in thought. 
 And not in gathering up a useless hoard 
 
 Of useless facts with incoherence fraught. 
 
 "' He dug deep down into the -Classic mine. 
 And fondled lovingly its treasured wealth. 
 
 Firm in belief that by this honored sign 
 
 The young would surely march to mental health. 
 
 '* With this and Mathematics in their hand, 
 He led his votaries to the shrine of Thought, 
 
 And bade them there that discipline command 
 
 Which he deemed could with nothing else be bought. 
 
 " Yet varied was the diet which he spread, 
 Presenting all with most consummate art. 
 
 And ever striving intellect to wed 
 
 With pure ambition and a cleanly heart. 
 
 " No task was e'er imposed beyond the power 
 
 Of willing industry with ease to do ; 
 But learned it had to be within the hour, 
 
 Without excuse of any shade or hue. 
 
44^ THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 " And study was so intermixed with play, 
 Which unconstrainedly pursued its course, 
 
 •That none could justly cry the master nay. 
 When he demanded all the reason's force. 
 
 "He was himself a lover of ihe sport 
 
 That sent the blood all tingling through the veins 
 
 And often to the campus would resort, 
 To feel its pulses and receive its gains. 
 
 " He held his sway without a break or flaw, 
 Even when drinking at that joyous fount, 
 
 And in disputes inexorably saw 
 
 Justice dealt out to each with fairest count, 
 
 '* In regulations sensibly precise, 
 
 He parceled every moment to its deed, 
 
 And in adjustment was so wisely nice 
 That Labor spent itself on every need. 
 
 " He sternly, rigidly maintained the law, 
 With no abatement, and no mercy shown 
 
 To those who pleaded with excuse of straw. 
 Or those who set their will against his own. 
 
 "He owed no debt to others for his rules ; 
 
 H is methods and his schemes were his alone ; 
 Within himself he fashioned all his tools, 
 
 And sat upon an unfamiliar throne. 
 
 '"■ He never sought advice, nor could he bear 
 The slightest interference with his plan. 
 
 Nor change his course so much as by a hair. 
 For love, esteem, or fear of any man. 
 
 " Austere he was not, and was only stern 
 When dereliction met him face to face ; 
 
 And though his wrath did then relentless burn^ 
 It quickly passed, and left but little trace. 
 
THE VICTOR CROWNED. A,A,^ 
 
 "■ Life meant to him perpetual, earnest work — 
 
 Uncompromising warfare on Pretence ; 
 And woe to that poor wretch who. dared to shirk, 
 
 Or slumber in the arms of Indolence. 
 
 "His grasp was firm on all he undertook ; 
 
 He saw his way as clearly as the sun ; 
 Convictions formed he never once forsook. 
 
 And things to do were things already done. 
 
 " For slipshod, scrappy, half-done work, he had 
 
 Disgust immeasurable and supreme ; 
 He knew no middle way 'twixt good and bad, 
 
 And carried thoroughness to an extreme. 
 
 " He had no vain ambition to bestride 
 
 The universal ; far too well he knew 
 That this has been, must ever be, denied, 
 
 Save only to the world's colossal few. 
 
 " But what he did pretend to know or teach. 
 
 He fathomed to its very inmost core, 
 And ever deeper sank his mental reach 
 
 Some well-worked mine still further to explore. 
 
 " Profound, acute in intellectual ken. 
 
 He left no problem to his mind obscure, 
 But wrestled with it o'er and o'er again, 
 
 Till it became his property secure. 
 
 " This was the very essence of his rule, 
 
 The fundamental law which lifted high 
 His school above the ordinary school, 
 
 Where memorizing cram bids thought [to] die. 
 
 " But while he delved with wonder-working hand, 
 And gathered treasure in abundant yield, 
 
 He may have lacked at times the full command 
 Of that nice tact which governs, all concealed. 
 
45 o THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 " And yet his government was firm and sure, 
 And modeled perfectly in all its parts ; 
 
 It knew no variance for rich or poor, 
 
 And won the homage of all honest hearts.- 
 
 " He was not versatile, nor could he be, 
 
 With such devotion to a single aim ; 
 He kept the narrow road, nor bent the knee 
 
 Before the shrine of either gain or fame. 
 
 " The social walks of life he little knew, 
 Although in any place he was at ease ; 
 • There was so much of pressing work to do, 
 He had no time the multitude to please. 
 
 " In truth, he lacked the inclination ; he 
 Had naught to ask of favor or reward. 
 
 Content to let Appreciation see 
 
 Success from which he could not be debarred. 
 
 "He followed God the Presbyterian way. 
 But fooled not splitting theologic hairs ; 
 
 Loving to read his Bible, and to pray 
 That Heaven would keep his feet from hidden snares. 
 
 " He made no quarrel with his brother's creed. 
 Nor sought to woo that brother to his own, 
 
 Well satisfied that others should proceed 
 Their several ways to the eternal thorne. 
 
 " No sham, no show was his ; but simple, true, 
 
 In all relations of his long career ; 
 With more than love — with reverence — we strew 
 
 The laurel on his unpretending bier. 
 
 '* Such was the master, who for forty years 
 Ruled o'er these academic shades supreme ; . 
 .And looking backward thro' our falling tears, 
 How grandj how beautiful it all doth seem ! 
 
THE VICTOR CROWNED. 451 
 
 " Grand as a temple, whose majestic dome 
 
 Floats proudly in the empyrean air ; 
 Beautiful as thoughts which to the suppliant come 
 
 When rising comforted from healing prayer, 
 
 '" We see the master here year in, year out. 
 
 Moving e'er forward to his chosen aim, 
 "With fervid earnestness unvexed by doubt,, 
 
 Or chilled by ignorant, ungrateful blame ; 
 
 '* Toiling and toiling with persistent love 
 
 To train the mind and elevate the soul, 
 And making this a consecrated grove, 
 
 With names of thousands on its golden rolL 
 
 " This was the lesson he so nobly taught — 
 A lesson we should write for youth to view, 
 
 And firmly fasten to their inmost thought — 
 That Life is nothing save as we may do ; 
 
 "* And do with that consuming earnestness 
 That bates no jot though lions choke the way ; 
 
 That pants and thirsts for thoroughness, 
 And higher, higher grows from day to day ; 
 
 '■'■ That nobly seeks those well-considered ends 
 
 Within the capabilities' best scope, 
 And every force of mind and body bends 
 
 Untiringly, to realize the hope ; 
 
 " That reckons Character the all in ali. 
 
 And counts as dross the babblements of speech. 
 
 Save as with fullest knowledge it may fall 
 The words of wisdom and of love to teach ; 
 
 " That marches bravely on, and scorns to weep, 
 Though every passage-way be trebly -barred, 
 
 And finds at last the solitary steep 
 
 Where Virtue, smiling, waits with her reward." 
 
452 THE LIFE OF PROF. KEMPER. 
 
 W. Speed Stephens, cashier of the Central Na- 
 tional Bank of Boonville, has caused a memorial 
 tablet, with the following inscription, to be placed 
 on the walls of the church where Mr. Kemper 
 worshiped : — 
 
 *' Placed here by one of his endeared pupils to the 
 Memory of 
 
 F.T.Kemper, 
 
 Long a useful Member and honored Elder in this Church. 
 Born Oct. i6, 1816, he died March 9, 1881. 
 
 " He lived the sentiment of his own words, ' It is accordant with 
 my experience, with common sense, and the Bible, to seek first 
 the Kingdom of God, and to do this with daily persistence and 
 growing zeaL' ' The memory of the just is blessed. '— Pro v. 10 : 7. 
 
 Thus has the patient, earnest worker been crowned 
 on earth. As " they had finished his crown in glory, 
 he could not stay away from the coronation," and so 
 has passed up to hear, '-'■ Well done, good and faithful 
 servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord ^' 
 
APPENDIX, 
 
 A BEREAVED MOTHER. 
 
 • 
 
 *' 1 LOOK upon your sons, sir, 
 
 And your daughters, fair and gay, 
 And I ask myself this question — 
 
 ' Would I change with him to-day — 
 I, who laid my household darlings 
 
 'Neath the emerald sod to rest ?' 
 And my heart instinctive answers, 
 
 That ' whatever is, is best.' 
 
 *' I shall never feel the pride, sir, 
 
 It is true, that stirs your soul, 
 When you see your sons promoted, 
 
 And their names on honor's roll ! 
 When you see your daughters courted 
 
 For their elegance and grace, 
 Making home a ' bower of beauty/. 
 
 And a real resting place ! 
 
 • But I have the sweet assurance, sir — • 
 A sealed book to you — 
 
 That my dear ones 'scaped all trial, 
 With their years so bright and few ; 
 
 That my boys have been promoted. 
 And my girls learned grace and love, 
 
 Through the teachings of the angels 
 In the ' better land ' above. 
 
 " And I have the sweet assurance 
 That temptation ne'er can come 
 
 To the tender, untried spirits 
 Of my children in their home, 
 
 * This chapter was written by Mrs. Kemper. 
 
454 APPENDIX. 
 
 No, I would not call them back, sir, 
 
 Even could they come to me ; 
 Yet I hope, by grace, to dwell with them 
 
 Through bright Eternity." 
 
 Lewis Taylor, our first-born, on whom our affec- 
 tions and hopes were so strongly centred, was taken 
 from us at the interesting age of six years, six 
 months, and six days. 
 
 He was born in Hinsdale, N. H., among the gran- 
 ite hills, at the home of my own childhood, and 
 was six weeks old before his father saw him. He 
 was thought, wdien an infant, strikingly like his 
 father, and through his brief life seemed anxious to 
 copy him in habits and appearance. He would often 
 tell me that strangers would say they knew whose 
 boy he was, he looked so much like his father ; but 
 he was very apt to add, " Father thinks I will be a 
 taller man than he is, and will know how to ride 
 horseback better than he does/' 
 
 At the age of three months we took him to his 
 Grandma Kemper's, in Madison County, Virgini-a, 
 and thence to our home in Fulton, Missouri. Al- 
 though the weather was very warm, he gave us but 
 little trouble, and seemed to improve in his health. 
 Soon after our arrival in Fulton, at the age of five 
 months, he was consecrated to God in baptism. The 
 Rev. W. W. Robertson officiated, who remarked at 
 the time, as did several others, how thoughtful and 
 attentive he seemed to be, as though he understood 
 the meaning of the ceremony. 
 
 When seven months of age his nurse let him fall 
 against the stove, and he v/as so badly burned that 
 for several weeks he required sleepless attention. 
 
A BEREAVED MOTHER. 455 
 
 We sometimes thought he was less patient and ami- 
 able through life on account of this severe burn. 
 Quite a scar remained under his left jaw; but he 
 often said, ",When I am a man as large as my father, 
 my whiskers will hide this scar." 
 
 Before he was two years of age his brother Eugene 
 w^as born. The two boys, though differing widely in 
 disposition and looks, we fondly hoped might be 
 reared and educated together. But God's ways are 
 not our ways, and we know they are better taught 
 in the school of Christ, and happier, than we, with 
 all our love and tenderness, could possibly make 
 them. 
 
 Once, as their father had them encircled by his 
 arms, one upon each knee, he said, " Eugene is a 
 sweet, happy boy ; I seem to have no fears about his 
 future life. He will be contented, happy, and use- 
 ful in any situation in which he may be placed. But 
 Lewis is less happily constituted. He will require 
 careful training and unremitting watchfulness over 
 his earlier years, or he will fail of accomplishing the 
 good he might do, and of securing his own highest 
 happiness. I am always feeling anxious about 
 Lewis, but Eugene is ever a sunbeam. I can see no 
 clouds upon his pathway." 
 
 A few weeks afterward, when our dear Eugene was 
 transplanted to a fairer clime, I regarded his father's 
 words as prophetic, little dreaming that, after the 
 discipline of a few years, and when he was becoming 
 to us all that our fondest hopes could wish, Lewis 
 too, our first-born and first-loved, would join his 
 brother and two little sisters in a world of unfading 
 beauty. 
 
456 APPENDIX. 
 
 When Eugene died Lewis was quite unwell, hav- 
 ing a difficulty with his throat that bore some resem- 
 blance to that fatal disease, diphtheria. He was not, 
 therefore, permitted to attend the burial, so that his 
 brother's death made but little impression on his 
 mind, although he talked a great deal about his 
 brother in heaven, and and " brother Genie's" playful 
 remarks and cunning ways were often the subject of 
 his conversation. 
 
 In the month of March, 1861, I came to our farm 
 in Cooper County with my two children, Lewis and 
 Ida, leaving my husband in Fulton. There Lewis 
 had great enjoyment, and rapidly developed into a 
 strong active boy, fond of noise and boyish sports, 
 and anxious to learn to ride horseback and drive the 
 wagon. He also had a strong, unyielding will of his 
 own, and sometimes required severe punishment to 
 make him understand that he must obey without ques- 
 tioning my authority. Once, when I told him that 
 he must not dispute his mother's word, he replied, 
 " But, mother, you 'pute me." This greatly amused 
 his father. Gradually however, that self-will disap- 
 peared, and in the latter part of his life he seemed 
 anxious to do exactly what he knew would please 
 his parents. 
 
 When four years of age he learned his letters in a 
 few days, but was so much interested in farming 
 operations he soon lost his interest in learning, and 
 did not enter school until past five years of age. 
 
 In the fall of 1861 we returned to our old home 
 in Boonville, and his father appropriated one hun- 
 dred dollars (which his Grandfather Taylor had sent 
 for his name) to buying him a pony, and, when he 
 
A BEREAVED MOTHER. 457 
 
 could ride well, a saddle and bridle. At first he rode 
 behind his father, as his pony was quite wild. But 
 very soon he ventured alone, and, although it ran 
 away with him several times, he manifested no fear, 
 but guided it with all the skill of an experienced 
 horseman. 
 
 Once he was on his pony's back, while it was 
 walking about the yard eating grass. I happened to 
 be standing near him, with my baby Julia in my 
 arms, when Ambler (the pony) walked under the 
 clothes-line and caught Lewis by the neck. I seized 
 the bridle to turn him back, but he had taken but one 
 or two steps backward, when to my horror I discov- 
 ered my little Ida had followed me, and was so near 
 the pony that another step in that direction would 
 trample her under his heels. In my fright I dropped 
 the bridle, and committing my little ones to our 
 Heavenly Father, I closed my eyes for a moment that 
 I might not witness the inevitable death, as it seemed, 
 of one of my children. But not another step back- 
 ward, and dear Ida was safe. Then whirling around 
 toward the only side where he would not get en- 
 tangled in the clothes-line, at the first bound he 
 threw Lewis on the ground. I picked up the dear 
 boy, badly frightened, but, with the exception of a 
 bruised and bleeding neck, unhurt. 
 
 He met with so many narrow escapes from death 
 that I began to lose my anxious fears for his safety, 
 and to feel as though I had assurance from my 
 Heavenly Father that he would not come to his end 
 by accident. But perhaps I felt equally certain that 
 he would long survive both of his parents. 
 
 A sensitive, retiring boy, who scarcely dared to 
 
458 APPENDIX. 
 
 look toward or speak to a stranger, yet he was pos- 
 sessed of true courage, as the following incident will 
 •show. We had occasion to send him with a package 
 of letters to an opposite part of the town. He rode 
 his pony, and fastened it outside of the yard, taking 
 his riding whip in his hand. As he opened the gate, 
 two fierce dogs rushed out toward him, barking furi- 
 ously. But he never quailed before them. For fix- 
 ing his eyes upon them and brandishing his riding 
 whjp before him, he walked resolutely forward. 
 Some young ladies from an upper story were watch- 
 ing him, and knowing that the dogs were really 
 dangerous, rushed down the steps to his rescue and 
 met him at the door. His pallid face and tremulous 
 voice told them too well that he himself realized he 
 had been in great danger. One of the ladies, in tell- 
 ing me of it, pronounced it an exhibition of true 
 heroism. 
 
 Lewis witnessed the death and burial of his two 
 little sisters, and a dread of the grave and of dying 
 seems never to have been effaced from his mind. To 
 me it has always been a source of sorrowful regrets 
 that I did not labor to remove that dread. He would 
 sometimes say, " Mother, would you feel very bad if 
 I should die ?" After assuring him that I would be 
 greatly distressed, I would turn his thoughts from 
 such subjects by saying, " I think the Lord will spare 
 your life, and you will grow up to be a man." 
 
 Lewis entered the Sabbath-school as one of ray 
 pupils, committing to memory every week one verse 
 from the Bible. He also studied Scripture history, 
 and manifested much interest in this exercise. He 
 could not be called a child of religious sensibilities, 
 
A BEREAVED MOTHER. 459 
 
 but he was capable of deep emotions, as this incident 
 will show. He had committed some offence that 
 called for punishment. His father took him into 
 another room for correction. When he returned his 
 face expressed an agony I had never witnessed 
 before, and throwing himself into my arms, he wept 
 aloud. It was some time before he could speak, and 
 his first words were, "Father didn't whip me, but he 
 prayed with me;" and he then burst into a fresh 
 torrent of tears. I could with difficulty soothe or quiet 
 him. Long after his eyes were closed in sleep, he 
 continued to sob and moan. 
 
 In the fall of 1862 he entered school, and had then 
 forgotten his alphabet. But he made very satisfac- 
 tory progress ; and, although exhibiting no pre- 
 cocity of intellect, we could thank God that he had a 
 sound mind and a vigorous, well-developed body, 
 and had high hopes of his future. The employment 
 of his time in school and the development of his 
 reasoning powers combined to render him much 
 more tractable and sweet-tempered than he had been 
 in former years. When consulting him in regard to 
 his wishes or employments for a leisure hour, his 
 usual reply was, " I will do anything you wish me, 
 mother," or, "I will do what you think is best for 
 "me." 
 
 During the vacation of 1863 another child was 
 born, and Lewis became the constant companion 
 of. his father, accompanying him in all his rides and 
 walks, and a portion of the day sitting by his side and 
 reading from some new books his father had pro- 
 cured for him from St. Louis. He acquired a 
 knowledge of objects that few children of his age 
 
460 APPENDIX. 
 
 possess; for in his rides with his father he learned 
 the botanical names of plants, the names of trees and 
 uses of their wood, and observ^ed the clouds and the 
 stars. 
 
 At that time my baby was so delicate that my 
 time and thoughts were constantly occupied, and I 
 had little care of Lewis. He entered upon his second 
 school year the middle of September, and seemed to 
 be interested in his studies and making commendable 
 progress. But he did not like mental arithmetic, and 
 I was soon satisfied that it was not best to pursue that 
 study, and persuaded his father and teacher to let 
 him drop it until he was older. At this time he made 
 frequent complaints of a pain in his bowels. At 
 first I feared it was an excuse to get rid of school 
 duties, but after watching his case I was satisfied there 
 was some serious cause of complaint. I consulted 
 a physician, who seemed not to know what could 
 cause these sudden attacks of pain. As he was well 
 enough to go about and play all the time, and had a 
 good appetite, I soon ceased to be uneasy about his 
 case. 
 
 In October, when Shelby's raid was made into the 
 State, his pony and new bridle were taken. It seemed 
 a crushing weight of sorrow to him. But it was only 
 a short time longer that he needed any of the objects 
 that afforded pleasure in this life, for his brief day of 
 earthly existence was drawing to a close. 
 
 About the first of November one of our boarders 
 was taken sick with what the doctor called an ulcer- 
 ated sore throat. Mary, a little black child about 
 ten years of age, was often in this boy's room as a 
 waiter. On the loth of November she was taken ill 
 
A BEREAVED MOTHER. 461 
 
 with what we supposed was a chill. Lewis was in 
 the room where she was taken sick one or two hours 
 that first day. The next morning I found Mary in a 
 dying condition, and was with her so constantly all 
 day that I scarcely saw Lewis. But in the evening, 
 while Mary was dying, Lewis walked in with his 
 books, and said, " Mother, I was sick, and asked 
 cousin William to excuse me. My throat hurts me 
 right here ;" and he put up his hands on both sides of 
 his neck. 
 
 I was alarmed, shocked, and it seemed as though a 
 mountain load of calamities was coming upon me. 
 Although poor Mary was so near her end, I could 
 not stay, but took my dear boy by the hand, and told 
 him we would go to the doctor. When I reached the 
 office I found the doctor had moved to another part 
 of the town. As I was carelessly dressed, I began to 
 reason in this manner: "I am too easily alarmed; 
 Lewis has never been sick, and there is no particular 
 disease prevailing in the community. Mary's disease 
 was congestive chill, and she had no trouble with the 
 throat. Lewis talked so sweetly as I was leading him 
 down the street ; he is not very sick, and the doctor 
 might laugh at my foolish anxiety if I should go to 
 him. So I will return home, and if my boy is sick in 
 the morning, I can then send for a physician." 
 
 Upon our arrival home Mary had ceased to breathe. 
 Lewis seemed very comfortable, so that he ate a light 
 supper of crackers and tea. I bathed his feet and put 
 him in bed. But I soon perceived that his face was 
 very red, and during the night he had a burning fever^ 
 so that he scarcely slept at all. In the morning he 
 was more comfortable, so that I did not send for a 
 
462 APPENDIX: 
 
 doctor until after dinner. In the mean time some of 
 the family said there were several cases of scarlet 
 fever in town, and suggested that Lewis might have 
 that disease. But I was still so confident that my first- 
 born, ever so vigorous and active, could not have any 
 alarming sickness, that I treated the suggestion with 
 contempt. 
 
 After the doctor examined him carefully, he turned 
 to me and inquired if I had noticed the eruption upon 
 his chest. I replied, '* Yes, and I supposed it was a 
 favorable indication." ' He shook his head and said, 
 "He has scarlet fever." The announcement over- 
 whelmed me for a moment, and I said, " Oh, doctor, 
 how can I bear it!" Lewis noticed my troubled 
 face, and, as soon as the doctor left, inquired tJie 
 name of his disease. I had no hesitation in telling 
 him, for he had never heard of it before. He then 
 asked, " What did you cry for, mother?" I replied, 
 " I was so distressed that my dear boy was so sick." 
 He then said, "Won't you pray for me ?" and a few 
 minutes afterward, " If I die, I hope God will take 
 me to heaven." 
 
 He had medicine to take often, and some of it was 
 very bitter. When his fever was raging high he 
 would refuse to take it. Several times he was held 
 while it was poured down. I have always regretted 
 this course ; for Avhenever I would take time to 
 reason with him, he would act nobly and take it 
 cheerfully. 
 
 The second night he said, "I'm going to heaven. 
 It's all bright there. I see so many pretty birds." 
 His fever was so high I do not know that he realized 
 what he was saying. A few weeks before his illness 
 
A BEREAVED MOTHER. 463 
 
 he had thoroughly committed to memory the Lord's 
 Prayer, having been taught it by his father. I was 
 greatly comforted to hear him repeat it often, with 
 his eyes closed, not knowing that any one was listen- 
 ing. Verses of Scripture and a little speech called 
 "The Boy and Lark" were frequently repeated. 
 Once he said to me, "I wouldn't tell a lie, not for 
 all the world," One day his father said to him, " My 
 poor boy ! how gladly would I take your place and 
 suffer for you and let you run about ;" when he 
 meekly answered, "I rather it was me." When we 
 would tell him we were sorry for him, he would say, 
 " I am sorry for you, too." 
 
 When he had been ill about a week we thought there 
 were signs of improvement, and for one day we con- 
 sidered him better. But during the night the pain in 
 his bow^els returned, and the next day there was par- 
 tial paralysis of one half of his body. They called it 
 intiammatory rheumatism. He seemed in so much 
 distress that his frequent exclamations were, " Oh, 
 mother, I'm so sick ! Oh m.ercy, oh mercy !' ' One day 
 when I had labored in vain to relieve him of pain, 
 and he saw how distressed I was, he turned to me and 
 said, " I love you so much, mother ; and I love father 
 too ;" and then added, " If I die, won't you pray for 
 me V 
 
 At four o'clock on Sunday morning, Nov. 23, 1863, 
 his stomach rejected the medicine he was taking. 
 I was startled at this symptom, and then listened at- 
 tentively to his breathing. I soon came to the con- 
 clusion that our darling boy would not remain with 
 us long. It was the first time in all his life that I 
 had a serious thought of losing him. The agony 
 
464 APPENDIX. 
 
 that was crowded into those few hours of watching 
 his every look and movement can never be described. 
 Why had I been so blinded as to think that disease 
 and deatli were many years distant from a body so 
 strong and vigorous, and a spirit that had known no 
 sorrow or sadness? Oh, how bitterly I thought of 
 many neglected opportunities of instructing him 
 about heavenly things! But God was good to me, 
 far beyond my deserts, in giving me some comfort- 
 ing testimony, that his lone passage through the 
 dark valley was cheered by a Saviour's forgiveness 
 and smiles. 
 
 About eight o'clock he seemed to awake from a 
 sleep, and said, " Some one is knocking at the door." 
 I replied, *' No, my son, you were dreaming ;" but 
 his father sorrowfully added, " Yes, death is knock- 
 ing for our boy." He then asked to have his face 
 turned to the wall, and pointing up said, " O look 
 there, see, see ! It's all bright there ; don't you see .^" 
 and we could only hope that he had glimpses of 
 heaven. For a few minutes he lay perfectly quiet, 
 and then said, with great clearness in his tones, " I'm 
 going to die to-night ;" but turning to me, with a 
 distressed face, added^ "■ It's all dark in the ground." 
 I tried to explain to him that he would nof be in the 
 ground, and that heaven was all bright and beautiful. 
 He then asked, " Will you die, mother.?" On being 
 answered in the affirmative, he said, '' Will father 
 die, too.'^" Our neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Lawson, 
 were there, and he asked, '^ Will Mr. Lawson die? 
 Will Mrs. Lawson die? Must all our boarders die?" 
 After telling him that every one must die before they 
 could eo to that beautiful world where God lives, he 
 expressed a desire not to be separated from his father 
 
A BEREAVED MOTHER. 465 
 
 and mother, and that they might go with him to 
 heaven. Soon after he uttered this remarkable 
 prayer, '^ Lord, forgive me for Jesus.' ' As this was not 
 a portion of any of the prayers he had been accustom- 
 ed to repeat, we regarded it as an offering of saving 
 faith, and could almost imagine the reply of our Sav- 
 iour to be, "This day shalt thou be with me in para- 
 dise." 
 
 His stomach now rejected the cold water that was 
 so grateful to him. In unspeakable agony we were 
 compelled to listen to his cries, ''I'm so thirsty ; 
 wouldn't water white as snow do me good ? I'm so 
 cold, can't you warm me at the fire?" I could only 
 reply, " My precious child, we cannot help you, but 
 will pray to God to take you soon to that bright 
 world, where you will never be thirsty or cold any 
 more." His consciousness w^as perfect to the last ; 
 for wh€:n asked who was giving him wine in a spoon, 
 he looked up and feebly said, "Aunt Bessie." As 
 he looked around upon the boys, his father asked 
 him who it was at the foot of his bed and in a voice 
 still strong but expressing intense suffering, he 
 answered, "Richard Gentry." He then closed his 
 eyes, and, after a few gentle breathings, at about 
 two o'clock, p. M., without a quivering muscle or 
 a sigh, our darling first-born passed away from earth. 
 " Our embraces will be sweet 
 At the dear Redeemer's feet." 
 
 Eugene Allison, our second child, was born in Ful- 
 ton, Mo.' At his birth he was called a beautiful, 
 happy-looking boy, and throughout his brief life 
 retained that joyous disposition that endeared him to 
 
466 APPENDIX. 
 
 his parents and interested all who saw him. At the 
 age of five months he was consecrated to God in 
 baptism. The minister, the Rev. Mr, Robertson, 
 was much affected during the ceremony ; for, as he 
 raised his hands to implore the divine blessing upon 
 the consecrated little one, the dear child reached out 
 both hands, and clasping a finger of the minister in 
 each little hand, he firmly retained his grasp and 
 gazed into his face until the prayer was ended. Mr. 
 R.'seyes were filled with tears as he spoke to me and 
 said, " Your child has deeply interested me." 
 
 When one 5^ear of age he was very ill with pneu- 
 monia, and for several weeks we considered him on 
 the verge of the grave. But he seemed to perfectly 
 recover his health, although quite delicate during 
 the heat of summer. 
 
 He seemed by nature to be a devotional child, for 
 among his earliest plays was an imitation of his 
 father's singing, reading, and praying at family wor- 
 ship. When, a blessing was asked at the table, he 
 placed his hands upon his plate and bowed his head 
 reverently upon them, and without ever being taught 
 to do so. Tlie first time he saw his brother Lewis 
 kneel to repeat his evening prayer, he came also to 
 kneel by his father. Although this was long before 
 he could talk at all, he never failed after this to 
 kneel down silently, while his father repeated his 
 evening prayer. Some time before his death he was 
 able to repeat his prayer himself. 
 
 His gladsome nature bound him with strong ties 
 to his father's heart. Several times I heard him say, 
 '' Eugene has such a joyous nature, he will be happy 
 anvwhere. I seem to have no fears about his future." 
 
A BEREAVED MOTHER, 467 
 
 After his second summer he developed rapidly, talk- 
 ed very distinctly, and grew fleshy and rosy with 
 health. A short time before Christm.as his father 
 bought him a pair of little boots. These greatly de- 
 lighted him, and seemed to inspire him with such a 
 feeling of manliness that he wished to walk out alone ,• 
 and when he fell down he would not cry nor ask 
 for help. 
 
 At the comencement of the year 1861 a deep snow 
 had fallen, followed by warm and melting weather. 
 Eugene could with difficulty be kept in the house. 
 Thinking his boots a good protection, I allowed him 
 to run out, and the wet snow and damp atmosphere 
 implanted a disease that quickly ended his life. One 
 night I was awakened by a peculiar cough, which 
 corresponded with the description given me of the 
 croup. In alarm I got a light, but found him sleep- 
 ing soundly. As he did not cough again, I supposed 
 there was no danger. The next morning he was 
 playful and apparently well. As the snow was all 
 gone and it was a bright day, I took him by the hand 
 and walked in the grove close by the house, he all 
 the time prattling sweetly about the trees and the 
 bright sunlight. 
 
 The next day was the Sabbath. He was still hoarse, 
 but was very quiet, and seemed to wish to "sleep in 
 my arms. During the night there was considerable 
 difficulty of breathing. The next morning T sent for 
 a doctor, who looked at him anxiously and shook his 
 head as he said, " It is a bad case of croup." This dis- 
 ease was entirely new to me. He seemed so comfort- 
 able I felt no alarm until evening, when his breath- 
 ing became very labored. About ten o' clock, as Igave 
 
4^8 APPENDIX. 
 
 him a drink of cold water, he could scarcely swallow 
 it at all, and I was convinced he must soon leave us. 
 His father and myself watched alone with him all 
 night. Every hour we expected his struggles and suf- 
 ferings would end, but toward morning he became 
 easier, and slept sweetly for several hours. About ten 
 o'clock his dying struggles commenced, and his 
 father held him in his arms until twelve o'clock. Jan- 
 uary 15, 1 86 1, his little spirit returned to its home in 
 the skies. 
 
 " God gave — He took— He will restore — 
 
 He doeth all things well." 
 
 Ida Webster, our third child, was born at Hook 
 Nook farm, Cooper County. A few weeks after her 
 birth she became so delicate for want of proper nour- 
 ishment that I weaned her from the breast and fed her 
 with cow's milk. This kept her quite delicate in her 
 early infancy ; but before she was a year old she had 
 become quite a healthy, fleshy child. At the age of 
 fourteen months another daughter was born. From 
 that time the sisters were so blended in their lives 
 and death that their history will be related together. 
 
 Julia Strong was born in Boonville, and was a 
 fine-looking, healthy baby, and during her brief life of 
 nine and a half months was a happy, beautiful child. 
 
 Dear Ida was so grieved to be turned off to a nurse, 
 who had known her but a few weeks, that my affec- 
 tions seemed called forth with double strength 
 toward her. To this day, I do not think any one of 
 my children seemed dearer to me. 
 
 After the Christmas holidays one of our boys re- 
 turned with the measles, and exposed our entire fam- 
 
A BEREAVED MOTHER. 469 
 
 ily to this disease, which at that time was prevailing 
 with fatal results. Ida was the first one to take it ; 
 and having a cold and cough at the time, pneumonia 
 and measles were combined. The doctor pronounced 
 her very ill the first time he saw her, and for some 
 time we thought her recovery doubtful. Julia did 
 not take the measles, but she never seemed quite well 
 after her vaccination. 
 
 As the spring came on, I began to feel that my 
 troubles were past, for my children seemed to be 
 doing well and daily developing in interest. Our 
 sweet little Ida won all hearts by her joyous prattle 
 and affectionate disposition. As I turned her off for 
 attentions to my baby, she clung with double affec- 
 tion to her father. He never entered the room with- 
 out her watching him closely, to see if he would 
 notice her. If he seemed so occupied that he was 
 about to pass her by, she would call out gently, 
 " Papa," and continue calling in louder tones until 
 she received a kiss, or caress, or ride in his arms. 
 She often took a horseback ride with her father, and 
 whenever she saw him on his horse, she would clap 
 her hands with delight and say, " There's papa ! 
 there's the popo" (meaning pony), and call for her 
 bonnet for a ride. 
 
 At the age of seven months she was baptized in 
 Fulton by the Rev. S. A. Mutchmore, and although 
 her earthly stay was as long as Eugene's (they each 
 lacked but a few days of being two years old), I have 
 no recollection of the development of her religious 
 nature. Having turned her off for the care of my 
 baby before she could talk, I do not remember that 
 she was taught to pray, or vv^as instructed in many 
 
47° APPENDIX. 
 
 things that might have developed her moral and re^ 
 ligious nature. But as she was less than two years 
 of age when her brief earthly pilgrimage closed, I 
 have every hope and belief that she was gathered into 
 the fold of the blessed Saviour, and, with the lambs 
 of His flock, roams in the delightful fields and gathers 
 bright-hued flowers upon the banks of the river of 
 eternal life. 
 
 When the warm summer weather came on in June, 
 Ida was violently attacked with dysentery, and every 
 remedy was unavailing to check it. I then gave up 
 Julia to the nurse and devoted my entire time to Ida. 
 As I was aware that she was very ill, I watched over 
 her untiringly. After several days the nurse told me 
 that she thought Julia was sick also. But she looked 
 so well I could not realize it, and not until she re- 
 jected all food did I obtain medical aid. She was 
 pronounced a very sick child, having the same dis- 
 ease as her sister, with the brain also involved. 
 
 This was Friday morning. She lay in her crib most 
 of the day in a quiet sleep, and the next day slept 
 most of the time, with very little appearance of pain. 
 Sunday morning she had an alarming spasm, but 
 the rest of the day and that night still continued to 
 sleep. Early Monday morning she passed into 
 another spasm, and remained in an almost insensible 
 condition until two o'clock of the same day, when 
 the distorted features became still and smiling in 
 the sleep of death. 
 
 She had never been consecrated to God in baptism, 
 for we had so much sickness in our family after her 
 birth, there had been no convenient opportunity. I 
 did not realize that she was in a dying condition 
 
A BEREAVED MOTHER. 471 
 
 until a few minutes before the spirit left its house of 
 clay. The sweet little one had known no sin in her 
 brief life of nine and a half months ; and among 
 the spotless lambs who have been tenderly folded in 
 the bosom of the Saviour, methinks we shall recog- 
 nize our sweet Julia when with us " the toils of time 
 are past." 
 
 At that time I knew Ida was very low. It has al- 
 ways been my conviction that if her stomach had 
 been a.llowed rest, instead of ice-water, beef-tea, and 
 other drinks, she might have rallied. But God, the 
 wise disposer of all events, saw fit to afflict us more 
 severely, and the mistakes, if 7Tiade, were a part of 
 His plans. 
 
 At night I laid down and slept soundly, in con- 
 fident expectation that she was better, and that by 
 resting I could do a better part by her the next day. 
 It was four o'clock on Tuesday morning before I 
 wakened and went to her crib. Her breathing was 
 greatly altered, and I then knew that she too must 
 die. The shock was great indeed. I had been so 
 encouraged to think she was better, and she seemed 
 so very dear to me, I liardly knew how life could be 
 borne without her sw^eet society. I walked the floor 
 in an agony that could hardly be endured, and I fear 
 there was no spirit of submission to God's will. 
 
 At the time Julia died, on Monday evening, she 
 seemed perfectly conscious, knew all the strange faces 
 about her, aflectionately kissed her father when he 
 asked her, and was able to say " Rock a tee top." 
 This was her saying through her sickness, whenever 
 she was in much pain — alluding to a lullaby song, 
 and meaning that she wished to be rocked in her crib. 
 
472 APPENDIX. 
 
 But on Tuesday morning she was past all recognition 
 of even those most dear to her, and in spasmodic 
 struggles and labored breathing she lingered until 
 eight o'clock. I was thankful at last for her suffer- 
 ings to be over, and her wasted little form laid by 
 her sister. 
 
 They were laid side by side in the same coffin, form- 
 ing a striking contrast : Julia in all the fulness of form 
 and beauty of a sleeping infant, and dear Ida with 
 sunken eyes and hollowed cheeks, and upon every 
 wasted feature the imprint of intense suffering. Rev. 
 H. M. Painter officiated at their burial. 
 
 Blessed babes ! we miss you sadly, and though 
 
 " We cannot, Lord, Thy purpose see, 
 Yet all is well, since ruled by Thee." 
 
 Walter Edwin, our fifth child, was born August 
 15, 1863. Although at first a healthy, quiet baby, 
 for want of sufficient nourishment, or by being fed 
 improperly, he became wasted in flesh and very fret- 
 ful. Then medicines were administered, and he still 
 pined away. So I became satisfied that he could 
 live but a short time unless there was some change. 
 He was still in this condition, at the age of three 
 months, when Lewis was attacked with scarlet fever. 
 By advice of the doctor I sent him to his Aunt Bes- 
 sie, five miles in the country, concluding that wean- 
 ing might be of advantage to his health. It was re- 
 ported to me that he improved rapidly on his new diet. 
 
 The day after our dear Lewis was laid in the grave 
 I hastened to my only surviving child, expecting to 
 find him much improved. But he had taken a seri- 
 ous cold, and I found him in an alarminc^ condition. 
 
A BEREA VED MO TEIER. 473 
 
 I determined then to put liim back to the breast, and 
 he soon recovered from his cold. He continued 
 quite delicate, however, until six months of age, 
 when he became able to take some solid food. 
 
 As spring dawned he took great delight in being 
 out in the open air. He learned, when his father 
 took him in his arms and approached the outside 
 door, to shout with delight at the prospect of going- 
 out of doors. He early betrayed the propensities of 
 a boy, in his fondness for noise and rough plays. 
 The alarm-clock in our room interested him, and by 
 signs he was constantly begging his father to open 
 the clock. At its ringing, rattling sound he looked 
 intently at the clock. ^When it ceased, with an ex- 
 clamation of delight he would hold out his hands and 
 ask to have it repeated. Such sounds to either of 
 our little daughters when of his age would have 
 caused the quivering lip and cry of distress. At such 
 an early age in all of our children were developed 
 the tastes and habits of the different sexes. He was 
 inclined to be wakeful at night, and he interested 
 himself greatly in the shadows on the wall, and 
 would utter a cry of delight as he reached out his 
 hands to grasp his own shadow. 
 
 The severe cold he contracted when three months 
 of age seemed to have weakened his lungs. Several 
 times in the spring he was strongly threatened with 
 pneumonia, but escaped serious attack. My feelings 
 in regard to the child were, I will watch him so care- 
 fully and constantly that he cannot contract disease or 
 die. I should rather have committed him to the care 
 of my Heavenly Father, with the knowledge that 
 Fie only could preserve him from danger and death. 
 21* 
 
474 APPENDIX. 
 
 On the first day of May, 18645 we took him to the 
 church, and he was consecrated to God in baptism 
 by the Rev. James Morton. It was a solemn occasion 
 to his parents. The recollection of our departed 
 ones, who had been consecrated in a similar manner, 
 was vivid in our minds. As the earnest prayer was 
 offered that he might be spared a blessing to us, and 
 grow up to years of usefulness, our feelings were, he 
 must be spared, we cannot live without him. 
 
 On the 24th of May I had been in the house the 
 greater part of the day, and toward evening went 
 into the garden for exercise. The gardener had 
 brought home some cabbage-plants, and feared he 
 had so m.any that he could not get them out before 
 dark. I offered to assist, and also proposed taking 
 one of the dining-room servants. On going to the 
 house I found all were busy, as it was nearly time 
 for supper. Mary Turner, the nurse, who was an 
 experienced and careful English woman, was prepar- 
 ing the baby's supper. I suggested that she leave 
 the baby to play with the black children and attend to 
 the dining-room. But with my usual solicitude, that 
 no harm should come to my only child, I took him 
 from the bed and placed him on the floor with the 
 children, remarking at the same time, " He is safer 
 there," I turned to take a parting look, and, with an 
 admonition to the children to let nothing harm himj 
 I gazed with fond pride upon his bright rosy coun- 
 tenance — ^alas ! to see him no more until in the ag- 
 onies of death. 
 
 His position on the floor was such that he could 
 catch hold of his nurse's dress while she was walking 
 about in the kitchen, and once as she turned quickly 
 
A BEREAVED MOTHER. 
 
 475 
 
 she pulled him over and hurt his head. To quiet him, 
 she took him to the dining-room, placed him in a 
 high chair at the table, and gave him some plaything. 
 Immediately after she took a pitcher of boiling water, 
 and, in her haste and entire lack of thought, placed 
 it near him and left the room. In a moment more its 
 entire contents were poured over his body. His nurse, 
 hearing his screams, took him to the kitchen, and the 
 cook, finding his clothing saturated with hot water, 
 poured cold water over him and then began taking 
 off his clothes. 
 
 I was called from the garden, and reached him before 
 the clothing was all removed. I shall never forget 
 the look of imploring agony he turned upon me, as 
 he heard my voice. But a mother's love and her ef- 
 forts to relieve the torture of a hundred deaths were 
 powerless now. As his clothing was removed, nearly 
 all of the skin over his chest and back also came off. 
 Even the soles of his feet peeled off when his shoes 
 and stockings were removed. It was probably two 
 hours after the accident before the little tortured body 
 was fully enveloped in bandages of linseed oil and 
 lime-water. He then passed into a sleep from which 
 he never woke again on earth. 
 
 He breathed all night with closed eyes and motion- 
 less form. As day dawned there were a few spas- 
 modic struggles, and our beautiful, sunny-haired boy, 
 our only child, had his sweet face composed in the 
 sleep of death. Very lovely he was in the robes of 
 death, for his burn was entirely concealed, and no 
 disease had wasted his form. Even the fearful agony 
 of a few hours' duration had failed to rob his face of 
 the smiling peace that a ransomed spirit imprints 
 when it leaves its abode of clay. 
 
476 APPENDIX. 
 
 "Because thy smile was fair, 
 
 Thy lip and eye so bright ; 
 Because thy loving cradle care 
 
 Was such a dear delight ; 
 Shall love with weak embrace 
 
 Thy upward wing detain ? 
 No ! gentle angel, seek thy place 
 
 Amid the cherub train." 
 
 Theodore, our seventh child, was born June 6, 
 1866, and after a suffering life of five months also 
 left us for a home in that world where pain and 
 anguish are unknown. He was a fine, healthy babe, 
 but in my anxiety that he should continue well, I 
 procured a nurse whose milk did not agree with him. 
 So many changes were made to add to his comfort, 
 that his stomach became incapable of properly digest- 
 ing any food. 
 
 We named him Theodore (gift of God), thinking, 
 as so many of our children had been taken, that God 
 had given this boy as a special blessing and comfort. 
 But more appropriately had his name been Benonl 
 (the son of my sorrow) ; for a sad, sad life was mine 
 from the time of his birth until his wailing voice of 
 distress was hushed in death. I think that I failed to 
 put my trust in God, but felt that this only son must 
 be spared, and toiled for it and tried expedients, with- 
 out looking for help from my Heavenly Father. 
 
 After his death I had very rebellious feelings, and 
 thought : God has not been a merciful Father in 
 sending this affliction. For here have beenyf?'^ months 
 of my life — a period of great bodily and mental suf- 
 fering, of impatience and sleepless anxiety, of utter 
 neglect of my family and family duties, of inability 
 
A BEREAVED MOTHER. 477 
 
 to assist my husband, or to improve my mind and 
 cultivate my heart— and now the child is gone ; the 
 brief life that never knew any comfort or happiness in 
 earthly existence is prematurely cut short — and what 
 does it all avail ? I felt tempted to believe that no 
 God of wisdom and love ruled such a dark, sin-blight- 
 ed earth as ours, and the gloom of despair was set- 
 tling down upon my mind. 
 
 But this state of mind could not last long, as health 
 and reason would soon have given way in this resist- 
 ance of God's sovereignty and goodness too, in His 
 dealings with the children of men. I began to say, 
 Perhaps God has afflicted me in this way to teach me 
 that I must trust Him more fully, so that when the 
 trial comes I can say, "Just and right are all Thy 
 ways, O Lord God of Hosts," and '^ Though He slay 
 me, yet will I trust in Him," knowing well that the 
 light of eternity would make plain all the mysteries 
 and dark providences of my earthly pilgrimage. 
 
 I hoped and believed that long ago I had acquired 
 this childlike trust in my Heavenly Father. But 
 when the trial came, I found that I had leaned upon 
 a broken reed, and there was no peace to my trou- 
 bled spirit until I could say, 
 
 " Subdued and instructed at length to Thy will, 
 My hopes and my wishes, my all I resign ; 
 * O give me a heart that can wait and be still, 
 
 Nor know of a wish or a pleasure but Thine." 
 
 Frederick William was born September 29, 1869, 
 and died August 22, 1876. 
 
 Freddy was a delicate child from his birth, and 
 continued so until past his second summer. When 
 
478 APPEND IX. 
 
 just two years old, as he was getting quite strong and 
 healthy, on the last day of October, his sister Stella 
 poured some poison in his mouth. He was then so 
 near death that his pulse and breath were gone. 
 
 He was very affectionate, but timid with strangers ; 
 happy in the society of his father, but when in trou- 
 ble his place of refuge was in his mother's arms. He 
 loved all of his sisters, but especially Stella. When 
 she was away he would seem lonely and lost ; when 
 she would return, he would go into a transport of 
 
 joy- 
 
 He had a soft, fair skin, and when two or three 
 years old would have made a beautiful picture with 
 his curling golden hair, fair complexion, and blue 
 eyes. I was anxious to have a portrait painted of 
 him, but his father thought it would be encouraging 
 too much pride in his looks. 
 
 At an early age he developed a boy's nature in 
 love of climbing and noisy sports. He also loved 
 work, and had a great deal of system in his habits. . 
 He had, perhaps, the most affectionate disposition of 
 any of our children. He was fond of caresses and of 
 pets. When walking past houses where there were 
 birds in cages, he would stop to admire them and 
 hear their songs. A dog was his special delight. 
 The last six months of his life, a fine Newfound- 
 land that Mr. Castleman gave him was his constant 
 playfellow. In being allowed to make a selection 
 of toys for himself, he chose a li-ttle jewel box, on 
 the top of which was a carrier pigeon, with its pack- 
 et tied around its neck and its wings spread in readi- 
 ness for its long flight. 
 
 He dearly loved music, and. could sing very well 
 
A BEREAVED MOTHER, 479 
 
 nearly all of the Sabbath-school songs. In secular 
 music his favorites were of a plaintive, emotional 
 character. When Rev. John G. Fackler was visit- 
 ing us, he said, "I can see that boy has the. greatest 
 amount of energy in his composition just by the way 
 he w^alks. He has the regular Kentucky stride." 
 He was easily aroused and thrown into a passion, 
 but was very soon penitent, and used to say, ''I 
 would never do wrong, if I could stop to think.*' 
 When he was about five years old, we told our chil- 
 dren that We preferred being called " father ' and 
 ^' mother," and to the day of his death he used these 
 names, while the older sisters could not remember. 
 
 He seldom neglected his m.orning prayer. Indeed, 
 whatever he made up his mind to do, he would sel- 
 dom neglect. He took great interest in learning the 
 Child's Catechism and his Bible verses, and was very 
 thorough. The particular Scripture texts I cannot 
 remember, except in a few instances : Eccles. 9:10; 
 Prov. 21 : 33 ; Ps. 119: 105 ; Prov 16 :33 ; and Jam_es 4 : 
 14. He had learned about two thirds of the Catechism, 
 
 During the summer of 1875 I had an irresistible 
 desire to go to the farm, and have no one but my own 
 family about me. I longed for a closer contact with 
 my children. While there, P'reddy learned about 
 fifteen verses in the fifth chapter of Matthew, besides 
 single verses in other places and several hymns. 
 While there, Thompson McKenny, a Choctaw youth, 
 took Freddy with him about a mile distant to his 
 work. As I expected him to be absent but a short 
 time, I passed hours of agony, until in the dim twi- 
 light a form was seen coming across the field, and 
 Thompson was bearing him on his shoulders. I felt 
 
4^0 APPENDIX. 
 
 like the mother whose boy had been taken by the 
 Indian chief as a pledge of confidence, when she saw 
 his return, laughing and toying with the heavy 
 plumes that drooped upon the chieftain's brow. 
 
 For two weeks before the close of the school ses- 
 sion in 1876 he was coughing quite hard at night, 
 but he seemed well and active in the daytime. He 
 took much interest in the speaking of the schoolboys, 
 and would go by himself to repeat portions of their 
 speeches. He expressed a desire to speak before 
 the public, but I told him he was too young. I 
 think he was a natural orator, for he would repeat 
 all of his Bible verses and hymns as a declamation. 
 He learned all of the 24th Psalm, and his tones grew 
 eloquent with a full understanding of the grandeur 
 of the theme. I could hardly realize that it was a 
 child's voice repeating the lofty strains, " Who is 
 this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the 
 King of glory/' Whenever he heard a poem that 
 pleased him, he would have me to read it over, one 
 verse at a time, until he knew it perfectly. In this 
 way he learned, "Woodman, spare that tree," " llie 
 Old Arm Chair," ''Give me three grains of corn, 
 mother." 
 
 In anticipation of my going east during the vaca- 
 tion of 1876, someone of the family said, "Freddy 
 won't be satisfied to have you leave him, he is such a 
 pet.'' Looking quite thoughtful, he turned to me 
 saying, " Won't father be here ?" I answered " Yes," 
 and he added, " Of course I can stay here with 
 father." When I told him I should not go until my 
 children were well of the whooping-cough, he said, 
 ''O you needn't stay for that, for I won't give any 
 trouble, " 
 
A BEREAVED MOTHER. 481 
 
 He had contracted fresh cold from an exposure to 
 rain in one of our trips to the farm, and had been 
 weakened by bleeding at the nose. He did not there- 
 fore go to church on Sunday, June 18, but studied 
 the Catechism and learned James 4:14. While I 
 was resting to recover the loss of sleep I had incur- 
 red the past few days in nursing Susie, Freddy put 
 the room in nice order, sweeping and dusting it. 
 When I awoke I complimented his neatness, and he 
 proposed that I should sit in a low chair while he 
 brushed my hair. This was his last labor of love for 
 me ; for on the morrow he was laid upon a bed of 
 suffering, from which he never arose. 
 
 When he first waked Monday morning his head 
 was aching. I told him to lie in bed, and I would 
 have his breakfast brought to him. But with his 
 great energy and love of early rising, he dressed and 
 quietly slipped out of the room. At 10 o'clock he 
 came in sick, his hands and feet quite cold. Soon a 
 fever came on, and he passed into a quiet sleep. He 
 roused partly, and went into a severe convulsion. 
 The next day he seemed to have two chills. We 
 gave him a heavy sweat to prevent a third. This 
 weakened him, and that night he was very ill, the 
 brain being threatened with congestion. His fever 
 continued until the tenth day. At the end of .the 
 third week the doctor thought him convalescent, 
 but in danger of a relapse and of serious trouble 
 from his bowels, should they become involved. 
 
 He was very patient, and well pleased with the ladies 
 w4io helped me to nurse him. He was particularly 
 fond of Mrs. Woolfolk. When she came, he would 
 tell me that I might go and rest. When there were 
 
482' APPENDIX. 
 
 watchers in whom he had less confidence, he would 
 say, " You may lie down on the bed by me and 
 sleep," 
 
 Once he said to the doctor, ''Do you want to 
 know how to make the children sfood ?" When the 
 doctor assented, he replied, "You must keep them 
 off the street and put them to work." 
 
 He now had two days of comparative freedom 
 from pain. On the Sabbath he sat up a long time in 
 a rocking-chair, listened with interest to the reading 
 of the Bible, talked with his sisters, and in the even- 
 ing sang in a loud, clear voice with Stella and my- 
 self his favorite hymns : " There is a land of pure 
 delight," " Shall we gather at the river.?" " Let us 
 cross over the river," and " Jesus loves me." 
 
 About midnight, however, his pain returned, and 
 before morning it was evident that his bowels were 
 seriously deranged. This day was one of great suf- 
 fering, and that night it seemed to me that he could 
 not possibly recover. I felt a strong desire to talk 
 freely to him of death and the heavenly home dar- 
 ing this weary week of suffering, but I feared he 
 was too weak to attend to any subject requiring 
 thought. Very often, however, the feeling of his 
 danger would so overpower me that I would say, 
 " My dear boy, you are so sick I fear you can never 
 get well. Do you feel willing to die, if it is God's 
 wuU T ' Always very clearly and calmly, he would 
 answer, "Yes." I would then add a hope that he 
 would get well, and talk of something he must do, 
 at soon as he v/as able. I took advantage of his 
 most comfortable hours to read portions of God's 
 Word, and I would repeat verses that he had com- 
 
A BEREAVED' MOTHER. 483 
 
 mitted to memory. He always seemed very attentive 
 and thoughtful, but seldom made any remark. In- 
 deed, he talked very little during his sickness. 
 
 The fifth week wore away with the same sad suffer- 
 ing. The sixth week came, and we were gladdened 
 by the return of Miss iVnnie McCutchen and Grace, 
 from Brownsville, and it was about the only smile 
 that had been upon his face when he greeted them. 
 Annie brought him some choice candy and a ball. 
 Mrs. McCutchen supplied him with handsome boxes. 
 Aimee Gauss gave him a box of fancy crackers. 
 All these he arranged nicely, and for many days took 
 pleasure in looking them over. He never asked to 
 taste of them. Mrs. McCutchen also filled for him 
 and marked with his name a dozen small glasses of 
 blackberry jelly. 
 
 He had been fed upon milk, although for some time 
 he had craved solid food. The milk now disagreed 
 with him. In trying other kinds of food, we did him 
 harm, and he was growing worse. 
 
 He was very much attached to Misses Annie and 
 Maria McCutchen. He was so happy to have Miss 
 Annie with hima, that he scarcely wanted my care, 
 and the dear girl will be fondly and tenderly associ- 
 ated with all my recollections of his brief life. 
 
 This week we changed his room, wdiich was very 
 agreeable to him. Mrs. Bowman, who had had much 
 experience with this kind of sickness, came to see him. 
 Her advice and help gave me encouragement. On 
 her second visit she brought Freddy a tame pigeon, 
 a pet, eating out of their handsand perching on their 
 shoulders. Being quite young, it had not been accus- 
 tomed to going outside of the yard. The dear boy 
 
484 APPENDIX. 
 
 held it in his hands, smoothed its soft plumage, spoke 
 loving words to it, and then asked me to put it upon 
 the window-sill, where he could look at it. The out- 
 side door was partly open, but Mrs. B. said there was 
 not the slightest danger of its leaving the house. 
 For a moment only it rested upon the window, then 
 it flew out of the open door upon the roof of the 
 house, and then away, away, we could not tell in 
 what direction and was never heard from again. The 
 tears came into Freddy' s eyes as he saw it leave. We 
 were so confident that it would return that Freddy 
 crumbled a piece of bread to be ready for it. But 
 when hours and days passed, he began to be re- 
 signed, and we diverted his attention to other things. 
 Was this an omen that my loved one was about to 
 plume the spirit's wing for a heavenward flight? 
 He examined a croquet set, which his father bought, 
 but I could see that he was losing his interest in games 
 and sports. He could hear the blows of the mallet 
 and his sisters' voices, but he expressed no desire to 
 be with them. His dog, too, his special pet, he scarcely 
 noticed now. But his interest in everything con- 
 nected with the Sabbath-school did not abate. He 
 often asked about the verses and the catechism, and 
 said that his class would be far ahead of him. One 
 day, when suffering greatly, he sa'id, " Mother, I know 
 you can't help m.e, nor the doctor, but the Lord can." 
 I said, '' Yes, for He died to save you," and he added, 
 " I know He did, 'the painful and shameful death of 
 the cross.' " His desire was very strong to attend 
 the Sabbath-school picnic, and he even v/anted to 
 walk there. But at this time he was wasted almost 
 to a skeleton, and we had to work with him very 
 
A' BEREA VED MO TITER. 485 
 
 carefully to avoid giving him pain. In thinking of 
 his extreme weakness, he was convinced that he could 
 not walk, and was pleased with the suggestion of rid- 
 ing down in his sisters' carriage. When Wednesday 
 came he realized that he could not be out of bed, and 
 said, " I did not think Thursday would come so soon 
 or I would not have asked to go to the picnic." I felt 
 thankful that a rain on Thursday caused a postpone- 
 ment, as it lessened his disappointment. 
 
 The seventh week he took the silver coins we had 
 given him, and put them in the case of his grandfather 
 Kemper's silver watch, which his father had given to 
 him. I hung the watch near his bed. But with his 
 usual carefulness, after a day or two he concluded it 
 would be easy for a thief to steal his money, so he 
 got Miss Annie to buy him a bank. One day, count- 
 ing the silver pieces, he said, " I am going to use a 
 part of this to mend my valise, and take half to the 
 Sunday-school." But I said, '^ If you should not get 
 well, shall I send it all for the heathen children ?" 
 He answered thoughtfully, " Yes." I added, " What 
 shall I do with your other things?" At first he said, 
 '' I don't know," but afterward added, '' Give my toys 
 to my sisters." 
 
 I had borrowed a half dollar of his money, and, 
 having no silver to replace it, borrowed two quarters 
 from one of the servants. He did not enjoy this, and 
 said those quarters were not really his own. As his 
 father did not go to the bank that day, he sent for 
 the servant, and said, " Mary, I want you to take 
 your money, for father forgets to get any out of the 
 bank, and I rather go without any than to have bor- 
 rowed money." After this his money was replaced, 
 and he was satisfied. 
 
486 APPENDIX. 
 
 There was little improvement the eighth week. As, 
 however, the doctor said he was doing well, his father 
 on Wednesday went to Saline County. This trip had 
 been delayed several weeks by his sickness. In a 
 day or two he was better, and had one very comfort- 
 able day. I noticed, however^ that Dr. McCutchen 
 was watching him with unusual care. His soundest 
 sleep had usually been early in the morning, but 
 now at the earliest dawn he would awake and gaze 
 very thoughtfully and quietly out of the window, and 
 ask me to take him up in the rocking-chair. As this 
 was the time of the night I slept most soundly, I 
 would only waken enough to ask him if he could 
 not wait a while. So thoughtful was he for my com- 
 fort that he would remain perfectly quiet. How 
 much I would give now to know what were his 
 thoughts in that quiet morning hour ! 
 
 One evening this week there was a severe thunder- 
 storm and a crashing peal of thunder. This greatly 
 frightened me, because I thought it would be a shock 
 to him ; but he looked up at me wnth the greatest 
 serenity, not speaking, but expressing wonder that I 
 should be afraid. The latter part of this week our 
 German gardener stuffed some of Freddy's old clothes 
 Avith hay to make a scarecrow. It was quite comical, 
 and would have drawn from him a hearty laugh in 
 health, but when held before him he looked at it 
 quietly, without a smile or remark. The next day, 
 however, he expressed a desire to see a pretty calf 
 that we had at the stable. 
 
 The ninth week came in its weary round. I re- 
 member very little of this last Sabbaih. My usual 
 custom was to read short chapters in the Bible, to 
 
A BEREAVED MOTHER. 487 
 
 repeat verses he had learned, and sometimes to sing 
 the songs he h3ved best. That niglit I plainly saw 
 that he was not so well. It was due to improper 
 diet. I was so troubled that a change for the worse 
 should result from neglect or improper nourishment 
 that I was obliged to go into some place of solitude 
 to gain composure. I walked the room in feverish 
 excitement. But when I knelt to pray for the dear 
 sufferer, the torrent of passionate rebellion gave wa}^, 
 and there followed a great calm. I rejoiced in a per- 
 fect trust in God's power to heal and bless. I then 
 thought this peace was an assurance that my boy 
 would get well. I went back to his room and found 
 him quiet and serene under dear Annie's soothing 
 attentions. After this I interested myself, for the 
 first time since his sickness, in the garden and in 
 seeing visitors, to whom I talked cheerfully of Fred- 
 dy's recovery. I promised him that I would take 
 him to the country as soon as he was able to ride. 
 He talked cheerfully with Annie, who propped him 
 up in bed that he might cut out pictures from a 
 paper. He wished her to make a bag for his marbles, 
 and told her that he could fan himself and keep off 
 the flies. 
 
 That night he rested quite well and at the first 
 dawn of day he called me, saying, ^'Father is com- 
 ing home to-night, isn't he?" I answered, ''Yes ; 
 and he will be so disappointed that you are not yet 
 able to ride out with him." Quite early he asked to 
 sit up in his chair, where he remained longer than 
 usual, looking thoughtfully out of the window. Af- 
 ter a while he said that he was cold, and I put him 
 back into bed, never dreaming that the chill of death 
 
488 APPENDIX, 
 
 was creeping over him, although I knew there was 
 something unnatural in his desire for hot drink. My 
 dear friend, Mrs. Judge Smith, came to see me, and I 
 think she tried to give me a warning. I told her I 
 felt perfectly reconciled to God's will, but all the time 
 I felt that his life must be spared. 
 
 About noon I sent for the doctor, as his hands were 
 cramping. About two o'clock there was a twitching 
 of the muscles of the mouth and a rolling of the eyes. 
 When r asked him a question he failed to reply. 
 Then, for the- first time, I realized that he would die, 
 and told him so. But his ear was already unconscious 
 of earthly sounds, and his eyes had no recognition of 
 his dearest friends. I could not look upon his face now, 
 so I buried mine in the pillow to hide from my sight 
 my darling's dying agony. Just then his father enter- 
 ed the room, expecting to greet his boy, greatly im- 
 proved, but alas, to be met by the mute circle of weep- 
 ing friends. The eye that would have beamed so bright- 
 ly, and the heart that would have bounded joyously 
 to welcome the father he loved so well, had now no 
 consciousness of his presence. I once more tried to 
 gain his attention by telling him his father had come, 
 but it was too late, and we could do nothing but 
 wait in silent agony the slow hours of fading life. 
 He breathed quietly for an hour or more, and then, 
 when the sultry August sun went down, without a 
 quivering muscle the spirit returned to God w^ho 
 gave it. 
 
 I could do no more for my precious darling. The 
 sleepless nights and a-nxious days were past. Leav- 
 ing many kisses on the sealed lips, still warm with 
 departing life, I left him for other hands to compose 
 
A BEREAVED MOTHER. 489 
 
 his wasted body for the grave. An hour afterward, 
 when I looked at him, the glorified spirit had imprint- 
 ed the smile of heaven on the pale face, ''Death 
 could not steal the signet ring of heaven." On the 
 afternoon of the 23rd of August our kind friends as- 
 sembled. Rev. Dr. Gauss, who had been the faithful 
 teacher of our dear boy, comforted and strengthened 
 our hearts with precious promises of God's Word; 
 and the hymns, "One by one we're crossing over" 
 and "There is a land of pure delight," were sung. 
 Then the precious dust was laid away until the resur- 
 rection morn. 
 
 I feel that there will be a dark shadow over all the 
 rest of my earthly pilgrimage, when I recall my loss 
 and his great suffering. There will doubtless be 
 times, when I see an aged father bowed down with 
 grief because of a prodigal son, or a youth while in 
 a career of sin, cut off suddenly, that I shall thank 
 my Heavenly Father that my boy w^ent safely home 
 before he knew but little of earthly sorrow or sin. 
 
 To Miss Josie Pinnell, his faithful Sabbath-school 
 teacher, I feel under a great debt of obligation, for 
 the dear boy's interest in his hymns and verses was 
 chiefly owing to her happy manner of imparting in- 
 struction. She also ministered to his comfort many 
 of the weary days of his sickness. Mrs. Woolfolk 
 was with us many nights, and he always seemed more 
 comfortable under her soothing attentions. Mrs. 
 Brewster, Mrs. Digges, Miss Mamie Brewster, Miss 
 Sallie Edwards, Miss Nannie Lionberger, and others 
 are held in grateful remembrance. Miss Birdie 
 Brent made a wreath of geranium leaves and fragrant 
 white lilies to lay upon his coffin. Miss Mamie 
 22 
 
490 APPENDIX. 
 
 Brewster supplied rare and beautiful flowers to 
 wreathe his cold, pale brow. Miss Helen Spahr Very 
 kindly made a pin-cushion for me from the material 
 left of his burial robe. God grant that all these kind 
 friends, with the parents and remaining children, 
 may be of the number of whom it shall be said, 
 " Servant of God, well done ; 
 Praise be thy new employ ; 
 And while eternal ages run, 
 Rest in thy Saviour's joy." 
 Lines written by Horace A. Hutchison, Esq., one of 
 the old pupils of the school, on the occasion of Fred- 
 dy's death. They are beautiful. 
 
 "LITTLE FRED, 
 
 ONLY SON OF F. T. AND SUSAN KEMPER. 
 " IN MEMORIAM. 
 
 '* Let the stars shine on his grave 
 
 In their brightness. 
 Let the lilies o'er him wave 
 
 In their whiteness, 
 For the beauty of the star, 
 As it glimmers from afar, 
 Is not purer in its light, 
 Nor the lily in its white, 
 Than the spirit of the loved one 
 When from earth it took its flight. 
 
 "Oft the tear of grief will flow 
 
 When we're thinking 
 Of the bitter cup of woe 
 
 We are drinking ; 
 And we feel that it is best 
 That our little ones should rest 
 In the loving arms of God, 
 While we ' pass beneath the rod,' 
 Ere they feel the hand of sorrow, 
 Or in paths of sin have trod. 
 
A BEREAVED MOTHER. 491 
 
 " Though his voice we may not hear 
 
 In its gladness ; 
 Though we weep beside his bier 
 
 In our sadness ; 
 Yet the tears of love we shed 
 For the gentle spirit fled 
 Will alight on memory's flowers 
 Like the dew upon the bowers, 
 To refresh and keep them blooming 
 Through the dark and lonely hours. 
 
 " From the weary world below 
 , Early taken, 
 
 From the touch of sin and woe 
 
 To awaken, 
 Where the tear may never start. 
 Nor temptation try the heart ; 
 By the shining, sinless shore, 
 With the dear ones gone before, 
 He will wait for other loved ones, 
 Till they cross the river o'er. 
 
 '' Boonville, Mo., Sept. 1876. 
 
 These verses were written by Mrs. Alice M. Painter, 
 the accomplished and excellent wife of the Rev. H. 
 M. Painter: 
 
 " TO MY BEREAVED FRIEND, MRS. S. H. KEMPER. 
 
 SUGGESTED ON SEEING THREE LOVELY SPRING VIOLETS ON THE 
 THREE GRAVES OF HER CHILDREN. 
 
 " I stood beside the spot of earth 
 
 Where my heart's treasures lie ; 
 I could not keep the question back, 
 
 Why did my darlings die ? 
 
 " I hushed it as a feeling wrongs 
 
 This tumult now within — 
 Because to murmur, O my God, 
 
 I felt 't would be a sin. 
 
492 APPENDIX. 
 
 " ' God gave, He took, He will restore, 
 
 He doeth all things well ' ; 
 And gratitude's the feeling now 
 
 My stricken heart doth swell. 
 
 " Grateful to God that He doth find 
 
 Me worthy of His love ; 
 That He has called my little ones 
 
 To dwell with Him above. 
 
 " Lonely I am, and often sad, 
 
 And sometimes even sigh — 
 Sigh to break up this house of clay 
 
 To go to them on high. 
 
 " I turned to go, I could not stay 
 
 Longer in this loved spot ; 
 Life's duties hastened me away. 
 
 For they are not forgot. 
 
 " Upon those tiny heaps of earth, 
 
 So precious in my sight, 
 I found three violets blooming 
 
 To fill me with delight. 
 
 " Part of their precious dust they seemed, 
 
 Fit emblem of the three ; 
 And whilst I viewed the beauteous flowers, 
 
 Their forms I seemed to see. 
 
 *' Bloom on, ye gentle whisperers, bloom ; 
 
 Ye bring me tidings sweet ; 
 From out these heaps my babes shall spring ; 
 
 In heaven I will them meet. 
 
 *' Beside this spot I watch and pray, 
 And hope and trust till life is o'er ; 
 For well I know that each loved babe 
 I'll meet where parting is no more. 
 
 '' May 27, 1864. A. M. Painter. 
 
!j'^©^v!i avvd. ^©^^(^'^VSVvt^ 
 
 Pag-e 76— Kev. W. H. Parks is authority for the statement that a 
 gentleman, now li^•ing■ in the neighborhood of Marion Oolleg-e, was 
 originally called by his father, "Tooth and Toe Nail against Marion 
 College Johnson." This was afterward shortened tn "Tooth and Toe 
 Nail;" then to Toe Nail;" and finally to "Tony." 
 Page 93, line M, "highest" should be "high." 
 Page 134, line 9 from bottom, "Crippled" should be "hindered." 
 Page 142, line 1, "Obedience" should be "Obedient." 
 Page Ito, line 11 from bottom, "were" should be "are." 
 Page ;''oO. According to Fontana, Italian Grammar, page 119, the 
 phrase, "Dolce far niente" means "It is sweet to do something." Nev- 
 ertheless English usage justifies Webster in giving it in our language the 
 opposite meaning. 
 
 Page 296, Before "Latin C«'urse" insert: 
 
 SENIOR CLASS. 
 
 "1. Cicero's Oi-ations (Harkness); Ovid's Metamorphoses (Hanson 
 and Rolf e); Virgil's Aeneid (Hanson and Rolxe); Latin Prose Composi- 
 tion. 2. Xenophon's Anabasis (Boise); Homer's Iliad (Boise); Gi-eek 
 Prose Composition (Jones). 3. Geometry, Trigonometry and Surveying 
 (Davies), with use of surveyor's Transit, Compass and Plotting Instru- 
 ments. 
 
 "Side Studies.— Double Entry B.)ok-keepiug; Speaking and Compo- 
 sition; Greek Testament (Owen's Acts); Church History; Vocal Music; 
 Drawing; Tracing Constellations. 
 
 Page 302, "equalling" should be "equaling." 
 Page 310, line 9, "exercises" should be "exercise." 
 Page 339, line 3 from bottom, "overnice" should be "over nice." 
 Page 348, line 9 from bottom, "son" should be "Son." 
 Page o6S, line 16, "Men talk" should be "Men may talk." 
 Page 392, line 9, "mightier" should be "weightier." 
 "Practice," noun and verb, should be so spelled.— Webster. 
 Worcester and Webster both prefer "a humble" to "an humble." 
 "2d" and "3d" should be "2nd" and "3rd." This innovation is not 
 approved. 
 
 Dates should be written regularly with cardinal instead of ordinal 
 numbers. 
 
^^ 
 
>l7lM>i-f 
 
 TriM 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
 021 721 866 ^