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UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL 
 
 00032695708 
 
 This book must i 
 be token from t 
 Library building. 
 
 Form No. 471 
 
It, •■ 
 
 ^^^^M^ 
 
 MRS. JAMES SPRUNT 
 
In Memoriam 
 
 JHrs. fames ^pruttt 
 
 And a book of remembrance was written before 
 Him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought 
 upon His name. And they shall be Mine, saith the 
 Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up My 
 ]^yNd^r —Malachi 3 : 16, 17. 
 
 FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION 
 
Copyright, 1916, by 
 James Sprunt 
 
 Compiled and edited by 
 Ellen Hale Wilson 
 
Bebtcatton 
 
 This lo'ving record of the de<votedy 
 
 consecrated life 
 
 of 
 
 Huola ;j^urc{)i^0n ^prunt 
 
 is affectionately inscribed to our 
 infant grandson 
 
 g^ame^ Haurence ^prunt, Sfunior 
 
 Huhose snjoeet and gentle mother 
 
 aimoret Cameron iBrice ^prunt 
 
 died at the age of tnjoenty- four years ^ nvhen she ga'ue him birth. 
 His little life, trembling like a star betnveen tnjoo Worlds^ nuas 
 mercifully spared to brighten and bless the last year on 
 earth of his denjoted grandmother, nvho brought him to 
 our home and hearts and la<vished upon him the 
 matchless tenderness of a mother'' s lo<ve. It is 
 my daily prayer that he may be brought up 
 in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, 
 and that in due time he may be called 
 to the ministry of the blessed gospel 
 oj Christ, to njohich his grand- 
 mother and I hanje prayer- 
 fully commended him. 
 
 JAMES SPRUNT 
 
 40 
 
3n Cl^ri^t 
 
 'Death may hide, but it cannot divide; 
 Thou art but on Christ's other side ; 
 Thou art with Christ and He with me, 
 In Christ united still are we." 
 
 3n ;^emoriam 
 
 In loving memory of Luola Murchison 
 Sprunt, wife of James Sprunt, of Wilmington 
 and Orton, who departed this mortal life 
 February 17, 19 16, in the full assurance of a 
 blessed immortality. 
 
 Of dignified, queenly presence, a mind 
 richly endowed with exquisite taste and sur- 
 passing ability, she illustrated with unaffected 
 modesty, as an angel of the highway on the 
 journey of life, the virtues and graces of a 
 noble Christian character, by an unceasing 
 and untiring devotion to the things that are 
 true, and honorable, and just, and lovely, and 
 of good report. 
 
 Whatever she did for the rescue of human 
 souls drifting away from God, for the con- 
 version of the heathen in far-away lands, for 
 the help and countenance of our devoted mis- 
 sionaries, for the care and education of the 
 factory children, for the relief of helpless 
 
humanity in the hospitals at home and beyond, 
 for the comfort of the bereaved and afflicted, 
 for the lonely stranger in a strange land, in 
 the building of churches, and hospitals, and 
 schools, and habitations for the poor, in the 
 skillful embellishment of her beautiful home, 
 in her exquisite handiwork, in the promotion 
 of patriotic and social endeavor for the bet- 
 terment of our people, in her loving loyalty 
 to her family and friends, in her winning 
 endearment for children, in her uncomplain- 
 ing endurance of suffering, in the divine 
 majesty of a mother's love, in all things that 
 were worth while, she did with her whole 
 heart and mind and strength, with never an 
 idle, misspent moment, with an eye single to 
 the glory of God. 
 
 "The only visible link between this life and 
 the next and the only work of our hands that 
 does span the grave and follow us into the 
 unseen world beyond is what we accomplish 
 in endeavoring to imitate Him who went 
 about doing good. Doing good is unselfish- 
 ness in action; it is work for others, and its 
 field comprehends the smallest kindnesses of 
 every-day life as clearly as the noblest exer- 
 cise of public charity. The cup of cold water 
 marks it, as well as the church, the asylum, or 
 the hospital, or the college. The loving 
 smile, the cheering word, in this service may 
 be more worthy of remembrance than all the 
 world calls great outside of it." 
 
Dearly beloved and deeply lamented by 
 hundreds of relatives and friends at home and 
 abroad, mourned by her surviving husband 
 and son and grandson deeply bereaved, but 
 welcomed to glory by three devoted daugh- 
 ters who preceded her, a family divided be- 
 tween heaven and earth will, in God's own 
 time, be reunited in a joyful resurrection. 
 
 "Seeing the King in His beauty, she said: 
 'Lord, here am I and the children Thou 
 gavest me.' " "And I heard a voice from 
 heaven saying, Write, Blessed are the dead 
 which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, 
 saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their 
 labors, and their works do follow them." 
 
 — James Sprunt. 
 
 "Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given 
 Me, be with Me where I am." 
 
 O Death, why dost thou touch the tree be- 
 neath whose spreading branches weariness 
 hath rest? Why dost thou snatch away the 
 excellent of the earth, in whom is all our 
 delight? If thou must use thy axe, use it 
 upon the trees which yield no fruit; thou 
 mightest be thanked then. But why wilt thou 
 fell the goodly cedars of Lebanon? O, stay 
 thine axe and spare the righteous. But no, 
 it must not be; death smites the godliest of 
 our friends; the most generous, the most 
 
prayerful, the most holy, the most devoted 
 must die. And why? It is Jesus' prevailing 
 prayer, "Father, I will that they also, whom 
 Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I 
 am." It is that which bears them on eagles' 
 wings to heaven. Every time a believer 
 mounts from this earth to Paradise it is an 
 answer to Christ's prayer. A good old 
 divine rem^arks, "Many times Jesus and His 
 people pull against one another in prayer. 
 You bend your knee in prayer and say, 
 'Father, I will that Thy saints be with me 
 where / ami' ; Christ says, 'Father, I will that 
 they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with 
 Me where / am.' " Thus the disciple is at 
 cross purposes with his Lord. The soul can- 
 not be in both places : the beloved one cannot 
 be with Christ and with you, too. Now, 
 which pleader shall win the day? If you had 
 your choice, if the King should step from His 
 throne and say, "Here are two supplicants 
 praying in opposition to one another; which 
 shall be answered?" Oh! I am sure, though 
 it were agony, you would start from your feet 
 and say, "Jesus, not my will, but Thine be 
 done." You would give up your prayer for 
 your loved one's sake if you could realize the 
 thought that Christ is praying in the opposite 
 direction — 'Tather, I will that they also, 
 whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where 
 I ami." Lord, Thou shalt have them. By 
 faith we let them go. —Spurgeon. 
 
 8 
 
He who has watched the sun in its bright 
 course through the firmament and seen it 
 gradually decline until it went down in daric- 
 ness beneath the horizon may turn from the 
 contemplation with no feelings of sorrow or 
 regret, for he knows that the period of its 
 absence is mercifully ordained as a season of 
 necessary repose to him and to all, and that 
 the morrow will restore its beams to revive 
 and reanimate all nature. But if the last de- 
 clining ray which struck upon his eyelids had 
 brought to him the conviction that he had 
 gazed for the last time upon the sun in the 
 heaven; that henceforward there was to be 
 no more rising nor setting, no morning nor 
 evening, nor light, nor heat, no effulgent day, 
 with all its glorious beauties and excellencies, 
 but night and darkness, unrelieved save by the 
 twinkling stars, were to be the law of earth 
 forever — with what sensations would the poor 
 wanderer view that last setting of the sun? 
 
 With feelings somewhat akin to those I 
 have imagined we behold the death of the 
 great and good whom we love and reverence. 
 But now they were here with all the generous 
 impulses and excelling virtues that dignify and 
 adorn humanity clustering thickly around 
 them. We rejoiced in their presence, we 
 were better under their benignant influence, 
 we were happy in their smiles ; we felt that it 
 was day and looked not into the future. They 
 are gone. The places of earth shall know 
 
them no more forever. The mysterious law 
 which loosens the silver cord and breaks the 
 pitcher at the fountain penetrates the heart. 
 
 — George Davis. 
 
 Life changes all our thoughts of heaven ; 
 At first we think of streets of gold, 
 Of gates of pearl and dazzling light; 
 Of shining wings and robes of white, 
 And things all strange to mortal sight. 
 But in the afterward of years 
 It is a more familiar place, 
 A home unhurt by sighs or tears, 
 Where waiteth many a well-known face. 
 With passing months it comes more near. 
 It grows more real day by day, 
 Not strange or cold, but very dear — 
 The glad home land not far away, 
 Where none are sick or poor or lone, 
 The place where we will find our own. 
 And as we think of all we knew 
 Who there have met to part no more, 
 Our longing hearts desire home, too. 
 With all the strife and trouble o'er. 
 
 — Robert Bronvning. 
 
 €l)e i^ome of l^et f atfjer^ 
 J^oUp J|iU,illanc!)e£(tEr,^orti) Carolina 
 
 Her passing away brought sorrow to many 
 hearts, and the sense of bereavement does not 
 lessen as the weeks go by. 
 
 In this home of her grandparents and the 
 boyhood home of her father all surroundings 
 
 lO 
 
LUOLA, IN CHILDHOOD, AND HER 
 YOUNGER SISTER JEANNIE 
 
suggest cherished memories of her, and many 
 familiar spots recall special and tender asso- 
 ciations. The greatness of mind and heart 
 that developed into a gracious womanhood 
 and made her life a blessing to her family, her 
 friends, the church, and the world were 
 clearly marked in childhood. Her fine intui- 
 tions, her keen intelligence, her enthusiasm, 
 her ability to enter into the feelings of others, 
 and ever-ready helpfulness invested her per- 
 sonality with a charm as beautiful as it was 
 rare. Many hearts were cheered by her sym- 
 pathetic interest and many lives enriched by 
 her generous affection. Richly endowed men- 
 tally, spiritually, and materially, she lavishly 
 gave her best to the world, and the best came 
 back to her in the love and grateful apprecia- 
 tion of her noble achievements. The light 
 that shone on her pathway through life grew 
 brighter and more serene to its gentle close. 
 
 She has passed within the veil and is "made 
 perfect in holiness" and happiness. To us 
 who remain her life on earth will ever be an 
 inspiration and a priceless treasure. 
 
 — Lucy Gillespie Murchison. 
 
 "Youth and its thousand dreams were ours." 
 
 Youth is a vision and a prophecy. The 
 years from twelve to twenty would seem the 
 
 II 
 
golden years, as to vision. The foundation 
 of character which these years establish is the 
 basis upon which the future is to build. And 
 if the building is high and noble it is good to 
 look back and feel that the vision is true and 
 the foundation sure. 
 
 "Then age approves of youth 
 And death completes the same." 
 
 The Borough of Brooklyn, forming part of 
 the Greater New York of today, is a very dif- 
 ferent place from the Brooklyn of 1871 to 
 1879. During those years New York beck- 
 oned with alluring hand to many of the fore- 
 mxost m.en of the South and seemed to them 
 the most fertile field in which to retrieve their 
 fallen fortunes. Brooklyn had many advan- 
 tages as a home for their families. Its con- 
 venience to New York, the family life it en- 
 couraged, its nearness to the seacoast, and the 
 m.any economical conditions combined to pro- 
 vide an ideal place of residence. 
 
 Thus it was that the father of Luola 
 Murchison came to New York and, naturally, 
 after considering the reasons given, Brooklyn 
 was selected as the place for the new home. 
 These same reasons prevailing with the father 
 of the writer, the two homes were established 
 so near each other as to be almost within hail, 
 and in this way promoted daily companion- 
 ship. 
 
 12 
 
Looking back to that vision, It would be dif- 
 ficult indeed to find a happier girlhood than 
 ours was, or a girlhood coming from dearer 
 homes. At the head of the one was the ener- 
 getic, successful, honorable business man, and 
 of the other the high-toned scholar, editor, 
 publisher, and the beauty, Intelligence, and 
 Christian virtues of the mothers in those two 
 households are a famous heritage to their 
 children. 
 
 It was from Brooklyn, then, that Luola was 
 to draw her vision, and on this vision she 
 builded a foundation which all through the 
 years to come she could look back upon and 
 thank her God that the foundation she had 
 laid would last not only through the years of 
 her earthly pilgrimage, but into all eternity. 
 That she builded with no uncertain hand; that 
 her vision was broad and comprehending, and 
 that a beautiful gentleness was there, the 
 pages of this book bearing loving apprecia- 
 tion of the many who came in touch with her 
 after years will attest. And she — as the years 
 grew and time filled her life with the keener 
 joys and deeper sorrows of womanhood — she 
 looked back and rejoiced because of the sweet- 
 ness and the strength which she had gathered 
 in those happy girlhood days. 
 
 She Is always present to me as on that day 
 when first we met. A girl of twelve years, 
 with brown hair curling over her brow, and 
 beneath these curls were wonderful, far-seeing 
 
 13 
 
eyes, which seemed always to be seeking for 
 truth. Looking Into those eyes, you felt sure 
 of the beautiful soul from which they shone. 
 Her every motion was graceful and conveyed 
 an Impression of the lovely things In life — 
 of music, youth, springtime, and flowers. 
 Thinking of her as she appeared that day, 
 girlhood Is ours again, and she Is speaking her 
 sweet thoughts, her unselfish plans for others, 
 her noble aspirations. Ah! what a pleasure 
 It was four years ago to write and tell her 
 that she had fulfilled them, every one. 
 
 I never see two young girls whispering their 
 sweet confidences together but what she comes 
 before my willing fancy. Never do I see 
 children happy at their play but that her 
 image is there. Thus does she send abroad 
 an Influence and multiply portraits of herself. 
 
 Nor was that girlhood purposeless. There 
 was work worth doing and worth trying to do 
 well. Duties were ever present and were a 
 never-ending education of a fine sort. They 
 were made easy by happy, simple, and con- 
 genial recreations. The gifts with which bv 
 nature she was richly endowed during these 
 sunny days by concentration and persever- 
 ance she steadily developed. As a musician 
 her work was highly valued, and her sweet 
 voice contributed much to the happiness of 
 her home. Her sentiment for nature was 
 genuine; she embellished her own and other 
 homes with touches of her art. In everv 
 
 14 
 
variety of needlework her fingers were deft 
 and the specimens that came from her hands 
 were rare and beautiful. She enjoyed her 
 art by using these talents largely for others. 
 There comes no remembrance that she ever 
 worked for self, although her activity was in- 
 defatigable. Rather was hers a nature that 
 gave from its fullness. 
 
 Even in those early years her distinguish- 
 ing trait was the love she gave little children. 
 She was their friend and they knew it. She 
 was especially beloved by the children in her 
 own kinship, but not only upon these children 
 was her affection lavished, but it was freely 
 given to those in other households with whom 
 she came in contact. May it not have been 
 the Divine in her nature; the answer from her 
 soul to the Master's ''Suffer little children to 
 come unto Me," which in the last year of 
 earthly life pleased her Heavenly Father to 
 place a motherless little one in those tender 
 arms. 
 
 In her last letter was revived her loving 
 recollection of the pets which shared our 
 heartsome young life. 
 
 A very precious friend of this girlhood was 
 Moses, Luola's beautiful pony, and with the 
 pony a basket phaeton came, both gifts from 
 her father. The phaeton was just large 
 enough for two, and there could hardly have 
 been a part of Brooklyn that did not welcome 
 the sight of Moses and the two girls in the 
 phaeton, for — 
 
 15 
 
"The paths by which we twain did go, 
 Which led by tracts that pleased us well ; 
 Thro' those sweet years arose and fell 
 From flower to flower, from snow to snow." 
 
 Three weeks before her death she writes: 
 "How happy we were with my beautiful pony, 
 the like of which I have never seen since. 
 There will come a time when we shall be to- 
 gether for eternity, when the friendship of 
 our girlhood days will mature into joy ever- 
 lasting." 
 
 In May, 1883, she writes of her approach- 
 ing marriage; her heart is overflowing with 
 love and admiration for and confidence in the 
 man she has chosen for her life's companion. 
 "With him near me, I feel I can lead a higher, 
 better life than I ever hoped for." 
 
 Girlhood does not go with her into that 
 life where, blessed with the love of husband 
 and children, she grows in good works. 
 
 And now that she is looking back to the 
 vision and beholding the foundation and see- 
 ing that it was good, she exclaims, "Thanks 
 be to God which giveth us the victory through 
 our Lord Jesus Christ." Amen. 
 
 "So, dearest, now thy brows are cold, 
 I see thee what thou art, and know 
 Thy likeness to the wise below. 
 Thy kindred with the great of old. 
 
 "But there is more than I can see, 
 And what I see I leave unsaid. 
 Nor speak it, knowing Death has made 
 His darkness beautiful with thee." 
 
 ^ — Ellen Hale fVilson. 
 
I 
 
 i 
 
 LUOLA, AS A SCHOOL GIRL 
 
"Flowers of all hue, and without thorn the rose." 
 
 She who was so tenderly loved and uni- 
 versally admired, Luola Murchison Sprunt, 
 has passed to the great beyond, and many 
 there are who mourn for her. 
 
 Of singular grace and warm sympathy, she 
 endeared herself to all who came in contact 
 with her, and the extent of her influence for 
 good is well-nigh boundless. 
 
 She was endowed with many talents, con- 
 spicuous among which was her artistic ability. 
 This expressed itself in many ways, notably in 
 the beautiful appointments of her home in 
 Wilmington and Orton. 
 
 Her friends remember her keen enthusiasm 
 for the rare and exquisite etchings, of which 
 she made a most interesting collection, and 
 love to think of her as she explained the excel- 
 lent work of her favorite artists. 
 
 Amidst the many changes of the years, how 
 great is the pleasure of reviewing happy hours 
 of the past. "Yes, tho' thy smile be lost to 
 sight, to memory thou art dear." How hand- 
 some and gracious was Mrs. Sprunt that day 
 when she welcomed as her guest in her Wil- 
 mington home President William H. Taft. 
 The occasion was a formal breakfast in honor 
 of the President and a party of friends. No 
 setting for such a scene could have been more 
 charming. The vine-embowered piazza with 
 
 17 
 
its outlook on a fair garden, the graciousness 
 of the accomplished hostess — all presented a 
 picture long to be remembered. 
 
 Again, how dear to her friends is the recol- 
 lection of Mrs. Sprunt in her rose garden, her 
 arms full of the lovely blossoms she was gath- 
 ering for her visitors. Among these memo- 
 ries, first and foremost must stand the picture 
 of Orton, where the fairy-like touch of the 
 lovely owner had made the historic old plan- 
 tation a scene of unique beauty. How truly 
 gracious and sweet she was to her guests at 
 this most hospitable Southern estate ! 
 
 Nothing, it would seem, so delighted her 
 loving heart as giving comfort and pleasure 
 to others. She responded immediately to the 
 suffering and needy, whose wants she so unos- 
 tentatiously relieved, and her messages of 
 sympathy for her friends in sorrow, so affec- 
 tionate and consoling, gave utterance to 
 thoughts of great beauty, reflecting as they 
 did the blessed truths of her Lord and Master 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 Mrs. Sprunt's impulses were wonderfully 
 kind and strikingly effective, springing as they 
 did from the warmest and most generous of 
 hearts, the echo of her own deep spirituality. 
 
 She gave of herself in the most enthusiastic 
 manner, whether in the gift of a beautiful 
 bouquet of her Orton hyacinths or in the erec- 
 tion of a hospital for suffering little children, 
 for all time. 
 
 i8 
 
Only those nearest to her In her confidence 
 could have any idea of the number and vari- 
 ety of her beneficent deeds. 
 
 Such a spirit as that of Luola M. Sprunt 
 can never die. Her life here will be an ex- 
 ample and inspiration for those who are left 
 to mourn her loss, and time will not dim the 
 beauty of her sweet, strong personality. 
 
 "The reason firm, the temperate will, 
 Endurance, foresight, strength and skill ; 
 A perfect woman, nobly planned. 
 To warn, to comfort and command." 
 
 — Lucile Wright Murchison. 
 
 "She lingers there like sunshine over the ground. 
 And ever I see her soft white fingers searching after the 
 bud she found." 
 
 We sometimes playfully called our dear 
 one the "Stormy Petrel" because of her al- 
 most unceasing activity, but even that wan- 
 derer upon the wide ocean finds rest upon the 
 heaving bosom of the sea, and when her 
 physical power waned and the headache warn- 
 ing must be heeded, she ever turned with 
 thankfulness to our country home, fourteen 
 miles down the river, which brought relief and 
 steadiness to her overwrought nerves. 
 
 We linger at Orton, the most attractive of 
 all the old colonial estates on the Cape Fear. 
 For a hundred and ninety-one years it has sur- 
 vived the vicissitudes of war, pestilence, and 
 
 19 
 
famine, and it still maintains its reputation of 
 colonial days for a refined and generous hos- 
 pitality. Here, in the exhilaration of the 
 hunter, the restful seclusion of the angler, the 
 quiet quest of the naturalist, the peaceful con- 
 templation of the student, is found surcease 
 from the vanities and vexations of urban life. 
 For nearly two centuries it has been a haven 
 of rest and recreation to its favored guests. 
 
 "Here, like the hush of evening calm on hearts opprest, 
 In silence falls the healing balm of quiet rest; 
 
 And softly from the shadows deep 
 
 The grand oaks sing the soul to sleep 
 On Nature's breast." 
 
 The house, or hall, built by "King" Roger 
 Moore in 1725, with its stately white pillars 
 gleaming in the sunshine through the sur- 
 rounding forest, is a most pleasing vista to the 
 passing mariner. The river view, stretching 
 for ten miles southward and eastward, in- 
 cludes "Big Sugar Loaf," Fort Anderson, 
 Fort Buchanan, and Fort Fisher. 
 
 We loved its traditions and its memories, 
 for no sorrow came to us there. The 
 primeval forest, with its dense undergrowth 
 of dogwood blossoms, which shine with the 
 brightness of the falling snow; the thickets of 
 Cherokee roses, which surpass the most beau- 
 tiful of other regions; the brilliant carpet of 
 wild azaleas, the golden splendor of the 
 yellow jasmine, the modest drosera, the mar- 
 
 20 
 
velous Dionaea muscipula, and the trumpet 
 sarracenias ; the river drive to the white beach, 
 from which are seen the distant breakers; the 
 secluded spot in the wilderness commanding a 
 wide view of an exquisite landscape, where, 
 safe from intrusion, we sat upon a sheltered 
 seat beneath the giant pines and heard the 
 faint "yo ho" of the sailor outward bound; a 
 place apart for holy contemplation when the 
 day is far spent, where the overhanging 
 branches cast the shadow of a cross, and 
 where later, through the interlacing foliage, 
 the star of hope is shining; the joyful recep- 
 tion at the big house, the spacious hall, with 
 its ample hearth and blazing oak logs ; around 
 it, after the bountiful evening meal, the old 
 songs sung and the old tales told and fun and 
 frolic to keep dull care beyond the threshold. 
 
 But even at Orton she found her rest and 
 recreation in restoring and beautifying the old 
 place, which responded to every touch of her 
 magic hand, because she was ever in harmony 
 with nature and with art, and the old and the 
 new were blended into a perfect colonial 
 home. 
 
 Her care of old St. Philip's Church ruins 
 on this plantation arrested its decay and made 
 this venerable pile the mecca of the yearly pil- 
 grimage of the Colonial Dames. Contrast- 
 ing its roofless walls with the need of modern 
 times, she builded near the dwelling-house a 
 beautiful chapel of pure colonial design by 
 
 21 
 
her brother, an eminent New York architect, 
 for the use of our guests and for the neigh- 
 borhood white people, for there was no other 
 church for miles around. It seats lOO per- 
 sons and it is not yet dedicated, but it will ever 
 be known as "Luola's Chapel." 
 
 Her last gift was another beautiful church 
 for the colored people of Orton and their 
 friends, which seats no persons. This was 
 recently filled on its dedication to the worship 
 and glory of God by the celebrated evangelist. 
 Rev. Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman, who with his 
 party were guests at Orton. The scene of 
 this beautiful service, which touched the hearts 
 of all present, will live in their memory as 
 long as life lasts. In solemmly dedicating the 
 gift of one of His saints who had recently 
 been called to the "house not made with 
 hands," the eloquent preacher earnestly ad- 
 monished those present to take heed lest they 
 defile by sinful thoughts this sacred building; 
 and, said he, "The dedication of this church 
 cannot be complete unless you also dedicate 
 yourselves to the Master's service." Imme- 
 diately, as by a common impulse, every colored 
 person present came forward and kneeled in 
 a semicircle before the minister and solemnlv 
 took the vow of allegiance to the King of 
 Saints. The gentle spirit of the giver seemed 
 to abide with us that day. 
 
 —J. s. 
 
 22 
 
iSecoUection^ 
 
 "Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind." 
 
 Luola Murchlson married my uncle, James 
 Sprunt, in 1883. My earliest recollection of 
 her pictures a very sprightly, cordial, and 
 sympathetic person, who always knew what 
 was the matter when anything went wrong, 
 and how to set it right. Today recalling her 
 as I saw her the last time, just a few weeks 
 ago, the words of the greatest eulogy in our 
 language come to me: "She was my friend, 
 faithful and just to me." For more than 
 twenty-five years her friendship never for a 
 moment faltered — never once lost an oppor- 
 tunity to perform some gentle service. 
 
 Very precious to me is the following page 
 in my childhood, very dear to me because I 
 love to think how closely she was knit into 
 the warp and woof of our earliest years. 
 My brothers and I were still quite little when 
 our parents were called North and we were 
 left with Aunt Luola, who adopted us and 
 a fairy world opened up before us. She took 
 us to Masonboro Sound and cared for us with 
 a devotion and tact that I now recall as most 
 extraordinary. I admired her so much that 
 I felt I should like to acquire that power 
 which even as a child I felt she possessed. 
 On one occasion we were speaking of begin- 
 ning things and throwing them aside unfin- 
 ished. I do not know whether she intended 
 
 23 
 
it for a hint or not — my propensity for dis- 
 carding tiresome tasks was rather well known 
 in the family — at any rate, she told me that 
 in her impulsiveness she often used to throw 
 a thing aside to start something fresh, and her 
 mother gathered together all such attempts 
 and quietly put them in a drawer and one day 
 said to her, "You may not begin anything else 
 until you finish all these bits of fancy work 
 that you have started." Aunt Luola said she 
 wept miuch over the task, but she learned her 
 lesson. Never again did she let any bit of 
 work leave her hands unfinished. That 
 taught me also a lesson — never to abandon a 
 purpose until it has been accomplished. 
 
 My aunt possessed a wonderful power. It 
 was som.ething more than personality; it was 
 what Emerson alludes to as a sense of mass 
 and defines as character, nam.ing its chief 
 manifestation self-sufficingness. My own at- 
 titude toward her reminds me again of Emer- 
 son's eulogy, "I revere her who is riches; so 
 that I cannot think of her as alone or poor or 
 exiled or unhappy or a client, but a perpetual 
 patron, benefactor, beatified woman." Such 
 qualities as furnished her especial genius 
 might have been embodied in a great re- 
 former or a statesman or a general, but in her 
 they blended into one great simple expres- 
 sion, and with Abou Ben Adhem she might 
 have said, "Write me as one who loves his 
 fellow-men." 
 
 24 
 
Wealth was a mere incident. I believe if 
 she had been a daughter of toil her thoughts 
 for others would have been just the same. 
 Her ingenuity was amazing. She never 
 despised little things nor failed to make use 
 of every ad\'antage the occasion offered for 
 helping rich and poor alike. Her power of 
 discernment was so great that when applied 
 to a business problem it divided unerringly 
 the false from the true; and yet this same 
 judgment was available for any one in any 
 emergency and took the very facts of the case 
 and solved the difficulty in its own environ- 
 ment; for her sympathy made it possible 
 for her to understand the poorest woman in 
 her hovel and yet to comprehend the most 
 complex motives of the most subtle action. 
 
 All the experiences of her life seemed to 
 contribute to the strength of her character. 
 There was something almost heroic in her 
 grief. But in proportion to her sorrow was 
 her ability to sympathize with the heart- 
 broken. One of her greatest activities was 
 writing words of comfort to mourning hearts. 
 In the sleepless hours of the night, when pain 
 made it impossible for her to rest, her 
 thoughts turned to the sad and suffering, and 
 out of her own full heart she sent a message 
 of cheer. 
 
 There never seemed any emergency too 
 difficult for her to meet, a situation too deli- 
 cate for her to handle. Her tact and cour- 
 
 25 
 
tesy enabled her to achieve the most remark- 
 able results. During the term of years when 
 she was president of the North Carolina So- 
 ciety of Colonial Dames of America she pur- 
 sued a policy which attracted the attention of 
 the foremost national members and won for 
 the society an enviable reputation. Possess- 
 ing a very keen mind and one capable of dis- 
 cerning ability in others, she encouraged all 
 mental effort and set in operation valuable 
 research work which has been of the greatest 
 benefit to the State at large. 
 
 In conversation she was most versatile. 
 One found intellectual people turning natu- 
 rally to her, and her wide and varied experi- 
 ence gave an authority to her opinion on all 
 subjects. 
 
 Her loyalty to her family and her devotion 
 to each member of it was as beautiful as it 
 was intense. She held them together by her 
 very love for them and her unstinted appre- 
 ciation. 
 
 Her personal pleasures were few, or, to be 
 more exact, she found her pleasure in making 
 others happy. Her charity was so broad that 
 she found good in every one and realized the 
 difficulties and temptations of every soul. 
 Her character possessed in fact a symmetry 
 that one could not fail to perceive and appre- 
 ciate. Her love of justice and sincerity was 
 as pronounced as her charity and generosity, 
 and to the day of her death she clung fast to 
 
 26 
 
LUOLA MURCHISON, AT THE AGE OF 20 YEARS 
 
her lifelong habit of bearing the burdens of 
 others, of glorifying God In her body, which 
 was His, and which she confidently expected 
 would bear the image of the heavenly even as 
 it had borne the image of the earthly. 
 
 — Jeanie Dalziel tVood. 
 
 "Fold her, Oh Father! in Thine arms, 
 
 And let her henceforth be 
 A messenger of love between 
 Our hearts and Thee." 
 
 I have come to the conclusion, remember- 
 ing all I can of her remarkable personality 
 and wonderful life, that she was, like my 
 m.other, one of those "women who ministered 
 to Him." How different they were, those 
 two, and yet how alike in purpose. To each 
 of them belongs every word of Solomon's 
 inspired description of the wise woman. Each 
 of them, while she strived for the noblest 
 and gentlest virtues of the woman of yester- 
 day, devoted to her home and family, con- 
 servative and domestic, had caught the far- 
 thest vision and entered into the highest tasks 
 of the woman of today, who is a gracious 
 elder sister to all the world. Do you remem- 
 ber how Aunt Luola thought of that unique 
 plan of sending hundreds of yards of cloth, 
 with needles and thread and patterns, even, 
 to the Belgian women, who were without 
 
 27 
 
clothes and without work, long before the 
 Relief Committee suggested the selfsame 
 plan? Some one who came to Wilmington 
 about that time was so thrilled at the wonder- 
 ful thoughtfulness of her generosity that she 
 said, "What a woman! Every time I come 
 back to Wilmington I hear of some great new 
 charity of hers." "First she gave herself." 
 This I think explains all her giving, her per- 
 sonal sympathy and appreciation of others' 
 needs. Then her appreciation of others' lives 
 and character was most sincere, and she gave 
 her praise with as ardent a spirit as she gave 
 her help. Her deep and adoring love for 
 my mother is one of our very most precious 
 memories. I often think that in the affec- 
 tionate letters she wrote mother, she was writ- 
 ing unknowingly the very things we who love 
 them both feel and say of herself. "Sweet- 
 est sister," she loved to call mother, which 
 was the title her own sisters had given her. 
 
 And another proof of her great and gen- 
 erous spirit was her appreciation of the serv- 
 ices done her by those who loved her, from 
 her own beloved family to the humblest serv- 
 ant. You remember how she said to Lucy, 
 the cook at Orton, during a time when things 
 were temporarily disorganized in the kitchen, 
 "Oh, Lucy, you are so good to me; I think 
 you are a real Christian to work away so 
 patiently with a stove no bigger than a pocket- 
 handkerchief." Poor grateful Lucy could 
 
 28 
 
only assure her that no service was too much 
 to render such a mistress. She has often said 
 that "she was made for emergencies," and 
 we all knew her ingenuity, her swift grasp 
 of a situation, and her generalship in organ- 
 izing and using her resources. But the truth 
 is, she was made for service; no matter how 
 difficult, how delicate, how exacting a task, 
 she had the will and the spirit to do it well. 
 Few people I ever knew have been so vari- 
 ously and lavishly endowed by nature. Her 
 fingers were as nimble as her brain, and that 
 is to say much, for the play of her thought 
 was swift as the wind that sweeps over the 
 wheat. Once when Laurence was studying 
 with me, he said: "Cousin Sue, I just couldn't 
 work last night; mama had a guest and I 
 had to listen — you know how mama can 
 talk." Indeed I know — blessed be her 
 tongue forever. How she m.ade me laugh in 
 the midst of my own gloom, even when she 
 was lying helpless herself and in pain; how 
 she rose in the early dawn to take her ready 
 pen and pour her balm into some lonely and 
 suffering heart, when she was a constant suf- 
 ferer herself. Thank God for the friend- 
 ship of such a spirit, for the prospect of 
 eternal association with her in the "land that 
 is very far off." 
 
 But, even if we could speak, all we feel, 
 as we cannot possibly, the sum of it is just 
 that she "ministered unto Him." Her life 
 
 29 
 
with God was the source of all her beauty. 
 "It is the spirit that quickeneth." Forever 
 and forever her glorified spirit shall continue 
 the work of love so graciously begun here. 
 No dark grave is the home of that bright 
 spirit. And thus only can we find relief from 
 the desolate loneliness and longing of the 
 
 bodily separation. —Susan Eliza Hall. 
 
 "Friendship above all ties does bind the heart." 
 
 A Tribute from One Who Knew and Loved 
 Her from Early Girlhood and to Whom 
 She Gave the Friendship of a Lifetime. 
 
 Her name is a synonym for all which stands 
 for high Ideals, lofty aims, and deep religious 
 fervor. Faithful to every duty, her guiding 
 principle was "loving and serving the highest 
 and best." Of love and friendship, and help 
 that sprang spontaneously to meet all needs, 
 she gave unsparingly. Her warm loving 
 heart was ever reaching out to soften and 
 relieve all misery and suffering, to smooth the 
 rough places In life's pathway and strengthen 
 and encourage the sick and hopeless. Her 
 bright, buoyant spirit touched and vitalized 
 all circles In which she moved. Gifted by 
 nature with boundless energy, versatile tal- 
 ents, and a mind ever ready to grasp and con- 
 trol all conditions and emergencies, obstacles 
 
 30 
 
to her were only stimulants to greater effort; 
 but, modest and self-depreciating, she claimed 
 for herself no honor for any triumph won. 
 Endowed with artistic tastes and tempera- 
 ment and a high appreciation of all that is 
 fine and beautiful, she also possessed a brain 
 so strong, so vigorous and forceful, that one 
 instinctively turned to her for advice and 
 guidance along all the practical lines of life. 
 Not one of her many talents was allowed to 
 rust for lack of use. The seven years she 
 was President of the North Carolina Society 
 of Colonial Dames stand out prominently in 
 the history of the society. Her marked exec- 
 utive ability greatly broadened the scope of 
 its work and strengthened its place in the 
 National Society. Can those of us who were 
 privileged to serve under her administration 
 ever forget her? To remember her as a pre- 
 siding officer is to recall her graceful poise, 
 her natural ease and dignity, her gracious 
 courtesy and never-failing kindly tact, a com- 
 bination rare indeed, which won for her the 
 loyal love of a large and varied organization. 
 If the measure of life is the well spending 
 of it and not the length of years, then hers 
 indeed was a long one; but, called at last to 
 higher service in the great beyond, 
 
 "Oh, blessed consolation in our grief to feel 
 
 There is no death; whatever seems so is transition; 
 
 This life of mortal breath is but a suburb of a life Elysian 
 Whose portal we call death." 
 
 —Florence Hill Kidder. 
 
 31 
 
Ztibntt^ from ^a^ttst^ 
 
 We have known some such women as this 
 Phoebe of whom the apostle writes in Romans 
 i6: I, 2, 3. One such entered into rest only 
 last week, after weeks of patient trust in God, 
 closing a life of rare excellence and full of 
 good deeds. She had done all from her 
 throne in her home and the heart of her hus- 
 band. From the home rather than from the 
 church, to which she was loyal, her body was 
 borne to its last earthly resting place. She 
 was like Phoebe — a "sister" to all the family 
 of our Father as related to His Son, our Elder 
 Brother. She was "servant of the church," 
 not ostentatiously, but in ways most wise and 
 helpful, to many individuals and to the cause 
 of Christ in "the regions beyond." She was 
 a "succorer of many" in unstinted hospitalit}^ 
 and timely help. This entire city mourns her 
 loss, and the high and low, the poor and the 
 rich are telling of the many-sided ministry to 
 others. With others we thank God for her 
 life ministry of mercy amongst us. 
 
 —A. D. McClure. 
 
 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long- 
 suflFering, gentleness, goodness, faith." 
 
 She never forgot a friend. Of all her 
 many gracious and lovely traits I believe this 
 was, perhaps, the most characteristic. 
 
 There can be no greater or truer virtue 
 than this, for "Greater love hath no one than 
 
 32 
 
this — that one lay down his life for a friend." 
 She was always laying down her own affairs 
 and setting aside her own plans, forgetting 
 her own sufferings for the sake of others. It 
 never seemed as though she were conferring 
 a favor, for she had the unusual faculty of 
 making the pleasure and comfort of others 
 seem her own. 
 
 Every one of those delightful visits to 
 Orton stands out distinctly In my memory, but 
 as I write one occasion recalls Itself more 
 vividly than the others. It was my first visit 
 to Wilmington after I had moved to Chapel 
 Hill. The invitation from both of you 
 awaited me on my arrival. I accepted, of 
 course; indeed, I don't think I ever declined 
 a single one of those Invitations. 
 
 I went to the w^harf and there found the 
 most bountiful and delicious provisions, put 
 up by her own hand. I thanked Link, the 
 butler, and was about to say good-bye to him, 
 when he told me that Mrs. Sprunt had in- 
 structed him to go down the river with me 
 and take good care of me. A severe head- 
 ache had prevented her from making the trip, 
 but It had not prevented her from taking 
 every forethought and making every arrange- 
 ment for my comfort and pleasure, to the 
 smallest detail. 
 
 God has been very good in the friends He 
 has given me, and for the friendship of your 
 wonderfully kind and generous wife I thank 
 
 33 
 
Him from my heart. I still have and shall 
 always keep the lovely fur coat that she 
 brought me from one of her trips to New 
 York. 
 
 Have you ever thought of the multitude 
 who have gone into the "other life" without 
 having known great joy and real friendship 
 here — many without the knowledge of the 
 Saviour? I know that God ministers to these 
 through just such ones as your dear wife, and 
 that she must be doing a wonderful work now 
 for those who on earth never knew such a 
 personality as hers. And how happy she 
 must be in her work without the pain and 
 limitations of the "natural body." 
 
 I hope that you will realize more and more 
 that her prayers and her spirit are with you 
 and will be with you until the end. 
 
 "When earth's last picture is painted 
 
 And the tubes are twisted and dried ; 
 When the oldest colors have faded 
 
 And the youngest critic has died, 
 We shall rest, and faith, we shall need it. 
 
 Lie down for an aeon or two. 
 Till the Master of all good workmen 
 
 Shall call us to work anew. 
 
 "And only the Master shall praise us, 
 
 And only the Master shall blame; 
 And no one shall work for money, 
 
 And no one shall work for fame; 
 But each for the joy of the working, 
 
 And each in his separate star 
 Shall draw the thing as he sees it 
 
 For the God of things as they are." 
 
 34 
 
LUOLA MURCHISON. A FEW MONTHS BEFORE HER MARRIAGE 
 
What I have said out of my heart about 
 your dear wife I feel about you, for you were 
 as one in your loving kindness and generous 
 friendship to me. I came very near being in 
 Wilmington this week on a mission in behalf 
 of Sewanee, and one of the things I had 
 counted on most was seeing you and perhaps 
 Orton. 
 
 May God be with you always is the prayer 
 of your devoted friend, 
 
 Richard W. Hogue. 
 
 appreciation^ 
 
 "For all the saints who from their labors rest, 
 Who Thee by faith before the world confessed, 
 Thy name, O, Jesus, be forever blest. 
 Alleluia." 
 
 In the providence of God a useful and what 
 seemed to be necessary life has been cut short 
 and the community in which she lived has 
 lost a beloved and valuable citizen in the death 
 of Mrs. Luola Murchison Sprunt. 
 
 Her beautiful and unusual character is so 
 deserving of mention that this hand of affec- 
 tion wishes to pay a slight tribute to her mem- 
 ory and to record some of the virtues that 
 won the admiration of intimate friends and 
 endeared her to all who knew her. 
 
 Upright, honorable, strong in her convic- 
 tions of right, kind of heart, and ever ready 
 
 2S 
 
to help, she will be sorely missed in many a 
 household. Always taking a keen interest in 
 all that concerned those about her, she was 
 quick and ready to respond to any appeal for 
 aid and sympathy. 
 
 It was in her home life, however, that her 
 light shone brightest, in the dispensing of a 
 lovely, gracious hospitality, which was gener- 
 ously bestowed upon the rich and poor alike. 
 Especially was this so at her beautiful country 
 home, Orton, where many a grateful heart 
 will recall the return to health and happiness 
 gained by a visit to this delightful place. 
 There was no sphere or circumstance of life 
 in which Mrs. Sprunt was placed that she did 
 not fill with great dignity and efficiency; but 
 the beautiful spirit of hospitality was per- 
 fectly exemplified in her desire to share her 
 blessings with those who were near, as well as 
 the "stranger within her gates," many of 
 whom were strengthened and encouraged for 
 the battle of life, stimulated by this noble 
 woman and her lofty ideals. 
 
 It was manifest to those whose privilege it 
 was to be with her during the last months of 
 her illness that she bore her suffering with 
 wonderful patience and Christian fortitude, 
 always more thoughtful of those around her 
 than of her own suffering. We love to think 
 of her now with her Saviour, whom she loved 
 so loyally, free from sorrow and pain, sur- 
 rounded by many of her loved ones and yet 
 
 36 
 
still busy in the service of her Master, minis- 
 tering to those dear ones left behind, whose 
 lives will ever feel her influence. 
 
 — Lucy Atkinson Murchison. 
 
 "But, lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day, 
 The saints triumphant rise in bright array ; 
 The King of Glory passes on His way. 
 Alleluia." 
 
 To the many beautiful things that have 
 been said of Luola Murchison Sprunt may I 
 add this tribute of love. 
 
 Mrs. Sprunt was endowed with rare gifts 
 of mind and body; was generous, warm- 
 hearted, and brave. To her friends she was 
 loyal and devoted, wise in counsel, strong of 
 vision, fearless in speaking the truth, ever 
 ready to share their joy or sorrow and giving 
 them unreservedly of her influence, power, 
 and of herself. As a leader Mrs. Sprunt was 
 particularly fitted. Instantly grasping a situ- 
 ation, she infused her own efiiciency and en- 
 thusiasm into her co-workers, stimulating them 
 and opening up new vistas of service. Shy, 
 timid natures caught the inspiration and gave 
 her their loving best. Even the weak and 
 feeble felt there was still some work for them 
 to do. 
 
 In her inner life Mrs. Sprunt was deeply 
 religious. Believing implicitly in prayer, she 
 lived daily under the direction of the Holy 
 Spirit, with unfaltering trust in her Master, 
 
 37 
 
whom she delighted to serve. Abhorring in- 
 action, every faculty of her heart, mind, and 
 body was alert and busy reaching out in num- 
 berless avenues to all humanity with love, 
 tenderness, sympathy, and kindness, ever 
 watching lest an opportunity slip for righting 
 some wrong, lifting some burden, brightening 
 some life, relieving suffering, influencing 
 towards higher things, helping the discour- 
 aged, the tempted, the weak, the sick, the sor- 
 rowing with a word, a flower, a letter, a 
 
 prayer. — Kate W. Fairley% 
 
 "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same spirit." 
 
 The most unusual thoughtfulness of others 
 was the dominant note of her life as I knew 
 her. It was always a puzzle to discover how 
 she could know so much of the needs, desires, 
 ambitions, and good points of the many who 
 were the recipients of her loving bounty. 
 She could pick out gold in a rough, unlettered 
 man with unerring precision and she never 
 made a mistake. In that large number of 
 her intimate friends who are today lamenting 
 her loss can be found all sorts and conditions 
 of men of all colors and creeds. A black- 
 smith, a street-car motorman, a street-cleaner, 
 a fallen woman, a starving clergyman, a doc- 
 tor, a foreign minister — all had shared in 
 her discriminating kindness, for she knew just 
 what each needed, whether it was a load of 
 
 38 
 
wood or a loaf of bread or a simple note of 
 encouragement. In her latter months, when 
 her failing strength kept her on her bed, she 
 turned to wonderful use her splendid skill at 
 note-writing, and there are many of these evi- 
 dences of her love that are now treasured 
 possession of the recipients. 
 
 When the need of a hospital for suffering 
 women and helpless little ones was mentioned 
 to her she immediately with her larger vision 
 saw a chance to help not only these sufferers 
 directly, but the whole community indirectly. 
 She saw that the greater function of a hospital 
 was as an educational institution, and she knew 
 that if she could direct the efforts of all in- 
 terested in the way of creating a place of in- 
 struction for the medical profession, the whole 
 community would share the blessing of a 
 greater efficiency. She knew, too, that a 
 teaching hospital not only does more for 
 the sufferer, but in turn the sufferer becomes 
 a benefit to the whole community. She knew 
 that her own case had proven of value to 
 patients yet unborn because it had been studied 
 in Johns Hopkins Hospital and the records 
 carefully preserved. She had felt the contact 
 with Dr. Osier's ideals in medicine enough 
 to know that the patient rather than being 
 experimented with to his torture or distress 
 was being doubly benefited by the more 
 searching investigation. Her weeks in the 
 Baltimore hospital might be thought to have 
 
 39 
 
been wasted, for she was not greatly helped 
 physically, but it seemed to me to have been 
 the most fruitful period of her life, for she 
 acquired in that short time with her brilliant 
 intellectual grasp an idea of the true spirit 
 of healing as it is known to the highest of the 
 medical profession, and she brought it home 
 to us and became our most helpful teacher. 
 She had learned the function of a great hos- 
 pital and she had seen how science and sym- 
 pathy could go hand in hand with progress, 
 and that, while she could not be cured, 
 she was given the blessed privilege by her 
 very sickness of lifting the load for countless 
 patients yet to come. 
 
 It was a short step from this new point 
 of view to its application in her home town. 
 As a result of her sympathetic appreciation 
 of the needs of the medical profession she 
 was instrumental in having appointed the 
 first visiting staff of the James Walker Me- 
 morial Hospital. This single movement 
 would have justified an ordinary life, for the 
 results of it can never be reckoned because 
 of the never ending chain of good it is des- 
 tined to bring about in the years to come. 
 
 The building now in process of construc- 
 tion on the grounds of the James Walker Me- 
 morial Hospital, a memorial to her little 
 daughter, will show in many of its details 
 something of her wonderful mind that could 
 apply its power even to hospital architecture. 
 
 40 
 
Many of her suggestions will, no doubt, be 
 copied by greater hospitals in the time to come, 
 for her appreciation of the needs of the little 
 patients was so intimate that the application 
 to her was simple, indeed. 
 
 As her physician I saw her under every 
 condition. Her capacity for uncomplaining 
 suffering was unequaled in my experience 
 and her bravery was the more striking be- 
 cause her Intellectual appreciations of things 
 generally told her with unerring precision 
 just how serious each of her heart attacks 
 really was, and it was impossible to deceive 
 her. In the midst of it all she would inquire 
 for each of my patients who were seriously 
 sick, be it a poor negro or an intimate friend. 
 It was no uncommon thing after a visit to 
 her, when she would quiz me about some 
 patient's needs, to find on my next visit that 
 the ministering angel from her own bed of 
 suffering had sent a messenger laden with 
 delicacies of all sorts, but the greatest of 
 these was the loving message accompanying it. 
 
 I had received so much from her hands 
 that I was constantly overwhelmed by it. 
 Not the least of the blessings for which I 
 have to thank her was the good advice which 
 always proved unerring. Whether It was a 
 professional matter or one of most personal 
 nature, her advice was clear cut and precise 
 and never at fault. 
 
 Surely she being dead yet speaketh. 
 
 — Ednvard Jenner Wood. 
 41 
 
"and in her tongue is the law of kindness." 
 
 "When I met Cousin Luola two years ago 
 in Paris, I was privileged to have a closer 
 insight into her character than ever before. 
 She spoke so frankly and expressed herself 
 so sincerely, that I left her with a deep im- 
 pression of what a fine woman she really was. 
 
 She told me of having persuaded you, at 
 a time when business was not exactly flourish- 
 ing, to make a tremendous sacrifice, for the 
 Wilmington Y. M. C. A., when that excellent 
 institution was in need of help to further some 
 worthy project then in hand. Her descrip- 
 tion of you as a young man was an appeal 
 put in such a way that it could never have 
 fallen on deaf ears. 
 
 To do for others as we do for ourselves 
 is so rare a quality in this selfish world, that 
 it was an elevation in this ordinary com.mon- 
 place life to have it exemplified in the simple 
 and frank words, as expressed to me by Cousin 
 Luola. I will never forget her words of wis- 
 dom and counsel to me on that occasion. 
 Cousin Luola was one among thousands, aye 
 hundreds of thousands. She has gone but 
 her memory lives and her deeds are an in- 
 spiration to others. The lines composed by 
 my Grandfather, engraved on the stone 
 erected to Lord Houghton: 
 
 "Here fond remembrance reared the sculptured stone to one 
 Who looked on mortal foibles with a sigh of tenderness 
 And found his chief meed in thoughts of duty done.' ' 
 
 42 
 
These lines more than any I can think of 
 describe In appropriate language the beauti- 
 ful character that has been taken from 
 among us In the person of Cousin Luola. 
 
 — Dalziel Hedderwick. 
 
 "Death is a translation into life." 
 
 ''Those we call dead 
 Are brothers of an ampler day 
 For ever nobler ends." 
 
 "All the gifts that were in her, penetrated as they were 
 by spiritual significance, told of immortality. Such a 
 presence as hers, erect and prophetic, was itself a pledge 
 that its life cannot be spilt as water." 
 
 Once In a far-distant time God's messen- 
 gers to man came In glistening white and, with 
 the majesty of angelic function, delivered to 
 those privileged to receive them the com- 
 mands of the great I Am. Radiant moment ! 
 Marvelous privilege ! Wonderful experience, 
 this talking face to face with one of the 
 heavenly host! But contact no more vital 
 than Is granted many now who live day by 
 day and year by year In close association with 
 spirits as truly the messengers of God as the 
 white-wlnged multitude. Human as we, yet 
 dwelling on sublimated heights; our compan- 
 ions and Intimates, yet exalted above the In- 
 completeness and the emptiness that m.ar the 
 fast fleeting days with most of us. Such was 
 Luola Murchlson Sprunt. Hers was a life 
 
 43 
 
sent from God. If to any this seems a state- 
 ment borrowed too nearly from the sacred 
 Word, let them consider for a moment the 
 fruits of her life, so in harmony with the 
 requirements of the sacred Word. Now that 
 the Lord, whose she was and whom she 
 served, has called her to higher tasks, the 
 results of her labors on earth are finding more 
 fully the acknowledgment she endeavored 
 while living to suppress. Here a letter from 
 a factory superintendent, voicing the gratitude 
 of himself and his employees for the education 
 and care of the factory children; here a me- 
 morial service in China expressing the deep 
 sense of loss in one whose arm of usefulness 
 stretched in power across the seas to uplift 
 and train the heathen; here letters from 
 patriotic societies acknowledging her excep- 
 tional service in furthering their aims and in 
 administering their affairs; here letters from 
 church and charitable organizations telling of 
 the enlargement given their efforts by her per- 
 sonal labors and liberality; here messages 
 fromx an innumerable company to whom she 
 furnished homes, clothed and fed, comforted 
 and gave new hope. The intimate testimony 
 of her friends and the acknowledgments from 
 an extended acquaintance, from the highest to 
 the lowliest, all are redolent with fragrant 
 memories of her queenly bearing, her gracious 
 personality, her deep spiritual discernment, 
 her marvelous and fruitful service. Her 
 
 44 
 
activities were too numerous to be recorded, 
 for hers was a life that "translated truth into 
 conduct," and she constantly, though uncon- 
 sciously, measured her life by the service she 
 was able to render others. Treading this 
 royal pathway, she ever traveled heavenward 
 along the way her Saviour trod ; and now that 
 she has come to the end of that glorious way 
 and the great white portals have opened to 
 admit her to the presence of her Lord, mar- 
 velous will be the tasks He has reserved for 
 a spirit so harmoniously related to heavenly 
 requirements while on earth, and so richly 
 prepared for more exalted labors in heaven. 
 Sent from God and returned to God; but the 
 memory of the sweetness and strength of her 
 life, the beauty and depths of her character, 
 the great scope and marvelous fertility of her 
 service she has left as a gift in perpetuity to 
 earth, and these shall bear fruit while time 
 shall last. Not only the life, but the labors 
 and influence of the saints are immortal. 
 
 — Samuel A'Court Ashe. 
 — Rosa Pendleton Chiles. 
 
 "O ye mountains and hills, bless ye the Lord." 
 
 She had such a magnificent capacity for en- 
 joyment that I always thought of her in con- 
 nection with those words of the late Charles 
 Kingsley, "Nothing but God can satisfy a 
 woman." Her heart was so large and her 
 
 45 
 
sympathies were so wide, she looked as if she 
 could embrace the world, and I know that is 
 how she felt. I think only one such woman 
 may be born in a century, and one of her many 
 attributes was that she caused herself to be 
 appreciated in her lifetime. Her light was so 
 bright that she could never pass unobserved. 
 To me she was the axis on which the world 
 revolved. We knew each other only by name 
 until not much more than a dozen years ago, 
 but from the first moment I felt at one with 
 her. I never wondered why or questioned 
 the fact; it was just there. All that she did 
 was perfection in our eyes. What a happy 
 time we had together that month of August 
 when we went motoring to Inverness and 
 through the Pass of Glencoe. She so loved 
 the mountains. "Oh, those mountains!'' 
 That was what she exclaimed every few min- 
 utes. So you remember, or rather, can you 
 ever forget? 
 
 — Tomina Dalziel Jackson. 
 
 "He that loveth his brother abideth in the light." 
 
 Some months ago a traveling circus com- 
 pany through stress of misfortune disbanded 
 in Wilmington, and one of its employees, a 
 young Spanish woman, a lion-tamer and yet a 
 Christian, was left penniless. For several 
 months she lived alone in a little tent on 
 Wrightsville beach and gained a precarious 
 
 46 
 
living by palmistry. She never asked for 
 help nor for sympathy, even when the tempest 
 destroyed the fabric of her humble home, but 
 "the radiance of a noble soul" discovered her 
 sad plight and brought new hope into a dis- 
 couraged heart. 
 
 "They were tempted, * =f= * ^-j^gy 
 wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, 
 being destitute, afflicted, in deserts, in moun- 
 tains, in dens, and in caves of the earth." 
 
 From a circus in a far-distant State the lion- 
 tamer writes of her friend as follows : 
 
 She was a ministering angel in earthly 
 form, graciously kind; to know her was to 
 revere and love. I count myself greatly 
 blessed in that I was permitted for a brief 
 space to enjoy her gentle presence and feel 
 the radiance of her noble soul. All unworthy 
 to her dear memory, I offer this humble trib- 
 ute from one of the many whom her true 
 Christianity benefited. —Isola Daniel. 
 
 €riBute^ from Cotonial 2Dame^ 
 
 "Consilio et prudentia." 
 
 In the death of Mrs. James Sprunt this 
 community has suffered a loss the full extent 
 of which will be revealed more and more with 
 the passing of years. Not at once can there 
 be a realization of what it means to be cut off 
 from such a forceful personality. In her 
 home, in her church, in her town, in her 
 
 47 
 
State, Mrs. Sprunt was a power. Gifted with 
 many accomplishments, gracious and graceful 
 in manner, a keen, initiative mind, she was 
 fitted to adorn any station in life. She had 
 a vital energy and a tenacity of purpose which 
 overcame obstacles that might have daunted 
 a less indomitable spirit. But greater than 
 these attributes was the wonderful sponta- 
 neousness of her generous nature; her every 
 impulse was to help. Only to mention in her 
 hearing a case of need or suffering was to 
 secure immediate assistance, but given so un- 
 ostentatiously that few knew of her many 
 charities. Among her good deeds stand out 
 prominently her work among the crippled 
 children in the mill village of Delgado and 
 the Marion Sprunt Playgrounds in the various 
 sections of the city. Truly the children may 
 rise up and call her blessed! 
 
 Even in these months of illness her ever- 
 active mind was devising schemes for the alle- 
 viation of suffering, and her whole heart was 
 in the baby hospital which is to be erected as 
 a memorial to her little daughter. 
 
 Mrs. Sprunt was for eight years presi- 
 dent of the North Carolina Society of the 
 Colonial Dames of America, and at the time 
 of her death its honorary president. Under 
 her wise administration the scope of the work 
 of the society developed and expanded, and 
 through her unusual ability she also made her 
 place in the national society. 
 
 48 
 
During months of suffering, borne with 
 patience and unselfishness, Mrs. Sprunt's natu- 
 rally religious nature grew more intense, her 
 mind dwelt upon the eternal verities. A life 
 so full of noble deeds, consecrated to God, is 
 its own memorial. 
 
 ''When the sun in all his state 
 
 Illumined the eastern skies, 
 She passed through Glory's morning gate 
 
 And walked in Paradise." 
 
 — Gabrielle de Rosset IVaddell. 
 
 I count myself very fortunate to have had 
 the privilege of friendship with Mrs. James 
 Sprunt. 
 
 She was of the highest type of Southern 
 womanhood — gentle, earnest, courteous, and 
 kind. 
 
 Steeped in the history and tradition of her 
 State, she not only exercised an intelligent in- 
 fluence over the Colonial Dames of North 
 Carolina during her long presidency, but she 
 took a broad interest in general history and 
 did much to increase its study and preserva- 
 tion. 
 
 As a hostess she was unrivaled, and many 
 of us remember with delight the hours spent 
 at her beautiful home in Wilmington and at 
 Orton plantation. 
 
 At the national councils of the Colonial 
 Dames of America, held In Washington, 
 
 49 
 
D. C, in 1908, 1 9 10, and 19 12, Mrs. Sprunt 
 made an enviable reputation. She served on 
 two of the most important committees — the 
 Committee on the "Jamestown Memorial" 
 and the Committee on "Historic Research." 
 Her exhaustive and valuable report on "Un- 
 marked Historic Sites in North Carolina' 
 elicited much praise, as did her report as chair- 
 man of the "Necrology" Committee. 
 
 A staunch supporter of the church and ad- 
 vocate of all movements for the relief of 
 humanity, a warm friend, a wise counselor, a 
 devoted wife and mother, the loss of her 
 trustful personality will long be felt. 
 
 —Kate Cabell Cox. 
 
 I count it a privilege to add a personal 
 word to the many and well-deserved tributes 
 which are being paid to the character and the 
 noble and endearing qualities of the honorary 
 president of the North Carolina Society of 
 the Colonial Dames of America, Mrs. James 
 Sprunt, whose loss we are called upon to 
 mourn. 
 
 It is true that I only knew her at the sev- 
 eral meetings of the biennial council of the 
 national society, which we both attended; but 
 a few such meetings were quite enough for her 
 to make a deep and lasting impression as a 
 woman of unusual attributes, sweet and gra- 
 cious, gentle and yet strong, giving of her best 
 
 50 
 
without measure to the cause that appealed to 
 her mind and to her heart. 
 
 By one of those singular coincidences which 
 it is hard for us to believe are due to chance 
 alone, the last time that she attended a council 
 she prepared and read the report of the com- 
 mittee appointed to render our last tribute of 
 praise and affection to those of our number 
 who had gone, to be with us no more on earth. 
 I cannot do better than to quote her own 
 words, which come to us now as an evidence 
 of her own steadfast faith: "The confidence 
 of our hope and calm trust that those missed 
 from our side have been given at last the or- 
 der to advance, to use at length, 'in the full- 
 grown energies of heaven,' the strength, the 
 experience, and the power acquired in the low- 
 lier earth life." 
 
 — Clarinda Pendleton Lamar. 
 
 I^otice^ from tl^e ^re^^ 
 
 {The Morning Star, Wilmington, N. C, February 17, 
 19 16.) 
 
 The news of the death of Mrs. James 
 Sprunt, which occurred this morning, at 2:15 
 o'clock, at her home. No. 400 South Front 
 street, will be learned with profound sorrow 
 by hundreds of people in Wilmington and 
 elsewhere. She had been ill for more than a 
 year, and for the past ten days her condition 
 
 51 
 
had been critical. She appeared to be better 
 yesterday, however, and it was hoped that she 
 might recover. However, she grew worse 
 last night and passed peacefully away early 
 this morning. 
 
 She was the daughter of the late Col. Ken- 
 neth Murchison and was married about 30 
 years ago to Mr. James Sprunt. Surviving, 
 besides her grief-stricken husband, is one son, 
 Mr. J. Laurence Sprunt ; a brother, Mr. Ken- 
 neth Murchison, of New York, and three sis- 
 ters, Mrs. Shirley Carter, of Baltimore; Mrs. 
 Ellis, of Atlanta, Ga., and Mrs. Hurkamp, of 
 Fredericksburg, Va. 
 
 The death of Mrs. Sprunt removed from 
 the city one of its most beloved Christian 
 women. She was of a most charitable and 
 kindly disposition and will be sorely missed 
 by the many who were the recipients of her 
 kindness. 
 
 The funeral arrangements will be an- 
 nounced later. 
 
 {The Morning Star, JVilmington, N. C, February i8y 
 19 16.)' 
 
 Her life abounding in deeds of sweet char- 
 ity and good works and the one distinguish- 
 ing trait of her fine Christian character being 
 her utter disregard of self in her beautiful 
 devotion to others, the announcement of the 
 
 52 
 
death of Mrs. Luola Mtirchlson Sprunt, be- 
 loved wife of Doctor James Sprunt, which 
 occurred at her home in this city, at fifteen 
 minutes after two o'clock, yesterday morning, 
 though not wholly unexpected, came as a pro- 
 found shock to the community, which had for 
 so many years been the beneficiary of the in- 
 fluence of her beautiful living. 
 
 Individually and in co-operation with her 
 distinguished husband, now so deeply be- 
 reaved, Mrs. Sprunt had contributed in many 
 ways to the alleviation of suffering, to the ad- 
 vancement of the Christian cause, and to the 
 sum total of human happiness in the com- 
 munity in which she lived, one of the latest 
 of such beneficences being the founding of a 
 hospital for children and mothers in connec- 
 tion with the James Walker Memorial Hos- 
 pital in this city, to be known as the Marion 
 Sprunt Memorial, a great work that she had 
 lived to see only started and in the contem- 
 plation of which she had taken a deep and 
 abiding interest. In many other ways she 
 and Dr. Sprunt had also contributed largely, 
 in various charities and philanthropies, to the 
 betterment of mankind, especially children, to 
 whom both were ever tenderly devoted, know- 
 ing neither class nor distinction in the bestowal 
 of their charities. 
 
 Among hundreds of callers at the Sprunt 
 home yesterday, many little incidents of the 
 beauty and kindliness of her spirit were re- 
 
 53 
 
counted, numerous little deeds of kindness and 
 charity of which perhaps the world never 
 knew, for in the practice of her good works 
 she was singularly unostentatious. Intima- 
 tion, rather than appeal, was all that was nec- 
 essary in bringing a ready and a most hand- 
 some response to any call of distress or suffer- 
 ing, and all the recompense expected was the 
 consciousness of duty well performed. There 
 are many who in this hour will rise up and 
 indeed call her blessed, as was so splendidly 
 expressed by a friend on yesterday. 
 
 Mrs. Sprunt's beautiful devotion to her 
 family and to the enjoyment of her home and 
 fireside were also marked, and one of the last 
 and most striking manifestations of this rul- 
 ing passion for the comfort and enjoyment of 
 others was her personal direction of a rear- 
 rangement and refurnishing of the handsome 
 library in the Sprunt home, which was the 
 special joy and pride of Mr. Sprunt, and 
 where he spent so many happy hours in the 
 company of his books, his letters, and works 
 of art with which the library is enhanced and 
 adorned, as befitting one of his literary tastes 
 and attainments. While still confined to her 
 room in the early stages of her last illness, 
 ever mindful of the wishes and comfort of 
 her husband, she, at great sacrifice, no doubt, 
 of personal feeling, drew the plans for 
 changes and conveniences and later personally 
 supervised the work of skilled workmen requi- 
 
 54 
 
sitloned to carry out her special Ideas and 
 wishes In rehabilitating this room. 
 
 As stated yesterday morning in the brief 
 announcement of Mrs. Sprunt's death, just 
 before The Star went to press, she had been 
 in failing health for more than a year, and 
 though the most eminent specialists had been 
 called Into consultation and she had spent 
 some time in Baltimore and elsewhere under 
 their especial care, all that could be done 
 availed nothing in the end, when she passed 
 quietly and peacefully away, surrounded by 
 loved ones and those who had ministered so 
 lovingly to her for the long weeks that she 
 had suffered. 
 
 Hundreds of friends called at the home 
 yesterday to pay their respects and to utter 
 a word of sympathy to those so deeply bowed 
 down in grief, while many telegrams and ex- 
 pressions of sympathy came from friends and 
 relatives out of the city, many of whom will 
 be in Wilmington today for the funeral, which 
 will be conducted at the home, on South 
 Front street, this afternoon at 3 130 o'clock. 
 Rev. J. M. Wells, D. D., pastor of the First 
 Presbyterian Church, officiating, assisted by 
 the Rev. Dr. Alexander Sprunt, of Charles- 
 ton, S. C, a brother of Dr. Sprunt, who 
 arrived yesterday to be with his brother and 
 other members of the family In their sorrow. 
 The Interment will be in the family lot in 
 Oakdale Cemetery. 
 
 ss 
 
Mrs. Sprunt was a daughter of the la- 
 mented Colonel Kenneth M. Murchison, of 
 Wilmington and New York, so highly es- 
 teemed in Wilmington and North Carolina, 
 and she was married to Dr. Sprunt thirty-two 
 years ago, their wedded life having been one 
 of beautiful devotion, each to the other. Sur- 
 viving her are her husband and one son, Mr. 
 J. Laurence Sprunt ; a little grandson, J. Lau- 
 rence Sprunt, Jr.; a brother, Mr. Kenneth 
 Murchison, a distinguished architect of New 
 York, and three sisters, Mrs. Frank Ellis, of 
 Atlanta, Ga. ; Mrs. Shirley Carter, of Balti- 
 more, and Mrs. C. H. Hurkamp, of Fred- 
 ericksburg, Va. A number of absent mem- 
 bers of the famJly arrived last evening and 
 others will reach here this morning for the 
 funeral services. 
 
 Mrs. Sprunt was best loved and admired 
 by those who knew her most Intimately, and 
 the following tribute by a personal friend was 
 handed The Star yesterday as expressive of 
 the feeling of a great many who enjoyed her 
 friendship and the Influence of her fine per- 
 sonality: 
 
 A Tribute. 
 
 It is often so that not until the evangel of 
 better things, of hope fulfilled, of faith justi- 
 fied, comes to claim as its own the life accom- 
 plished, do we realize In Its fullness the rich- 
 ness of living. To get the most out of life, to 
 
 56 
 
use every faculty of heart and mind in the 
 service of doing good, is the highest justifica- 
 tion of the Christian faith and the truest exem- 
 plification of the Christian ideal. 
 
 Such was the life of Mrs. Luola Murchison 
 Sprunt. The poor will rise up and call her 
 blessed. —A Friend. 
 
 {The Morning Star, Wilmington, N. C, February ig, 
 1916.) 
 
 In the presence of a large gathering of sor- 
 rowing relatives and friends, the funeral of 
 Mrs. James Sprunt, whose death occurred 
 early Thursday morning, was conducted yes- 
 terday afternoon at 3 130 o'clock from the res- 
 idence, No. 400 South Front street. The ser- 
 vices were conducted by Rev. Dr. J. M. Wells, 
 pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, 
 assisted by Rev. Dr. Alexander Sprunt, of 
 Charleston, S. C. ; Rev. Watson Fairley, of 
 Fayetteville, and Rev. Dr. A. D. McClure, 
 pastor of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. 
 
 There were many beautiful floral tributes, 
 including a large number from individuals and 
 many from organizations with which Mrs. 
 Sprunt had been identified or in which she had 
 been interested. The remains were borne 
 tenderly to Oakdale Cemetery and the inter- 
 ment was in the family lot. 
 
 The choir of the First Presbyterian Church 
 sang several selections. "Peace, Perfect 
 
 57 
 
Peace" and "For All Who from Their 
 Labors Rest" were sung at the residence and 
 *'How Firm a Foundation" at the cemetery. 
 
 The pallbearers were as follows : Hon- 
 orary—Mr. B. F. Hall, Mr. W. H. Sprunt, 
 Eugene S. Martin, Esq., Dr. E. J. Wood, Mr. 
 Gilbert P. Kidder, Mr. Isaac Murchison, Mr. 
 Clayton Giles, Sr., and Mr. H. C. McQueen. 
 Active — Ccl. Walker Taylor, of Wilmington ; 
 Dr. W. S. Baer, of Baltimore, Md. ; Mr. 
 Charles Hurkamp, of Fredericksburg, Va. ; 
 Mr. Shirley Carter, of Baltimore, Md. ; Mr. 
 Frank Ellis, of Atlanta, Ga. ; Mr. Kenneth 
 Murchison, of New York; Mr. J. W. Mur- 
 chison and Mr. John R. Murchison, of this 
 city. 
 
 Among the out-of-town friends and rela- 
 tives here for the funeral were the following : 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hurkamp, of Fred- 
 ericksburg, Va. ; Mr. Kenneth Murchison, of 
 New York City; Mr. and Mrs. Frank Ellis, 
 of Atlanta, Ga. ; Mr. and Mrs. Shirley Carter, 
 of Baltimore, Md. ; Mrs. James Kyle, of 
 Goldsboro; Mr. J. Hunter Wood, of New 
 York City; Dr. and Mrs. W. S. Baer, of Bal- 
 timore; Mrs. J. A. Holmes, of Washington, 
 D. C. ; Rev. Dr. Alexander Sprunt, of 
 Charleston, S. C. ; Mr. D. H. Lippitt, of 
 Washington, D. C; Mrs. Price, of Baltimore, 
 Md. ; Mr. Dalziel Sprunt, of Davidson Col- 
 lege; Dr. J. G. de R. Hamilton, of the Uni- 
 versity of North Carolina; Dr. W. J. Martin, 
 
 S8 
 
president of Davidson College; Mr. Isaac 
 Murchlson, Misses Lula Murchlson, Kate 
 Horner, Kate Falrley, Mr. Marshall Wil- 
 liams, Mr. R. W. Bidgood, Rev. Watson 
 Fairley, Mr. and Mrs. Pemberton, Mrs. 
 McDIarmld, of Fayettevllle ; Dr. Thomas 
 Sprunt, of Baltimore, Md.; Mr. Brown Mc- 
 Koy, of Charlotte; Capt. Walker Meares, of 
 Falson. 
 
 {The Evening Dispatch, Wilmington, N. C, February ly, 
 19 1 6.) 
 
 Mrs. James Sprunt, who for more than a 
 year had been In falling health and for the 
 past few weeks in a critical condition, died 
 this morning at 2:15 o'clock, passing peace- 
 fully into that existence to which she had faith- 
 fully and confidently looked forward through- 
 out her life. 
 
 Her death has caused a wave of sincere 
 sorrow in Wilmington, and much sympathy 
 has been expressed for the husband, who so 
 tenderly loved her, and for the others who 
 were near to her. 
 
 The funeral arrangements have not been 
 definitely made. It is likely, however, that 
 the service will be held Friday afternoon, with 
 Interment In Oakdale. Rev. Dr. J. M. 
 Wells, pastor of the First Presbyterian 
 Church, will conduct the service. 
 
 59 
 
Mrs. Sprunt was known for her kindliness 
 and grace, and for her devotion to the cause 
 of her Master. Standing like monuments 
 along the pathway of her life are countless 
 acts of charity, and many there are among 
 the poor who in her death have lost a true 
 and valued friend. 
 
 Mrs. Sprunt was the daughter of the late 
 Col. Kenneth Murchison, of this city, and was 
 married 32 years ago to Mr. James Sprunt. 
 Surviving her are her husband; a son, Mr. 
 Laurence Sprunt; a grandson, Laurence 
 Sprunt, Jr. ; a brother, Mr. Kenneth Mur- 
 chison, of New York, and three sisters, Mrs. 
 Ellis, of Atlanta, Ga. ; Mrs. Shirley Carter, of 
 Baltimore, and Mrs. Hurkamp, of Freder- 
 icksburg, Va. 
 
 A number of relatives and friends from 
 out of the city are expected to be here to- 
 morrow to attend the funeral. Many tele- 
 grams of sympathy have been received today 
 by Mr. James Sprunt and other members of 
 the family. 
 
 {Evening Dispatch, JVilmington, N. C.) 
 
 Mrs. James Sprunt. 
 
 (An Appreciation.) 
 
 When it was known this morning that Mrs. 
 Sprunt was dead, the question was heard on 
 every lip, "Was there ever in this whole city 
 any one who did more for the civic good or 
 
 60 
 
whose life was more devoted to ministering 
 to the sorrows and infirmities of others?" 
 
 Every one who had ever had the slightest 
 dealing with her remembered now that he 
 had felt during the contact, no matter how 
 brief, the strength of her character and a 
 sense of courage imparted to him. 
 
 To the poor she came with material com- 
 forts ; to the sick she came with plans looking 
 to their restoration to health and strength ; to 
 her friends she came in every crisis, in every 
 difficulty of their lives and with unfaltering 
 purpose and untiring devotion shared and 
 lightened their burdens ; to her family, to her 
 husband, to her children, she has been the 
 very center of life. Her love seemed almost 
 inspired and indeed it had its well-spring in 
 the eternal God Himself, to Whose care she 
 was continually confiding her dear ones, and 
 to Whom so many were given for the ever- 
 lasting keeping. 
 
 Mrs. Sprunt had been a semi-invalid for 
 more than a year, and to those who were near 
 her it seemed as though she realized the time 
 was short and spent every minute doing some- 
 thing for some one in need of material or 
 spiritual things or else in planning now a hos- 
 pital, now a school, now a church — always 
 something for the amelioration of suffering or 
 the uplift of humanity. 
 
 One felt, however, that Mrs. Sprunt with- 
 drew herself from all publicity. She was re- 
 
 6i 
 
served in disposition and countless instances 
 of kindness were of a secret nature and held 
 sacred by her. She so often expressed her 
 human weakness, while at the same time re- 
 joicing in her privilege of service; indeed this 
 feeling of hers seems aptly expressed in a 
 stanza of Tennyson's "Human Cry" : 
 
 "We feel we are nothing — for 
 
 All is Thou and in Thee ; 
 We feel we are something — that 
 
 Also has come from Thee; 
 We know we are nothing — but 
 
 Thou will help us to be. 
 Hallowed be Thy name — 
 Hallelujah!" 
 
 "They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great 
 goodness." 
 
 Winter Park, February 29, 19 16. 
 Dr. James Sprunt, Wilmington, N. C. 
 
 Dear Doctor Sprunt: The elders and 
 deacons of the Winter Park Presbyterian 
 Church met this evening for the consideration 
 of several matters relating to the work of our 
 church, and naturally we gave much thought 
 to the new building which you have provided 
 for us. We feel that the good impulses 
 which prompted you to make this splendid 
 gift to us should find a ready response on the 
 
 62 
 
part of our congregation, and we anticipate a 
 good and useful career for our church. We 
 value your interest in us and your example of 
 devoted Christian service. While we shall 
 bear in mind the memory of Mrs. Hall, to 
 whose sweet Christian character the church 
 stands as a monument, we shall also always 
 hold you, the donor, in grateful remembrance. 
 May the Lord bless you with all spiritual 
 blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord ! 
 
 We were speaking tonight of your great 
 bereavement. The Lord has made you to 
 pass through deep waters, but we know His 
 sustaining hand will not fail you and that His 
 peace will not depart from you. We realize 
 how pleasant it would have been for you to 
 have had Mrs. Sprunt to be present with you 
 at the dedication services. But we believe she 
 will share the pleasure with you from her 
 vantage ground of light. 
 
 Our best wishes and most affectionate inter- 
 est will always be with you, dear Doctor 
 Sprunt. 
 
 Sincerely your friends, 
 
 R. T. Sinclair, 
 G. W. Shephard, 
 C. M. Robinson, 
 
 L. D. Latta, Deacons, 
 
 G. C. McIntire, 
 
 Earl W. Jones, 
 
 Elders. 
 Andrew J. Howell, Pastor, 
 
 63 
 
First Presbyterian Church, Wilmington, N. C. 
 
 March 6, 1916. 
 James Sprunt, LL. D., 
 
 Wilmington, N. C. 
 
 Dear Brother : The members of the ses- 
 sion have had you on their hearts and the 
 dedication of the Winter Park Memorial 
 Church — a daughter of this church — affords 
 another occasion to tell you of our apprecia- 
 tion of your and your sainted wife's service, 
 not only in the personal work of consecrated 
 lives, but in the princely gifts to the cause of 
 our Lord. They are enshrined in the hearts 
 of our people here and in far-away China. 
 Many of them doubtless will never be known 
 until revealed at the last day, when the Book 
 of Life is opened. 
 
 The session orders that this feeble expres- 
 sion of our approbation be written in the 
 church's book of minutes and a signed copy 
 be transmitted to you. 
 
 Faithfully your friends, 
 
 J. A. Springer. John M. Wells. 
 
 Will Cumming. C. H. Robinson. 
 
 A. M. Hall. B. F. Hall. 
 
 J. G. Murphy. P. Pearsall. 
 
 C. W. Worth. R. A. Brand. 
 
 Walker Taylor. H. C. McQueen. 
 
 64 
 
Mr. James Sprunt, Wilmington. 
 
 Dear Friend : The officers and congrega- 
 tion of the Chesnut Street Presbyterian 
 Church extend to you, in your bereavement, 
 tenderest sympathy. 
 
 "My grace is sufficient for thee." 
 
 David Bryant, 
 John McRae, 
 Louis Belden, 
 W. H. Bradley, 
 J. E. Taylor, 
 G. D. Hargrave, 
 
 Deacons. 
 James D. Dry, 
 Aaron Kellogg, 
 J. A. Hargrave, 
 C. A. King, 
 J. A. Murray, 
 
 Elders. 
 
 Wilmington, N. C, Feb. 23, 191 6. 
 
 Whereas, Mrs. James Sprunt has attained 
 unto the full measure of her earthly labors, 
 through her mission of service, her works of 
 love and charity, and has through the provi- 
 dence of God been removed from the midst 
 of the citizens of Wilmington and called into 
 her eternal reward: 
 
 Be it therefore resolved, That we pause to 
 pay an humble tribute to her Christian devo- 
 
 65 
 
tion and her whole-soul endeavor to help men 
 and women, irrespective of creed and condi- 
 tion. 
 
 Be it further resolved, That we express to 
 the bereaved husband and other members of 
 the family our deep and sincere sympathy, and 
 that a copy of this resolution be spread upon 
 our Daily Journal and that a copy be also sent 
 to the bereaved family. 
 
 Done on the behalf of the colored minis- 
 terium of the city of Wilmington, N. C. 
 
 J. Francis Lee, 
 
 Secretary. 
 
 "The King's daughter is all glorious within." 
 
 Mrs. James Sprunt. 
 Entered into Rest February ij, igi6. 
 
 It is with a deep sense of loss and profound 
 sorrow that the ministering circle of the 
 King's Daughters records the death of Luola 
 Murchison Sprunt. 
 
 In her death we mourn a valued and a faith- 
 ful member, for in all her walks of life she 
 was a true King's Daughter. Her life 
 abounded in thoughtful kindness and no char- 
 ity appealed to her in vain. 
 
 In large-heartedness, hospitality, and loy- 
 alty to all things worthy, her life will stand as 
 an example of truest womanhood. What her 
 
 66 
 
hand found to do, she did it with all her 
 might, and in speaking of her we can lovingly 
 utter the grand words of Solomon : "Give her 
 of the fruit of her hands; let her own works 
 praise her in the gates." 
 
 In the closer personal relations of life as 
 wife, mother, sister, and kinswoman, her life 
 left nothing to be desired; as a friend, she was 
 an able counselor, and those who knew and 
 loved her best feel that her life was a bene- 
 diction. 
 
 "Weep not that her toil is over, 
 Weep not that her race is run; 
 God grant that we rest as calmly 
 When our work, like hers, is done." 
 
 Therefore, be it resolved. That a page in 
 the minute book be inscribed to her memory 
 and a copy of this resolution be sent to the 
 bereaved family. 
 
 Sue McQueen. 
 Fanny M. Curtis. 
 E. Williams. 
 Wilmington. N. C. 
 
 Young Women's Christian Association. 
 
 Wilmington, N. C, March i, 191 6. 
 
 Whereas our God has taken to Himself 
 the spirit of Luola Murchison Sprunt, the be- 
 loved wife of Dr. James Sprunt; and 
 
 67 
 
Whereas Mrs. Sprunt was a promoter and 
 liberal supporter of every movement for good ; 
 and 
 
 Whereas Mrs. Sprunt was a member of 
 the South Atlantic Field Committee of the 
 Young Women's Christian Association and a 
 life member of this association, in which she 
 was deeply interested: Therefore be it re- 
 solved by this board of directors : 
 
 First. That we tender to her husband and 
 son our sympathy and our offer to do any- 
 thing in our power to make her memory pre- 
 cious, as it deserves to be. 
 
 Second. That we record in our minutes the 
 statement that the life of Mrs. Sprunt and her 
 labors were fruitful in kindness and benefi- 
 cence to all whom she could reach ; and, 
 
 Third. That we cherish her memory and 
 desire to have a part in her spirit and disposi- 
 tion to help others. 
 
 Fourth. That a copy of these resolutions 
 be sent to her family, and that the secretary be 
 instructed to inscribe these resolutions in the 
 minute book of our association. 
 
 Mrs. a. D. McClure. 
 
 Miss Anne P. Kidder. 
 Mrs. H. Louis Vollers. 
 
 68 
 
"For tho' from out our bourne of time and place 
 
 The flood may bear me far, 
 I hope to see my Pilot face to face 
 
 When I have crossed the bar," 
 
 Board of Commissioners of Navigation and 
 Pilotage for Cape Fear River and Bars. 
 
 Wilmington, N. C. 
 
 Having learned with deep regret and pro- 
 found sympathy of the death of Mrs. Luola 
 Murchison Sprunt, wife of our Honorable 
 Dr. James Sprunt, a special meeting of the 
 Board of Commissioners of Navigation and 
 Pilotage was held on this seventeenth day of 
 February, nineteen hundred and sixteen, and 
 the following action taken : 
 
 Whereas God in His infinite wisdom has 
 seen fit to take to Himself Mrs. Luola 
 Murchison Sprunt: Be it resolved: 
 
 First. That the Board of Commissioners 
 of Navigation and Pilotage feels that the en- 
 tire community has suffered a personal loss. 
 Hundreds of homes, from the lowliest to the 
 highest, will remember her in some work of 
 kindness, some word of comfort and encour- 
 agement. Her sympathy for every one in 
 distress was manifested wherever there was 
 the slightest opportunity for her to express it, 
 and she never neglected an occasion to say a 
 word of consolation and Christian cheer. 
 
 Second. That the Board of Commissioners 
 
 69 
 
of Navigation and Pilotage shares in a large 
 degree the bereavement, not only because of 
 its deep appreciation for the beautiful charac- 
 ter of Mrs. Sprunt, but for the great esteem 
 of its chairman, Dr. James Sprunt, whose 
 personality has always deeply impressed the 
 board. 
 
 Third. That these resolutions be engrossed 
 upon our records and a copy be sent to Dr, 
 Sprunt. 
 
 John W. Harper, 
 
 V ice-Chairman. 
 H. G. Smallbones, 
 Wm. St. George. 
 T. F. Wood. 
 E. D. Williams, 
 
 Harbor Master. 
 Jno. T. Rankin, Clerk. 
 
 "Virtutes majorum filiae conservant." 
 
 The North Carolina Society of the Colonial 
 Dames of America records with deep sorrow 
 the death of Luola Murchison Sprunt. 
 
 Whereas the North Carolina Society of 
 the Colonial Dames of America recognizes 
 that in the death of Mrs. James Sprunt it has 
 lost a member whose strong personality and 
 keen judgment marked her as a power in the 
 society, and whose eight years of administra- 
 
 70 
 
tion as president were conspicuous for achieve- 
 ments, of which the society is justly proud: 
 
 Therefore be it resolved : 
 
 1. That Mrs. Sprunt's administration was 
 constructive, embracing a large scope of work, 
 the trend of which was unified by her great 
 aim — to do honor to the virtues of colonial 
 forefathers, and to encourage in all who come 
 under the influence of the society a true 
 patriotism, built on a knowledge of the self- 
 sacrifice and heroism of those men of the colo- 
 nies who laid the foundation of this great 
 nation. 
 
 Notable among her services to the society 
 were the establishing at the University of 
 North Carolina of two yearly prizes for essays 
 on colonial subjects, thus stimulating the inter- 
 est of the young manhood of the State in the 
 virtues and exploits of the founders of their 
 Commonwealth; the marking of historic spots 
 throughout the State with granite boulders; 
 the much-needed revision of the society reg- 
 ister, and her faithful guardianship of St. 
 Philip's Church and graveyard. 
 
 Her ability was not confined to the activities 
 of her State society, for she served with dis- 
 tinction on important committees of the na- 
 tional society. 
 
 2. That as presiding officer the resource- 
 fulness with which Mrs. Sprunt met and dis- 
 posed of many vexed questions, her graceful 
 
 71 
 
dignity and gentle courtesy will ever be re- 
 membered. 
 
 Seldom has it ever been the pleasure and 
 privilege of any society to enjoy such beautiful 
 hospitality as was annually extended to the 
 North Carolina Society of the Colonial Dames 
 of America by this, its beloved president. 
 
 Along all lines she lived her life intensely, 
 not for herself, but for others, for — 
 
 "Knowledge through suffering entereth, 
 And life is perfected through death." 
 
 3. That a copy of these resolutions be 
 spread upon the minutes of the society, a copy 
 sent to the national society of the Colonial 
 Dames of America, and a copy sent to her 
 family. 
 
 Mary Fairfax Gouverneur, 
 Frances Latham Harriss, 
 Florence Hill Kidder, Jr., 
 
 Committee. 
 
 The Wake County Committee of the North 
 Carolina Society of Colonial Dames of Amer- 
 ica having heard of the death of Mrs. James 
 Sprunt, of Wilmington, N. C, by a rising 
 vote pass the following resolutions : 
 
 The North Carolina Society of Colonial 
 Dames have lost a true and loyal member, 
 whose life has been an inspiration to all who 
 
 72 
 
knew her. Her untiring efforts when presi- 
 dent, in which she was unsparing of herself 
 and her time, and from her own resources 
 placed memorials to the honor and memory 
 of those deeds of our colonial forebears which 
 reflected credit on our State. 
 
 Her rare personal charm and graciousness 
 of manner endeared her to all. Her hospi- 
 tality, not only to our own members, but to 
 legions of friends, was noted throughout our 
 State and elsewhere. Her home life was per- 
 fect. She was a devoted and earnest chris- 
 tian, a woman whom it was a privilege to have 
 known, one whose place can never be filled, 
 for there was but one Luola Murchison 
 Sprunt. This society extends its deepest sym- 
 pathy to the bereaved husband, son, and 
 grandson. 
 
 Therefore it is ordered that these resolu- 
 tions be entered on our minutes and a copy 
 sent to Mr. James Sprunt and to the North 
 Carolina Society of Colonial Dames at Wil- 
 mington, N. C. 
 
 Augusta Webb Ford Andrews. 
 Jane Evans Elliot McNeill. 
 Emily Benbury Haywood. 
 
 73 
 
North Carolina Society of the ColonialvDames 
 of America in Wayne County. 
 
 Inasmuch as God has seen fit to take away 
 one of our most beloved members, Luola 
 Murchison Sprunt, the Wayne County Com- 
 mittee extends their heartfelt sympathy. 
 
 As one of our members who was always 
 willing and ready to answer to every call, she 
 will be greatly missed. 
 
 Barbara Isler Kyle, 
 
 Secretary. 
 
 The Forsyth County Committee of the 
 North Carolina Society of Colonial Dames of 
 America desires to express to Mr. James 
 Sprunt and family heartfelt sympathy in their 
 recent great bereavement. 
 
 Wilmington, N. C, Feb. 24, 19 16. 
 
 The North Carolina Society of Colonial 
 Dames of America express their sorrow for 
 the loss of one who has been their efficient 
 leader for many years. Of her time and 
 strength she gave freely to others, and was 
 ever a "cheerful giver," such as God loves. 
 
 Very sincerely yours, 
 
 Jane Iredell Williams, 
 
 Chairman. 
 
 74 
 
LUOLA MURCHISOX SPRUXT 
 
 President of the North Carolina Society of 
 Colonial Dames of America, 1906-1912 
 
{Excerpt from the "Report of the Committee on Memo- 
 rials," Made i.j the Annual Meeting of the Society of 
 Colonial Dames, Held in May, igi6.) 
 
 "A little while" and again we were called 
 to suffer another great loss, for Mrs. James 
 Sprunt finished her earthly pilgrimage and en- 
 tered rest eternal ! For eight years she was 
 president of the North Carolina Society of 
 Colonial Dames of America, and later hon- 
 orary president. Our hearts were wrung with 
 sorrow, for had we not all admired her splen- 
 did achievements in the society, her constant 
 thought and work for its best interests, and 
 her ambition to have the North Carolina So- 
 ciety of Colonial Dames take the place in the 
 world that she felt was its due? Had we not 
 all enjoyed her wonderful hospitality, being 
 made to feel that we were granting her a 
 favor rather than having it bestowed upon 
 us? Ever courteous and gracious, going 
 smoothly along in her splendid works, hurting 
 no one by words hastily spoken or unkind 
 deed. We planned, perhaps, better than we 
 knew when we requested her to fill the office 
 of president, as all of her good work proved 
 through the years of active service. One part 
 of the work of the society was ever very close 
 to her heart, and the love and care she has 
 bestowed on old St. Philip's has made others 
 realize what a grand old historical spot is the 
 ground occupied by the church and its' grave- 
 yard. With a heart full of sympathy, no 
 
 75 
 
doubt she has stood many a time by those 
 ancient graves and thought of the beautiful 
 services held in those old church walls, in 
 which the same people "at rest" now for more 
 than a century, participated, praying from the 
 depths of their hearts and singing the old-time 
 hymns, as "How Firm a Foundation, ye saints 
 of the Lord, is laid for your faith in His 
 excellent Word," until the very woods around 
 echoed with those prayers and melodies, which 
 were being wafted on gentle breezes to the 
 great white throne. Her own "faith in His 
 excellent Word" carried her through much 
 suffering and great weariness and she never 
 yielded to bodily suffering to the exclusion of 
 constant thought of others. Nor did her in- 
 terest in this society ever wane. Perhaps one 
 of the last times she ever used a pen was to 
 sign, with satisfaction to herself, an applica- 
 tion blank for a new member. 
 
 J^elping €f)ilDren to i^appine^^ 
 
 "And with the morn those angel faces smile, 
 Which I have loved long since and lost awhile." 
 
 The Marion Sprunt Playgrounds. 
 
 Bearing the name of their dearly loved and 
 beautiful daughter, these playgrounds, four or 
 five in number, established by Mr. and Mrs. 
 Sprunt in various parts of Wilmington, have 
 
 76 
 
brought pleasure and happiness to numberless 
 little ones. They gave Mrs. Sprunt much sat- 
 isfaction, and she was always active in promot- 
 ing and extending their good influence. In 
 this work she felt in touch with the lovely 
 child whom God had taken unto Him.self, but 
 who was ever present in the mother's heart. 
 
 "A mother is a mother still, 
 The holiest thing alive." 
 
 It is safe to say that no work in which Mr. 
 and Mrs. Sprunt have co-operated has been 
 more valuable for lasting good. 
 
 "And whoso shall receive one such little child in My 
 name receiveth Me." 
 
 The Delgado Kindergarten School. 
 
 At the Delgado Cotton Mills, which are 
 located near Wilmington, N. C, Mr. and 
 Mrs. Sprunt established the Delgado Kinder- 
 garten School. They erected a building suit- 
 able for the needs of some fifty children below 
 the age of public schools. The children are 
 furnished with a substantial meal every day 
 while their parents are at work in the fac- 
 tories. This undertaking is carefully looked 
 after by two excellent teachers in combination 
 with other competent persons. It has greatly 
 benefited the Delgado settlement and has ele- 
 vated the character of the people. A play- 
 
 77 
 
ground for the children adds greatly to this 
 beautiful mission, and Mrs. Sprunt received 
 much satisfaction in directing this pleasure for 
 the little ones. The following letter, received 
 by Mr. Sprunt from the president of the Del- 
 gado Mills, Is a gratifying expression as to 
 the work accomplished by the school and play- 
 ground : 
 
 "I wish to express my sympathy in your 
 great loss of your noble, good wife; also that 
 of all our people here at Delgado. They feel 
 that they have lost a friend who had a feeling 
 of sympathy for them In all their efforts, and 
 I want to express this to you for them. I 
 know that you can see the good that you both 
 have done for all of these people, and espe- 
 cially the little ones, whose lives are being 
 made happier and guided aright. The oppor- 
 tunity of early training In right living and 
 righteousness Is an immeasurable gift. For 
 the many kindnesses and Interest you and 
 Mrs. Sprunt have given them they and I have 
 grateful hearts. 
 
 Yours most sincerely, 
 
 E. C. Holt/' 
 
 Immanuel Presbyterian Church. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Sprunt were greatly inter- 
 ested in the progress of Immanuel Presby- 
 terian Church, in the southern part of Wil- 
 mington. They contributed a number of 
 
 78 
 
gifts In property and buildings. The school 
 connected with this church has become one of 
 the largest in the city, and Mr. and Mrs. 
 Sprunt gave their hearty sympathy to its 
 growth and development. Mrs. Sprunt's spe- 
 cial work here was the playground for the 
 children. It is called the Marlon Sprunt 
 Playground, and was the first in the city of 
 Wilmington. 
 
 "Proclaim to every people, tongue, and nation 
 
 That God, in Whom they live and move, is love: 
 
 Give of thy sons to bear the message glorious; 
 Give of thy wealth to speed them on their way; 
 
 Pour out thy soul for them in prayer victorious; 
 And all thou spendest Jesus will repay." 
 
 The Kiangyin Station, 
 
 From far-off China comes the solace of be- 
 lieving prayer and the assurance that those 
 whom she had led into paths ending in heaven 
 honored and held onto her still. At this mis- 
 sion Mr. and Mrs. Sprunt had founded and 
 sustained schools for instruction in practical 
 studies and contributed to a hospital for the 
 suffering, at an outlay of many thousands of 
 dollars. The staff, consisting of a dozen 
 teachers from her own Southern people, a 
 score of native teachers and a multitude of 
 children joined in the memorial services, held 
 the Sunday following her death. 
 
 79 
 
Southern Presbyterian Mission, 
 Kiangyin, China. 
 
 Feb. 1 6, 191 6. 
 
 I wish you knew what a wave of sympathy 
 and prayer was stirred in all of our hearts by 
 your cable message four days ago. From the 
 hour we received it there has been constant 
 remembrance of Mrs. Sprunt and yourself. 
 At noon every day the whole station meets for 
 prayer, and at that time you are lovingly held 
 up to God and in our private prayers regu- 
 larly. The cablegram reached us on Satur- 
 day and all of us were touched deeply that 
 you should have thought to reach out to us, 
 half around the globe, to bring us, too, within 
 the circle of prayer that we know is going up 
 from the host that love you both. On Sun- 
 day morning at church Mr. Moffett told the 
 congregation of your message asking for 
 prayer; that it had brought the ends of the 
 earth close together, of your faith in prayer, 
 and that you wanted the prayers of your 
 Chinese fellow-believers. He then called 
 upon a deacon and an elder to lead in a peti- 
 tion for Mrs. Sprunt and yourself. The 
 elder is a college graduate and principal of the 
 James Sprunt Academy. He thanked God 
 that, though we were so far distant and could 
 not show our hearts to you nor do anything 
 for you, yet we were close together in prayer. 
 He asked for God's blessing upon Mrs. 
 
 80 
 
Sprunt's physicians, nurses, and all who are 
 with her, and finally that deep peace might be 
 given to you both — as he put it, "the fullness 
 of the peace of God" might fill your hearts. 
 And now I may say that this is the keynote of 
 all our prayers. We do not know whether it 
 has pleased God to spare Mrs. Sprunt for 
 further loving service, but we pray that it may 
 be so, and we trust that through the many 
 prayers going up for you that this may be a 
 time of rich blessing for you both. We are 
 remembering you specially at this time and 
 with deep sympathy, but you are not forgotten 
 at any time. Your cablegram has been a 
 blessing to us all, and I wish you could see how 
 much comfort it has given us that we could 
 flash back our sympathy. 
 
 Yours affectionately, 
 
 George C. Worth. 
 
 Southern Presbyterian Mission, 
 Kiangyin, China. 
 
 Feb. i8, 1916. 
 
 We are planning a memorial service for 
 Sunday morning. Of this you will hear more 
 in detail later. We feel that it will be a real 
 blessing to our Chinese, not only because it 
 will bring before them afresh the beautiful life 
 of your dear one, but also because it will be a 
 good opportunity to show them how we still 
 
 81 
 
honor, love, and possess our departed. They 
 feel because our doctrine forbids worship of 
 the dead that they are forgotten and unhon- 
 ored. 
 
 Our special prayer for you is that you may 
 be so conscious of spiritual fellowship with 
 your beloved wife that you may feel in a true 
 sense you still have her. We rejoice that hers 
 is already the rest that remaineth for you and 
 us. Your friend sincerely, 
 
 Ella Ward Allison. 
 
 Presbyterian Church in U. S. 
 North Kiangsu Mission, Tsing Kiang Pu. 
 
 Feb. i8, 1916. 
 To Mr. James Sprunt: 
 
 In thinking of her I think of the many who 
 would say of her: "Blessed are the dead who 
 die In the Lord, that they may rest from their 
 labors, and their works do follow them." 
 Yours most affectionately, 
 
 Nell Sprunt. 
 
 Southern Presbyterian Mission, 
 Kiangyin, China. 
 
 February 19, 191 6. 
 How wonderful It must be for dear Mrs. 
 Sprunt to be freed from all suffering and 
 
 82 
 
weakness and to rejoice with all her marvelous 
 capacity for joy in the eternal bliss of the 
 Father's home! Surely our dear departed 
 ones are not far away and certainly we have 
 not lost them; they are perhaps more truly 
 ours than ever before. Could dear Mrs. 
 Sprunt speak to you now, what a wonderful, 
 wonderful story she would have to tell and 
 what words of comfort she would speak! 
 Her memory is most fragrant in Kiangyin, 
 and you and she mean so much to the people 
 here that we felt we must have a memorial 
 service ; it will be held in the church tomorrow 
 (Sunday) morning, and we are praying that 
 it may be a time of great spiritual upbuilding 
 for the Kiangyin Christians. 
 
 Most sincerely, 
 
 Ella D. Little. 
 
 Kiangyin, China, 
 
 February 22, 19 16. 
 
 ^'Whether we live or die, we are the 
 Lord's." 
 
 "When He shall appear we shall be like 
 Him, for we shall see Him as He is." 
 With deepest sympathy. 
 Very sincerely yours, 
 
 Rida Jourolmon. 
 
 83 
 
Southern Presbyterian Mission, 
 Kiangyin, China. 
 
 Feb. 20, 1916. 
 
 You have been much on our hearts and in 
 our prayers since word first came of Mrs. 
 Sprunt's illness. We could only ask that His 
 will be done, and though we feel deeply with 
 you in this the great sorrow of your life, we 
 know that you, too, accept His will as from 
 Him in love. There has been constant 
 prayer on the part of the Chinese friends for 
 you both for some days past. They have 
 never seen you face to face, but the bond of 
 sympathy and gratitude is none the less real, 
 and your names are often on their lips. 
 
 An old Christian mother said to me some 
 while ago, when I was comforting her over the 
 loss of a son who was her main dependence, 
 ''He never plucks the fruit before it is ripe." 
 She was a poor, ignorant old soul in most 
 things, but what a wealth of comfort the Mas- 
 ter had given her In that thought that her 
 loved one was ripe for the joy of His pres- 
 ence! Some of us have yet to be ripened 
 more while we serve here, but with what joy 
 our loved ones who have gone before will 
 await and welcome our coming ! 
 
 We well know that you have taken comfort 
 of Him who shares our every sorrow, but we 
 want you to know that we sorrow with you 
 and bear you daily to the throne of grace, that 
 the light of His presence with you may lighten 
 
 84 
 
each day's burden and bring the joy of a fel- 
 lowship which, in His own time, may ripen 
 into the "abundant entrance." 
 
 With sincerest love and sympathy from 
 Your co-workers in His service, 
 Mr. and Mrs. Lacy S. Moffett. 
 
 A Special Service in Lo'ving Memory of Mrs. Ltiola 
 Murchison Sprunt, at Kiangyin, China, Feb. 20, igi6. 
 
 Invocation Lacy L. Little 
 
 Hymn— Asleep in Jesus, Blessed Sleep. .The Congregation 
 Scripture— ist Thess. 4:13-18, Rev. 22:1-5 
 
 Elder Tsang Ts-yong 
 
 Prayer Lacy I. Moffett 
 
 Address— Her Life Geo. C. Worth 
 
 Hymn — Give Me the Wings of Faith 
 
 Choir from the Girls' School 
 Address— What She Has Done for Our Schools 
 
 Andrew Allison 
 Address — Lessons to be Learned from Her Life 
 
 Elder Tse Yong-K'ang 
 
 Hymn— Take Comfort, Christian The Congregation 
 
 Prayer Elder Loh Ping-yong 
 
 Benediction Lacy L Moffett 
 
 TsiNG KiANG Pu, China, 
 
 Feb. 21, 191 6. 
 I can't help living over my days at home 
 and recalling the memories of your and Aunt 
 Luola's loving, unfailing, thoughtful ministry 
 to mother and us all. 
 
 As always, your loving niece, 
 
 Jessie Hall. 
 
 85 
 
Southern Presbyterian Mission, 
 Kiangyin, China. 
 
 February 22, 19 16. 
 
 She has suffered much. How sweet the 
 rest of heaven ! I am sure our merciful God 
 is helping you to be glad because of her per- 
 fect bliss, and He will help you, too, to look 
 forward to the glad reunion in His good time. 
 We are praying that heavenly comfort and 
 peace may be yours as the lonely days go by. 
 
 A very helpful memorial service was held 
 in our East Gate Church Sunday morning. 
 Beautiful tributes were paid to the memory of 
 our dear friend, who is not dead, but "alive 
 for evermore." I enclose you a copy of the 
 order of services. 
 
 "The Lord be with thee." 
 
 Affectionately your friend. 
 
 Lacy L. Little. 
 
 Kiangyin Hospital, 
 Southern Presbyterian Mission. 
 
 February 22, 191 6. 
 On Sunday the morning service at church 
 was a memorial of Mrs. Sprunt. It was a 
 solemn service and very impressive, for all the 
 congregation felt that a great friend had been 
 called away and another devoted friend was 
 left deeply bereaved. I do wish you could 
 have heard all the words of respect and honor 
 
 86 
 
and affection that were spoken. I will leave 
 that for Mr. Allison, but I just want to tell 
 you how tenderly we are all bearing you and 
 Laurence up before the One who alone can 
 give you rest of soul and fill the vacant place 
 in your hearts. 
 
 Your affectionate, 
 
 Geo. C. Worth. 
 
 Southern Presbyterian Mission, 
 Kiangyin, China. 
 
 Translation of Letter from the Kiangyin 
 Church. 
 
 To the Honorable James Sprunt, most re- 
 spectful greetings : 
 
 We have long heard of the wideness of 
 your sympathy — not making distinction be- 
 tween one country and another — and of your 
 desire to be a servant of all. Looking to God 
 for grace, your heart goes out in great tender- 
 ness towards countless multitudes who depend 
 upon you. If the Spirit of Jesus had not been 
 in your heart, how could you have built up our 
 James Sprunt Academy and Luola Murchison 
 Sprunt Academy? It is easy to be seen 
 that we lean upon the strength of your arm. 
 Having obtained these great benefits from 
 you, how can we forget you for one day? 
 
 Having heard that our merciful God had 
 called Mrs. Sprunt to the heavenly home, our 
 
 87 
 
pastor, Mr. Little, at once called a meeting of 
 the congregation in the church to hold a me- 
 morial service. We — the whole body of 
 church members — wish, in this feeble way, 
 to express to you our hearts' sympathy and to 
 call your attention to certain passages from 
 God's Word, which we hope will be a means 
 of consolation to you. Please see: ist 
 Thess. 4 : 13-14 : "But we would not have you 
 ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall 
 asleep ; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, 
 which have no hope. For if we believe that 
 Jesus died and rose again, even them also that 
 are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with 
 Him." Revelation 14: 13: "And I heard a 
 voice fromi heaven saying unto me. Write, 
 Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord 
 from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that 
 they may rest from their labors; and their 
 works do follow them." Isaiah 49:13: 
 "Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and 
 break forth into singing, O mountains : for the 
 Lord hath comforted His people, and will 
 have compassion upon His afflicted." ist 
 Peter 4:13: "But insomuch as ye are partak- 
 ers of Christ's sufferings, rejoice; that at the 
 revelation of His glory also ye may rejoice 
 with exceeding joy." 
 
 We respectfully present these few lines, 
 trusting that the peace of Christ may be yours. 
 
 The Congregation of the East 
 Gate Church, Kiangyin, China. 
 
 88 
 
KiANGYiN, China, Feb. 22, 19 16. 
 
 Your dear wife will be missed by a very 
 wide circle of friends and relatives, and no 
 one can take her place. I am so glad that our 
 school girls here learned to know and love her 
 through her picture and gifts and messages. 
 We are hoping that the letters from the girls 
 reached her before she was too ill to enjoy 
 them; but if not she knows all about it now, 
 and I trust the letters have been a comfort to 
 you. With assurances of love and prayers. 
 Yours affectionately, 
 
 Emma C. Worth. 
 
 PEACE, PERFECT PEACE. 
 
 Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin? 
 The blood of Jesus whispers peace within. 
 
 Peace, perfect peace, by thronging duties pressed? 
 To do the will of Jesus, this is rest. 
 
 Peace, perfect peace, with sorrows surging round? 
 On Jesus' bosom naught but calm is found. 
 
 Peace, perfect peace, with loved ones far away? 
 In Jesus' keeping we are safe and they. 
 
 Peace, perfect peace, our future all unknown? 
 Jesus we know, and He is on the throne. 
 
 Peace, perfect peace, death shadowing us and ours? 
 Jesus has vanquished death and all its powers. 
 
 It is enough: earth's struggles soon shall cease, 
 And Jesus call us to heaven's perfect peace. 
 
 89 
 
€xtract^ from 
 %ttttx$ to ^u 3Fame^ ^prunt 
 
 From the many appreciative letters of sym- 
 pathy only those expressions which speak 
 directly of Mrs. Sprunt have been selected. 
 
 The White House, 
 Washington, D. C, Feb. i8, 191 6. 
 
 It was with the deepest sorrow and most 
 genuine and heartfelt sympathy that I learned 
 of the death of Mrs. Sprunt. My heart goes 
 out to you in this bereavement. I hope that 
 you may be sustained by the only sources that 
 avail in such circumstances. 
 
 With warmest regard, 
 
 Cordially and sincerely yours, 
 
 WooDRow Wilson. 
 
 Baltimore, Md., Feb. 23, 191 6. 
 
 I desire to offer my sincere condolence in 
 the sad loss you have just sustained by the 
 death of your beloved wife, the account of 
 whose funeral I have read in the Wilmington 
 Star. 
 
 Very faithfully yours, 
 
 J. Card. Gibbons. 
 
 90 
 
Baltimore, Md., Feb. i8, 1916. 
 
 I had learned, as had all who had come to 
 know your wife, the unusual beauty and love- 
 liness of her character. The memories of a 
 life so beautiful as hers will be supporting and 
 inspiring. It has been good to know her, and 
 it will be something to watch the development 
 of a beautiful inheritance in the little life 
 which is to perpetuate it to future generations. 
 Your sincere friend, 
 
 W. S. Thayer. 
 
 Legation of the U. S. of America. 
 San Jos% Costa Rica, 
 
 March 12, 19 16. 
 
 I knew her as a happy child, and later as 
 a young woman of strong character and 
 many graces and accomplishments. 
 Faithfully your friend, 
 
 E. J. Hale. 
 
 Chapel Hill, N. C, Feb. 19, 1916. 
 
 Having gone through the bitter waters, I 
 can most feelingly sympathize with you in 
 your recent bereavement. 
 Cordially yours, 
 
 Kemp P. Battle. 
 
 91 
 
Supreme Court. 
 Raleigh, N. C, Feb. 21, 1916. 
 
 I have just learned of your great bereave- 
 ment. I know quite well how devoted you 
 were to each other ; how bitter the sorrow and 
 poignant the grief must be when the tie that 
 has so long bound you together in loving com- 
 panionship was severed. 
 
 With my cordial and best wishes, 
 Yours sincerely, 
 
 Platt D. Walker. 
 
 Chapel Hill, N. C, Feb. 25, 1916. 
 
 The greatest of your wife's gifts to others 
 was the loving gift of self, and this she gave 
 unstintingly and unsparingly, even to the in- 
 jury of health and strength. We could see 
 this when we visited your home, and we loved 
 her for it. There is nothing greater or more 
 lovely. 
 
 Your friend, 
 
 Francis P. Venable. 
 
 Chapel Hill, N. C, Feb. 18, 1916. 
 No words can tell you of my grief and 
 sympathy. May this note assure you of the 
 constancy of my thoughts and prayers for you. 
 Affectionately, 
 
 J. G. de Roulhac Hamilton. 
 
 92 
 
Chapel Hill, N. C, Feb. 19, 1916. 
 
 May I express to you my very genuine and 
 profound feeling for you at this moment, 
 when one of the greatest blows that fate holds 
 in reserve has fallen. 
 
 Your sincere friend, 
 
 Archibald Henderson. 
 
 Chapel Hill, N. C, Feb. 20, 19 16. 
 It was a great shock to hear of Mrs. 
 Sprunt's death. She was very kind to me, 
 and my memories of her will always be cher- 
 ished. 
 
 Sincerely, 
 
 Robert C. Davis. 
 
 University of Virginia. 
 
 February 29, 191 6. 
 
 I send you my love and deep sympathy In 
 your great sorrow. You have been In my 
 mind and heart constantly and tenderly these 
 days past. We poor mortals can only stand 
 by in such moments, suffer with our friends, 
 and support their courage, if happily we can. 
 All this I do, my friend, with a full heart. 
 May the good God comfort and sustain you. 
 
 Faithfully yours, 
 
 Edwin M. Alderman. 
 
 93 
 
University of Virginia. 
 
 February 21, 191 6. 
 
 Having known Mrs. Sprunt, I know also 
 your sense of loss. But may the years bring 
 such an increased realization of your heritage 
 of memory and association that the darkness 
 may be touched with growing light and the 
 temporary loss transmitted into permanent 
 gain. 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 C. Alphonso Smith. 
 
 WoosTER, Ohio, Feb. 17, 19 16. 
 
 She is with God and God is with you. 
 These are the unshakable convictions that 
 will bring you the deepest peace. 
 Very affectionately yours, 
 
 J. Campbell White. 
 
 College of V^illiam and Mary. 
 Williamsburg, Va., Feb. 19, 191 6. 
 
 There are many outside of your intim.ate 
 circle of friends whose hearts have been 
 touched and whose prayers have been moved 
 for you in these dark hours. 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 James S. Wilson. 
 
 94 
 
College of William and Mary. 
 Williamsburg, Va., March 4, 1916. 
 
 I cannot refrain from expressing to you my 
 heartfelt sympathy. We are not as those 
 without hope, for we feel that this is only 
 another link in the chain that binds us to that 
 world where there is no suffering, and that 
 her departure is but a translation to the realm 
 of everlasting glory. 
 
 I remain, 
 
 Sincerely, 
 
 John C. Calhoun. 
 
 Hampden-SIdney College. 
 Hampden-Sidney, Va., Feb. — , 19 16. 
 
 I know well what a void her passing has 
 made in your life, and that the home over 
 which she presided with so much grace and 
 charm, and where she dispensed a hospitality 
 so bountiful and delightful, seems altogether 
 broken and desolate. 
 
 The great company of those who experi- 
 enced her ministries of mercy unite with you 
 in deep grief over her departure, or are wait- 
 ing to welcome her entrance Into the mansions 
 above. 
 
 Faithfully yours, 
 
 H. Tucker Graham. 
 
 95 
 
Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia. 
 
 I have just read In an Atlanta paper a 
 notice of your wife's death. The prolonga- 
 tion of life to her could only have meant the 
 prolongation of suffering. The change to 
 her has been supremely blessed. 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 F. H. Gaines. 
 
 Yorktown Historical Society of the United 
 States. 
 
 Gloucester, Va., Feb. 19, 191 6. 
 
 I noticed in the "Times-Dispatch'^ that 
 your dear wife had passed away, and you 
 have my deepest sympathy in your bereave- 
 ment. You know whom you have believed 
 and His rod is not one of anger but of love, 
 and His grace is sufficient. 
 Very sincerely, 
 
 W. H. Groves. 
 
 Wilmington, N. C, Feb. — , 19 16. 
 
 Her beautiful life has been such a help and 
 inspiration to so many, and her name shall 
 live always. 
 
 Affectionately, 
 
 May Beverly French. 
 
 96 
 
Wilmington, N. C, Feb. 17, 19 16. 
 
 The profoundest consolation to you at this 
 time will be the sweet memories of long asso- 
 ciation with an accomplished and noble- 
 hearted woman, whose life and character leave 
 behind the beautiful example of a Christian 
 life. Sincerely, 
 
 Iredell Meares. 
 
 Wilmington, N. C, Feb. 17, 19 16. 
 
 For many years I have seen her ability to 
 make the world around her so beautiful by 
 the touch of her magic fingers. 
 Sincerely, 
 
 Mary Calder Atkinson. 
 
 Wilmington, N. C, Feb. 17, 19 16. 
 
 It always seemed to me that she typified a 
 beautiful combination of gracious dignity and 
 ability. 
 
 Most sincerely yours, 
 
 Mary Fairfax Gouverneur. 
 
 Wilmington, N. C, Feb. 17, 19 16. 
 
 Mrs. Sprunt was very kind to my father. 
 May her soul rest in peace ! 
 
 With sympathy, sincerely, 
 
 James Owen Reilly. 
 
 97 
 
Wilmington, N. C, Feb. 17, 1916. 
 
 With profound sorrow I heard this morn- 
 ing of the passing of your noble wife. But 
 for her it means freedom from suffering and 
 a crown of glory for the good deeds she be- 
 stowed upon others during her life. 
 
 Your friend, 
 
 Rose Barry Smith. 
 
 Wilmington, N. C, Feb. 17, 191 6. 
 I extend to you and your bereaved family 
 my deepest sympathy in the passing away of 
 Mrs. Sprunt. Of this community I am one 
 who has occasion to feel a pang of sorrow. 
 It was just at this season of the year in 1903, 
 when I had come here from Washington, 
 D. C, to recuperate from a severe sickness, 
 that Mrs. Sprunt driving by the house in her 
 phaeton noticed me sitting on the porch of 
 my sister, Mrs. E. D. Sloan. She must have 
 observed my emaciated condition and I had 
 been impressed with her modest bearing and 
 unconscious beauty. A few moments later I 
 was made aware of the identity of this most 
 excellent lady in a beautiful manner by receiv- 
 ing from her a bouquet of the prettiest and 
 sweetest roses I ever saw or expect to see. 
 I was overwhelmed at this manifestation of 
 gentle kindness, but it did me good and I com- 
 menced to feel better immediately. 
 
 98 
 
I cite this as only one of a thousand such 
 kindly acts to others Illustrative of the Chris- 
 tian character of this noble lady. 
 Very truly yours, 
 
 Paul D. Satchwell. 
 
 Wilmington, N. C, Feb. 19, 191 6. 
 Because Mrs. Sprunt's life here was so full 
 of goodness and love, we know that God hath 
 prepared glorious rewards for her In the 
 heavenly home, and that you have lost her 
 "but for awhile." 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 Leonora Cantwell. 
 
 Wilmington, N. C, Feb. 19, 19 16. 
 
 1 shall cherish always the deeds of kindness 
 
 which were given so freely by Mrs. Sprunt to 
 
 my father and the moments of happiness she 
 
 gave him by her unselfish thought and care. 
 
 Grace Craig Branch. 
 
 Wilmington, N. C, Feb. 21, 19 16. 
 It must comfort you to feel in how many 
 beautiful ways your wife has left her Impress 
 upon the community. The Influence that she 
 exerted for good will live forever. 
 Most sincerely, 
 
 Eliza W. Meares. 
 
 99 
 
Wilmington, N. C, Feb. 21, 1916. 
 
 As president of our "Colonial Society," 
 which she so well represented, she bore her- 
 self with that gracious dignity and sweet 
 authority that characterizes the gentle born 
 woman, and which will always keep her mem- 
 ory dear to the hearts of its members. 
 
 Sincerely your friend, 
 
 Annie M. Baltzer. 
 
 Wilmington, N. C, Feb. 22, 19 16. 
 Irreparable loss has come to you and your 
 family, which is felt keenly and widely through 
 and beyond this whole community. 
 Sincerely your friend, 
 
 Cary Davis MacRae. 
 
 Wilmington, N. C, March 25, 191 6. 
 
 I have waited a little before writing, as 1 
 know so well how overwhelmed you have been 
 with expressions of sympathy for your unut- 
 terable loss and with tributes to the beautiful 
 soul whose dear companionship has blessed 
 your life. 
 
 Who, among your friends, can feel for you 
 more deeply than I? You knew and loved 
 Bishop Strange and I knew and loved Mrs. 
 
 100 
 
Sprunt. She was to me "a perfect woman 
 nobly planned," using her splendid gifts to 
 make better and happier every life that she 
 touched. Believe me in great sorrow and 
 sympathy, 
 
 Your friend, 
 
 Elizabeth S. Strange. 
 
 Fayetteville, N. C, Feb. 26, 19 16. 
 
 Her life was so full of good and her exam- 
 ple so beautiful for all. 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 RoxY Williams. 
 
 Fayetteville, N. C, Feb. 29, 19 16. 
 
 Lula's death has left a void that no one 
 can fill. Her many deeds of kindness will be 
 told to generations yet to come. 
 
 Most affectionately yours, 
 
 Kate Williams Bidgood. 
 
 Fayetteville, N. C, Feb. 29, 19 16. 
 I remember Luola with great affection and 
 admiration. It was with sincere grief that I 
 heard of her death. 
 Your cousin, 
 
 Mary McNeil. 
 
 lOI 
 
Raleigh, N. C, Feb. 20, 191 6. 
 
 A beautiful life like that of your beloved 
 wife has in reality just reached the goal for 
 which her whole life has been the preparation. 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 Louie Rutledge Feild. 
 
 Raleigh, N. C, Feb. 22, 1916. 
 
 Your dear wife has done so much for the 
 happiness of others, and in these good works 
 her gentle spirit still lives to bless the world. 
 Your sincere friend, 
 
 Alex. J. Feild. 
 
 Raleigh, N. C, Feb. 23, 1916. 
 
 She was so wonderfully beautiful in her 
 Christian character that I can almost hear the 
 angels singing to welcome her home. 
 Sincerely, 
 
 Augusta W. F. Andrews. 
 
 Charlotte, N. C, March i, 19 16. 
 
 Her friends, whose name is legion, are 
 mourning with you in your sorrow. Through 
 acts of unselfishness and sweet consideration 
 of others, your wife endeared herself to all 
 
 102 
 
who were privileged to know her. She has 
 left a permanent influence upon the community 
 and patriotic interests. 
 
 Faithfully yours, 
 
 S. H. Van Landingham. 
 
 Presbyterian Church of the Covenant. 
 
 Greensboro, N. C, Feb. 21, 1916. 
 
 I was very much distressed in seeing an 
 account of the death of your devoted wife. 
 So I am using this opportunity in letting you 
 know that I sympathize with you most deeply, 
 and am. praying that our Father will give you 
 abundantly of His grace to sustain you in this 
 hour of trial. May the Father of m.ercies 
 and the God of all comfort be the stay of 
 each member of your home. 
 
 Most sincerely your friend, 
 
 R. Murphy Williams. 
 
 GoLDSBORO, N. C, Feb. 19, 19 16. 
 
 I feel it such a privilege to have known 
 your wife, who was such a tower of strength. 
 Most sincerely, 
 
 Mary J. Arrington. 
 
 103 
 
Linden, N. C, Feb. 21, 19 16. 
 
 Hers was such a noble nature, living up to 
 the "golden rule" in her every-day life. How 
 sorely she will be missed ! 
 Yours in sorrow, 
 
 Cornelia E. Elliot. 
 
 Belmont, N. C, Feb. 26, 1916. 
 
 A truly noble Christian woman has gone to 
 her reward, to receive the "Well done, faith- 
 ful servant," from the lips of the Divine Mas- 
 ter, but her beautiful example lives after her. 
 
 On several occasions we were with her at 
 the bedside of a mutual friend, and her gentle, 
 self-sacrificing devotion impressed us as be- 
 ing a woman of truly sympathetic character. 
 Yours in warmest sympathy. 
 
 Sisters of Mercy, 
 Sacred Heart Convent. 
 
 Banners Elk, Avery County, 
 
 Feb. 29, 1916. 
 
 I was very much grieved to learn a few 
 days since of the death of your beloved wife. 
 She was so good and kind to me when I had 
 the pleasure of being in your home, a good 
 many years ago. 
 
 Very sincerely, Edgar Tufts. 
 
 104 
 
Crossnore, N. C, Feb. 28, 19 16. 
 I did not know Mrs. Sprunt personally, but 
 I was one of the many who admired her from 
 afar. 
 
 Most sincerely yours, 
 
 Mary Martin Sloop. 
 
 Bethany, N. C, Feb. — , 19 16. 
 How many will miss her! But she has 
 gone where her works do follow her. 
 Yours most sincerely, 
 
 W. A. LiNEKER. 
 
 Faisons, N. C. 
 What is left to you? Why, the meaning 
 of many years of her delightful companion- 
 ship, rich harvest of good works thought out 
 together, suffering relieved, and gladdened 
 souls won for Christ. Truly you two have 
 felt the brotherhood of mankind. 
 Your friend, 
 
 Mary Lyde Hicks Williams. 
 
 New York City, Feb. 18, 19 16. 
 I am so sorry that dear Aunt Lula is dead. 
 She was such a nice aunt to us. 
 With best love, 
 Aurelie Murchison (age, 7 years). 
 105 
 
New York City, Feb. 19, 1916. 
 
 I can never forget how kind Mrs. Sprunt 
 and her family were to me in the years gone 
 by. 
 
 Yours very sincerely, 
 
 John M. Dorrance. 
 
 New York City, Feb. 21, 1916. 
 
 It was a great privilege to have been with 
 you and Laurence for a little while during 
 your sorrow, and to have been able to tell you 
 in person how deeply I feel for you. 
 
 I heard on all sides, from both white and 
 
 colored people, about some kindness they had 
 
 received from Aunt Lula. Lillie and I have 
 
 lost our best friend and shall miss her greatly. 
 
 Affectionately, 
 
 Hunter Wood. 
 
 New York, Feb. 25, 191 6. 
 
 The memory of her life, the years of com- 
 panionship, the large-hearted, generous en- 
 thusiasm, the gracious bounty, helpfulness, 
 and hospitality, the worth and devotion of 
 her friendships, and the steadfastness of her 
 deeper affections — all these things, while they 
 increase the loss and the sorrow, are consola- 
 
 106 
 
tion and compensation, because in a very real 
 sense they can never be taken from you. 
 
 I have only spoken of your loss, but we 
 both feel that we have lost a friend who was 
 very close in our greatest need. 
 
 Faithfully and affectionately yours, 
 Peyton H. Hoge. 
 
 New York, Jan. 30, 1916. 
 
 I am deeply distressed at the news of Mrs. 
 Sprunt's illness. Ever since I first knew her 
 she has been my admiration. 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 Emma Maffitt. 
 
 Brooklyn, N. Y., Feb. 26, 191 6. 
 
 In the long years of separation in my 
 Northern home, many beautiful things have 
 been told me of the tender solicitations your 
 wife had for others, and that she gave to her 
 fellow-wayfarers on life's road the sunshine 
 of a happy disposition and the sv/eetness of 
 an unselfish love. 
 
 To Laurence and yourself the constant 
 affection of 
 
 Yours faithfully, 
 
 John B. Lord. 
 
 107 
 
LocKPORT, N. Y., Feb. 27, 1916. 
 
 Wilmington can ill afford to lose such a 
 beautiful and glorious character, and this loss, 
 I am sure, will be felt for many years. 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 Wm. R. Kenan, Jr. 
 
 Syracuse, N. Y., Feb. 26, 1916. 
 
 It seems so short a time since she used to 
 come with you so faithfully to the little church 
 in Peace Dale, and now I hear that she has 
 gone on. I feel as if something more of the 
 sweetness and hope has been transferred from 
 this world. 
 
 Yours sincerely, 
 
 J. W. FOBES. 
 
 Lawrence, L. I., Feb. 23, 19 16. 
 
 Let me express deep and heartfelt sympa- 
 thy for your loss and the world's loss in the 
 departure of dear Mrs. Sprunt, long honored, 
 revered, and beloved by all who knew her. 
 Most sincerely, 
 
 Philippine Feid. 
 
 Baltimore, Md., , 1916. 
 
 It was hard to give Lula up; but what 
 more could we wish for her than freedom 
 
 108 
 
from suffering and a happy reunion with her 
 parents and daughters? 
 
 Most affectionately, 
 
 Jessie Murchison Carter. 
 
 Baltimore, Md., Feb. 20, 19 16. 
 
 Mrs. Sprunt was endeared to many by her 
 broad sympathy and by her kindness and 
 thoughtfulness for others. Her fortitude in 
 trouble and high standard of right living and 
 thinking commanded the admiration and re- 
 spect of all. Those of us who had the oppor- 
 tunity of knowing her loved her very dearly. 
 
 Sincerely, 
 
 Ralph B. Seem. 
 
 Baltimore, Md., March 22, 1916. 
 In common with every one who had the 
 privilege of knowing your dear wife, I feel 
 that In her going I, too, have lost a friend. 
 Life to her, it would seem, was merely the 
 opportunity for doing the good and kind 
 things, and there are very many who are 
 mourning with you. 
 Sincerely, 
 
 Herbert L. Price. 
 
 Washington, D. C, Feb. 24, 19 16. 
 
 I wish we could express to you in some bet- 
 ter way than words how deeply we feel for 
 
 109 
 
you in your trouble, and how full of gratitude 
 our hearts are for all you and Aunt Lula 
 have done for us. 
 
 With deepest sympathy and affection, 
 Your nephew, 
 
 James Sprunt Holmes. 
 
 Washington, D. C, Feb. 27, 1916. 
 
 I know so well what your good wife has 
 always been to you, what a wonderful help. 
 Affectionately, 
 
 Margaret Lippitt. 
 
 Washington, D. C, Feb. 23, 191 6. 
 
 I will certainly miss Aunt Luola when I 
 come to Wilmington. She was always so 
 sweet and kind to everybody. Every time I 
 practice my music I work hard because she 
 loved it so. 
 
 With lots of love, 
 
 Margaret Holmes. 
 
 Washington, D. C, March 4, 19 16. 
 How sad it made me to hear of my sweet 
 Mrs. Sprunt's death, but God knows us and 
 does everything for our good, and so He must 
 
 110 
 
have wanted to release her from pain and 
 suffering. 
 
 Affectionately, your little girl, 
 
 Mar. Dev. Lippitt (age, 12 years). 
 
 Carnegie, Pa., February — , 191 6. 
 
 Such goodness and kindness as hers will be 
 sorely missed in this world. 
 
 Very gratefully yours, 
 
 Edith Barber Brown. 
 
 Seattle, Wash., March 2, 19 16. 
 
 It is not to you alone or to your family that 
 sorrow has come, but to the multitude of 
 friends Mrs. Sprunt had made. I know that 
 it must be a great comfort to you, even in the 
 great sorrow you are experiencing, to knov/ 
 how beloved she was by those with whom she 
 came in contact. She has left a legacy of 
 character and good deeds that time cannot dis- 
 place. 
 
 Sincerely yours, 
 
 Frank L. Meares. 
 
 Granger, Iowa, March 3, 19 16. 
 
 I can scarcely write for tears — it is a trib- 
 ute to the dear lady's life of good works. 
 
 IsoLA Daniel. 
 
 Ill 
 
Los Angeles, Cal., Feb. 17, 191 6. 
 
 Edith and I are much grieved over Aunt 
 Luola's death. She was always very dear to 
 us, even from the first, when she came to us as 
 your bride. 
 
 With hearts full of love and sympathy to 
 you and Laurence from us both, 
 
 Devotedly, 
 
 James Sprunt Hall. 
 
 Plainfield, N. J., Feb. 21, 19 16. 
 
 We grieve for and with you. Her loss 
 will be felt far outside of the local community. 
 Very sincerely yours, 
 
 Malcolm McKenzie. 
 
 Atlanta, Ga., February 19, 19 16. 
 
 I shall be glad all my life that I have known 
 such a wonderful woman as Aunt Lula was. 
 Devotedly, 
 Katherine Murchison Ellis. 
 
 Augusta, Ga., Feb. 20, 19 16. 
 
 God has called her and her beautiful, busy 
 life on earth is over. 
 Affectionately, 
 
 Janie R. Williams. 
 
 112 
 
Macon, Ga., Feb. 23, 19 16. 
 I recall with much pleasure how I was im- 
 pressed as a young man by the rare congenial- 
 ity that existed between you and your most 
 estimable wife. 
 
 Your loss and sorrow are great, but there is 
 comfort to be found in the knowledge of the 
 reward which she has received for the unusu- 
 ally useful and thoughtful life which was hers. 
 I have frequently recalled how she found 
 her great pleasure in making others happy. 
 Yours sincerely, 
 
 L. W. Curtis. 
 
 Charleston, S. C, Feb. 17, 1916. 
 ''Seeing the King in His beauty, she says: 
 'Here, Lord, am I and the children Thou 
 
 gavest me.' ' 
 
 Alexander Sprunt. 
 
 Mobile, Ala., Feb. 24, 191 6. 
 
 I can hardly express to you my concern and 
 grief when I read the announcement of your 
 great loss in "The New York Times:' 
 
 I am so glad I knew her, even so briefly. 
 Such a character as your dear wife must be a 
 cherished memory to those who knew her. It 
 
 113 
 
Is so rarely that any one attains such perfec- 
 tion in this world. I cannot believe that she 
 lived in vain. She left such a shining exam- 
 ple behind and took such a rich endowment to 
 the "Great Beyond." 
 
 But the greater her fitness for the other 
 world, the greater the loss to those who loved 
 her here. I cannot say one word of comfort. 
 I can only voice the deep sympathy of myself 
 and daughter. 
 
 Sincerely your friend, 
 
 HORTENSE A. BaTRE. 
 
 Lynchburg, Va._, February — , 1916. 
 
 From afar I admired her for her manv 
 kind and charitable deeds, her efforts to 
 lighten and to make happy hearts bowed 
 down with loads of grief and care, whose hand 
 was ever ready to help and her ear to heed 
 the cry of the needy and the distressed. 
 
 Lily Van B. Wiggins. 
 
 Warrenton, Va., March 27, 191 6. 
 
 The beautiful life of her whom numberless 
 
 friends mourn, and whose acts of charity and 
 
 benevolence, like milestones on the road of 
 
 life, stand out as monuments to her memory, 
 
 114 
 
goes on still to serve the Creator in His end- 
 less work of the world's salvation. 
 
 My dear friend, my heart goes out to you 
 in your great bereavement. 
 Your friend, 
 
 Delancy Evans. 
 
 De Land, Fla., February — , 191 6. 
 
 I wish to assure you of my sympathy and to 
 add this word to the many which have been 
 spoken of appreciation of Mrs. Sprunt, who 
 has gone home. 
 
 Her life was so full of ministries that her 
 departure will be felt more than that of most. 
 Cordially your friend, 
 
 Richard Orme Flinn. 
 
 Crescent City, Fla., March 12, 191 6. 
 
 Mrs. Sprunt was truly trusting the saving 
 power of God, and thus the going to her was 
 an entrance into the unspeakable glory of the 
 presence of her Lord. 
 
 Faithfully in Him, 
 
 L. S. Chafer. 
 
 Jackson, Miss., March 20, 1916. 
 
 My memory of her is so fresh, picturing 
 her full of energy and bubbling life. I want 
 
 115 
 
you to know that there is one here who has 
 not forgotten her kindness. 
 
 With love from Mrs. Lancaster and from 
 me, 
 
 Your sincere friend, 
 
 R. V. Lancaster. 
 
 London, Feb. 17, 19 16. 
 
 I have received your cablegram with the 
 sad news of the death of Luola. We are 
 very, very sorry. She will be greatly missed 
 from the position she so adorned. I shall 
 miss her very much. 
 
 Very affectionately yours, 
 
 J. D. Sprunt. 
 
 Kelvinside, Glasgow, Scotland, 
 
 March i, 1916. 
 
 Always thinking of others and never at all 
 of her own feelings, she was a wonder unto 
 many. Words fail me to express my admira- 
 tion, love, and respect for her. I always felt 
 happy in her presence. What a gift to possess 
 and what, a price one has to pay for such a 
 talent! She certainly did not hide it in a 
 napkin. I always think that those highly en- 
 dowed people must suffer greatly; they feel so 
 intensely themselves and recognize others' 
 
 116 
 
feelings so deeply that they must suffer all the 
 time, but their interludes of freedom from 
 care are so intensely enjoyed that it must be 
 partly made up to them. 
 Ever affectionately, 
 
 ToMiNA Jackson. 
 
 Kelvinside, Glasgow, Scotland, 
 
 Feb. i8, 1916. 
 
 She has been taken from us, but her mem- 
 ory lives on. We have all been the better for 
 her life, and it will be with a "Well done, 
 good and faithful servant," that she has en- 
 tered the presence of her Heavenly Father. 
 Yours very sincerely, 
 
 Wm. Jackson. 
 
 HiLLHEAD, Glasgow, Scotland. 
 
 Please accept all my sympathy in your great 
 trial. Dear Luola — I am very glad that she 
 passed away so peacefully. 
 
 Yours very affectionately and devotedly, 
 Annie Hedderwick. 
 
 Scottish Rifles, North Camp. 
 
 I had a great admiration and respect for 
 Cousin Luola and wished often that my fam- 
 
 117 
 
Ily, but particularly my mother, could have 
 seen more of her. 
 
 Affectionately yours, 
 
 Edwin Hedderwick. 
 
 Loud WATER, Bucks, England, 
 
 March 8, 1916. 
 
 Mrs. Sprunt held a high place in the ad- 
 miration and affection of all who had the hap- 
 piness of knowing her, and will ever be asso- 
 ciated with our choice recollections of home. 
 
 Very sincerely yours, 
 
 F. L. PoissoN. 
 
 Seven Kings, Essex, England, 
 
 Feb. 19, 1 91 6. 
 
 I shall ever remember her kind hospitality 
 and friendship on each occasion that I visited 
 Wilmington. 
 
 Yours sincerely, 
 
 Fred. K. Paton. 
 
 Oxton, Birkenhead, Feb. 18, 19 16. 
 
 Mrs. Sprunt's wide philanthropic and na- 
 tional work, which gave her so much pleasure 
 in life, now becomes a monument, which must 
 
 1x8 
 
sustain and comfort you In this hour of trial, 
 a noble and living tribute to the highest ideals 
 of life. 
 
 Believe me, 
 
 Yours very sincerely, 
 
 C. D. Mackintosh. 
 
 NoKOMis, Task., Canada, 
 
 Feb. 29, 191 6. 
 
 I always remember Luola's kindness to me 
 when I visited her at the sound. 
 Yours sincerely, 
 
 Margaret S. Cowper. 
 
 Le Havre, France, Feb. 17, 191 6. 
 
 It is doubtless a great consolation to you 
 that she passed away so peacefully — a fitting 
 end to a life so full of activity and of contri- 
 butions to the amelioration of the needs and 
 suffering of others. 
 
 Most sincerely yours, 
 
 Tom Orrell. 
 
 Liverpool, England, Feb. 29, 191 6. 
 
 To Mr. William H. Sprunt: 
 
 Thank you for your cable informing us of 
 Mrs. James Sprunt's death. There will be 
 
 119 
 
many individuals and institutions in Wilming- 
 ton to whom her loss will make a great differ- 
 ence, for it seems to us that she was always 
 busy in thought and work for others. 
 
 Your cable as to the time of the funeral 
 enabled us to show some slight regard for her 
 memory in closing this office on the afternoon 
 of the 1 8th. 
 
 Yours sincerely, 
 
 W. MiLLIGAN. 
 
 C. D. Mackintosh. 
 
 'THERE IS A PEACE THAT COMETH AFTER 
 SORROW." 
 
 Jessie Rose Gates, in the April Century. 
 
 "There is a peace that cometh after sorrow," 
 Of hope surrendered, not of hope fulfilled; 
 
 A peace that looketh not upon tomorrow, 
 But calmly on a tempest that is stilled. 
 
 A peace which lives not now in joy's excesses, 
 Nor in the happy life of love secure; 
 
 But in the unerring strength the heart possesses 
 Of conflicts won while learning to endure. 
 
 A peace there is in sacrifice secluded; 
 
 A life subdued, from will and passion free; 
 'Tis not the peace which over Eden brooded, 
 
 But that which triumphed in Gethsemane. 
 
 1 20 
 
LuOLA MuRCHisoN— Second daughter of 
 
 Colonel Kenneth McKenzie and 
 
 Katherine Elliott Williams 
 
 MuRCHisoN, was 
 
 Born near Fayetteville, North 
 
 Carolina, Septen-.ber 2i, 1858. 
 
 Married James Sprunt November 
 
 27, 1883. 
 
 Entered into rest February 17, 1916. 
 
 Children of 
 James and Luola Murchison Sprunt. 
 
 Kate Murchison— Born September 20, 1884. 
 
 Died March 2, 1887. 
 James Laurence — Born July 4, 1886. 
 
 Married Amoret Cameron Price 
 
 June I, 1912. 
 
 Amoret Cameron Price Sprunt 
 
 died January 5, 1915, age 24 years. 
 Marion Murchison— Born February 16, 1889. 
 
 Died August 30, 1901. 
 
 Child of 
 James Laurence and Amoret Cameron Price Sprunt. 
 
 James Laurence— Born January 5, 1915. 
 
 121