The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-10-16
Bronze Tablet to the
Life and Services of
the Late Thomas Page
Memorial Service the Second Presbyterian Church Sum
day. w. Prddy Gives Sketch of Topekan's Great
Devotion to Church and Community.

, nearby churches of their denomina-
| ton to attend and to support the
.arger or central churches, to the
great detriment of the smaller ones.
continued loyalty to our little church,
which continued until his death.
Many of you here today know how
positive Mr.. Page was in his conv1c-
tons that prohibition should be
adopted and enforced. Few were
greater advocates for civic righteous
ness ana sober citizenship than he. L
will mention a specific incident which
confirms the statement as to his posi-
tive convictions and humanitarian
principles.
Some of you remember the great
influx of colored people from the
south some forty odd years ago. Am
pie quarters were lacking and great
suffering prevailed among these poor
refugees. Near where they were gath
ings or cribs, used by the mill for the
storage of grain. Managers looking
after the comfort of these needy peo-
pie secured the use of these vacant
buildings for housing their charges.
He Protected Negroes.
Some of the citizens considered this
a great menace and held an indigna-
ton meeting and passed severe resolu-
lions and named a committee to in
form Mr.. Page that he would be given
twenty four hours to have the build
ings vacated In his positive and con-
vincing manner, Mr.. Page replied that
he needed no time to determine his
course of action-theSe people would
remain in these buildings, and any
violent effort to remove them would
result in shooting. For three weeks
men, hired by Mr.. Page. armed with
shotguns loaded with buckshot, guard
ed the buildings, but no attack was
made, and nothing further came or
the threat.
"In conclusion, I wish I could feel
free to mention several acts of benev-
olence known to me, in and outside of
church affairs, but in vision and
memory 1 see that spiritualiZed face,
and hear that quiet, Ceterring voice;
then 1 recall Matthew 6:S, But when
thou doeth aims, let not thy left hand
know what the right doeth.' How
| ever, I venture to say, that usually,
when seeking information for our an
nual Presbyterian reports, mad to
| obtain information as to his giving
! from other sources.
This tablet we are about to unveil
| is a small but enduring evidence of
! our gratitude to Mr.. Page for his con-
| Germ for and liberal giving to this
church. Especially in his rescue of
i it from the great disaster of the flood
of 1903, which destroyed the first
church and reduced the financial
ability of the members who remained
with the church.
I'm this crisis a new church edifice
was necessary. Subscriptions were
made to the straining point by our
members. and others. with the added
grant of $3,333 from our Board of
Church Erection. but yet we had
! scarcely half enough to complete this
church building, costing nearly $780,
600. 1t is sufficient to say that Mr..
Page, who was chairman of the
| building committee, provided for an
out of debt dedication on April 80,
1905, except for the lasting debt of
gratitude of our people to our Chris
tan benefactor whom we memorabilia
today"