Decorah public opinion., 1923-02-07
DR.. LARSEN WAS
ABLE CHURCH Man
Lutheran Church of America Loses
One of Its. Most Able
Leaders and Friends.
BORN IN DEBORAH
IN YEAR 1882
Son of the Late Laur Larsen, who
Served in the Capacity of the
First President Luther
College.

1
sen in Erie, Pennsylvania on Jan. %,
was mentioned in these columns last
week.
Commenting upon the passing OF
this prominent young Churchman,
Minneapolis Tidende, pays tribute
70 Dr. Larsen's ability to handle the
language of his forefathers:
"Dr. Lauritz Larsen was of a fam
lily that has had a great influence
upon the cultural work of the north
men who emigrated to America. He
was born Nov. %, 1882 in Decorah,
Iowa, a SON of Luther colleges pion-
eer and veteran president, DIR. Laur.
Larsen and wife Ingeborg, nee As
trup. The mother is sister of the
well-known Bishop Astrup in South
Africa. The Larsen home in De-
corah was Morse home, Morse lit
erature and history together with
ecclesiastical topics and other or
ganizational affairs were actively dis
cuSsed. Norwegian was the every
day language used, and the chill
dren were instructed in this langu-
age. When DR.. Lauritz Larsen,
about two year ago, preached, for the
AAA-Nk AtAAtNs III OlAc vi NIIG IIuISllCs
in Ckristiania, he could therefore
employ in Norwegian language,
which, on account of its clearness,
aroused wonder"
The Manitou Messenger pays the
following tribute:
With the passing of DR.. Lauritz
Larsen Of Brooklyn, n. Y, Sunday
night, Jan. %, the Lutheran church
of America lost one of its most able
leaders and friends. At the time of
! his death he, was president of the
Lutheran church council, was nation
ally known for his prolific activities
Tin the evangelical field, and inter-
/ nationally prominent for his Euro
pean relief work. About a week before
DIR. Larsen contracted pneumonia
while on a lecture tour; overwork
! and exhaustion had weakened him
/ physically and he died at Erie, Pa,
after brief illness. Since last year
he has been conducting a relief cam
paign for the famine sufferers in
Russia for which he was working at
the time of his death.
Within the brief space of forty
years DR.. Larsen accomplished deeds
worthy of a longer life time. He was
born IN Decorah, Ia, where his IA
ther, Laur Larsen, served in the ca
pacity Of the first president of Lu-
ther college. He is graduate OF
Luther college and Hamline Luther
Theological seminary. In 1907 he be-
gan his evangelistic activities as pas
Tor at Plaza, \. d., which call he left
the following year to serve con-
gregation at Cresco, Iowa. Some
years later, in 1913, DR.. Larsen NOV
ed east, accepting a call from Brook
/ lyn, y. y, which he served with re-
markable success. He also acted as
president of the Norwegian Lutheran
! Deaconness Home and Hospital at
Brooklyn, and as secretary of the
Lutheran Foreign Missions confer
ence of North America.
Dr. Larsen's environment during
his youth, his connections with edu-
! catiOnal institutions and the church
and his position as a member of a
family internationally prominent for
religious and educational work COM
bined 10 make him outstandingly able
10 serve his fellow men in his chosen
II field. During the hideous days of
the war he represented the Lutheran
church council in Washington, sew
eral times fulfilling important mis-
sionS for that organization in Europe.
During the equally terrible days that
have followed the signing of the
Armistice he tirelessly expended time
nd energy that he might bring to
successful issue the relief drives for
starving EuUpe. Motivated by the
compelling thought that within the
four seas all are brethren" he person
ally pleaded with Christians of Am
erica 20 send immediate assist
ance abroad. 1t has been said that
DR.. larsen addressed as many as
eight audiences in one day. Great
er love hath no man than this, that
a man lay down his life for his
friends" Perhaps the life that,
weakened by overwork and worry,
succumbed to readily to the ravages
Of disease, by diving rendered the
greatest service of all.
DR.. Lauritz Larsen is survived by
mis- wife (nee Charlotte Haugen of
Decorah, Iowa. and their four chill
dren, and by his mother. Mrs. Inge-
borg Larsen of NOrthfieId, Minn., his
four sisters and three brothers.