Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-08-06

make the then Far West the theatre
of my future life. This l did in tht
summer of 1928, by connecting mysei
with the Missouri Conference of tht
NJ. e. Church, which conference theI
embraced the State of Missouri and
Territory of Arkansaw. (No one thel
thought of calling it "Arkansas."
After spending five years of active
service on circuits in this State anC
Territory, l was by the authorities o.
the church appointed to Mission work
among the Indians, in what was ther
Indian Territory" but now the State
of Kansas. Here lived, and laboreC
in the religious and educational in
struction of the red people until the
fall of 1916.
What have already said is intend
ed to be an introduction to a very
brief and incomplete history Of AREA
Ola HIGH SCHOOL. And here l haye
to express my sincere regret that there
has not been preserved regular sue
cession of catalogues of that loved and
| ldnlented institution. For had there
been we should have been able to pre-.
sent much more satisfactory account
of its career and achievements. AS il
is, we must be content with the run
ming account here given; which begins
with the date last named-1S46.
On the 28th of July, 1916, the loved
companion of my young manhood, and
mother of my children, died at Indian
Manual Labor School,, near to where
kansas City now stands; and we laid
her mortal remains away to rest In
the Mission Cemetery, with several OF
her co-laborers, and not a few of those
for whose good she had sacrificed thir-
teen years of her life with me.
| She left me four children to care for.
And as always believed that a fathers
own children had the first and strong
est earthly claims upon him, l deter
mined to make the attempt to estab-
| 1ish school for both sexes and to edu.
cate my children at home; and at the
same time do what could for the ed
ucation of others. My brother, already
referred to, proposed to give me some
pecuniary aid in addition to means
had of my own, if would come and
join him at Arcadia; which was only a
sparsely settled neigh borhood in Mad
ison county, Mo. / accepted his pro-
posal; knowing the location to be very
healthy, and centrally situated for a
large area of country in which there
| were very few schools. I had in the
| Indian Manual Labor School at the
| time a teacher in whom / had the ut
| most confidence every way. 1t was
your good fortune to know him in after
years-A. G. Farnham by name. And
| a truer man than whom / have not
known. He is dead. His death was
caused by the bite of rabid dog. But
| the closing scene with him was one of
Christian resignation and triumph. !
laid the project of a high schoolat Ar
cadia before Mr.. Farnham. and offered
him the situation of principal teacher.
He readily accepted; and think never
had occasion to regret it.
1t was in the month Of September,
1916, that Mr.. Farnham, with his good
wife and one child, and myself and four
children and nurse, arrived at my
brothers house, which is now part of
the Arcadia Hotel building.
/ found on coming here that Col. Cy-
rus Russell, q Yankee of the best type,
with the limited means at his command
was ready to lend helping hand. and
having two-story church and school
house he had built at his own expense,
generously rendered US the use of it,
free of rent, until we could put up suita-
BILE buildings for our school.
In this building, now the residence
of the Misses Edgar, we opened Area
dia High School that same fall, with
about twenty-five pupils, boarding a
few from other places at Mr.. Russells
and my brothers. houses.
After maturing plans for school
building and other work, I left the
management of the work with my
brother, and Of the school with Mr..
Farnham, returning myself to the In
dian Mission Conference, of which l
OF hat ,fa,, or,I hi
position I continued to hold in mission
service until the fall of 1S47, when l
took a transfer to the st. Louis Confer
ence: from which 1 received the APP
pointmento of Presiding Elder to Cape
Girardeau District.
MY school, and home now, were in
the bounds of this District, which en-
abled me to assume the general super
vision of all work and the principalship
OF the school, besides making interest
for it when out on ministerial work.
This fall 1S47) we moved the school in
to our new building, and | was mar
ried to Mrs. Wells, of Caledonia, Mo-,
but lately from Kentucky, and in
stalled her matrOn of the school,
and mistress of all domestic affairs.
This year we enrolled about 125 stu
dents, mostly boarder in the Semina-
Fy. r TOfu lUlS tiIuG ou ~ AOoC ouI ar
nual matriculation ranged from 13O to
IT'S. And if were asked why this sue
cess, the answer should be, Because
Farnham was in the school and Mrs.
Bergman superintendent.
There were other agencies and influ
ences, however, which greatly aided
our enterprise. AT the session Of the
st. Louis Conference for 1S47 laid be-
fore that body, for its adoption and fos-
tering care, the school we had now in
operation at Arcadia, which was hearth
ly acceded to, and carried out to the
end in good faith by the preachers of
the conference. And there were many
influential laymen I'm the church, as
we'll as valuable friends, not of our de-
nomination, who gave US their intiu-
ence and patronage. In fact it seemed
that Arcadia High School, during its
drew people of all parties, religious or
political. And yet it was decidedly
Methodist in the one, and Democratic
in the other.
AT the close Of the 18th annual ses-
sion 1 transferred the Arcadia High
School property. by sale, to Mr.. Farm
ham, who continued to conduct it as l
had done, until the disturbed political
condition of the country so reduced the
patronage, that Mr.. Farnham felt him.
self under the necessity of abandoning
the school, aud with his family went
to Kansas, where his family still re-
main. 1t has ever since been a source
of regret to me that Mr.. Farnham did
not stand to his most which I believe