The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-02-21
WHY HR WENT TO KENTUCKY.

WHY HE WENT TO KENTUCKY.
Mr. Robert Peters, OF Father Peters,
as no was called by the mountaineers.
was born in Ohio. He was q Campbellite
clergyman, and ten years before the war
he, with his wife and daughter, movsd
Into the Cumberland mountains In
southeastern Kentucky. Only an in
tense religious spirit could have induced
Father Peters to leave his home In the
rich lands of the western reserve and to
take up his abode among the hills Of the
Cumberland range. 1t would be diff
cult in the United States to find a place
and people in more violent contrast
with his old associates. Wealth. or at
least comfort. and intelligence were the
rule in northern Ohio. There was hard
ly an exception to poverty and igno-
rance in the new home.
But Father Peters. without giving
thought to the sacrifice he was making.
felt that he was coming as a missionary
TO the heathen quite as much as IL he
had gone ont TO the heart Of darkest
Africa. He built large double log
cabin that was quite palatial and q
model of home comfort in contrast,with
the cabins of his neighbors, and as he
knew that the people were too poor TO
contribute to his support he broke up
little farm and astonished his neighbors
by introducing agricultural appliances
and methods such as they had never b.
fore heard of or dreamed OF.
Soon after his arrival, and with no
assistance from those whom he had
come to benefit, Father Peters built
log meeting house across the rough
mountain road from his home and sent
word through the hills that hereafter
there would be preaching every Sunday
morning at Bradley's Crossing, as the
place was called.
At first the people did not take kind
ly to the missionary. These mountain.
eers, while hospitable TO passing stran-
gers, do not favor the coming in of out
siders. The man who may not own an
acre Of rocky hillside is strong in tho
belief that the mountains round about
are the exclusive property Of himself
and his kin. Then, again, while there
were no slaves in this part Of Kentucky,
the people had bitter hatred Of aboli-
tionists-a hatred that grew more in
tense as the day Of strife approached.
They believed that every northern man
was an abolitionist, and at first they
were inclined TO think that Father Pc
ters had come into the mountains TO
spread his pernicious political princi-
Piles rather than to preach the gospel.
Although young enough TO be her
g.. Dota
herself heart and soul into his work.
She was woman Of much culture and
force Of character, and before she had
been year in the mountains she estab-
lished school in the meeting house.
Excepting Bradley, the blacksmith's,
and the children OF family named
Burns, chat lived near by, the school was
not attended. Neither the mountain
eers nor their fathers had bad any "book
larnin, and so they reasoned that their
children could get along without it,
and then they had dim notion that
schools and abolition were closely re-
lated.
Gradually the meeting house became
a rendezvous for the mountaineers for
ten miles round It was particularly
popular in the summer season Then
groups of lank men and women. often
accompanied, by troops of ragged, tow
acaded children, would come down the
mountain trailseyery Sunday morning.
Tho women, for comfort rather than
economy, would carry their rough shoes
in their hands and wash their feet and
put on their foot covering by the little
stream that brawlod behind the meet
ing house. The men often carried their
rifles with them TO church. and il was
the exception to find one who had not a
pistol strapped about his waist 1t was
not unusual for the young men to in
dulge in target practice while the sen.
iors were listening to Father Peters
sermon, and moro thaHonce the services
wero suddenly ended by n fight between
two men who had met by appointment
for that purpose.
But Father Peters farm, quite as
much as his preaching, helped to break
M the stupid monotony of the noun
taineers' methods. Heretofore they
never dreamod that anything but pota-
toes, oats and corn could bo raised in
the hills But gradually the preacher s
young orchard of apples, plums pears
and peaches began to bear, and his vege-
table garden WAS at onco revelation
and a show of which the congregation
never wearicd OH Sunday
During tho ten years that Father Pc
ters preached and Mrs. Peters taught
they never received ono dollar from tho
people. Tho subject of compensation
was never even hintcd at, nor did the
idea of a donation party ever enter their
dull minds. Indeed they felt that they
had claim on the proceeds OF tho
clergyman labor for they helped them
selves from his orchard and garden
without permission in advance or thanks
aftorward.
So matters went on till the fall Of
a Il ~ : -. a. f