The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-03-22

be-, with his wife and daughter, moved
into the Cumberland mountains i'll
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 tho
range 1t would be diff
cult in the United States to find place
and people in more violent contrast
with his old associates. Wealth, or Mt
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 n
thought to the sacrifice he was making,
felt that he was coming rs missionary
to the heather quite as much as if he
had gone out to the heart of darkest
Africa. He built large double log
cabin that was quite palatial and a
model of home comfort in contrast with
the cabins of his neighbors, and as he
knew that the people We're 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 be-
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 q,
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 Bradleys Crossing, as the
place was called
AT first the people did not take kind
" to the missionary. These mountain
GERS, 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 the
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
| tiers had come into the mountains to
spread his pernicious political princi-
Piles rather than to preach the gospel.
Although young enough to be her
husbands daughter, Mrs. Peters threw
herself heart and soul into his work.
She was "a woman of much culture and
force of character, and before she had
been year in the mountains she estab-
lished a school in the meeting house
Excepting Bradley, the blacksmith's,
and the children of family named
Burns, that lived near by, the school was
not attended. Neither the mountain
GERS nor their fathers had had any book
l'arrin, and so they reasoned that their
children could get along without it,
and then they had q dim notion that
schools and abolition were closely re-
lated.
Gradually the meeting house became
a rendezvous for the mountaineers fol-
ten miles round. 1t was particularly
popular in the summer season. Their
groups of lank men and women, Otter
, accompanied by troops of ragged, tow
headed children, would come down thu
mountain trails every Sunday morning
The women, for comfort rather thai
economy, would carry their rough shoe
in their hands and wash their feet anC
put on their foot covering by the littl
, stream that brawled behind the meet
ing house The men often carried thei
, rifles with them to church, and it wa
the exception to find one who had not
pistol strapped about his waist. 1t wa
not unusual for the young men to in
, dulge in target practice while the sen
. Tors were listening to Father Peters
! sermon, and more than once the service
were suddenly ended by fight between
: two men who had met by appointment
for that purpose.
But Father Peters farm, quite a
much as his preaching, helped to breal
up the stupid monotony Of the noun
, taineers' methods. Heretofore the.
never dreamed that anything but pota
l toes, oats and corn could be raised il
! the hills. But gradually the preacher
young orchard Of apples plums, pear
and peaches began to bear, and his vege
table garden was at once revelation
and show of which the congregation
never wearied on Sunday.
. During the ten years that Father Pc
p tiers preached and Mrs. Peters laugh
: they never received ono dollar from tn,
T people The subject of compensation
was never even limited at, nor did tn
idea of donation party ever enter thei
dull minds. Indeed they felt that the
had claim on the proceeds of tn
, clergyman labor, for they helped them
selves from his orchard and garde
! without permission in advance or thank
J afterward
SO matters went on till tho fall O
- 1861. Although his ministrations ha
not been as successful as he at first eS
pected, yet Father Peters was comforte
with the belief that he had done som
good for these rude people. He certain
ly suffered no pricks of conscience fror
a sense of neglected duty Since his CON
! ing his daughter Ella had grown to b
beautiful young woman. His lif
focused in her, and in regarding her
forgot that the heavy hand of time VIZ
bowling his own shoulders and bleacl
= ing his hair like snow.
= Bradley, the blacksmith, who W;
Mr.. Peters nearest neighbor, was ma
of unusual physical strength, and b.
fore the coming of the preacher he ha
been noted as fighter. Indeed he W;
credited with having killed more tina
one man. He had been shockingly brl
tai and profane and was known far al
near as strong Dick Bradley to distir
guish him from a cousin of the SAN
name, who was not quite so strong.
, the only good done by the clergyma
had been the conversion of the blacl
smith, his work in the mountains migl
well be considered a success. Bradle
no longer swore nor drank, nor had i
had u fight for years This remarkabI