The Worcester spy., 1899-11-10

and Andover, and man who can
preach acoeptably for any one of the
seven kinds Of Baptists, two kinds of
Methodists, or four kinds Of Presbyter-
ians, to be found in the mountains. We
have dozen teachers, any one of whom
would Insure the success Of a school.
And you win ask me how the people
respond to these efforts.
1t is a qualification and a surprise to
see their eagerness. Last Christmas
there came in from Clay county-the
county made famous by the Howard
Baker feud-a procession Of four wag-
ons filed with girls and baggage, and
sixteen boys on foot.
Prof. Greenough of Westfleld, Mass,
spent winter at Berea as volunteer,
and assured us that while these noun
tain lads lacked all elegance and in
formation, they had capacity In
mathematics, for example, they were
equal to the young men in our New
England schools.
love to recall the capture Of my
first moonshiner. I was engaged in
this extension work, and the people be-
gan to tell me Of a great man whose
domain l was approaching. He had
built his log castle at a point where
three counties met, in order that on oc-
casion he might move rapidly from one
jurisdiction to another. And he had
killed an officer here, and neighboF
there, and, to use the expression Of my
| guide, had so much lead in him he
dassent go in swimming"
This great man came out to hear me
! talk on education. He followed me up
and listened to the same speech in the
| afternoon. The next day I was further
away, but as I rode up to the school
| house there was his familiar gray
| horse fastened to the hanging limb of
a beech tree He heard that speech on
education for the third time. The re-
suit was that he broke UP his still,
moved with all his "plunder'' to Berea,
and put five children in school--the eld-
| est boy being already in the peniten-
tlary. That family was interrupted just
| in time.
| Such are our countrymen in the
southern mountains, They ere people
Of vigor and capacity, but they will be
g. menace to the country unless they
are made fit to help it. And the matter
Of giving them the right kind Of aid is
| delicate one. We wish to give them
the best elements Of modern civiliza-
ton, and to help them to help them
selves
To do this requires wise management
and wide cooperation. II any one of
these nine states would establish a
normal and Industrial institute spe-
cially adapted to it's mountain citizens
1t would help Immensely. But they are
all poor southern states, inexperienced
In popular education, and burdened by
the problems Of their larger lowiand
territory.
The country at large must help the
mountain region TO get an educational
start, precisely as we have helped the
pioneer communities of the west And
we must begin with one centre, where
students from north and south can
mingle, and where there shall be skill
full adaptation and good equipment,
Thus shall we develop some Of the best
| material in this great circle of south
ern states, and do our part in effacing
sectional lines.
And what more patriotic, sagacious,
Christian enterprise could be thought
Of than this Of gathering out of our
aff1uence, and high heritage, and sue
! cess, the means for making our be-
lated countrymen sharers in the same
blessings?
And we shall not lose our varied re-
wards. Appalachian America, edu-
Gated will become a new consumer of
our manufactures. We shall have the
satisfaction that always comes from a
noble work well performed. And a
time is coming when we shall need
every American within our borders,
educated and equipped, to assist in the
larger responsibilities of the republic.