Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1900-03-30
"HumbIe Citizen" Taken
in Hand.
MISSIONARIES IN TAzEWELL
Ex-teacher Gives Short His
tory-A Few Facts-Mis
sionarles Should Make a
Start on "Humble Citizen"
Patrons Manifest No Interest.

MIR. Editor:-The first school we
ever taught was very close to Free
Stone Valley. The school house was
very good one, except that it had
a hole in the top o. it that had been
burned there a year before and the
people manifested enough interest
in the school not to fix it. and so far
as know they had not reported it
to our worthy county super inten-
dent. OF course when it rained the
water came through, and when the
wind blew, as it often does in that
part of our county, especially in win
ter, the upper joint of the stove
pipe would come lose from the resi-.
We have very vivid as we'll as
painful recollection of going to the
house on many cold, snowy, windy
morning, climbing up through the
scuitle hole, fixing the pipe and then
coming down with our hands so
cold and numb that it was almost
impossible to crt shavings to make
"A fire. At close estimate we walk
I'd 592 miles that session. We work
ed in the schOol-room 81 hours do
lug the best we knew how for sal
airy of $4,000 month, paying $500
of that for board We did our best
but we were "too easy" $500 young to
teach" etc.
We were given schoc{ closer home
the next year. tt is not very diff
cult for US to remember ethat school
either. Twas the place where we
made door to the steke frop
piece of old stove pipe asz maSsAhe
CRATE out of railroad-spikes laid
cross ways in the stove. There was
no lack of ventilation, for IA window
glass were out part OF the time, and
the cracks in the floor were almost.
If not quite large enough, to allow
the barefoot boys to stick their great
toes through, and plenty large
enough to stop the school sometimes
for a week on account of cold wealth
er. The patrons manifested great
interest in the school here and were
very deeply concerned about the
education of their own children. In
fact the interest was so great that
part of the fuel was paid for out of
our OWE pocket. Here was the place
talked of by MIR. Groseclose in last
issue of the NEWS. 1t was no un-
common thing for us to teach till
1890 o'clock, take up school again
at Loo and teach till 4:30. in order
to get through with the lessons.
This is another time we did the best
we could, but here We "were beat
ing the children to death (the Lord
only knows how much they needed
it) we were "too much of boy to
teach school they wanted Mr..
- to teach for them that year."
etc.
The last school we taught was
close enough for us to walk 600
miles in five months and board at
home. The house was very little,
if any better than the one we taught
in the previous year We never
learned what the people thought of
that school and are glad we did not
However, this short experience
was enough to cause US to enroll our
names on the list of ex-teachers.
Now, few words to your Hum
bic Citizen" of Poor Valley, and we
are done. We were in the three ex-
aminations of 1S96-97-98, were at
the teachers Institute at Tazewell,
Dec. 18th and 18th, 1896 and also
attended the normal school conduct
ed by Prof. Hutton at Ric.lands Ia
1898. AT these gatherings We be.
came acquainted with almost all the
teachers of the county, and we think
the statement that the majority oi
Tazewelrs teachers are not ..socia BILE"
are "stuck ups, ""fops;" and "dudes'
Is very unjust, to say the least of it.
We are glad to say that we found
them all sociable and did not find 0
"stuc1 up" "duds' or "fop' among
them, but found as nice a crowd OF
young ladies and gentlemen, with @
few older ones, as we believe can b.