The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1909-04-29

ren an opportunity to slake their thirs
at the fount of knowledge.
The schools are all crude in the ex.
treme, the teachers being from the
mountain folk and having little beyond
the proverbial three RS for theil
stock of knowledge, but it is begin
ming and the delight of these true
Americans is beyond the comprehen-
sion of those of the outside world to
whom an education is a matter OF
course, and the getting of it part OF
the days work.
It was through the work of the
School of the Ozarks that the origin of
the mountain folk became known, and
this led to the second step in the de-
velopment of their remarkable story
the interest of several of the patriotic
societies of America and the establish
ment of four patriotic scholarships at
the school.
Of these scholarships the most in
teresting is that which is maintained by
the st. Louis capter of the United
States Daughters of 1912. The con-
dition of this scholarship is that the
recipient, whether boy OF girl, must be
in the direct line of descent from one
who fought, not only in the Revolu
tionary War, but the War of 1912, as
well. This is an easy condition to
meet among these people, for many of
them are grandchildren and great
grandchildren of the men who crossed
into Tennessee with. John Sewer adm
followed Jackson from there to his won
derful victory at New Orleans. There
is another condition, but it is so OBJ
viously needless that it is seldom even
remembered. The holder of the schol-
arship, is expected to do good work to
the extent of his ability. The two
who have held this scholarship thus
far have been over rather than under
industrious, and their teachers have
found it necessary at times to curb
their eagerness to learn.
AWAY FROM THE WORLD.
Forsyth, the center of the region
where dwell these purest Americans, is
ten miles from a railroad and, to the
chance visitor from city, 10000
miles from the world. Branson is the
nearest railroad station, and the ride
from there to the larger town is one of
the most picturesque and rugged to be
found in the Ozarks. The road is
scarcely wider than trail and is rough
in the extreme, but the beauties of
scenery and the wealth of vegetation
compensate in large measure for the
difficulties of the journey.
Since the school was opened out
siders are hearing about the regions
and in the last three or four years it
has become favorite spot for camping
parties, and two or three St. Louis men
have built hunting boxes near Forsyth, !,
All strangers who go there are well
coined in courteous and dignlfied way
by the natives and are treated as guests,
until they forfeit their right to such
treatment by some rude or tactless act.
The mountain folk regard visitors SIS
friends who have come from distance,
and are usually very hopspitable if the
visitors treat them as hosts. AS soon
as they begin taking as a right what
the people who live there are freely
giving them as courtesy the pleasant
relations cease, and trouble has ensued
in one or two instances.
The patriotic societies which have
become interested in these remarkable
people are carrying the patriotic idea
through all their work in behalf of the
people. Prizes for essays On patriotic
subjects are offered each year by the
Daughters OF the American Revolution,
and every effort is made to inssil into
The boys and girls of the school as
much of love and pride in the Amers
ica of to-day as they already have
in the American Of Colonial
and Revolutionary times. The
boys are taught what good citizen
ship means and why they should come
out of the shell which has inclosed their
fathers for more than half century,
and take an active part in the affairs of
the nation, which is theirs more truly
perhaps than others, because they are
the only people in America to-day who
have no outside national affiliations,
who are the only truly American citizens
of the United States.
VIRGINIA LAWRENCE.
WELL, WOULDN'T THAT JAR YOU?
I he above article is from the ST.
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