Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-07-29
Perseverance Leads
To Success

want to have a talk with the country girls
who are anxious for education, but who have
was raised in the country and attended the
'old field" schools few months each year,
until ! was Is. There was a constant change
OF teachers. books and methods. was a good
speller and reader and fond Of mathe-
mstics and made some progress in these
studies But. girls, honestly, when l stopped
school at 10 did not know a verb from an
adjective. 30 Indifferent had been my training
in grammar.
After stopped school and began to go into
society IL did not take me long to find out
that was ignorant. pitifully ignorant, and
my Ignorance soon grew TO be source eof
much embarrassment TO me when among edu-
Gated people. ! felt the need OF education.
but knew IL was useless to 20 back to the
same school and teachers. ] also knew that
my father was not able 10 send me away 20 a
better school. So / decided that half a loaf
being better than none ] would 60 in for
home study. began at once to study the up
to-date text books and to read the few books
our library contained which, were nearly all
Of a religious nature, for my father never
allowed story magazine or novel in our
home. and ! was is years old befoA saw
inside the covers OF a novel.
With conscientious study ] found that / wns
accomplishing even more than / had expected.
While this was q great help 10 me. I stin felt
the need Of attending a good school and study
Ing the higher branches which ! could not 90
without the help Of q good teacher.
Thinking IT would be better for me to DO
an old maid than a dissatisfied. ignorant mar
with young men. but continued my studies I'M
I'll was 20, when things began to come my
way l firmly believed that l should some
day have chance to make good" and when
IL was decided that a high school to be
built near my home / knew that should make
my dreams come true"
College trained teachers were EMPLOYED and
school opened in the fall as soon as the build
ing was completed / had made my plans to
60, but at the last moment I found that It
would be impossible for me to begin until after
the holidays. ] was q very much disappointed
and detected girl, but waited patiently as
possible. / admit. however. that I did envy
those other pupils who were more fortunate
than /.
With the determination to makes every effort
possible 70 succeed starred to school again
at 20. This time with q stimulus to learn
and with good teachers ] made rapid progress.
/ took up nine studies, besides getting in a
good smOuRe Of reading It is needless to say
the simple life my health did not suffer from
the overvork. When school closed had COM
pleted most Of my studies, but instead OF rest
ing az once began course of reading under
the direction Of my teacher.
i had decided that II was possible even yet
for me to complete my education. and was
preparing myself to teach and thus to earn
the means OF going 10 college.
was almost knocked off my feet" with
surprise when the school trustees asked me II
/ would accept the position OF assistant.
accepted and combined studying with teaching
the next year.
Prom the first found the work fascinating.
teacher
Before the year was out I stood the teach
ers examination and was the proud possessor
OF a first grade license.
That. my dear girls, only the beginning
and the end IL not yet. for, though on the
shady side Of 30. am still a devoted student
as well a teacher.
Girls. what i, a very ordinary girl succeed
cd In doing. you. too, can do with a little
pluck and the determination to overcome every
obstacle. remembering there's no such word
as fall VICTORIA