The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-08-18
HER PERSONAL ATTENTION
An Incident in the Life of the
First Lady of the Land in
Which She Not Alone Ex-
pressed Deep Interest and
Personally Provided Funds
For Education
(HOWARD n. BANKS.)

Asheville, Aug. 16.-Amonast the
many good works il which Mrs.
Wilson YVES always abound
ing was her effort to encourage educa-
ton Of mountain children. She fire.
qUently talked about this work TO her
pastor, Rev. James H. Taylor of Cen
trail Presbyterian church, Washing
ton. About six months ago., Rev. Mr..
hudson. who IS superintendent of the
schOol work in the Southern
Presbyterian church. spoke in The Sec
ond Presbyterian church of Washing
ton, Of which Rev. Mr.. Bird is LAS
tor. Mrs. Wilson made il a point to
be present although the address was
at night.
There was present and taking part
in the preliminary service that night
Rev. John Knox Colt, principal Of Ma
cooche Institute, a co-~eduCational
mountain school in North Georgia at
a little town called Sautee. Mr.. Colt
had hopes of meeting Mrs. Wilson
after the service, but failed to dc so.
Naturally he was a good deal disap-
pointed. He was a guest at my home
at the time. [ had known him for
many years, first at his old home in
Salisbury and then at other places
while he was doing colportage work
for the Moody Institute of Chicago.
L Va L Sdt i 81 -
girls know his sister, Miss Laura Colt,
who is a member of the faculty Of
the State Normal and Industrial In
stitute at Greensboro.
| had met Mrs. Wilson at church
once, taking occasion to tell her that
[ a been a claSsmate Of her brother,
Prof. Stockton Arson. the year he had
spent at Davidson College. Presum-
ing upon this | wrote Mrs. Wilson
a note telling her of the visit OF
Mr.. Colt to Washington and suggest
ing to her that it would be a life
long inspiration to him if she CoulC
spare him a few moments of her time
Next day Miss Bones called me III
over the telephone and said hat Mrs
Wilson would be very much pleased il
Mr.. Colt could call at the White House
at 2 o'clock that afternoon.
There was a blazing fire in the Rec
Room" said my friend, in telling mt
about the interview afterward, "anC
Mrs. Wilson welcomed me with the
utmost cordially. She was a Geor'
gia girl, you know, and said she haC
once visited NacoOche. The though
awakened a train Of other memorie!
of her Georgia life, and she spokt
freely about the birth of two of he
daughters at GAINESVILLE, Ca, and abou
their early girlhood."
Their were pictures of the sChoo
buildings to be shown, and of tn
types of boys and girls. TIL
pictures included a series of a noun
tain still" in the vicinity, and of tn
moonshiners' daughters who wer'
students at the Institute.
How much does it cost to educat
a girl at your SCHOOL," queried tn
First Lady Of the Land Of the noun
tain school teacher.
Fifty dollars a year.
LAS little as that. l must certainl,
have a girl there"
And through her kindly heart Whicl
always beat in sympathy with human
need is stilled in death, a little Geor
gia highland lass will owe part o
| her equipment for life'S duties to Mrs
Wilson'S Christian generosity.
"You must allow me to say on
thing, Mrs. Wilson," my friend said
and thai is that there never Ia
been a time in the history of GU
country when SO many people VIII
T know how to pray have been prayln
l for the inmates of the White House"
And what did Mrs. Wilson say t
that | asked.
? Not a word" said Colt. Her eye
lust flied with tears"
Mrs. Wilson took me upstairs an
showed me the Presidents room, car
mountain children. AS l left the his
toric mansion. l loked at my watch
The Presidents good wife in the mids
of her multiplicity of duties had civ
en- me thirty nine minutes Of h
time"
u;oo-"Old Roraleiph'S Jokes ar