The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-01-10

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MARTHA BERRY
Founder and Director of the Berry
School and the Martha Berry School
for Girls
fish chain of schools in the mountains.
for the public schools lasted but two or
four months, with unframed teachers and
with the poorest facilities for teaching.
The first of this proposed chain OF
| schools was established at Possum Trot.
the neighborhood from which the first
| members of the Sunday school had come.
| When Miss Berry would visit that place,
driving up behind Roney, the Sunday
school horse the children would shout,
| Here comes the Sunday lady! Here
comes the Sunday LADY," And so the
| whole mountain acclaimed Miss Berry.
| Other schools were started at other points,
but she was still the Sunday lady of
| Possum Trot.
| A chain of schools In the mountains did
not, however, solve the problem of bet
tering conditions in the life there. AS Miss
Berry visited her pupils in their isolated
log cabin homes, the children whose her
|
| cept spirit, she became convinced that
what was needed most was better home
surroundings. Then came the idea of
! establishing a school of industry where
the children might be taken to board for
! a certain number of months in the year,
and where in an atmosphere of Christian
| culture they might be fitted to fill well
their place in life. where they might learn
| how to work and to value work, and
how to live and to value life.
| She was not successful in her attempts
to interest her friends in her plan. Some
| of them felt that it was too great sac
| rifice for a young woman like Miss Berry
to devote herself to this undertaking.
Some felt that it would be useless. But
the Sunday lady would not given up,
after she had seen the children and had
| worked with them and realized their
needs. She drew upon her personal funds
and had 10-room dormitory built in a
grove near the schoolhouse This build
Ing was christened Brewster hall in COM
pliment to Miss Elizabeth Brewster, who
4 had been with Miss Berry from the first,
and who Is still connected with the Berry
schools.
This was the beginning of the indus
trial school. There was one thing more
to be done. Miss Berry went to her safe
deposit box and took out an old deed. 1t
was a paper that she regarded as almost
sacred, for 1t had been given her by the
father whom she idolized when she was a
little girl. She felt though that she could
put 1t to no better use than to give it
to that part of Georgia's wealth to which
her school, and now she herself, was de-
voted.
A document was drawn up in which she
decided to a board of trustees 100 acres Of
land to be held by them for the use of the
poor boys and girls of the mountains. On
this tract of land stood both the little
| sol 10 wa a
Miss Berrys idea from the first to pro-
vide for the girls as we'll as for the
: boys. but as it was literally pioneering 1t
was necessary to begin with the boys.
They could help in getting the school
started and they were more able than the
girls were to pioneer.
Berry School for Boys Opens
When the dormitory was nearing COM
; pletion, the Sunday lady. driving Roney,
went to the mountains for the boys. She
told the people Of her plans and an
nounced the opening of the school for
/ January 10. 1902. On that day five boys
with five shabby trunks containing scanty
wardrobes entered the Berry school.
Before the end Of the year there were u
boarders. 1t was found by close caicula-
tion that each boys board and expenses
amounted to 500 a year. He was required
to pay half of this in cash and the re.
mainder in work. The boys who could moi
tied with this work In payment for theil
tuition. All the work was done by the
pupils. even the cooking, for the purpose
of the school was to teach tho boys how
to work to the best advantage. At first
the boys didn't understand this plan and
somo difficulties were met. To get ovel
this as soon as possible Miss Berry put
the hardest task first
She began with the washing. Nov
boys, we arc going to wash clothes.
will show you how. Then each b. II
| to wash his own clothes"
A painful silence followed. and theG
the Oldest boy said with q challenge II
| his voice:
mo, ma'a amt never seen no mar
do washin'. an what's more amt goin
to do It,"
Miss Berry was prepared for this, fol
she understood how definite was the line
drawn between womans work and mani
in the mountains; and SO she explained
that the washing had to be done, and Il
they didn't do 1t, she would, and that they
might watch while she did it.
She went to work on q task that wal
as new to her as It was to them, and
they looked on in surprise, and then Ii
: sheer exhaustion, the oldest boy blurtet
y out.
! II amt never seen 1t done, but Tn
a-goin' to wash them Clothes
/. In that incident the success Of the in
K dustrial work of the school was mad,
: certain. The battle to overcome their in
: herited prejudice again doing women
h work" was was won, and after that the,
did the cooking, the cleaning. and tn,
v dining room work, and they came to real
: ize how much was expected Of thei
i mothers and sisters.
/. They spent part of the day in outdoo
q work. in clearing woods. making roads
) and getting the fields ready for cultiva
. ton; and part was spent at the littl
o schoolhouse. In the evenings after SUP
Z lper the teachers and the boys gathers
n around the big fireplace, and read an,
}. studied.
d This was how Berry school started. Tn
> first boys who went there. beside tn
z training they received, have the satisfac
U ton Of knowing that they helped to max
. Il npssible for other boys to be educate
and trained there.
sI 1t IL known now over the entire Unite
o States, and It II one Of the most genuin
. and most sucooasful attempts % e1ucal
children b the most efIclont woy.