The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1915-11-12

with letter in her hand from an alb
sent son or daughter and an expression
of longing on her face which your bes
Evolutionary efforts could not satisfy
and did you ever watch her counte
nance as you attempted to interpre
the communication which meant 81
much to her, but which she was pow
erless to decipher, and have you not
ed on her face the baffled, mystified
unsatisfied expression? Did you ev
er have tall and promising youth
fit for soldier or statesman, or ever
for school-teacher, whose every fea
ture was expressive of intelligence
quote poetry and sing ballads of hi:
own composition which were delight
full to hear, and when you have, il
your imagination, followed hin
through a wonderful career, you hav,
been informed by him in a sorrow.
full tone that hundreds of such produc
tons have been lost to him and to the
world because he could not write then
down? Did you ever offer a stall.
wartman a pencil to sign his name
and have him shake his head and con-
fess in an apologize, Inundated way
his inability to write? Have you ev-
er watched him make the picture of
that shameful burden and cross which
he carries-His X Mark"
After a series of articles published
in the interest of one of the noun
tain schools in the South, the ed,
Of the paper in which they appeared
received series of letters condemning
him for exploiting the school, where
it was charged that the imam at the
head of it was working the boys and
girls to death and that boy or girl
entering could not leave before the
end of the term because the boys had
to work on the farm and the girls had
to cook and sew and work in the
schoolhouse!"
1--WE did not send our boy there to
learn to work." was the spirit of the
communications. eve sent him there
to learn outer books"
1--WE did not send our daughter to
school to learn to cook. Her ma can
teach her that at home"
One father insisted that the first
Saturday his daughter came home
from that school she raised a row be-
cause there was no hot water to wash
the dishes, and found fault with the
whole house, declaring it was dirty
He said that she kept Bud drawing
water for her to wash in at night and
again in the morning. She kept the
window wide open at night and wanted
to send the hogs off a mile from the
house. Such are some of the COM
plants made in letters still on file.
| was sent to the school to study
the situation. 1t was early Septem-
Der when | went. Leaving the train
a mountain road led to the school
house, picturesquely located at the
summit. From the front steps and
flower garden | looked down into the
most beautiful of fertile valleys per-
pairing for rich harvest. To the
right in the distance | heard the sing
ing and whistling of group of moun-
tain boys building a silo under the
direction of a trained carpenter. An
other carpenter was directing the
building of barn. They were giving
their services, was told, to help out
TIE NOlh VI Ille SCIOOl.
In the afternoon | drove to the pas
ture where the nursery herd was in
charge of group of boys and girls,
Farther on there was the first cattle
raising being undertaken by the
school, and a more interesting pic
ture | had never seen. A young boy
mounted on a gray mule Of sturdy
quality grouped his cattle that |
might get a picture of them. An At
lanta bnaker had loaned the money
to buy this stock, and he was to be
paid from the first years profit A
thrifty mountain farmer was giving
several hours three times a week to
practical instruction in cattle raising,
and the interest of the entire school
was conferred in this new department
Returning to the schoolhouse
heard happy voices outside the kitch-
en- door, where a number of the girls
were stringing beans and peeling po-
tatoes. Going inside another group
were cooking supper and the tables al
ready set, and on them most deli
cious preserves and jams made by the
girls.
Across the hall the laundry was in
order, where work had been done there
in the morning, and back of that was
a room equipped for sewing.
Before supper, a dainty repast,
visited an upstairs classroom where |
the boys and girls had had their af-
ternoon classes in English and were
singing an evening song. Out in the !
yard the boys were playing at various
games and then came in for supper
with the tread and vigor of young
soldiers.
There manner was direct and cour-
teous, and | noticed that their English
was precise and good in intonation.
They were not timid when addressed,
out ready and responsive, and they
lever intruded.
A young girl l particularly noted
FOR her beauty and gentleness was at
The head of the dairy department of
he school. When she had come two
years before she could neither read
nor write, and her ignorance of the
most primitive principles of living was
1iscouraging. But gently led on, she
mad developed character, talent and
ambition. She had exceeded her class
IS and was making dairy her special
I II