The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-17

1t took me a year and a half to finish the first years work But l am not ashamed of it. for had had such poor teaching. II have now been in school near three years. Next year 1 hope to be in tho junior class and do more advanced work l have done almost every kind of work to be done in the school since 1 have been here. l started in scrubbing floors and think l know how to scrub them clean: have washed dishes: have millSed the cows, and 1 have learned how to care for the milk and keep it sweet and clean l have made rugs and baskets, and put split bottoms in stools. For three months made all the lightbread for the school 20 loaves a day. l have worked in the laundry, and now my work is making the desserts for dinner for 1s5 people. [ have always worked at home: but at school We learn so much better ways or doing things. I love to wash dishes in
 the nice big, airy kitchen, with the tables secured so white and the floors so clean that you could eat off them. When we
 do the washing at home we make a fire
 out of doors and heat the water in an
 iron pot. Mother puts the wet clothes on block end beats them with a paddle il, l clean them Since I've been at school lhst seems to me poor way of doing When am at home I do all the washing.
 
 T like this school because we, are all country girls here and not many or us have much schooling. We are l not ashamed to go into the lower classes and learn to read and spell i. Tor there are so many of us who never had chance till We came here Ev- tfything we are taught in the school IS aimed to fit us for country lie We nave countrA- life club where the SIrls and teachers meet and talk about ways of making things better m the community, better day schools hetter sunday schools, better homes. We talk about how we can have garden stuff all the year around. how to make our homes more convenient and how to make our homes attra ctive bv plantins, flowers shrubs and trees.
 Besides our two hours work we nave classes in cooking, sewing. gar uening, laundry work. as well as in school studies. But I think have
 learned most in the two hours work that every girl Is required to do each | day. We learn most by doing and we | help pay our tuition by these two hours "ofk. Next year. when I have learned | n,ore in my sewing classes l shall be
 allowed to do my two hours daily work | in the sewing room. where the girls
 serge skirts and gingham uniforms ! are made. In that way I shall learn | a great deal about practical dressmak- ing. When I get further on I shall
 live in, the practice cottage. where the 1 upper class girls put into practice what they have been taught in the cooking 1 classes and they learn a lot more about I balanced meals, serving course dinners and other things that go with a well ordered home. I hope to go through l the school and learn all these thinss. T can never repay Miss Berry and 1 the good friends who have given me | scholarship so that I cauld stay in school so long. The only thing I can ] do is to try to teach other girls who have not had the chance I had a bet
 ter way of doing things when I go home In the summer I help in the l house and in the field and I try to 1 help in the church and Sunday school, where teach class of little children
 I hope when I get more education to
 be able to do this much better
 l My story Is not different from that | of most of the other girls here at Berry. Some of them have had a much harder time than have had. I have
 been fortunate in having a scholarship
 that pays my board and tuition and l the teachers have been kind to give l me extra work by which I earn some money to buy my books and clothes Many girls do not have this chance | ard have to drop out of school and give up their chance of making some-
 thing of their lives.
 l I want all of my sisters and broth l CTS 10 come to this school When get through I shall be able to help them. My sister next to me ought to be here now, but there Is no chance for her to come when cotton is so low