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


Dry of her brother, Edward Arson. who
as young man was drowned in the
river near the school campus This schol-
arshlp VIII be awarded from year to year
to different boys who are unable to pay
their tuition.
Some of the Boys at Berry
There are many of these boys. One
writes that he hasn't a thing in tho
world but dog and a calf. and that
he has been shaking logs on the noun
tain but had to spend his money for
medicine forNa member Of the family and
so is unable to pay his way. Another
writes that his mother is not able to
send him to school as she intended and
that he had almost ruther dyed than
to not come there to school, Now haven't
you got just one place at Mt. Berry
could work my way through? / am will
Ing to work two days and go to school
one"
Another boy who had been at Berry
school for a year writes that he cannot
return as he has to take his fathers
place on their farm land pitch the CROP
am going to start a Sunday school and
do what l can on Sundays to make il
seem like Berry school,"
Many Berry school students have
later taught and are teaching in com
munities like the ones from which they
Went to the school and even more of
them are establishing or teaching sun
day schools and Bible classes In the
mountains and foothills of the south
ern states; and they are raising the
Standards wherever they go.
One graduate is known as the rural
telephone man. because he has covered
large part OF his county with tele-
phone lines. His service is a real one
for the telephone has its commercial
value to the farmer and makes the
farm home less isolated than 1t would
be. Two of the boys are competent
electricians, two others are efficient
mechanics, several are planning mill
men and many more are good carpen-
tiers. They learned these trades at the
school, in doing the work of the school.
Still more gratifying results are seen
in the improvements the boys who go
from Berry make in their home sur
roundings, the better houses and barns,
the improved machinery they use and
the intelligent care they take of it and
of their stock, and their ability to in
stall, operate and maintain gas and
steam engines.
Still another Berry school boy tells
the following story of his experiences.
which are typical of dozens of noun
tain boys. When he was an infant his
father died. leaving his mother with
three small children. Their ore pos
session was farm and they were in
| debt. The boys earliest recolleetiors
| are of working for the support of the
| family and later of trying to find time
with it to attend a little log cabin
| school where a term of two or three
| months a year was taught. The meth
eds at that time, 10 years ago. were as
crude as the term was short. When this
10y was Q years old his mother married
again. He~was relieved from the re-
sporsibility he was beginning to feel
| as the one who must take care of his
mother and two sisters, but his oppor-
tunities were not increased. When he
was 1 5 his mother and stepfather moved
TO the latter's home and the boy went
| to live with an uncle. He had aban-
| doned his earlier determination TO be
educated and was looking for some
| sort Of work that would be easier than
| the heavy farm work he had begun
4 when only a child.
| Then he heard Of the Berry school
1 end later met one of the boys from
/ there and decided that he wanted to &c
there. He had never had any money
! of his own and the matter of getting
| the amount for his tuition was Sc
rious one. He finally found a man who
employed him for $40 a month and
board and worked there for two months
| when his wages were increased io
1880 per month. At the end of foui
months he had saved enough to buy
few plain clothes and to pay his board
and tuition for four months.
Then one warm September afternoon hi
! entered Berry. He worked and studlee
as only those who must work can. fol
he would have had to leave at Christ.
mas to earn more money unless he could
| get the scholarship offered for the high
! est grade Winning that enabled him tt
stay in school until he was half through
the Junior year, when circumstances a.
home called him there.
| Shortly after leaving school, he stood
the Georgia examination for teachers an6
/ worked up to the largest country school!
and the highest salary that the county
pays His work has been one phase o.
that which he learned at Berry. some
of the boys specialize on farming, trucl
gardening, a trade, or some mechanical
work for which they have special apt
tude, while others, like this man, are car
rying into other, mountain districts TN
ideals and standards and the culture O.
mind and soul which they received a
Berry; and the work of each one seems
of equal importance. One Alabama boy
who attended Berry has bought 20 acre
of land and has recently had lumbe
sawed from which he planned to built
his own house. Another boy worked las
year at the Florida experiment statlo,
! for the experience in caring for live stocl
and to earn money to enter college at tn
, beginning of the present school yeai
. One went from Berry to the North Caro-
, lima Agricultural and Mechanical colleg
to take full course In agriculture, an
one has dairy and ships milk and crear
to Atlanta.
The boys who are at the school nov
are encouraged to mako plans for thei
, work in the future. One mentions pur
, bred stock a. being the thing mos
! needed in his community. Another tell
/ of the need In his community Of a recoe
| nized school system, another or bette
road building system. and third cor
| siders his community's greatest need a
educational leader In religious and socia
, affairs. He says that the reason the
/ are behind In education IL because the
] have never been shown the need for edu
cation. When one sees what educatio
, like that given at Berry school does 10
, boys who go there one cannot fail I
see the need for it. and to be glad tina
, these boys have the chance that il their
Religious Work
n The school Is undenominational. but
) strongly Christian in its daily life and
) It's purpose. It Is provision Of tn
| cnarter that every teacher must Do
( member of some evangelical church an
II an INSTRUMENTATION church IL main
tanned at the school. In it some II d
! nominations are represented. Sunoa
j school Is conducted at the school ana IN
, struction In the Bible, including histor
, and geography of the holy land, II
! part of the curriculum, and IL given t
every student. This work in itself IL on
, of the best things that could be done 70
those who mean to help in districts whsr
unbiased Christian teaching and belief
a. ~ vny6A H n