The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1916-01-28
Work Being Carried on Into
Dark Corners Of America.
KENTUCKY TREATED FIRST
MoonIieht Schools Established In That
State In 1911 and Now Work ls Be-
ing Copied In Other States-Founder
Tslis What Work Means To Back
ward Thousands.

Lexington, Ky. Amusing indeed
have prevailed throughout the country
IN regard to moonlight schools" writes
Cora Wilson Stewart, founder of the
famous moonlight schools OF Kentucky.
"Some have imagined them to be
schools where children studied and
played and scampered on the green
like fairies In the moonlight. Others
have believed them to be ideal court
ing schools"
1t was I'm the obscure position of
county superintendent of Rowan coun-
ty that Mrs. Stewart began four years
ago the work that has carried the al
phabet and spelling book into the dark
est corners of her state. Today she Is
president OF the Kentucky illiteracy
commission. author of Country Life
Readers and has the satisfaction OF
seeing her work copied in many other
states, How that work began and
what 1T has meant to the backward
thousands of her state she herself tells:
when was superintendent OF
Rowan county schools served as sec
retary TO a number OF illiterate folk
a mistaken kindness. ought to have
been teaching them to read and write.
Among these folk was a woman whose
children had grown up without educa-
ton. except one daughter, who had
had limited schooling. She had gone
to Chicago and there had proflted by
that one advantage at least which the
city possesses over the rural district
only source OF Joy that came into that
aged mothers life. and the drafts
which they contained were the only
means OF relieving her necessities.
''Often she brought the daughters
letters over the hill. seven miles to the
county seat, for me to read and answer
for her. After an absence OF some six
weeks she came In one morning fon-
ding n letter. | anticipated her mis-
sion and said: A letter from your
daughter? Shall I read and answer 1t
for your
With dignity and pride, she replied
Il kin answer 1t fer myself-rve larned
to read and write
"In amazement l questioned her, and
this Is the story she told: Sometimes
couldn't get over here to see you, and
the "cricks" would be up between me
and the neighbors or the neighbors
would be away from home and
would not get letter read and an
swered for three or four days, and
anyway II jist seemed like thar wuz a
wall 'twixt Jane and me all the time
and l wanted to read with my own
eyes what she had writ with her own
hand. So | went to a store, and
bought a speller, and sot up at night
TIL midnight and sometimes till day
light, and ! learned to read and write
incidents like this led directly to
the establishment OF the moonlight
schools. The public school teachers OF
the county were called together. The
fact that there were LISP men and
women whom the schools OF the past
had left behind was dwelt upon The
teachers were asked to volunteer for
night school service, to open their
schools on moonlit evenings-to give
these people a chance. This they cheer
fully agreed to do, and on Labor day,
Sept. 4, 1911, these teachers celebra ted
by visiting every farmhouse and every
hovel, inviting people OF all classes to
attend the moonlight schools"