Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1918-02-07
Miss Emily c. prudden.

DRY, ~. W. IL "oo q ""o'o INV "'"p
out. when "finished" was written
on the page OF Emily c. Prud-
den's life. Miss lrudden was one
of the sturdy New England wo-
men who came to the mountain
regions OF the sonthlands, before
steam cars or autos had ever
penetrated the beautiful noun.
tairs. She did a wonderful work
in making the way possible for
young men and women, practi-
cally isolated from the world.
She brought edbcation to them,
and fitted them to enter into the
best society and to fill the high
est places in the business world.
Miss Prpdden did not only look
after the educational side OF life,
but she looked after the SOULS
welfare, knowing that educa.
ton is useless to man or woman
without a solid christian founda-
ton. She also looked after the
temporal needs, giving clothing
to the destitute, taking home.
less women and giving them a
home until they could find en-
ployment. She loved the inno-
cent and helpless and was ever
ready to help them. She founded
some fifteen schools in the South,
a number of which are still do
ing a great work, and are bless
ings in their communities. After
she established a school, she
sta el with it three or four
years, until everything was iu
good running order; then she
would turn that work over to
someone else, and would go to
another work. Her hands were
busy as we'll as her brain, and
even though she belonge d to an
ari ri'tocratic family in New Eng
land and was a very cultured wo-
man, there was no work too me-
NAL for her to do, if it would help
some one. None was ever too far
down In the depths for her to
reach down and help them.
She was born, perhaps, about
1888, or 1884 when about about
twenty years of age, began los
ing her hearing, and was too i'm
paired to teach. She edited O re-
ligious paper in Minneapolis,
Minnesota, for several years. Her
health having failed, she was adj
vised by her physician to go to
the North Carolina mountains.
Her destination was to the Elk
Park region. While she was com
ing up the mountain, she became
very i'll. Then she and the lady
travelling with her, stopped%at
the Ingle House on top OF the
mountain to rest for the night,
expecting to travel the next day.
Not being able to do SO. they re-
1uained several days AS they re-
ceived SO much kind treatment
from the lngles, they decided to
stay with them, and not 60 fu,-
ther in quest of health.
In those davs women and girls
carried fruits and vegetables W
the mountain to be sold, aud, af
ter talking to them, she found
that they we're interesting anfl
quite anxious to go to school
Then she began planning how
she could help them.
As she was not. able to go tC
Church aud enjoy the service she
would take her Bible and 60
short distance along the public
road from the lngle House, ,and
where the old Skyland Institute
now stands, would sit and reat
her Bible, while Others were gons
to Church on the Sabbath She
thought there might be a view
from near there; and crawling cl
her knees to a large fallen log
and parting the underground
with her hands, she came to {
very large granite rock, extend
ing out over the brow of tn,
mountain. Then she climbed OF