The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1919-04-03
MOUNTAIN VOLUNTEER BAND

ndu iNu NtIN ShNOtoolul h'ttihb'
lately. In the meeting Sunday be-
fore last, Professor Baird gave 4
very interesting lecture on the coun-
try merchant. IL opened up an ell
tirely new field for most of the
members. We seldom think of the
country merchant as being a man
who is doing a great deal of good
| for his community. We generally
think of him as being a man who is
in the business just for the money
he can make. Professor Baird
showed us just how much good in
luence a country merchant could
have over his community, by keep
ing the things in his store that the
people really need instead of keep
ing the things they want.
He told us about a friend of his
who is changing his community for
the better by deciding what the
people in his community need and
then placing them in his store for
the people TO buy. Such as wallpa-
per and rugs that harmoinze in
stead Of the paper and rugs that
have the largest flowers in them,
pictures that really mean something
instead of the pictures we generally
see in the rural community of the
mountain counties, hats that are in
STYLE instead of the out-of-date hats
we see so often, and the best farm
ing implements.
Sa we see that there is a wide
field of work TO be done by the
country merchant. In order that a
man can make a merchant who can
help decide what his community
needs. he must have an education.
Therefore, one of the needs of the
mountains is, better educated and
trained country merchants.
Last Sunday the Band led the Y.
NJ. C. A. Members of the Band ire
sented four or five subjects in which
there is a wide field for work.
The need for educated ministers
was discussed. Every one who has
lived in a rural community OF the
mountains or ever visited one
knows the need for educated MIN
listers. What is more pitiful than
to hear a poor ignorant man VINO
saws he has had a call from God TO
preach, trying to tell us of God,
and trying to lead us into a better
way of living? No doubt, we have
some very devoted Christian men
who are doing this very thing, ana
are more sincere in their work than
many of our best educated minis
ters. but how can they tell the peo-
pie their need for God when they
are not able to understand and re-
alize the needs themselves?
The illiteracy of the mountains
and the need for more county
agents to work in the moonlight
schools was discussed by Helen
Fairchild. She put this question be-
fore us: whether it is better to keep
on helping support insane asylums,
penitentiaries and other institutions,
which will always exist until IL
literacy is wiped out, or would 1t
be better for us to sacrifice our
time, money, or perhaps our lives
TO help wipe out this destructive
evil? 3.
Another very interesting subject
was: The Home Decorating The !
decorations of home have more TO /
do with the thought and actions OF
man than many people fully realize.
The home either lifts man up to
a higher plane or drags him below.
We have all experienced the differ
ent feelings we have, on entering a
home that is well decorated and ar
ranged, and then entering a home
where nothing is arranged right,
nothing harmonizes, and is altogeth-
er a very badly decorated home. So
the home decorating problem is one
yet to be solved for the mountains.
The county agent was also
brought into a different light. Most
people think of him as a man that
should only be interested in the ag-
improvements, but il was
brought out very plainly that he
has large field TO do active relig-
iOus and educational work.
These are only a few Of our
problems, but if we had
more active work along these lines,
could be worked.