Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1920-06-07
PARENTS TAUGHT
BY OWN CHILDREN
Glimpse of Life About Schools In
Mountain Districts-Books
Come Before Clothing

Many OF the rural residents of Ken
lucky are being taught to read and
write by their own very young chill
dren.
Books now come before clothing,
when it is necessary.
Many parents await the coming
from school of their children with
their books and take their Gown les
sons" in reading and writing.
Thus the efforts of the Kentucky
Educational Board are appreciated in
the mountainous section.
More than enc man spends an hour
reading in the field, having secured
a book or other reading matter, and
clings to it tighter than little Jimmy
used to stick to Nick Carter or Dick
Merriwell, after he had once learned
to read.
The rural folks are entering new
sphere and they are delighted.
Once given a grain of intelligence
in the way of reading and writing they
read or write upon everything avail
able. So says a teacher in a noun
tain section.
zone would be surprised at the per-
centage of miners children who are
DESTROYS of becoming professional men
and women" said Mr.. Hernley, teacher
in one of the Kentucky mountain dis
trict schools, while in the city. He
stated that the instructors We're treat
ed with the greatest consideration and
each year there was a little rivulet of
finished students leaving the. schools
for higher learning, and prophesied
this little rivulet would soon become
a stream, since there is such determi-
nation upon the part of many of the
Industrious and progressive students
to get cut into the world and the gen
eral belief is that the ranks Of chill !
dren now in the rural field will
eventually be very noticeabley thinned
and a small army Of well trained
educators will result Many who arc
unable to attend school regularly, |
take books to their homes and study, |
and It is said to Oe Surprising TO see
how they advance, studying after
they have performed their daily |
labor. There are many men and
women, much older than the teachers,
in attendance at some of the schools.
This imparts an important grain OF
knowledge to the school officials, who
are fast becoming cognizant of the
fact that many want to learn. The
average rural citizen, once he gets to
a stage where he has mastered read
ing to a degree where he can peruse
a story, becomes a great reader, ac-
cording to the statement of the en-
structor.
Another thing is noticeable, said
Mi. HernIy, rejecting over his work
Those who have passed the school
age, and have failed to learn to read
or write, are proud Of their children
who have been~taught, and books
come before clothes, if it is necessary
They will buy them at any cost, and
oftentimes, there is great interest
shown by the parents of children.
when the latter come home to study
night, there will be no effort upon the
part of the Kentucky EducatiCna'
Board wasted, for every opportunity
to learn is taken advantage of. Meth
er are the older men and women
ashamed of their ignorance. They
are keenly aware of it, it was ex-
planned, but do not hesitate to "ge'
forward, if possible, and once they
understand the elemental lines, they
go right through, in many cases
coached by their children. They arr
the straight upright, honest rural
Kentucky residents who have either
failed or not had the opportunity OF
learning, and this coming of the
teacher and book in many sections is
rapidly tranplanting them into a new