The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-02-22


 nearest heaven. where only opportu- nity is lacking to the primitive people who are simon pure" Americans, is the mission work so dear to the heart of Miss Angie Manning Taylor.
 This well-known. Bible teacher. who is giving a series of Bible lessons this week in Birmingham. with the help of a few interested friends, made 1t possible to open the home mission work in May, 1916. on The Iral or the Lonesome Pine.f
 "1t was while | was teaching Bible classes in drawing room meetings at Richmond, that a guest in the class from Big Stone Gap first interested me in the needs and the splendid pos abilities of the people land bound III the mountains near her home, whlch' by the way, was also the home or John Fox. Jr." said Miss Tavlor. in speak ing to me of this home mission work among the mountaineors.
 After 1 left Richmond" she con tinued. "it was my privilege to teach Bible classes in Big Stone Gap, and f was during the hours spent in the long rides out into the mountains that learned to know and appreciate the LACKED OPPORTUNITY
 "I saw" said Miss TaY1or that what they lacked was not capacity but opportunity.
 "Then and there." affirmed this con secrated teacher. while her eyes beamed her happiness. T determined 4o devote my life work to offering op- nortunitv to at least a small portion af these splendid people. the oppor- tunitv for all that religious educalion stands for ,,,. ,ra,,1or After this decision of Miss Taylor, she severed the connection that nan
 s1.1 anspices of the Moody Bible Society and began immediately to plan her own itineraries.
 Recause of her faith and that of consecrated home missionary thal will be maintained Miss Taylor holds to her life work as a Bible teacher' sending aid from time to time to the hrave missionary lady" who IS In charge of the settlement work that has been such benediction to the mountaineers for miles around Hoos
 BEGAN WORK IN CABIN
 Their work began in little noun tain cabin just 14xl4 in Sunudy school of fourteen pupils. Soon they were able to get into a house lew feet longer with wider windows ana q door under which they did not haVs to stoop where Miss Tavlor tausn' 12s pupils in Bible classes. The Work has been developed since that tlms to such an extent that at present lt is undertaken in several settlements and a public school has been opened on tha mission ground of the first The nictures given by Miss Iaylor ol the lives of the mountain people are lihe chapters from the novels of tlctloh ol FOX and the interest of this g1tted ana cultured woman in their behalf remlhos one of the devotion of Mrs. Martha Gle a low and a few others who have given the work of their lives largely to offering op- portunity to these people through Whosc veins courses the blood of English Scotch ?Irish or French Huguenot ances- try. With reminder of the English Of Shakespeare's day still on their ltps-stiil living land-bound, where the wheel fell from the wagon" on the trail to tlnd homes after the revolutionary battles, IS the unchanged environment the mlssloh- ary lady found when she and Miss ray Tor went to establish a mission Tn the fastness of the Cumberland mountains. .'Perhaps," suggested Miss Taylor, 1t will be interesting to picture our settle- ment in the mountains from the letters that have come to me from our mission worker These were written to me during the intervals when I was absent from our mission and unknown to the writer, have kept them as record Of the De- ginning of our work.
 q am sorry" Miss Taylor explained, mot to be able to share with you the charm and natural characteristic color ing of these incidents by using the names of people mentioned, and also the places | referred to, such as Wild Cat Valley, Preacher Creek, Hog Branch, Turkey Cove. Hangman's Branch, Hoot owl Hol- low, Engagements Nose, etc, but wish the people and places to remain un- known"
 MOUNTAIN EXPERIENCES
 Yet even with names left out, the actual experiences of the missonary lady" of the Cumberland mountains, all unknown to herself, will be of interest to many Birmingham people in the few selected extracts that follow. From g tempting array of letters that will per haps some day be put into book form we select as sample picture No. l, as fol lows:
 I've opened our new Sunday schoo vesterdav in the deserted lumber shacl that we walked seven miles to get tn, consent of the owner to use. Fourteer were present. on the inside, and thre times as many on the side of the noun tain looking on. The men helped me brought rocks on which we put board for seats I brought a folding black board and the little folding organ. Tn sunday school building is 14x14-one door one hole for a window. MT. -r-- tol' me we are StdrllnS our WoIh III lHe iioS desperately lawless part of the county This was made real to me when tn sheriff of -- said he could not believ we were opening(a Sunday school there tken added, I once held Sunday schoo there. l marched thirteen men iron there to after they had given thei guns to us. That is the kind of Sunda school held Every one seems to knoy the place by eputation-gamhling, still and disregard for law"
 COLD AND HALF-CLAD
 Those dear children, many of then cold and half-clad, were there with face bright and happy-they never took thel eyes from my face as I tried to pictur the hymns to them about the Shepherd Watching Their Flocks by Night You re member The little girl who said she woul walk all over Black mountain if sh could find Jesus7
 You will be glad to know that severs houses are being built with our missio house as a model. One Of the mountai women came to our mission house rt gently, and after looking at the separat rooms, she said: You uns live separate Do you cook separate?
 We'll l said to one of the schoo boys, are you glad you have half hot day.? 70 which ne replied, Wed ruthe be in school One eleven-year-old bo said to me, I would ruther study as eat One of the little boys who came runnin down the road the other day, said, 'tla school took up yit?' They come so earl because there are no clocks in this ui: trict, and this is what makes it so ne'