Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1920-03-25
Principles and Personals Concerning
Rural Community.
BY ]. o. Knott.

amazed 10 note now many OF the per-
sons ! knew there as a child are still
living, many OF them within a few
miles of the place where they we're
born. III the writer of these recollec-
tons had in view the mere gratifca-
| ton OF the lesire 10 describe how men
and women now living (some of them
dead appeared as boys and girls, do
not know that this would be sufficient
reason for publishing this series of
| "reminiscences; but there are import
and principles underlying the develop
ment and ongoing of a community, and
these come out incidentally in stating
the facts as knew them.
Ii is said that there are but three
generations from Shirt sleeve to shirt
sleeve" The Reinhart community
both proves and dsproves this. Prob
ably a traveller would pass through
many sections of the country before
he found a counterpart of the COM
munity of which write in this par
ticular, viz, the dominant family in
the neighborhood for years is still tho
dominant one. The third generation
has come and gone but the "shirl
sleeve" act for other years ago have
adage was uttered) has not yet come
The community illustrates, on the 9TH
er hand, very finely, that bows and
girls who are reared in tenant homes
need hot
special disadvantage in a country like
ours. Some of the best equipped and
most useful young people that have
gone from the community to fill places
OF usefulness and responsibility in our
great cities were reared in the Rein
hart Schoolhouse neighborhood in
tenant homes, their fathers IN some in
stances working as farm hands for
other men. Some who ID the shirt
sleev" act for other years ago have
now farms Of their own and employ
men under them. Some of the bright
est boys and girls of the community
came OF families that in the time Of
my childhood were without anything
save the plain necessities of life. o.
the other hand, the life of the COM
munity has taught that education
properly directed makes men and
women-including, as | do in educa-
ton, the development of the menta'
and moral as well as physical in young
people.
The community illustrates another
principle. 1t is seldom seen that one
section Of family moves from the
community and another section re-
mains in it, combining thereby the two
ideas OF maintaining the name and
dominance Of the family, and yet not
living too restricted an existence :,
everybody's refusing to 60 forth into
the larger world beyond the communi-
V. Generally speaking the scriptual
words, "a prophet is not without hon.
or save in his own country" may be
taken as safe. He who makes head
way in his own community, where as
child he grew up, must contend with
forces which others do not meet who
60 from it, like Abraham Of old. WHO
was told to go out from his kin4-.
and country" to another land AS
general proposition | should say t.,
the act 70 Abraham is the normal
way Of doing if great things are to DC
accomplished. But where men and
women are independent enough to
pursue a course that will not permit
mere community provincialism to I'M
do them, it is much to be desired &c
see families have representatives sta,
where they were born and maintain
what their fathers and mothers help
ed to build up. The Reinhart S.,
house community illustrates to an u,
usual degree both Of the above prin
ciples.
| shall take up the remainder Of this
communication with references to
families and persons, hoping that I
mSS not be regarded as taking unwar
ranted liberties with my home -.
In my earliest childhood days the
Cations and the Clouds were our near.
est neighbors. My young brother, nv
Oldest sister, and | were almost con-
stantly with the children of these
neighbors. Hardly day passed with
out seeing the mothers of these two
homes in the home of my mother
When my mothers mother died, Mrs
Cation was with the stricken daughtc
and no one could tell in seeing the
grief of the two women who had re-.
ly lost her mother. During the awful
days OF the civil war these women had