The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1921-01-06

has planted corn. or just how he is
progressing in its cultivation. Are
you over your corn? ?" is an oft re-
peated question; and there is consid-
cradle rivalry to see who will be the
first to clay by" Here and there
may be found considerable crops Of
wheat and oats or money crops of
various kinds, but corn is practically
always the main crop. The crops are
cultivated with insufficient and very
inefficient tools. requiring all the
hand labor available, and sometimes
more. and resulting yields are usually
| low. The methods Of cultivation
make the cropping season long and
arduous-most of the year. in fact.
II is tbs fruitless sweating. this
perpetual grind from year to year.
that makes progress difficult when IL
is not impossible. And il Is this that
makes the men and women and little
children slaves. A slave is a person
who labors without reward, and GER
tainly these people do. Schools are
few and poor. and poorly patronized
give got to have my children at
home TO help mex the Twin; edger-
cation won't mex cloze to wear, or
emmy thing for pore people TO live
on" is a common feeling often ex-
pressed.
Are they wrong? Eyes" says one
who has never thought about il; but
suppose we think a little and see If
they are so far wrong after all
Suppose you and had 10 work all
the time TO live, and did not live very
comfortably at that: How, much
education would we have? IL is a
fact that until existing wants are
supplied, until people are clothed and
fed, there can be little. il any, con-
sideration of the higher spiritual and
intellectual wants. The devil never
did tell the exact truth but there is
a lot Of truth in that old saying 90
his, "All that a man hath will he
give for his life"
Emancipation
Permanent relief must come from
within, largely Too much faith has
been placed in emergency help fron
without; rather. we have placed too
little faith in the character of noun
taineers themselves. Often the
wealthy men who have come or sent
people TO the mountains, spending
money Unfortunately, have wasted
their time, money and energy; they
could better have been doing some
thing for the poor people at their
doors.
The really effective helpers Of the
mountain people must be Of their
own number--men and women who
have grown up in the mountains. and
who, better than any outsider, under
stand the mountain problems. Who.
then, are going to be the Lincolns
who give TO Appalachian America
her Emancipation Proclamation ?
There can be but one answer They
must be the practical farmers and
business men, trained teachers,
preachers. and community leaders
who, coming from mountain commu-
mites and trained in Berea College
or school like Berea College, will go
Lack to these same communities and
give to them the good things they
have received. They are the ones
who must teach the mountain peo-
pie, and demonstrate to them a bet
ter way than they have known.
Especially does the task call for
scientific farmers-men who know
and can show that a man can make
decent living on these mountain
farms, and not make a slave Of HIM
self or his family; that a farmer In
the mountains csn educate his chill
cren; that he can have good roads
GOOD churches and good schools; and
that he can find time TO visit his
ne;ghbor and u worship God. To
the students Of Berea Is given this
high and holy privilege OF ushering
IN rev day-'he privilege Of work.
ing with the Master In leading these
souls into n larger and fuller lifel
81 am come that they might have
life 'snd that they might have !,
more abundantly."