Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-03-21
LIVING MEMORIAL PLANNED
FOR ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Daily Letter by Frederic j. Haskin

WASHINGTON. Mar. GA living
memorial to Abraham Lincoln is now
receiving public attention. Volumes
have been written about the beauti-
full marble tribute erected to the
Civil War president in this city. But
the world knows very little about the
Lincoln Memorial University at
Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, where
boys and girls from the Appalachian
Mountain district are being educated
in the way that it is supposed Lin
coin would approve.
This memorial university is a
unique institution. To understand it's
purpose n must first imagine the
strange situation that exists in these
mountains of Virginia, Kentucky,
and Tennessee.
There are 5000, 900 mountaineerS
in the southern Appalachian region.
Many Of them live in log cabins that
boast no more modern conveniences
than did Abraham Lincoln's boyhood
cabin home. While we take for
granted the telephone, electricity.
and radio, these mountains hide
away millions of people living a
primitive, pioneer life.
A woman who walked three miles
across mountain trails on a trip to
town had to make a railroad journey
of 100 miles in order to avoid walk
ing home. Many Of the mountain
folk, even more remote from ciyiliza-
ton than she, live all their lives
without seeing a locomotive or an
automobile. They are separated from
the twentieth century not by great
stretches Of miles but by barriers of
rivers, mountains, and wilderness
country. Civilization long ago passed
the Appalachian Mountains in it's
Journey westward but it took the
easier routes and left the noun
taineers isolated.
These people are real Americans
as We so often use the term, Their
ancestors were sturdy pioneers when
Eoone was cutting his way west.
Some Of the pioneers who started
across the country in those DAYS
stopped in the mountains because Of
sickness or encouragement. Their
descendants today sing the old Eng
llsh songs and cling to the old folk
lore handed down by tradition. They
use a gun with the same casual hot
headedness that was the accepted
code when their forefathers left CIV
uization. They are twentieth century
Americans and some of them have
never seen an American flag.
The chances of getting an educa-
ton in many sections of the noun
tains are no better today than in
Lincoln's time. The illiteracy Of
the region as shown by draft figures
was more than 80 per cent. And vet,
from the mountain country have
come striking characters like Lin
coin, Farragut, Sam Houston. Will
liam McAdoo and James Polk, and
Cassius Clay, the democratic diplo-
mat who refused to take off his hat
to the Car of Russia unless the Gar
would doff his in return.
Education is Their Dream
To get an education is the dream
OF thousands of the mountain oys
and girls. Some 500 students are en-
rolled at the Lincoln Memorial Uni
versity at a time, but there is always
a long waiting list.
In n small batch of letters is an
application from a boy who says,
Am highly recommended as a sober
n honest boy, but am poor, and
want to 90 to a s~hool that / can
work my way through" A mountain
girl in an appeal for a chance to
work for her tuition closes by saying,
If you have work for me to do let
me no at once, and l will come, for
/ shore would like to be in school,"
And a father writes for his son to
say, Il hate for him to grow up and
not be learned anything / know he
ought to have an Education I am a
poor man an no wife to help raise
him"
Some of the prospective students
do not wait to write. They walk
miles to the university and CONFIDENT
~ expect to be taken in and given a
chance TO earn their way. One boy
who was told gently that the college
had no room for him just then, said
i didn't come down here to board.
came to get an education. l a
sleep on the floor"
The school to which these eager
applicants come is such a school as
Lincoln would have wanted for the
mountaineers. 1t has preparatory
courses and maintains a grammar
school for students Starting in" and
for children of the neighborhood.
The college courses lead TO degrees
as in other colleges bachelorates of
science. arts, and music. There is