Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1923-12-13
Essay By Kentucky
Girl, Wins In Good
Roads Competition
Mss Dorothy Louise Roberts to Re-
ceive Four Years University
Scholarship

Washington, D. c., December l2-j
Dorothy Louise Roberts. Harlan, Ken
lucky, high school girl, is announced
by the Highway Education Board as
winner OF the Four Years University
Scholarship, offered for the hes. essay
entered in the fourth annual good roads
essay contest.
Daughter OF Methodist minister
residing IN the heart of the Kentucky
moutains, she becomes the recipient
OF one of the most coveted prizes, and
perhaps the largest single educational
award in the United States. More than
10000 high school students from all
sections of the country sought the
prize which a high government Off
cia], distinguished editor, and learn
ed churchtnan awarded to her. All es-
says were written on the subject
The Influence Of Highway Transport
Upon the Religious Life of Ny Com
rRunity"
Members of the reviewing commit
tee that awarded the scholarship were
the Secretary of War, John W. Weeks;
DR.. Albert Shaw, New York City, edi-
tor of the Review of Reviews; and BIZ
shop William F. Anderson, Cincinnati
Ohio. They served at the request of the
United States Commissioner of Edu-
cation, DIR. John ]. Tigert, and spent
weeks reading the several essays which
previously had been chosen as the best
from the respective states and terri
tories from which they came
The committee awarded honorable
mention to the essays by Miss Mar
jorie Matthews, Portland, Oregon;
Ben Thompson, Peoria, Arizona; and
Miss Addie NJ Muller, Sanford, Fla.
Miss Roberts essay had first been
selected as the best from her school,
and then the best from the State of
Kentucky by the Extension Depart
rnent of the State University of Ken
lucky, which awarded her a gold me-
dai as a token of Kentucky honors. A
similar procedure was followed in 9TH
er states, wehre educational institutions
cooperate with the Highway Educa-
ton Board in the promotion of an an
nual competition among high school
students
A similar contest is conducted each
year. The subject of the essays to be
written in 1924 is The Relation of
Highways to Home Life All high
school students may compete, and the
successful contestant will receive the
scholarship for tina. year.
When Miss Roberts essay was Sc
lected by the judges, she became the
fourth i'll a quartet OF high school stu
dents that have been so honored. Each
OF them is now in university or col
lege under the generous provisions of
the scholarship. All expenses incident
to tuition, room, board, books, and
special fees for each of them arc be-
ing betrayed by the Highway Educa-
ton Board.
The first to win the award was Miss
Katharine F. Butterfield, Weiser, Ida
no. who will graduate in 1924 from
Northwestern University, Evanstown,
Johnson, now attending West Virginia
University, Morgantown, West Vir-
GINA. The third is Karl G.. Pearson,
NdhodS, d III
, George Washington University, Wash
ington. D. c. Miss Roberts, whose
father is now pastor of church at
Marietta, Ohio, has entered Marietta
College.
She is the eldest daughter of DR. and
Mrs. T. B. Roberts She was born on
June 81, 1906, in Methods Episco-
pal parsonage at Cooperstown, N. Y,
&ha xtybaro Conner wrote his
famous Leather Stocking Tales.
Miss Roberts essay follows:
The Influence of Highway Transport
Upon the Religious Life of
My Community
BY Dorothy Louise Roberts, OF
Harlan, XIV.
The Appian Way, most famous
OF Roman highways. was called by
Horace Bushnell the Queen Df
Roads In establishing Christianity
Paul and other early Christians
made great use OF the % famous
military roads radiating from
Rome And so we came to Rome.
And (the brethren
came to meet us
as far as the Market OF Appius."
And it came to pass thai Rome,
having the greatest road. built later
the greatest church, St. Peters.
The greatest church of Christianitl
built a. the end of the greatest high
way. Strange coincidence! Here is
food for thought. From the very
first the mightiest of all religious
went forward upon the great high
ways OF travel.
The present writer lives i'll the
mountains of Southeastern Ken
lucky, where the religious lifc is
backward, and the roads almost I'M
passable The purpose OF this paper
is to show how these two facts at
feet each other One dislikes to
write anything uncomplmentary
OF ones own community, but one
should study conditions before sug-
costing remedies.
A survey OF Harlan county shows
forty-seven churches, with thirty
six ordained and licensed preachers
Excepting four churches in the coun
tv seat, these are weak. struggling
organizations. located principally in
mining camps. served by unframed
preachers. These men, most Of