Pocahontas star herald., 1927-01-20
ENGELBERG

Engelborg is cOmmunity-it is rot
a town in any sense of that term.
The community is made up of some
30 hardy Catholic farming families
who possess comfortable land holdiygs
about eight miles northeast of Poca,
hontas, Randolph county. On the mex
Of gently sloping knoll stands no
beautiful little church of brick con
structlon. Here one finds the center
of the community. Grouped around
the church are the pastors home Ca
neat two story building of eight rooms)
frame school building; house for
the sisters; and a community TALL
stretching away on all sides are
grounds that lend beauty to the SPOT.
The church is so situated that It an
be seen from great distance on a
clear day. The lively faith of the peo-
pie is centered In this spot and out
from it radiates that spirit which
makes for greater accomplishments.
The farms of the people of the com
munity are all located within two or
three miles of this community center.
The topography of the area presents
at once well drained lowlands and
gently rolling slopes. Most of the rill-
able acreage lies between two small
streams-the Fourche and Current
rivers. Here live a happy and on
tented people whose great faith and
courage have turned a veritable viii
derness into ost productive and
fertile section.
Forty years ago the few families
who found their way into practically
a virgin country were confronted bv
unbelievable hardships, but, were nos
sessed Of great dream involving
future material happiness. With the
cross planted in their midst and the
undertaking dedicated to God, their
toll kept pace with the spirit of the
beginning. Years have flown by in
the making of a land, and now much
of that dream of golden fields and
beautiful home sites has been real
ized.
To the traveller who sees many sec
tions Of our state and who hears often
in these days the woes of the farming
people occasioned by the utter lack
of a marketable price for cotton it
must be refreshing to happen upon a
community such as is this of Engel-
berg. Here the farmers have long
one product crop; here they have been
sensible enough to disregard "the
King" as the major means of a livli-
hood and have turned to corn, hay,
wheat and stock raising. Above all
have they learned to grow the yearly
needs of the household and of tbei
stock, in anticipation of possible
hard year. They have been content
with a comfortable and safe return
and, even in this year, when prices for
farm products generally were low
these farmers are cheerful in the real
izatiOn that they have done better than
their brothers in other sections of the
state.
The district has yet some needs to
complete the picture visualized by the
early settlers. One requisite especial
ly recognizable is that involving to
assure more efficient marketing. The
roads are coming gradually; they have
been immeasurably improved in recent
years.
Most noteworth yof all the accom-
plishments of these good people Is the
building of the beautiful church which
occupies commanding place in the
center of the community. st. Johns
Church is an edifice such as would be
an ornament to any city of the state.
1t was erected at a cost of around Slo,-
600 Engelberg has n resident pastor
and maintains school which is taught
h. two Olivetan Benedictine Sisters
from Jonesboro. To the great faith of
the people and to the spiritual intu-
ence that radiates out to them from
the center Oike the arm of God reach
ing out over the area), can be traced
those praise worthy qualities of char
acter, courage courtesy, and simple
spirit that one notices wherever he
goes among them.-Little Rock Guar
dian.