Evening star., 1937-10-03

the School Board
of Whitelev Township dropped charges
that she had been cruel, incompe-
tent and had taught the 10 pupils
in her one-room school that man
assembled from a monkey.
of course 1 never taught any such
thing" insisted Mrs Morris. The
pupils asked me about the picture of
prehistoric man in one of the text
books l told them man had looked
that way once, living in caves for
protection from beasts.
L mentioned the Darwin theory.
which of course l had studied in BIZ
ology at college. When they asked me
about that. referred them to the
standard reference book which we
had at the school.
Il suppose they went home and
told their folks You know some of
them would like to have their chill
dren believe man was suddenly Gre
ated by God and set out on earth with
clothes and everything.
so little Main street fuss came
up in the township and these things
were brought up. distorted and hurled
at me. had to fight them"
Scenic Beauty Everywhere.
Greene County, with its rolling hills.
dotted with farms and pastures and
woods is one of the most scenic in
the State. It's folks, largely agrarians,
produce more wool than any county
in Pennsylvania. Legend has it their
fine fat f1ocks were descended from
prize flock sent from Spain by a
prince to an early settler.
Like their fathers, grandfathers and
reat-grandfathers. most of the resi-
dents were born here Mrs. Morris
said she believed the re-fathers of
every pupil at her school settled here
in Revolutionary or re-Revolutionary
War days. She said the same likely
would be true of many of the 6S5
residents of Whiteley township, 5
miles southeast of Waynesburg.
Judge Challen W. Waychoff, 81,
with iron-gray hair and genial smile,
was credited with bringing about the
compromise agreement in the case,
which had threatened to make an
historic precedent in deciding the
discharge powers of school board.
The judges family settled in
Waynesburg more than 125 years ago.
His father, the late Prof. A. j. Way
choff of Waynesburg College, was a
former county school superintendent
He taught Mrs Morris two terms at
college. She was graduated only seven
years ago.
Ancestors From Virginia.
Mrs Morris uncle was the first
school superintendent of the county.
Her maternal ancestors (Gordons).
like those of majority of the resi-
dents here, came from Virginia.
In fact, this county long was claimed
by Virginia. whose Gov. Dunmore in
l774 sent his nephew, Dr. John Con-
molly, with troops to claim the sec
ton.
Connolly seized Fort Pitt, now
Pittsburgh, on March 28, 1774, and re-
built it as Fort Dunmore. The Earl
of Dunmore personally came in
September with 1900 more troops to
stop an Indian war.
The Revolutionary War interrupted
the dispute between Pennsylvania and
Virginia. The issue finally was set
tied in 1884 by an agreement eX-
tending the original Mason and Dixon
line westward to the present south
western corner of Greene County and
of Pennsylvania.
The final stone of the original sur
vey by the historic Englishmen, Charles
Mason and jeremiah Dixon, is hardly
more than rife shot directly south
of Mrs Morris former one-room
school.
Sent to Settle Dispute.
The surveyors had been sent to
America in August, 1863. to settle a
dispute which began 130 years earlier
between William Penn, founder of
Pennsylvania, and Lord Baltimore.
proprietor of Maryland.
BY November Is they started their
$4,000 job with large party, work
ing westward across the Blue ALE
ghenies. The Indian guides and guards
became much perturbed at their con-
slant work with instruments at night
to get bearings by the stars. Bv the
time they reached the Mononga hela
River, most of the escort had deserted.
When the surveyors reached the Old
North-South Indian trail from Viz
ginia tnow West Virginia) which ran
past Waynesburg. they had to call a
halt. They recorded that the Indians
left them saying they would be at "the
mercy of wandering bands of Savages
VINO knew not the meaning of the
word OF compassion or mercy; but who
could dash the brains out of helpless
infant, and tear the scalp from the
mead OF defenseless female with as
Keen relish as they ever sat down
TO breakfast of hot turtle SOUP"