Evening star., 1941-08-24
Gifts for Little Girl Inspired
Founding of Mountain School
Dr.. Mary SIoop Planned to Practice Medicine
But Instead Storted Famed Crossnore

| I.oiidi, dCueC duUlcSCtllI DOy dIlQ
girl problems usually give Mrs.
Sloop little trouble, for she has
several ways of cooling Cupid's
fever" One of them is to put the
love-lorn to washing pots and pans
together as a kitchen assignment.
Rare is the instance when her
offer. "stick it out together and
III give you a wedding when school
closes" is sufficient reward for max
ing the drudgery continuous.
The slogan of the school is to give
| its pupils 'the widest possible de-
velopment of their native talents
and abilities" Those may have to
do with making better housewives
or farmers of them. Or it may lead
them to mechanical skills and
sometimes to college and the pro-
fesSionS
Crossnore's trade school Is Justly
famed, and it's general school facili-
ties are rated as good as any in the
State. In every instance, its staff
of teachers try to instill in these
mountain pupils a desire to return
to their mountain communities to
live fuller lives there.
The enrolment next session is ex-
pected to be about 1000 students,
with some 200 boarders and from 40
to so high school students.
When Mrs. Sloop and her hus-
band started what they believed was
to continue as medical partner
shin Qf CrnSSnrrn
lopSided, one-room building, lean
ing up against rock for support
served as Sunday school room,
school or magistrates Office, as cir
cumstances required.
She gradually shifted to the edu-
cational field (although her profess
sional skill is always available in
emergency through establishment
of little sewing circle for the young
girls of the community.
This was to Offset the tendency
to marry at IA or lust turning into
a." because, 'as they would often
tell her, Pop says, if I amt got me
a man by then, 1 am jest sartain to
be an old maid"
Little Hepsy's Case.
To prevent an especial favorite.
little Hepsy. from "gitting married
and go over the ridge to live" she
volunteered to send her to school.
She had to secure the funds and
When they were obtained from
friends in Davidson, N. c., Hepsy
had to be outfltted for her schooling.
She wrote to other friends in
Richmond to send her a trunk of
cast-of clothing. When it came.
talk about white elephants-this
was a black one. Every garment
was for mourning By the end of
week she had sold them for enough
to suitably outfit Hepsy.
That was the inspiration for the
Crossnore of today. If one little
girl could be helped so could others.
and the boys of those mountains.
too. Old clothes were the nucleus
upon which the Crossnore Of the
present was built and. with the gifts
they have brought in their wake,
they have been the endless chain
upon which 1t has continued. I'VE
have yet to have sent us something
which we cannot find a use for.
even to scissors tails or 'Split-tail'
coats, our mountain terminology for
the full dress coats of your metro
poIltan areas" Mrs. Sloop said
Mrs. Sloop is the granddaughter
of a physician and the daughter of
William Joseph Martin, bursar of
Davidson College, whose son became
president of the school. She is
graduate Of the Women's Medical
College of Philadelphia and ex-
pected to become a foreign medical
missionary before her marriage to
DR.. SloOp. whom she met when he
was a student at Davidson. Their
two children, son and a daughter,
now grown, have decided to cast
their lot at Crossnore The daugh-
ter. Mrs. Edward Fink, is a physi-
clan and is practicing in the COM
munity. with her headquarters at
the hospital, which is now fea-
ture OF CroSSnore. Their son. Will
liam Martin Sloop, is dentist now
in the service of the Army and tenn
porarily stationed in Washington.
When brother, who has also at
tanned eminence in the educational
world, but along more conventional
lines, recently said to Mrs. Sloop,
Mary, don't you think it is now
time for you to give up this hard
work and let some one else try to
carry 1t on for you?' her spirited
reply was, Il have a conviction that
the Lord called me to this work ana
you will have to talk louder than
He did to convince me that I should
heed you"