Evening star., 1941-08-24
By JESSIE FAINT EVANS.


Crossnore. famous mountain school
for boys and girls and long an
approved D. A. R. project in edu-
cation and good citizenship, is pay
ing rich dividends in former pupils
who are serving their country in
the present emergency.
The character building qualifica-
tions of this institution are due
largely to Mrs. Mary Martin Sloop
M. D., who went to North Carolina
with her husband, DR.. Eustace H
Sloop, 81 years ago to practice
medicine together. Theirs has been
ar outstanding educational contri-
button to mountain boys and girls
OF the Appalachian region.
While on vacation near Blowing
Rock, N. c., we visited CroSsnore
to see this school and to meet its
nearly 70-year-old motivator, who
Is bowed neither by her years nor
the burdens she has carried to make
her dreams come true for the
mountain people of the region. Still
undlmmed is the flame of her en-
thusiasm.
With pride she emphasized there
is not a mountain cabin near where
there is a son of military age who
has not volunteered for service.
Most of them are Crossnore boys.
In every branch of the military
service they are making good, with
skills they first attained here sup
plemented and perfected by Uncle
Sans intensive training. They ex-
cell at craftsmanship.
Feminine Students Succeed,
There is glow of pride in Mrs.
Sloop's eyes when she tells of the
educational honors won by Cross
nore's feminine students. One was
a 50-year-old mother, unable to
read or write. who was determined
to git little farming" with her
boys and girls. Another is now the
wife of the assistant pastor of the
largest Presbyterian church in New
Orleans. She is becoming as noted
as her husband for her successful
approach to the social service prob
lens OF their parish. Many become
district nurses and teachers. One
OF the States ablest mountain
school teachers once trudged miles
over the mountains to Crossnore
with the plea: Please, Mrs. Sloop,
l want to go to school here because
some day I want to teach and you
kin no more teach what you don't
know than you kin come back to
where you amt been"
An earnest advocate of adult
education, Mrs. Sloop said: when
we have helped mother or father
obtain even the barest literacy,
there isn't the slightest danger of
their not Drawing incredible hard
ships so their children. and grand
children can have the advantages
of schooling"
Mrs. Sloop has made a point of
not having free tuition at Crossnore
for the boarding pupils because
these mountaineers have maintained
an integrity of spirit as rare as it
is admirable. They pay what they
can in money, barter or service.
Eggs. hams, bags of cabbages and
potatoes, sometimes a COW or a calf
help pay the way of pupils, many
of whom are listed on the rolls for
such sums as IL cents a week. Much
labor incident to the construction
of the is buildings that now con-
stltute crossnore'S school plant has
been contributed by the fathers of
its pupils in exchange for their
tuition.
Often Youngsters Need Clothes.
Often Crossnore pupils must be
clothed from head to foot before
they can enter school. The school
always needs everything, particu-
larly shoes and clothing to fit g.
year-olds or 6-footers. Mrs. Sloop
said. Shoes wear out fast on noun
tain roads.
Games are helpful too. There
have been times when she has
found boys trading their shoe
strings and belts for marbles.
Through gifts of seeds and bulbs
shared with its neighbors CrosSnore
has helped the yards of mountain
cabins to blossom with color in
spring and summer.
She doesn't permit corporal pun
ishment at CroSsnore. 1T takes
more judgment than the good Lord
has vouchsafed most of us to be
permitted to strike a child" she
declared. Discipline and training,
though. are entirely different. We
administer both in homeopathic or
alleopathic doseS as we think the
occasion warrants. A steady rein
but light one, achieves wonders
in character building, now as al
ways"
Although CroSsnore Is co-educa-