THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL paren tas =~ ’ : ‘2, J f - > im & { a) ry i\\e } |? : ~~} iP % : LU SA 3 : % QU = “go Pree 2 of ae THE COLLECTION OF NORTH CAROLINIANA ENDOWED BY JOHN SPRUNT HILL CLASS OF 1889 8 entree ta CEN EYE TS VSS EO SAARI IADR NA NT SZ (378.9 W820 DT 00043597991 FOR USE ONLY IN THE NORTH CAROLINA COLLECTION THIS ITEM MAY NOT BE COPIED ON THE SELF-SERVICE COPIER. ios ach h? AR ert INO. A» g65 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2021 with funding from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill https://archive.org/details/oaklaurelstudyofO0Owith wake AND LAUREL -A Study of the Mountain Mission Schools of Southern Baptists By MABEL SWARTZ WITHOFT NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE SUNDAY SCHOOL BOARD OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION Copyright 1923 Sunday School Board Southern Baptist Convention Nashville, Tenn. Printed in the United States of America “And God hath set some in the church, . .. teachers .. .” (1 Cor. 12: 28) SS SSNS DEDICATION To the teacher in the mountain mission school —man or woman— unselfish, painstaking, persevering, possessed of the spirit of the Master. Teacher, this study of these Southern Baptist schools is appreciatively and lovingly dedicated. May all these teachers find reward in the consecrated living of the thousands whom they influence. “And let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Gal. 6: 9) CONTENTS Paacu THD OAK AND THE LAUREL Fi SE ACO Oo ees 2 cs ins re are PE arpele ae 7 LORE WO D Mmm tarry ster si sieve) cia eth sos. co Aas uci evo ah stone statiece be ake ALABAMA PTIdSOpOrem A CAMCMY! occ cath «os 0 os twee Me Sehr yt hae RRO a 13 BULOTIG Xe mA CAC OMNVan yettadciererit. «sis sles oie ohell o oivee ed ecole vere cote 16 ARKANSAS SIVISHER ESI METLOUNIG | COLECSEN.. sr. 8 . ss piele ew acleceic b wla’e oo et ais me 23 May NandmeA CHGCIN Visianients oc oisattte res se eis noes e coal oie eters cleats 28 MOUnteE AmeA CA CCIN Yai: castor cceaicca vile oe /sde. clare o'slevelus’ so ah 29 EPR SavA GmeA CO. CIV) sue oteee we earciete ait ieiouce hloels Gale & ole agus eres 30 INGWEGIIEC OAT CY A. CACCDLY. 1s. Spots oie alee ae ovis ese vo sles oe 31 Carrolimeeountye INStitUte cuts ctaickcloicre ccs «isis wie e ole ole oO ebeneas 33 GEORGIA ELLA WASSCOMPACTLU CIN Y; 05 Ma ctetcueter cfonettie te ah oe wee 6 o shorel aces wreravens 35 Bleckleyas Memorial = Institute sscmicsen ec: ote olin Sak acca er OS Marvel evn e nam Schoo! Ma cacvcine iets. 6 dlcrs oe sisson so -« 42 Blairsville Colleriates INstitutew mares cscs s o sis ons rete ere sche 45 KENTUCKY Barboursvilles: baptistycInstitutemarcm. ccc. oe trs ecele sc & one's os 46 ONG Ose BAPtist PILOStICUte sicre crerere otete noe 6 lavolateliclie ce 6 sea ace re 49 Hazandm Da pester l NStivUuteur cn ace dar aeteiece en elers) Siena) sis so Sele oes 50 Mao MMe INStEtutelg sce cre terciaia cick Prieicie odes o ore cust eels siete cle ate'e 52 CumberlanGe@oHezes c\c sev: sels leere nt etsia Ge apatele wécecdiete! ¥e.5 6 54 MISSOURI South weosteraptist College 4.608 oe ee ee ee a ert 55 NORTH CAROLINA SylvaeCollestatemiInstituteis. .:.ic sco cre eeveuess: os sis, 6 elie, ree 0-6 sxe 63 ELA WOOCMPENSUILUCO ME eaterene rar cileue ec eavT acre ramen acts fateh loves oie e) ole e7.e 66 South e=Mountain= Industrial “School 250.0. ve ve. os css 70 MCT an GML AlIL ULC sca tie crete crovererera fee sielevd orate) ers, cc. specstonecs q2 Yancey Collegiate Institute ..............6. Aeterna wale are 78 Rounds etliAcademy. ssn acre stereo eons chee AY ealvearite fellel cers) Ora ace 85 Marsibtilim@ollezeanrreniccicre cic) here erectile) srerene: eter evere overs s eucls 86 Mountain Vile wal Nstituteic. cic cc cies close oe-ercre! ssi sielsvale G0. 95 SouTH CAROLINA NortheGreenvillera Ca dem yiow sccccrarcistimemeerotecereisiel siiswe cee ee stele ' 96 Six=Mileowm A CAdem Viner sc cieis ere ee ee eae ens latehars ols lellels, weeiare ote 102 LongsC reeks Academ Varcvenaiccn orlormerier eine anenete arse ee ee ieesce 105 TENNESSEE W AlLAUZA ACRGCINV ioe aretsclo rae eeraenetrE a heel ors aoa 810 ey hlelans 6's 109 Harrison-Chilhowee Institute <2. ccc ccc we tt eee 43 Stocton mV alleys Academ Vises .seis. tetevekewene sieve cle ekst ale ere cisve.s eS Cosby A CAC Omi yeti man lorcsebotel cnaeebenet on chaiorercistalononet oc tasuie, she, latte velle 26 119 Doyle M@INStit Wises ratios enere terse eee Shot cleverle’s ebelyiste sae aos 122 SmokysMountainweA Cadem yaar mat morreraetednccnarditslelers cle slere se 125 VIRGINIA Leese Ba ptlcrmrasticnten fcc eee eee he ce elena tle 6 kins 129 BltewRidcomeond0ls «ventas sc ctitate ovtieltie ede ea 8b oe 5 ae 1382 BuchHananwescn Oo Mercier cso: ctens Cetera oRe hs (ereca 5 va lemedexels overs 134 Oak SS HilierAcadem Varw. eiissctrs cease he rere Ce ee ale, oe ebro 8 eRe sls 137 Piedmonteinstitute rm we sce one cietersiolete lclevere cists Secret on hohe 187 CONCLUSION tirctepst te cere sisha wie itches. exe: upletote: oie BE eke re tar aPoasiche wetare aaarlel otaes 139 QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION ......- Has SRR susuereetinks 0 weer sks 154 THE OAK AND THE LAUREL An Allegory Fresh from the hands of the Creator, the south- ern mountain ranges smiled into the face of the rising sun at daybreak; and at evening breathed a benediction upon it, departing. Nature had fin- ished her task; pines towered soldierly in open ranks upon the summits; sycamore and graceful willow fringed the streams; hickory and chestnut and walnut bore their fruitage, rested, blossomed and bore again, untiring; oaks were everywhere. Flowers of every tint and shape and size followed the lovely seasons in and out; and in winter the silent, kindly snow covered all with the blanket of oblivion. Nature looked about at her children on every side; she gazed longest at the sturdy oak. Every where he grew, in thick groves, solitary by pas- ture streams, on rock-ribbed heights, resisting the blasts, bending ever so little; but he was ungainly and awkward, for all his strength, nor did he real- ize the latent power that was in him. _. “I wish you were not so unsymmetrical, my son,” she sighed at length. “Perhaps I should graft you upon the pine, the soldier of the forest,—or I might try a willow bud; you sadly need grace and delicacy. You would be more beautiful if I gave you the colors of the frost-nipped maple, or the quivering sensitiveness of the aspen. You have not the warm, motherly beauty of the hover- ing beech, or the elegance of the magnolia. Can I do anything to improve you, I wonder?” (7) 8 OAK AND LAUREL And quietly the oak replied, “Nay, Mother Na- ture, if none is so rugged and uncomely as I, neither is any so strong and enduring. The winds can bend me but a little, and I have long life. My branches are irregular, it is true, for I am pruned at will by the blasts of mountain wind; and my shade is uncertain, but I am but little subject to disease, and if I do not bear fruits as others do, yet the pigs like my acorns!” So Mother Nature wisely ceased trying to make this giant of the mountains conform to the ways of others; she sent skilled men to prune and trim his branches; they cut away the underbrush that choked him, and gave him abundantly the water of life and the bread of heaven; and he spread abroad his branches, and stood firm against every wind that would uproot him. He learned to build men’s houses and furnish them; he made ships and all sorts of conveyances; he became polished and even brilliant, by the pro- cesses to which men subjected him; patient and persistent, he persevered in the hands of wise teachers, until he became in turn a maker of his- tory, and served not only his native mountains, but his nation, well ;—this young oak of the south- ern mountains. And Mother Nature, well content, glanced about for a fitting mate for him. The black-eyed susan and the gleaming goldenrod stood boldly beckon- ing on every mountain trail; modest violet and blossoming strawberry and blackberry vine would not press their claims; the frost-flower and the iron-weed put on half mourning when she passed them by. But there was a maiden in the moun- tains who cared not whether men’s eyes were upon her. She was of noble birth and breeding, for she OAK AND LAUREL 2 came of the ancient Rhododendron family, aristo- crat of the highlands; she was of the heights herself, whether she hung over a flashing stream to bathe her face, or sat upon a bare cliff in her glossy green mantle; but she was wild—a crea- ture of the untamed mountains. In the spring she wore a crown of delicate rosy beauty, and men exclaimed over her virginal loveliness. Mother Nature would have transplanted her to the low- lands, that she might be cultured and grow up with the rose, the lily, and the daffodil. But she said, “Nay, I would be homesick there. They are not of the mountains as I am. Let me stay here in my highlands, but send me kind hearts to teach me, wise hands to train me, discipline to deepen my roots and love to bring color to my cheeks. Then I will devote my life to beautifying my mountain home and showing my sisters how to live.” So the laurel remained clinging to the cliffs, and making every glen a place of beauty; and those who had developed her, watching her expanding soul, knew that their work for her, and for her friend the young oak, had not been in vain. They may be found in all our southern ranges to-day ;— the oak and the laurel, the strength and beauty of the mountains. ‘‘That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; Thy children like olive plants about thy table.’’ “Come, now and let us reason together” (Isaiah 1: ‘hg he FOREWORD The one idea in the preparation of this book, has been to inform the Baptists of the South as to the whereabouts and condition of their mountain mission schools, and the work they are accomplishing; at the same time to so set forth their needs, that all hearts will be stirred to the point of interested activity that adequate equip- ment and better salaried teachers, where both are so obviously deserved, may be provided. Let every one who studies this book inquire thoughtfully, “Ought not J to give more generous- ly to Home and State Missions, seeing that there is no nobler or more far-reaching work than this of our mountain mission school?” This volume does not claim to be a history of the operations of any one Board; nor of the schools; nor a treatise on the folk of the south- ern mountains; neither does it presuppose that present conditions are permanent. It is only a picture of the schools as they were in 1922-23. Appreciation must be expressed for all the kind- nesses and courtesies which have helped to make this book possible; from students and teachers, principals, pastors and W. M. U. leaders; taxi drivers and friendly farmers, in Fords and buggies and mountain wagons. It is truly a collaboration in which our Father himself took an active part. May his blessing follow this volume into the hearts of all his people! M.S. W. (11) “The strength of the hills is his also” (Ps. 95: 4). CHAPTER I ALABAMA Bridgeport Academy “Alabama!” exclaimed the Indians. “Here we rest!” No spot in the whole state, surely, could be more peaceful and lovely than this, nestled in the curve of the broad, calm and beautiful Tennes- see River, with the Sand Mountains bordering one horizon, and the Cumberlands another. The river, so deeply, majestically placid, moves with such sinuous grace, such unhurried splendor, as to stir scarcely a ripple on its shining expanse. The valley through which it meanders is very fert**= and productive; divided into many patches of green and brown and yellow, according to the season; the bushes and low trees which fringe the river’s banks are like a bodyguard marching silent- ly along beside its gleaming water. This is the scene one views from Battery Hill, the name a reminder that here in Civil War days there were a garrison and fortifications. Now only the name, and these worn earthworks remain; but the eter- nal God preserves the beauty of this wondrous spot, and man finds food for much reflection, as he gazes down upon river, valley, and mountains blue with haze. On this splendid height, at the eastern end of Bridgeport, with its inspiring outlook, would be (13) . 14 OAK AND LAUREL an ideal location for Bridgeport Academy. It seems to be just waiting for such an occupancy. But the school is at the opposite end of the town, a good mile or two away; pleasantly enough lo- cated in a grove of tall oaks, occupying about a block, with its four good-sized structures. These are all frame; only the foundation and lower half of the administration building is of native stone, while the upper half is shingled, making a distinc- tive appearance. *This building stands on the corner of the grounds nearest the center of town. It has large, airy, well ventilated classrooms for children of all grades from the first up. There is a public school, but some of the best people prefer to send their children here, especially Baptists. In fact the greatest number of these pupils belong in Bridgeport; a good many are from the county and a very few from the mountains. The enrollment in the fall of 1922 was 135, but the past years led to the assurance that this would be doubled by Christmas; seventy-five of these were in the high school, forty were boarding pupils, four ministerial students. The faculty, composed of twelve teachers, five of whom have special departments, was headed in 1922-23 by R. L. Creal, whose experience as associate in the office of the Superintendent of Mountain Schools of the Home Mission Board, gives him an unusual fitness for this position. Bridgeport Academy had suffered much in two or three previous vears and had accumulated debts which seemed enough to swamp the institution but Dr. Creal came to the rescue, and by his pru- dence, tact and wisdom has succeeded in getting affairs upon a safe basis once more. *This building has burned since this was written. OAK AND LAUREL 15 Certainly the school is as secure as ever in the ' support of its patrons, and the loyalty and devo- tion of the teachers assure its speedy restoration to whatever prestige it may have lost. Obviously it has a wide region from which to draw its patron- age and the expense is about that of the average mission school. There were seven girls and four boys who worked their way in September, 1922. These girls cooked, washed dishes, swept, etc. The cooking was excellent, and the meals appetizingly set forth. There is no running water in the dormitories; no heating plant in the boys’ home; no method of heating water in the girls’ home. There is dire need of a new range in the kitchen; it is really amazing what good muffins those girls can bake in an oven with a hole in it! (Perhaps when this sees the light, some one will already have installed a fine new range in the Bridgeport kitchen.) The auditorium on the second floor of the Ad- ministration Building is splendidly large, light, airy with comfortable chairs; there is a spacious platform with an arrangement of curtains for special occasions; this is really more appropriate to a school of this character than a regular stage with scenery, which some of our schools have. The laboratory of science is rather small and crowded, but does the work nevertheless; the li- brary has the required number of books for an accredited high school and many well-chosen mag- azines. The greater part of the house intended for the occupancy of the principal, is given over to the Domestic Science and Art Departments. The teach- 16 OAK AND LAUREL er who acts as athletic coach, and his wife have rooms in the Boys’ Home, and make the Home more livable by their presence. The atmosphere of the school is pleasant, co- operative, without friction. The spiritual tempera- ture registers high; the look on the faces of these boys and girls as they listen to the evening prayer and Bible reading, gives one a feeling of satisfac- tion as to the future of this particular portion of our own dear land. Eldridge Academy Between sixty and seventy miles from Birming- ham, northwest, is Eldridge Academy, settled cosily among the hilltops, the little village strung along the railroad being apparently designed for the convenience and companionship of the school This location is ideal indeed; here are the acces- sible hills, the rural beauty of stream and rock and cascade, the rails and the wires which bring the world into close touch. A home and a school and its home life is very pleasant and cordial. The faculty itself is like a happy family: and the sixty boys and girls who live on the premises are surrounded and controlled by loving, sympa- thetic attention. The main building and boys’ hall at Eldridge are some thirty years old. Outside they are very presentable, being constructed of native stone, cal- culated to withstand the wear of time and use. This was originally known as Eldridge Normal School, but passed into the hands of the Baptist Home Mission Board about ten years later. The girls’ dormitory, added after it became a Baptist OAK AND LAUREL 17 institution, burned a few years ago, and in 1918 a new one was erected, with rooms for about forty girls; apartments for the principal’s family, reception hall, dining-room and kitchen. The li- brary adequate to an accredited high school is housed here also. The partitions are all of beaver board, an ar- rangement both agreeable and otherwise, for while it prevents all privacy, it enables the teachers to keep good order, and is really a wholesome condi- tion. This dormitory is full, and the teaching ac- tivities of this school are so pressing, that the principal’s family have surrendered all their rooms but one, for office, class and practice rooms; sounds of dish washing, piano and Bible teaching mingle through the thin walls each proceeding sturdily on its own way. There is of course no room reserved here for guests; but any girl is glad to put her own room in apple pie order, and vacate it for the sake of an interested visitor. The dining-room at Eldridge is large, spacious and sunny, with windows on both sides. A piano in one corner, fresh scrim curtains at the windows, and flowering plants on the tables create an im- pression of cheer and sociability that confirms the feeling one has that Eldridge is both home and school. Some of the faculty preside over the stt- dents’ tables, while a round table in the middle of the room is laid for other teachers and the prin- cipal. Here every morning the Y. W. A. leader announces the object of prayer on the W. M. U. calendar of prayer for the day, and the prayer is voiced by some one, while sixty young heads bow, and sixty pairs of ears hear the names of some missionaries or some mission cause carried to the 18 OAK AND LAUREL Father’s throne. The Y. W. A. holds its regular meeting each Wednesday night immediately after supper, and sometimes the whole student body is invited. Every girl is a member and the organiza- tion is most enthusiastic. The kitchen is well arranged for the work to be done in it; but it sadly needs a drain-pipe to carry off waste water. This should be laid to pass through the wash-house, a shelter where the girls must do their laundry work, and continue on down the slope to a sink which should be provided. This simple arrangement would improve the sanitary conditions vastly and make a decided decrease in labor. The basketball court lies between the girls’ home and the main building; here both boys’ and girls’ teams win enthusiastic victories over high school teams from neighboring towns, though they have no coach of either sex. and $1,000, and named it in memory of his wife. Thus his name becomes a part of the school tradi- tion and title. Here are the principal’s office, a large reception hall, and rooms for various teachers as well as the kitchen and dining-room, all on the first floor. The second and third stories are given over to the girls. Most of the rooms are bright and well-kept, with window boxes or blooming plants, and a general air of home. In the basement of this building is the laundry, where there is an equipment of tubs, etc., but there is no running water and it must be carried in; a sink conveys it off. The girls have a regular sched- ule for their washings; the teachers also; as only one or two can wash their clothes at the same time. There are no baths in this building, of course, though there is a system of sanitation; and the building is heated by steam and lighted by a Delco plant which also serves the other two buildings, and the community church which stands across the campus. Eleven girls are earning their way by helping with the housework; this-in 1922-23. One capable maiden makes all the bread and cakes, one prepares the dinners, another builds fires and makes the gravies. There are seventy-five boarding pupils and the number will increase to one hundred by spring. Two hundred and fifty is the enrollment and there are nine teachers. The principal, Mr. J. E. Barton, is the mainspring of Chilhowee, having occupied the chair for ten years. In 1922-23 he was granted a leave of ab- sence, and the school missed him much as a watch misses its mainspring. Mr. Drinnen, the dean, who 116 OAK AND LAUREL teaches English and Bible, did his utmost to fill the Sap. Mr. Andrew Davis, Mr. Barton’s senior in point of service by three years, is teacher of intermediate grades; for Harrison-Chilhowee is a graded school, from the primary up. Of course it is the only school for miles around and as a high school must be its own feeder. The little Chilhowee community has gathered about.the school, and looks up to it in very reality. Mr. Barton is evidently the sort of man for such a place as this. They tell you proudly and admir- ingly that “Mr. Barton can do anything.” He is an electrician, plumber, machinist, builder. He is a man of authority, respected and loved by both fac- ulty and pupils. The boys’ dormitory has a general careless ap- pearance which indicates the absence of feminine influence. It is a roomy building heated with hot air. The needs of this school are various. The stu- dents would tell you first that they need a gym- nasium; the matron would plead for a kitchen range, some poultry to keep in the generous spaces behind the house, and a cow or two; but to the gen- eral, interested public it would seem that running water is a necessity second to none. Carson-Newman College offers an annual schol- arship to the honor graduate, and the institute it- self gives one under-graduate scholarship. It is interesting to notice that an average of eighty per cent in at least four full subjects is re- quired of an aspirant to participation in interschol- astic athletic contests. The same requirement is made of boys and girls who wish to have the privi- OAK AND LAUREL hy lege of each other’s company socially. This is cer- tainly a wise provision. There are regular high school courses in Mathe- matics, English, Latin, French, History and Science. Religious instruction includes beside the Bible, the Sunday School and B.Y.P.U. Manuals, books on Home and Foreign Missions, as well as some de- nominational texts, but there is no mention of a study of the W.M.U. Manual on the part of the girls. One is moved to question why. Piano, Art and Expression are also listed among the courses; the cost of these extras ranges from $2.00 to $3.00 per month. Board is $2.50 per week to pupils who remain for the week-end, $2.00 to such as do not. Tuition runs from $1.20 per month in the primary grades, to $3.20 in the high school. The interest of the country round about centers in this school. The Board of Trustees is composed of nine men from Chilhowee Association, and nine from Sevier Association, elected in groups of three each, annually, for a term of three years, with Dr. A. E. Brown, ex officio. It is a great old school, with a great opportunity. Its atmosphere breathes peace; the Chilhowee and Smoky Mountains loom in its encircling back- ground; the rare air of the highlands maintains health among its patrons; there has never been any serious illness in the school; so there has been no need of an infirmary. At Commencement time, people come almost by thousands, to witness the exercises, and the cam- pus becomes a lively and populous place, with groups of animated people and big and little chil- dren; cars and carriages packed in every available space. 118 OAK AND LAUREL At its present rate of growth, Harrison-Chillowee will soon need a more adequate auditorium, if it does not already. Stocton Valley Academy At Helena, Tennessee, Fentress County, is located Stocton Valley Academy, its nearest railroad point being Stocton, fifteen miles away. This school was opened in 1909. In the years since, it has proved itself a great influence radiating mental, moral and spiritual life over the surrounding community. Strong Christian men and women are employed as teachers, and the courses of study are adequate to the needs. Its equipment consists of an adminis- tration building containing five classrooms and au- ditorium; a very good library, a girls’ dormitory with twelve bedrooms and the culinary department, a cottage holding twelve boys. The greatest of Stocton Valley’s many needs are water and lights; the water works plant is begun, and when it is finished there will remain a debt of only $100. The providing of a light plant will not be commenced until this debt is paid. The dormi- tory needs table and bed linens, dishes, curtains and chairs. ' In 1922-23 the enrollment was 148, with five teachers. Only twenty-eight of this number were boarding pupils, the others walking to school daily from their homes in the hills. This big family lives on the co-operative plan; every one has a share in the work, and board has not been more than $9.00 per month. They have their garden, and can enough peaches, apples, ber- ries, beets, tomatoes and pickles to last a year. OAK AND LAUREL 119 This is one of the real mountain schools, away from cities, off the beaten track; situated among the very people it is intended to reach; here teach- ers labor with meager equipment and small salaries, doing untold good that will increase the sum of ef- ficiency and righteousness in the world. The wom- en of Tennessee no doubt remember Stocton Valley in their praying and if they cannot undertake the hard journey into the mountains to visit it, their boxes of household goods and books and linens can. Cosby Academy From Newport, Tennessee, a journey of ten miles brings one to a beautiful spot in the mountains; lonely, it is true, but close to Nature’s heart, where the Baptists of the East Tennessee Association to- gether with the Home Mission Board, in 1913 found- ed Cosby Academy, for the immediate benefit of the youth of that region. Perhaps a mistake was made in not locating the school farther up the Cos- by Valley where the people were not so scattered; no doubt the attendance would have been larger had such been the case; but in ten years’ time the en- rollment was about one hundred, and Cosby Acad- emy Hill had become a busy place. Seldom will any one find a lovelier spot in all these Tennessee moun- tains, as the eyes follow down the valley and on to the surrounding peaks beyond. A few large landowners are in possession of the farms in this region and one of the best things that could be done locally for the school, would be for these landowners to sell off small parcels of land to families who wish to bring their children to the school and live near it themselves. This would greatly increase the attendance. 120 OAK AND LAUREL Several facts militate at present, against a larger enrollment; first, the sparse settlement of the neigh- borhood; second, the failure of East Tennessee Bap- tists to properly appreciate the school, and fully support it; and third, the recent establishment of a splendidly equipped, standard high school at New- port. Cosby should be standardized. The addition of one more high school teacher, and the meeting of a few minor requirements would do this. The campus comprises ten acres, and the purest of mountain spring water is furnished in abundance, by no other force than natural gravity. But in the three good buildings are found some conditions which a little foresight or (save the mark!) a wom- an on the committee, could have obviated. For in- stance, there is not a single wardrobe in either dor- mitory; the kitchen is smaller than even the aver- age; the pantry is removed from the kitchen, and no provision was made for installing lights. How- ever, these conditions and others just as difficult are found in some other schools beside Cosby; and be- neath all sorts of discouragements, the great work goes on. Many people are praying and sacrificing for Cos- by, particularly the local members of the board, and those of the faculty who have for years identified themselves with the school. Prof. R. L. Marshall, a man of enthusiastic nature and business-like efficiency, a splendid teacher de- voted to the work of mountain schools, has been at the head of Cosby Academy since 1919. Miss Ade- lia Lowrie, a training school graduate, occupies the position of matron, at the same time teaching His- tory, French and Bible. Miss Lowrie prepared her- self for foreign mission work; finding herself, how- OAK AND LAUREL 12) ever, led by the Master, as many another has been, into equally valuable service in the mountains of the home land. She has developed the course in Bible Study wonderfully, and each Commencement season she is rewarded by the long lines of boys and girls that await their seals and diplomas. In 1922, 102 awards were made at Cosby Academy. Miss Lowrie has also done much toward developing the religious life of the school by the organization cf the various phases of church activity. She has been in mountain school work since 1912. Mrs. Sexton, the housekeeper, has been presiding over the cuisine since 1919, and implants in the hearts of these boys and girls a love for orderli- ness, cleanliness and punctuality in the home, which will characterize their living when school days have long faded into the past. Cosby has no classes below the fifth grade, and continues through four years of high school work. Scholarships are offered annually for one year, by Carson-Newman and Tennessee colleges. Board is furnished here more cheaply than at most other mountain schools; tuition about the average cost; several students earn their way, and others would gladly do so if work were available. Friends of the school are increasing in number; as its good work is becoming known. Sunday- school classes in the cities have furnished the guest room and installed the equipment for hot and cold water for the girls; doubtless some interested group in Tennessee will do the same for the boys. A young man of Kingston, who recently became an enthusiastic tither, is using his tithe to pay for the chemical laboratory equipment; this is a splendid gift, and might well be emulated by others, as Cos- by needs similar equipment for biological and bot- 122 OAK AND LAUREL anical work, and for manual training, which all our mountain schools should have. Seats are needed for the auditorium, and some ar- ticles of furniture for both dormitories. This region is deficient in a supply of minister- ial material. Prof. Marshall and his teachers are praying for God’s spirit to descend upon the hearts of the boys of East Tennessee and lead them to give their life’s service to the lost world. The spiritual atmosphere of the school is very marked. Prayer services are held nightly in the dormitories; the B.Y.P.U. and Y.W.A. fostered by the praying teach- ers, will no doubt bring forth fruit to God’s glory. More than one of these teachers have refused bet- ter salaries offered by secular schools, for their love of this their chosen work, and their truly sacrificial! labors should be appreciated by all the Baptists of Tennessee and the South. Doyle Institute The only mountain mission school Southern Bap- tists have in middle Tennessee, has the dignity of age. It was founded in 1884, by the people of the community, largely Baptist, and is still the only school of any kind in the town of Doyle. Doyle is iike many other little villages in middle Tennessee; located on a branch road running north- east from Tullahoma, and operating two trains each way every day, it is in touch with the out- side world at all times. Doyle Institute was eighteen years old before the Home Mission Board adopted her, in 1902. In that year also, Doyle came into possession of what is undoubtedly her greatest asset to-day— Miss Minnie Moyers, who for twenty years has OAK AND LAUREL 123 taught mountain buys and girls in this one place. Occasionaliy some one in the outside world would discover “Miss Minnie”’—but no offer has ever been high enough to tempt this devoted woman away from the school she loves. In one room she con- trols, teaches, and influences children of the second, third and fourth grades. There is perfect order— or as nearly perfect as can be under such con: ditions. There is neatness and system—as mucb as one can have without either a desk or a table for the teacher, or any receptable for chalk and erasers beneath the blackboards. The boards themselves are very good. The building is wonderful for its age; but at a distance it looks very much better than on closer acquaintance. It presides over a very beautiful, level campus; behind it the spurs of the Cumber- lands are hazily ciose; the grass and ball-courts are protected from rambling stock by a substan- tial board fence, which is crossed by a stile of cement. One large dormitory, in whose design beauty tcok no part. looms in the immediate foreground; the family of the matron occupies the lower floor, where there is a dining-room sufficiently large te accommodate all the boarding pupils the house would hold; but the fact is that the few girls who do not stay in the viilage, room here and do their own housekeeping, having their kitchens on the third floor. The same conditions prevail in the cottage termed the boys’ home. A male teacher and his family live here, and a couple of boys and their sisters keep house for themselves. These young people cannot afford to pay board. 124 OAK AND LAUREL This school has one arrangement peculiar to it- self; its teachers, the principal excepted, are paid by the county, up to January of each school year; so much of the year it is a county school. From January until the close of school, the teachers, with the same exception, are dependent upon the tuition fees paid by the children in the grades they teach. Some of these children have no funds, and some—a few—are paid for by scholarships furnished by friends of the school—and of the teachers. The music teacher works under the same ar- rangement. There is but one piano in the school, that being one which was given away by a local firm and which the school’s friends determined to obtain. It is kept necessarily in the music room, and must be moved up and downstairs when some unusual event occurs in the auditorium. Having no piano for chapel exercises forms quite a handi- cap thereto, and prevents the singing from being what it otherwise might, though the children sing weil and enjoy doing it, like all mountain boys and girls. They love to play, too, and athletics are a large part of their school life at Doyle Institute. The entire enrollment for the year 1922-23 was more than 400, but the spring term showed an attendance of about half as many. One ministerial student is enroiled. The Y.W.A. exists but is not active. An electric light system was installed in 1923 for both town and school, and adds greatly to the efficiency of the work. There is no sewerage system nor heating plant in any of the buildings; but the work goes steadily on. This is a real moun- tain school, full of mountain boys and girls, and OAK AND LAUREL r2) the six teachers love their work, else they would not be there. The local trustees are deeply interested in the institution, and realize that it is very necessary to the welfare of the. community and the moun- tain region around about. It is the only school in the community. If. the ancient building could be rejuvenated, the floors repaired and the walls freshened, with _a little more equipment, Doyle would be good for another fifty years, but the Campaign had not met expectations up to 1923, and funds were not to be had. Smoky Mountain Academy Miss Mary Murfree must have been writing about this very neighborhood when she penned her tender, actual tales of the Tennessee mountains. Folk so hospitable, so true, so loyal, keen-witted and humorous are seldom found anywhere as in these ridges of the Cumberlands, whose misty summits lie in the sunlight unafraid, or bathe in God’s tem- pestuous and sudden storms. Years ago these people decided for themselves that they wanted a school for their children; they chose the dearest spot they knew—and incidentally the most beautiful in the neighborhood, which was the site of their burying-ground; than which no place in the world is more sacred and precious to mountain folk. Here in the ice and mud and snow of an inauspicious season, the men prepared the lumber, while the women, dauntless and devoted, cooked their meals free of charge, in order that the schoolhouse might be erected. They have stood by this school with determination. Only three miles away another denomination founded 126 OAK AND LAUREL a school where everything was free—books, tyi- tion, etc., but these independent souls refused to be pauperized, and continued to pay as they were able, for what they received. In 1916 the Home Mission Board adopted the school, and it has been the dearest possession of these people since. By and by, it became evident that the site was unhealthy, the water supply not of the right na- ture; and the removal of the bodies in the ceme- tery to some other equally beautiful place was sug- gested, but the minds of the mountain people revolted at the idea of disturbing their dear dead, and the suggestion was abandoned, not however without the creation of some bitterness which still remains. It may be found necessary to trans- fer the school sometime in the future. Sacrifices untold have been theirs, in order that the school might live. The names of various prin- cipals and teachers might be cited, who toiled for small pay, for the love of the work. No doubt their names are written in Heaven. Smoky Mountain Academy was the child of the Sevier Association, and was placed by its people about fifteen miles from Sevierville, on an eleva- © tion commanding a wonderful view; within a day’s journey are Mt. Guyot and Mt. Le Conte; these are the highest peaks east of the Rockies, ex- cept Mt. Mitchell. These mountains form a back- ground for a group of communities, the homes of hundreds of young people, peculiarily suscep- tible to high ideals. These young people can rev- olutionize the life of this great highland section, when they have the proper training. The noble teachers toil incessantly with the meager equip- OAK AND LAUREL 127 ment they have, but they could work wonders with the proper provision for their needs. ° The school property includes fifteen acres, shaded by forest trees and naturally drained. The build- ings are four, including the church. The main building is a two-story frame; its auditorium is splendidly arranged, and at present. about half seated with open chairs. Hot-air heating is used. _ The other buildings are a teacher’s cottage, and a somewhat dilapidated, disreputable looking frame building which answers the purpose of a _ boys’ dormitory. This latter is not school property. The school has no adequate provision for properly caring for boarding students. The people of the community have been kind in the matter of hous- ing them. In 1922-23 the enrollment was 135, in classes all the way from first grade through high school. Four teachers do all this work. Miss Mayme Grimes, the principal, attempts to combine the duties of that office with those of a full-time teacher, while at the same time doing the buying for the commissary, keeping all the accounts, attending to correspondence—and so forth. Her teaching occupies her from eight until four-thirty. In her spare (?) time she has also superintended the cook- ing for about eight months. Miss Grimes relates this joyfully; it is done in an effort to pay off some debts that have accumulated from year to year. This is the spirit of the mountain teacher; this is “her” school. The 1922-23 graduating class numbered three. Of these one was an ordained minister, another a volunteer. Every effort is made to send these young people forth from year to year filled with practical ideals for their home life; they are shown 128 OAK AND LAUREL how to be useful in the churches, and given sound instruction in the Bible, that the original clear faith of the mountaineer may be not only unshaken, but confirmed and enlightened. A fine spirit of harmonious loyalty to the school pervades the whole. Of their own accord, in 1922- 23 the student body undertook to raise the money to put in an electric lighting system, and after giving sacrificially themselves, they called on for- mer students and friends. They also help to fur- nish the library; there are some 400 books but not very well selected; the teachers themselves furnish the religious journals and a daily; a Knox- ville B.Y.P.U. sends the Literary Digest. Work in the literary societies is of the same nature as in our other schools; it is required for graduation. The course of study is adapted to two distinct classes of students, those who go back home, and those who go on to higher institu- tions of learning. In 1922 Smoky Mountain Academy furnished Sevier County more than twenty-five teachers. More of its students passed the teacher’s exami- nation than of all other schools in the county. In the eight years of the school’s existence it has sent out some thirty volunteers for especial Chris- tain service. There were two young ministers there in 1923. Roughly estimated, Smoky Mountain needs dor- mitories, equipment of all kinds, and more teachers; better ones, more self-denying and loyal are not to be had. “Thy righteousness is like the great mountains” (Psalm 36: 6). CHAPTER VI VIRGINIA Lee Baptist Institute Virginia has but one mountain mission school at present under the control of the Home Mission Board. Where the state tapers to a wedge point- ing southeastward, in the midst of the Cumber- lands, with the Kentucky line but seven miles away, and North Carolina and Tennessee very intimate neighbors, lies the town of Pennington Gap. Gaps are numerous in this section of the mountains, and the railroads take advantage of them; so here, a division of the L. & N. Railroad passes through on its way to Kentucky, and makes it easy for boys and girls to come to Lee Baptist Institute. Twenty-five miles away is the Natural Tunnel; within a few hundred yards of the school is Gilley Cave, which rivals the Cavern of Luray in grandeur; the well-known Sand Cave is but seventeen miles away; and this is the very threshold of the Pocket country, so rich in mines and full of varied natural beauty. The students frequently make expedi- tions to see the wonders of the surrounding moun- tains. . From any point in Pennington Gap can be seen the imposing structures of the school, towering (129) 130 OAK AND LAUREL on a sharp rise opposite the ridge which bears the town, in the midst of great gray boulders which make ordinary streets and sidewalks impracticable. Lee is splendidly drained; has good mountain water and most invigorating air. Her buildings are very much above the average, and all beauti- fully kept. The girls’ dormitory which was burned in 1914, was replaced at a cost of some $8,000, and is thoroughly modern, and practically fireproof; it will house about fifty girls. Societies and Churches have furnished its rooms, and other friends of the school did the same for the parlor and hall. The boys’ home is truly a home. Prof. and Mrs. Skaggs have apartments on the first floor, and the daintiness of their private establishment pervades the entire building. The reception hall. or assembly room, is made a parlor, where curtains, rugs, flowers, pictures and books combine to make the boys feel that their personal comfort and en- joyment is a prime consideration. No broken win- dows here, no desolate bareness, no defaced walls, but warmth and light and a real home atmosphere. The boys are very proud of this attractive build- ing, and take an honest pride in their care of it. Bathtubs are found here, and there is a regular schedule for baths as for lessons and play hours. This dormitory was built by the Home Board, which has had full control of the school since 1910. Prof. Skaggs, whose nine years’ experience in other schools before coming to Lee makes him a man of experience in his chosen field, is a power on the campus. The boys and girls respect his ability to do things; and his readiness to install plumbing, build a porch or erect a basketball goal is mentioned by them with just pride, while at the same time they realize his worth as a teacher: OAK AND LAUREL 131 and when he says “Smoking in any form is for- bidden, under penalty of suspension,” they do not question his wisdom or his intention of carrying out the sentence. The splendid administration building presides over the campus, as is fitting. It is admirably planned. The first floor contains four classrooms, the library of over 500 volumes, and the principal’s office. In the basement are laboratories, and the department of Domestic Science; on the second floor the music studio, practice rooms, classrooms and a fine audi- torium, which should have new chairs, though the present furnishing is better than that of the aver- age mountain school auditorium. The autumn of 1922 saw an enrollment of 170; of these forty were boarders. The food was excel- lent, varied, attractive. One young man was help- ing in the kitchen, to earn his way. This school is a notable example of what the Home Mission Board can do when it has the entire responsibility. Lee is attractive, well equipped, well manned; the premises are neat, the buildings in good repair, the sanitary arrangements in ex- cellent condition, the table service admirable. This school was begun in 1903 to foster local education in Lee County—how many of our mountain schools began just so, born of a determination in the hearts of a few men and women, to give their children educational advantages! It was supported locally, but under the supervision of the Educational Com- mission of Virginia, for five years. Then the Home Mission Board was asked by the Commission to take the school over; it was numbered among the mountain schools of the S.B.C., in 1908 and came under the full control of the Home Board. It is an institution to be proud of. 132 OAK AND LAUREL Lee is a strong moral and Christian influence in the town; its teachers and students promote and enliven the life of the four churches, and leaven the social activities of Pennington Gap as well. All the usual spiritual exercises of a Christan school are practised, including the evening devotions be- fore bedtime in the dormitory parlors. Since 1910 this school has graduated from its high school department seventy-five young men and women; scores of these are filling positions of honor and profit; many are still at school elsewhere, and many hundreds who attended only for a short while, are living transformed lives as a result. There are several cottages within the eight or nine acres of the school’s property, and these are rented to families wishing to live near the school to educate their children, or to young married students who wish to keep house while attending school. ; When the matter of needs was brought to the attention of the housekeeper, she very modestly said she would greatly appreciate materials for a poultry yard enclosure. Surely some good friend of Lee Baptist Institute has already found pleas- ure in granting so modest a wish. Blue Ridge School The churches of the Blue Ridge Association in 1916 bought a farm of ninety-one acres at Buffalo Ridge, with an old farmhouse which has since been remodeled for school purposes, and on this tract of land founded a school whose avowed purpose was to serve the boys and girls of that region. The property was deeded to the State Mission Board which became responsible for furnishings and sal- OAK AND LAUREL 133 aries. School was begun in the old farm dwelling, which has since been twice enlarged; soon the recitation building was erected; one dormitory was recently completed, and a larger one is soon to be begun. The 1922-23 enrollment was about 150, and the faculty numbered nine. The school receives pupils from the first grade up through the eleventh. The high school meets all the conditions required by the State Board regu- lations. A brief course in Agriculture attempts to restore the love for rural life, so sadly on the wane; and by teaching modern farming methods, to bring up the standards of such living so that the trend of favor will be largely toward the farm instead of away from it. Likewise the Domestic Science taught here is essentially practical, seeking to im- plant in the girls a high ideal of home life, and the knowledge whch will make the attainment of such an ideal possible. These girls will make better wives and mothers when they have been taught at the Blue Ridge School, how to cook and sew and manage a house. Board is provided for both teachers and pupils at $13.00 per month which includes heat and elec- tric light. The farm produces vegetables, meat, milk and eggs; also employment for boys who wish to earn their way. It would be a fine thing if every mountain school possessed such a farm. Each year more than a score of these boys and girls are converted, and many offer themselves for definite Christian work. Classes for Teacher Train- ing, and all the young people’s organizations of the church are maintained. The definite, expressed aim of this school is to cultivate a taste for rural life, by making it so at- 134 OAK AND LAUREL tractive that these young people will never be among the crowds that throng the city pavements, only to be disillusioned, and to return sadly in aiter years to the farms that they had left. One of the rules of Blue Ridge School forbids smoking. It would be a very constructive measure, if all these mountain schools would adopt such a regulation. The school has no endowment, but a small schol- arship fund is provided to help girls who have no means, and are in earnest about getting an edu- cation. Churches and individuals are urged to pro- vide scholarships; some are already doing this; the Woman’s Missionary Union organizations have helped in many material ways, and will continue to do so. Our people are being roused to the realiza- tion that these mountain boys and girls, unspoiled by the deterioration of customs and manners in the last few years, have both the brain and brawn which are necessary to re-vitalize the world we live in; and that education—Christian education is the necessary measure for their development. Virginia needs the young people of the Blue Ridge, the South needs them; and such schools as this at Buf- falo Ridge are doing just the work that will bring them into the struggle of good against evil. Buchanan School The women of Virginia are directly responsible for the organization of this school at Council, in Buchanan County; in 1898 the Virginia W. M. U. was organized, and it was not long until the women became interested in this county, which, with a population of 14,000, including not one negro o1 OAK AND LAUREL 135 person of foreign birth, there was no Baptist Church. At their request the State Mission Board put a missionary on that field, with the understand- ing that the women were to furnish the funds for his support. This worker was known as the Vir- ginia W. M. U. missionary. Soon these women had a parsonage built for him, near one of the churches which he had organized. The need for a school soon became apparent, and again the State Board made the initial movement, upon the women’s promise to raise $2,000 toward a building, and a stated amount annually toward its maintenance. At this time Mrs. W. C. James was president of the Virginia W. M. U., and Mrs. Julian P. Thomas, corresponding secretary. A gift of land decided the location of the school, a few more acres were purchased, and after the first parson- age was sold at a profit, a new one was built near the Corinth Church, where the school was also lo- cated, giving them a group of three good buildings. Year after year the W. M. U. contributed more money than it promised, and the dormitory was soon built. A student scholarship fund was begun in 1913, and grew rapidly, along with the gifts for current support, until in one year 1919, the two funds amounted to more than $8,000. Though some money is still designated to Buchanan Mountain School, most of the gifts of the women are now combined in campaign receipts. In addition to this support, by societies and associationa] unions, many contributions have been made to both fur- nishing and support. During all this time the women were giving gen- erously to State Missions also. The year they gave more than $8,000 to Buchanan, they also gave 136 OAK AND LAUREL $25,000 to State Missions; and of course the State Board was also contributing to the school. This is a fine sample of co-operation. This school is the property of the General Asso- ciation, or State Convention, of Virginia, to which the Virginia W. M. U. is auxiliary. It has a faculty of nine teachers, including one who superintends operations in the farm of two hundred acres, now belonging to the school. The course of study fol- lows the curriculum of all accredited schools, and includes some subjects not taught in a state school. There are all the usual adjuncts, literary and ath- letic: The buildings include one for administration and four used for dormitory purposes, the former new and perfectly modern. This is constructed of na- tive sandstone, and has a very beautiful auditorium. These are all equipped with water, lights, sewerage, and the two large dormitories with hot air fur- naces. The site is well drained, being an eminence over- looking the lovely valley through which flows the Russell Fork of the Big Sandy River. The view is most picturesque. Water is brought through galvanized pipes from three springs about a mile away, near the top of the mountain. The health of the student body is very nearly perfect. There is a four-year course in Domestic Science and Art, in the last year of which the class does ac- tual housekeeping in the “Model Cottage.” In each of these departments a fee of thirty cents per month is paid in advance. he enrollment for 1922-23 is 250, largely from Buchanan County, and those adjoining, which is satisfactory to the management, as the school is OAK AND LAUREL 137 intended for young people from this particular section of Southwestern Virginia. In connection with the Corinth Church, the school fosters all the organizations of the W.M.U. as well as three B. Y. P. Unions. It is unusual for a stu- dent who comes to Buchanan unsaved to go away without becoming an earnest Christian. The band of volunteers is large, but the number of young preachers is very small. This excellent school is a second home to most of its teachers; and when we consider the length of time some of them have remained here, we are not surprised at the excellence of the work done, or the high rating of the school. The principal, Mr. R. A. Henderson and his wife, have a record of twelve years, up to 1923; Miss Margaret Michie, eight; Miss Helen Repass, five, and Miss Olivia Gwaltney, three. The women of Virginia may well bé proud of this, the result of their prayer and prompting. God enabled them to do even more than they hoped for. Oak Hill Academy and Piedmont Institute In addition to the three schools already described, Virginia has two others, like Buchanan and Blue Ridge, the property of the Virginia Baptist General Association. One of these is located at Kindrick, in Grayson County, and is known as Oak Hill Academy; it is the oldest mountain mission school in the state, even dating back of the twenty years of Lee Baptist Institute’s history. It has about 160 students, and a property worth $31,000. The fifth of these Virginia schools is called Piedmont Bap- tist Institute; it is located at Alhambra, Amhurst 138 OAK AND LAUREL Co., and has about 65 students. It was organized in 1921 and is the baby among Virginia mountain schools. Lee, at Pennington Gap, it will be seen, is the only Virginia school that belongs to the Home Board; but it has received only small amounts dur- ing recent years from that body. This school 1s the only one of the five located near a public school. The others are pioneering among the iso- lated mountain people, and with visible and in- creasing results. “The average mountaineer is absolutely without emotion, cool and reluctant to accept new ideas, and if you appeal to him it must be to what he calls his ‘horse sense.’ He is naturally a religious creature, very often, it is true, sadly misguided: but this only proves that they should have larger opportunities for Christian education—In Buchanan County. Virginia, is found the purest Anglo-Saxon stock in America. The county has about 14,000 with no negroes or foreigners.”* ~ The Baptists of Virginia do not mean that any bov and girl shall be denied an education, if they can prevent it. And nearly 600 boys and girls are now being educated in these five fine schools. Not only are thev being educated, for in 1921-22 there were about 100 professions of faith in Christ among them, *M. L. Combs. 3? “I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains .. . (Psalm 121: 1) CHAPTER VII CONCLUSION In the foregoing chapters appears an account of most of the mountain schools maintained by or- ganized Baptist forces in the South. Nine states offer in their highland regions, a fertile field for such efforts as Southern Baptists have been putting forth since 1904, to educate and train the eager, receptive minds of the youth of. the Southern Appalachian and Ozark Mountains. These nine states vary as to their mountain popu- lation; they vary in the same proportion as to the number of schools operated by the Home Mis- sion Board and the various state boards. North Carolina, with a large part of her territory mountainous, has eight such schools, the greatest number in any one state; Tennessee and Arkan- sas, practically all mountainous, come next with six; Georgia and Virginia have five each, South Carolina four; the others fewer. In the annual report of the Home Mission Board published in May 1922, we find that it was then operating thirty-seven schools, with 229 teachers and 6,183 pupils, of whom 175 were studying for the ministry. These schools included more than 120 buildings, and property valued at $1,688,000. This flourishing condition was the growth of eigh- teen years, and had resulted from very small be- (139) 140 OAK AND LAUREL ginnings; ten schools, ten buildings, 1200 pupils and about twenty teachers. What had contributed to this marvelous growth? Let us mention first the blessing of God, upon an enterprise so pleasing to his divine will for men; his guiding hand, his animating love. Subject to the heavenly Motive Power we may next consider the co-operation of the people of the Baptist de- nomination in the entire south of eighteen states, each giving to the cause of mountain mission schools along with other enterprises of the Home Board, without “looking only on his own things.” States which possess no mountains, but have port cities where the foreign element requires mis- sionary teachers; or Indian reservations where frontier preachers must be established, or a large negro population which requires especial workers; these states give to Home Missions without dis- crimination, knowing that the funds of such states as are largely mountainous are likewise divided among all the activities of the Board. This is true brotherly co-operation. Third, there enters into this great result, the increasing interest and loyalty of the mountain people themselves; deprived for generations of the advantage of first class schooling, they seized eagerly upon the opportunity for expansion of mental horizon, and being to a large degree Bap- tist by belief and inheritance, they gladly sacrificed to send sons and daughters to these Baptist Schools, where they would be trained not only mentally but spiritually, and learn to be a force in the church of our Master. . And last, we would consider the exceedingly fine influence of the average mountain school-teacher. Without him—or her—the growth of the system OAK AND LAUREL 141 would have been small indeed. No tribute can be too great, no gratitude too deep and tender for Southern Baptists to offer to these heroic teachers, many of whom refuse splendid salaries and asso- ciation with those whom they consider as leaders in their profession, to spend their lives in these lonely, often isolated districts, their resources of diversion, companionship and inspiration being lim- ited to the school itself. They count it a joy to serve their Master through serving these, his “little ones,” and with the true teacher there is no thought of sacrifice. There has been the intention, in preparing this book to mention in connection with these schools, those men and women who have given at least three years of service to their present field; some can show a record of fourteen—eighteen—twenty —twenty-five or six years of unbroken service; and the thoughtful will immediately perceive the relation between the long term of faithfulness to ideals and the high position of certain schools in the system. There are some—nay, many, among the young recruits in this teaching force, who are possessed by the same spirit of devotion and inspired by the same lofty ideals as are those pioneers; so that this ingredient in the compound of success for our mountain schools, is assured for years to come. With the teachers, and yet apart from them, must be counted the personality of the only super- intendent of Mountain Mission Schools the Home Board has ever had,—Dr. Albert E. Brown of Ashe- ville. If he himself were not fundamentally a mountain spirit he could not so sympathize and fraternize with the people who patronize our schools; if he were not a natural teacher, he could 142 OAK AND LAUREL not so fully enter into the ambitions and ideals, struggles and disappointments of this noble corps of men and women. If he were not pre-eminently a Christian he would not have given himself en- tirely to the work of mountain school supervision for nineteen years; nor would he now be saying, as he says in his 1922 report to the Home Board, explaining his intention to relinquish the superin- tendency a year hence: “T want the denomination to help me go back into the many districts of the mountains so remote that they have not really felt the influence of pro- gress which has been brought to other sections. ... If I am to live out my three score and ten years, I still have eight or ten years of useful service left for me, and I crave to spend it in open- ing up a work for the people in these outlying set- tlements and communities.” There speaks an unselfish soul; the people of the highlands recognize in him a friend, and the young folks speak of him in terms of loyal appre- ciation. In some schools, his portrait adorns the walls; in some there is a building which perpetuates his memory; some lists of trustees are headed by his name, though he is, ex officio, a member of each. For all, he is the court of final appeal; they know no higher arbiter. To them he is to all intents and purposes, the Home Mission Board of the S. B. C. He has seen the Home Board schools grow in number, power, possessions, patronage and influence, and has contributed largely to their present healthy state. We have noted the agencies operating in the past growth of this great work; there is no rea- son why these same agencies should not combine OAK AND LAUREL 143 to insure even greater growth in the years ahead. The constituency of the Southern Baptist Con- vention is daily becoming better informed, and correspondingly more deeply interested in these schools of ours; the population of the highlands, leavened everywhere now by the not insignificant number of those who have been able to attend our schools, has no longer to be won over; prejudices have been overcome, indifference warmed into ad- miration. We have just noted that the rank and file of faithful teachers is being reinforced from year to year by young lives of the same temper; and if the time has come, as he avers, for Dr. Brown to surrender the supervision of the system, no doubt he has trained his successor, and the work will go prosperously forward. God will not let this work suffer. The work of the mountain mission school is not merely the putting of book knowledge, or even better ways of living, into the head of a mountain boy or girl. The by-products of such teaching are many; the efflorescence of the branch magnifies and glorifies the branch itself. First, there is the gradual alteration of the hab- its of generations; better houses are built, con- veniences are provided, customs learned at school are incorporated into home living, the desire for expansion, for further culture has been planted, and has taken root. A transformed home life leads to a new relation to the community; pride in public affairs develops ; the “still” and all its attendant evils become un- desirable in a neighborhood of homes. Churches are rebuilt, better equipped, better attended. The boys come home to preach the gospel of the sal- vation of Christ, and that kindred gospel of clean 144 OAK AND LAUREL living, and the elements of sin and shame slink away and hide in silence. A different attitude toward the law and its ob- servance is noticeable in communities where the boys and girls have gone away to a mission school. Regions once filled with rough characters and dangerous to strangers, become happy and open, in the consciousness of rectitude. Too much can scarcely be said of the degree to which preparation for Christian service at home has been incorporated into the work of these schools. A careful reading of the report of the Sunday School Board’s Teacher Training awards from July 1921 to July 1922, shows that among the schools that led in the number of awards, Mars Hill obtained 623, Mary P. Willingham 308, Yancey 267, Southwest College 192, Maynard Academy 160, Bridgeport 148, and Fruitland Institute 106. By states, the mountain schools of Alabama had 163, of Arkansas 261, of Georgia 416, of Ken- tucky 101, of Missouri 319, of North Carolina 1165, of South Carolina 85, of Tennessee 151, of Virginia 218, a total of 2,879. This is a wonderful record of work done by these mountain boys and girls; almost one-fifth of all the Sunday School Board’s awards, exclusive of those given to the seminaries, went to the boys and girls of the mountain schools. Are these schools worth while? State schools, be they ever so well-equipped and thorough, will never do this for our children. The best location for a mountain school is a mat- ter for careful consideration; in reviewing the facts concerning these thirty-odd schools we find that some sprang up without apparent design, and OAK AND LAUREL 145 grew in importance until they were valuable to the Home Mission Board; others were begun as they became denominational; many were started by associations or local churches; still others were deliberately planned by the Board, and their loca- tion carefully chosen. In every instance we find splendid co-operation between the local Baptists— sometimes the entire community, and the State or Home Mission Board, or both. From the facts we have gathered, these deduc- tions are obvious; first, that a school for moun- tain people should be im the mountains, where they are; second, it should be near some small town, for the sake of medical attention, accessibility to railways, telephone, telegraph lines, and to be with- in reach of interested visitors; but not near enough to allow the lures of town life to affect the at- mosphere of the school, which should be truly rur- al. A school in a good-sized town can never func- tion properly as a mountain mission school, for obvious reasons. ; To obviate the difficulties accompanying ex- treme isolation, each school so placed should have an experienced nurse on its faculty, and telephone connection with the nearest town; also some defi- nite means of transportation to and from the rail- road’s most convenient point. An infirmary is not necessary, for these schools in the real mountains seldom have epidemics, or cases of severe illness; but there frequently arise emergencies when a nurse with a practical knowl- edge of medicine is very necessary. There is another reason why these schools should be conveniently near some small town; the local Baptist community will always feel a particular and pointed interest in such a school; its members will 146 | OAK AND LAUREL frequently visit it, and carry discussions of its progress and needs, into meetings of district and association and local church. This interest is ex- tremely wholesome for the schools, not only be- cause it inspires gifts, and a feeling of personal responsibility on the part of the town people, but because it keeps the school conscious of the public eye, and respectful of the public tongue; affairs in a school so located could never drop to a low ebb, because it would always have a vital connection with the outside world, and publicity is a generous corrective. Nothing is more wholesome than com- munity opinion. A visitor on coming away from a school whose nearest town is some distance off, was asked by a Baptist patron, “How did you find the institute? Was it—clean?” Upon the admission that there certainly was an air of neglect and inadequate housekeeping about the fine large buildings, this remark was made reflectively: “Ye—es, I noticed when I was there last spring the windows were mighty dirty, and there was considerable dust on the stairs, and trash about.” And she added, “I reckon some of us folks ought to go there oftener, and see that things are kept up better. You see,’—apologetically,—“most any- body gets careless when nobody pays them any mind.” At one of these schools of ours, the matron of the girls’ home said with a superior air,—‘“I hear the boys’ hall is a regular sight. They don’t take any interest in cleaning up, whatever.” And it developed that there was only a young male teach- er in charge of the building. These statements lead us to the conclusion that there should always be a woman in the boys’ dor- OAK AND LAUREL 147 mitory. A womanly presence insures Coe aed consideration, and a degree of order. In one of our best schools the boys’ deanitance while clean, are absolutely bare of any home-like touches; the reception hall as empty as a last year’s bird’s nest; while in other schools, one in particular, where the principal, his wife and baby, live in the boys’ home, the reception room is car- peted, curtained, furnished with vases, books, pic- tures and music; clean and cozy and attractive. These boys linger in the home-like atmosphere and have a real, personal pride in their “parlor.” This principal’s wife may be an exception, but is she not of the type we should seek, to influence our mountain schools is sound and Scriptural. Per- exert as strong a force as her husband, and cer- tainly should be considered in selecting him. A suggestion which may prove valuable is to the effect that there should be at least two women on the Board of Trustees of every one of our mountain schools. A woman’s practiced eye will discover needs and possible convenient arrange- ments which would never occur to a man, however wise and interested he might be; this is natural, because home-making is a woman’s business, and these dormitories are to be homes, not merely places to sleep. The women of the faculty can al- ways confide their ambitions and desires for the school to an understanding ear, if there be a woman or two among the trustees. Some schools already have this provision, many more have not. The schools in certain states are neither so well equipped, adequately manned, or largely pat- ronized, as in others; since the Home Board op- erates with presumable impartiality in all, we must conclude that the difference is in the attitude of 148 OAK AND LAUREL the Baptist constituency of those states, particularly the local communities. An almost universal need is more dormitories ; the number of schools whose buildings are not full is very small, and the trouble is not in any case with the quality of the teaching furnished, or with the scarcity of teachable material; the trouble is usually in the fact of the existence of other schools drawing upon the same territory, some of them cheaper, some of them free public schools. The personnel of the average mountain school faculty is exceptionally fine, capable and consecrated. These teachers would succeed in doing their work with much poorer equipment if we forced them to do so; but do we not, as Southern Baptists, owe the very best we can provide to these who are training many of our strongest future preachers and statesmen? There is no question about it; many of our most forceful preachers come from the mountains; 175 in 1922, were preparing definitely in these schools, to preach. The schools do more than train these men; they help them to stay in school, by giving them free tuition, and allowing their children to come at half the regular cost. Many of these men also work in the school and earn their board. This rule applies to practically all the schools. Every school lays especial stress on Bible study; most of them teach also the books of the Sunday School Normal course, enabling their pupils to ob- tain the Blue Seal. This training is especially in- valuable to the future preacher, while of course it is a great help to all young Christians. 7 Most of these schools foster the W. M. U. or- ganizations, especially the Y. W. A.; (in South Carolina the College Y. W. A. are known as Hassel- OAK AND LAUREL 149 tine Circles) while many have also the G. A. and R. A., and where these are not actually operating in the schools, the teachers will be found conduct- ing them in the local church. The tribute paid by the pastor of the Mars Hill Church to the faith- fulness of the college teachers might well be sub- scribed to by every pastor of a church which stands in a school community. These school pastors, however, heartily reciprocate; many of them teach the Bible in the schools, and some of them have a double responsibility as both pastor and principal, though this is unjust to both offices. Whether the Bible is taught by the pastor or a professor, however, the teaching given in our mountain schools is sound and Scriptural. Per- haps not all these good men are so thoroughly in- forareasaseto be able to aspire to the. chair of Higher Criticism, and we thank God for that; but they will teach the children to know and reverence the Holy Word, and to believe in it unto salvation. It would not take a great deal of money to sup- ply these schools of ours with the equipment which is essential to moderate comfort and efficiency. In 1919 the entire mountain school system was thrilled by the hopes which the launching of the 75 Million Campaign engendered; but those hopes dwindled; disappointment came to all in greater or less degree. Many things needed for years, at one time almost within their very grasp, slippea farther away than ever as receipts grew less; and the percentage which was allotted to the work of the mountain schools, small at best, shrank un- til it was well nigh invisible. That girl who must carry water from a well yards away from the building, upstairs, perhaps two flights; the one who must do her washing in icy water under a 150. OAK AND LAUREL rude shelter all winter long; the one who must study by a little kerosene lamp, and heat her room with a little wood stove that in a small room must be dangerously near her bed; the teachers who are trying to teach everlasting truth with a meager equipment, and living lives of sacrifice daily,— these were disappointed by the failure of Southern Baptists to meet their pledges on time. The Survey Committee of the S. B. C. is re- porting that many of these schools must be aban- doned because Campaign funds have not been suffi- cient. Can we see this done without self-reproach? But the God who inspired the founding of these schools, and has watched and guarded them all these years has an arm that is not weakened; he was in the launching of the Campaign; he knows the truth, and waits in patience until his plans ma- ture. He will not suffer the cause to lose through human weakness, but will make it possible for Southern Baptists to pay into the treasuries of State and Home Mission Boards, that which will redeem our promises to the young people of the mountains, and their faithful teachers. God is able. We can, and should, pray for our schools. James G. K. McClure says in his book on Intercessory Prayer, “Teachers need prayer—prayer that they may be patient, that they may see good possibili- ties in every pupil, and that they may endeavor to bring out those possibilities in all ‘godliness and honesty!’ . . . We do well to pray that the teacher _ may always come to his classes like a benediction, and that his personal fellowship with his pupils may be increasing inspiration.” And then we should never fail to pray for our young people in the schools. Quoting again from OAK AND LAUREL 151 Dr. McClure’s book, “There can never be too great and too earnest prayer for children. . . . Children have in themselves the making or unmaking of the world. .. . When Christ prayed over children, there must have been, it would seem, distinct in- tercession for them... that they might be hea- venly minded, so that they should do Heaven’s work upon Earth, and then do Heaven’s work in glory. ... Our prayer should be in the very spirit and to the very ends that characterized Christ’s prayer for them—that they may belong to and do the service of the Kingdom of Heaven.” The first of our mountain schools on record is the one described by Matthew the historian, in the first two verses of his fifth chapter. It was like the beginning of many of our mountain schools to this day; it had a small faculty—one teacher ; it had a multitude of hungry minds coming to be taught; it had no equipment, not even a roof for shelter; but it had God’s blessing, and the great- est teaching that ever fell on needy ears came from that one teacher’s loving lips; teaching that revo- lutionized the world; teaching that brought hope and joy into the lives of those who listened. Our mountain school teachers to-day copy that Teacher’s methods; they study his pedagogy; they strive to live as he lived, to love as he loved. And the results are beautiful, heartening; more and more, young men and women are following Jesus; coming down from their mountains into the val- leys of service, hastening to bring his Kingdom in. “The mountains shall bring peace to the people” (Psaim:/224 3). oe ee Be Al ae fit u aR 1 A « Vie Mone ae ah : — “eM 4 : ¥ 77 }/ Sa. F ‘ Nes b 4 he: pe vos iz ‘ ; tee 2 A De IES 7 he % " wy J A ‘ \ et ul ee ce syia J ait s + ey “1h. a d f ‘t , ; “ ; + ved et } df F a a i> J , * - , ‘ . ~ ~ a ee a t i on ; A ‘ m Va hp dita) . “ ‘ 4 a“ ; ; , hae ce = ben Uda aes r aan i? a . a ot Bas : £ ‘a or aa 1 wee NF |? id Weak | ae oe ee i j os aren TA 4b 4 te a ‘ : uA hei Pa j id hr Ay stn 4 ; & i“ s ‘ y. f “a | ? g : ; ct _ 5 ta ° \ ” < : f A ‘ ft i vy y . , " c “ ‘ : ‘ : 5 r] if “ * r 7 Pega Se) Lien s3 | Sy TMi tual ' ie Pe Myihcine ve i . fg - } : r A le ‘ ‘ Os Aga i)4 for BSE Wl trey j i Sa ee eee ve tee eC, | 41 ere et Y hee, iy, Pept ie ap AL iE VV A ee Bid p se if 5 7 » , Li r. - Ua . holy “Ne P ! aS "4 & te! Ths ar " aL eek rae be? Le ? Lay pee * le } . wths y hed Ja mG, : H ; a hel et } " » J “al 4 4 5 i . 7 3 eee na te wi Poles . ‘ ee rie a aan hh Tears rk) ant ia ahs j ‘al Rte ones: oe OY 10. 1 12, 13; 14. ise 16. 17. CON apie ae aad See? IE TEST QUESTIONS What states have mountain mission schools? Name and locate these schools in Alabama and Arkansas. Name and locate those in Georgia, Kentucky and Missouri. Do the same for North and South Carolina. Do the same for Tennessee and Virginia. How many of these are Home Mission Board schools? How are the others controlled? Give approximate enrollment of these schools, and number of ministerial students. How old is the Mountain Mission School sys- tem of the Home Board? Who has been its superintendent? What is the ideal location for a mountain mis- sion school? Why should they not be in towns? Why cannot state schools suffice? Is it a good thing for principals and teachers to remain more than a year or two in the same school? Give reasons. Cite some outstanding examples. What can you say of the average mountain mission school teacher? Name some reasons for the growth of our mountain mission schools. What grounds have we for expecting a con- tinuation of their success? What can you say of the Bible teaching in these schools? How do they stand as regards Teacher Traine ing Awards? (154) 18. 19. 20. tA: on ie 24. aS. OAK AND LAUREL 155 Which ones are Junior Colleges? Why are some schools better equipped than others? What about those in your own state? What can you say of the religious life in these schools? What is said of ideal conditions in a boys’ dor- mitory? What are the outstanding needs of these schools? What can we do to supply them? What have Baptist Mission Schools done for the mountain communities? l ‘4 i 5 (ine He i a ‘ “i i rie r \ we Taner. aan Vee an ui ¥ . cae ay mel o j f i is! 7 J : é hi ty : i vu Ail: oy, ., ws Y my i Maat eee i ' py Ay r'h\ ; ' 00) Ie, " Bie R he hi ui ) " fr 7 | ny i. ay" hay \ | ag! riba. vA i ee Pe tinea: Pe Pride { i ate a sk | i Mia i, it \ , Ms q) sl ; a & iy bp i! yao) We yay ‘ : i ‘ 4 ont im 4 ‘ee 44 oe f anh em! Oi var ere ; rh q ie r ih. fy ‘, ) 1 a a by rh: mh f sei ; ul Mes ede MUL Barak fed a iP nl i) i j i “Wot th v 4 we ve | L» vei y is : i ie ie, Aes, as Ls A : _ ie he ba! Afiak , ; ats, a J 2 oan thy wy hy a , Pe i, - hyd nk sikh oo rin Hilts ry qeptond PYM ay ean ey a at f