The sun. [volume], October 05, 1913, FOURTH SECTION PICTORIAL MAGAZINE, Page 12, Image 44

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12
THE SUN, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1913.
AUUL1
Novel Educational Experiment Is Being
Tried in Rowan County Grown Folks
Are Asked to Come to School on
Nights When the Moon Shines
They Learn to Read in a Week
THERE Is u now Influence mak
ing Itself felt through tho
Cumberland Mountains. It la
gripping the used feudist who
has been wont to lie In wait for the
enemy of his clan. It Is awakening the
hillside farmer who haB struggled hard
to provide a living for his family of
twelve with no resources but his corn
patch and his squirrel rllle. It Is lift
ing the gloom of Ignoranco from thou
Bands of pure Wooded Anglo-Saxons
who have been lodged for u century In
this eddy of the world's civilization.
This Influcnc Is tho moonlight school.
Every night that the moon shines In
Ilnwan county 1,600 men und women,
ranging In age from 20 to 00, fare
forth on the trails that lead to the
log schoolhouso of the community.
There they take up the school books
and the school tasks that their children
and grandchildren and great-grandchildren
struggled with during the day.
Thus these pupils of mature years arc
acquiring those rudiments of an edu
cation for which they had no oppor
tunity in their youth.
Illiteracy ' Is being banished from
Itowan county. The principle of the
moonlight school has already been
adopted by n dozen other counties and
Is spreading throughout the mountains.
It all came through the activities of one
woman, Mrs. Cora Wilson Stewart, su
perintendent of schools for Howan
county, l'laced In that part of the
United States where Illiteracy Is great
est, she has found a way out.
Having studied carefully the condi
tions of the county Mrs. Stewart de
cided to opeti classes for adults on
moonlight nights In the public school
houses. She outlined her plan to
tho teachers nnd called for volun
teers. All the teachers of the county
responded. On Labor Day, Septem
ber 4, 1911, these teachers visited
the homes of the people throughout the
county, explained the plan, nnd an
nounced that moonlight schools would
bo opened the next evening.
It was expected that the response
would be slow, but more than 1,200
men nnd women from IS to S6 years
old were enrolled the first evening
Among them were not only illiterate
farmers and their Illiterate wives, sons
and daughters, but also Illiterate store
keepers, Illiterate ministers nnd illiterate
lumbermen. Mothers bent with age
came that they might read letters from
absent sons and daughters, and that
they might learn for the first time to
write them.
In September 1912, n moonlight
school teachers' Institute was held In
Morchead, Ky., and the superintendent
and teachers who had conducted the
first moonlight schools Instructed others
who wished to do work of this kind in
Rowan and the adjoining counties, and
in the fall of 1912 the movement spread
to eight or ten other counties, while
the enrolment of adults In Howan
county reached nearly . 1,600.
The success of these men and women,
Bay school authorities, proves that It
is not difficult for illiterate grownups
to learn to read and write. Heading,
writing and arithmetic are simple sub
jects when mature minds are concen
trated upon them. A child of ordinary
mind can be taught to read nnd write
in three or four weeks, and the adult
can do at least as well.
One man, aged 30, after four lessons
In the evening school wrote the coun
auperintendent a legible letter. Another
man, aged 50, wrote a legible letter after
seven nights attendance. A woman,
aged 70, wrote a legible letter after eight
nights study. Those cases are of course
exceptional; but experience has shown
that a few weeks attendance at night
schools has been sufficient to enable the
adult pupils to pass over the line of Il
literacy and get Into the class of liter
ates. Several pupils succeeded In secur
ing a Bible, which had been offered as
a prize by the superintendent to those
who would learn to read and write a
letter in the first two weeks of the moon
light school term.
One teacher, 18 years old. had four
adult pupils In her class. One of these
was a preacher who learned to read his
Bible and a newspaper after a few weeks
earnest study. After four lessons he
signed his name to a paper for the first
time, and after seven lessons, to quote
the words of the county superintendent,
"he wrote an enthusiastic letter, with a
period at the end of each sentence as
large as a bird's eye."
In another school, of sixty-five en
rolled, twenty-three were illiterates, and
there were three preachers In the class,
Several octogenarians were enrolled in
these schools, one a woman of 85, an
other a man of 87. Some of the men
and women entered a schoolroom for
the first time In their lives when en
rolled as night pupils. '
One of the significant facts brought
out in this experiment Is that adults of
limited education have taken advantage
of the opportunity to return to school
and to Increase their knowledge. Of the
1,600 adult pupils attending night school
during the second term 300 were unable
to read and write at all, 300 were from
those who had learned In September,
1911, and 1,000 were men nnd women of
meagre education.
The change In the attitude of the
community toward education where- the
night school 'has been undertaken Is In
Itself significant. A school trustee thus
describes the situation In his community:
"I have lived In this district for fifty
five years and I never saw any such
Interest as we have here now. The
school used to drag along, and nobody
seemed Interested. We never had a
fathering at the school and nobody
thought of visiting it.
"We had had night school only three
weeks when we began improvements.
Wc papered tho house, put in new win
dows, purchased new stovepipes, made
new steps, contributed money and
bought winter's fuel.
"Now we have a live Sunday school,
singing school, prayer meeting once
PUPlLb
'caen week nnd preaching twice a
month, l'eople of all denominations In
tho district meet and worship together
in perfect unity and harmony, aged
people come regularly, nnd even people
rrom the adjoining county are begin
ning to come over to our little school
house." The remark of one old woman of 70
probably voices the feelings and senti
ments of all tho adults who have
learned to read and write In these night
schools. When asked what benefit the
moonlight school hnd been to her she
said:
"Oh, to be able to read my Bible nnd
to write to my children nnd grand
children I would not take anything
for that privilege."
The studies pursued In these moon
light schools are reading, writing.
arithmetic nnd ppclllng. Brief drills
arc given In the essential facts of lan
guage, history, geography civics, sani
tation, agriculture and horticulture.
The teachers gladly gave volunteer
services nnd received no compensation.
A few prizes were offered to stimulate
teachers nnd trustees and were to be
awarded for the highest enrolment,
the largest attendance nnd the number
of illiterates taught, but teachers and
trustees announced that any prizes
won by them would be donated to the
district for libraries and other needed
Improvements.
The teachers nre in the main natives
of Itowan county, young in years and In
experience, deeply In sympathy wjth the
people and their needs, consecrated to
tho cause of education nnd determined
Written by "tVie Father
,Tn Children aJ Tm-r
'Sa07i Leson&,
to wipe out illiteracy from tho county
and to make of each nnd every citizen,
high or low, an Intelligent, active,
happy factor in the school. They pos
sess a high degree of intelligence, an
average amount of scholarship and the
mission spirit.
If obstacles presented themselves the
teachers promptly removed them. Sev
eral married teachers who lived at home
and rode on horseback to school ench
day left their homes when the night
school term began nnd took up their
abode In the dLtrlct. Teachers who
lived or boarded long distances from tho
schoolhouseB remained at school from
the time day school legan at 8 o'clock
In tho morning until tho nleht school
ended nt 9 o'clock in the' evening, mak
ing a tnirtecn hour day. Some can
vassed their districts during the few
hours which intervened between the
close of the day school and the begin
ning of the night school.
One widow, who not only taught, but
was burdened with household cares,
walked back and forth three miles with
her two children twice each day to tho
schoolhouse to Instruct the pupils In the
day and night school sessions. School
was conducted for two hours each eve
ning on four nights during the week,
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursday evenings, leaving the teachers
three nights for rest and relaxation.
From ono school under tho Instruc
tion of an eighteen-year-old girl, a
preacher of G4 years was graduated in
reading and writing. Tho test for
graduation was reading the Bible and
tho newspaper with reasonable facility
and writing a legible letter, end bothj of
these the minister soon learned to his
unspeakable pride and Joy,
One school of sixty-five pupils had
twenty-three illiterates, all of whom
wero taught by a young teacher to read
and write. Three preachers were enrolled
in mis school and added much by their
Interest, their zeal and their Infltinnne. J
In fact, all ministers in the rural sec
tions aided much In tho work. They
assisted In tho campaigning and organ
izing ana tno moro learned assisted in
teaching, while those who wero un
learned sought more eagerly than nnv
others to acquire some education.
on one of her visits to a moonlight
school the superintendent watched the
eager, happy throng como trooping
through the moonllsrht. lamrhlnn- ami
talking together In free and easy school
mate fashion, and as they entered the
door noted that there were students of
all ages, from the maid of 18 and tho
youth who had Just obtained hi. mnw.
ity, to the granddame of 60 and the
grandfather of 80. There were a car
penter, a merchant, a oostmaater. a.
Magistrate, a doctor, a preacher, school
trustee, farmers and farmers' wives and
ineir boos ana daughters.
KfcJN
-002
of '
"7
Mother Hubbard,
An aged father and mother, parents
or rourteen children and grandparents
of eighty-four children, learned to read
and write, and letters were proudly pre
pared to children and grandchildren who
nad moved beyond visiting distance.
What has been accomplished In Rowan
as a county system has been accom
plished In districts here and there In
other parts of Kentucky. In the Sandy
vauey nundreds nave been enrolled. 400
In Lawrence county alone. In one dls
trict in Boyd county the people responded
10 tno number of sixty. In Madison a
school was conducted among tho tenant
class and was thronged with eager stu
dents. At the close of a two weeks sob
slon alt tenants could read and write and
one of them was so elated with his at-
talnments that he wrote to his landlord.
a Stato official, and Informed him that
ne no longer had an Ignorant tenant.
One father and mother came Into
a school ono night with six grown
sons, three of whom were married.
Within two- nights both parents and
sons could wrlto their names and within
two weeks they could all wrlto a re
spectable letter.
John Dehart declares in his first letter
that he would not take $10,000 for what
ho has learned. Doubtless besides the
Increased happiness and usefulness the
knowledge which he has gained will add
that much to his earning capacity dur
ing the rest of his lifetime, for he Is
but 25 years old and belongs to a
family of remarkable vigor and lon
gevity. Last year a school trustee of limited
education attended the school at night
partly as an official duty and also to
accompany his wife, who was the
teacher. During the session he caught
a glimpse of possible power and service
and enrolled Immediately In the day
school, and attended every day, being
taught by his wife. When the day
school closed he entered a private
normal school, applying himself assldu
ously until summer, when he secured a
1 UCKY
I certificate to teach. This year he is I
one oi me most successiui leaciiera in
! Rowan county. And his ease Is but
typical of what Is happening in many
mountain communities.
(Cowrlyht, 1913, by U J. Du i'ny.)
After the Game
IT was the first half of the ninth In
ning at the Polo Grounds and the
Qlants were In the lead by the
score of 3 to 2. Mnrq.ua rd was
pitching for the home team against
Johnny livers' Cubs, nnd the bruins,
after being very submissive and trac
table In the first part of the game, had
suddenly become refractory and were
giving the Giants plenty of trouble to
subdue them.
The Cubs needed one moro run to tie
the score, and when two of them had
been retired 25,000 persons In the
stands became restless and prepared to
leave the stadium. Many young men
leaped from their seats into the aisles
and surged down the cement steps to
the narrow exits at the bottom that
lead to the field. The aisles wero
quickly clogged.
The pesky Cubs were not going to
Ag76.
quit without a fight, and Just at the
time when the spectators thought the
game was over they succeeded in get
ting two men on the bases. Tho crowd
beenme apprehensive. Would the Cubs
tlo up the game? Was Marquard los
ing his grip? One safe hit would have
ployed havoc with tho Giants' lead, but
Marquard soon set all fears at rest
when he caused the third man to fly
out to Murray for the final out.
Following that final out came tho
great transformation, the turning of a
field of smooth turf Into a sea of human
livings, who crawled in all directions
like thousands of ants. In the van.
distinguishable by their natty suits of
wnue nnd blue, wero the Giants and tho
cups, in tho stands considerate women
who had removed their hats so tho men
behind them could see what was going
on in the field were adjusting their
headgear and men and women who had
como to tiie grounds In automobiles
were donning their dusters to go home.
The aisles had filled with men and
women by this time, and when a gap
appeared In tho stream It was Instantly
filled by a person sliding Into It from
ono of tho scat aisles. So a steady
stream slowly but surely flowed down
tho concrete stops. There was nothing
rapid about the flow: It was
swift as that of molasses from a bottle
in winter, ror the exits were timt ni.m,
wide enough for two persons to squeeze
through.
Even though the fans trickled tn rntiirh
the exits In alow fashion the field wim
covered by them in a Jiffy. Thero wero
so many exits contributing two Derannn
a second to the crowd on the field that
a person sitting in tho grand stand
could harly realize where all the people
were coming from.
It was a spectacle well worth waltlnr
for to watch that sea of human beings
wenoing tneir way out. It was worth
going- miles to see thousands of straw
hats bobbing up and down as their
owners moved across the verdure. One
o MOONLIGHT SCHOOLS
a,:
qpica
Kentuclcti
ocnoot yorl
jro
unuu
m
spectator got the notion that It would
be necessary to wait about ten minutes
before all the spectators Were out of
the grounds, but he soon rid himself of
that Idea when on consulting the huge
clock In tho right field section he dis
ooverod that he had been standing
watching the crowd for twenty minutes
and still they were pouring out on the
field from tho Mg stands.
The bleaeherit.n away out In centre
field, hundreds of feet from the centre
of tho grand stand, furnish a spectacle
that seldom falls to attract the eyes of
those who come prepared to seo all that
goes on. When the final man Is retired
In the game the bleacherltes rise from
their hard wooden seats and don their
hats and coats. In a few minute the
sea of white, the impression created by
thousands of coatless fans, Is trans
formed Into a murky tide of humanity
flowing slowly across the seats toward
the rlgh' field exit. The murky effect is
v
in
3
Jfhm Oldest "Pupil, Age &Z
created "by the large number of men
donning their coats as they move to
ward the exit.
Reverting to the grand stand specta
tors, tho human sea moves slowly and
peacefully toward the exits, but once
outside confusion and turmoil reigns.
The main stream bound for the terminal
i.f the elevated railroad at 155th street
is Interfered with by spectators who
wlh to break through so as to reach
the Eighth avenue surfaco cars. I'er-
sons In the southbound stream resent
this Intrusion and the usual result fol
lows. The main or southbound stream
sweep.? everything before It.
Once In tho midst of that stream of
humanity It is necessary to travel along
with It whether you wish to go In that
direction or not. On the steps of the
elevated station you feel the pressure
of tho crowd especially. Tho struggling
mass of humanity behind you eager to
get to the top shoves you ahead with
little consideration and you have to
ascend whether you want to or not. But
the climbing Is easy.
Many a curious person who appreci
ates tho fact that an after the ball gamo
crowd is an Interesting spectaclo falls
to halt at the landing that lends to the
ticket ofllce, and continues to climb the
additional flight that leads to tho big
steel viaduct that spans tho 155th street
canyon.
From this viaduct, over 100 feet above
the ground, a wonderful panoramic
view of the baseball crowd can be had.
Looking toward the exit from the
grounds at 157th street the man on the
viaduct witnesses the release of hun
dreds of persons from tho narrow gates.
They come down the sidewalk and
gutter fifteen abreast. Once a few feet
south of the exits, where no one is
vainly trying to break a passage
through the mob. all disorder has' dis
appeared and the crowd moves slowlv
along in a phalanx.
Many persons cross Elsrhth avemm tn
the New York and Putnam foot bridge
over the Harlem River. The Manhat
tan terminal at 157th street and Eighth
avenue Is Jammed by that portion of
the crowd who wish to cross the river
to The Hronx. So over the level, six
foot wide walk they slowly wend their
way to the other terminal nt Sedgwick
avenue, where the trolley cars arc wait
ing for them to whiz them off to some
section of The Hronx.
Then, there were those who preferred
to cross the Harlem over the Mocomb's
Dam Bridge, because of Its superior fa
cilities nnd because there are trolley
ears on It If one desires to ride. The
walks on this bridge are nine feet wide,
the bridge Is 2,540 feet long and the
span twenty-five feet above the water.
Persons crossing this bridge leave
Argentina, Nation's
T
HE American Is the preeminent
meat cater of the world. If
the steaks, chops, roasts, ribs,
logs, shoulders and tho vat bus
other sections of cattle consumed In
this country were equally apportioned
among the men, women and children of
the Lulled States, each would have 162
pounds to eat every year. This is
twenty-five pounds a year more than
the teef eater of England consumes
and forty pounds above the per capita
meat consumption of Franco or Ger
many.
And as you, Mr. American Citizen, nre
a commercial as well as a carnivorous
person, It follows that you nre vitally
Interested In the price of this element rf
your diet. The high price of beef may
be rn 'Interesting theory for the statis
ticians to figure on, but to you It It
a cold, hard fact.
When you saw the tariff bill come out
of the Senate committee room with
meat still on the free list, you smiled,
unless you are a nolltlcal nesslmlst.
and then perhaps you may have given
some thought as to where the expected
new supply of meat was to come from.
Australia, perhaps, but that island Is
a long way off. A more convenient
meat market for tho United States Is
Argentina.
It is curious history, how Argentina
Pas become tho world's butcher shop.
It begins as far back as the arrival of
tho first Spaniards who settled In that
part of tho newly discovered continent.
These pioneers brought with them not
only all their household goods, but also
the livestock tho ships they sailed
could accommodate. Horses, cows, pigs,
goats, sheep and chickens made up
part of the cargo of every vessel.
Bu: the first colonists in the land of
silver had more embroilments with their
redskin neighbors than did our own
Plymouth Rock Puritans. The Guaranl,
as tho South American Indian was
called, time after time descended on tho
Spaniards like the Biblical wolf on tho
fold, killing the men, carrying off tho
women and scattering their possessions
to tho winds.
During theso raids u number of bulls
and cows escaped to tho pampas or
prairies and found thero the ideal en
vironment, plenty to cat and drink,
with a limitless plain to rango over.
This prairlo cattlo country of Argen
tina Is in certain districts superior to
tho rango territory of tho United States.
Under the circumstances It is not to
be wondered at that In a short time the
pampas were spotted with roving bands
of cattlo.
For 200 years theso herds Inereimeil
and multiplied practically unmolested by
nun. iiiKeaiiiios were uusy dur
ing this period with a series of wars
that left them no time for tho 'killing of
m. ro cattle.
First thero had been an invasion by
tho English. Then they had to frco
tho country from Spain, and after Ar.
gentlna was Just as free and lnde.
pendent as the United States tho nennin
had a dozen littlo family rows before It
was settled who was tho best man for
j-resiaeni.
When this matter was decided the
country rested from revolutions, which
have been unpopular since, and the
people began to look around for any
thing that offered In a commercial way.
The unclaimed herds of cattle caught
the eye of the more astute, and these set
about establishing ownership to the wild
cattle. The feat was not difficult. No
body had right or title to much of the
the lJt.mx Tuimnal at Hi..
It is worth while ti pausi an I
the wonderful array of uutnm ,
stand in the Speedway waiting f i
owners or renters. There
cars, small cars, low swung i -cars,
narrow ears, and In fact .:
every make of tar, both dome
foreign. And the chromatic cr!
a revelation to the eye.
Even Washington Heighten
been provided for In the matter oi
and it Is a wonderful sight to u.r
stream of erstwhile routers a-.,
the long stairway that the . v.
Baseball Club recently built and
y
..1
.3
.
i
K
re.
mucu lu uiu tii)-, iiiis siairwa.i in .J
It an easy matter to reach the iiini. of
tho cliffs that rise above the Sj l 5.
It also makes accessible the Sil'wij
station at 137th street.
New Butcher Shop
pampas, this part of the eounti
all public land. Certain clever v
men took possession of extenshe kj
of prairie, always complying m
simplo Government regulation :n th
matter of taking up public dom.i A
all tho cattle found roaming on .1 ,j
property belonged, of course, u,
At first tho ranch owners 01 .
tempted the exportation of hl,i,- ,,
proved a growing Industry. I!ut ..t
beef business dates from the Mrs- p
ment of "chaqul." This Is fm n
meat somewhat like tho Jerked ' 'of
pioneer days on the Western pi a
of the lnlted States.
The life on the pampas of Ar :r
was In many ways similar to e -In
what American cowboys call v 1
note of affection "that Westei-i n
try." The gaucho Is the conn f
of the North American cowhand. N
as reckless of danger, as Impr. , 1.
to-morrow nnd as skilled a hors. h
his brother In tho United States
Ills love of colors nnd the
petticoat trousers he wears give.,
gaucho an even more pictures.,
pearance than the cowboy, in" '
the familiar six shooter the .tv
ranger carries a long, wicked I
knife, which he ues equally
cutting off a steak for supper
cutting up an opponent In an art.
This cowchaser of the Soui".
tough as solid rublier, a'nd allli
tho average he weighs ahum
pounds lighter than the Texas
ho Is a bundle of steel spring r .
working from sunup to miihIi n
nothing but meat nnd tea.
Yes, tea. It Is llHNWtL'rnniK t
of.n wild rider of the plains pit
me o uciock raslilon beverage t t
key, but sucli Is the fact. A -iy
tho gaucho does not drink the 1 -0
concoction, but nn effusion di 1 IT
uie leaves of n bush th.it er n
Paraguay. This Paraguayan le.i m
mate is Its native nume, has the u-
ties of a splendid stimulant u w
deleterious after effects.
Another accomplishment ' 10
gaucho Is playing the guitar. W
instrument ho accompanies If
while Ringing the plaintive song". h'
pampas. When you hear the low ft
of tho guitar and the soft cr. nr.
lamenting voice of some cowboy 1 us
over the prnlrle you realize that
knows that tho wild freo llfo Is r-
Ing nn end In Argentina, even ns ( In
tho North American republic.
ino ranch owner soon saw ti
vantago of Improving the native In
in oruer to produce nn animal of g 'er
weight. The best bulls were I111, od
and blooded cattle have lieooino .iJ
with an the big ranch owners. T1
nual cattlo show, which u li. In
Buenos Ayres, Is an exhibition of k
thnt cannot lo, surpassed in bn l-
side of Great Britain.
Most of tho dressed beef from ( t
Una goes to England and Eur. 1
American packer found that I
American rival could more t' 1
his own In that field. Hut 1 -
American packer has Invaded .
Una, Already tho United Si. .'
Interests have acquired srvei
near Buenos Ayres nnd theso , a
models for tho native nbattolr
The Agricultural Depart
Washington has sent down an . to
show the Argentine meat 1
Just how beef must bo killed ai '
in order to meet tho United f
spectton requirements. In a s' 1 "e
the American housewife may
supply from this new butcher it
beefsteaks frpm Buenos Ai
a specialty on chophouse menu