Personal History of Berea College

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larger world and we lost sight of him. The oldest daughter, marrying early, found an early grave soon
after in the West, and the baby daughter alone grew up to fully reward the mother. She became a valued
teacher in the far West, but to the end of the mother‟ s life, her youngest child was her pride and comfort,
and it was this child‟ s privilege to drop for a season her work that she might return to the old mountain
home, to which her mother had moved, and close her eyes in death. The only way I can account for this
mother‟ s love and struggle, aside from God‟ s helping, is that she was a sister of Uncle Ham, and that from
an earthly side tells pretty much the whole story.
I must not tarry longer over people. That there were others, honored and loved, is most true, and
they formed so large a part of our lives that while I cannot write of all, I can close my eyes and their faces
pass before almost as vividly as though I had only left them a year ago instead of half a century.
It is only fair to glance a little more closely at our pupils. As we called the morning roll in those
beautiful spring days, so I could now with a little assistance call them one by one. Alas! So many that
answered present then have learned a new language, that I have never learned. Many of those young
people have grown old as their teachers did, and though we were often assured, time and again, of what
good they had received at our hands, we feel very sure some of the seed we sowed was trampled under by
weeds of careless living, I do not like to think of that.
I do not remember in all our work before the war, that we had but very few cases of discipline, at
least of a serious nature. Our big boys and girls came to work, and though their habits were not formed
for consecutive hours of study, they did good work, and the little ones caught their spirit. My husband,
always quick with new devices, gave many a breathing spell – sometimes singing songs whose melody
touched their hearts, sometimes by leading all who could to chase an imaginary squirrel up and down a
tree, thus giving a lesson in mental Arithmetic that was full of fun and profit.
I think our little song book, the “ Oriole,” was most splendidly adapted to our needs. Those songs
set the countryside afire. They were something new and different from anything they had known, and
they sang them not only in school but on the hillsides and in the valleys. They entered every home, and
no songs we sang in later years were ever received with such gusto as were those simple melodies with
their simpler sentiments.
On Friday afternoon we had our show performances. In a place where concerts and operas were
conspicuous by their absence, where the very name of theatre was almost unknown, we did not have
critical audiences. It was the day for parents and friends to come, and though our exercises showed little
of our real work, they interested the audience. Our young men and maidens had their exercises, and if I
am not mistaken every one had some part in the afternoon‟ s entertainment. They were bright seasons,
sending the boys and girls home in a happy frame of mind, making it an easy thing to return on each
successive Monday morning to do better work and win new laurels.
It was during this first term, seemingly the most important of all those two years, because we were
busy breaking so much new ground, that my husband encouraged the boys to aid in clearing the under-brush
so closely touching the playground. Like many another task, it was turned into a jolly good time,
and teacher and pupils did valiant work while the fairer sex aided by their approving words and smiles.
It is plain the little vanities of dress crept into the wilderness, and the few little bits of finery went a
great ways in those days. I am glad to think we wore neat dresses, not so far behind the styles as to mark
us as hopelessly back numbers. I am glad to remember the simple but becoming coiffures of our girls, the
jaunty appearance of our young men, and though I know some of these must have come in dress deficient
of either style or beauty, I cannot remember much in detail. I think love‟ s mantle covered defects in
them, and love makes me forget now.
While I found my strength and time fully occupied with school and mother cares, my husband in
addition to his everyday work, preached every Sabbath day either in Mr. Fee‟ s place in Berea or in filling