by ,the ,kentuckiana ,digital ,library47 ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,text enclosed by underscores is in italics 7italics74 ,additional ,transcriber's ,notes are at the end4 99 99 99 99 99 ,illustration3 ,the spelling match4 ,,moonlight ,,schools ,,for ,,the ,,emancipation ,,of ,,adult ,,illiterates ,,by ,,cora ,,wilson ,,stewart ,chairman ,illiteracy ,commission1 ,national ,education ,association2 ,chairman ,illiteracy ,committees3 ,national ,council of ,education1 and ,general ,federation ,womens' ,clubs4 ,illustration ,,new ,,york ,e4 ,p4 ,,dutton ,,company #fha ,,fifth ,,avenue 99 99 99 99 99 ,copyright1 #aibb1 ,by ,e4 ,p4 ,dutton ,company ,all ,rights ,reserved ,,printed ,,in ,,the ,,united ,,states ,,of ,,america 99 99 99 99 99 ,,to ,,the ,,volunteer ,,teachers ,,in ,,the ,,moonlight ,,schools1 ,,whose ,,vision1 ,,courage ,,and ,,self-,,sacrifice ,,made ,,it ,,possible ,,to ,,blaze ,,the ,,trail ,,for ,,the ,,emancipation ,,of ,,the ,,nation',s ,,illiterates1 ,,this ,,volume ,,is ,,gratefully ,,dedicated 99 99 99 99 99 ,grateful acknowledgments are made for assistance and helpful suggestions to the following3 ,mr4 ,erwin ,a4 ,holt1 ,mrs4 ,cornelia ,steketee ,hulst1 ,dr4 ,j4 ,g4 ,crabbe1 ,miss ,linda ,neville1 ,general ,william ,h4 ,sears1 ,mr4 ,everett ,dix1 and ,dr4 ,louise ,mc,danell ,browne4 ,,preface ,many requests have come for a book telling the story of the moonlight schools4 ,teachers have expressed their need of such a book for their inspiration and guidance1 and the general public has evidenced a desire to know more of the dramatic story of the origin1 development and goal of these schools4 8,i have but one lamp by which my feet are guided1 and that is the lamp of experience10 said ,patrick ,henry4 ,the crying need of 8the lamp of experience0 to guide the teachers who are engaged in the fight on illiteracy impels the author to present the experience of years of strenuous campaigning against illiteracy in book form and likewise to show forth the achievements of adults who have passed from the darkness of illiteracy into light through the portals of the moonlight schools4 ,this book is purposely written in simple language and kept free from technical terms4 ,it is a message to the teachers of every land and would be as easy and accessible to those who have had little preparation for teaching as to those who are experienced and trained4 ,not for the teacher alone is it written but even those who are not engaged in teaching will find a message1 it is hoped1 within its covers4 ,,contents ,,chapter ,,page ,i4 ,,the ,,people ,,who ,,gave ,,the ,,moonlight ,,schools ,,to ,,the ,,world #a ,,ii4 ,,the ,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,moonlight ,,schools #h ,,iii4 ,,surprises ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,session #ad ,,iv4 ,,pioneer ,,methods ,,in ,,dealing ,,with ,,illiterates #ba ,v4 ,a ,,moonlight ,,school ,,institute #cb ,,vi4 ,,the ,,results ,,of ,,the ,,second ,,session #ch ,,vii4 ,,to ,,wipe ,,out ,,illiteracy ,,the ,,teacher',s ,,goal #dg ,,viii4 ,,the ,,movement ,,extends ,,to ,,the ,,whole ,,state ,,of ,,kentucky #eg ,,ix4 ,,the ,,first ,,text-,,books ,,for ,,adult ,,illiterates #gj ,x4 ,,moonlight ,,schools ,,in ,,war ,,time #ha ,,xi4 ,,moonlight ,,schools ,,in ,,reconstruction ,,days #ajf ,,xii4 ,,the ,,illiteracy ,,crusade ,,spreads ,,from ,,state ,,to ,,state #abd ,,xiii4 ,,the ,,purpose ,,of ,,the ,,moonlight ,,schools #ade ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,need ,,of ,,moonlight ,,schools #afg ,,xv4 ,,the ,,call ,,of ,,the ,,illiterates #ahi ,,illustrations ,the ,spelling ,match ,frontispiece ,,facing ,,page ,they ,came ,carrying ,babes in ,arms #af ,young ,men and ,women ,whose ,chance ,had ,come #ah ,arithmetic ,was a ,popular ,study #bh ,a ,man ,aged #hg ,entered and ,put to ,shame the ,record of the ,proud ,school ,girl of #hf of the ,year ,before #ch ,they ,were ,schoolmates1 and ,that is a ,tie ,that ,binds #dd ,letter ,from a ,home ,department ,pupil #de ,a ,class of ,moonlight ,school ,pupils ,all ,past #ej ,years of ,age #dh ,letter ,written ,after ,three ,lessons #hj ,letter ,written ,after ,six ,lessons #hj ,letter ,from ,pupil ,after ,attending ,full ,session of ,moonlight ,school #hj ,letter ,from ,man of ,draft ,age #id ,letter ,from a ,war ,veteran #ajh ,letter ,from a ,student in ,prison #aah ,letter ,from an ,alabama ,pupil #abd ,letter ,from an ,alabama ,pupil #abe ,letter ,from a ,north ,carolina ,pupil #abf ,a ,north ,carolina ,moonlight ,school #abh ,oklahoma ,moonlight ,school #acj ,letter to the ,state ,superintendent of ,schools1 ,oklahoma #acj ,a ,class of ,mexican ,mothers in ,california ,learning to ,read and ,write #acb ,letter ,from ,new ,mexico ,moonlight ,school #acb ,letter ,from a ,georgia ,moonlight ,school #acd ,jewish ,mothers in ,new ,york ,improving ,their ,education #adj ,mother of ,twelve ,children ,learns to ,read and ,write #aij ,alex ,webb1 ,aged #ih1 ,who ,learned to ,read and ,write in the ,moonlight ,schools #aib ,,introduction ,it has been said that every great movement for freedom originated among mountain people4 ,however true or untrue this may be1 the movement to emancipate the illiterates of ,america originated among the people of the mountains of ,kentucky4 ,it is not something that ,america is doing for the mountain people1 but something which they have contributed to the nation and to the world4 ,this was acknowledged by the ,united ,states ,commissioner of ,education in a bulletin issued in #aiac in which he said1 8,i submit herewith1 for publication as a ,bulletin of the ,bureau of ,education1 a statement showing in some detail the amount of illiteracy in the ,united ,states among men1 women and children over ten years of age according to the ,federal ,census of #aiaj2 also a brief statement of an experiment which has been conducted for nearly two years in one of the mountain counties in eastern ,kentucky having a large number of illiterates in its population1 to ascertain if it were possible to teach these illiterate grown-up men and women and older children to read and write1 and whether other men1 women and children with very meager education would respond to the opportunity to learn more of the arts of the school4 ,the success of this experiment1 made under very difficult circumstances1 has been so great as to inspire the hope that1 with the cooperation of schools1 churches1 philanthropic societies1 cities1 counties1 ,states and the ,nation1 the great majority of the five and a half million illiterates over ten years of age in the ,united ,states may1 in a few years1 be taught to read and write and something more40 99 99 99 99 99 ,,moonlight ,,schools 99 99 99 99 99 ,moonlight ,schools ,,chapter ,i ,,the ,,people ,,who ,,gave ,,the ,,moonlight ,,schools ,,to ,,the ,,world ,in the mountains of ,kentucky there has been buried a treasure of citizenship richer far than all its vast fields of coal1 its oil1 its timber or mineral wealth4 ,here lives a people so individual that authors have chosen them as their theme and artists as their subjects to interpret to the world a people with a character distinctive1 sturdy1 independent and rugged4 ,this is a stock in which great movements can have their origin4 ,no inferior people1 no degenerate stock can embrace and demonstrate with enthusiasm new truths4 ,these people are descended from the best ancestry--,virginia and ,north ,carolina--that traces back to ,england1 ,scotland1 ,ireland and ,wales4 ,theirs was1 in the main1 an educated ancestry2 some of their forefathers read ,latin1 and some of them ,greek4 ,here and there in the mountain cabin and farm-house may be found an ancient copy of ,csar1 ,virgil1 ,chaucer and other rare old books1 useless to the possessors save as relics of the past4 ,they are a people of arrested civilization1 who sing the ballads sung in ,england three hundred years ago and forgotten there now1 and who use expressions that belong to the centuries past4 ,not all by any means1 but some of them live lives such as were lived in rural ,england and in the hills of ,scotland two hundred years ago4 ,they have the blood and bearing of a noble people2 they are a noble people4 ,possessed of a high degree of intelligence1 they have not degenerated even though deprived for years of educational opportunities1 but have preserved the sturdy traits of their ,scotch-,irish1 ,english and ,welsh ancestors4 ,their capacity for learning has always been immense and their desire for it has been equally so4 ,of all the authors who have chosen them as their theme and the artists who have recently begun to present them as a type1 none have seemed to catch1 or1 at least1 all have failed to portray1 the dominant thing in mountain life1 the strongest urge of the mountaineer's soul--his eager1 hungry1 insatiable desire for knowledge4 ,it is this which has sent mountain girls and boys walking a hundred miles or more to reach the school where they could work their way through4 ,it is the thing which has caused many a slender mountain maid and many a frail lad to assume the work of a man when by so doing they could earn a little money to provide for a few weeks in school4 ,it is the same desire that has caused many a mountaineer to give his last few acres of land1 his labor and his last dollar to found a school where his children and his neighbor's children might have an opportunity to learn4 ,but1 intense as this fervor for education has been1 it has had to satisfy itself with looking back to the time when 8,gran'pap was an educated man10 and forward to the time when the children and grand-children would have an education4 ,there was a lack of hope for the present and passing generation1 a broad gap between the past and the future culture1 which seemed to condemn many brilliant minds to an intellectual grave4 ,many of these people had never been permitted1 for reasons all too tragic1 to enter school1 or if enrolled1 they had been stopped at the end of a week1 a month or at the close of their first term4 ,there were married folk1 who if they could even have overcome their embarrassment and summoned courage in later life to seek a school1 would have found none open to them4 ,in a land where people live long1 these men and women1 thirty1 forty and fifty years of age1 with1 perhaps1 a good quarter of a century1 and many of them a half century1 ahead of them--what must be done with them8 ,shall they be considered the wasted citizens of a state that cares not to redeem and use them1 and of a nation that does not need such character and such brain8 ,these mountain people now stand at the threshold of a new civilisation1 eager and hopeful1 anxious to enter in and take their part in the work of the world4 ,they need the world's help1 its best thought1 its modern conveniences1 but not more than the world needs them4 ,in a day when racial groups weld themselves together in ,america and seek to advance the welfare of the country from which they came rather than the welfare of the nation which has received them into its bosom1 it is comforting to remember that in these mountains of the southern states ,america has a reservoir of strength and patriotism in the millions of pure ,anglo-,saxon ,americans4#a ,it is a reservoir that should not be kept walled in1 nor should it be turned back when it attempts to flow out over the land1 but should be developed and permitted to send its strength to every section to carry virility and the very essence of ,americanism to communities where these precious things are diluted or dying out4 ,,footnote3 #a ,from ,roosevelt's 8,winning of the ,west40 ,along the western frontier of the colonies that were so soon to be the ,united ,states1 on the slopes of the wooded mountains1 and in the long1 trough-like valleys that lay between the ranges1 dwelt a peculiar and characteristically ,american people4 ,these frontier folk1 the people of the up-country1 or back-country who lived near and among the forest-clad mountains1 far away from the long settled district of flat coast plain and sluggish tidal river1 were known to themselves and to others as backwoodsmen4 ,they all bore a strong likeness to one another in their habits of thought and ways of living and differed markedly from the people of the older and more civilized communities to the eastward4 ,the backwoodsmen were ,americans by birth and by parentage1 and of mixed race2 but the dominant strain in their blood was that of the ,presbyterian ,irish--the ,scotch-,irish as they were often called4 ,full credit has been awarded the ,roundhead and the ,cavalier for their leadership in our history2 nor have we been altogether blind to the deeds of the ,hollander and the ,huguenot2 but it is doubtful if we have wholly realized the importance of the part played by that stern and virile people1 the ,irish1 whose preachers taught the creed of ,knox and ,calvin4 ,these ,irish representatives of the ,covenanters were in the west almost what the ,puritans were in the ,northeast1 and more than the ,cavaliers were in the ,south4 ,mingled with the descendants of many other races1 they nevertheless1 formed the kernel of the distinctively and intensely ,american stock who were the pioneers of our people in their march westward1 the vanguard of the army of fighting settlers1 who with axe and rifle won their way from the ,alleghenies to the ,rio ,grande and the ,pacific4 ,they did not begin to come to ,america in any numbers till after the opening of the eighteenth century2 but by #agcj they were fairly swarming across the ocean1 for the most part in two streams1 the larger going to the port of ,philadelphia1 the smaller to the port of ,charleston4 ,pushing through the long settled lowlands of the seacoast1 they at once made their abode at the foot of the mountains1 and became the outposts of civilization4 ,from ,pennsylvania1 whither the great majority had come1 they drifted south1 along the foothills and down the long valleys1 till they met their brethren from ,charleston who had pushed up into the ,carolina back-country4 ,in this land of hills covered by unbroken forests they took root and flourished1 stretching in a broad belt from north to south1 a shield of sinewy men thrust in between the people of the seacoast and the red warriors of the wilderness4 ,all through this region they were alike2 they had as little kinship with the ,cavalier as with the ,quaker2 the west was won by those who have been rightly called the ,roundheads of the south1 the same men who1 before any others1 declared for ,american independence4 ,but indeed they were fitted to be ,americans from the very start2 they were kinsfolk of the ,covenanters3 they deemed it a religious duty to interpret their own ,bible1 and held for a divine right the election of their clergy4 ,for generations their whole ecclesiastical and scholastic systems had been fundamentally democratic4 ,in the hard life of the frontier they lost much of their religion1 and they had but scant opportunity to give their children the schooling in which they believed2 but what few meeting-houses and school-houses there were on the border were theirs4 ,a single generation1 passed under the hard conditions of life in the wilderness1 was enough to weld together into one people the representatives of these numerous and widely different races2 and the children of the next generation became indistinguishable from one another4 ,long before the first ,continental ,congress assembled1 the backwoodsmen1 whatever their blood1 had become ,americans1 one in speech1 thought and character1 clutching firmly to the land in which their fathers and grandfathers had lived before them4 ,they had lost all remembrance of ,europe and all sympathy with things ,european2 they had become as emphatically products native to the soil as were the tough and supple hickories out of which they fashioned the handles of their long1 light axes4 ,their grim1 harsh1 narrow lives were yet strangely fascinating and full of adventurous toil and danger2 none but natures as strong1 as freedom-loving and as full of bold defiance as theirs could have endured existence on the terms which these men found pleasurable4 ,their iron surroundings made a mould which turned out all alike in the same shape4 ,they resembled one another1 and they differed from the rest of the world--even the world of ,america1 and infinitely more the world of ,europe--in dress1 in customs and in mode of life4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,the ,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,moonlight ,,schools ,strange impressions have prevailed in regard to the moonlight schools4 ,some have imagined them to be schools where children study and play and scamper on the green1 like fairies by the moonlight2 others have supposed them to be schools where lovers stroll arm-in-arm1 quote poetry and tell the old1 old story by the light of a witching moon2 others1 perhaps because these schools originated in the mountains of ,kentucky1 have speculated upon their being schools where moonshiners1 youthful and aged1 are instructed in the best method of extracting the juice from the corn1 and1 at the same time1 one so secretive as to prevent government interference4 ,moonlight schools were first established in ,september1 #aiaa4 ,they had their origin in ,rowan ,county1 ,kentucky4 ,they were designed1 primarily1 to emancipate from illiteracy all those enslaved in its bondage4 ,they were1 also1 intended to afford an opportunity to those of limited education who desired to improve their store of knowledge4 ,these schools grew out of the only condition that can give to any institution permanent and substantial growth--an imperative human need4 ,this need was expressed1 not by any theorist or group of theorists but by the illiterates themselves4 ,when ,i was ,superintendent of ,rowan ,county schools1 ,i acted as voluntary secretary to several illiterate folk--a mistaken kindness--,i ought to have been teaching them to read and write4 ,among these folk there was a mother whose children had all grown up without learning save one daughter who had secured a limited education1 and when grown1 had drifted away to the city of ,chicago1 where she profited by that one advantage which the city possessed over the rural district--the night school4 ,she so improved her education and increased her efficiency that she was enabled to engage1 profitably1 in a small business4 ,her letters were the only joys that came into that mother's life and the drafts which they contained were the only means of relieving her needs4 ,usually she would bring those letters to me1 over the hill1 seven miles1 to read and answer for her4 ,sometimes she would take them to the neighbors to interpret4 ,once after an absence of six weeks1 an unaccustomed period1 she came in one morning fondling a letter4 ,i noticed an unusual thing--the seal was broken4 ,anticipating her mission1 ,i inquired1 8,have you a letter from your daughter8 ,shall ,i read and answer it for you80 ,she straightened up with more dignity and more pride than ,i have ever seen an illiterate assume--with more dignity and more pride than an illiterate could assume as she replied1 8,no1 ,i kin answer hit fer myself4 ,i've larned to read and write60 8,learned to read and write60 ,i exclaimed in amazement4 8,who was your teacher1 and how did you happen to learn80 8,well1 sometimes ,i jist couldn't git over here to see you10 she explained1 8an' the cricks would be up 'twixt me an' the neighbors1 or the neighbors would be away from home an' ,i couldn't git a letter answered fer three or four days2 an' anyway hit jist seemed like thar was a wall 'twixt ,jane an' me all the time1 an' ,i wanted to read with my own eyes what she had writ with her own hand4 ,so1 ,i went to the store an' bought me a speller1 an' ,i sot up at night 'til midnight an' sometimes 'til daylight1 an' ,i larned to read an' write40 ,to verify her statement1 she slowly spelled out the words of that precious letter4 ,then she sat down1 and under my direction1 answered it--wrote her first letter--an achievement which pleased her immeasurably1 and one that must have pleased the absent ,jane still more4 ,a few days later a middle-aged man came into the office1 a man stalwart1 intelligent and prepossessing in appearance4 ,while he waited for me to dispatch the business in hand1 ,i handed him two books4 ,he turned the leaves hurriedly1 like a child handling its first books1 turned them over and looked at the backs and laid them down with a sigh4 ,knowing the scarcity of interesting books in his locality1 ,i proffered him the loan of them4 ,he shook his head4 8,i can't read or write10 he said4 ,then the tears came into the eyes of that stalwart man and he added in a tone of longing1 8,i would give twenty years of my life if ,i could40 ,a short time afterward1 ,i was attending an entertainment in a rural district school4 ,a lad of twenty was the star among the performers4 ,he sang a beautiful ballad1 partly borrowed from his ,english ancestors but mostly original1 displaying his rare gift as a composer of song4 ,when he had finished1 ,i went over and sat down beside him4 8,dennis10 ,i said1 8that was a beautiful ballad4 ,it is worthy of publication4 ,won't you write a copy for me80 ,his countenance1 which had lighted up at my approach1 suddenly fell1 and he answered in a crest-fallen tone1 8,i would if ,i could write1 but ,i can't4 ,why1 ,i've thought up a hundred of 'em that was better'n that1 but ,i'd fergit 'em before anybody come along to set 'em down40 ,these were the three incidents that led directly to the establishment of the moonlight schools4 ,i interpreted them to be not merely the call of three individuals1 but the call of three different classes2 the appeal of illiterate mothers1 separated from their absent children farther than sea or land or any other condition than death had power to divide them2 the call of middle-aged men1 shut out from the world of books1 and unable to read the ,bible or the newspapers or to cast their votes in secrecy and security2 the call of illiterate youths and maidens who possessed rare talents1 which if developed might add treasures to the world of art1 science1 literature and invention4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,surprises ,,of ,,the ,,first ,,session ,the opening of the day schools to them was first considered1 but the day schools were already crowded with children1 and anyway1 illiterates1 more than any other class1 are chained to labor by day4 ,then came the thought of opening the schools at night1 but bad roads with innumerable gullies1 high hills and unbridged streams were obstacles to overcome4 ,besides1 the county had been1 at one time1 a feud county and the people were not accustomed to venturing out much after night4 ,it was decided to have the schools on moonlight nights1 and let the moon light them on their way to school4 ,the teachers of the county were called together and the conditions laid before them4 ,they were asked to volunteer to teach at night those whom the schools of the past had left behind4 ,to their everlasting credit be it said that not one of those teachers expressed a doubt or offered an excuse1 but each and every one of them1 without a single exception1 volunteered to teach at night1 after she had taught all day1 and to canvass her district in advance to inform the people of the purpose of these schools and to urge them all to attend4 ,this preliminary canvass was made on ,labor ,day1 ,september #d1 #aiaa4 ,the teachers of ,rowan ,county celebrated the holiday by going out into the highways and byways to gather in to school all who needed to learn4 ,they went into every farm-house and hovel1 inviting both educated and uneducated to attend4 ,on ,september #e1 the brightest moonlight night1 it seemed to me1 that the world had ever known1 the moonlight schools opened for their first session4 ,we had estimated the number that would attend1 and an average of three to each school1 one hundred and fifty in the entire county was the maximum set4 ,we waited with anxious hearts4 ,the teachers had volunteered1 the schools had been opened1 the people had been invited but would they come8 ,they had all the excuses that any toil-worn people ever had4 ,they had rugged roads to travel1 streams without bridges to cross1 high hills to climb1 children to lead and babes to carry1 weariness from the hard day's toil2 but they were not seeking excuses1 they were seeking knowledge1 and so they came4 ,they came singly or hurrying in groups1 they came walking for miles1 they came carrying babes in arms1 they came bent with age and leaning on canes1 they came twelve hundred strong6 ,illustration3 ,they came carrying babes in arms4 ,there were overgrown boys who had dropped out of school at an early age and had been ashamed to re-enter the day school and be classified with the tiny tots4 ,these came to catch up again4 ,there were maidens who had been deprived of education1 through isolation1 invalidism or some other cause1 but who felt that there was something better for them in life than ignorance4 ,there were women who had married in childhood1 practically1 as is so much the wont of mountain girls--but who all their lives had craved that which they knew to be their inherent right--their mental development4 ,by their sides were their husbands1 men who had been humiliated when they had made their mark in the presence of the educated and when forced to ask the election officers to cast a vote for them for the candidates of their choice4 ,there were middle-aged men who had seen a hundred golden opportunities pass them by because of the handicap of illiteracy1 whose mineral1 timber and material stores1 as well as their time and labor1 were in the control of the educated men1 making them but beggars1 as it were1 on the bounty of those whom they enriched4 ,there were women whose children had all grown up and vanished from the home1 some of them into the far ,west1 and when the spoken word and the hand-clasp had ceased there could be no heart-to-heart communication1 for the third person as an interpreter between mother and child is but a poor medium at best4 ,these and other folk--some half educated and some more--made up these schools4 8,just to learn to read my ,bible60 was the cry of many a patriarch and many a withered dame4 8,just to write my children with my own hand1 and to read their letters with my own eyes60 was the cry of the mother's heart4 8,just to escape from the shame of making my mark60 was the appeal of the middle-aged man4 8,just to have a chance with the other folk--to be something and to do something in the world60 was the expressed desire of youth and maid4 ,illustration3 ,young men and women whose chance had come4 ,the youngest student was aged eighteen1 the oldest eighty-six4 ,it was a scene to bring tears to the eyes1 but surely one to make the heart rejoice1 to see those hoary-headed old people and those robust young people seated at their desks studying together1 or standing in a row in class to spell1 or lined up at the blackboard to solve problems or to write4 ,many of them learned to write their names the first evening1 and such rejoicing as there was over this event6 ,one old man on the shady side of fifty shouted for joy when he learned to write his name4 8,glory to ,god60 he shouted1 8,i'll never have to make my mark any more60 ,some were so intoxicated with joy that they wrote their names in frenzied delight on trees1 fences1 barns1 barrel staves and every available scrap of paper2 and those who possessed even meager savings1 drew the money out of its hiding place and deposited it in the bank1 wrote their checks and signed their names with pride4 ,soon letters began to go from hands that had never written1 before1 to loved ones in other counties and in far distant states1 and usually the first letter of each student came to the ,county ,school ,superintendent4 ,in a movement full of romance and heroism1 there is no incident more romantic or more delightful to record than the fact that the first three letters that ever came out of the moonlight schools came in this order3 the first1 from a mother who had children absent in the ,west2 the second1 from the man who 8would give twenty years of his life if he could read and write02 and the third from the boy who would forget his ballads 8before anybody come along to set 'em down40 ,this answered the anxious question in our hearts as to whether the moonlight schools had met the need of those who had made the appeal4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,pioneer ,,methods ,,in ,,dealing ,,with ,,illiterates ,there were no readers in print for adult illiterates1 so a little weekly newspaper was published as a reading text4 ,can we win8 ,can we win what8 ,can we win the prize8 ,yes1 we can win4 ,see us try4 ,and see us win6 ,this was the first lesson4 ,it consisted of simple words1 much repetition and a content that related to the activity of the reader1 all of which1 in a first lesson are essential4 ,the lesson referred to a contest between the moonlight schools1 and the element of rivalry thus introduced heightened the interest and produced a style of reading that rang with the emphasis of a challenge4 ,there was attained immediately what had been striven for in the day schools with only indifferent success--natural expression in reading4 ,in the later lessons there was a sentence which read1 8,the best people on earth live in ,rowan ,county40 ,provincial though this may seem to some and flattery to others1 it had the desired effect of keeping the interest at white heat1 as perhaps a sentence like--8,foreign birds wear pretty feathers0 could not have done4 ,one old man read the sentence and openly expressed his approval4 ,he leaned back in his seat and with a hearty laugh exclaimed1 8,that's the truth60 ,continuing the lesson1 he found a little further along a sentence that read like this1 8,the man who does not learn to read and write is not a good citizen and would not fight for his country if it needed him40 ,this was published before the ,world ,war when a vast number of illiterate soldiers were called into the ,american ,army1 and is a statement disproved1 of course2 for illiterate soldiers are courageous and as patriotic as their understanding will permit4 ,but the sentence provoked students to their best possible work4 ,the old man who had exulted in being one of those 8best people on earth10 became very thoughtful after reading it1 and then resumed his study with grim determination1 for to a ,kentuckian there is no accusation so humiliating as the one that he1 under any circumstances will not fight4 ,to a ,kentucky mountaineer it is ignominy complete4 ,the little newspaper had a fourfold purpose3 to enable adults to learn to read without the humiliation of reading from a child's primer with its lessons on kittens1 dolls and toys2 to give them a sense of dignity in being1 from their very first lesson1 readers of a newspaper2 to stimulate their curiosity through news of their neighbor's movements and community occurrences and compel them to complete in quick succession the sentences that followed2 to arouse them through news of educational and civic improvements in other districts to make like progress in their own4 ,news items such as 8,bill ,smith is building a new barn0 and 8,john ,brown has moved to ,kansas0 caused them quickly to master the next sentence to see what the next neighbor was doing and we found that curiosity was not confined altogether to the women4 8,they are building new steps to the school-house at ,slab ,camp and putting up hemstitched curtains0 was the item that caused ,bull ,fork moonlight school to build new steps1 put up hemstitched curtains and paint the school-house besides4 ,other elementary subjects were taught by the question and answer method--sometimes called the ,socratic method4 ,only the minimum essentials were included in the course4 ,for instance1 the student might not be able to master ,american history in one short session2 he could not learn the principal events of each ,president's term1 the dates of battles1 and the flounderings of the various political parties1 but he could at least learn a limited number of important facts that every ,american citizen should know4 ,the ignorance of some people1 even native-born ,americans1 about ,american history1 shows that a few basic facts taught them would be a blessed act of enlightenment4 ,an illiterate old man speaking at a patriotic meeting was heard to say1 8,uncle ,sam1 our ,president of the ,united ,states1 is a grand old man40 ,another during the early stages of the ,world ,war declared1 8,the ,united ,states ought to go over and help ,france4 ,he helped us when we needed it and now we ought to help him40 ,the drills in history attempted nothing more ambitious in the beginning session than to clear up such wrong impressions1 to open up the subject to the students1 and to give them a few essential facts that would stand out or1 if further advancement were possible1 might be the skeleton on which a thorough course could be hung4 ,drills in such facts as by whom ,america was discovered1 by whom it was inhabited and by whom settled2 the story of how our independence was won2 the name and nature of our first ,president1 may have been history in homeopathic doses1 but was eagerly swallowed and was wholesome knowledge for people who knew nothing of the subject4 ,such cluttering-up facts as the battles we have fought1 the number we have killed and mutilated1 the traitors we have had1 the mistakes we have made in passing and then repealing bad laws1 the long struggle to overcome certain glaring evils and to secure certain needed reforms1 may well be omitted from a course which requires the utmost condensation4 ,the drills were elective4 ,besides history they included civics1 ,english1 health and sanitation1 geography1 home economics1 agriculture1 horticulture and good roads4 ,four were to be chosen from these1 the four most suitable to the district's needs4 ,illustration3 ,arithmetic was a popular study4 ,english was one of the most popular drills1 as well as one most needed4 ,the letter 8g10 so often ignored by illiterates1 in 8ing0 was reinstated to its proper dignity and use through drills on such words as 8reading10 8writing10 8spelling10 8talking10 8singing10 8cooking10 8sewing0 and others with a similar ending4 ,words commonly mispronounced in the community were made the subject of a drill4 ,such words as 8seed10 8crick10 8kiver10 8git10 8hit10 8hyeard10 8tuk10 8fust10 8haint0 and 8skeered10 were pronounced repeatedly until the right habit was formed1 and the most glaring monstrosities of pronunciation were weeded out4 ,a language conscience was created where none had existed before1 and a beginning was thus made toward improving bad ,english--a beginning which1 though but a pathway blazed1 was expected to lead out into the broad highway of better1 if not perfect1 speech4 ,this was long before the crusade for better speech in ,america was inaugurated with its 8,national ,better ,speech ,week40 ,it was surprising how readily these grown folk mastered certain subjects4 ,despite the fears of some educators that violence was being done to psychology in the attempt to teach them1 the grown folk learned1 and learned with ease4 ,one eminent psychologist1 who early gave encouragement to the movement1 wrote me saying1--8,in the moonlight schools you are demonstrating what ,i have always believed1 that reading1 writing and arithmetic are comparatively easy subjects for the adult mind40 ,some educators1 however1 declared preposterous the claims we made that grown people were learning to read and write4 ,it was contrary to the principles of psychology1 they said4 ,while they went around saying it couldn't be done1 we went on doing it4 ,we asked the doubters this question1 8,when a fact disputes a theory1 is it not time to discard the theory80 ,there was no reply4 ,the memory subjects were the most difficult for these adult students4 ,they had passed the 8golden memory period10 most of them1 many years ago1 and though they had memorized ballads1 folk-lore and recipes to some extent1 nevertheless1 memory was in them a thing practically untrained4 ,they were taught only a few memory gems4 ,the first one was from ,whittier's poem1 8,our ,state40 ,it was the motto at the head of the little newspaper which they used for a reading text3 ,the riches of the ,commonwealth ,are free1 strong minds and hearts of health1 ,and dearer far than gold or grain ,are cunning hand and cultured brain4 ,the following lines from ,longfellow's 8,the ,ladder of ,st4 ,augustine10 were popular as a memory gem1 comparing as it did with their own ladder of enlightenment1 of which they were just mounting the first round3 ,the heights by great men reached and kept ,were not attained by sudden flight1 ,but they1 while their companions slept1 ,were toiling upward in the night4 ,another gem precious to them was this one taught them by a ,louisville club woman1 who at the age of seventy-five came and traveled over the hills at night1 inspired by a desire to see and to help these men and women who had heroically begun their education late in life3 ,he prayeth best1 who loveth best ,all things both great and small2 ,for the dear ,god who loveth us1 ,he made and loveth all4 ,only one complete poem was to be memorized during the session4 ,what should it be8 ,with the world so full of poet lore to choose from1 should it be ,burns' 8,to a ,mountain ,daisy10 ,bryant's 8,to a ,waterfowl10 ,lanier's 8,ballad of ,trees and the ,master10 ,wordsworth's 8,the ,daffodils10 ,tennyson's 8,crossing the ,bar0 or should some other gem of poetry be bestowed on those who possessed not even one8 ,the one who introduces the first poem to students like these stands on holy ground1 and should prayerfully make the choice4 ,as literature1 the selection made might be criticised by some1 but as the needed inspiration1 the choice was one that met the test4 ,a man who was for twenty-five years president of a normal school in the mountains1 visited the moonlight schools and on hearing the students recite this poem1 said1 8,if these men and women learn nothing else besides this poem during the session it has been worth while for them to attend40 ,it was ,longfellow's 8,psalm of ,life0 and the sentiment expressed in these two stanzas found an answering echo in their hearts3 ,in the world's broad field of battle1 ,in the bivouac of life1 ,be not like dumb1 driven cattle1 ,be a hero in the strife4 444 ,let us then be up and doing1 ,with a heart for any fate1 ,still achieving1 still pursuing1 ,learn to labor and to wait4 ,,chapter ,v ,a ,,moonlight ,,school ,,institute ,the people clamored for the moonlight schools to open the next year4 ,they1 and not the teachers1 took the initiative and pressed the matter4 ,the teachers responded heartily4 ,prior to the opening of the second session1 a moonlight school institute was held--the first institute for night school teachers in ,america1 if not in the world4 ,the methods of teaching adult illiterates1 materials to use1 ways and means of reaching the stubborn and getting them into school and other things relative to the problem of educating adults were discussed4 ,teachers were not compelled by law to attend this institute1 as they were the institute for day-school work but1 nevertheless1 they did attend1 paying their own expenses during the session and participating more earnestly than they had ever been known to participate in any other institute4 ,they compared their experiences of the previous session1 and some cases of supreme sacrifice and rare heroism were unconsciously revealed4 ,most of them had succeeded with but little effort4 ,they had but to meet the rising tide of eager1 hungry-minded adults who came rushing to the schools in almost overwhelming numbers4 ,others had been misunderstood1 but had stemmed the buffeting waves of criticism and misunderstanding and1 after being tossed about1 had ridden to success4 ,none had failed--not one1 though some had been compelled to make two or three efforts before they finally succeeded4 ,one had tried it alone and failed1 then enlisted the children as recruiting officers and sent them far and wide to gather in their elders1 which they did with remarkable success4 ,one young woman--a perfect blend of the ,scotch-,irish type--who was teaching her first school when the moonlight schools were inaugurated told her story with a twinkle in her eye that seemed to belie any suggestion of hardships endured4 8,i went to the school-house the first evening10 she said1 8and nobody came4 ,i went the second and there was nobody there4 ,i went the third1 fourth and fifth and still no pupils4 ,i said1 #8,i'm going to be like ,bruce and the ,spider1 ,i'm going to try seven times1' and on the seventh night when ,i got to the school-house ,i was greeted by three pupils4 ,before the term closed ,i had enrolled sixty-five in my moonlight school and taught twenty-three illiterates to read and write40 ,this1 like all the stories1 was modestly told4 ,no mention was made of the day by day visits to the homes of illiterates1 the long walks1 the hours on horseback1 the earnest persuasion1 the chill of disappointment when waiting at the school-house alone4 ,the ,scotch determination was revealed in the words1 8,i said ,i'm going to be like ,bruce and the ,spider1 ,i'm going to try seven times40 ,the twinkle of humor in her eye was at the recollection1 no doubt1 of the schemes and designs by which she had outwitted those illiterates and brought them into the school4 ,one youthful teacher was inclined to apologize for the few she had enrolled and said1 8,i didn't have as large a school as the others--just four--but they were in earnest1 and ,i did my best with them1 and told them ,i would teach as long as one of them would come10 and then she added with an evident thrill of pride1 8but ,i taught a preacher to read and write1 and that was something1 wasn't it80 ,there was no lack of interest or enthusiasm on the part of the volunteer teachers or their pupils1 but there was a pitiful lack of suitable text-books and school material for adults1 which was voiced many times during the institute as chief of their handicaps4 ,the little newspaper with its reading lessons and drills1 a simple copy book1 arithmetic taught from the day-school text1 these1 supplemented by whatever knowledge the teacher could impart or could draw from the community1 constituted our supply4 ,out of that first institute for night-school teachers we emerged with1 perhaps1 a few things gained4 ,our position was strengthened1 and we presented a united front1 if possible to bring about more unity than had existed the year before2 there was a renewed consecration1 a common knowledge of all the plans and devices used in the different districts the year before to gain the confidence and secure the attendance of illiterates1 and a determination to excel the record of the previous year4 ,back of us was a battle won2 it was the convincing proof that hundreds had been taught1 a strength and stay that we had not had in the first year1 a mile-stone gained that made the next mile easier to travel1 a precedent1 which to many is the most powerful argument of any in the world4 ,some had learned1 even the aged and infirm1 the poor of sight and dull of mind4 ,glory be6 others could learn1 or else must admit themselves more stupid than their neighbors4 ,each teacher had all the facts1 the arguments and the experiences of his fellows1 and they knew his1 and there was a crystallization of their enthusiasm1 which made them well-nigh irresistible4 ,in those days of earnest discussion and planning for helping a people who had been abandoned by the educational forces of all time1 and a people who1 themselves1 until the moonlight schools burst upon them1 had abandoned hope1 there was never a doubt expressed1 a complaint made or even a suggestion that this volunteer service was a sacrifice or a hardship1 or anything but a holiday joy4 ,to them it was a high adventure1 not without its tests of endurance and sincerity1 but one whose tests they fully met1 even the frailest of them1 because their faith was absolute2 this faith and one other thing they possessed that gave them victory over all hindrances and obstacles--the right spirit4 ,these two are well-nigh unconquerable elements in any noble endeavor4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,the ,,results ,,of ,,the ,,second ,,session ,the second session surpassed the first in every particular4 ,we enrolled #a1fjj students1 and taught #cej to read and write4 ,a man aged eighty-seven entered and put to shame the record of the proud school-girl of eighty-six of the year before4 ,there were many evidences of individual development and achievement4 ,one man1 foreign born1 who had been working at a lumber camp at the meager wage of #a4ej per day entered the moonlight school and specialized in mathematics--that part of it pertaining to his business1 and at the close of the six weeks' session1 was promoted at a salary double that which he had received before4 ,some of the school trustees1 who were none too well educated1 found in the moonlight school their opportunity to advance1 which many of them embraced4 ,one school trustee who went from the moonlight school into the day school sat in the seat with his own twelve-year-old boy and studied in the same books and recited in the same classes4 ,another accompanied his wife to the moonlight school1 she being the teacher1 and he was so delighted with his progress that he enrolled1 also1 in the day school--and his deportment was good1 so the problem of discipline did not enter in to cause domestic infelicity4 ,illustration3 ,a man aged #hg entered and put to shame the record of the proud school girl of #hf of the year before4 ,we taught two postmasters to read and write1 and ,uncle ,sam still owes for their tuition4 ,how they received their commissions has never been explained1 but it is a well-known fact that while the fathers had held the commissions1 their daughters had performed the services4 ,when the fathers were emancipated from illiteracy1 the daughters were emancipated from the post-offices and were free to follow their own inclinations4 ,one of them entered ,high ,school and the other got married4 ,we taught four ,baptist preachers to read and write4 ,while this may seem inconceivable to some1 nevertheless it is a fact that there are men in the mountains and an occasional one in the valleys of the ,south1 who1 when they have felt the call to the ministry1 have not even permitted the fearful handicap of illiteracy to deter them from doing that which they conceived to be their duty4 ,naturally these illiterate ministers are much handicapped4 8,if the blind leads the blind both shall fall into the ditch10 is a maxim very applicable here4 ,illiterate ministers must depend entirely on others to read the ,bible to them1 and1 unfortunately some turned out by the day school are as poor readers as those who attempted to read for the king1 according to the story told in one of ,mc,guffey's school books4 ,a reader of this type1 attempting to read to an illiterate minister one day1 read the sentence1 8,paul was an austere man10 like this1 8,paul was an oyster man40 ,the preacher declared to his congregation the next ,sabbath that ,peter was a fisherman and ,paul was an oyster man1 thus giving his congregation an unusual conception of ,paul4 ,another heard the sentence1 8,jacob made booths for his cattle10 read1 8,jacob made boots for his cattle10 and discoursed from the pulpit on 8,jacob1 that humane man1 would not even permit his cattle to go barefooted1 but made boots for them to protect their tender feet as they walked over the stones40 ,these men realized their disadvantages1 and they knew the value of the education offered them4 ,they knew it by the best standard by which the value of a thing may be measured--the need of it--a need that in their case had been many times made painfully manifest4 ,so1 they accepted the opportunity and used their influence1 which was more powerful in the community than might be supposed1 among their followers to get them to enroll in the schools4 ,they did more2 they gave a new support to the day schools1 working for them with zeal1 visiting them1 speaking in their behalf1 and sounding louder than any others the cry1 8,everybody1 young and old--to the books60 ,nothing better was ever given to any crusader than the privilege which was mine one ,sabbath day1 that of hearing a minister recently redeemed from illiteracy read from the ,bible for the first time and preach from this text1 which ,i thought strangely appropriate1 8,who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge80 ,i stood in the door of ,new ,hope school-house one evening and watched the throng come trooping through the moonlight to school4 ,there were farmers and farmers' wives1 and their grown sons and daughters2 there were former school teachers who had seized this opportunity to break up the stagnation which had overtaken them2 there was the community carpenter1 the district blacksmith1 the postmaster and his wife1 the country doctor1 the cross-roads merchant1 the mill-owner with his crew of illiterate men1 all coming joyously1 hopefully in quest of knowledge4 ,it was 8new hope0 indeed to them4 ,some came to learn1 some to teach1 but all learned1 for those who taught developed amazingly4 8,everybody in school0 was the ideal1 and it was caught and cherished by children as well as parents4 ,the children exerted a powerful influence in getting their parents to school4 ,the teachers would say to them at the close of the day1 8,now1 children go home and send your parents to school this evening10 and while it was a pleasantry1 it was1 also1 a request and one that they heeded4 ,the children were wonderful recruiting officers for the moonlight schools4 ,they worked and reported their success with the keen enthusiasm of childhood4 ,one little fellow listened to the others and said sorrowfully1 8,i talked moonlight schools too but it didn't do any good40 ,he persisted1 however1 and the words1 8,a little child shall lead them0 proved literally true1 for the following evening he came to school proudly leading his mother by one hand and his father by the other4 ,a thousand seeds sown by teachers and school children this year did not bear fruit until the next4 ,some who did not yield to persuasion and come out to school were found learning in secret at home4 ,however1 there were few who did not seek the school more earnestly than it sought them4 ,these few1 from pride1 and false pride it was1 feared to expose their illiteracy and thought to hide it by remaining at home4 ,for such as these and the stubborn1 the decrepit and the disinclined1 a home department was established4 ,gladys ,thompson1 a blessed teacher1 gone to her reward1 and whom these pages would memorialize1 finding two in her district who could not attend school at night1 one because of feebleness and the other because of defective sight1 went to their homes between the hours of her day school and moonlight school and taught them to read and write4 ,her plan was adopted and proved a valuable adjunct to the work of the moonlight school1 especially in dissolving the dregs of illiteracy1 in teaching the last few or the lone1 difficult one4 ,besides the incidents of individual development and individual achievement1 a new community spirit was born4 ,a school trustee thus describes the change in his community3 8,i have lived in this district for fifty-five years1 and ,i never saw any such interest as we have here now4 ,the school used to just drag along and nobody seemed interested4 ,we never had a gathering at the school-house and nobody ever thought of visiting the school4 ,we had not had a night school but three weeks until we got together right4 ,we papered the house1 put in new windows1 purchased new stovepipe1 made new steps1 contributed money1 and bought the winter's fuel4 8,now we have a live ,sunday school1 a singing school1 prayer meeting once each week1 and preaching twice a month4 ,people of all denominations in the district meet and worship together in perfect unity and harmony1 aged people come regularly1 and even people from the adjoining county are beginning to come over to our little school-house40 ,good-roads clubs1 fruit clubs1 agricultural clubs1 home economies clubs and ,sunday schools were organized4 ,there was an awakened1 if not trained leadership1 a whetted desire for co-operative activity where individualism and stagnation had prevailed4 ,friction and factional feeling melted away in districts where they had existed1 and a new spirit of harmony and brotherhood came to take their place4 ,men and women who had hitherto been divided by contention and strife now worked side by side in concord4 ,they were schoolmates and that is a tie that binds4 ,illustration3 ,they were schoolmates and that is a tie that binds4 ,illustration ,illustration ,illustration3 ,,letter ,,from ,a ,,home ,,department ,,pupil ,,chapter ,,vii ,,to ,,wipe ,,out ,,illiteracy ,,the ,,teacher',s ,,goal ,to wipe illiteracy out of the county was the goal set for the following year4 ,first1 the school trustees were induced to take a census of the illiterates4 ,when this was completed1 an investigation was made of each individual case4 ,soon we had on record1 not only the name and age of every illiterate in the county1 but his history as well1 his ancestry1 his home environment1 his family ties1 his religious faith1 his political belief1 his weaknesses1 tastes and peculiarities1 and the influence or combination of influences through which he might be reached in case the teacher failed with him4 ,each teacher was given the list of illiterates in her district and told to go out and cultivate these people1 like a good politician1 before the moonlight schools began4 ,the citizens of the county were enlisted4 ,the slogan 8,each one teach one10 was adopted and most of the people were glad to obey4 ,doctors were soon teaching their convalescent patients1 ministers were teaching members of their flocks1 children were teaching their parents1 stenographers were teaching waitresses in the small town hotels1 and the person in the county without a pupil was considered a very useless sort of individual4 ,the district with an illiterate in it was a district in disrepute1 while the child with an illiterate parent felt that he was a child disgraced4 ,a man redeemed from illiteracy became at once a source of pride and admiration to his neighbors1 as well as to himself and family1 and1 like most new converts to a cause1 he exceeded the old adherents in loyalty and zeal4 ,illustration3 ,a class of ,moonlight ,school pupils all past #ej years of age4 ,some of those who had learned were not only walking evangelists preaching the gospel of 8,no illiteracy in the county10 but became itinerant teachers1 going from district to district giving lessons4 ,those fresh from their first contact with the printed page imparted what they had learned1 meager though it was1 with an enthusiasm1 that was possible only to the newly-learned4 ,they were successful teachers4 ,they attempted to give lessons in reading and writing only and to create that self-confidence1 which1 with adult illiterates1 was the first battle to be won4 ,they had the advantage1 too1 of presenting themselves as examples1 as living proof that illiterates could learn4 ,their visits to illiterate homes started the process of learning in most cases1 and cleared the way for the teacher who was to follow with more complete and thorough knowledge4 ,each and every district was striving to be the first to wipe out illiteracy4 ,one school trustee1 who had been campaigning strenuously all week against illiteracy1 came in on ,saturday and said with determination1 8,i'll bet ,i have illiteracy out of my district before ,monday morning4 ,there's only one illiterate over there1 and he's a tenant on my place2 ,i'm going to run him out over into ,fleming ,county40 8,oh1 no10 ,i protested1 8,that's not the way to get rid of illiteracy4 ,you must teach him before he goes40 ,a young teacher who felt somewhat discouraged1 came in for some advice4 8,you gave me a list of sixteen illiterates in my district10 said he1 8and ,i've taught fifteen of them to read and write2 but there's one stubborn old woman out there who absolutely refuses to learn4 ,i've exhausted my resources with her40 ,he deserved commendation and he needed encouragement1 so ,i said1 8,a young man who has made a success as you have done in that most difficult of all places1 his home district1 who has enrolled one hundred and eleven men and women in his moonlight school and has taught fifteen out of sixteen illiterates to read and write will get the other one4 ,i have no fear but that you will succeed40 ,we got the illiteracy record and looked up this old woman's history4 ,we found that she thought she was a physician1 and felt flattered when anyone sought her services as such4 ,the young man went back to his district and there developed an eruption on his wrist4 ,he went over and consulted this old woman4 ,she diagnosed his case as erysipelas and proceeded to treat him4 ,she concluded that one who possessed such excellent judgment in the selection of a physician1 knew enough to teach her something2 so while she treated him for erysipelas1 he treated her for illiteracy1 and she learned to read and write4 ,he sent in her first letter1 enclosed in his own1 and wrote in great glee1 8,tabor ,hill district is freer from illiteracy than ,boston2 come at once and bring the ,bibles40 ,it was the plan at that time to give a ,bible to each one who learned to read and write4 ,it was an offer that was made when our vision was small and we could not anticipate the large numbers that would take advantage of it4 ,when hundreds began to claim it1 we tried to keep the faith1 and some of us have not yet recovered from the strain on our pocketbooks4 ,i drove out to ,tabor ,hill one bright moonlit evening to witness the celebration which marked the banishment of illiteracy from the district4 ,the scene was one good for the eyes of those who delight in a real community center1 although at that time such a thing as a community center was known in few rural districts in the ,united ,states4 ,but here was the highest ideal of a community center being realized4 ,every person in the district was at the school-house4 ,the men and women1 who had been in their seats bright and early1 were gaily chatting2 the young people stood around the organ1 singing their gladsome songs1 and around the house1 peering in at the windows1 was a cordon of spectators six rows deep4 ,the newly learned gave an exhibition of their recently acquired knowledge4 ,they read and wrote1 quoted history and ciphered proudly in the presence of their world4 ,they did it with more pride than ever high school1 college or university graduates displayed on their commencement day4 ,they were next presented with ,bibles1 and as they came up one by one1 some young and stalwart1 some bent and gray1 to receive their ,bibles with gracious words of thanks1 it was an impressive scene--and when the ,jezebel of the community came forward and accepted her ,bible and pledged herself to lead a new life forevermore1 there was hardly a dry eye in the house4 ,lemonade was a thing rarely seen in those parts1 a treat indeed1 so it was served as the final reward1 not from a punch bowl1 as it is served in most places1 but from the most available thing to be found on ,tabor ,hill--a lard can4 ,as they passed in line around the receptacle to be served1 an old man rose in the back part of the house and said in a loud voice1 8,things certainly have changed in this district4 ,it used to be that you couldn't hold meeting or ,sunday school in this house without the boys shooting through the windows4 ,it used to be moonshine and bullets2 but now it's lemonade and ,bibles40 ,some teachers found obstacles in their way1 such as the prolonged absence of the illiterates from home1 but they watched for their return1 and even if they came back and tarried but a short time1 they put them for the moment to the book and pen4 ,one teacher said to me1 8,i have a father and three grown sons in my district who are employed twelve miles from home and are only at home on the ,sabbath day4 ,do you think there would be any harm in my going over there on ,sunday and teaching them to read and write80 ,remembering those words of the ,master when he was asked in regard to healing the withered hand of a man on the ,sabbath day--and certainly these were withered hands--and ,his answer1 8,is it lawful to do good on the ,sabbath day80 ,i said1 8,it is a holy day and ,i think it would be a holy deed40 ,the young man went ,sunday after ,sunday and taught the father and sons to read and write4 ,there are masterpieces of art that one would travel many miles to see1 but to me there is no picture more beautiful than the one my imagination conjures up of that young teacher1 with those four grown men grouped about him learning to read and write on the ,sabbath day4 ,we tried by every means1 to wipe illiteracy out of the county to the last individual4 ,every one was offered the opportunity and some were offered it repeatedly4 ,the overwhelming majority accepted it with joy and gratitude--a few had to be coaxed4 ,some few1 in their ignorance had a misconception of our motives and stubbornly refused to learn4 ,when the campaign closed1 of the #a1aeb illiterates in the county1 only #bc were left1 and these were classified2 six were blind or had defective sight2 five were invalids languishing on beds of pain2 six were imbeciles and epileptics1 two had moved in as the session closed and four could not be induced to learn4 ,one of the teachers who had taught fifty-six people in her own and other districts to read and write1 went into the home of one of these stubborn four after the campaign closed and paid her an exorbitant price for board4 ,she induced this old woman to teach her to knit1 and one day when they were sitting and knitting together and had become fast and familiar friends and the time was ripe1 she said to her1 8,now you've taught me something valuable1 something1 in fact1 that ,i've always wanted to know4 ,i'm going to return the favor1 ,i'm going to teach you to read and write1 so that you can write to your son in ,washington1 and the one in ,indiana and the one in ,illinois4 ,i know how glad they'll be to have letters from their mother's own hand1 and how glad you'll be to read letters from them40 ,while she was speaking1 she was placing the material in the old woman's hands1 and1 almost before she knew it she was copying 8,e0 the first letter in her name4 ,one morning shortly afterward1 that little teacher knocked at my door2 ,i opened and she entered4 ,without a word1 but with shining eyes1 she laid that old woman's first letter on my desk4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,the ,,movement ,,extends ,,to ,,the ,,whole ,,state ,,of ,,kentucky ,twenty-five other counties in the ,state were1 by this time1 having moonlight schools1 and whether it was in a ,bluegrass ,county among the tenant class1 in the ,purchase among the farmers1 in the coal regions among the miners or in mill or distillery sections1 there was the same response2 men and women thronged to the schools1 strove to make up for the time they had lost1 and pleaded for a longer term when the session closed4 ,it seemed that the ,state should extend its aid to these unfortunate men and women and should support the volunteer teachers in their patriotic efforts4 ,so ,i opened up a correspondence with the ,governor on the subject of an ,illiteracy ,commission4 ,the first letter read as follows3 ,morehead1 ,ky4 ,dec4 #af1 #aiac4 ,governor ,james ,b4 ,mc,creary1 ,frankfort1 ,ky4 ,my dear ,governor ,mc,creary3-- ,i am taking the liberty of addressing you upon the subject of having an ,illiteracy ,commission formed by legislative act to study the condition of adult illiterates in our ,state and to give men and women their freedom from this bondage2 also1 to place our ,state in a better light before the world4 ,for years there has been a constant cry about ,kentucky's appalling percentage of illiteracy4 ,it has been repeatedly declared that we are near the bottom of the literacy scale4 ,the purpose of forming such a commission would be to promote voluntary effort on the part of the teachers and others and to co-operate with those who are already making an effort4 ,many teachers have already volunteered1 but they need guidance and inspiration and other teachers need to be called upon to volunteer4 ,we have taught over a thousand men and women in ,rowan ,county during the past three years1 and now some twenty-five counties are putting forth an effort along this line4 ,i have hundreds of letters which demonstrate the fact that men and women can learn to read and write in a very short time after their interest is quickened4 ,i have letters from octogenarians besides many middle-aged and younger men and women4 ,what has been done in ,rowan ,county in three years in reducing and almost wiping out her illiteracy1 can be done in ,kentucky during the next six years--by the time the ,federal census is taken4 ,this movement started in ,kentucky1 and ,kentucky is the ,state which should take the initiative and form a commission to advance this important work4 ,i earnestly request that you will include in your message to the ,legislature the suggestion that such a commission be formed4 ,hoping that you will see the expediency of this matter1 and believing that you will stand for the enlightenment of the #bjh1jhd benighted ,kentuckians who cannot read or write1 ,i am1 ,yours most respectfully1 ,by return mail came ,governor ,mc,creary's answer3 ,your letter1 dated ,december #af1 #aiac1 was received this morning4 ,i thoroughly endorse all you say on the subject of an 8,illiteracy ,commission0 8formed by legislative act to study the condition of adult illiteracy in our ,state and to give men and women their freedom from this bondage40 ,i congratulate you on the strong points presented in your letter1 and ,i will be glad to assist you and to encourage any movement which has for its object the elimination of illiteracy from our ,state and the education of all our people4 ,i will refer in my message to an 8,illiteracy ,commission0 and the good work that can be performed by such a commission4 ,after some further exchange of letters with the ,governor on the subject1 on ,february #ai1 #aiad1 he wrote3 ,i congratulate you heartily1 on the unanimous vote of both branches of the ,general ,assembly in favor of the bill providing for the ,kentucky ,illiteracy ,commission4 ,your address and the strong arguments in favor of this much-needed legislation caused its passage without opposition4 ,there is nothing in life more pleasant than to feel that you are living for the benefit of humanity and to contribute to the welfare of men and women4 ,i respect and admire you for devoting your intellect and energies to your good work among adult illiterates in ,kentucky4 ,the ,governor appointed ,j4 ,g4 ,crabbe1 ,president of the ,eastern ,kentucky ,state ,normal1 ,h4 ,h4 ,cherry1 ,president of the ,western ,kentucky ,state ,normal1 ,miss ,ella ,lewis1 ,superintendent of ,grayson ,county schools and myself as members of the newly created ,illiteracy ,commission4 ,the ,state ,superintendent of ,public ,instruction was a member ex officio4 ,here was a ,commission new to the world1 without chart1 guide or compass1 starting to attack adult illiteracy1 a thing supposed to be invincible4 ,nobody had even undertaken to abolish adult illiteracy before1 so there was no precedent and no literature4 ,the ,state had not appropriated a dollar for the ,commission's work and there was not a dollar in hand4 ,scoffers stood on every corner predicting dire failure4 ,illiteracy statistics were challenged and disputed and much energy that could have been used in the fight on illiteracy was used by the opposition in trying to disprove the statistics1 while the proof was lying buried in a vault in the ,federal ,census ,bureau at ,washington4 ,the enlightening of public opinion1 the quickening of the missionary spirit1 the arousing of state pride and the opening of pocketbooks to finance the movement were some of the tasks which confronted this ,commission of volunteers besides the actual instruction of illiterates4 ,the public school teachers being already at the helm were in better position to influence the people than any others4 ,they must be the soldiers in this bloodless war against illiteracy but soldiers in the trenches must have organized and intelligent support from those back home4 ,it was everybody's war and volunteers from every profession and every walk of life must be enlisted4 ,the ,kentucky ,federation of ,women's ,clubs led out4 ,in recognition of the service rendered by those pioneer teachers of ,rowan ,county1 they sent them on a vacation trip to ,niagara ,falls and to visit the cities in the northern part of the ,united ,states and ,canada4 ,it was a novel thing to see public-school teachers traveling in a private car at the expense of the grateful people of a ,state and being sung to and fted along the route4 ,it served the purpose of more than a merited reward2 it was a stimulus to other teachers and inspired a large number to volunteer4 ,the ,colonial ,dames and other women's organizations made a whirlwind campaign for funds2 editors agitated through editorials and news items on illiteracy2 ministers celebrated1 8,no ,illiteracy ,sunday0 in the churches and attacked the evil in sermon1 song and prayer2 bankers were on the alert for illiterates who made their mark on checks and made a campaign to teach each to read and write2 jailers put their prisoners to the book2 traveling salesmen carried the slogan of the crusade as stickers on their baggage and talked 8no illiteracy0 as enthusiastically as they talked dry-goods1 notions1 boots and shoes2 college students placarded the walls of the colleges with illiteracy statistics1 used illiteracy as the theme for their finals and each pledged to go home and teach someone to read and write4 ,we even enlisted the politicians and put them to some use4 ,a galaxy of speakers1 headed by the ,governor and ,state officials and composed of men and women prominent in politics and in other professions1 went out over the ,state at their own expense fighting illiteracy and urging the establishment of moonlight schools4 ,what these prominent ones advocated so openly1 many great souls carried further in some quiet way1 either by organizing a moonlight school in some isolated spot1 by talking for the cause at some country store1 or by going over the hill or across the field to teach some neighbor to read and write4 ,the ,governor had issued a proclamation against illiteracy1 and much of this activity was in response to it4 ,as the first proclamation of its kind in history1 it is a paper of unusual interest1 and is here reproduced3 ,at the last meeting of the ,general ,assembly of ,kentucky1 ,i recommended that a ,kentucky ,illiteracy ,commission be appointed and authorized to inquire into and alleviate the conditions of the adult illiterates in the ,state1 and ,mrs4 ,cora ,wilson ,stewart1 ,chairman1 ,miss ,ella ,lewis1 ,doctor ,j4 ,g4 ,crabbe1 and ,doctor ,h4 ,h4 ,cherry were appointed as members of the ,commission4 ,this ,commission has inaugurated a ,state campaign1 ,mrs4 ,stewart being the accepted leader in the efforts to stamp out illiteracy through moonlight schools and other methods4 ,upon their call for volunteers about one thousand teachers offered their services and are teaching or making arrangement to teach at night1 and others are daily offering their services4 ,the aim of the ,kentucky ,illiteracy ,commission is noble and exalted and of the greatest benefit1 and there is no subject of more importance or of more far-reaching influence than the elimination of illiteracy from our ,state4 ,we should educate all of our people1 those under twenty-one years of age1 and those upward of twenty-one years of age4 ,the perpetuity of our free institutions depends upon the intelligence and virtue of the people4 ,there are #bjh1jhd men and women in our ,state who cannot read and write1 and of whose intelligent efforts along the lines of education1 religion and general development and advancement the ,state is deprived1 and this constitutes a deplorable situation and presents a great and urgent need which should be promptly met and relieved4 ,instruction should be offered to the mothers for their own sake and for the sake of the children and the benefit of the ,state2 it should be offered to the fathers for their own sake and for the sake of increasing their earning capacity and of promoting home comforts1 and for the sake of a more intelligent exercise of the right of suffrage so as to help maintain good government for the ,state4 ,instruction should be offered to the young men and young women who have missed opportunities earlier in life1 but may yet take hold of instruction and make achievements4 ,the instruction of all the illiterates in the ,state will not only give to ,kentucky a higher rank1 educationally1 among the states1 but will give her a new and distinct position as the first ,commonwealth which has ever attempted to accomplish such a great and important work4 ,i call upon all to help in the cause of education of those under twenty-one years of age and those upward of twenty-one years of age1 and ,i appeal to every public and private school teacher1 every professor in our high schools1 colleges and universities1 all public officials1 every representative of the press1 every professional man1 every farmer1 mechanic and business man and every woman who loves the blessings of education1 and to all who desire to promote religion1 science1 literature or art1 or to advance progress or improvement in any line1 all who desire to lessen crime1 to help in the great work of teaching adult illiterates1 both male and female1 to read and write and spell and to encourage them to seek knowledge and to add to their acquirements through moonlight schools in illuminated school houses where education is as free as the air we breathe1 and where all may come to edify themselves and to drink of the water of life freely4 ,in testimony whereof1 ,i have caused these letters to be made patent and the seal of the ,commonwealth to be hereunto affixed4 ,done at ,frankfort the #bast day of ,september1 in the year of our ,lord one thousand nine hundred and fourteen1 and in the one hundred and twenty-third year of the commonwealth4 ,,james ,b4 ,,mccreary1 ,governor4 ,c4 ,e4 ,,crecelius1 ,secretary of ,state4 7seal7 ,,cecil ,h4 ,,vansant1 ,assistant ,secretary of ,state4 ,the ,united ,states ,bureau of ,education1 at this time1 made ,kentucky's campaign against illiteracy the occasion for a second notice to the public4 ,in this bulletin1 which was headed 8,kentucky ,wars on ,illiteracy10 the ,commissioner of ,education said3 ,it will be a part of the lasting glory of the ,state of ,kentucky that it has taken the lead in this movement4 ,it is the first state to offer to all the people1 of whatever age1 an opportunity to learn to read and write1 and thus break away from the prison wall of sense and silence within which the illiterate man and woman must live4 ,whatever else ,governor ,james ,b4 ,mc,creary may do for his ,state1 this proclamation and his recommendation to the legislature that it provide for the appointment of an ,illiteracy ,commission must always be accounted among his wisest and most important acts4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,the ,,first ,,text-,,books ,,for ,,adult ,,illiterates ,attractive and easy texts and school supplies for adults which would enable them to learn quickly and would stimulate them to further endeavor was a manifest need4 ,the little newspaper had been valuable for a county campaign1 but was not so easy to carry out for the ,state1 with its varying conditions and its remote sections to be reached4 ,someone had to provide the tools with which these men and women could dig their way out of the mental dungeon in which they were imprisoned4 ,a reader was prepared for them and brought out as quickly as possible4 ,the first lesson was3 ,can you read8 ,can you write8 ,can you read and write8 ,i can read4 ,i can write4 ,i can read and write4 ,this lesson contained but six words4 ,it appealed to the ego1 referring as it did to the student himself1 and related to the activity in which he was1 at the moment1 engaged4 ,as the lessons progressed1 farm improvement1 good roads1 civics1 health1 home economics1 horticulture1 sanitation and thrift were woven into them1 and each lesson accomplished a double purpose1 the primary one of teaching the pupil to read1 and at the same time that of imparting instruction in the things that vitally affected him in his daily life4 ,it was a correlation of subjects which1 in adult education is even more necessary than in that of the child4 ,the lessons on the road1 placed side by side1 compared the advantage of the good and the disadvantage of the bad roads4 ,the first was3 ,this is a road4 ,it is a good road4 ,it will save my time4 ,it will save my team4 ,it will save my wagon4 ,the good road is my friend4 ,i will work for the good road4 ,on the opposite page appeared this lesson3 ,see this bad road4 ,it will waste my time4 ,it will hurt my team4 ,it will hurt my wagon4 ,the bad road is my foe4 ,i will get rid of the bad road4 ,the key-note sentence in each lesson appeared in script form at the bottom of the page and was to be copied by each student a number of times4 ,when a man has repeatedly written the sentence3 8,the good road is my friend4 ,i will work for the good road10 and 8,the bad road is my foe4 ,i will get rid of the bad road10 he becomes something of an advocate of good roads through suggestion1 if through nothing else4 ,the copying of the script sentences in the book pledged the student to progress and impressed upon him certain evils with fine psychological effect4 ,in the reading lessons on voting1 the key-note sentence to be copied was3 8,the man who sells his vote sells his honor40 ,this type of copy which was carried throughout the book had1 like the reading lessons1 a double purpose2 the necessary practice in writing and the dwelling on and emphasizing of some vital truth4 ,these took the place of the axioms commonly used in the copy-books for day schools4 ,instead of writing1 8,many men of many minds1 ,many men of many kinds10 these folk wrote1 8,i will build a silo10 8,i will rotate my crops10 8,it is a waste of time and money to raise scrub stock10 8,we must protect the forest10 8,i will take a newspaper and read it10 8,i will keep my money in the bank40 ,taxation is the cause of much unintelligent complaint1 and some enlightenment on the subject seemed worth while4 ,one lesson read3 ,i shall pay my taxes4 ,i pay a tax on my home4 ,i pay a tax on my land4 ,i pay a tax on my cattle4 ,i pay a tax on my money4 ,i pay a tax on many other things4 ,where does all this money go8 ,it goes to keep up the schools4 ,it goes to keep up the roads4 ,it goes to keep down crime4 ,it goes to keep down disease4 ,i am glad that ,i have a home to pay taxes on4 ,the climax of this lesson was truly as much a surprise to the readers as any fiction4 ,as they read of the many things on which they paid taxes and the query1 8,where does all this money go80 they expected denunciation to follow1 such as the demagogues revel in to confuse and inflame the minds of ignorant voters4 ,instead they found a reminder and an explanation of the benefits derived from wise and just taxation4 ,one page in the reader was consecrated to the tooth-brush1 which was pictured at the top in all its pristine beauty4 ,this lesson was as necessary in some places as the fire-drill is in the city schools4 ,one of our field workers had found on her visits to the different homes in a certain county that brushing her teeth was a performance viewed with wonder1 and one that never failed to draw a crowd4 ,at one place where the children of the household gathered round watching this performance one little girl let her curiosity get the better of her and called to her mother indoors1 8,mother1 what's she adoin'80 ,the mother answered in a humiliated tone1 8,oh1 hush1 honey1 she's a brushin' her teeth4 ,when you git to be a school teacher you kin brush yours40 ,the farmers were partial to the lessons on conservation of the soil such as1 8,run and tell the farmer that the brook is stealing his soil02 the lumberman preferred the one on keeping down the forest fires1 and so the different lessons appealed to different students4 ,i had occasion to note their preferences when at the reading contests in various counties each student was permitted to choose the lesson that he would read4 ,in ,cumberland ,county in a contest among the pupils of the colored moonlight schools1 8,uncle ,ike10 a great character among them1 was given the honor of being the first to read4 ,he mounted the platform with book open in hand and began the reading of a selection which seemed very appropriate4 ,i will take my bath every day4 ,it will keep me fresh and sweet and clean4 ,in ,clay ,county1 another of the mountain counties1 a large crowd of men and women gathered for a contest4 ,among them was a tall1 lank1 under-nourished man1 who rose and with a look at his wife that carried indictment read this lesson with peculiar emphasis3 ,god made man4 ,woman makes bread4 ,it takes the bread ,that woman makes1 ,to sustain the man ,that ,god made4 ,but the bread ,that some women make4 ,would not sustain any man ,that ,god ever made4 ,in the same contest a little woman with a baby in her arms rose to read and in a gracious manner worthy of a ,frenchwoman said1 8,this is my favorite lesson10 and read the author's letter to the pupils of the moonlight schools3 ,frankfort1 ,ky4 ,nov4 #e1 #aiae4 ,,dear ,,friends3 ,this little book was written especially for the dear boys and girls of the moonlight schools1 not the youngest perhaps1 but the finest school children on earth4 ,you have set a fine example for both young and old1 and one which many will surely follow4 ,you have been faithful and have finished the first of the series of the ,country ,life ,readers4 ,the second is now ready for you1 and the author hopes that you will read it with profit and pleasure4 ,the world has great need of men and women who read well and write well4 ,these are two of the greatest arts1 and remember that they can be acquired only by constant practice4 ,the preparation of this book has been truly a labor of love4 ,if you have received any benefit from it1 the author is fully repaid4 ,yours sincerely1 ,,cora ,,wilson ,,stewart4 ,this reader1 known as the ,country ,life ,reader1 ,first ,book1 was followed by others in the series1 but none could do for the illiterates what this first book did for them1 and none to them would ever be so precious4 ,the reader ended1 as did the later ones1 with appropriate ,bible selections4 ,the climax of each book was a ,thanksgiving hymn4 ,the ,moonlight ,school ,tablets in their outer appearance were blue with red binding1 the identical color scheme of the old 8blue-back speller10 which1 to my mind1 was one of the things that made that book so popular4 ,its cover of heavenly blue with the rich contrasting binding of scarlet prepossessed many a beginner in its favor before they had even opened the book and peeped inside4 ,the tablet contained1 first1 a white sheet of blotting paper into which the name of the student was to be written in indented letters a number of times1 that his first writing exercise might be his name1 the thing which he craved most to learn4 ,next1 there were sheets of delicate pink1 violet1 yellow and green blotting papers filled with sunken letters which the students traced in grooves to gain form quickly1 having already acquired facility of movement in their daily duties1 by constant use of fingers for manual work4 ,in this respect they had the advantage of the child who must learn movement as well as form1 from the start4 ,these colored sheets with their sunken letters that kept the pencil in grooves while writing had a remarkable fascination for these people1 many of whose lives were devoid of color and interest4 ,tracing in the grooves permitted of no awkward or straggling letters1 and this was most encouraging to them4 ,the remainder of this beginner's tablet was composed of plain1 smooth paper1 widely spaced1 on which they wrote the script copies from the ,country ,life ,reader4 ,on their pencils was printed the slogan of the ,illiteracy ,campaign1 so even these were useful for more than one purpose4 ,one woman wrote1 8,i've read everything in my book and even what's printed on my pencil40 ,the moonlight schools have many lessons to teach besides reading and writing4 ,their message is broad and deep and high4 ,what they teach is fittingly expressed in this poem of ,l4 ,h4 ,bailey's3 ,i teach ,the earth and soil ,to them that toil2 ,the hill and fen ,to common men ,who live right here4 ,the plants that grow1 ,the winds that blow1 ,the streams that run1 ,in rain and sun1 ,throughout the year4 ,and then ,i lead ,through wood and mead1 ,through mold and sod1 ,out unto ,god1 ,with love and cheer1 ,i teach6 ,illustration ,illustration3 ,,letter ,,written ,,after ,,three ,,lessons ,illustration3 ,,letter ,,written ,,after ,,six ,,lessons ,illustration ,illustration ,illustration3 ,,letter ,,from ,,pupil ,,after ,,attending ,,full ,,session ,,of ,,moonlight ,,school ,,chapter ,x ,,moonlight ,,schools ,,in ,,war ,,time ,in the spring of #aiag the ,war came and the illiterates faced new problems4 ,illiterate boys were swept1 along with others1 into the army4 ,hitherto they had been barred from army service1 but now the ,war ,department removed this restriction and let them in4 ,the first registration for army service was for men from #ba to #ca years of age1 and took place on ,june #e1 #aiag4 ,the ,kentucky ,illiteracy ,commission immediately turned its attention to illiterate soldiers and concentrated its energies on helping to win the ,war4 ,in three weeks' time the names and addresses had been secured of all those in the various counties who had registered by mark4 ,the moonlight schools were not scheduled to open until late in ,august1 but a special session was opened for these illiterate soldiers that they might learn to read and write before they were sent to camp4 ,this call was sent out to the teachers through the press of the ,state3 ,,to ,,the ,,teachers ,,of ,,kentucky3 ,an unusual situation confronts those engaged in teaching in this ,state4 ,it is one which will put to the test your patriotism and your devotion to education1 as well4 #cj1jjj young men in ,kentucky signed their registration cards on ,june #eth by mark1 being unable to sign their names4 ,these are not confined to any locality1 but are scattered throughout every county in the ,state4 ,they are not colored1 but mainly white4 ,these figures must stagger every thoughtful ,kentuckian4 ,they would shame us to the point of concealment1 but for the need of these young men for immediate relief4 ,concealment works no cure4 ,only prompt and decisive action can do that4 ,these young men are not to blame for their misfortune4 ,the enlightened citizens of ,kentucky1 who have tolerated lax compulsory attendance laws1 and have submitted to the non-enforcement of such school attendance laws as are on our statute books1 are mostly to blame4 ,but there is no time to waste in crying 8shame0 or in fixing the blame4 ,this is a time to atone in such measure as we may4 ,it is unfair that these young men should be torn from their homes and dear ones and sent across the water to fight your battles and mine without being able to read a letter or to write a line back home4 ,next to actual engagement in battle1 the most momentous event in the life of a soldier is the arrival of a letter from home4 ,to his anxious mother a letter from her soldier boy is a comfort above price4 ,no third person1 however willing1 can convey the sentiments and secrets of these two to each other4 ,the ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 provides an abundance of reading and writing material1 but these boys can only gaze upon it hungrily as a thing they crave to use1 but cannot4 ,such printed reminders1 posted about the ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 camp1 as 8,write home10 8,have you written to mother today80 are unintelligible to them4 ,a ,committee hands to each boy a pocket testament as he passes through the port of ,new ,york to embark for the war zone4 #cj1jjj ,kentucky boys can get no comfort from the ,bible1 even when it is given to them4 ,these young men may be called into camp ,september #ast4 ,beginning ,july #bcrd1 we can give them a six weeks elementary course in the moonlight schools1 such as will enable them to read and write their own letters1 and to peruse elementary books and to read most items in the newspapers4 ,such as cannot attend the moonlight schools can be taught individually at home4 ,public school teachers1 who are already in their schools have the best opportunity4 ,every one of these ,i am sure will gladly serve1 but in counties where the schools are not in session and where the teacher is not on the ground1 former teachers and educated citizens can start night classes in the public school-houses4 ,there may have been a time when these young men were sensitive about this affliction1 or when they were indifferent1 but that time is past4 ,it is an hour of crisis with them1 and they will be seeking teachers as earnestly as teachers could1 possibly1 seek them4 ,it is the duty of every public school teacher in ,kentucky to volunteer4 ,some have already done so on the mere suggestion of such a call4 ,some even who are not teachers have volunteered4 ,it is a high privilege to render to these unfortunate ones and to our ,state and ,nation this service4 ,we may have been unable to invest in ,liberty ,loan ,bonds4 ,it may not be ours to follow the boys to ,france to minister to them under the ,red ,cross1 but we can add to their comfort1 their self-respect and efficiency by giving them this training before they go4 ,,shall ,,kentucky ,,send ,,thirty ,,thousand ,,illiterates ,,to ,,france8 ,god forbid6 ,why should she send any8 ,hasn't she an ,illiteracy ,commission1 #aa1jjj public school teachers and as patriotic people as ever the sun shone on8 ,to the guns1 yes1 every man of them--even though with their affliction they might well be exempt from military duty1 ,i believe--but to the books first1 and then they'll go to the guns more content and with less embarrassment and less handicap4 ,let the lights burn for the soldier boys on the evening of ,july #bcrd in every rural1 village and city school-house in the ,state6 ,write or wire that you will volunteer and let us provide you with books and plans4 ,yours sincerely1 ,,cora ,,wilson ,,stewart1 ,president ,kentucky ,illiteracy ,commission4 ,frankfort1 ,ky4 ,those who had attended the moonlight schools had always been provided with free books1 both as an inducement and as a provision to insure success4 ,certainly the same generous treatment must be accorded the soldier students4 ,a campaign for funds was organized1 and in keeping with the spirit of the times this was military in form4 ,eleven men of prominence from the eleven congressional districts in the state were summoned to ,louisville to take the lead and the responsibility in the campaign to provide illiterate soldiers with books4 ,not one refused4 ,leaving their law offices1 the courts1 their banks and corporations they came4 ,they became the eleven division commanders1 and with their county captains1 precinct lieutenants and numerous faithful privates1 made the speediest finance campaign on record1 and carried their part of the enterprise through with success4 ,teachers volunteered faster than we could assign and equip them4 ,some were out of the state1 it being their vacation time1 and from their retreats up in the mountains1 on the lakes and even from ,canada they came hurrying home4 ,new text-books were written to meet the need and to partake of the spirit of the times4 ,the peaceful lessons on building roads1 spraying fruit trees1 rotating crops and conserving soil were not for men like these who were putting such things behind them4 ,theirs must be lessons martial in tone1 so some were prepared centering around 8men and guns1 flags1 camps1 tents1 kaisers and kings40 ,to make their training as much an inspiration as possible their books and school supplies were given the appearance of war4 ,their covers were gay in patriotic colors1 even the pencils being in red1 white and blue4 ,a soldier with his gun was the cover design1 and he appeared in all his glory1 wreathed about with a border of flags4 ,the ,soldier's ,first ,book and ,soldier's ,tablet were the names given to their readers and writing books4 ,brave though our countrymen are1 there is no question but that many an ,american boy was hesitant in the early days of the ,war about going to fight on foreign soil4 ,the first lesson in the ,soldier's ,first ,book had in it a trace of psychology1 as well as a content through which men were supposed to master timely words and sentences3 ,i go4 ,i go to war4 ,do you go8 ,do you go to war8 ,yes1 ,i go to war4 ,yes1 we go to war4 ,there was considerable debate at first as to the part which the ,united ,states should play in the ,war1 some believing that her remoteness from the theatre of action would practically prohibit her sending anything but money1 munitions and food4 8,the man with the hoe0 was acclaimed a patriot1 so a lesson that delicately suggested a preference for the gun was produced3 ,the war is on4 ,some will fight with gun4 ,some will fight with hoe4 ,all will fight with gun or hoe4 ,i will fight with gun4 ,you may fight with hoe4 ,to inspire something of enthusiasm for the approaching life in camp1 about which there were many rumors1 some distressing and some vague1 this lesson was prepared3 ,is this the camp8 ,yes1 this is the camp4 ,see the flag6 ,see the tents6 ,see the men6 ,see the guns6 ,this is fine6 ,the wisdom and justice of our nation's course was being disputed in those early days before sentiment for the ,war had crystallized1 and the first reasons ever given some of the fighting men for our being at war with ,germany were learned in a simple lesson like this in the moonlight schools3 ,why are we at war8 ,to keep our country free4 ,to keep other peoples free4 ,to make the world safe to live in4 ,to stop the rule of kings4 ,to put an end to war4 ,the purpose of the next lesson is obvious3 ,see the flag6 ,it is our flag6 ,our flag never knew defeat6 ,why did our flag never know defeat8 ,because our flag has always stood for right4 ,camp life with its crowds and complexities would need some introduction to them1 especially the features which would immediately affect them4 ,each man would have an early interest in the orders of the day1 posted up around the camp on bulletin boards1 so this lesson referring to their duties was thought applicable4 ,let us read this4 ,what is it8 ,it is the bulletin board4 ,what is it about8 ,it tells when one is on detail4 ,what is that8 ,it is one's duty for the day4 ,am ,i on duty today8 ,yes1 you are on guard duty4 ,are you on8 ,yes1 ,i am on kitchen police4 ,undoubtedly1 there would be situations in camp requiring a sense of humor4 ,a lesson which prepared them somewhat for the blunders and jests of their rookie days was this3 ,let us play a joke on a rookie4 ,all right1 what shall it be8 ,send him after a key4 ,a key to what8 ,a key to the parade ground4 ,would that be a joke8 ,can't you see it8 ,no1 ,i cannot4 ,did you ever see a key to a field8 ,no1 ,i see4 ,the joke is on me4 ,on the hot summer evenings of ,july and ,august1 #aiag1 ,kentucky boys1 subject to army service1 wended their way to the moonlight schools4 ,these men had a new and powerful incentive4 ,many of them had never known a week's absence from home1 and some had journeyed no farther away than the county seat1 to return to their own roof-trees at night4 ,they now faced separation from all who were dear1 separation by a distance of three thousand miles1 and in a situation of constant danger which would stir every emotion of the heart and demand some connection with the ones at home4 ,their extremity was great1 and they realized it4 ,this was evident by the numbers that came1 the grim determination with which they attacked their books and their unconcealed joy over a simple lesson learned4 ,their teachers had a feeling of tenderness toward them and a desire to help them that amounted to exaltation equal to that1 no doubt1 felt by any who served and sacrificed during the ,war4 ,knowledge was never so glorified as it was those nights in the moonlight schools1 when the soldiers clutched at it as hungry men for bread and the teachers bestowed it as manna with heavenly grace4 ,new speed records were made in the time required to learn to read and write4 ,the men in the first draft who had missed the moonlight schools were met by teachers at the station where they entrained and rendered 8first aid0 in reading and writing for a day or an hour as the time would permit4 ,it was in one of these first-aid classes that the champion record was made4 ,a bridegroom1 torn from the arms of his bride whom he had married but the day before1 sought to learn in one day's time that he might write a love letter back to her4 ,not the next week nor on the morrow did he desire to write her1 but it must be done that very day4 ,according to the poet1 ,heaven first taught letters for some wretch's aid1 ,some banished lover or some captive maid1 so surely it would not fail him now4 ,from early morning until his train left that night he strove to master script1 and not in vain4 ,before his train left1 he wrote the letter1 beginning it 8,dear ,darling10 and his exultant joy must have been equalled by her happiness and surprise when the letter arrived4 ,in spite of the vigorous campaign waged1 some were missed1 and it was no uncommon thing during the late summer of #aiag for men to be arrested for their failure to register and brought before ,federal officials4 ,it was then disclosed that they were illiterate and did not know of the registration or the draft1 and some of them did not even know that the country was at war4 ,this added to the expense of the ,government and to the burdens and annoyance of officials1 but these were nothing in comparison with the humiliation and the anguish suffered by the innocent victims and their families at home4 ,the exemption boards found difficulty in testing the eyes of illiterate soldiers4 ,no provision having been made they invented devices of their own4 ,some boards substituted pictures for the lettered cards customarily used by oculists4 ,stalwart1 finely developed men stood up before draft boards and answered questions like these3 8,do you see this little dog or can you see best the larger dog above80 8,do you see the cat in this line best or the one below80 ,illustration3 ,,letter ,,from ,,man ,,of ,,draft ,,age ,a second and third session of the moonlight schools for illiterate soldiers followed the first4 ,nowhere else in ,america were illiterate registrants being taught4 ,the camps were in process of construction4 ,the time between the registration of soldiers and their encampment--some three months or more--could profitably have been employed by illiterates of draft age in every ,state in learning to read and write4 ,the records revealed that there were #gjj1jjj men between the ages of #ba and #ca in the ,united ,states who registered by mark4 ,kentucky men entered ,camp ,taylor at ,louisville with books in their hands and determination to learn burning in their hearts4 ,many of them had had a taste1 at least1 of knowledge1 and even when they had learned no more at the first aid stations than to write their names1 had been provided with school supplies1 pledged to continue their lessons1 and placed under the instruction of some educated member of their group who promised to continue the teaching when they reached camp4 ,in many cases they were accompanied by their moonlight school teachers1 who had1 themselves1 been drafted out of their schools4 ,some1 in spite of all precautions1 escaped the moonlight schools and entered camp illiterate4 ,soldiers from ,indiana and ,illinois were quartered at ,camp ,taylor1 also1 many of whom were unable to read and write4 ,the experiences of illiterate soldiers at ,camp ,taylor were identical1 no doubt1 with those in all the other training camps4 ,it was a story of humiliation1 handicap and discouragement and in many cases black and bitter despair4 ,their utter bewilderment added to the difficulties of an already complex situation1 and so reduced the efficiency of the company or the squad that their presence was resented by some officers1 who at every opportunity and upon the slightest pretext shifted the illiterates from their own to another company4 ,the tables in the ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 hut spread with sheets upon sheets of white paper and envelopes were to the illiterate soldiers as a feast to which they had not been bidden4 ,one soldier approached another timidly at a ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 writing table and said1 8,will you back a dozen envelopes for me to my mother1 please80 8,certainly10 replied the other1 8but why a dozen8 ,are you planning to write her every day8 ,you must be a dutiful son40 8,no1 these are to last me a year10 the soldier confessed4 8,i promised my mother that ,i'd get some envelopes backed and that once a month ,i'd slip a dollar bill in one and mail it to her and by that she'd know that ,i was still alive40 ,some were too proud to confess their illiteracy or to ask for help1 and their difficulties were multiplied4 ,some carried letters in their pockets for days before they could overcome their pride sufficiently to ask someone to read them4 ,one soldier was sent to the guard house for disobeying orders1 and after he had served his sentence1 it was disclosed that he had disobeyed his orders only because he could not read them4 ,meanwhile1 the moonlight schools and first aid classes were 8leavening the whole10 and an illiteracy campaign was finally in progress at ,camp ,taylor under government auspices1 with the ,kentucky ,illiteracy ,commission as the base of supplies4 ,the war against illiteracy in this camp was the inspiration for others which soon followed its example4 ,camp ,shelby at ,hattiesburg1 ,mississippi1 where ,kentucky troops were being shifted from time to time1 was the next to organize1 and though no preparation had been made by the ,government in the beginning for this educational emergency1 the most pressing of the ,war1 the need was being realized in every camp1 and soon illiterate negroes were being taught at ,camp ,lee in ,virginia1 illiterate foreigners at ,camp ,dix1 ,new ,jersey1 and illiterates of every race and class in the other camps throughout the nation1 and even overseas4 ,a ,bible was presented to each ,american soldier by certain organizations as they embarked for ,france1 and as the first troops began to move overseas1 the ,president sent them this message3 ,,to ,,the ,,soldiers ,,of ,,the ,,national ,,army3 ,you are undertaking a great duty4 ,the heart of the whole country is with you4 ,everything that you do will be watched with the deepest interest and with the deepest solicitude not only by those near and dear to you1 but by the whole nation besides4 ,for this great war draws us all together1 makes us all comrades and brothers1 as all true ,americans felt themselves to be when we first made good our national independence4 ,the eyes of all the world will be upon you1 because you are in some special sense the soldiers of freedom4 ,let it be your pride1 therefore1 to show all men everywhere not only what good soldiers you are1 but also what good men you are1 keeping yourselves fit and straight in everything1 and pure and clean through and through4 ,let us set for ourselves a standard so high that it will be a glory to live up to it1 and then let us live up to it and add a new laurel to the crown of ,america4 ,my affectionate confidence goes with you in every battle and every test4 ,god keep and guide you6 ,the ,white ,house1 ,washington4 ,,woodrow ,,wilson4 ,but1 alas1 there were many among them who could not read the ,word of ,god or the ,president's benediction4 ,by the spring of #aiah1 ,america had many men overseas1 and homesickness was reported to be acute1 and in some cases even fatal among them4 ,general ,pershing1 ,commander of the ,american ,expeditionary ,forces1 realized that there was something more essential in keeping up the morale of these boys than the socks1 sweaters1 candy and tobacco with which the ,american people showered them and so he issued this order to the women at home3 ,the women of ,america must regard themselves as thoroughly militarized4 ,they must consider themselves as real soldiers and take orders from their officers here and obey them without question4 ,any woman who has a husband1 brother1 sweetheart1 or relative in foreign service should write1 write1 write long1 cheerful letters telling everything that happens in the old home town4 ,the men are hungry for news and the things which seem like trivial happenings at home will be of the greatest interest to the men4 ,the order which ,i would send to the women of ,america is to work and write4 ,all who returned from the ,war ,zone1 lecturers1 propagandists and others1 brought the same message--8,the boys need letters1 letters2 write1 write1 write40 ,the sad news came of boys dying of homesickness in the army overseas4 ,it was not indifference or negligence on the part of the soldiers' families that caused them to withhold letters1 but in many cases it was the inability to write4 ,here was a work for the moonlight schools scarcely less urgent than that of teaching the boys themselves1 so sessions were begun for the wives1 mothers1 sisters and sweethearts of soldiers1 and for the men over thirty-one who were subject to the next draft4 ,the main purpose of these sessions was to teach those who enrolled to write to the boys in ,france1 so they came with that expectation and all the training was to that end4 ,not only were they taught as quickly as possible to write letters1 but they were instructed as to the kind to write and the sort to withhold4 ,letters such as 8,mrs4 ,wiggs0 and 8,pollyanna0 would write--radiating enthusiasm and cheer1 were placed1 for comparison1 on the blackboard beside one of exaggerated woes1 which rendered the latter so absurd that none would care to even faintly imitate it4 ,boys in ,france wrote joyfully on receipt of these letters4 ,the fact that they were written by those who were illiterate when they left home gave them a happy surprise4 ,one boy wrote1 and his was a typical letter4 ,you couldn't imagine how pleased ,i was to get a letter from my dear mother4 ,ma ,i wouldn't take the world for that letter4 ,you certainly did well4 ,i could read your letter a whole lot better than ,i could ,pa's4 ,a war course of study was prepared and issued for use in these sessions4 ,the drills of peace time gave way to the more pressing ones of food conservation1 the ,red ,cross1 ,liberty ,loans and lessons on the history of the ,war and the geography of the warring countries1 all of which were designed to bring isolated people into co-operation with the agencies that were striving to win the ,war4 ,the ,soldier's ,first ,book was revised and elaborated and contributed to the ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a41 the educational arm of the ,government1 for publication by their press and for use in the camps4 ,it was turned over to them on the one condition that it be provided to every illiterate soldier free1 as had been done in ,kentucky1 in the early days of the ,war4 ,by the fall of #aiah an elaborate educational program had been mapped out by the ,government and was being applied in places1 but the signing of the ,armistice called for a complete reversal of these plans1 and for a program that would quickly turn the minds of the men to the things of peace and reconstruction4 ,the plans were immediately shifted1 and the ,government sent #ej1jjj ,country ,life ,readers overseas for illiterate soldiers detained on foreign soil4 ,the lessons on the clean ballot1 just taxation1 soil conservation and cultivation1 good roads and the prevention of disease were all part of the reconstruction program1 which would require no less courage1 energy and patriotism than even the ,war itself4 ,it is a far cry from the school-houses of ,kentucky to the army occupation camps in ,germany1 but the moonlight schools had trailed the illiterate soldier through the camps1 across the seas1 through ,england and ,france to the army of occupation on the ,rhine4 ,letters came from many soldiers4 ,this one from a lieutenant in the army--a ,kentucky boy--was the last received and made a fitting close to the part the moonlight schools had played in the ,war3 ,,dear ,,mrs4 ,,stewart3 ,i suppose it will come somewhat as a surprise to learn that we are conducting moonlight schools according to your plans in far-off ,germany4 ,i'm now on outpost duty1 and your book is in use in the point furthermost from ,coblenz in the ,american area4 ,six months ago ,i don't suppose many people expected the moonlight school movement to reach beyond the ,rhine4 ,i have a fine class1 mostly ,italians4 ,they're all anxious to learn1 and ,i get as much pleasure from teaching as ,i did when ,i opened the first moonlight school in ,camp ,shelby4 ,i wrote you about that4 ,the teaching of illiterates is being carried on throughout our division1 and ,i suppose in other units also4 ,we keep records of their work and submit reports from time to time in the same manner that other work is being done in the army4 ,good luck to the moonlight schools and ,i hope that every ,american boy when he returns from overseas will be able to read and write4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,moonlight ,,schools ,,in ,,reconstruction ,,days ,soldiers returned from ,france talking education1 urging a better school system1 and a provision for everybody1 young and old1 to improve themselves4 ,it was the burden of almost every soldier's heart4 ,alvin ,york1 acclaimed the greatest hero of the ,world ,war because of his remarkable feat of capturing #acb ,germans single handed1 came home and started raising money to build a school for the people of his native hills1 and ,sergeant ,sandlin1 the ,kentucky mountaineer1 whose record as a war hero was second only to that of ,york1 returned to ,kentucky1 and1 enlisting under the ,illiteracy ,commission1 joined in the illiteracy crusade4 ,none who listened to ,york's earnest plea for the people of the mountains of ,tennessee1 or heard ,sandlin tell of the army commissions offered him in ,france which1 because of his limited education he could not accept1 will forget the crude but eloquent appeal they made4 ,like other soldiers returned from overseas1 they came back preaching the gospel of education4 ,it was a universal feeling among soldiers of the ,allies1 even of those from ,india1 a country where few women are taught to read and write4 ,the illiterate soldier in ,kipling's story1 8,eyes of ,asia10 dictated this letter to be written home from ,france4 8,we must cause our children to be educated in the future4 ,this is the opinion of all the regiment1 for by education even women accomplish marvels1 like the women of ,franceville4 ,get the boys and girls taught to read and write well4 ,here teaching is done by government order40 ,most of the boys who came back wanted to enter school themselves4 ,theirs was a new dignity1 as veterans of the ,war1 and their illiteracy was more humiliating to them and more shocking to the spectator than before4 ,to those who possessed some education1 the colleges and universities opened wide their doors1 but the illiterate and near-illiterate boys were subjects for the kindly ministrations of the moonlight schools4 ,girls who had offered their services for patriotic duty of various kinds during the ,war and had been rejected because of their limited education1 had not gone home to content themselves with their lot1 but the rude awakening to their condition had sent them seeking opportunities to learn4 ,middle-aged men and women and older ones whose illiteracy had been revealed to them during the ,war in all its ugliness were nursing a divine discontent4 ,these were ready1 as never before1 for school4 ,there was another reason for educating the illiterates which might well have been considered urgent from the ,government's point of view4 ,the unrest following the ,war and the spread of radicalism1 made a situation scarcely less critical than the ,war itself4 ,the propaganda of these discontented ones found in the mass of illiterates1 native and foreign-born1 its most fertile soil4 ,the day schools would instill their lessons of loyalty and patriotism1 but the crisis to be met was one of the immediate future1 and would be decided1 not by the children1 but by the adults4 ,illustration ,illustration3 ,,letter ,,from ,a ,,war ,,veteran ,reconstruction gave a new motive and a new urge to the moonlight schools4 ,there was much besides reading1 writing1 spelling1 and arithmetic to be taught in those days1 and an unusual opportunity for correlation of those subjects with timely ones4 ,there was the habit of waste and extravagance to be corrected1 and the ,nation's war debt to be paid1 which called for training in thrift1 and intensive training at that2 there were forests to be conserved1 soil to be reclaimed2 loyalty to the country to be instilled1 the 8,own your own home0 movement to be emphasized1 the better use of the ,english language to be secured1 a higher appreciation developed of the benefits of ,american citizenship1 disease to be stamped out and human life conserved4 ,after the most destructive war in history all of these had their claim to importance in any school curriculum and in the one for adults could not be ignored4 ,they had their place in the reconstruction course of study for the moonlight schools4 ,they were taught in the reading1 writing and composition lessons and in the drills4 ,the cover of the new course of study told its own story of what the moonlight schools would try to do in reconstruction days4 ,the school-house pictured there in the moonlight with many roads running from it1 with signboards pointing to 8,education10 8,sanitation10 and 8,health10 8,good ,roads10 8,thrift10 8,better ,speech0 and 8,better ,citizenship10 would undertake1 wherever it could spread its light1 to meet the emergency which followed the ,war4 ,as the moonlight school session started the ,governor of ,kentucky issued this message3 ,while the countries of ,europe rebuild their ruined cities and rehabilitate their industries1 it is our privilege in the ,united ,states to rehabilitate the lives of our fellow citizens4 ,one of the most necessary and most noble of reconstruction tasks is to teach all those who are unable to read and write4 ,we must do this before the commonwealth and the nation can make great advancement4 ,the teachers and citizens of ,kentucky are pioneers in the movement1 which has now become nation-wide and has even been adopted in other countries4 ,the movement which they have so unselfishly fostered demands the best that is in us all at this time when the last battle in the crusade against illiteracy in ,kentucky is being waged4 ,i honor the moonlight school teachers and set a high value upon the service which they are volunteering to render to humanity and to the state4 ,may that service enrich their own lives as much as it will their fellow-men and the great commonwealth of ,kentucky4 ,,james ,d4 ,,black1 ,governor4 ,the moonlight school teachers were aided and supervised by the county illiteracy agents4 ,these field forces had gradually increased in number since the first experiment was tried out with them in three mountain counties in #aiae4 ,kentucky meanwhile had made two appropriations1 #aj1jjj in #aiaf1 and this had been increased to #ge1jjj in #aiah4 ,the field agents of the ,illiteracy ,commission now numbered seventy-five4 ,an institute was held for these county agents at the ,state ,capitol1 where they were gathered for training at the state's expense4 ,after a week's deliberation and discussion of the problem of illiteracy and the methods of attack1 they went into the field with an enthusiasm that was contagious and well-nigh irresistible4 ,these county agents were men and women of professional training and high attainments4 ,many of them were college and university graduates4 ,they were practically volunteers1 their salaries being only about sufficient to cover their traveling expenses4 ,what the teacher attempted in her district1 they attempted in the county in a larger way4 ,the story of the campaign made by these agents1 their daily and nightly travel on horseback or afoot1 their valiant efforts to reach illiterates1 their ready arguments1 their tact and diplomacy1 their enthusiasm and pluck would fill a volume in itself4 ,the spirit of these leaders and the scope of their operations are revealed in the following report of a young woman who was one of this corps of earnest workers3 ,i am sending you the final report of the work done in ,pulaski ,county4 ,first1 ,i desire to thank the ,illiteracy ,commission for extending me the privilege of serving the best cause in ,kentucky1 the effort to teach the illiterates1 the most unfortunate people in the world1 and to prevent illiteracy by enforcing the compulsory attendance law4 ,i am happy to report forty-eight moonlight schools organized and two hundred and fifty illiterates taught to read and write4 ,besides this1 one hundred or more are being taught at home4 ,the people have shown a co-operative spirit and in many districts volunteered to teach in the moonlight schools4 ,they are anxious to have this curse erased1 as they realize it is a menace and prevents progress in every community where it exists4 ,the illiteracy work has had excellent results1 many too numerous to mention1 but1 ,first4 ,it has shown the need of a new educational system where the unfortunates can be given a chance to learn and advance4 ,second4 ,it has increased community spirit1 and a willingness to co-operate in any progressive movement4 ,third4 ,it has increased day school attendance by a large percent4 ,school reports show an increase of twenty percent4 ,fourth4 ,last1 but not least1 to those taught it means better sanitation and living conditions1 better citizens to ,pulaski ,county and the ,state of ,kentucky4 ,the state had been districted and seven district agents were put in charge4 ,these went from county to county aiding and spurring the county agents and organizing every class and group of citizens to co-operate4 ,among these seven were four war veterans just returned from ,france--three war heroes and a ,red ,cross nurse4 ,the other three were veterans no less1 for they had served for years in that great defense line--the public schools of the state4 ,one page from their 8,day by ,day0 ,books with its record of conferences and meetings held1 the calls on school people1 editors1 ministers1 bankers1 club women1 public officials1 fraternal organizations and commercial bodies would show something of their activities1 but no mere record of daily duties could set forth the spirit of patriotism that animated them or the zeal with which they labored day and night4 ,this was a time for the rehabilitation of lives1 as ,governor ,black had said in his message1 and those misguided men and women who had chosen error's way and were paying the penalty within prison walls could not be overlooked4 ,teaching prisoners began in the early days of the illiteracy crusade1 but in this time of reconstruction1 this part of the work was strengthened and extended4 ,often the teaching was done by the jailer and his wife1 sometimes it was done by the jailer's school-teacher daughter1 sometimes it was by some other member of the official family1 frequently the county school superintendent4 ,at one time classes and individuals were learning in about a hundred jails1 and the letters that came out of these schools were filled with mingled gratitude and regret--gratitude for the belated chance and regret that it had not come sooner1 when it might possibly have diverted them from the mistaken course which led them into prison walls4 ,the moonlight schools in the state reformatory and penitentiary found a rare opportunity4 ,here illiteracy was grouped4 ,hundreds of men had made their mark on the prison record and many had signed their names in scrawling1 illegible letters but could do no more in the way of writing4 ,some of these had but a year or two to serve4 ,they would soon go forth into their communities and whatever education they might acquire would doubtless serve as a deterrent from future crime and as an inspiration toward some worth-while achievement4 ,these illiterates were easy to reach1 for most of them preferred an evening in class to one spent in the cell4 ,however1 for those who might be indifferent1 a spur was provided in this resolution passed by the ,state ,prison ,board3 ,,whereas1 ,kentucky is now engaged in an effort to stamp illiteracy out of the state1 and ,,inasmuch1 as instructors and facilities for teaching are now furnished the inmates of penal institutions under the control of this ,board1 and all are given the opportunity to read and write1 it is therefore ordered by the ,state ,board of ,control1 that one of the essential prerequisites to a parole should be that a prisoner shall be able to read and write1 and the ,board therefore adopts the rule that hereafter all inmates shall be able to read and write1 before their application for parole will be considered4 ,this act making the prisoner's ability to read and write a condition of parole1 proved a great incentive to the illiterates to learn4 ,some of the prisoners when their terms expired went back home and became educational evangelists in their communities4 ,it was said of one man who had returned from the ,state reformatory and joined in the illiteracy crusade1 8,he talks like one who had returned from a university rather than from the #8pen4'0 ,his conversation was all of teachers1 schools1 books and 8everybody learning to read and write40 ,the ,warden of the ,kentucky ,state ,reformatory in his report at the close of #aiai made the following statement3 ,many of our prisoners who were supposed to be able to read and write when they entered the institution were actually found to be illiterate4 ,the total number taught to read and write during my three and a half years as ,warden1 is #a1cjj as nearly as ,i can sum it up from the records4 ,the improvement in the discipline of the men who learned to read and write was most noticeable4 ,i gave the work my personal attention and feel that it was one of the most important duties of my office4 ,the ,warden of the ,state ,penitentiary reported to the ,illiteracy ,commission as follows3 ,it will always be a greater source of gratification to me that nearly #a1djj adults have been taught to read and write during my seven and a half years as the head of this ,institution than everything else ,i have accomplished4 ,i will state that every prisoner is permitted to come out to the school session and we have all illiterates attending except a few very old ones whose eyesight is too defective1 possibly five or six4 ,illustration3 ,,letter ,,from ,a ,,student ,,in ,,prison ,according to these wardens' reports1 #b1gjj prisoners in the ,state ,reformatory and ,penitentiary had been redeemed from illiteracy during a period of seven years1 an average of about #che each year4 ,the prisoners had been provided with free books1 had been encouraged by the wardens and others in official life1 even the ,governor appearing on occasion to present them with the diplomas which were conferred for the completion of the course in these schools4 ,many of these men1 by their own confession1 had gone wrong simply because they had had so little to fill their lives4 ,in a class of beginners one evening1 the men were requested to stand and tell why they had not secured an education4 ,when all had finished1 the story they told could have been summed up in these few words1 8,i never had no chance40 ,the illiteracy campaign was being waged for the removal of illiteracy which already existed but it was1 also1 creating sentiment for the prevention of illiteracy in the future4 ,those who led the fight to remove illiteracy had never doubted that 8it is better to build a fence around the precipice than to wait with the ambulance below10 but so many had already gone over the precipice that in mercy's name they must be succored4 ,the very act of rescue had attracted sufficient attention to the calamity1 it was hoped1 to insure the building of the fence--the creation of school attendance officers who would enforce the compulsory attendance law4 ,the county illiteracy agents had been given permissive power by the ,legislature of #aiah to act as attendance officers and had pioneered such a measure and created sentiment for regular attendance officers with full power4 ,this sentiment must be crystallized before the approaching ,legislature convened4 ,to this end two thousand speakers went into the field to urge the people to their utmost efforts in teaching all to read and write and also to advocate two kindred educational reforms--the attendance officer as a preventive of another crop of illiterates1 and a living wage for those who had 8borne the heat and burden0 of the campaign--the public school teachers of the state4 ,when the ,legislature convened the following ,january the sentiment was overwhelmingly favorable and it was a mere matter of phrasing the laws1 creating attendance officers and increasing teachers' salaries1 which were promptly passed4 ,kentucky in a few years time taught #acj1jjj to read and write4 ,this record of the number taught is based on letters of pupils1 who stated that they had learned1 together with the reports of teachers and county superintendents4 ,the names of the illiterates had been obtained from the ,united ,states ,census ,bureau early in the campaign to be used in locating them and checking off their names as they were taught4 ,though assured by the ,united ,states ,commissioner of ,education that these were records that would not be divulged1 we had invaded the ,census ,bureau and secured the names of ,rowan ,county's illiterates4 ,it was only a step that led to the divulging of the names of all the illiterates in ,kentucky1 though some pressure had to be put on before the complete record was obtained4 ,it was the first time in history that the ,census ,bureau had ever been approached with such a request4 ,the names of illiterates formed a record hitherto unavailable to the states4 ,this ,bureau has since been flooded with demands and some states have paid thousands of dollars to have the names of their illiterates copied4 ,kentucky had secured this information1 not easily1 but free of cost to the state and in so doing was carrying out the mandate of the ,legislature which had charged the ,commission 8to make research1 collect data and statistics and procure surveys of any and all communities1 districts or vicinities of the state1 looking to the obtaining of a more detailed1 definite and particular knowledge as to the true conditions of the state with regard to its adult illiteracy40 ,kentucky through an effective attendance officer law1 one of the fruits of her illiteracy crusade1 has secured herself against a recurrence of illiteracy in future4 ,the thousands of illiterates she has redeemed have demonstrated both their ability and their desire to learn4 ,there lies before her the task of redeeming the others and of providing opportunities for the newly-learned to advance through1 at least1 the elementary grades4 ,this will be done in time by following her crusade with the establishment of an extensive system of evening schools1 with teachers paid and a ,state school for adults where those younger men and women who can leave home may complete their education quickly and enter upon intelligent and useful careers4 ,,chapter ,,xii ,,the ,,illiteracy ,,crusade ,,spreads ,,from ,,state ,,to ,,state ,the crusade against illiteracy had extended rapidly to other states4 ,moonlight schools were organized in the fall of #aiac in ,bradley ,county1 ,tennessee1 to teach the mountaineers2 in ,spartanburg ,county1 ,south ,carolina1 to teach the people in mill villages1 and in ,grant ,county1 ,washington1 to teach some ,german farmers to read and write the ,english language4 ,alabama was the second state to wage a state-wide crusade against illiteracy4 ,in #aiad1 ,honorable ,william ,f4 ,feagin1 ,state ,superintendent of ,education of ,alabama1 sent out this call3 ,it is my opinion that there are a number of people in this state who are patriotic enough to give themselves over to the task of making a crusade against illiteracy in their communities1 if we only knew how to find them4 ,for such as these1 this pamphlet is being sent out and in the belief that any soul who gives himself to a task like this1 namely that of bringing light and help and cheer to those who have never learned to know the independence1 the self-respect1 the information and the delight of the printed page1 is worthy of honorable mention whenever we call to mind those true patriots who serve humanity and glorify the state4 ,illustration3 ,,letter ,,from ,,an ,,alabama ,,pupil ,illustration3 ,,letter ,,from ,,an ,,alabama ,,pupil ,in #aiae the ,alabama ,illiteracy ,commission1 the second illiteracy commission in the world1 was created and the ,governor of ,alabama issued a proclamation against illiteracy1 which was1 also1 the second of its kind4 ,the ,alabama ,illiteracy ,commission was organized with former ,governor ,william ,d4 ,jelks as ,chairman and ,honorable ,william ,f4 ,feagin as ,secretary4 ,with the slogan1 8,illiteracy in ,alabama--,let's remove it10 this ,commission began the task of extending to every illiterate in ,alabama the opportunity of the moonlight schools4 ,late in the year of #aiad1 ,doctor ,j4 ,y4 ,joyner1 ,state ,superintendent of ,public ,instruction of ,north ,carolina1 began to organize the forces for an illiteracy campaign in that state4 ,what was accomplished in this initial campaign was reported by him to the editors of ,north ,carolina assembled at ,montreat1 ,july #a1 #aiae1 when he appeared before them to enlist them in a state-wide crusade against illiteracy4 ,in summarizing the results he said3 ,the moonlight schools have proved successful in dealing with this problem of adult illiteracy in other places1 notably in ,rowan ,county1 ,kentucky1 where they were first inaugurated about three years ago4 ,the story of the movement in that state is inspiring and the results have been marvelous4 ,largely as a result of the discussion of this subject at the annual meeting of the ,state ,association of ,county ,superintendents at the ,teacher's ,assembly last ,november eighty-two moonlight schools were conducted in twenty-nine counties in this state last year enrolling sixteen hundred illiterates of an average age of forty-five1 most of whom learned to read and write4 ,seven thousand ,north ,carolina teachers volunteered the following year to teach moonlight schools4 ,at the close of the session ,dr4 ,joyner wrote3 ,a partial report from fifty of the one hundred counties show #fch moonlight schools with #e1ecj illiterates enrolled1 most of whom have been taught4 ,it is safe to estimate that the reports from other counties will show at least #aj1jjj have been reached through the moonlight schools and taught to read and write4 ,illustration3 ,,letter ,,from ,a ,,north ,,carolina ,,pupil ,when such reports were in as could be collected--and many schools known to be successful were never reported--#i1fih illiterates had been taught4 ,doctor ,joyner then rallied his forces for a more heroic effort with this war-cry3 ,outstrip ,kentucky6 ,what ,kentucky has done and is doing ,north ,carolina can and must do for the need is greater4 ,adult illiteracy in the ,united ,states is doomed4 ,a few more years and there will not be a vestige of it left4 ,kentucky1 led on by the spirit of inspiration of a woman1 has preempted the first place in this glorious work4 ,north ,carolina may be second2 indeed there is a chance that she may even outstrip ,kentucky and be the first to reach the coveted goal4 ,the ,north ,carolina ,legislature of #aiag appropriated #be1jjj annually for moonlight schools and in #aiai the work was made a part of the public school system of the state4 ,illustration3 ,a ,north ,carolina ,moonlight ,school4 ,minnesota's first moonlight schools were organized in #aiae in response to a call from her ,state ,superintendent of ,education1 ,honorable ,c4 ,g4 ,shulz1 who1 in ,october1 #aiad1 issued this call through the press of the state3 ,i hesitate to accept the figures on ,minnesota's illiteracy4 ,they would seem rather larger than we would expect even though at that they show ,minnesota as being among the states having the least illiteracy4 ,but1 we have to recognize that there is some illiteracy here and the recognition carries with it the admission that there shouldn't be any4 ,minnesota should stamp out illiteracy absolutely4 ,mrs4 ,stewart's message to us makes this a fitting time to inaugurate a study of the subject here at home4 ,i think that ,minnesota's illiteracy is centred mainly in urban rather than in rural communities4 ,school heads would do well to make an immediate survey of their neighborhoods and to ascertain who the illiterates are and how to reach them4 ,superintendent ,e4 ,a4 ,freeman1 of ,itasca ,county1 was the first of ,mr4 ,shulz's lieutenants to respond4 ,mr4 ,freeman organized his teachers in ,november1 #aiad1 and conducted moonlight schools for illiterates1 mainly those of foreign birth4 ,this pioneer work in ,minnesota was the inspiration of the ,naturalization ,bureau which adopted the plan and promoted it in other localities4 ,the ,examiner of the ,naturalization ,bureau for ,minnesota in one of his official bulletins said3 ,the ,national ,government ,bureau of ,naturalization is anxious to help the foreign-born to learn to read and write the ,english language and to better understand our form of government4 ,in the rural districts where the need is greatest1 little has been done1 but ,professor ,e4 ,a4 ,freeman1 of ,itasca ,county1 introduced an entering wedge last year in his schools and met with much success4 ,oklahoma had several moonlight schools in #aiad through the influence of the ,literacy ,league organized at the ,state ,normal ,school at ,edmond by ,moses ,e4 ,wood1 head of the ,departments of ,pedagogy and ,psychology4 ,in #aiae ,honorable ,r4 ,h4 ,wilson1 ,state ,superintendent of ,education1 launched a state-wide campaign in which he enlisted several thousand teachers besides organizing the press and the people of his state to aid4 ,a sweeping campaign was made by ,mr4 ,wilson and the patriotic men and women who enlisted with him4 ,in an official report in #aiaf ,superintendent ,wilson gave the results of the first year's work as follows3 ,probably more than five thousand persons were reached by the moonlight schools in ,oklahoma during the school year #aiae-af4 ,this is indeed a good beginning4 ,during the next school year #aiaf-ag1 we should reach #be1jjj illiterates and as many adult literates4 ,the black cloud of illiteracy can be dispelled by the united efforts of county superintendents and teachers4 ,this is a call to service and an appeal to the state pride of every teacher employed in our common schools4 ,by concerted effort we can make ,oklahoma the most literate state in the union4 ,illustration3 ,oklahoma ,moonlight ,school4 ,illustration3 ,,letter ,,to ,,the ,,state ,,superintendent ,,of ,,schools1 ,,oklahoma ,oklahoma was the first state whose normal schools offered credits for moonlight school work1 an example followed by ,kentucky and some of the other states4 8,illiteracy in ,new ,mexico must go10 was the slogan sounded by the school forces in ,new ,mexico during #aiae4 ,honorable ,alvin ,n4 ,white1 ,state ,superintendent of ,education1 inaugurated the campaign1 and the slogan was caught up with enthusiasm by leaders throughout the state4 ,this appeal was made by ,superintendent ,white3 ,the purpose of this is to call attention of the people of the state to the alarming and excessive percentage of illiteracy2 to have the educated forces of the state realize more fully that illiteracy is a curse1 a menace and a disgrace2 that it must be destroyed and the state elevated2 that by the united efforts of the teachers and citizens of the state everybody must read and write in ,new ,mexico by #aibj4 ,santa ,f ,county1 under the leadership of ,superintendent ,john ,v4 ,conway1 led the state4 ,superintendent ,conway and his corps of teachers made the record of establishing a moonlight school in every district with #a1edi adults enrolled4 ,this county had a large ,mexican population1 some of whom could read and write in ,spanish1 but came to the moonlight schools to learn to read and write ,english4 ,the majority of ,mexicans enrolled1 however1 were illiterate1 and these were taught in ,english4 ,the record of this pioneer county inspired the entire state and has been the foundation upon which ,new ,mexico's work among adult illiterates has been built4 ,it led to the enactment by the ,new ,mexico ,legislature of several laws1 for the benefit of illiterate adults1 one of them providing compensation for those who would teach a moonlight school with as many as ten illiterates enrolled4 ,illustration3 ,a class of ,mexican mothers in ,california learning to read and write4 ,illustration3 ,,letter ,,from ,,new ,,mexico ,,moonlight ,,school ,the illiteracy crusade spirit was abroad in ,california and found concrete expression in #aiae when the ,state ,department of ,education1 the ,immigration ,commission and the ,california ,federation of ,women's ,clubs jointly launched a state-wide campaign4 ,the ,federation announced its plans as follows3 ,the ,education ,committee is asked to center its efforts upon the eradication of illiteracy and the ,kentucky plan is recommended4 ,the program is to vitalize the state into educational responsibility and activity in behalf of a considerable part of our population and to raise ,california to the first place in the literacy column4 ,california passed the 8home teacher0 law in the same year4 ,the law provides an itinerant teacher to go from house to house and instruct illiterates and others4 ,to this has been added other wise legislation in behalf of the illiterates1 at the instance of ,honorable ,will ,c4 ,wood1 ,state ,superintendent of ,public ,instruction1 and a comprehensive program for the elimination of illiteracy from ,california has been adopted and is being carried on under the ,state ,department of ,education4 ,los ,angeles is one of the cities in the ,united ,states that has made great progress in redeeming illiterates4 ,kate ,douglas ,wiggin wrote a story--8,the ,girl and the ,kingdom0--and gave it to the teachers of this1 her home city1 to be sold and the money used to defray the expenses of the local illiteracy campaign4 ,the moonlight schools were begun in ,georgia in #aiae under the leadership of ,honorable ,m4 ,l4 ,brittain1 ,state ,superintendent of ,schools1 who tells of its progress in the following report3 ,the first notable instance of training illiterates under ,state auspices originated in ,kentucky several years ago4 ,the work attracted attention throughout the country and several states organized somewhat similar classes4 ,as ,state ,superintendent of ,education1 ,i called the attention of our ,legislature to this subject four years ago1 but met with no encouragement1 the belief being expressed that these illiterate grown-ups could not be taught with any degree of success4 ,to prove that this feeling was erroneous1 our five state rural school supervisors were directed to see what could be done with these classes and five counties were selected for the purpose4 ,very good results were obtained by these supervisors4 ,the best work in the state1 however1 was accomplished by ,mr4 ,i4 ,s4 ,smith1 an educator1 who was then ,superintendent of ,tattnall ,county schools1 who had more than six hundred adults taught to read and write4 ,fortified with these facts and the proof that it could be done successfully1 the ,legislature was again requested to authorize the work and to give financial aid for its support4 ,in compliance with ,mr4 ,brittain's request1 the ,georgia ,legislature created an ,illiteracy ,commission in #aiai4 ,governor ,hugh ,dorsey became the ,president and ,mr4 ,brittain was made ,secretary and ,director of this ,commission4 ,seven state organizers were employed1 six white and one colored1 and the five regular state school supervisors were directed to give much of their time to the illiteracy campaign4 ,in his official report of #aibj ,mr4 ,brittain says3 ,another #aiai law that reflects credit upon the legislature is that of teaching the illiterates4 ,our records show that we have1 since ,august1 enrolled #ca1ede illiterates and taught #ag1ihb to read and write4 ,illustration ,illustration3 ,,letter ,,from ,a ,,georgia ,,moonlight ,,school ,,pupil ,the ,state of ,washington1 under the leadership of ,mrs4 ,josephine ,corliss ,preston1 ,state ,superintendent of ,public ,instruction1 enacted a law in #aiae which enabled all school districts to have night schools4 ,finding that the illiteracy campaign was necessary to arouse the illiterates to their opportunity and the public to co-operate1 an ,illiteracy ,commission has since been created with the ,state ,superintendent of ,public ,instruction as ,chairman and with members chosen from the various state organizations4 ,this ,commission has appointed county illiteracy commissions and is engaged in a campaign to remove illiteracy from the state4 ,the illiteracy movement1 which was started in ,south ,carolina in #aiac by ,miss ,julia ,selden1 a patriotic ,southern woman1 took the form of a crusade in ,laurens and ,newberry ,counties in #aiad and blossomed into an ,illiteracy ,commission in #aiaf4 ,the ,legislature appropriated #aj1jjj for the work in #aiah and increased the appropriation to #be1jjj in #aiaj1 when it became a branch of the ,state ,department of ,education1 the ,illiteracy ,commission assuming the position of aid and ally4 ,south ,carolina1 the first state to secede from the ,union before the ,civil ,war1 chose as her slogan in the illiteracy crusade1 8,let ,south ,carolina secede from ,illiteracy40 ,the ,mississippi ,legislature created an ,illiteracy ,commission in #aiaf and began a state-wide campaign with the slogan1 8,illiteracy in ,mississippi--,blot it out40 ,at the request of ,governor ,charles ,h4 ,brough1 an ,illiteracy ,commission was created by the ,arkansas ,legislature in #aiag4 ,the expense of the illiteracy crusade in that state was met1 at first1 by the bankers1 together with other patriotic organizations and individuals4 ,the ,legislature of #aibj made an annual appropriation of #ac1jjj which was supplemented by private subscriptions1 and ,arkansas entered upon an intensive campaign4 ,the slogan1 8,let's sweep illiteracy out of ,arkansas10 has met with a hearty response by the whole people of the state4 ,arkansas has apportioned a certain number of her illiterates to be reached within a definite time4 ,one-fourth of them will be taught each year until the task is done4 ,governor ,thomas ,c4 ,mc,rae in the following proclamation declared 8illiteracy is the greatest stain upon the state03 ,because ,i believe that the best way to reduce crime and poverty is through education of adults as well as children1 ,because ,i believe that every man and woman in ,arkansas has a right to an education1 ,because ,i believe that the greatest stain upon our state is the condition of adult illiteracy4 ,nearly #ajj1jjj men and women in ,arkansas cannot write their names1 ,because ,i believe that united effort on the part of the citizens of ,arkansas will speedily eradicate this evil1 ,i hereby designate the week beginning ,february #e and ending ,february #ab1 as 8,illiteracy ,week0 to be known as such throughout the entire state4 ,i call upon the bankers1 the lawyers1 the merchants and the men of all stations in life to lend their efforts toward encouraging people to learn to read and write4 ,i call upon ,rotary ,clubs1 ,kiwanis ,clubs1 ,lions ,clubs1 ,civitan ,clubs1 ,chambers of ,commerce1 ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4's1 ,y4 ,w4 ,c4 ,a4's1 ,k4 of ,c4's1 ,s4 ,i4 ,a4's1 fraternal societies and lodges and all other organizations1 be they small or great1 to volunteer moral and financial aid in driving out our enemy1 ignorance4 ,i call upon the ministers of ,arkansas to set aside one ,sunday within the period designated as a day to be devoted to preaching adult education4 ,i call upon the teachers and pupils of our public schools to take the message as planned by the ,illiteracy ,commission1 into every community4 ,i call upon every citizen in the ,state to assist in this movement by teaching at least one person who wants some education or more education4 ,given under my hand and the great seal of the ,state at the ,capitol at ,little ,rock this #bast day of ,january1 ,a4,d4 #aibb4 ,dr4 ,john ,h4 ,finley1 ,commissioner of ,education of ,new ,york ,state1 launched a state-wide campaign against illiteracy in that state in #aiag4 ,only #c1bjj was appropriated at first1 but interest in the work so increased that #adj1jjj was appropriated in #aiai4 ,governor ,alfred ,g4 ,smith in signing the bill said in a memorandum3 ,the purpose of this bill is to obliterate adult illiteracy from the ,state4 ,this subject is one in which ,i have long been interested4 ,the plan proposed through this measure appears to be so practicable and reasonable that its operations may1 in my judgment1 be made effective in accomplishing the desired purpose4 ,new ,york appropriated #bjj1jjj the following year1 and within four years after starting the movement1 had expended a half million dollars from her state and local treasuries on educating illiterate native and foreign-born adults4 ,the ,state ,department reports some two hundred thousand taught to read and write4 ,it was the first state to secure the illiteracy census of #aibj from the ,federal ,census ,bureau4 ,this was placed in the hands of the school authorities by ,dr4 ,finley1 who wrote to his lieutenants3 ,i hope that we shall immediately and vigorously take advantage of this census of #aibj which has1 through special effort and provision1 been put so promptly at our disposal1 to clear the state of adult illiteracy as you have practically done for child illiteracy4 ,illustration3 ,jewish mothers in ,new ,york improving their education4 ,dr4 ,thomas ,e4 ,finegan1 ,state ,superintendent of ,public ,instruction of ,pennsylvania1 is a well-known champion of the illiterates of the nation and their cause and the ,state of ,pennsylvania is making great strides in reducing illiteracy under his leadership4 ,an extensive program of instruction for the illiterates and the ,americanization of foreigners has been carried on in the state since #aiah4 ,the ,state ,department of ,education reported #bj1cgh taught during the year #aiai alone4 ,the name of every illiterate taken by the census enumerators in #aibj is on record in ,pennsylvania1 having been obtained from the ,federal ,census ,bureau4 ,with the stimulus of achievement back of her and with splendid organization1 plans and leadership1 ,pennsylvania bids fair to realize her slogan--8,pennsylvania a literate state in ten years40 ,ohio is engaged in the fight on illiteracy4 ,much skirmishing has been done by the ,state ,department of ,education and by ,dr4 ,s4 ,k4 ,mardis1 of ,ohio ,university1 a pioneer crusader in that state1 and in #aibb a ,state ,illiteracy ,commission was created and the work among illiterates started as a state-wide campaign4 ,maine1 under the leadership of ,dr4 ,augustus ,o4 ,thomas1 ,state ,superintendent of ,schools1 has a five-year program for wiping out illiteracy4 ,maine has #bj1bdj illiterates and this five-year program will include the teaching of some four thousand each year1 a thing easily possible of accomplishment4 ,maine thus expects to free herself from illiteracy by #aibf4 ,the politicians watch ,maine closely in election times and have a saying1 8,as goes ,maine1 so goes ,america40 ,if the ,nation can afford to follow ,maine in things political1 it can well afford to emulate her in the emancipation of its illiterates4 ,north ,dakota wages war on illiteracy in a determined fashion and with the avowed intention to surpass all of the other states4 8,no illiteracy in #aibd0 is her goal4 ,she has #i1icg to teach and practically her whole population has entered into the crusade in a plucky spirit1 resolved to get at least half of them taught before the end of the year1 #aibb4 ,the spirit of these ,north ,dakota crusaders was illustrated by two young teachers who were asked1 8,have you any illiterates in your districts60 and replied with eagerness1 8,oh1 we hope we have40 ,they1 like all of ,north ,dakota1 want to play their part in making their state the first literate state in the ,union4 ,massachusetts and the other ,new ,england states1 ,new ,hampshire1 ,connecticut and ,rhode ,island1 have extended the opportunity to their adult illiterates under certain ages and conditions4 ,virginia has had moonlight schools in her remote sections1 ,west ,virginia in her coves1 ,texas on her ranches1 ,louisiana in her parishes1 ,michigan in her lumber camps and the ,dakotas on their plains4 ,moonlight schools have ministered to illiterate fishermen on the coast of ,maryland1 illiterate immigrants on the coast of ,california1 illiterate ,swedes in ,minnesota1 illiterate ,indians in ,oklahoma1 illiterate ,mexicans in ,new ,mexico and illiterate white and colored people through the mountains and valleys of the ,south4 ,with the slogans1 8,illiteracy in ,alabama--,let's remove it10 8,no illiteracy in ,new ,york ,state10 8,pennsylvania a literate state in ten years10 8,no illiteracy in ,north ,dakota in #aibd10 8,let ,south ,carolina secede from illiteracy10 8,let's sweep illiteracy out of ,arkansas10 8,illiteracy in ,mississippi--,blot it out10 8,illiteracy in ,new ,mexico must go10 the states have sounded a battle-cry which means the death-knell of illiteracy in the ,nation4 ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,the ,,purpose ,,of ,,the ,,moonlight ,,schools ,in all the decades prior to the one ushered in by #aiaj1 there was not a state1 county1 city or school district which had as its purpose the absolute removal of illiteracy4 ,when the startling announcement was made by the census-takers at the beginning of the new decade that five and a half million men and women in the ,nation had confessed that they could not read or write1 there was nowhere an expression of shame or pity or even of surprise4 ,it was accepted as a thing inevitable--the waste product of an inefficient school system4 ,even the press1 usually alert and looking for unusual conditions to exploit1 found nothing worth featuring in these tragic figures4 ,there was a vagueness and confusion in the public mind as to the term illiteracy and what constituted it1 where the boundary line between literacy and illiteracy was fixed4 ,not one person out of ten in the ,united ,states could define illiteracy4 ,few had thought of it at all or had taken occasion to familiarize themselves with the term4 ,it was such an unfamiliar one that the first ,illiteracy ,commission had to impress itself1 to explain itself--its very name1 repeatedly4 ,forestry commissions and fish and game commissions were familiar enough but one which had as its purpose to redeem men and women from illiteracy was a foreign and unintelligible thing4 ,the public1 in general1 knew little of the baneful effects of illiteracy on the individual or the community4 ,searching the files of educational reports we find no addresses on this subject1 and on the shelves of the public libraries there was nothing to be found save a few statistical reports in scientific journals4 ,the man who made his mark aroused no more concern than the one who wrote his signature4 ,nowhere in all history is there a record of more general apathy having settled down on a crying need or a worthy cause4 ,the example of a few states leading out in the early part of the decade in a crusade against illiteracy without federal oversight or aid1 without funds from the state and with but little public sentiment aroused1 and the readiness with which state after state recognized the need1 sought the remedy and fell into line1 is one of the most hopeful chapters in educational history4 ,the moonlight school has as its avowed purpose the removal of illiteracy4 ,it has its secondary aims and its indirect results1 but until illiteracy is banished it must remain devoted to the one idea of redeeming illiterates--of freeing them from their bondage4 ,this purpose was being fulfilled when the first three illiterates in ,rowan ,county learned to read and write and when the first district banished illiteracy and it is being fulfilled today wherever1 through its influence and example1 adult illiterates are being emancipated4 ,when the first three illiterates learned to read and write1 the representatives of those three classes--the illiterate mother1 the man in his prime and the youth with all of life opening out before him--it was an evidence that all illiterates of normal mentality could be redeemed4 ,the first few who learned served to show the possibility1 the practicability and the ease with which knowledge could be imparted to all the rest4 ,to con over the fascinating figures of illiterates redeemed in the various counties of some states in their initial campaigns is an inspiring thing1 and is an earnest of what a few more years of effort with more means1 trained leaders and better methods will bring about4 ,leslie ,county1 ,kentucky1 in its initial campaign in #aiae1 taught #fjj to read and write2 ,tattnall ,county1 ,georgia1 emancipated #fjj in a campaign of two years4 ,santa ,f ,county1 ,new ,mexico1 taught #a1edi1 the majority of them being illiterates4 ,all three were pioneering4 ,what more hopeful record of educational progress can one contemplate than is to be found in the report of the ,georgia ,illiteracy ,commission1 prepared by its ,secretary1 ,state ,superintendent ,m4 ,l4 ,brittain1 a few months after the illiteracy campaign began in that state4 ,number of illiterates taught to read and write3 ,tellfair ,county1 #ejj2 ,washington ,county1 #eee2 ,fulton ,county1 #fcb2 ,muscogee ,county1 #fch2 ,bibb ,county1 #ffe4 ,one turns to the record in ,kentucky to the reports of county school superintendents1 and these are some of the figures that give assurance that the moonlight school is fulfilling its purpose4 ,number taught to read and write during a period of four years prior to #aibj3 ,bath ,county1 #gej2 ,clay ,county1 #ijj2 ,bell ,county1 #a1jjj2 ,magoffin ,county1 #a1djj2 ,floyd ,county1 #a1fjj4 ,how much more fruitful could one expect any campaign to be than that which was started to teach the illiterates of ,north ,carolina in #aiad1 and shortly afterward reported #aj1jjj taught to read and write8 ,the purpose of the moonlight schools was fulfilled in this #aj1jjj redeemed from illiteracy1 in the #ag1hib taught in ,georgia's opening campaign1 in the #be1jjj that ,alabama taught in a few years' time and in the thousands emancipated by other states4 ,in all these the moonlight school was achieving its purpose and pointing the way to the ultimate goal--the elimination of illiteracy from the ,nation4 ,not in all the states have the schools for illiterates borne the name of moonlight schools4 ,some after successfully launching the movement under this name adopted names suited to their peculiar conditions1 such as the 8,the ,lay-,by ,schools0 of ,south ,carolina1 8,the ,adult ,schools0 of ,alabama1 8,the ,community ,schools0 of ,north ,carolina and the 8,schools for ,grown-ups0 of ,georgia4 ,in some of the states the plan and purpose were adopted but not the name4 ,eventually when these schools are firmly wedded to the public-school system they may all take the prosaic name of evening schools1 just as the 8,old ,field ,schools of the ,south0 and other pioneers of the day school system became known as the public or common schools4 ,in their first wave of enthusiasm1 some of the states set a high goal4 ,no less than six of them had as their aim to wipe out illiteracy by #aibj4 ,this would have been easily possible with some had funds been promptly provided and the co-operation of the whole people given in fullest measure4 ,as it was1 it was possible to set many illiterates free and to place before the people the ideal of removing illiteracy from a definite place within a given time4 ,a worthy goal is a great inspiration1 and none who strove to wipe illiteracy out of a definite section by #aibj will give up in despair because they arrived only half or one-third of the way4 8,a man's reach should exceed his grasp10 says ,browning4 8,or what's a ,heaven for80 ,those who realized even a portion of their aim now see how humane1 patriotic and practical it is to redeem the adult illiterates and will simply set their mark ahead and 8run their race with patience10 expecting to make the finish before the next decade4 ,north ,dakota1 which has but a few thousands to redeem1 has well set the year #aibd as the time when it will be clear of illiteracy1 while ,pennsylvania1 with tremendous numbers1 wisely gives herself ten years to finish the task4 ,victor ,hugo says1 8,there is something that is mightier than armies1 and that is an idea whose time has come40 ,the moonlight school in #aiaa advanced the idea that illiteracy could be wiped out of a given locality within a given time4 ,it is an idea that has taken such firm hold on the public mind that nothing less than the emancipation of every illiterate will satisfy the public conscience4 ,the removal of illiteracy is now the fixed purpose of the ,nation4 ,the ,national ,educational ,association1 the greatest influence in educational affairs of the ,united ,states1 has accepted the idea and has made the removal of illiteracy the first provision in its educational program for ,america4 ,this association now has its illiteracy commission1 the ,national ,council of ,education1 the ,general ,federation of ,women's ,clubs and other great national organizations have their illiteracy committees1 appointed for one purpose--to wipe illiteracy out of the ,nation4 ,many of the ,governors have urged in their messages to the ,legislature or in their inaugural addresses that the state will undertake to immediately redeem all of its illiterates4 ,in the presidential campaign of #aibj the eradication of illiteracy was a reform written into the platform of one of the two major parties and urged by the candidates of both parties as one of the tasks to which the ,nation must apply itself4 ,the idea of eradicating illiteracy has taken firm hold of the ,nation's leaders4 ,congressman ,horace ,m4 ,towner1 of ,iowa1 in making the report of the ,committee on ,education to the ,national ,house of ,representatives1 said of the first county that had attacked illiteracy3 8,this experiment conclusively shows that it is possible to bring help to illiterate men and women even under the most adverse circumstances4 ,it demonstrates the fact that under proper leadership and under proper direction adult illiteracy is easily and quickly wiped out40 ,champ ,clark and ,ollie ,james1 both former ,kentucky school teachers1 had the spirit of comradeship with the moonlight school teachers and found many ways of aiding and encouraging them in their gallant fight on illiteracy1 while ,william ,jennings ,bryan crowned the teachers with these words spoken in an address at ,raleigh1 ,north ,carolina3 8,if there are any who have ever realized these words of the ,master1 #8,it is more blessed to give than to receive1' it must be the teachers of the moonlight schools40 ,president ,wilson stopped his work one busy day to write and commend a ,kentucky moonlight school teacher who had won a ,congressman's prize for teaching the best moonlight school in his ,congressional district4 ,this letter1 accompanied by the ,president's picture1 was a commendation of all moonlight school teachers and the idea for which they stood just as ,president ,lincoln's letter to ,mrs4 ,bixby was a letter glorifying all mothers who had given sons in the ,civil ,war4 ,all of the agitation against adult illiteracy1 in which the moonlight school has been the pioneer and dramatic factor1 has made illiteracy appear as a disgraceful and unpopular thing4 ,there is an odium attached to it to-day that was lacking in the years gone by4 ,illiteracy has been stigmatized where the crusade against it has been waged and made to seem a thing to flee from as from leprosy4 ,one who makes his mark is not now ignored or overlooked1 but in many communities and in most of the states he is a subject of deep concern4 ,his act will scarcely be passed by without discussion4 ,those who observe him in this act will relate his story with all its pathos and the disgrace connected with it and will not fail to apply the moral4 ,the result is usually the supplying of the unfortunate with books and teaching him to read and write4 ,there are communities to-day that feel a sense of responsibility for teaching every illiterate1 and for doing it within a brief and definite time4 ,there are some districts that feel illiteracy to be a reproach under which they cannot rest4 ,governor ,henry ,j4 ,allen1 of ,kansas1 who made an investigation of the moonlight schools1 wrote in a magazine article as follows3 ,two men met on a mountain pathway1 and began to talk about how soon their county would be 8,cleared up40 ,they were not referring to weeds or underbrush or timber1 to insects1 reptiles or malarial fever4 ,they were referring to the elimination of illiteracy4 ,nothing just like it has found expression in any educational system1 in any age2 the sureness of faith of those who teach1 the simplicity of their efforts1 the general response4 ,i have seen three generations studying the same books in one moonlight school4 8,there are #b1ddb illiterates in the county10 said a man to me in one of the counties in the ,cumberland ,mountains4 8,it will take two years to wipe out illiteracy40 ,think of the calm faith of it6 ,i believe that the story of the moonlight schools is the most exalted and sacrificial that has been told in the educational effort of ,america4 ,the newspapers now find a fertile field in illiteracy statistics and have come to devote space and headlines to them1 giving them ranking interest with the most vital things of the day4 ,the purpose of the moonlight school is so outstanding that it has captured the pens of cartoonists4 ,these have vividly pictured illiteracy in all its evil1 its weakness and its disgrace4 ,it is only a matter of time until poets1 sculptors and artists will here find a theme for their art4 ,the change of attitude toward adult illiteracy has not come about without some resistance1 some opposition1 of course4 ,where such indifference and such ignorance prevailed in regard to a subject it could hardly be expected that reform could move forward without some interference and obstacles4 ,some educated people had no more intelligent idea1 at the outset1 about removing illiteracy1 than had a certain old colored professor in ,mississippi when the crusade was started in that state4 ,the teachers in their examinations were asked the question1 8,how rid the state of adult illiteracy80 and the professor wrote this answer3 8,the only way to rid the state of adult illiteracy is to get rid of the adults4 ,you should not have adults around your place or anywhere4 ,as long as you have adults around1 you'll always have illiteracy40 ,the education of the educated to the problem of illiteracy has been no small part of the crusade4 ,the pioneers had to educate themselves as to the nature and scope of the problem and the plan of attack1 to educate the public to co-operate--some to contribute funds1 a larger group to give service1 and the whole public to give their moral support4 ,the public had to be brought under indictment for the illiteracy statistics1 which1 viewed in bulk for state and ,nation1 had seemed too stupendous to arouse a feeling of responsibility in community or individual1 but when analyzed and presented for counties and local communities produced an entirely different effect4 ,the right of adult illiterates to learn had been challenged1 their ability to do so had been questioned1 the advisability of having teachers assume the extra duty of teaching them had been doubted1 the statistics1 when analyzed and brought close to home had been disputed and resented2 demagogues had assumed that any reference to the illiteracy of the state or community meant to traduce it1 professional politicians had gloried in holding the purse-strings of the public treasury as tight as possible against any invasion for such a cause1 and a few educators so violently opposed illiterates being taught to read and write that it brought forth from a layman the caustic comment1 8,the greatest trouble with some educators is that they are so opposed to education40 ,the illiterates themselves had to be educated to an understanding of their opportunity4 ,not everyone came rushing out to school in every district when the schools first opened4 ,an institution so new as a school where illiterate adults could learn to read and write may easily be misunderstood1 criticized and even resented by those who need it most4 ,considering the mistaken attitude of the educated for generations past on the question of teaching them1 it is not at all strange that some of the illiterates1 themselves1 with minds so befogged and darkened1 should have had doubts and misconceptions of the school and what it would do for them4 ,my father1 himself a former school teacher1 but later a physician1 greeted me once in the early days of the movement with the remark1 8,what fool thing is this you are doing8 ,i hear that you have old ,jimmie ,thomas and old ,dicie ,carter going to school40 ,his was the viewpoint1 at the time1 of the average educated man4 ,that illiterates could overcome their fears and their pride with such sentiments being expressed around them is a credit both to them and to the teachers who persuaded them that it was within their power to learn to read and write4 ,the change in the public attitude toward illiteracy in the states that have had campaigns has been eminently worth while4 ,alabama realized this when her progressive program of school legislation passed so readily due to the awakened public sentiment brought about by her crusade2 ,kentucky was in no mood to provide special officers to enforce her lax and inadequate compulsory attendance laws until the illiteracy campaign had swept over the state and shown her how foul and frightful a thing was illiteracy in either child or adult4 ,arkansas and other states that wage war on illiteracy talk of it 8awakening an educational conscience40 ,this is one of the purposes of the moonlight school--to awaken the educated to their responsibility1 to create in them a desire to redeem the illiterates1 as well as to arouse the illiterates to seek their freedom4 ,all of this means more than freeing a state from illiteracy4 ,it means a new appreciation of education1 a devotion to it which will not cease with the illiteracy crusade1 but will affect the public school system from the elementary school to the university4 ,you cannot teach the illiterates of the district to read and write without increasing the educational spirit of the community and improving the school advantages of the children4 ,you cannot start the educated out on a crusade to redeem their illiterate neighbors without arousing in them a sentiment for better education for their own and their neighbors' children and for better educational conditions throughout the system for future generations4 ,the moonlight school movement does not assume to be an educational regeneration4 ,it assumes but one duty and that is to redeem the illiterates4 ,its by-products1 however1 are increased attendance in the day schools1 increased interest in school improvement1 intelligent support of progressive legislation and other things that vitalize and help the schools4 ,some who have no vision of a community redeemed from illiteracy and no sympathy with the illiterates are often heard to remark1 8,the best result of the moonlight school is its effect on day-school attendance40 ,a thing must first have a good direct effect before it can produce a good indirect one4 ,teachers declare that the moonlight schools increase day-school attendance all the way from ten to thirty per cent1 but the moonlight schools could not accomplish this did they not achieve their primary purpose1 that of teaching the illiterates to read and write4 ,in #aiaj there was not a law on the statute books of any of the states referring to adult illiteracy4 ,in #aibj there were laws providing for the teaching of adult illiterates2 laws providing salaries for teachers to teach them2 laws providing for training of teachers of adult illiterates2 laws compelling illiterates of certain ages to learn1 and laws providing for their instruction at home or in factory1 mill or mine4 ,the spirit behind these laws could not and never will be fully translated into legislative acts4 ,the determination of the illiteracy crusaders in the different states is like that of the colonists in the ,american ,revolution4 ,when the ,english ,secretary urged an increase of troops in ,boston until their guns outnumbered the ,americans1 ,pitt declared1 8,we must reckon not so much with their guns as with their sentiments of liberty40 ,the emancipation of all the illiterates in the ,united ,states is not a dream of the far future4 ,the challenge to liberate them has been answered by leaders all over the nation with the slogan1 8,no illiteracy in the ,united ,states in #aicj40 ,the secondary purpose of the moonlight school--to afford an opportunity to the near-illiterate and the half-uneducated--may1 when illiteracy is vanquished1 become its primary and most practical one4 ,all over the land there are many who dream of completing their education some time1 and even the well-educated will not scorn the opportunity to improve4 ,a ,kentucky woman of forty who was a graduate of a well-known college1 was asked this question1 8,if you had your choice of all the good things of life1 what would it be80 8,i'd rather go to school10 she said4 ,she lived in one of the most cultured communities1 but she expressed the wish for a moonlight school to be established1 saying1 8,i'd like to review my ,american history and if nobody will teach the class ,i'll teach it myself for the sake of the review40 ,there are many like this woman who would choose a term in school to every other blessing4 ,while they have paid school taxes and hungered for educational opportunities1 the school plant has remained closed for all but six hours of the day during a brief school term in many communities4 ,there are #h1gfj hours in a year and the school plant is open only #ifj of these hours in some districts1 where only six-months schools are conducted1 a tremendous waste in the school plant1 but a greater one in human intellect and aspirations4 ,a day school in every community6 ,once it was a doubtful experiment1 but now it is an established institution and forever so4 ,it has come up through trials1 tribulations and struggles innumerable4 ,a night school in every community6 ,if it is an educated community1 a night school for more education1 for culture and specialization2 if an illiterate community1 for the emancipation of the illiterates and their new birth into the realms of knowledge and power6 ,the public school should be as liberal in its policy as is in the church4 ,it has no right to say to men and women1 8,if you embrace me not before a certain age or before a certain hour in the day ,i will close my doors to you forever40 ,the hour of a man's opportunity should be any hour in which he awakens to his need whether it be at the age of six or a hundred and six4 ,,chapter ,,xiv ,,the ,,need ,,of ,,moonlight ,,schools ,the time has passed when intelligent men dispute the need of everyone to be able to read and write4 ,there was a time in the dark ages when learning first began to lift its head1 that the proud knight boasted that he could not read or write--mere priest-craft much beneath him4 ,quite late in ,english history it was held derogatory for the nobility to spell well4 ,these baser arts were for their inferiors4 ,their attitude was that of ,douglas1 in ,scott's poem 8,marmion10 who exclaimed3 ,thanks to ,saint ,bothan1 son of mine1 ,save ,gawain ne'er could pen a line4 ,royal ,governor ,berkeley1 writing home to ,england in the seventeenth century1 8thanked ,god that no public schools nor printing presses existed in the colony10 and added his hope that none would be introduced for a hundred years 8since learning brings irreligion and disobedience into the world and the printing press disseminates them and fights against the best intentions of the government40 ,george ,washington and the other founders of our ,nation held views just the opposite of those expressed by ,lord ,berkeley and they1 almost without exception1 left their message urging that the people be enlightened4 ,washington made a provision in his will that his negro slaves under twenty-five years of age should be taught to read and write4 ,this is significant4 ,it shows that the ,father of our ,country believed that even those who were physically enslaved should be mentally free and1 also1 that he considered learning to read and write a process not necessarily confined to childhood4 ,the ,chinese have a tradition that when the art of writing was born all nature was moved1 ,heaven rained millet1 demons wailed in the night and dragons hid in the depths4 ,one can well believe that its appearance on the earth created this commotion when it is realized that with writing came the mightiest power for combating error and removing all manner of evil4 ,how strange it seems that men have not poured out this power more freely on their fellow men6 ,life itself is more or less dependent upon the ability to read and write4 ,in no place is disease so prevalent or life so menaced as in illiterate sections4 ,during the influenza epidemic of #aiah1 doctors and nurses found themselves helpless in communities where illiteracy prevailed4 ,the death-rate is high where illiteracy exists and infant mortality mounts to the topmost round4 ,here the precautions of sanitation are little known and practised1 and innocent children pay the penalty with their lives4 8,you say you have six children10 said an illiterate mother to an educated one1 8,that's nothing4 ,i've buried twelve40 ,after the most destructive war in all history the conservation of human life is naturally receiving much attention1 but illiteracy offers a serious handicap to this noble enterprise4 ,a health car was sent out in one of the states to demonstrate facts concerning preventable diseases1 and in a few weeks the director of the car wrote in1 8,the car will have to be brought in and overhauled4 ,so many people come on it who cannot read and write1 the printed charts are not practical40 ,the car was brought back and glass jars1 filled to certain depths with marbles of different sizes and colors to illustrate the mortality of various diseases1 were substituted for the charts of letters and figures4 ,this was in the ,united ,states--not in ,russia1 though it reminds one of the system in use in illiterate sections of that country--the placing of pictures over the shops instead of lettered signs1 the ringing of bells to indicate the time of trains1 and other devices used in a land where illiteracy has long reigned supreme4 ,law is less respected and law violations are more common where illiteracy flourishes1 and the court costs are heavy in such communities as compared with those of education and culture4 ,an investigation made in seventeen typical states in one year showed that the number of convicted criminals from the illiterate portions of those states was seven times as large as from the educated portions4 ,in the most lawless district in ,rowan ,county1 ,i approached the school-house one evening during the third term of the moonlight schools and stopped at the threshold overawed by the unusual scene4 ,the house was filled with men and women and every head was bent over the ,bible intently studying4 ,it was indicative of the change which had come over the district with the education of the adults4 ,in the years that followed1 the court records1 once filled with the misdeeds committed in that district1 were left blank4 ,illiteracy of parents is depriving more children of school advantages than any other one thing4 ,the most illiterate counties in the ,united ,states1 according to the census of #aiaj had an illiteracy of #fj4e percent and #fc4a percent respectively4 ,the former had an average school attendance of #ba4b percent1 the latter #bd4g percent--an average in these two counties of less than three out of every ten children in school4 ,compared with other counties in the same states one with #aa4e percent illiteracy and #fc4b percent school attendance and another with #aj4g percent illiteracy and #fg4h percent school attendance--nearly seven out of every ten children in school--the result of illiteracy on school attendance is striking4 ,illiteracy begets illiteracy4 ,an examination of the census reveals this clearly4 ,the names of parents and grandparents on the illiteracy list are usually followed by the names of most of their progeny4 ,a family name is duplicated many times on the list4 ,as a measure for insuring the education of the coming generation1 the illiterate adults should be taught1 for even where compulsory attendance laws are well enforced1 public sentiment back of them is the only thing that can make them completely effective4 ,education is a great cause and needs the millions of illiterates as its converts and its friends4 ,even if they did not need the book and pen1 or would not use the power to read and write1 after it had been conferred upon them1 but became friends and advocates of the school instead of remaining indifferent or antagonistic1 as some of them undoubtedly are1 this alone would justify their being taught4 ,uncle ,martin ,sloan walked sixteen miles to have a talk with me after he had learned to read and write4 ,he said1 8,my learning may never do me much good4 ,my hands are stiff and ,i can't write much2 my eyes are bad and ,i can't see to read a great deal1 but ,i see now what ,i've missed in life1 and ,i want to tell you what ,i'm going to do--,i'm going 'round to every home in my district just before school begins each year1 as long as ,i live1 and urge the parents to send their children to school40 ,a friend of education6 ,oh1 that every one of the five million illiterates in ,america might become as this old man and others redeemed from illiteracy1 who will not tolerate the crime of keeping children out of school6 ,some used to say that laboring men worked better and were more contented1 if illiterate4 ,there never was a greater fallacy4 ,illiteracy never plowed a furrow straighter nor produced an extra bushel to the acre4 ,it never turned out a better product from factory1 field or mine4 ,it handicaps the laborer1 making his task more difficult1 his position less secure and his life less safe4 ,not only is he handicapped in carrying out the instructions of his employer1 but1 also1 in the safe and skillful handling of machinery and tools4 ,illiterate and coarse workmen cannot be trusted with the delicate tools and1 as a rule1 are given the clumsy sort that will endure the rough handling without breakage4 ,this hampers them1 at the outset1 burdening them as with ball and chain and giving the educated laborer every advantage4 ,in a ,southern city illiterate and educated laborers worked side by side cleaning the streets4 ,the illiterate laborers used clumsy hoes with rough1 heavy handles1 weighing twelve pounds1 and the educated workmen used light and graceful ones weighing but two4 ,each laborer pulled twenty pounds on the average1 at each stroke4 ,the illiterate laborers pulled twelve pounds of hoe and eight pounds of mud while their educated companions pulled two pounds of hoe and eighteen pounds of mud4 ,the result was more than twice as great when guided by intelligence as when guided by physical power alone4 ,man's daily bread is1 in a measure1 dependent upon his ability to read and write1 which not only increases but creates earning power4 ,many a man has started out searching for work and found himself barred from one position after another because he could not read or write4 ,prior to the ,world ,war illiterate men were losing their jobs and being replaced by the educated1 a tendency which is constantly on the increase4 ,uncle ,jeff1 an illiterate darky of the old-time ,southern type1 had been drayman for years for a large manufacturing company and had come to consider himself a fixture when an order of the ,illinois ,central ,railway company struck him like a thunderbolt4 ,it was to the effect that no freight should be delivered to anyone who could not read and sign the freight receipts4 ,the company felt obliged1 of course1 to part with ,uncle ,jeff4 8,aunt ,sally10 his wife1 blamed this calamity on the schools and rushed to the nearest member of the school board to protest against the outrage1 8,hit's jist a gittin' so a man cain't do nothin' 'thout he kin read and write10 she wailed4 8,ef hit keeps on hit'll soon be so a man cain't even plow his cawn 'thout he kin read what's printed on the plow beam40 ,the poor old colored woman spoke more truth1 in her resentment than she knew4 ,it is becoming next to impossible in this complex and highly specialized age for a man to hold any sort of position unless he can read and write4 ,the lives of laboring men are endangered by illiteracy4 ,the 8,safety ,first0 movement is designed to instruct the people in care and watchfulness on every hand to prevent the destruction of life and property1 but the first precaution of safety for the millions of illiterates is to teach them to read and write4 ,all the danger signs put up before them might as well be held before the eyes of the blind1 and yet the legal responsibility of employers in some states ceases with the posting of such signs4 ,how much the removal of illiteracy contributes to the safety of the laboring man is indicated by this report from ,henry ,ford's plant where educational work is carried on1 8,accidents in this plant have decreased fifty-four percent since employees have been able to read factory notices and other instructions40 ,commerce is stifled by illiteracy to a degree little suspected by the average business man4 ,the illiterates1 being unable to sign their checks1 usually hold their money out of the bank2 being unable to read newspapers and magazines1 they seldom put their names on subscription lists2 realizing that their predicament is made more awkward by travel1 they remain off of trains1 as a rule1 and the railroads lose the passenger receipts4 ,having no appreciation of luxuries and their earnings being too limited to buy1 they restrict trade1 in illiterate communities1 to the coarsest commodities4 ,in a county where one-third of the population was illiterate according to the census of #aiaj the assessor's list showed less than #a1jjj invested in household furniture1 less than #ejj in agricultural implements1 although it was an agricultural county1 less than #dc in watches and clocks1 not a dollar in gold1 silver or plated ware or jewelry1 and only one diamond ring in the whole county and it was the property of a bride who had moved in4 ,lace curtains1 china1 rugs1 and paintings had no market here1 and chiffon1 georgette and other delicate fabrics of feminine wear were things unknown4 ,if there were but one such county in the ,united ,states it might not be a matter of concern to the tradesman1 but with many such in existence and some with even forty and fifty and sixty percent who cannot read or write1 illiteracy is something for the enterprising business man to consider when he is figuring profit and loss4 ,while waiting in a railway station in ,mississippi in ,june1 #aiag1 ,i noticed that every available foot of space was plastered with advertising asserting the superiority of certain products4 ,familiar brands of grape juice1 soda1 baking powder1 flour1 soap and cleansers were emblazoned there in all the well-known effectiveness of the ,american advertiser4 ,thirty to forty percent of the population of the six surrounding counties could not read1 so thirty to forty cents of every dollar spent in advertising was wasted here4 ,the ,state collects no revenue save poll tax from ninety percent of its illiterate citizens4 ,uncle ,sam has overlooked an important source of revenue which if streaming into his coffers from five million pockets would soon pay his enormous war debt4 ,if all the illiterates in this country were taught to read and write1 even did they average no more than one letter each month1 they would pay into the treasury annually1 at the present rate of postage1 more than a million dollars4 ,the ,surgeon ,general's report on illiteracy in the ,american ,army showed that out of a million and a half registrants examined1 one man out of every four was unable to read and understand a newspaper or to write a letter home4 ,the exact percentage of illiteracy among these men1 he stated1 was #bd4i percent and ran as high as #di4e percent in men sent from one of the states4 ,this seems most startling in any light that it may be viewed1 but it appears all the more significant when compared with illiteracy in the ranks of our allies--,france having only three illiterates out of every hundred in the army and ,england with only one out of every hundred4 ,most of all does it stagger us to compare our illiteracy figures with those of our recent enemy--only one out of every five thousand in the ,german army was unable to read and write4 ,the bravery of illiterate soldiers who served in the late war is unquestioned4 ,in individual cases and single handed where they could employ pioneer methods of warfare they1 undoubtedly1 did well but when it was a case for concerted action1 of obeying orders and of co-operation with the troops1 their lack of education told on them most tragically4 ,one lieutenant said during the ,war1 8,i have three men in my company who cannot count up to four40 ,in one of the training camps where foreign-born soldiers were stationed1 there were men who did not know the right hand from the left4 ,consequently1 they were drilled1 with a piece of rope in one hand a hammer in the other1 to the command of 8squads rope0 and 8squads hammer0 instead of 8squads right0 and 8squads left40 ,a woman who was teaching a man of draft age said1 8,i could teach ,ben just anything and it would be something he didn't know4 ,he didn't even know how many months there are in a year40 ,this sort of ignorance in the army in even a small proportion of the men would have constituted a weakness which1 in a long drawn out contest1 would have told mightily in the final results4 ,there were #a1jbc1jjj soldiers in the ,american ,army who were illiterate according to the statistics branch of the general staff4 ,this was an army within an army4 ,they must have hindered their comrades oftentimes1 besides being at a fearful disadvantage always themselves4 ,the seriousness of this situation could not be overestimated4 ,next to the actual casualties1 it was ,america's supreme tragedy of the ,war4 ,illiterates are nowhere at a greater disadvantage than at the ballot box1 where corrupt men often purchase their birthright for a mess of pottage or cheat them out of it entirely4 ,henry ,van ,dyke says1 8,to place the ballot in the hands of illiterate persons is like hanging a diamond around the neck of a little child and sending it out into the crowded street40 ,the ballot has not only been placed in the hands of #b1bgc1fjc illiterate male voters but since the enfranchisement of women1 the number of illiterate voters in ,america has been augmented by1 perhaps1 two millions more4 ,with over four million voters who cannot read their ballots1 is the body politic sound1 healthy1 or even safe8 ,in a republic1 society rests upon the intelligence of the people and only in universal education is democracy safe and liberty securely enthroned4 ,a nation which has over four million illiterate voters is not strongly fortified to uphold any principle1 and society is undermined and weakened at its very source4 ,since universal education is so essential to the success of a democracy it is a wonder that a provision was not written into the ,constitution of the ,united ,states similar to the one once proposed by ,cortez for the constitution of ,spain1 8,that no person born after this day shall acquire the right of citizenship until he can read and write40 ,thomas ,jefferson said of this1 8,it is impossible to sufficiently estimate the wisdom of this provision4 ,of all that have been thought of for securing fidelity in the administration of government and progressive advancement of the human mind or changes in human affairs1 it is the most effectual4 ,enlighten the people generally and tyranny and oppression of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day40 ,nearly a hundred years later ,president ,grant in his recommendations to ,congress wrote as follows1 8,the compulsory support of free schools and the disfranchisement of all who cannot read and write the ,english language1 after a fixed probation1 would meet with my hearty approval40 ,had this recommendation been carried out and its execution accompanied with the opportunity for every man and woman1 as well as every child1 to learn to read and write1 there would be no army of illiterate voters in this country marching to the polls on election day4 ,illiterates1 even though blind to books and helpless to ameliorate their own condition1 are not without certain power to weaken1 harass and damage a nation4 ,pancho ,villa1 the illiterate ,mexican outlaw1 disturbed the peace of two nations4 ,during the period of unrest following the ,war our ,government faced a critical situation4 ,while we struggled with bomb plots on the east coast and with strife and disturbance on the west1 the danger from anarchist1 ,bolshevist and anti-,american sources was greater than the general public ever knew4 ,the poison spread by them could be neutralized among the educated classes through government bulletins and newspapers and magazine articles but was not so easily counteracted among the illiterate masses4 ,here walking delegates found fertile soil for their pernicious doctrines4 ,not only in time of war or in reconstruction but at all times are the illiterate masses easily influenced and misled4 ,there is a poor blind ,samson in this land1 ,shorn of his strength and bound with bands of steel1 ,who may1 in some grim revel raise his hands ,and shake the pillars of the ,commonweal4 ,would that it could be said of the ,united ,states as a certain citizen of ,copenhagen said of his country when touring ,america in #aiai1 8,bolshevism would make no headway in ,denmark1 as there is not a person in that country who cannot read or write his name1 in fact write a letter4 ,where there is education1 there is little chance of ,bolshevism gaining a foothold40 ,the majority of ,america's illiterate millions1 though born upon her soil1 are as ignorant of the principles and traditions of their own country as they are of those of ,italy or ,spain4 ,they have never realized or claimed their heritage of citizenship1 never felt the thrill of intelligent patriotism that others have known4 ,to teach them would not only enrich them as citizens but in the words of the prophet ,isaiah would1 8increase the nation and extend all the borders of the land40 ,illiteracy is one of the great handicaps to religion4 ,in its centers churches and ,sunday schools cannot thrive4 ,the most literate county in the ,state of ,kentucky has numerous churches while the most illiterate county has but one1 and that is in the county seat4 ,the number of ,sunday schools in ,rowan ,county doubled after the illiteracy campaign4 ,men need mental development to put them into intelligent relation with their ,creator1 to give them an understanding of the ,divine ,being4 8,i cannot give an illiterate man even an intelligent conception of ,god10 said a woman who attempted to teach a ,sunday school class of illiterate men in prison4 ,if the ,christian world could realize how illiterates yearn to read the ,bible1 the followers of the ,master would hasten with swift feet to unlock its pages to them4 ,had it not been the will of our ,heavenly ,father that all should be taught to read and write1 ,he would not have given ,his ,word to the world in the form of a book4 ,a woman in ,louisa1 ,kentucky1 prayed for ten years for a ,bible and the power to read it4 ,she was presented with one by her sons1 but it was in the days before the illiteracy crusade and they did not think of teaching her to read it4 ,she learned1 however1 by having a neighbor's children teach her the letters on box cars switched off on a railway siding near her milk-gap4 ,she lived to enjoy her ,bible for ten years after it had become to her an open book and she marked the passages which comforted her most4 ,these were read at her funeral where this story of her triumph over illiteracy was publicly told4 ,abraham ,lincoln's boyhood prayer was not for wealth or fame or the high position of ,chief ,executive4 ,it was1 ,god help mother1 help father1 help sister1 ,help everybody4 ,teach me to read and write4 ,watch over ,honey and make him a good dog2 ,and keep us all from getting lost in the wilderness4 ,amen4 ,how many illiterates are praying today1 8,teach me to read and write80 ,how many hunger and thirst after knowledge but know not how to secure it8 8,give me knowledge or ,i shall die1 has been the prayer of countless millions10 says ,david ,swing1 the great ,american divine4 ,,chapter ,,xv ,,the ,,call ,,of ,,the ,,illiterates ,plato said1 8,i believe that every immortal soul is the offspring of a divine thought1 of a divine purpose1 and that ,god has in ,his mind a picture like unto which ,he would have everyone of us to become40 ,it cannot be that ,god so just1 so merciful1 ever had it in ,his mind that any human being should be ultimately and forever illiterate4 ,it is not the will of our ,heavenly ,father that millions remain in ignorance or that thousands have filled illiterate graves1 that ,knowledge to their eyes her ample page ,rich with the spoils of time did ne'er unroll1 nor is it by the will of the illiterates themselves but through the shortsightedness and selfishness of educated men4 ,the illiterate is more to be pitied than the blind1 the deaf1 the dumb1 the lame1 and he has an affliction1 in a measure1 equal to that of the insane4 ,the illiterate can see1 but is blind to all the lore over which the masters have striven and left to bless the world2 he can hear1 he can distinguish sound1 but cannot appreciate music2 he can talk1 but is powerless to express the sweetest combinations of his native language or the highest emotions of his soul2 he can walk1 not with the upright1 independent step of the educated man1 but even in his shambling gait he reveals the burden that he bears2 he has a mind1 not muddled as the insane1 but dwarfed1 undeveloped and unacquainted with all the beautiful things for which it was created4 8,short-armed ignorance10 says ,shakespeare4 ,short-armed indeed6 ,unable to reach the book on the shelves of yonder public library2 unable to reach the magazine on that news-stand and to enjoy its contents or to reach the newspaper and keep himself informed of the progress of events and the movements of his fellow men2 unable to reach the absent one with a message from his own heart2 unable to reach the ,sunday school lesson or church hymnal2 unable to reach the ,lord's prayer1 the ,twenty-third ,psalm or ,christ's ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,illustration3 ,,mother ,,of ,,twelve ,,children ,,learns ,,to ,,read ,,and ,,write ,those who would keep the illiterates out of their chance or who claim that they do not want to learn do them a great injustice4 ,undoubtedly there has long been a striving upward among the mass of illiterates which has needed but a helping hand to turn into actual achievement4 ,since many have been taught in the past decade it has given new hope and the urge to others1 and has started them out seeking their sight4 ,like blind ,bartimeus who sat by the roadside crying1 8,thou son of ,david have mercy on me0 the illiterates cry from everywhere4 8,give me sight--have mercy on me40 ,they call from the deep forests where brawny woodsmen with stunted brain fell the trees to build ,america's homes1 its ships and bridges1 they call from the pit of the mine where men1 bent and blackened1 dig the precious ore which sends a gleam athwart a million hearth-stones1 they call from the noise and hum of the factory where men slave and women toil to conserve the food and to produce the fabric which feeds and clothes their fellow-men1 they call from the mountain fastnesses where men1 walled in1 have preserved the blood of a noble race to pour like the elixir of life into the nation's blood-stream1 they call from the ,southern cotton fields where ,lincoln's black brother toils and knows no real emancipation--the emancipation of the mind--but waits for us to come and set him free4 ,they call from the ,western plains where dwell the sons of pioneers who braved the loneliness and dangers of a vast wilderness that they might advance the outposts of civilization4 ,illustration3 ,alex ,webb1 aged #ih1 who learned to read and write in the ,moonlight ,schools4 ,hasten the day when the rural as well as the city dweller1 no matter where he may be1 whether in the ,southern cotton fields or on the ,western plains1 in the mountains1 or by the sea1 shall have a school which is not only open to his children and his grand-children by day1 but one which is open to his father1 his mother1 his wife1 his hired man and himself at night4 ,hasten the day when there shall be no men and women in this country of ours who have eyes to see and yet see not the splendid truths which have been written in books1 and who have hands to write but write not the thoughts which1 if recorded1 might stamp with genius someone whom in its urgent need the world is seeking to-day4 ,but why do you ask me should this tale be told ,to men grown old1 or who are growing old8 ,it is too late6 ,ah1 nothing is too late ,till the tired heart has ceased to palpitate4 ,cato learned ,greek at eighty4 ,sophocles ,wrote his grand dipus1 and ,simonides ,bore off the prize of verse from his compeers ,when each had numbered more than fourscore years4 444 ,goethe at ,weimar1 toiling to the last1 ,completed ,faust when eighty years were past4 ,these were exceptions1 but they show ,how far the gulf stream of our youth may flow ,into the arctic regions of our lives ,when little else than life itself survives4 ,what then6 ,shall we sit idly down and say1 8,the night has come2 it is no longer day80 ,the night has not yet come2 we are not quite ,cut off from labor by the failing light4 ,something remains for us to do or dare1 ,even the oldest tree may some fruit bear4 ,not dipus ,coloneus1 or ,greek ode1 ,or tales of pilgrims that one morning rode ,out of the gateway of the ,tabard ,inn1 ,but other something could we but begin1 ,for age is opportunity no less ,than youth itself1 though in another dress4 ,and as the evening twilight fades away1 ,the sky is filled with stars1 invisible by day4 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,the one footnote has been moved to the end of its chapter4 ,illustrations have been moved to paragraph breaks near where they are mentioned4 ,variations in spelling1 punctuation1 and hyphenation were retained as they appear in the original publication1 except that obvious typographical errors have been corrected4 p4 #acg3 #aiaj in the original publication1 which cannot be correct based on the context 7in #aiaj1 when7 p4 #aic3 ,poem is an extract from ,henry ,wadsworth ,longfellow's 8,morituri ,salutamus40