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VOLUME XXXVL
‘MOUNTAIN
North Carolina-Tennessee Mountain District Preacher in
Town---Speaks in the Churches--An Interesting
Character, a Self-Sacrificing Labor of Love.
Mountain Bell, Oross Trail Pilot has
been living among these people as
one of them for over three years liv-
ing in a cabin which they have built
for him and riding a distance of 75
to 100 miles each week on horse back
to reach his four mountain missions.
By leaving the Bible in the cabin, the
love of God in their heart and then
by being firm and bringing the mes-
sage clear and plain they look from
the Pilot of the trail to the Master
Pilot above and there find that Jesus
was a man among men. Itisnota
"trail of roses but the Great Physician
and Shepard of the Hills are one and
there shall be one fold and one shep-
ard. Mr. Bell was born in Mankats,
Minn., and received his education in
the north. He has the southern spirit
and the call of the mountains is law
to him.
He has been with us for over a week
and has presented his work in the
local churches, the Brethern Sunday
school, the Luther League and at the
Sunday evening service in the Meth-
odist church. .
‘He is securing supplies from the
various Board of Education in the
large cities, chalk, pencils, slates, and
anything which will assist the child-
ren to learn the lessons of life and be
the means of teaching others for in
the mountains as in no other place a
little child shall lead them gently
along the Trail of the Cross.
Rev. Bell leaves here for Frostburg,
Cumberland, and Harpers Ferry. He
wishes to express his thanks to those
who have helped him, and the sha-
dow of the Alleghenies is also dear
to him.
The library’s of the north furnish
no guide to Smoky Mt. which we
will call the Heart of the Hills, the
dividing line between North Carolina
and Tenneesse. Our highest point
is Mt. Mitehell, 6,711 feet high. We
will go from 50 to 75 miles along
either slope of Great Smoky without
being able to cross except through a
water gap or by blazing a trail which
would mean. camping out all night
upon the Mt. Here we find a virgin
forest of hard wood together with
‘the southern pitch pine and cypress
The timber is shot down the moun-
tain side through bark shutes and
then hauled to the mill by ox teams
along the valley road. The only
means of transportation along the
mountain trails is by saddle horse or
tow pack.
As we near the cabin the old man
greets us in this way, ‘‘Stranger you
all better come in and rest your hat.”
The mountaineeris a tall, lank, husky
~ built fellow, after the lines of Abe
Lincoln. His dress is as simple as his
entire life. Hat, necktie, shirt, blue
jeans, corderoy, boots and the 44
caliber gun or Winchester, which is
apart of their dress. As we enter
the cabin we find a one room —log
cabin similar to the one Abe lived in
when a boy, for we are not progress-
ive in the mountains and they think
what was good enough for their fath-
er is good enough for their boy.
. The moonshiner is a mountaineer
but every mountaineer is not a moon-
shiner. Among the reasons they give
for distilling their corn whisky is
that grain ishard to transport through
the mountains and that the govern-
. ment owes them nothing and they
owe the gouernment nothing and they
reject any interference from an out-
sider or furriner as we are called, for
one of the mountain laws is ‘‘Mind
your own business.”’
Ask the mountaineer as to the time
of day and he will point to the sun
We also
see the spinning wheel, the shuttle
loom and candle mould for we are in
the Land of Yesterday. Some of the
boys work in the lumber camps on
the Tennessee side of the mountain
while othérs content themselves by
raising small crops of sugar cane,
tobacco and corn on the cleared
ground around the cabin.
Christmas is a great day in fact it
is the only day in their social ealendar
as it includes the Fourth of July,
Thanksgiving and New years, and a
wedding is usually postponed until
this day and thus becomes a part of
the celebration. The honeymoon is
never after the “wedding but always
before from the time -when the fath-
er of the girl stops the boy on the
trail and says ‘‘Reckon you all better
| religious service) is more or less a
SERVICES AT
tote some logs down yere for a ¢
until ole man and his ole woman :
BELL.
ready to occupy it just after Christ-
mas. It is often better to tie the
grcom to a pine tree away from the
moonshine jug until the time comes
to tie him to the girl then she’ll take
care of him in mountain style. For
music we have the fiddle and the
banjo and it doesn’t take much music
to start the Virginia reel or square
dance. Eating bear meat before an
old Yule log is where the old man of
the mountains shines in all his glory.
There are no doctors within 20 to 40
miles and no undertakers so the body
of the dead must be buried within 12
hours after death. . As that is too
short notice for their kin folks they
hold an anniversary of a death six,
nine or twelve months after, at which
the funeral sermon is preached; it is
also a big feast day with them and
then follows what we would call a
family reunion in the north.
The men will go off among the trees
and the same questicns which came
up in the Lincoln-Douglass debate
are still problems for the mountaineer.
The sheriff is a much greater man (in
the mountains) than the president.
It takes two presidents to make one
sheriff. The mountain preacher is
given the title of the Man from There
for the message he brings is the word
of God ‘and God is there—somewhere
beyond the skies. There are no
neighbors in the mountains as the
cabins are from one to three and four
miles apart, so every gathering (a
social occasion with them. The Nine-
ty and Nine is the mountain hymn.
The ninety and nine safely lay in the
shelter of the fold—But the angels
echoed ‘around the throne Rejoice for
the Lord brings back his own.
look: back across the valleys along
the mountain trails [ can see again
Dave and Steve and Sal and Nell des-
perate? ignorant? No let us rather
lay our hand on their shoulder in a
friendly sort of way, for they are our
brothers and sisters of the hills. Dia-
monds in the rough. And as the sun
sets beyond the Cumberland ridge
and the mour* 'n day is done the
old woman of the cabin is right smart
glad to meet up with you all again
and we are more content to dwelljin
our house by the side of the road for
the mountaineer needs not so much a
vision of the great world outside of
the mountains as a greater vision of
his world and what God requires of
Man.
It has been reported that some one
is making the rounds alleging that
contributions be made for Mountain
Bell and his work. No one is author-
ized to collect money. If any feel
like giving to this cause, money left
at The Commercial office will be
handed to Mountain Bell.
CONFLUENCE.
Next Saturday, April 19th, Rev. J.
J. Brady will go to Confluence, where
he will hold services in Coughenour’s
hall at 9:00 o’clock in the morning.
SOMERSET TOWN COUN-
CIL.
By a vote of four to two Somerset
Town Council refused to co-operate
with the Civic Club in a geueral
clear-up day, which citizens have
scheduled for May 8th. The vote was
taken on a written request for two
teams and wagons to be used in re-
moving garbage, approved by Bur-
gess Frank M. Forney. The teams,
it is claimed would cost not more
than eight dollars.
Council’s action has caused a storm
of protest and it is said that recon-
sideration will be demanded at the
next meeting of the connecil on
May 8th
" The following voted against the
civic club’s proposition: William
H, Kantner, Howard R. Boose, M.
Varner and Walter L. Morrison.
Councilmen Clarence E. Pyle and
Ross R. Scott cast the affirmative
votes.
Some members of council said the
municipality has no money ayailable
to appropriate to Civie Club, while
others expressed the opinion that
the club women (and nearly all the
AsI|
MEYERSDALE. PA.
LOCAL AND GENERAL
- SCHOOL NEWS.
The Parent-Teachers’ Association
held its first meeting in theHighSchool
building on Friday evening. It is to
be regretted that so few of the pa-
trons were in attendance. Meetings
of this nature should excite more in-
terest, on their part for no parent is
so busy but that he could give at least
one ‘evening a month to think and
plan for the welfare of his children.
The program was opened by a piano
solo, by Sanford Weinstein. The
adoption of the minutes of the pre-
vious meeting, was followed by the
admission of several new members.
After a selection by the High School
Glee Club, Rev. Goughnour read a
paper on ‘‘The Moral Training of
Children in the Home.”” Rev. Gough-
nour said, in part, that the church
and home have been neglectful of
their duties hitherto. The communi-
ty has better schools than it deserves.
The home is most responsible for the
morals of children. The church,
school, and state are also responsible
but moral training must begin in the
home. When parenthood has been
lightly regarded, there has been a
degraded civilization. Training is of
a two-fold nature, a repression of the
bad, and an encouragement of the
good. Evil manitestations are not
always the result of evil, but of mis-
direction. True morality is the doing
of good, not the shunning of evil.
Repression must not be too severe.
Spare the rod and use some brains.
We should encourage pleasurable
activity, confidence, truthfulness, un-
selfishness, and self-respect. Good
habits are as easy to form as bad
ones.
Ia the general discussion that fol
1>wed, Mr. Cohen said that the school
must step in to remedy cases where
the home is unable to help. The
general tendency is to make the
school the social center of the com-
munity. The school should supply
the need of amusement.
Prof. Kretchman said that the child
should be taught absolute obedience
first.
After the reading of the proposed
constitution and by-laws, a discussion
arose as to the purpose of the organi-
zation, whether the meetings should
be held solely for the discussion of
school problem or whether the As-
sociation should become an active
body, supplementing the work of the
School Board and the teachers. Sev-
eral lines of action were suggested
and it is likely that some ‘of these
will be taken up in the near future
Similar organizations in other towns
have succeeded in stopping the sale
of cigarrettes to minors, aided in en-
forcing attendance and securing punc-
tuality, and have been of great as-
sistance in relieving conditions in the
less fortunate homes, problems which
have always been rather perplexing
to the school authorities. All those
who believe in the child, in the con-
servation of his strength, and the de-
velopment of his body, mind, and
morals, should come and take an ac-
tive part in these meetings.
THE FIRST MONTESSORI SCHOOL IN
AMERICA.
In the past, Tonesdale has been
known as the home of one of the
greatest filtration plants in the world,
supplying Philadelphia with water.
In the future it may become famous
as the seat of the first American
school buildings, erected to house
pupils under the Montessori method
of instruction. While still an experi-
| ment, the adventure in education is
producing results that far exceed the
expectations of it founders. Mrs. J.
Scott Anderson, the directress of the
school, has spent some time in Rome
under the instruction of Dr. Montes-
sori and is a thoroughly capable wo-
man. The boys and girls, from three
to six years old, are learning to read,
write, and figure, in less time than
one could well believe, were it not
for the evidence of their accomplish-
ments. One of the basic principles
cf the Montessori method is to at-
tract rather than compel a response.
Instead of ‘‘hammering in’’ knowl-
edge, the idea is to draw it out. The
word ‘‘don’t”’ is mever used in this
school. All corrections are positive
in their nature. The children soon
learn to love the ‘‘toys”” that are
teaching them things of value. A
daily record is kept of each child’s
progress, noting the date on which,
this or that of the tests was chosen.
If, at the end of several weeks, the
child has not chosen to do some of
the tasks, an effort is made to attract,
never to compel, the child to the ones |
members are women) are beccoming
entirely too active in civie affairs]
should confine themselves more
neglected.
Thus far, eighteen children have
{ been under, training and their records
show
remarkable progress in ne arl,
"| to accommodate a large crowd, and
THURSDAY. APRIL. 17. 1913
every case. Already the school is
being besieged by petitions from par-
ents and it looks as if greater provi-
sion must be made or children turned
away.
To the observer, the Montessori
method seems to be the common
sense way of developing well- round-
ed children and well-rounded children
are the well-rounded men and women
of tomorrow.
THE GRIM ==
== REAPER
Mrs.?Jerome Countryman living at
the edge of town died last Thursday
April 10th at the age of 76years Tmos.
and 2 days. She had been ailing for
several years but she passed away
rather unexpectedly. She was the
daughter of the late Fredrick P. Wal-
ker, of Summit township. She be-
longed to a family of sixteen sons and
daughters, the majority of whom pre-
ceded her to the ‘world beyond.
On the 25th of December 1855 she
was married to Jerome Countryman,
the late Rev. Wm. Conrade, of Berlin
performing the ceremony. Four
children were born to this union, two
sonsand two daughters. The sons,
Charles and Norman died somes years
azo, the daughters are Mrs. F. C.
Younkin, of Rockwood and Mrs. Con-
ral Bonheimer, of near Meyersdale.
Tie deceased is survived jalsojby her
aged husband, by three sbrothers,
Messers Justus and Frederick F. Wa’-
ker, of Summit township, afd John
Walker §>f Kansas, and by two sis-
ers, Mrs. Dianna Countryman of Ok-
lahoma and Mrs. Belinda Mckenzie of
Nebraska, and also by four grand-chil-
dren and six great-grand children. Mrs
Countryman was a member of Hay’s
Reformed church, Brothersvalley
township where her remains were
laid fo rest last Saturday afternoon.
The funeral services were conducted
by Rev. Dr. Truxal of Meyersdale,
who had been ministering unto her
in spiritual things and Rev. H. H.
‘Wiant, her pastor. Mr. Conrad Bon-
heimer, the son-in-law, with his fami-
ly has been living with the aged peo-
ple and Mr. Countryman will con-
tinue to make his home with them.
MOOSE BANQUET.
.
Don’t overlook the fact that the
Moose banquet .and ball will be held
tomorrow night, (Friday, April 18th,)
at their home in the Appel & Glessner
building. Preparation has been made
nothing has been left undone that
will add to the comfort and cnjoy-
ment of their guests. The local lodge
of Moose are royal entertainers and
the committee in charge of the affair
have gone the limit for this occasion.
There will be good music for the
dancers and plenty of ‘‘eatings’ for
the hungry. If you are from Missouri
spend an evening with the Moose herd
and you will be convinced that they
are adepts in the art of sociability and
high class entertainers. Follow the
crowd. The last trolley car will leave
for Salisbury at 11:45 P. M. Tickets
can be had at the hall.
‘FOR BUSINESS
MEN ONLY.
One of our local merchants re-
ceived ‘ a letter of inquiry from Con-
fluence concerning an ad. which ap-
peared in The Commercial and later
sold a nice bill of goods to the in-
quirer. The merchant heartily be-
lieves in adyertising in The Com-
mercial. Most business men know
the value of The Commercial ads;
others are gradually catching on.
PARTY AT [ SHAW MINES,
Mr. and Ms, James James Thomas gaye
a very pleasant surprise party in
honor of the former’s sister, Miss
Nora Thomas’ birthday, at their home
at Keystone Mines, Friday evening of
last week. A delightful evening was
spent by all present.
BIRTHDAY PARTY.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Miller, enter-
tained about thirty little friends of
their sons, Cedric and Paul, on
Monday evening at their home on
Meyers avenue, in honor of their
birthdays, -Cedric’s being § Monday
and Paul’s on Thursday. A delicious
supper was served and a pleasant
THE MORAL TRAINING OF CHILDREN
IN THE HOME.
Of all the auspicious movements
;| that have been discerned among the
people of our town in recent years,
the one containing the greatest possi-
bility of good is the organization of a
Parent and Teachers’ Association.
The salvation of the human family
depends upon the education of its
children. The evolution of the race
is inextricably bound up with the
training of its young. An dssociation
of the parents and teachers of a body
of young people is, in itself, a proof
that these two responsible classes are
awake to the gravity of their task
and intent upon performing it. It is
said that the first step toward the
solution of a problem is to know you
have one. Hence we may be certain
that this very meeting is a promise
that the problems of education are
going to be better solved in Meyers-
dale’s future than they have in its
past.
The moral training of children is
necessarily a two-fold task. It in-
volves the repression and discourage-
ment of all evil impulses, and the en-
couragement and development of
every tendency to good This two-
fold result, so devoutly to be desired,
must be attempted in every wise way
and with unflagging and eternal per-
sistence.
The first thing to be asserted abeut
the method of repression is that it is
inferior to the method of developing
the good. It is the easier phase of
the task of moral training, and for
that reason is used very much too
exclusively. It seems to be thought
that the one thing needful is to rec-
ognize the wild shootsinstantly when
‘it appears and apply the pruning knife
at once. The theory is that the sap
will then naturally flow into the fruit-
bearing branches. But the ‘danger in
applying this method is that the
dresser of this human plant shall fail
to discriminate hetween the good and
evil shoots. Often there are evil man-
ifestations that do not spring from
evil impulses: The child's anger,
falsehoods, selfishness, jealousies,
cruelties and tyrannies are not always
the result of evil. . Often they are the
result of ignorance. The child must
be instructed. Often they are the re-
sult of uncontrolled energy. It is
better to direct the energy than to
knock all energy out of the child. Of
course, the child is not perfect. At
times there is manifestation of actual
evil. Such manifestation must be
promptly and firmly checked. For it
is partly through external repression
that the child learns moral distine-
tions and develops self-control. But
it is well to always give the child the
benefit of the doubt and toZtake the
attitude of the teacher more often
than that of the tyrant.
There are three ether specific dan-
gers to be guarded against in employ-
ing the method of repression in train-
ing the child. The first of these is
that the child shall come to look upon
morality too exclusively in a negative
light. True morality is primarily posi-
tive, the doing of the good rather
than the evasion of the evil. Of
course, the eyil must be overcome,
but the best way to overcome it is to
supplant it with the good. Thatigood-
ness has been considered to consist
mainly in freedom from evil, has been
one of the chief defects of most Chris-
tian nurture. The second danger in
repression is that it shall be too se-
vere. No amount of repression can
restrain a healthy child’s activities.
His energies cannot be bottled up. It
is just here that the break often
comes between parents andZchildren.
Being forbidden to do the things they
must do, they practise them in secret.
Thus they learn secrecy and deceit.
The demand for bodily exercise on
the part of the child simply must be
provided for, and its normal activi-
ties dare not be throttled. The third
danger in repression is that itshall be
too strict. Account for it as we may,
it is a peculiarity of human beings
that they do not like to appear as
patterns of virtue. This may appear
to be reprehensible, but it is a fact
that must be reckoned with. The
rudeness in boys, and sometimes girls,
is ofttimes nothing more than a safe-
guard against being classed with the
superlatively good, And I am not
sure that this trait is entirely bad. It
evening spent by all present in play-
| ing games. Later they were taken to
[the Rex Theatre w Fhich was very
much enjoy y have many
more |
| tions of child morality.
is more often than anything else a
protest against our negative concep- |
Where posi- |
tive and
riven, it
given, 1%
sympathetic
rarely
rest
1ts that the child
NUMBER 1884
PARENT - TEACHER MEETING.
Rev. H. L. Goughnour Reads Strong Paper--The Moral
Training of Children in the Home.
Taken
is transformed into a rebel.
-| all in all the method of repression is
the inferior one and the one that
sheuld be used less often. It would
be well to apply more generally Abe
Martin’s homely paraphrase, ‘‘Spare-
the rod and use more brains!”’
The primary_and positive method
of training the child in morals is the
development of the good inherent
within his being. And it may be well
to pause to assert that the good is
there. Itis present in his make-up
in more abundance than the evil.
The reason more of it is not called
into expression is that we place him
in a bad environment and use poor
methods in his training. The method
of developing the good is more diffi-
cult than the method of repressing
the evil; but it is also more safe and
more sure. It avods most of the dan-
gers attendant upon repression and
best secures the results that are so
anxiously sought by the parent and
teacher. The first step is to actually
conyince the child that voujalways
bave his welfare at heart—that you
are unconditionally his friend. To
do this it is necessary to wiseiy
imagine yourself in his world and
help him to supply his needs. The
joyousness of thee child-nature must
ever be encouraged. It is also su-
premely important that he be kept
emplyed, and mainly employed with
such activities as he enjoys. When
you have gained the child’s complete
confidence, by supplying these funda-
mental needs, then your appeal to his
better nature will be an appeal of
power, and even the word of restraint
will be kindly received.® The next
step is a firm determination, consis-
tently carried out, that the positive
method shall always receiye the pri-
mary emphasis. The value of truth
fulness will always be emphasized
above the awfulness Jofjga lie. The
beauty of unselfishness will be de-
pended upon to overcome a too-stren-
uoug guarding of self-interest. Ayp=
peals will be made to self-respect
more than to hatred and to the es-
teem of others rather than to same.
Love of parents and love of God rath-
er than the fear of either®will be ad-
vanced as motives of conduct. When
occasions ariseXfor the natural exer-
cise of such virtues 'as self-denial,
patience in disappointment, self-con-
trol in exciting and painful situations,
and all such, their beauty®andinobili-
ty will always be highly extolled. In
these and every conceivable other
way the positivejsile ofjlife§will re-
ceive the primary emphasis. A third
practise to hold in mina and apply is
the custom of always recognizing a
virtue and alwaysiipraising®a com-
mendable act, especiallyf;infyounger
children. With those who? arefolder
in years it is sufficient §forfthem to
know that their effortsjare§recognized
and appreciated levenjjthough they
are not praised ;eyet it}is always diffi
cult to be prodigal withSproper and
sincere commendation. It goes with.
out saying that thegparent and teach-
er should practise the virtues they ex-
tol. There is nothing $that@Pwill so
quickly undermine a child’s moral
nature as insincerity /in those he ad-
mires. Nor dare thisgrigorousiprogram
of training often bejfrelaxed because
of fits of impatience andfanger.ZThose
who are in authority mustiremember
that if they cannot control themselves
when their wishes arejerossed they
cannot expect their charge tojcontrol
himself under like circumstances,
Without doubt thefcoursell have oute
lined is a difficult one, morefdifficult
for the one who attempts the training
than for the one who is trained; but
the end in view is one of the greatest
within the range of human endeavor;
and the means thereto cannot be easy,
If this process of trainings kept up.
from day to day and fromQyear to
year, good habits, which are so easy
to form as bad ones, and which have
equally as much strength, will be
produced and established, and the
task, seemingly so hard, will be ace
complished.
ee ee ———
ATTENDED FUNERAL}
‘Mr. and Mrs. John Stacer, Mrs,,
Mary E. McKenzie and Miss Emma,
Weber, attended the funeral of their
cousin, Mrs. John W. Walsh, which
took place in Cumberland, on Mone
day morning. Mrs. Walsh was ga
niece of Mrs. Anna Weber and was
instruction is |
| well known here as She fr Euently Vise
ited her aunt, 1 M
Mrs. John Ryan
son, John,
aiso