DEAR FRIEND LETTERS 1913 December 6

Pine Mountain Settlement School
Series 17: PUBLICATIONS PMSS
Dear Friend Letters
1913 December 6

Sawmill. Hauling cut lumber from the mill to stack for drying, c. 1913-1914 [roe_028a.jpg]

TAGS: 1913 Dear Friend letter, Ethel de Long, ditching, sawmill, road work, Berea contractor, building the family house, Mary Rockwell Hook, forest fires, Harlan County Court, Advisory Board, students, scholarships, fundraising, donations

DEAR FRIEND LETTERS 1913 December 6

My Dear Friends: —

You may be tired of the word “ditching”, but we are bound to tell you that at least ours is done. Cheops could not have regarded the completion of his pyramid with any more satisfaction, or have felt it was a much larger task. Without seeing, you cannot possibly know what faithful patient work has been done by the ditchers — How they have stood up in water up to their knees, on dim frosty mornings, long before the sun was up. And, how they have worked in the late, cold damp afternoons, long after it [the sun] had gone down. Their enthusiasm to get it all done before the ground is frozen has been fine, and we feel it is just another proof of our great fortune in being among such neighbors who can work, — like Jasper, Saul, Josiah “Blige” and Kyarter.

We have been this last month hauling logs to the sawmill, working the road so as to bring up the logs cut for us last winter, two miles down Greasy and working on the house. We engaged a contractor from Berea to put up the framework and [to] get the roof on. He did a splendid piece of work. You could not find a prettier piece of framing anywhere, partly because of his efficiency, [and] partly because the lumber that went into the house was so fine. He considered that we had a gold mine in our timber here. The charming lines of our house, now that we can see it, are most suited to the hills surrounding [us]. It is very far from commonplace. The shingles for the roof we have made at our own mill of poplar wood. We shall stain them with creosote stain. And, you will be interested to know that the Cabot people have given us a barrel of this [creosote stain].

When I was in Kansas City. Miss Mary Rockwell and I went over the plans for the family house and the school house very carefully. I am very much pleased with their convenience and attractiveness. You have now in hand, about $1,500 of the $10,000 we want for building. You see a great deal more must come in order to justify us in beginning [our work].

We have felt the menace of forest fires in the last two weeks and realized that we must keep a close ward over all our boundaries — three days and nights last week. Most of the men hereabouts fought [the] fire on a neighbor’s land. They succeeded in conquering it, but we were glad when the rain made the wood damp. The good road business comes on apace. I rode over to Harlan Town on Monday with the members of our local Advisory Board and presented our petition to the county court. The judge has appointed a surveyor in two sections to lay off the road during December and [to] report on its desirability. Then, the physical court, we expect, will appropriate the money at its next sitting in April.

We feel that the educational life of the school has been quickened this last month by the farmers’ institute Mr. [Horace] McSwain arranged. We were visited by four promoters of new agricultural ideas who aroused a great deal of interest and made a good beginning for our educational campaign. Miss Merrill has had three sessions of school, one in the…

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…morning for small children, one in the afternoon for the older boys and girls, and an evening school for Will, our farmer’s helper after supper. She has done splendid work with all the children and again, we feel that we are fortunate in the sort of volunteer service we have been able to enlist, and, you may possibly understand our isolation somewhat better. When you know that we had to send 18 miles for the doctor who rode in one evening, looked at his patient, stayed all night and started back home betimes the next day.

We have now two little boys in our family. Charlie and John, aged 10 and 11, both brought to us because their [?] were mean to them. They are dear little fellows and Miss Pettit and I certainly do feel 10 times more at home since they’re coming. A school I talked to in Kansas City has given a scholarship for one of them [the boys], the other one is not yet [raised?].

I wish I could give you complete results of my speeches in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Kansas City and Cincinnati but those cannot be [told?] for some months. About $75 in new annual subscriptions was given. … [dollar signed?] $249 in cash. One scholarship paid outright and several more promised. That will be raised next year, if not this. Subscriptions and contributions come in weekly from people who went away with literature and a card in their hands. In the 25 days I was away, I made 26 speeches, besides innumerable, informal talks at luncheons and afternoon teas. Mr. McCullough, of Cincinnati. has promised to give us all the seed we need for next year’s planting. This is a tremendous gift, for it includes pasture, orchard grass, and garden seed — hundreds of pounds.

You already know that the annual Board meeting will be held in our Treasurer’s office, Security Trust Building, Lexington, Ky. on January 3rd at 3 o’clock. We wish it were possible to have a full attendance but will send to those of you who cannot be there a careful report of the meeting.

True to their promise, the men of the community gave a day’s labor to the school, and we accomplished a great deal on the creek bank, in the sawmill, and grubbing up the orchard grounds. In the evening, young people had a box supper and raised $25 more toward our mouse-proof [organ?], the ESTEY people are giving us at greatly reduced rates. We are now getting ready for Christmas with packages coming in every mail. We are teaching the children. “Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem” and “The First Noel”. We wish you could know what a happy time it is and see the Christmas holly growing along our creek banks. We hope you may have just as happy a Christmas as ours.

Sincerely yours,
Ethel de Long

GALLERY: DEAR FRIEND LETTERS 1913 December 6

[MISSING IMAGES OF THE CORRESPONDENCE]

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