The Mountain Spirit - Sept./Oct. 1985

The Mountain Spirit

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T h e M agazine of the C h ristian A ppalachian Project

September-October 1985

Contents F rom O u r P r e s id e n t......................................................................... 3

The Mountain Spirit T h e M ag azin e of the C h ristia n A p p alach ian P roject S ep tem b er-O cto b er 1985 V olum e IV , N o. 5

Features: A ppalachia: A V ision for A c t i o n ................................................4 T h e D aw n in g o f a N ew A p p a la c h ia ...........................................16 A M a tte r of V i s i o n ..........................................................................21

Departments:

A ro u n d the P r o j e c t ............................................................................. 8 A p p alach ian A rts an d C u l t u r e ......................................................12 T h e C A P C lo s e u p ............................................................................. 14 L e t t e r s .................................................................................................. 20

E d ito r - in - C h ie f .................................................... R ev. R alp h Beiting E d i t o r .........................................................................M a rg aret G abriel Associate E d i t o r .................................................. J- R an d o lp h J o rd a n A dvisory B o a r d .................... M ike M cL aughlin, Leslie B. L arsen Ja c k M orris, Bill Begley C irculation M a n a g e r .....................................................T eresa Richey G raphics C o o rd in a to r.............................................D ebbie J . W ilson T ypesetting .....................................................................T eresa Richey The Mountain Spirit is published six tim es a year. T h e an n u al subscription price is $5.00. Subscriptions an d o th er cor­ respondence should be sent to The Mountain Spirit, C h ristian A ppalachian Project, 322 C rab O rch ard R o ad , L an caster, K en ­ tucky 40446. C opyright 1985, T h e C h ristian A ppalachian Project, Inc. All rights reserved. M em ber, C atholic Press A ssociation. T h e C h ristian A ppalachian Project is a non-profit C h ristian ser­ vice organization operating th ro u g h o u t E astern K entucky. T h e Project operates on the philosophy that “ helping people help them selves” is the best approach to A ppalachian poverty.

People often wonder about the mysteries that the future has to offer. In this issue of The Mountain Spirit we take a hard look at what the future holds for Appalachia. On page 4 you’ll find a report on the symposium on the future of Appalachia which CAP sponsored in June. We’re honored to present the thoughts of Congressman Hal Rogers on page 16. Garry Barker tells a story which you’ll find on page 21. On the COVER a sketch by Mitchell Tolle (story on page 11). On the BACK COVER, we see fall peeking around the corner. BELOW, a peaceful Kentucky lake in Madison County.

From Our President A radio program I listened to last week was pro­ claiming the pride that we Kentuckians have in our state. I was reminded that if West Virginia is “ almost heaven,” surely Kentucky is the promised land. Indeed, our future ought to be great. We have great natural beauty, immense reserves of natural resources and a stable population. Even the casual tourist driving through can see fine new homes and better roads. Despite all of this there is an uneasiness. A sense of impending doom reaches the very poor, the in­ vestors who have money, and the scholars who record and predict social events. Kentucky produces more coal than any state in the country. If we were an independent country we would be the sixth largest coal-producing nation in the world. Yet, in the last four years, while we have increased our production of coal by 15% we have cut our work force in the mines by 20%. Ten thousand miners have lost their jobs since 1981 and more jobs will disappear as mining becomes more mechanized. For much of Appalachia, the coal industry is not just the largest employer; it is the only employer. But the industry isn’t the only dark cloud on our horizon. Our forests are our most visible trademark. We have the largest stand of hardwood timber in the nation, but each year the quality of our forest diminishes. We use but do not replant. Forest fires rage and we do little to replenish. Scrub timber of little value is replacing our fruitful forest of oak, walnut, pine and poplar. National attention has made us painfully aware that Kentucky ranks 50th in the percentage of high school graduates per capita. Clinton County, Kentucky was recently featured by CBS on “ 60 Minutes” as an example of a school system that has been corrupted by the political system. The county where I live is under constant state supervi­ sion. It is quite possible the state will remove the local officials and supervise our system from our state capitol. We have not, nor are we now, ade­ quately preparing our children for the challenge that confronts them. What of the future? Is it one of doom and gloom? It can and will be if changes don’t take place immediately. We must see a change in education, but our educational goals must change. Rather than educating for the workforce, we must educate our children for challenge. Our graduates must be taught how to seek solutions to S ep te m b er-O c to b e r

F a t h e r R a lp h B e i t i n g

the complex problems facing our area. Hal Rogers, one of our congressmen in the House of Representatives has been seeking to develop leadership training programs. In my opinion, this is basic. We need people with brains and leader­ ship committed to our mountain area to forge a new Appalachia. Besides local people we need the vitality of peo­ ple from outside our area. We face not merely a mountain crisis, but a state and national one as well. Together we must explore new horizons and bring in the excitement of new ideas to develop the potential of our area. But, most of all, we need a spirit of evangeliza­ tion. The spirit of God must enter into us and we must look on the plight and promise of Ap­ palachia as a God-given task. Men and women of all faiths must join their religious motivations to bring out the best in our area. Despite the warning signs I am still optimistic about the future. Organizations like the Christian Appalachian Project are hard at work motivating the people inside and outside of Appalachia. CAP is recalling the old adage, “ it is better to light a single candle than merely curse the darkness.” When we pray as if all depended on God and work as if all depended on us we will see the sunrise on a new and a rejuvenated Appalachia. 3

Father Ralph Belting addresses the symposium.

A Vision for Action

by Randolph Jordan and Glen Edward Taul 4

Since the days of the War on Poverty, Appalachia has progressed beyond the image of A1 Capp’s “ Li’l Abner.” This land, however, is still behind in its ability to provide a decent life for many of its people. An improved transportation system has increased commercial and cultural exchange between Eastern Kentucky and other areas of the country, but there are still questions about the affect the “ outside world” will have on the future development of the Appalachian region. Native Appalachians are returning home to the mountains that they once abandoned; surely this movement will have some affect on the future of this depressed land. The quality of health care has great­ ly improved over past years; will this betterment continue or was it simply something set into motion but left to die when a new political official is elected? These and numerous other issues were addressed at a CAP sponsored sym posium , “ A p­ palachia: A Vision for Action” held in Berea June 6 and 7. Much of the A ppalachian economy is dependent upon the coal industry and subsistence farming. A good education is spotty, at best (Kentucky ranks 50th in the number of high school graduates per capita); housing is a major problem; Ap­ palachians are beginning to lose their cultural identity; and the most energetic and brightest people are continuing to take their talents elsewhere for successful careers. The Mountain Spirit

These were among the themes and questions addressed during the con­ ference.

S ep te m b er-O c to b e r

While outlining the themes of the conference, Dr. Clark told his au­ dience that if Appalachians are to succeed in meeting the challenges of the next 20 years, they have to pro­ vide a higher grade of education, clean up the countryside and towns, provide opportunities for the brightest young people to be pro­ ductive at home, reform politics, improve forest management and create a stable market for wood pro­ ducts, reclaim the water resources from those who pollute and remind their brothers and sisters that we are called to be stewards of a land given to us by God.

than poor education. Even if educa­ tion in Eastern Kentucky improves significantly, graduates will con­ tinue to leave home for the metropolitan areas. Mr. Rogers ad­ vocated the establishment of a leadership training program, similar to one being conducted by a North­ ern Kentucky Chamber of Com­ merce, which would teach young people how to solve problems in their communities. He does not believe that mill industries are the solution to Eastern Kentucky’s economic problems, but pointed to timber products, retirement com­ munities and tourism as areas for developing job opportunities.

On Friday, June 7, the sym­ posium opened at the Jelkyl Theatre on the campus of Berea College. During the morning session, U.S. Representative Harold Rogers (R-Southeastern Kentucky) said that the lack of jobs is a bigger problem

Kentucky Lieutenant Governor Steven Beshear addressed the assembly of more than 175 people in the morning, stating that the key to economic recovery in Eastern Ken­ tucky is the development of businesses and industry not depen­ dant upon coal. Recalling the message of Dr. Clark’s keynote ad­ dress, Mr. Beshear said that test scores show Eastern Kentucky

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W i l l i a m S tu r g ill

Steven Beshear

M i k e V a lie z

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“ Appalachia has the potential in human pride, spirit and determina­ tion to overcome many of the hard challenges it now faces, and certain­ ly will face in more demanding ways in the 21st century,” said Dr. Thomas D. Clark, professor emeritus of history at the University of Kentucky, as he keynoted the conference. Addressing about 200 leaders in business, government, education, health care, religion, development, communications, and social work, Dr. Clark warned that the obstacles to change in Ap­ palachia cannot be overcome in the 21st century by clinging to 18th cen­ tury thinking. Dr. Clark, speaking at the Boone Tavern, was quick to point out that Eastern Kentucky is a vital part of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. If, he supposed, the Ap­ palachian region were to be severed from the rest of the state, the Com­ monwealth would lose its richest source of coal, its abundant timber resource, its plentiful water supply and some of its most scenic land­ scape. Dr. Clark continued, “ Lex­ ington would be flat tomorrow if all of the highlanders from Eastern Kentucky were to suddenly leave; the universities would suffer greatly in the loss of the Appalachian students.” Later that evening, Dr. Clark pointed out that these natural and human resources have never been used to sustain a highly developed economy in Eastern Kentucky. Since the 1870s, there have been various changes in the economic cycles of the coal, timber, and oil and gas industries. Because of the “ boom and bust” tendencies of the industries it is difficult to include them in planning for future growth and employment. The small farm that once provided sustenance for much of the population is rapidly disappearing from Appalachia. The result will eventually be a land populated with rural non-farm peo­ ple who will need to learn new skills every decade if it is employed in­ dustrially. Dr. Clark stated that

these developments “ place a heavy burden of modernization on all Kentuckians, and especially upon those in Appalachia.”

5

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S ta n C e b r z y s n k i a n d D o n n a Y e lle n re g is te r s y m p o s i u m p a r t i c ip a n t s .

schools are “ not doing all we need to do to prepare our children for what’s coming.” The “ brain drain” needs to be halted and the creation of small businesses needs to be en­ couraged and supported.

Also speaking on behalf of the future of the coal industry in the Appalachian region was Mr. Mike Vallez, vice president of operations for Golden Oak Mining Company in Letcher County, Kentucky. Mr. Vallez made an audio-visual presen­ tation and told how mountaintop removal mining can create new op­ portunities for development now and in the future. Citing ex­ periments in strip mine reclamation at Martiki Coal Company in Martin County, Mr. Vallez said,“ We are creating land that will be the backbone of future areas of job location” in Appalachia. The 4,000-acre site in Martin County 6

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The Mountain Spirit

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Mr. William Sturgill, former Secretary of Energy and Agriculture under Kentucky Governor John Y. Brown, offered a different perspec­ tive to the problems. Mr. Sturgill claimed that coal is the key to Eastern Kentucky’s recovery. As new uses are discovered for coal, new markets can be developed to provide a stable, dependable economic base. Mr. Sturgill agreed about the necessity of educational reform. Community colleges and vocational schools must emphasize jo b tra in in g for a highly technological society.

“ Unless we fin d some ways to address the failure of education in Eastern Ken­ tucky, all of Kentucky and the Appalachian region are going to be held back. ”

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j e a n R i t c h i e p r o v i d e d e n t e r t a i n m e n t at th e k e y n o t e b a n q u e t .

Addressing the need for educa­ tional reform, Dr. John Stephen­ son, president of Berea College, opened the second morning session. Drawing from his own expertise, Dr. Stephenson stated that educa­ tion “ is a very serious problem” in Eastern Kentucky, more serious here than in any other part of Southern Appalachia. A past study of educational systems in Ten­ nessee, West Virginia, and Ken­ tucky found Kentucky “ much worse in almost all of the dozen or so in­ dicators of performance and school characteristics,” he said.“ Unless we find some ways to address the failure of education in Eastern Ken­ tucky, all of Kentucky and the Ap­ palachian region are going to be held back,” stated Dr. Stephenson. S ep te m b er-O c to b e r

Education is vital in attracting economic and community develop­ ment; it is a key ingredient in pro­ viding a sound foundation for the future of Appalachia. One of the more conscience­ raising moments of the symposium was fostered by a speech given by Dr. Grady Stumbo of Hindman, Kentucky. Dr. Stumbo, president and family physician of the East Kentucky Health Services Center called upon the people of the state of Kentucky to cry out for justice in the field of health care. “ We are people in 1985 being forced to settle for 1930’s health care technology,” stated Dr. Stumbo. He also remind­ ed the participants of the sym­ posium that many of the health care facilities in Eastern Kentucky were at least 30-40 years old and in great need of repair. “ When all is said and done,” remarked Dr. Stumbo, “ the people of East Kentucky should not be forgotten.” In the final afternoon session of the conference, Reverend William Troy, a Methodist minister with the Commission on Religion in Ap­ p a la c h ia , and D r. John Wallhausser, chairman of the religion and philosophy department at Berea College, emphasized that Christian churches should be taking the lead in creating a sense of com-

“ Appalachia: A Vision for Ac­ tion” gave people the opportunity to share thoughts, ideas and con­ cerns. Although it is too early to

“ When all is said and done, the people of East Kentucky should not be forgotten. ” determine if the symposium will make any difference in the lives of the Appalachian people, it did cause people to take time and reflect upon what the future holds for this land and those who hold it so dear. c a p . J o rd a n

was without topsoil when mining was completed, but now topsoil is being developed through the use of manure from animals raised on the site. The agricultural project, ad­ ministered in conjunction with Morehead State University, will eventually be self-supporting through the sale of animals raised on the site. The entire strip mine project will create 15,000 acres of flat land in 15 years and include building sites, a reservoir, and land­ fill site. Mr. Vallez’ presentation brought to a conclusion the morning session of the conference.

munity within the region. The influence of churches in Eastern Ken­ tucky is potentially great because they are located in every communi­ ty, said Reverend Troy. They can in­ volve people, inspire them, and awaken them to the spiritual dimen­ sion of their communities. He challenged the churches to be in the middle of the process in forming a sense of co m m u n ity . D r. Wallhausser reminded the audience that the church should be teaching Appalachians to accept their world as a gift that God has given us to care for.

D r . G r a d y S t u m b o d is c u s s e s h e a lt h care w i t h a r e p r e s e n t a t iv e fro m th e A p p alach ian R egion al H o sp ita l.

A round the Project

V olun teers L earn A bout CAP at O rien tation CAMP ANDREW JACKSON— Current and prospective volunteers were invited to take part in the changes in Appalachia during CAP’s annual volunteer orientation the week of August 12.

by the CAP News Service

One of the great benefits of the week was the comradery that sprung up between the volunteers. Folks who have been assigned to live in different centers have started to make plans to see each other, and the separate communities have started to plan the intricacies of day to day living.

Thirteen of the volunteers from ’84-’85 have renewed their commit­ ment and will be joined by approx­ imately 20 new people. Father Beiting spoke to the volunteers about the impact that the Christian Appalachian Project has had on the area, and the importance of the volunteers’ commitment to that mission. Former volunteers Peggy Gabriel and Randy Jordan shared their thoughts about the im­ portance of community life and the role of former volunteers in CAP’s work. They were joined by other former volunteers, who have re­ mained in the area or are still work­ ing with CAP, for a panel discus­ sion during one of the evening ses­ sions. The panel shared their thoughts about lay missionary work and how it has changed their lives. While a good bit of the week was spent on discussion and reflection, there was still plenty of time for recreation. Swimming, canoeing and just talking and getting ac­ quainted were popular activities of the volunteers during their free times of the day. The highlight of the week came on Friday night, when the volunteers were told where they would be living and to what job they had been assigned. There will be seven volunteers living in Lancaster, nine in Mt. Vernon, eight in Martin and six in the newly re-opened center in Berea. The folks have been assigned to a variety of programs in­ cluding child development, elderly spouse abuse, home repair and the new mutual care home. 8

Sue Ricalton and one o f her charges at the Rainbow Respite Care Home.

R esp ite Care H om e T ested at FLC MT. VERNON—The fall brings a successful conclusion to a pilot pro­ gram which CAP tested at the Fami­ ly Life Center during the summer months. The Rainbow Respite Care Home was established to serve the needs of families with handicapped children. The pilot program was directed by former volunteer Sue Ricalton who was on semester break from the nursing program at Berea College. “ I decided to go into nursing when I was working as a volunteer with Jody and Judy Harrison,” Sue said. Jody and Judy take handicapped foster children into their home. “ A lot of our work there had nursing aspects to it.” Jody Harrison and Moe Mercier, director of human development,

saw the need for respite care. Together they decided to try a pilot program for the summer. The home began to accept residents on June 15 and worked to capacity all summer. Sue and her staff of one volunteer and a nursing student from Eastern Kentucky University, had three to five children in residence at a time. Children up to age 15, with any kind of special need were accepted. Dur­ ing the day the staff worked with children on whatever skills their parents were teaching them: “ We work with Liz Phelps (the Family Life Recreation Coordinator) on whatever the kids consider to be recreational,” Sue said. The days at the respite care home were busy ones for the staff and the children. After morning feedings and breakfast the staff assisted the children in “ range of motion” exercises and other basic skills. In most cases, the education offered by the staff was based on in­ dividual need. “ C arin g for h an d icap p ed children is a lot of work and parents need respite,” said Sue. “ With this home we hope to support families and prevent disruptions in family life. We simply want to serve need that is here.” Referrals for the home were ac­ cepted from the Bluegrass Associa­ tion for Retarded Citizens and from the Kentucky Cabinet for Human Resources. Sue also accepted a few independent placements. Because of the success and good reception that the Rainbow Respite Care Home had during the summer months, plans are underway to con­ tinue the program one weekend a month until next summer. If staff and funding are available, the pro­ gram will operate again next sum­ mer on the same schedule that they have just finished. The Mountain Spirit

around the project . . . continued

‘TIS THE SEASON FOR GIVING . . .

L iz and Harry Gardner during their time at Camp Andrew Jackson in 1985.

Form er V olun teers V a ca tio n at Cam p JACKSON COUNTY—While many children and teenagers may consider camp to be a vacation, most adults think of camp as hard work. After all, being a camp counselor can be very demanding with watching over kids, preparing meals, supervising activities and get­ ting lights out on schedule. There is couple, however, that still considers a week at Camp Andrew Jackson to be a good way to spend a vacation. Liz Muller Gardner first came to CAP in 1981 as a volunteer in the child development center in Berea. Often her fiance, Harry, would come from Arlington, Virginia, to visit. Both Harry and Liz liked CAP so much that they decided to stay for the summer and work at Camp Andrew Jackson; that was in 1982. Later that year, Liz left CAP and returned to her home in Arlington. Each summer since, though, they have returned to Jackson County to share with the children of the region as they experience the joy of camp. Liz and Harry were married in 1984 but there was still that desire to S ep te m b er-O c to b e r

return to Camp Andrew Jackson for the summer of 1985. “ CAP still needed volunteers to serve as counselors,” said Liz. “ Harry and I were able to help fill that need so we came down . . . besides, we love do­ ing it.” The Gardners came to CAP during the last weekend of June in order that they might work at the first week of boys’ camp which was help July 1-5. Harry only had one week of vacation time to spend here, but Liz stayed a bit longer and re­ mained at Camp Andrew Jackson through the 12th of July.

Send today for your free copy of “ December Giving. . . 10 Ways.” This booklet encourages careful thought of year-end gifts and describes 10 satisfying ways of giving to the Christian Ap­ palachian Project.

clip and mail today in the enclosed envelope

Christian Appalachian Project 322 Crab Orchard Road Lancaster, Kentucky 40446

“ People ask us what we’re going to do for our vacation,” said Harry. “ They think we’re nuts when we tell them that we’re going to work at a summer camp.”

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Ellen Burke, director of human development for CAP, is glad that the Gardners aren’t deterred by those who are less than supportive in their ventures. “ People like Harry and Liz make a statement about their priorities when they do something like this,” said Ellen. “ They let people know that others come first in their lives! Knowing what type of people that they are, I’m sure that we’ll see them again next year.”

Name ___________

) Please send, without obliga­ tion, a complimentary copy of your booklet, “ December Giv­ ing . . . 10 Ways.”

Address _________ C ity____________ State_________ ZIP 9

around the project . . . continued

G eneral A ssem bly Passes E d ucation R eform

The Mountain Spirit W ins CPA A w ards

The state of Kentucky, realizing that the future of Appalachia and the entire Commonweatlth is rooted in quality education, has taken steps to improve the system.

ORLANDA, FL.— The Moun­ tain Spirit was the recipient of two awards from the Catholic Press Association for 1984 at the CPA National Convention in May.

At a special meeting of the general assembly called by Gov. Martha Layne Collins in July, legislators voted to begin or expand dozens of education programs. In a more controversial move, the assembly voted to begin a merit pay plan for teachers and voted for tax changes and increases in order to pay for the programs. A provision that will guarantee more money for poorer school districts will directly effect counties in which CAP works. “ The real test is going to be how we follow through . . . and whether we sustain our commitment in years ahead,’’ said Mrs. Collins to the 200 people who assembled at the Governor’s Mansion to witness the signing. Mrs. Collins ran on an education reform platform during the guber­ natorial election in 1983. Although the assembly is scheduled to meet in January of 1986, the executive branch felt that the problems in the education system needed to be ad­ dressed before the first of the year, and called the special session. Improved education will benefit the state in many ways, officials believe. Aside from the obvious benefits to the children, industry stands to benefit as well. A good public school system is one of the assets that attracts business to the state. If Kentucky is to improve economically, it must also improve educationally.

Excuse Us! In the July-August issue of The Mountain Spirit we misspelled Alma Lee Haragan’s name. Please pardon our oversight! 10

“ The Liberation of Elsie Watts’’ by Garry Barker was recognized as the best short story of the year. The story appeared in the May-June 1984 issue.

A rea c h il d r e n a t t e n d e d C a m p A n ­ drew Jackson, Jackson C ounty, C a m p C l i f f v i e w , G arrar d C o u n t y or C a m p S h a w n e e , F l o y d C o u n t y in J u n e a n d J u l y .

Placing third in the “ General Ex­ cellence” category, The Mountain Spirit impressed judges as a com­ plete publication. They commented, “ We commend them for the depth of their material and their produc­ ing, with limited resources, such a vital publication.” We thank you for the support and encouragement that we’ve received from our readers.

Can You Help Make Our Christmas a Little Merrier?

For m any years the C h ristian A ppalachian Project has helped m ake C hristm as m errier for folks in o u r service area. T his year is no different . . . w e’re plan n in g to distribute nearly 1500 baskets of food and gifts to needy families and elderly people. W hile we have m any C hristm as basket sponsors, we still have a need for funds to cover m iscellaneous costs of the program . A nd th a t’s w here you come in. C an you help us cover those costs so we can supply C hristm as d in n er and few gifts to help families celebrate the birth of C hrist? You can send your offering in the envelope in the fold of the m agazine . . . and w e’ll do o u r bit to m ake sure it’s a M erry C hristm as in the m ountains! The Mountain Spirit

Appalachian A rts and Culture When Mitchell Tolle was born in remote and rugged Lewis County, Kentucky, “ on Slate Holler, last house up,” the odds were very much against his ever becoming a successful painter. “ But I’ve always been an artist,” insists Tolle. “ I used to get spanked, in school, for drawing on books, and for drawing when I was supposed to be doing arithmetic. The only art class I had, before high school, was a sixth grade soap carving proj­ ect.” Art, in 1950s rural Kentucky, was not an affor­ dable element of a youngster’s schooling, and there were no trained art instructors in the county. Young Mitch’s encouragment came from his parents, and included a visit with Vanceburg, Ken­ tucky, artist Edward Taylor. “ When I was about twelve,” recalls Tolle, “ my father took me to see Eddie Taylor. I told him / was an artist too; about 20 years later, Ed finally agreed with me.” The first art classes taught in the county began when Mitch was a 14 year old high school freshman. Instructor Barbara Hamilin was quick to recognize the talent, and to offer encourage­ ment, but Mitch was already busy teaching himself. He received, that Christmas, his first oil paints. “ The first painting I ever did looks like paint by numbers. It’s guitarist Chet Atkins, from an album cover. I very carefully mixed and laid down each color, and made sure they didn’t overlap at all. But, it looks like Chet Atkins. I could draw.”

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Music, at the time, was also an important part of Mitch Tolle’s development, a factor which is

The Artist From Slate Holler, Last House Up

by the CAP News Service Photos by Jordan S ep te m b er-O c to b e r

11

That year at the Cincinnati Art Acadamy was one of intense, disciplined study of anatomy, sculpture, and drawing, 40 hour weeks of challenging, thorough, no-nonsense instruction. But, for newly married 18-year-old Mitch, it was too expensive. “ I was going to class eight hours a day, working eight more hours in a Kroger store and a newspaper office, Linda was working in a factory, and we still couldn’t pay all the bills,” says Mitch. “ So we decided to leave. Somebody told me that Eastern Kentucky University, in Richmond, was Kentucky’s best art education school.” He smiles grimly. “ I thought, back then, that ‘art education’ meant teaching artists to be artists, so we moved to Richmond.” Mitch does a little pickin’ and singin’ with his daughter M isty. M usic is another one of M itch ’s special talents.

still an intriguing parallel to his painting. Mitch listened to records and taught himself to play guitar for family gatherings, then was asked to perform for an audience. “ I was playing with a group,” he recalls. “ The leader said we were go­ ing to do the next number in the key of ‘G’. Well, I could play hot licks along with Chet Atkins, but I didn’t know any chords. We had to stop, while somebody showed me, and told me which was ‘G’.” Somebody else told Mitch about the art contest being sponsored by the Kentucky Historical Socie­ ty. “ I drew Abraham Lincoln with white chalk on some brown paper, a portrait with his statue in the background. I won first place, statewide, and my drawing was used as the cover for the Society’s magazine.” The high school freshman was just warming up. One night a week, for ten weeks, Mitch’s father drove him upriver to Portsmouth, Ohio, for oil painting classes sponsored by the local art league. The sessions culminated in a competition, entered by area art instructors and artists, all adults, most college trained. Who won “ Best In Show?” Four­ teen year old Mitchell Tolle, the guitar picking painter from Slate Holler, the last house up. From the remote Kentucky hills, in 1968, Mit­ chell Tolle took the train to Cincinnati, lugging along a trunk filled with paintings and one draw­ ing. “ They made me turn everything to face the wall except the one half finished drawing,” Tolle remembers with a grimace. “ That one drawing, of my sister, is what got me accepted into the Cincin­ nati Art Acadamy.” “ I went to the Acadamy because I wanted to go to a school where I could study art all the time.” Why Cincinnati? He grins, and shrugs. “ It was the only art school I’d ever heard of.” 12

At EKU, Tolle soon discovered that art educa­ tion is teaching teachers to teach, not teaching painters to paint. “ At first, I ignored my advisor and took all art classes. My credits from Cincin­ nati wouldn’t transfer, so they made me start all over. Basic courses. In ‘Drawing I’, the instructor took one look at my first sketch, dragged me out of the classroom, and took me to the department chairman to try and get me placed in advanced classes.” Policy prevailed over reality. Tolle was sent back to the beginners’ sessions. One instructor asked Mitch to not attend class. “ You’ll just frustrate the others,” the professor explained. “ They’ll think they’re supposed to be as good as you. Just paint, on your own, and bring your work for me to see in my office.” A third faculty member advised Tolle to withdraw from the University. “ Go paint,” he suggested. “ There’s nothing we can teach you.” Upon Mitch’s withdrawal from the university, he was drafted.

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After his discharge from the army Mitch moved to Berea, where he learned about the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen, a rigidly juried membership organization which sponsored a sales gallery and annual outdoor art fairs. Anxiously, Mitch submitted five paintings to the Guild’s jury. “ I wish I didn’t like it (Tolle’s painting) but I do,” was one juror’s puzzled remark. The university art professor, an abstract painter, added his vote to the unanimous approval of Tolle’s submission. Mitch staged a small exhibit of his work at the Guild’s Office Gallery, and at­ tended his first Guild Fair in May, 1975. He was an immediate crowd favorite, and a leading sales booth. That success, plus local encouragement, led to the opening of the first Tolle Gallery. The site was a storefront on the “ College Square” near the Berea College campus, a busy tourist center. “ That first gallery taught me that I knew ab­ solutely nothing about business. Even if you do learn to paint, in school, you don’t learn anything about how to sell your work.” His solution was typical. “ For the next two years, I took night classes at Kentucky Business College.” The success of Mitch’s prints, plus the increased traffic to the studio, led to the opening of the new Tolle Gallery of Fine Art. Mitch designed the con­ temporary structure which now houses the Memory Makers craft shop and the Gallery; in November, 1982, the two businesses shared a grand opening celebration. Tolle Gallery features Mitchell Tolle’s original watercolors, drawings, and prints, plus Linda Tolle’s custom frame service. “ Linda is the best thing that ever happened to me,” says Mitch.

“ She’s a tough businesswoman. Linda manages the gallery and Tolle Studio, coordinates the sale and distribution of all my work, makes frames for me and other artists and our customers, and frees me to paint.” He grins. “ Linda lets me know when the walls are getting too bare.” The Tolle children—Mitchell, Jr., Michelle, and Misty—are enthusiastic partners in the business. From the beginning, despite pressures from in­ structors and some critics, Mitch has painted his rural Appalachian heritage. I don’t think my work will allow you to just look, and say ‘that’s a nice picture.’ I’ll require you to participate. “ My painting will say more about the man who built that barn, about the farmer who keeps his livestock there, about the whole feeling of rural life. A camera records a perfect image, but that’s all it does. But, if I work hard enough, I can help you see things in that barn which are important to me.” Yet, Mitch makes no promise that he will always paint his beloved Appalachia. “ I don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about future directions,” he says. “ For now, I’m responding to what I see and feel, letting my art lead me whichever way it may go. There are lots of things I’d like to do, lots of visual excitement that could lead me in other directions. But for now, and maybe forever, my painting is very audience oriented.” Mitch’s career goals are more firm. Full time painting, the dream of every artist, is one goal which draws closer and closer. “ The prints are helping, and the income is growing all the time. That gives me more time, more flexibility to con­ centrate on doing better paintings.” Whatever happens, the bashful country boy from remote Slate Holler has already beaten the odds. 13

The C A P Closeup

M arilyn Stefanski: Dedication and Roots

by the CAP News Service

,

Above Marilyn reviews counting with a student. Below, a young swimmer tells of his pool activities.

The Mountain Spirit

believes that the school serves a broader purpose. “ In serving all the people we’re building com­ munity. We’ve learned that poverty isn’t just physical deprivation. People have to have knowledge in order to change the system or to cause change in spite of the system.” It will be many years before we know how successful the Mountain Christian Academy has been—if it is deemed successful at all—but the early impact has been considerable. The enrollment of the school nearly doubled from the first year to the second and the standardized test scores of the students are consistantly higher than children in the Kentucky public school system.

W h e n Marilyn Stefanski came to CAP as a volunteer, in 1972, she specified that she would gladly accept any job, except teaching. Although Marilyn had no experience—in fact she had to teach herself to type—she took an assignment as Father Beiting’s secretary. “ I got involved in a lot of different things during my time as a secretary. At one point Father asked me to pitch in at the Sunshine Center until they found a teacher,” Marilyn recalls. “ And once I got involved in teaching, I found a niche in child development. I think that’s true of a lot of people in CAP. They’ll be around for a while doing different jobs, then suddenly they end up doing something that makes you think, ‘wow! What a great job for that per­ son!’” During her years at the Sunshine Center Marilyn had several handicapped students. She worked with the children somewhat instinctively, then decided to return to school for more specific training. After earning a Masters’ degree in special education of multiply handicapped children, Marilyn put her education to work by starting CAP’S Parents Are Teachers program. While the program primarily involves home-bound pre­ school education for handicapped children, it also teaches parents how to educate their children at home, both before and after they go to school. Peggy Cook took over the program when Marilyn moved to Floyd County in 1982. “ We’re serving kids who wouldn’t get any services at all if it weren’t for Parents Are Teachers,” Peggy said. “ And we’re doing it the same way Marilyn set it up, except that we’ve added another county.” When Marilyn moved to Martin, she assumed responsibility for the pre-school program at the Mountain Christian Academy. Although the MCA has been criticized because it was not established solely for poor students, Marilyn S ep te m b er-O c to b e r

Marilyn’s latest “ out-of-school” activity is compiling and editing the CAP family cookbook, Let Us Break Bread Together. The sales of the book will benifit St. Martha Church, Marilyn’s parish in Floyd County of which Father Beiting is the pastor. The cookbook is not Marilyn’s first. She was responsible for the work involved in publishing the Camp Nelson Cookbook in the mid-seventies. The beauty of this new cookbook will be the variety of recipes from many places. The Camp Nelson Cookbook concentrated mainly on traditionally Southern recipes, but because the CAP family hails from just about everywhere, Marilyn’s collection of recipes should be truly eclectic. She plans to have the cookbook ready to use as Christmas presents, and The Mountain Spirit will be letting the CAP family know about its sales. In looking back on her life, Marilyn laughs and reports that when she was on a high school retreat she wanted to be a wife, mother and social worker living in New York. Although her life doesn’t ex­ actly fit those specifications, Marilyn says that, in her mind, those goals represented a certain kind of life, and even though her life is very different from what she originally planned, she found that there is more than one way to achieve a goal. As for liv­ ing in the big city, Marilyn says that Martin is “ a nice place to live, but I wouldn’t want to visit,” sort of New York’s direct antithesis. People comment, occasionally, on CAP’s longevity. Father Beiting moved into the area in 1950 and began to work to alleviate the suffering he found. In 1964 CAP was incorporated and since that time has established many needed pro­ grams. But the fallacy of folks’ comments is that, to listen, one sometimes gets the impression that CAP is just an organization or a “ do-gooding machine.” But the longevity involved is not just in the organization. It is in people like Marilyn. Without the dedication of folks like her, who have been willing to move to the mountains and put down roots, CAP would never have become such an integral part of Eastern Kentucky. c a p. 15

A D aw ning of a N ew A ppalachia by C o n g ressm an H a ro ld R ogers, Fifth D istrict, K entucky

As we look to the future of the Appalachian region of Kentucky, we see many images. We see a region which has improved its situation in the last twenty years, thanks to the hard work of its citizens and the help given by the federal govern­ ment. We see a region where, despite these im­ provements, we face continuing battles over issues that are important to our quality of life—educa­ tion, health care, job opportunities, transporta­ tion and environmental issues. We can take great pride in the accomplishments we have seen in Appalachia since the 1960’s, when our nation first began to address the problems of the region head-on. We can see gains in each and every area of interest and headway being made in these problem areas. 16

But the broader question now is: where do we go from here? How can we continue to improve the quality of life in Appalachia? How can we at­ tract new businesses to help our economy grow? In each of these instances, I believe the answer must come from within Appalachia and its people. We must look to ourselves for the leadership need­ ed to make Appalachia thrive in the remaining years of this century and beyond. For years, Appalachia has lagged behind the rest of the country economically. We felt hardship earlier and longer than other regions of America. Why has Appalachia not kept up? There have been many reasons, all well known. We have not done as good a job of educating our The Mountain Spirit

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young people as we need to, particularly in light of scientific and technological growth. We have been unable to shake our image as that of a region populated by “ barefoot hillbillies,” unable or un­ willing to become self-reliant. We still lack ade­ quate highways and public facilities. And we are still tied to the future of coal, leaving us vulnerable to that commodity’s highs and lows. But while we are continuing to address these issues and are seeing headway on all these fronts, the number-one problem continues to be the most difficult one to solve. How do we create job op­ portunities for our people? Like many in Appalachia, I was forced to leave Kentucky, after finishing school, to find work. Our neighboring states of Ohio, Indiana and Michigan are teeming with thousands of displaced Kentuckians. Many had to leave their home state in search of work, but their first allegiance re­ mains here. They have helped build America’s automobiles, created new industries in chemicals and mining, and raised the standard of living wherever they have worked. But while our neighbor-states have reaped the benefits, the Ap­ palachia of their youth has lost valuable talent and expertise. Yes, we must improve our education system. That improvement and commitment has already begun. Yes, we must make sure health care is available to those who need it. Doctors and new clinics are coming to Appalachia every year. Yes, we need new roads and new water districts. These facilities are continually improving. But without jobs and meaningful employment, Appalachia simply cannot reach its full potential. This is where we must place our highest priority. As we increase employment opportunities for our workers, we decrease their need to leave Kentucky in search of work. When they stay here, they keep our tax base higher. They contribute to society on many levels. They make the area more attractive for others to come and make their homes here as well. It is a snowball effect, but it takes jobs to make it happen.

become the victims of our own rhetoric about our poverty and our inadequacy. But I think we need to give the people of Ap­ palachia more credit than that. Because our peo­ ple are strong, they work hard and they have something that’s hard to lose—common sense. They also share a love of their unique heritage and a desire to pull themselves out of the poverty cy­ cle. And it is this feeling that we must tap into in order to energize Appalachia. In each small community, there are young peo­ ple now who hold the key to Appalachia’s future. These young people are talented. They have a commitment to their communities and to the future of their region. My view of the ability of Appalachia to grow in the years ahead sees these young leaders receiving training and education on how to develop their communities. By enlisting their help, we can bring new industries to our region. One of Appalachia’s greatest success stories is that of Appalachian Computer Services, based in London, KY. Starting with just a small staff and a dream, the company has rapidly expanded. Employment now totals nearly a thousand. It has bid for and gotten government contracts. It has opened a satellite operation in Beattyville, where more workers will be trained. In just a few short years, A.C.S. has become one of the brightest lights in the Appalachian economy. This story need not be isolated. All it took was imagination, a willingness to risk, and the hard work and dedication of the company’s leadership. It has gone after business aggressively all around the country, and it is building a future for itself and its employees.

For twenty years, anti-poverty programs have focused on the Appalachian region. Progress has been made but there is so much more to do. No longer is turning to the federal government an answer. The day of the federal “ handout” is over. Given these circumstances, what hope is there for Appalachia? I believe there is great hope!

Another potential success story is taking place this summer in eight Appalachian counties. The new Kentucky Mountain Farmer Coop started as an idea for farmers to diversify and raise crops other than Kentucky’s standard, tobacco. Here again, the genius of a few coupled with the in­ volvement of young leaders in the counties formed the basis for a major vegetable coop operation in­ volving cucumbers and bell peppers. Over 200 farmers have signed up for the first year, and already, their entire crop is spoken for. Next year, more farmers will likely sign up and additional crops will be grown. This new coop will help the farmers and also each of those 8 counties.

One of the problems our region has faced is a lack of self-esteem. For too many years, too many of our people have been led to believe that they are incapable of solving their own problems or taking care of themselves and their families. We have

Here again, the story is not complicated. Local financing is paying for most of the coop startup costs, with a little state seed money. What made it happen was people—the kind of people that live in each and every community in Appalachia.

S ep te m b er-O c to b e r

17

Tourism is another resource which we are in­ creasingly drawing upon. With spectacular camp­ ing and fishing areas, unparalleled scenic wonders, America’s finest state park system and hospitable people, our mountains offer visitors a wide range of outdoor activities.

C on gressm an Rogers m eets w ith C A P em p lo y ee J a c k M o r r i s d u r i n g a v i s i t to L a n c a s t e r .

We must find these young people with new ideas. We need to give them training in how to unleash the potential of their neighbors and their com munities. By industrial recruitm ent, agricultural diversification, tourism and other bold moves, they can succeed in starting up new businesses and attracting others. And that is the key to our economic future—jobs for our children and grandchildren. Leaders can be trained and it is our task and responsibility to set up a program to do just that.

Recent improvements and upcoming develop­ ment of the Big South Fork River and Recreation Area along the Kentucky-Tennessee border is one example of the potential for growth in tourism we have here in Appalachia. More and more, vaca­ tioners are looking for new places to visit and sights to see. As we move toward the twenty-first century, tourism and its related employment of­ fers more job potential for our people. Many of the tourism attractions have been respon­ sible for another growth industry—retired per­ sons. Because of our friendly small town at­ mosphere, low cost of living and abundant ac­ tivities, thousands of retirees are now making Kentucky their new home. As we have seen in places like Florida and Arizona, these retirees bring new money and economic growth possibilities to our region. If we can mobilize our resources to develop retirement communities for these new—and returning—Appalachians, we will find yet another new source of income for our people and jobs for the future. Lest I sound like there are no other possibilities, let me again say that we can and must continue to

Appalachia is traditionally known as a coal mining region, as it shall continue to be in the foreseeable future. We have enormous potential for growth in our coal industry. As energy becomes increasingly scarce, the huge quantity of coal in our region becomes more and more valuable. But, we are currently in a coal-industry recession, and so the mineral offers little short­ term help in energizing the Appalachian economy. Yet, Appalachia is blessed with other natural resources which we can exploit to our region’s ad­ vantage. We have some of the best trees and best wood found anywhere. Our wood and wood prod­ ucts industries are already here, and they have a growing future. A recent report by the Ap­ palachian Regional Commission indicates that Appalachia has the potential to become a leading exporter of wood and wood products, around the U.S. and around the world. With some local talent leading us and some venture capital, we can develop this renewable resource and help create thousands of new jobs for our people. 18

'3f .%

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m

The Mountain Spirit

roads, our schools, our health care system and our overall quality of life, and we will continue to need federal and state financial assistance. But I believe strongly that our future lies within our own boun­ daries. We must harness the leadership we have, create new leadership through training and educa­ tion, and get on with the business of solving Ap­ palachia’s problems community-by-community. My own children will soon be graduating and entering the work force on a full-time basis. Like me, they may be forced to look for work elsewhere, rather than return home where their skills and enthusiasm are most needed. This cycle of a continuing lack of job opportunities can only be broken from within—by involving our young leaders in a joint effort with local government and the private sector. Our people are accustomed to conquering fron­ tiers—in fact, that’s the reason we live where we do. Cumberland Gap and a wild, unsettled land were only temporary obstacles to our determina­ tion. Now, we face new obstacles—new frontiers to conquer. Today, the frontier is our own will.

A m i n e in F l o y d C o u n t y , K e n t u c k y .

However, as in the past, I feel confident that we will conquer the obstacles in our modern path with the same weapon that has always served us well—our mountain determination and common sense.

improve industries already here. Despite coal’s current downturn, export potential continues. As Chairman of the House Task Force on Coal Ex­ ports, I know that if we can get more American coal sold overseas, then Appalachia will prosper. For every 100 coal jobs in our coalfields, 72 related jobs are created. Clearly, we must continue to push for more coal sales both domestically and overseas. We also have a large textile and apparel in­ dustry. Nearly every county has at least one or two small sewing operations. These textile and apparel plants hire thousands of workers, including many women. While we face increasing competition from foreign textile imports, we also face a contin­ uing need for more and better clothing. This in­ dustry also holds promise for our workforce. All these industries and others offer us real hope for our economic future. But that future will only be realized if we can mobilize our own people and their innate talents. Appalachia has benefited from many years of federal assistance in helping pull itself up by its bootstraps. But we now face a serious crossroad. This crossroad must aim our region toward selfreliance. 1 do not mean to denigrate the assistance we have received. We still need to improve our S ep te m b er-O c to b e r

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Letters I would like to tell you that I en­ joy reading The Mountain Spirit. It reminds me of my grandmothers who both came from East Ten­ nessee. In reading “ What’s Cooking in Harlan County?” I read that one of the specialties served was an Ap­ ple Stack Cake. My grandmother made such a cake, but I have forgot­ ten how she made it. I’ve searched far and wide for a recipe. I sure would appreciate it if someone who has this recipe would send me a copy—perhaps some of the ladies in Harlan County. Mary Kramer Redondo Beach, CA

I greatly admire the work you are doing in Appalachia and this dona­ tion is in appreciation of your beautiful narrations in The Moun­ tain Spiri which warms my heart. Your story about the lad who told you his mother hated him brought tears to my eyes.

Reading your magazine is like reliving my childhood. I remember the stories that were told by my par ent s , gr a n d p a r e n t s , and numerous aunts and uncles. I wish the children of today could have those advantages I had. They were something to hang onto!

May Our Blessed Lord keep his everloving arms wrapped around you and grant you good health.

Mrs. L. McDonald Coatesville, PA

Debbie Wilson, author o f “What’s Cooking in Harlan County?” con­ tacted her cousin, who still lives in Harlan County to obtain the recipe fo r Apple Stack Cake. She sent the recipe to Ms. Kramer, then to Marilyn Stefanski fo r publication in the CAP family cookbook, Let Us Break Bread Together. —Ed

I worked as a volunteer in Northfork, W. VA for 6 months with the Highland Educational Project af­ filiated with the Episcopal Church. My six months with the Ap­ palachian people there will forever be treasured as one of the most memorable experiences of my life. The folks of the hills are a special breed and it heartens me to share in the news of your experiences with them. Thank you for The Mountain Spirit and may God continue to bless you all.

Thank the good Lord for these “ outside ladies” who have the courage and vision, like Alice Lloyd and Jane Buchanan and the others mentioned in The Mountain Spirit. Beautiful! I’m sending a money order. This will help your work in a “ small way” but along with what many others send it becomes a “ big way!” Ms. E. Ericson Somerville, MA

Carmen Francis Grosse Pointe, M I

Mary E.L. Delong Troy, M T

I grew up in the North Carolina Appalachians, and I know how proud and strong the people are. I have great respect for them. These people and the mountains will always be close to my heart.

I look forward to reading The Mountain Spirit. It is the best little magazine I read. It’s wonderful to know that there are still caring peo­ ple who give their time and skills to people who aren’t as fortunate as we are. I have been working with a home for abused girls and I know how rewarding it is just to know you’ve helped. You know, that’s what Christian love is all about. Keep up the good work. I’m behind you. Pray for me and my girls.

Mrs. Velma L. Bowman Keltan, LA

Mrs. Willie Barrow Charlotte, NC

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We receive many magazines and publications. When The Mountain Spirit arrives we can hardly wait to read it! The stories and photos bring the people and the work there into our home and we become a part of the CAP picture. Thank you for bringing The Mountain Spirit to us. Enclosed is my renewal subscrip­ tion—keep it coming! Glen Hall Sandy Creek, N Y

The Mountain Spirit takes first prize for involved readers. The request you published in the May/June issue for recipes for the family cookbook brought forth an unheard of response. I would like to thank your readers for sharing their recipes. Let Us Break Bread Together is now in the hands of the publisher and the Lord! With the help of both, it will be out in time for Christmas giving. Marilyn Stefanski Cookbook Chairperson

Letters to the editor are welcome.

They should not exceed 150 words in length, and we reserve the right to edit them fo r space. Address letters to The Mountain Spirit, Christian Appalachian Project, 322 Crab Orchard Road, Lancaster, Kentucky 40446. The Mountain Spirit

A M atter Vision

by Garry Barker Art by Mitchell Tolle

W h e n his mother wouldn’t let him quit school halfway through the second grade, Vernon Watts settled things the only way he could figure out. He went blind. Not all the way blind, just enough to where it wasn’t safe for a six-year-old to be wandering around the muddy school-yard or climbing up and down the schoolbus steps. Vernon could still see, up close, but couldn’t read what Miss Hall wrote on the blackboard and couldn’t see across the cir­ cle when they played “ Farmer in the Dell” on the ball diamond. Martha Hall, for almost 30 years the first and second grade teacher at the Goddard School, ner­ vously inched her new 1949 Ford up the creekbed roadway toward the Watts farmhouse then had to brake hard to stop just short of the scowling boy and bristled little brown and white dog. Vernon hefted a smooth, heavy creek rock. “ Go back,” he ordered. Rex, the dog, growled, but his crooked tail was wagging. “ Git!” squalled Vernon. Martha shut off the engine and pushed open the door. “ You better not,” warned Vernon. “ Rex, he’ll eat you alive.” He waved the little dog forward. S ep te m b er-O c to b e r

“ Sic her, Rex.” Rex advanced stifflegged, tail wagging nervous­ ly, a half-hearted growl rumbling. He stopped, and looked plaintively back at his young master. “ Go on,” ordered Vernon. Rex advanced apologetically. Martha smiled. “ Is this your dog, Vernon?” she asked. “ He’s much prettier than you told me. And I’ll bet he’s good at treeing squirrels.” “ Best’n in Kentucky,” Vernon said proudly. “ Manual Cox said he’d give me fifty dollars for Rex but he ain’t for sale. Not even for a million dollars.” Rex, now totally confused, sat down and cocked an ear to listen. Harper Watts broke the stalemate. “ Git, you little varmint!” he yelled. Rex scrambled, tucked his tail and vanished into a locust thicket. “ What are you doin’?” Harper asked Vernon. “ Lay down that rock and go open the gate so’s Miss Hall can drive on up to the house.” Harper sighed as Vernon ran to unhook the barbed wire gate. “ Don’t know what’s got into that youngen,” he said softly. “ Him and that dog has gone to runnin’ wild.” “ Have you noticed that Vernon is having trou21

ble seeing?” asked Martha. Harper shrugged. “ Ain’t paid no attention. Is he givin’ you trouble at school?” “ There’s a little problem,” admitted Martha. “ That’s why I came to talk to you and Elsie.” “ Come on up to the house,” said Harper. “ You drive on up. I’ll shut the gate and go catch Vernon.” “ First I want to talk to just you and Elsie,” said Martha. She drove slowly to the weatherbeaten farmhouse, eased through a cluster of cackling white hens, and parked beside Harper’s muddy Dodge. Elsie was waiting, wringing her hands in a damp calico apron. “ What is it?” Elsie asked anxiously. “ I’ll thrash that Roy to a inch of his life if he’s been fightin’ again.” she frowned. “ ’Cept I can’t say as I blame him for whuppin’ Oscar Jordan for throwing them new overshoes down the toilet hole.” Martha Hall laughed. “ It’s not Roy this time,” she said. “ I want to talk to you and Harper about Vernon.” “ Vernon?” Elsie stared. “ But he does the best of any of ’em in school.” She paused. “ He did come home one day and ask me if he could quit school. And now he’s sayin’ he can’t see good. But I never thought nothin’ of it. Is somethin’ really wrong?” “ I don’t know,” said Martha. “ Have you had Vernon’s eyes checked by a doctor?” “ No,” Elsie said softly. She blushed. “ I just figgered it was Vernon makin’ up another story like he does.” “ That may be what he’s doing,” admitted Mar­ tha. “ Sometimes Vernon’s imagination does get a little out of control. But he won’t talk in class anymore, and says he can’t see the blackboard, and . . . .” Martha sighed. “ I can’t help but wonder if it’s all because he thought he would go to the next room this year.” She smiled. “ When school started, Vernon was furious when he had to stay in my room another yeat.” “ But why?” asked Elsie. “ He likes you a lot.” “ Vernon insisted that he’d already finished with my room,” laughed Martha. “ He couldn’t understand why he had to take the second grade.” She sighed. “ The truth is, Mrs. Watts, that Ver­ non did take the first and second grades at the same time. His test scores put him at about the fourth grade level. Now he’s bored with school, and restless, and a little bit of a discipline prob­ lem.” “ You mean he don’t mind?” growled Harper. “ I’ll tan his hide.” “ No,” Martha said quickly. “ That won’t help.” “ What can we do?” asked Elsie. “ First, I’d suggest you have him examined by a 22

doctor,” suggested Martha. “ Just to make sure there’s nothing physically wrong.” “ You mean he might need eyeglasses?” asked Elsie. “ Maybe,” Martha said carefully. “ Or maybe the problem is emotional.” “ Emotional?” Harper glared. “ You mean Ver­ non is sick in the head?” “ That’s not what I said,” protested Martha. “ It’s just that—maybe—Vernon’s loss of vision is caused by . . . ” “ Nerves,” blurted Elsie. “ Maybe,” agreed Martha. “ Harper’s brother Billy,” said Elsie, “ he come home from the war with nerves. Couldn’t sleep or eat, hid under the bed all the time, and stayed drunk most of two years.” “ Billy was shellshocked,” grunted Harper. “ Vernon ain’t been in no war. He just needs his bottom burnt good.” “ That won’t do any good,” Martha said firmly. “ Vernon is brilliant, and very sensitive, and punishment would only make the problem worse.” “ Spends too much time with that dog,” growled Harper. “ Why, the boy dang near lives with Rex. Don’t have nothin’ to do with people. Git rid of the dog, Vernon’ll be all right.” “ Don’t you touch that dog,” Elsie said softly. “ Vernon has had Rex ever since his tongue got cut. Maggie brought him the pup when she left.” “ Elsie’s right,” said Martha. “ Right now, Ver­ non needs his dog more than ever.” “ Boy’s half dog hisself,” grunted Harper. “ Two days ago I seen the dog crawl through a hole in the fence, up by the barn, and dadgum if Vernon didn’t get down and crawl through it too.” “ Is Vernon doin’ anything else at school?” ask­ ed Elsie. “ Anything he ain’t supposed to do?” Martha blushed lightly. “ I can’t get Vernon to do anything,” she said. “ Once I twisted his ear—sort of playing, really—and he hasn’t opened his mouth in class since.” “ Boy just don’t want to go to school,” said Harper. “ Ain’t nothin a hickory switch won’t cure.” “ That’s really not the problem,” said Martha. “ If Vernon wasn’t already a year younger than his classmates we’d just skip him ahead a grade, but the truth is, he won’t miss anything if he doesn’t come to school for a while. I’d recommend that you take him to a doctor, just to be sure, then wait and see what happens.” “ Is he realty part blind?” asked Harper. Martha shrugged. “ Maybe. There may not be anything wrong with his eyes, but the partial blindness could still be very real.” “ Don’t make no sense to me,” said Harper. The Mountain Spirit

“ I don’t understand it either,” said Martha. “ But I do know that Vernon is a very special child. Someday he could be a doctor, or an engineer.” “ My brother Bill went on the railroad,” said Harper. “ Makes good money.” Elsie started to correct him but stopped. She walked to the car with Martha, gently shooed the chickens and kittens aside, and smiled when she saw Vernon and Rex standing guard over the Ford. “ We made the cats stay off,” announced Vernon. “ So they wouldn’t be tracks all over.” “ Thank you both very much,” smiled Martha. She reached into her purse. “ Here’s a reward for you.” “ It’s a french-harp,” exclaimed Vernon. “ A harmonica,” corrected Martha. “ I want you to play me a tune the next time I see you.” *** Saturday morning Elsie and Vernon waited two hours at the crowded room to see the doctor. After a series of examinations and charts, Dr. Gray scratched his head. “ Vernon says he can’t see,” he muttered. “ All I can do is send him up to Lexington for more tests or over to Maysville to be fitted for glasses.” “ Go wait outside, Vernon,” ordered Elsie. “ I got to talk to the doctor.” She came out twenty minutes later, and took

Vernon with her to the drug store. The tiny green pills came in a huge yellow bottle. Harper and the rest of the children were waiting in the car. “ What’d he say?” asked Harper. Elsie smiled grimly. “ I got medicine.” “ I got a sucker,” announced Vernon. “ And one for Rex.” At home Elsie shook two pills out. Vernon gag­ ged and the pills came back up. Elsie spooned ap­ ple butter and tried again. After a ten minute struggle Vernon gulped down the melting medicine and headed for the door. “ You wait,” ordered Elsie. She caught Vernon by an overall strap. “ From now on you can’t go out of the yard. It ain’t safe for you to go runnin’ all over.” “ In the yard?” wailed Vernon. “ You can’t see good enough to go to the woods,” said Elsie. “ When your eyes gets better, why then you can go up on the mountain again.” Elsie was smiling, watching Vernon feed half his candy from the doctor to Rex, when Harper came in. “ What’s them pills for?” he asked. “ Nerves,” said Elsie. “ Well,” demanded Harper. “ Is he blind or ain’t he?” “ He thinks he is,” Elsie said softly. She smiled. “ When it’s handy to be.” “ You mean he’s just pretendin’ that he can’t see?” asked Harper.

“ Sort of,” said Elsie. “ But it’s real anyhow.” Harper stared, perplexed, then shrugged. “ He’s your youngen,” he finally said softly. “ He’s our youngen,” countered Elsie. “ Just like they all are.” “ I never meant nothin’ like that,” protested Harper. “ I just meant that Vernon, you and him gets along better.” Harper blushed, searching for words. “ All I’m tryin’ to say, Elsie, is you do whatever you think is best.”

Elsie grinned. i(Vernon is playin’ the harmonica Miss H all give him. 33 ‘‘ Well, 33grunted Harper, ‘ ‘he bet­ ter get his eyesight back. He dang sure ain ’t gonna make a livin’ playin ’ music. ”

Elsie smiled. “ What’s that screechin’ noise?” Harper asked suddenly. Elsie grinned. “ Vernon is playin’ the harmonica Miss Hall give him.” “ Well,” grunted Harper, “ he better get his eyesight back. He dang sure ain’t gonna make a livin’ playin’ music.” A pained howl from Rex punctuated their laughter, and from the barn Harper’s mules brayed plaintively. Monday morning Elsie sent Priscilla off to school with orders to bring home Vernon’s lessons, then kept a sharp watch out that boy and dog didn’t slip out of the yard. Vernon pretended to swallow the pills, fed four of them to Rex and worried all afternoon that the groggy dog might be dying. Rex recovered enough to go squirrel hunting, after supper, with Harper and Manual Cox. Manual, a trucker who hauled coal or watermelons depending on the season, tried again to buy Rex. “ Sixty dollars,” grinned Manual. He rolled three twenties in chubby fingers. “ That’s a lot of cash for a little cur dog.” “ Rex ain’t no cur dog,” protested Vernon. “ He’s a shepherd.” “ He can tree a squirrel, that’s one thing for sure.” Manual pondered, then added another twenty. Then another. “ A hundred dollars,” he laughed. “ I’m a bigger fool than I knowed I was.” “ Rex ain’t for sale,” whispered Vernon. “ Everything’s for sale, boy,” chuckled Manual. “ Ain’t that so, Harper?” “ It’s Vernon’s dog,” Harper said quietly. “ It’s up to him.” 24

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“ You mean you’d let that boy say no to a hun­ dred dollars? Hard up as you all are?” Manual grinned slyly. “ Better think about it, Harper.” “ Ain’t no thinkin’ to be done,” snapped Elsie. “ Vernon has done told you no.” “Then I reckon that’s that,” Manual said heart­ ily. He winked. “ Harper, let’s you and me go out to the truck for a minute.” The two old friends left grinning. “ Is Daddy gonna sell Rex?” whispered Vernon. “ No,” sighed Elsie. “ He’s goin’ out to drink Manual Cox’s moonshine.” “ I don’t like Manual,” Vernon said softly. “ That’s one thing we’re of the same mind about,” Elsie said wearily. “ Come on. Time to take your medicine.” Vernon choked down the pills, practiced his harmonica playing for a while, then slept heavily. The roar of the big truck leaving, before daylight, woke him, but Vernon went quickly back into the drugged sleep. The next morning Rex didn’t come when Ver­ non called him. “ He’s probably gone to see some pretty little girl dog,” grinned Harper. “ He’ll be back.” “ Manual took him,” wailed Vernon. “ He stoled Rex.” The Mountain Spirit

“ He’s right,” snapped Elsie. “ Just a dadgum minute now,” protested Harper. “ You all are done sayin’ Manual took the dog and you don’t know any such thing. Why, Rex is gone lots of mornin’s.” “ No he ain’t,” Vernon said stubbornly. “ No he ain’t,” echoed Elsie. “ I’m the one what feeds him ever’ mornin’ before Vernon gets up.” Harper thoughtfully gnawed a biscuit, then shrugged. “ Tell you what,” he finally said, “ if the dog ain’t home by Sunday mornin’, we’ll drive over to Grayson and see if Manual has got him.” Harper slurped coffee from a chipped saucer. “ Can’t go before then. Got corn to shuck and fodder to cut.” He grinned. “ If Manual has got Rex, you don’t have to worry none. Man’s gonna take good care of a hunnert dollar hound.” “ Rex ain’t no hound,” sniffed Vernon. “ All the same,” Harper said softly, “ your dog’ll get fed and watered. Now, I don’t want to hear no more about it. I got work to do.” “ And you,” Elsie told Vernon, “ can get your mind off it by doin’ your school lessons.” “ Would it be all right to pray, Momma?” Ver­ non asked softly. “ To get Rex back home?” “ Sure it would, Vernon,” Elsie said. “ I reckon that God, he’s got him a pack of huntin’ hounds, too. He’d know what it’s like when one of your dogs is gone.” S ep te m b er-O c to b e r

When Elsie carried cold well water to the corn­ field at mid-morning, she waited until Harper quenched his thirst before she spoke. “ One thing I got to know,” she said softly, “ is did you sell Rex to Manual Cox? Last night, while the two of you was drinkin’?” “ No I never,” sputtered Harper, spilling water. “ Much as we need that hunnert dollars, I told Manual to keep his hands off of that dog.” He rolled a cigarette with clumsy fingers and struck a match. “ Did you really think I’d sell the boy’s pet?” “ I didn’t think so,” said Elsie, “ but I had to know for sure.” She smiled. “ Besides all that, if Rex is okay, this could help cure Vernon.” “ What’re you talkin’ about?” asked Harper. “ Vernon is doin’ his lessons, playin’ on that french-harp, and doin’ everything I say to do,” smiled Elsie. She giggled. “ And you know what else? I do believe Vernon’s eyesight is better.” Harper sucked the last drag from his cigarette, and grinned. “ So you reckon Vernon’ll be able to see by Sunday when we go to get the dog?” Elsie nodded. “ But,” she added, “ I thought you were the one who swore Manual didn’t take Rex.” “ Shucks, Elsie,” grinned Harper, “ Manual couldn’t no more keep from stealin’ that dog than you could keep the sun from cornin’ up. He’s got Rex, and when we show up he’ll swear he found the dog asleep in the back of his truck and was just now fixin’ to bring him home.” Elsie stared. “ Why do you put up with him, Harper?” “ Because,” Harper said softly, “ it was Manual Cox that crawled out under machine gun fire to drag me back to the foxhole when I was hit in ’44. Man saved my life, Elsie.” He smiled. “ Besides that, Manual has always got a gallon of the best drinkin’ whiskey in ten counties.” “ Then how come you don’t ever take but just a sip?” asked Elsie with a smile. “ Cause you said you’d send me packin’ if I ever come in drunk again,” chuckled Harper. “ And you’re a woman of your word, Elsie Watts.” *** Vernon grieved, prayed, and carefully behaved. He did not argue with Priscilla and Roy, helped with the babies, did his arithmetic and spelling, and practiced his harmonica playing. By Friday he could produce sounds vaguely resembling music. “ Why don’t you let him out of the yard?” sug­ gested Harper. “ To my way of thinkin’, that french-harp playin’ would sound mighty good if it was done up past the big rockhouse somewheres.” “ Not until he can see good enough,” smiled Elsie. 25

Saturday morning Vernon was up early. He took the harmonica and went outside to sit on the porch swing and practice a dreary version of a familiar hymn. As the thick fog lifted up off the hollow, Ver­ non stared intently down at the creekbed roadway. He froze. There was something moving, a half mile downstream, something small and brown and white. “ That’s Rex!” shrieked Vernon. He flew off the high porch, running hard, scattering sleepy chickens and sluggish kittens. Harper came out and stood with his hands cup­ ped over his eyes. “ I don’t see a thing,” he finally said. “ Nothin but Vernon, runnin’ like a plumb fool.” “ Maybe your eyes ain’t as good as Vernon’s,” chuckled Elsie. She held Harper’s arm. “ Does that look like a blind boy to you?” Vernon scooted under the barbed wire gate and skimmed over the rocks, fairly flying, and the tired little dog limped faster as the boy got closer. Vernon swept Rex up in his arms, whimpering with joy, and the dog feebly licked the tears from the boy’s face. Rex was black with coal soot, and a frayed rope dangled from his neck. His feet were raw and bleeding, and his crooked tail wagged wearily. Vernon gently carried him back to the house. Elsie wiped away her tears, and Harper turned gruffly away. *** Martha Hall was shaking down the grate to get the fire going in the potbellied stove, to ward off the early autumn chill in her classroom, when she heard a car outside. She checked her watch. The buses were not due for another twenty minutes. Martha stood, just as the door flew open and a brown and white dog bounced into the room. “ Rex?” asked Martha. “ Are you Rex?” The dog wagged happily. Then, from outside in the morning haze, came the shrill, halting notes of a harmonica, “ Amaz­ ing Grace” played in bagpipe cadence. Around the corner, marching proudly, cheeks puffed and harmonica wailing, came Vernon Watts. “ Oh, my,” whispered Martha. Harper Watts, grinning ear to ear, carried Ver­ non’s lunchpail and notebook. Vernon blew the final ragged notes, then stood smiling expectantly. “ Why, Vernon, I don’t know what to say.” Martha stooped and wrapped the boy up in a hug, then laughed as Rex danced up and licked her face. “ I’m so proud of you,” said Martha. “ My mules was proud to send that french-harp off to school,” chuckled Harper. “ Vernon 26

couldn’t wait for the bus. I brung him early so’s he could play for you.” “ I can see now, too,” Vernon proudly an­ nounced. Martha glanced up at Harper. He nodded and shrugged. “ Beats me,” he said lamely. “ Boy’s got eyes like a chicken hawk.” “ Priscilla said Rex was missing,” remembered Martha. “ How did you find him?” “ He come back all by hisself,” said Vernon. “ Rex walked a hundred miles to get home.” “ More like forty miles,” corrected Harper. He smiled. “ You never in your life seen two happier little fellers than them two was on Saturday mornin’.” “ I know that’s true,” Martha said softly. She met Harper’s stare. “ I don’t guess we’ll ever know, will we, just how all this happened?” Harper grinned. “ You might ask Elsie about that someday.” He handed Vernon the pail and notebook. “ You behave,” he ordered, “ and put Rex back in the car. He can help me cut corn to­ day while you’re here learnin’ to be a doctor.” Martha watched as Vernon lifted Rex into the old Dodge and bent to hug the dejected dog. “ He will, you know,” she suddenly said to Harper. “ Vernon will be a doctor, or a lawyer, or whatever he decides to be. He’ll go to college, and maybe medical school. He can do it!” She stopped short and blushed. “ I guess I get as carried away as Vernon sometimes.” “ Ain’t no call to be sorry,” Harper said softly. “ The reason we moved here, down off of Caney Creek, was to get to better schools for the youngens.” He sighed. “ Times is changin’, and youngens has got to learn new ways. Now, me, I don’t know nothin’ but a team of mules and a double-shovel plow, but Vernon, he’s gonna have to know about them jet airplanes and telephones and televisions and stuff. I seen it cornin’, durin’ the war, and I aim for my youngens to be ready for it.” “ They will be,” Martha said quietly. “ I know,” said Harper. He grinned and twisted his rough, calloused hands. “ Twixt you and Elsie, they ain’t got no choice.” Vernon came running with his harmonica ready. “ Want me to play some more?” he asked. “ I got to go,” Harper said quickly, already walking toward the car. “ Nice talkin’ to you, Miss Hall.” He escaped in a rattle of pistons and bear­ ings. Martha sighed. “ Okay, Vernon. Play.” They marched side-by-side toward the schoolhouse, Martha’s arm draped around Ver­ non’s shoulders, to the ragged tempo of “ Turkey in the Straw.” Halfway there, Martha Hall lifted her skirts and danced the buck and wing and hoped nobody was watching. The Mountain Spirit

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