A Mountain School Teacher Tells His Story
“The Thread That Runs So True” is an inspiring memoir by Jesse Stuart, a renowned American author and educator. Originally published in 1949, this book takes you on a heartwarming journey into the life of a passionate schoolteacher in the Appalachian region of the United States during the early 20th century. Through Stuart’s captivating storytelling and heartfelt anecdotes, you’ll experience the joys, triumphs, and challenges of bringing education and progress to rural communities in Kentucky.
In one of the most moving passages of the book, Jesse Stuart reflects on the transformative power of education:
“I thought if every teacher in every school in America – rural, village, city, township, church, public, or private, could inspire his pupils with all the power he had, if he could teach them as they had never been taught before to live, to work, to play, and to share, if he could put ambition into their brains and hearts, that would be a great way to make a generation of the greatest citizenry America ever had.”
These words beautifully capture the author’s belief that education is not just about acquiring knowledge but about empowering children to become the best version of themselves.
Stuart’s prose paints a vivid picture of the Appalachian landscape and the lives of its people. His style is very engaging, pulling readers into his world and making them feel a part of his journey.
In Conclusion:
“The Thread That Runs So True” is a timeless story that continues to hold relevance in today’s educational context. Whether you are an educator, a history enthusiast, or simply someone seeking inspiration, this book will undoubtedly touch your heart and remind you that, like him, you are weaving a beautiful tapestry of knowledge and hope for your children’s future.
Excerpt from the book:
One of the funniest things to happen was in early September, when a small man by the name of Silas Higgins came to Lonesome Valley School to ask me to figure a pasture field where he had cut the sprouts. He said he was to receive six dollars per acre cutting the sprouts, and the fellow he’d cut the sprout for, Willis Hager, had measured the land and he had measured it. He said that he had measured it for twelve and one-half acres and Willis had measured it for six. He spoke loudly so all the pupils in my school could hear. Guy Hawkins said somebody was wrong, said that was too much difference. Don Conway said he would like for all of us to measure it. We told Silas Higgins we’d be there that afternoon at four o’clock.
When we got there – Don, Guy, Ova, Denver, and I – the two men were waiting and arguing. Willis Hager must have been seven feet tall. Silas was not much over five feet. Willis would look down at Silas and laugh sarcastically and threaten to pick him up by the neck and seat of the pants and throw him from the field if he didn’t accept his measurement. They had stepped the distances around the field, counting each step for three feet, five and a half steps for a rod. My pupils began laughing. Willis was so tall he could step six feet at a step and Silas so short he couldn’t step three. We didn’t do any stepping. We measured the land and Don Conway figured it while Ova, Guy, and Denver looked on. He figured the field for 9.6 acres. Willis wouldn’t have their figures. He wasn’t satisfied at all. Silas was better satisfied. These men even threatened each other physically and with the Law. Then I went over the figures. Don had figured it correctly.
“You see, Mr. Higgins, your legs are short,” Ova Salyers said, “and your steps are not long enough. Mr. Hager” – Ova laughed until he shook as he looked up at the tall man – “your steps are too long. That’s why you measured this field for only six acres.”
Willis Hager was going to hit me with a sassafras stick when I told him if he went to Law that he would lose and our measurement was approximately what a surveyor’s measurement would be. But he didn’t get very far with the stick. Four of my pupils stepped forward and little Silas Higgins picked up a rock. Willis knew the odds were against him, and settled down and listened to reason. Before we had left, we had a dispute settled and both parties were satisfied. They shook hands and made friends. I have often thought if a little simple learning and arithmetic hadn’t been applied here, one of these men would have killed the other before a lawsuit was filed in court.
My pupils were seeing the practical appliance of simple learning to everyday problems. Don Conway became so interested in school that he decided not to get married but to go through the Lonesome Valley School, then on beyond Lonesome Valley to high school, and then beyond high school to college. His brain and his heart were fired with enthusiasm for more education. His enthusiasm caught on with the other boys, who had once thought of running the teachers off. Now they were the most loyal and finely behaved pupils I had in school. Instead of wanting to tear down everything and leave a path of destruction behind them, they were constructive and wanted to build and help shape their own lives differently and that of their community.
