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ees es a { & 7 wt 7 Wid ™ + Lote foe OR nes > al _ . a” 1 — te? wag ie tate & 4 4 “ ’ oaks and dogwoods and one hazelnut tree in the yard, and a cornfield at our back, beyond the well-house and the blacksmith shed. There are Hoboken, the cow, whose bell keeps track of no time at all, and chickens, and two sturdy dogs. The surrounding coun- try is beautiful. The Tennessee moun- tains are all the campus there is, and the curriculum is likely to include picnics at Eagte’s cliff, swimming at Deerlick Falls, and bonfires and sun- sets on the bluff. One might wonder what sort of a school there could be in this quiet spot. Highlander’s work is exciting, in the same way that the idea of our own country and our people, still growing into democratic ways, is ex- citing. Highlander is a part of that growth. The labor movement is no place for “movie” emotions ; its excite- ment doesn’t mean mountain moon- shiners holding shotguns over quaint little vine-covered stills, with corn- cobs about, and other literary acces- sories. There is an excitement that comes from seeing hope in the very strongest part of out country, its great mass of working people. It is their strength that may yet see us safely through a period of such crises as face us in today’s headlines. If their strength is not to be warped to work for an hysterical Coughlin or any other Fuhrer, they must be equip- ped with knowledge of their world. There is hope in the people who pass through Highlander — not that they would put it in such general terms. They come to learn specific, concerned with Pipi wie building their organizations. Men and women here find out about the world they have been working too hard to investigate, working too long hours for too low pay. Some of the students have not gone past the second grade; things BS 2) aie, ea ers —_ ee ee ee eee ee ¥ lt a . w= the average have had seven years of schooling. Their unions have made them want to ask a lot of questions, and they want to find out how to build those unions, as their contribution to democratic living. They come to help solve that number one problem, the South, for themselves and for the rest of us. Students are the most important part of any school, from Vassar’s “community of scholars” to a south- ern labor school. The program here is built around the resident students. Last term there were unusually few, only seventeen (usually about twenty- eight attend), representing seven in- ternational unions, an independen artists’ union, two colleges, and the Young Women’s Christian Associa- tion. Only those endorsed by their union or codperative or other organ- ization are accepted as regular stu- dents. This assures that they will have a sphere of action to put their educa- tion to work in. Highlander students go back to the labor movement as re- sponsible, informed people, active union members, officers and organiz- ers, members of educational and cul- tural committees, teachers in Jabor schools, Jeaders of coGperatives, farm organizations and community life. In many ways the classes them- selves are unique. They are compos- ed of adults who have learned a good deal from first hand experi- ence of what they are studying. Union Problems class, for instance, is one to which the students bring as text- books themselves and their every- day difficulties. Economics class, usu- ally called “how we make our living,” takes up day to day problems and gives them a broader interpretation. The school offers no pat solutions, no teady-made doctrines to answer the difficult questions discussed, since they RE bg RS SEE MN Nm a ee