Edith McCullough Perry:
My Story

Mama had had enough her children all scattered and there were three more needing schooling. So she would move to Little Rock where we could all finish High School and live at home while we did it. So that next summer (1905) a passenger train.stalled behind a freight train right in town, and the engineer, seeing a light in our store came into call his wife in Little Rock. Learning of Mama's plans, he told us that he was building some houses across the street from his house, but they would not be ready in time for the opening of school. Mama kept in touch with him and we went on to Little Rock and lived at 2117 Spring Street. Hugh went with us and stayed to help us get settled. The next summer we moved into one of Mr. Williams houses at 1022 Park Avenue. We bought and had two bedrooms added upstairs, and that was our home all the rest of our time in Little Rock.

I did seventh-grade work with Eliza Hoskins and eighth with Mr. O'Daniel, our Principal, and Agnes Beavers who also gave me piano lessons. This was at Centennial School and it is still standing in Little Rock today. The Supervisor of art announced morning classes on Saturdays at Peabody school; it was on the street-car line and I went regularly and enjoyed it immensely. Two little watercolors from that period are in one of my scrap books, too.

At the time of Papa's death, I realized that there was a great gulf between us and someone could have made the Plan of Salvation clear to me and a great comfort to me, but nobody thought about that for a child, and I was just ten. But in Little Rock while we lived on Spring Street, we were near to the First Baptist Church and went there. Old Dr. Grace said to Mama, "This girl is old enough to be a Christian." Indeed I was, and wanted nothing more. But it was not until I was through my first year in High School that I found the Lord and yielded myself to Him. After we moved to 1022, and were all going to Immanuel Church--all five of us on Sunday and Mama every Wednesday night--that I went forward one Sunday night. But I am a single-track person, easily distracted; the many good people talking, praying and singing prevented my thinking straight. I shook hands with them and went home to my bed. There in the quiet of my room "I yielded my soul to His tender embrace, And Faith taking hold of the Word, My fetter fell off and I anchored my soul; The Haven of rest is my Lord." I went to sleep and slept like a baby. Next morning the whole world looked brighter and I knew that I had passed from death to life. That was the fall of 1910 and the Lord Jesus Christ has been my best friend and the focus of my life ever since.

While we lived in Little Rock we went back up to Alicia every summer. Hugh was still living in the big house so there was a place for us. Lynn was married and gone. When Hugh married Dora, they kept on living there. I remember one summer we went up there clad in summer apparel and nearly froze. Ada, Lynn's wife, came to our rescue with all the coats and sweaters she could find. Mama called that chill "blackberry winter" and, sure, enough, the blackberries were in bloom.

One summer I had a house-party -- Kathleen, Elaine, Lillie Davidson, Ann Heard and Genevieve. That was before Hugh married and he took us all out to Black River one day to play in the water. We made pictures and had lots of fun.

After High School graduation I wanted to go to House Beautiful in Louisville, Kentucky to prepare myself for the missionary service or some related field. So I wrote to Hugh, who had the business, about necessary money. He didn't answer; he was not a Christian at that time and not sympathetic with my request. So I couldn't go. But I had no interest in college; so while the other girls went on to school, I painted china with two different teachers. Lizzie did, too, and Mr. Guelck ordered each of us a dozen little Haviland bread-and-butter plates which I did each with a different flower and edged with apple green. These became my inspiration for place settings when I realized I had two granddaughters. I did some odd pieces, too.