"(It was) the brightest moonlit night that the world had ever known..." -Cora Wilson Stewart in Moonlight Schools for the Emancipation of Adult Illiterates
Biography and Historical Context
Cora Wilson Stewart was born on January 17, 1875 in Montgomery County, Kentucky. She was the daughter of a rural physician and a teacher. She pursued a higher education than many in her county because her parents valued reading and education.
Jack Ellis, whose grandfather knew Cora Wilson Stewart.
|
- Audio courtesy of the Cora Wilson Stewart Oral History Project at the University of Kentucky Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History. www.kentuckyoralhistory.org
|
Stewart always wanted to be a teacher. As a child, she would hold mock schools and ask her students to call her "Miss Cora". At fifteen, she began to teach. This path would lead her to become the most prominent woman in education in Kentucky.
In her book, Moonlight Schools for the Emancipation of Adult Illiterates, Stewart tells three stories that would lead her to fight against adult illiteracy. First, a mother was sad that she could not read the letter her daughter had written to her. One day, she came to Stewart with something different to say. She had taught herself to read. Stewart was amazed and noted how pleased the woman was with her accomplishment. In another incident, a man came into her office, and he noticed Stewart's books. When she asked him if he wanted one, for there weren't many books available, he said, "No, I cannot read or write. I would give twenty years of my life if I could." Lastly, a young mountain man sang a beautiful song at a school function. Stewart asked him for a copy and commented that he should publish it. The young man replied that he had created many songs in his head but had not written them down because he could not read or write. These events inspired Stewart to start the Moonlight Schools, so named because they were held on nights when the moon was bright to enable the pupils to travel to school safely.
At the time of the first Moonlight School session on September 5, 1911, America had entered the Progressive Era. Americans were working for reforms in areas including sanitation, education, and women's suffrage. Stewart supported women's suffrage but wisely did not get involved in more radical feminist matters, choosing instead to focus passionately on the right to adult illiteracy. As stated by historian Willie Nelms, "Stewart did not get involved in more radical causes, because, by her own personal temperament, she was not inclined to radicalism." As a result, she earned the respect of men, which was necessary because they still held positions of power in education and in government; and women, who liked that she proved that women had worth in the public arena.
Stewart's ideas would endure well into the New Deal. Dr. Yvonne Honeycutt Baldwin states, "Reforming women across the country waged campaigns that did not see fruition for decades. Many historians see the New Deal as a culmination of female reform activity that began during the Progressive Era, and the literacy crusade is no exception."
In her book, Moonlight Schools for the Emancipation of Adult Illiterates, Stewart tells three stories that would lead her to fight against adult illiteracy. First, a mother was sad that she could not read the letter her daughter had written to her. One day, she came to Stewart with something different to say. She had taught herself to read. Stewart was amazed and noted how pleased the woman was with her accomplishment. In another incident, a man came into her office, and he noticed Stewart's books. When she asked him if he wanted one, for there weren't many books available, he said, "No, I cannot read or write. I would give twenty years of my life if I could." Lastly, a young mountain man sang a beautiful song at a school function. Stewart asked him for a copy and commented that he should publish it. The young man replied that he had created many songs in his head but had not written them down because he could not read or write. These events inspired Stewart to start the Moonlight Schools, so named because they were held on nights when the moon was bright to enable the pupils to travel to school safely.
At the time of the first Moonlight School session on September 5, 1911, America had entered the Progressive Era. Americans were working for reforms in areas including sanitation, education, and women's suffrage. Stewart supported women's suffrage but wisely did not get involved in more radical feminist matters, choosing instead to focus passionately on the right to adult illiteracy. As stated by historian Willie Nelms, "Stewart did not get involved in more radical causes, because, by her own personal temperament, she was not inclined to radicalism." As a result, she earned the respect of men, which was necessary because they still held positions of power in education and in government; and women, who liked that she proved that women had worth in the public arena.
Stewart's ideas would endure well into the New Deal. Dr. Yvonne Honeycutt Baldwin states, "Reforming women across the country waged campaigns that did not see fruition for decades. Many historians see the New Deal as a culmination of female reform activity that began during the Progressive Era, and the literacy crusade is no exception."
Women Reformers of the Progressive Era
These women inspired Stewart, and she aspired to be like them. She adopted many of their tactics and strategies.
Michael O'Connell - Writer of the play, "Miss Cora, the Moonlight Lady"
|
- Audio courtesy of the Cora Wilson Stewart Oral History Project at the University of Kentucky Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History. www.kentuckyoralhistory.org
|
Clip of interview with Mrs. S.D. Foster for "Our Appalachia: The Moonlight Schools Movement". Mrs. Foster knew Cora Wilson Stewart and taught one of the first Moonlight Schools in Rowan County, KY.