rev. jonathan c. day, a.b., d.d.
i was born in harlan county, kentucky, which is one of the remote southeastern mountain counties of that state, on the twentieth of december, 1877. i was one of eight boys. after my mother died my father married a second time. he had six boys and two daughters by his second marriage. we lived on a rough mountain farm. our income was meager and our educational and cultural advantages even more meager. our public schools were of the poorest kind and lasted only three months in the year. we did not attend them even consecutively through these three months. i always was ambitious, however, after i had learned to read, to get what i could from school, and from books.
my mother died when i was fourteen years of age. it was about this time that i began to try to attend public schools regularly although ours were poor. at the age of seventeen i had my first five consecutive months of school. this gave me a taste for more knowledge, since here we were studying geography and history and those branches 13 which gave us some knowledge of a larger world than we mountain boys knew.
at eighteen i entered the presbyterian school at harlan town. i graduated from this little academy when i was twenty. all of this time i had taken great delight in working odd hours outside of school and on saturdays and holidays, to pay my way. by this time i found it possible to teach in the country schools. this i did two terms. there was finally an opening at college where i had a chance to pay my way by taking care of the fires, milking cows, running errands, etc., for a gentleman who lived near the college and who had to be away from home most of the time.
i entered tusculum college at greeneville, tenn., in september, 1897. i worked for mr. l. l. lawrence, an attorney, who lived near the college campus. my work was not very hard, but took a great many hours each day. by diligent application to my studies i found it possible to make up the branches in which i was deficient in the preparatory department, and to graduate with my bachelor’s degree on the 1st of june, 1901. having to do the manual labor that i did and at regular hours, established in me regular habits, both in meeting engagements and in preparation for classes, which i have found in later life invaluable. as i look back over my experience in college, i cannot remember the time when i was not perfectly delighted with the opportunity of work and study, even though i went many weeks destitute of “spending money.” 14
after i had finished college i entered upon a course of theological study which i pursued for four years graduating from mccormick seminary in the spring of 1907. meantime, however, i gave two years to teaching and to the work of the y. m. c. a. as student secretary in tennessee. this i found necessary in order to earn money to purchase books and carry on my courses of study without running too heavily in debt.
since i have been regularly in the ministry, i have many times given thanks for the providence that made it necessary for me to get what little i did get in the way of education through this long course of labor, manual and mental. many encouragements came along the way. there were many kind friends who, without my solicitation, have helped me at various times. i believe that the man who tries will always find much encouragement.
new york city.
