Berry College is a comprehensive The Early Years (1902-1942) The
daughter of a wealthy Floyd County planter, Martha Berry first
became sensitive to the impoverished condition of many of the
people who lived in the area's mountains when some young boys
stumbled upon the private cabin retreat where she had gone to
read her Bible. Berry was shocked to learn that the children
attended neither church nor school and that they were unfamiliar
with basic Bible stories. Her willingness to offer them Berry
wanted only rural children to attend her schools; she refused to
admit students from urban areas, including nearby Rome. From its
inception the Berry program emphasized the regenerative power of
work. Diligent labor, she believed, would promote character in
her students by encouraging responsibility and a sense of self-
worth. Beginning in 1914, students at the schools would work
each week for eight hours on two consecutive days and attend
classes on four other days. The work program helped to keep
operating costs The