The Coat Hanger at Morrilton
(Below, one chapter from my recently published book,
FOR HOWEVER BRIEF A TIME. The book can be ordered from Spiritbuilding.com and
with the sale of each book, a donation is made to Sacred Selections - to help
Christian couples adopt babies.)
The Coat Hanger at Morrilton
During the depression there were many orphans. In response to their needs,
churches, individuals and agencies formed orphan homes. One was located first in
Ft. Smith, then in Morrilton, Arkansas. It was established in 1926 when two
homeless children were brought to James E. Laird, who was preaching at Park
Hill. With the help of Mrs. W. T. Bush, the effort began as the Arkansas
Christian Home. The name was later changed to Arkansas-Oklahoma Christian Home.
It was then moved to Morrilton in 1936, to the former campus of Harding College.
After Charles Berkley died, there came a time when the family moved to Morrilton
to be house parents in one of the cottages. Grandma Berkley, Alice and Hazel
were involved in cooking, cleaning and supervising small children. Daddy and
Sherman had various chores. One job Daddy said he hated.
Daddy and Sherman would visit the infant cottage three or four times a day, to
help with feeding time. Sherman had a coke case loaded with baby bottles. Daddy
would take coat hangers and fashion them into bottle holders. The crude device
would be placed in the side of the crib, the bottle inserted, so the baby could
be moved over in the bed to be fed. These institutions often suffered with a
deeply bothersome absence of essential material care.
It was a mechanical, assembly-line process. Fashion the hanger, install the
bottle and move the baby over to the nipple. Even as a boy, Daddy knew this was
not the best way to feed a baby. He hated the job, and later developed very
strong feelings about the institutionalized care of children.
Later in life, Daddy would remember this and tell people about it, often citing
Paul's observation about a gentle, nursing mother cherishing and holding her
children close (1 Thess. 2:7). It was a powerful life lesson.
By Warren E. Berkley
The Final Page
From Expository Files 15.10; October 2008
