Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1888-03-15
Tennessee Mountaineers.
From the Chicago Tribune.

From the Chicago Tribune.
Railways had an idea that the stories
we read about the ignorance of the
people living in the mountain regions
OF Tennessee were exaggerations. ;"
said Chicago man who lately made
a visit to the southeastern part of
that state. "But now / know better.
These reports are not only true. but
the facts have not been half told. |
am not easily astonished, but con-
Tess was astonished by what saw
in Tennessee. Why, there are lots of
men down there who have grown old
and nave raised families who can nei.
Their read nor write. and have never
in their lives been far enough away
from their homes to lose sight OF the.
smoke that curled out of their CHM
neys. / knew there was time when
people lived in houses that had no
windows in them. but never dream
ed that such a state OF affairs existed
in this enlightened age. Yet there are
| plenty OF such habitaticns in Ten
nessee. And the people who live in
them are quite as much represent
tatives OF civilization as their dwell-
ings. They have no knowledge what
ever of the existence OF world that
extends beyond the range Of their vi
sion on a clear day. | will say, how
ever, that with them ignorance is de-
cidedly blissful. To possess rifle or
a shotgun and jug OF whisky is the
limit OF their ambition. They know
nothing of the value OF money except
as regards It's power to purchase Ii
quor and ammunition.
"One day a man whom / met had
occasion to go from his home to the
county seat. He was man of more
| intelligence than most OF his fellows,
but he had never in his life been away
from home before. He had never seen
\ q town. The nearest approach to
one he had seen was the collection of
houses about the store where he sold
his truck and bought his bacon.
When he got back from the county
seat | asked him what he thought of
what he saw. WELL said he, 'all |
got to say is this: If this world is as
big on the right NV us as it is on the
left she must be q regular whale
Twas riding up in the Gu mberland
mountains" continued the Chicago
man, "when saw a bearded noun
tanner splitting big tree he had fell
ed. 1t was q huge black walnut. |
said to him: My friend, what are
you doing?' Pm maxim fence rails,
was his reply. WELL said, you
don't mean to tell me you are making
fence rails out OF that piece of tim
ber?" why, sartin. That's a good
log, amt it?' 1t was as fine black
walnut log as ever saw, and if my
friend had known enough to get some
body with few oxen or mules to
drag the log to the railroad he could
have sold it for 5000, for it was worth
more than that.
But it is not only the mountaineer
whose destiny ofignoranceis astonsih-
| ing lobserved a case no teable as show
ing in striking manner why thesouth
is far behind the rest OF the country
IN the matter OF progress. The lumber
used inTennessee for building purposes
is poplar, as the mountains are full oft
and pine Is scarce. Saw-mills are
established IN the 'coves. and the mill
man cuts up logs hauled to his saws
py the mountaineers. He pays q certain
sum for logs, and then, figuring COM
pensation for his work of saving, sets
price on his product. 1t happened
| that at the time I was in Tennessee
the price of lumber was SIS per 900
feet. A man OF my acquaintance was
having house built, and determined
to have the interior finished with
| hardwood and red cedar. which
abounded in that region. Accordingly
he asked the sawmill man wat ne
| would charge for lumber of che kind
wanted. My friend was gre iy as
tonished on being told thai TIE price
wo1la be just the same as &c, poplar
-$18 per 1000. That saw D:d man
will probably never get rich, Had he
taken his hard wood and eedar lum-
Der to the railroad and shipped it to
| Chattanooga or Nashville it would
there have brought him $50 or $50
per 1000.
"one more yarn" added the Chi
caeo man. "A big strapping boy came
into the grocery store while | was
there and offered bag of hickory
| nuts for sale. He wanted u quarter
for them. To afford me little amuse.
ment the storekeeper threw down a
IS goldpiece and asked the boy if he
would sell them for that. NO, Stree,
he said, you can't cheay me. want
quarter The storekeeper after.
ward told me that the boy didn't
know what the gold piece was. He
said the boy. like most people in that
region had no conception whatever o.
any amount OF money exceeding a
dollar. That was his limit, beyond
which his fancy declined to carry him. "