New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-07-03
THE BLUEGRASS REGION.
APPROPRIATIONS OF KENTUCKY AND HER
PEOPLE.
TIE pr,-EGRAss REGION OF KENTUCKY. AND
OTHER Kentucky ARTICLES. py james Lane
Alien. illustrated. $40, PIP. 322. Harper
Brothers


Brothers
IN tho scre, OF articles which form this book the
,u,nor has evidently peri yrmed labor OF love- put "
describing and extollng the Blue Grass region Nc nun
| abstalned from any approach 10 iuisomc p"'e,'
and has reckoned rnwback. aud defects no ces ''u
advantages and virtues. And in particular io u0' NV
blink the fact that tho Conditions wI,ch h"Nc o''
rounded Kentucky life with pcturesquencSs se'o"
10 no found elsewhere 10 the same extent are mot oo'
90 mi. tth tho maintenance OF that urgent spirit winch
may ~ dc0ncd IN The slnng Of the West, as "Keepns
m wiz, the procession Kentucky BIAS been Dies'eu
With a nne soil and climate and opuient hiic'"'
sources The limestone formations producing the
hest Of rnss water and ccrens hns put lor1 'o ''
animals Of exceptionally good quality In pnVs'aus uu
Stamina But tIe Angos0xoD Stock trahspi'n'cu
under conditions so favorable, has somehow iaiea U
aovoron mill mite recently, the qualities OF energy
and nush which ARE recognized a, peculiar 10 the hce
almost everywhere. at, H.,
OF course slavery ba. been largely Responsible io'
This IN the past. The parlarchal system IS u"so
Able 70 rapid progress In commerce ana nd"suS' "
n nntnrny tends 70 pcpctuate Is IN arstorIc CON-
tempt for manual labor an unfhrii'y inu'"e'o"'o "
money. disposition toward luxury and opena'r SPORTS
, cormru,,v conposed from the beginning almost OF
,,rc land owners scattered thinly over an extensive
rorritory tho agricultural He becnme OF necessW inc
domlnent one In the Blnct'rass region ms me- as
lived by the planters and In some measure also rs
Ivod BY the slDvcs-was. owing TO cliuntc rV'oi"'7
mr. p,cnsnn,cr md less tosone than that " the States
farther south. In his article entitled "Cnclc Tom nv
romcr Mr. Allen has drawn picture doubtless
faithful In the uan, which shows why this should
hoye been So The temperate climate made on I'M
mense difference in the lot N the negroes OF heh
tucky Their work in the ncli was hcalthiul ana
mover e1haus,ng No such heavy mortality as existed
In the Caroliuas. fur example was found there Ana
NJ the slaves were healthy md long lived there nat
hctv their
lions filler Of sympathy than couM b. expected III
states where GRADING toll made lie harsh and gloomy
and disease rapidly thnncd out the negro population
and caused q constant current Of substitution to now
through II.
Thr mos, curicu, and the least comprehensive" ele-
mont IN Kcniuckv. however. has always been the
moun,ainccr. Of The Cumberland An unlnckr element
for the credit Of Tho sine. moreover has this been
nr II has fastened rs own lawlcSsness. barbah7m.
fcrocv and sloth upon tho whole community. the civil
lra,lDn ~ which hns TO commonly been ganrrd by
ia most backward representations. Mr.. Allen has
curious remark upon the men ~ 'he Cumberland
Maintains Itc rays: SIN oonscGuenr" ~ beS
abundant lc'%,ir the loneliness % thc mountains and
their bravery and vvr Qunrrrl frequent ard fcuhs
deadly" TITS dlr1out 10 perceive the sequence herr
VI a, can the Loneliness % The mountains hnv" m do with
tendency IN homicide As 20 bravery md Tgor"
surely the expression, infccltouS when employed
concerning people who hnMiunlly resort 10 a-'as
their Nrds and vrndc'f1<. and who DO nov
hc.!,atc 10 murder and children while ourving
On hc, 1ngulnnrv qua rroS. OF v'ror. understood
by cllr-d peoples moreover. surely tho moun'sinc~rs
o, tho Cumberland EXHIBIT, n minimum quantity. The
mon whenever p<tble leave NIL the r'rgh and henvy
work N the rome, n ibis thcv resemble NIL savaNe@
Iheir agricultural c.crtlors confined 10 tho missing
Of juS. NJ much ~ /, crop Will suffice 10 secp sou
md hoiv together Mr. Ansnr Cvsn graphic shc'rhc'
prDrr that they among the most indolcnt and The
least vigorous ~ hurnn beings.
Nor hns there boon the least evidence ~ progress
among them for nearly century. As rule they
ahjcctly poor. With many. ne Mr.. Alien saws. the
chief problem ~ The IA the raising Of two three
dollars whrrrvith 70 pay Tie comfy tax-the state
thI thcy do not attempt 10 pay. Education Ia the
Cumberland, Is almost entirely neglected and tho pre-
vjns ignorance far dcnser than existed two hundred
yenrs ago in most other parts Of the country. Now
concerning the origin OF these mountnncrs thcr~ seems
10 DO ule definite known. They nrc supposed 70 b.
for the most part descended rom hunters and trnpprs
bnt II this Is true II docs not account for their
nnNSfn. So far nrc nwarr no writer upon this
deeply Interesting subject hns thus far hit mon IN
oven plausible explanation of their state That d
community Of Anglo Saxon stock should lenrn ALSO
mtcly nothing IN n hundred ysnry: should exhibit no
progressive instinct should remain stagnnnt IN all
things; should shrink from civilization instead OF
cunrtlng 10 Is state OF arolrs inviting a far more
thorough ara serious Inquest than has bncn applied
20 10
Mr. Alien speaks N them as "unanina,ed but tntein
GENT" but the pictorial Representation he gives OF
NATIVES pcs" suggests a positive ack Of INTELLIGENCE
10 their modes Of life. The following sketch Of
Of their characteristics gocs fnr TO confirm the most
pesmisuC impression Leaving out II consideration
tho few instances Of substantial prosperity the most
the people ablectk and they 10 have
no sense OF accumulation. Tho main crops raised are
ana potatoes IN the scsnt gardens will be
matches Of gurchufn totncrn. ma n
though less than formerly. Mary make Insufficient
preparation for winter laying up meat. but buying
piece OF bacon now and then aud paying for II with
work" People Who Ftlll do their thrcshing on tho
ground who make traces Of bark who plough with m
implement little better than shnrpcned stick: who
grind their grain IN the cridcst kind of hand mill and
who nre addicted 10 wnrs NJ determination among
Themselves cnn hardly DO credited with an average de
greo u Intelligence
Hut De time Is coming when they will BE- COM
PEELED let In light upon themselves. The railway
has at last reached the Cumberland and capi,a-nuch
VI It EngNsh-is exploiting the immense coal and
Iron Deposits u the rngc Already some OF thc
mountaincers have been driven from their old homes
Sumo Of them have descended into the plains and
taken TO fhrmng, but We nither that me ma jor1ty
s;rnpy plunged deeper into the wilderness
seeing 70 hide themscve from civilization once mor
Is clear that their end as a community Of barbarians
approaches and more rapidly, and that they win
siHpiy usUPPVsE '"0hu '"Vy PsoVc uIhpls 10 adupt
themselves To the new environment. For this reason II
is the to BE- desired Tint concerted effort
should BE- made to enrich the annals OF folklore with
fuller account OF their manners. customs trad
lions and ways Of Lfs genorahy than has yet been
attempted Mr.. Allen nus written very Interestingly
sbout tl<se nountsineers Of the Cumberland but his
object TO sketch, not to oil In the subject. The
Cumberland range. inhabited By these strange folk
has Aeon nom the first formidable barrier TO travel
settlement and tho spread Of progress. Mr.. Allen
tAnir, and perhsPs Ne is right, that this mountain
Is responsible to great extent for the slow Dc.
vcaopm-nt Of Kentnoky and her failure ~ participate
With hec nAghbom In nlo now departure, at least At
the saIn~ rate Of sdvancs.
But Kentucky Inns continued faithful to her first
ovr-thc horse; md though since tho wpr tho festsi
aspects Of her equine rites have detcriorated there Is
no less enthusiasm centred In the horse than Of
old wen the county faiIs points OF nsscmhiagc