Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1893-03-10
MOUNTAIN MISSIONS.
THE Truth ABOUT TIE "FCCR
WHITES" or THE HILL COUNTRY

lent to Any Remarkable Degree IN Inc
Mountain Districts.
Sectionalists who desire TO create Tor
themselves field Of operations and an
income in Il charming and hcll.lEul
southern climate not infrequently write
very touching articles for the northern
press ON the deplorable condition of the
',nountain whites of the south and tie
need of emission work among them.
Such persons, in descriptions of life
among the mountains Of western North
Carolina and east Tennessee, pile on
tbearony" in a marvellous manner. Some
times they do it with an utter disregard
for the truth. They represent the ezcep-
tion to be the rule, and picture scenes
and conditions common enough in parts
of the north and west perhaps, large
cities as well as country places, butyery
rare among the people Of the Appalachian
region of the south. One would thiui,
from their accounts that the southern
mountains were swarming with cave
dwellers. The aim seems to be to per-
petuate the ideas of that class Of phiian-
tbropists who find peculiar pleasure in
contemplating poverty, ignorance and
degradation in the south since the civil
war.
Not long since The Sun noticed an APP
neal of this sort for aid to mission work
for mountain Whites showing that it
was in effect libel upon the people it
professed to describe. Any person fa-
miliar with the Appalachian region Of
the south would see at a glance how alb
surd the whole thing was. The Christian
Union for Dec. 81, 1892, contains q letter
from Rev. D. Atkins, Methodist minis
ter Of Hondersonyille, n. c., which com
pletely demolishes the mountain white
myth Mr.. Atkins will be conceded to
know what he is writing about. He was
born and reared in the alleged God for
saken region Of poverty, ignorance, vice
and degradation. He entered college
there, entered the ministry there and
spent II years there as minister and
teacher
las a Methodist minister" he says, Il
have gone into the most out Of the way
places and mingled freely with all sorts
of people in 20 counties Of North Caro-
lima and Virginia and in nearly all the
worst parts OF east Tennessee. / have
visited these people at their homes have
eaten with them, slept in their houses
and seen them in every condition. YET
Mr.. Atkins has not once beheld the slum
scenes Mrs. Paddock described il a re
cent number of The Christian Union.
Your correspondent" he says, 'musJ
have found some secluded spot never
saw, for in all my travels never saw
the things she writes of, and it seems
strange that | should not even have
heard Of such things in all these years
There is poverty here and ignorance, too,
but neither is in that prevalent form You
would suppose from the article of .lIs.
Paddock. You might live here am age
and never hear of such savage and weird
funeral customs as Professor Benis ans
other correspondent writing from tae
south, told your readers about
The situation is not such as was de-
scribal by The Unions correspondents
Putting it in nutshell, Mr. Atkins ags
of Mrs Pada0ck's picture: she has pre-
scented the very worst possible case chat
could be found in the remo5est part and
made it asauuleof all the .. 0O1UgG here.
SO that if any one should receive an in-
preston from such writing me would sup
pose no other kind of people could be
found here.
As a matter of fact, iho "momJaju
whites are not a distinct class. Taair
ancestors says Mr.. Atkins, We're no. OUT
laws. but pioneers from the coast couu-
try. They generally own their farms and
make comfortable living. To say they
hunt for a living is absurd There slig-
tie wealth and not as much luxury as
might be. but the people live decmtly
There are some log houses, three-four,bs
of which have windows. None are plas-
tered with mud as alleged or without
wooden floors. But few have only one
room. Generally the houses are quite
comfortable. All have good open fire
places Fuel is abundant and costs moth
ing, so that the correspondents story Of
chiIdren"coyeri their limbs with warm
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