Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-06-27
MOUNTAIN MISSIONS.
THE TRUTH ABOUT TIE POOR
WHITES" OF THE HILL COUNTRY.

That Ignorance and squaior Are Preva-
lent to Any Remarkable Degree In the
Mountain Districts.
Sectionalists who desire to create for
themselves a field of operations and an
Income in Il charming and healthful
routhern climate not infrequently write
very touching articles for the northern
press on the deplorable condition of the
mountain whites of the south and the
need Of mission work among them
Such persons in descriptions of life
among the mountains of western North
Carolina and east Tennessee, pile on
the agony in a marvellous manner. Some
times they do it with an utter disregard
for the truth They represent the excep-
ton to be the rule and picture scenes
and conditions common enough in parts
OF the north and west perhaps, large
cities rs well as country places, but very
rare among the people of the Appalachian
region of the south One would think
from their accounts that the southern
mountains We're swarming with cave
dwellers The aim seems to be to per
petuate the ideas of that class of philan
thropists who find peculiar pleasure in
contemplating poverty, ignorance and
degradation i'll the south since the civil
war
Not long since The Sun noticed an mp
peal of this sort for aid to mission work
for mountain whites showing that it
WAS IN effect libel upon the people it
protessed to describe. Any person fa-
nnliHr with the Appalachian region of
the south would see Mt Il glance how all
stir,i the whole thing was The Christian
Union tor Dee. 81 1872 contains II letter
from Rev ID Atkins, "a Methodist minis
ter 81 ilendersonville. N G.. which com
pletely deinolishes the ''lnountain white
myth MIR Atkins will be conceded to
know what he Is writing about He was
born nnd reared IL the alleged Gol for
MKrn region of pnverty ignorance. vice
aud degradation He entered college
there entered the ministry there and
spent II years there as minister and
teacher
A. n Methodist minister. he says, II
nave gone INTO the most ont of the way
places and mingled freely with all sorts
Of people in 20 counties Of North Caro-
lina and Virginia aud in nearly all the
worst parts of east Tennessee | have
visited these psople ut their homes. have
eaten with them. slept in their houses
and seen the,u IN every condition" Yci
Mr. Atkins has not once beheld the slum
scenes Mrs Paddock described in IL re.
cent number of The Christian Union
Your correspondent" he says. must
nave found some secluded spot never
saw. for in all my travels never saw
the things she writes of. ana 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 Mrs
Paddock You might live here an age
and never hear of suC h savage and weird
funeral customs as Professor Bemis, an
other correspondent writing from the
south. told your readers about"
The situation is not such us was de
scribed by The Unions correspondents
Putting it in nutshell, Mr.. Atkins says
OF Mrs Faddock's picture: SHE has pre-
sented the very worst possible case that
could be found in the remotest part and
made it Il sample of all the 1900 600 here.
80 that If any one should receive an i'm
preston from such writing he would sup
pose no other kind of people could be
fOnnd here"
As IA matter of fact. the mountain
whites are not distinct class. Their
ancestors. says Mr.. Atkins, We're not out
laws but pioneers from the coast coun-
try They generally own their farms and
make n comfortable living To say they
nunt for living is absurd There is lit
tie wealth and not as much luxury as
might be. but the people live decently
There ARE some log houses. three-fourths
of which have windows. None are nlas-
tered with mud, rs 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
lnS 40 that the correspondents story of
children" covering their limbs with warm
ASHES To keep from freezing" is specially
absurd The people, Mr.. Atkins atfirns.
are already religious and moral. They oh
Serve SnntlIY AMI attend Sunday school
fhere Is scarcely a district where there Is
not n school for al least three months il
lhr year Few persons are unable to read
and write, and such cases are 80 rare as
t" excite surprise among the neighbors.
As RESI- eciS the girls who were de
stf1hr'i a. uNerWorked and vicious Nj
Atkins says not one IN hundred would
KNOW herself 10y that description The
co;ulnnu virtues. he says CHASTITY
honesty trutntulucss e,c.-8re ratAer
tH1rr prevalent than in other sections
nave seen The girls are healthy strong
AMI lnli al spirit They marry ut good
age maize excellent wives and mothers,
and du murn less hard work than their
sisters of the north ard west, and Mr.
Atkins Spent four years III the west
They do not work III tie field 1T Is by
IL meaas, says the writer, "the custom
nj the country l!oNe life is us pure as
It Is anywhere have been" In word
the mountain white. wish his abysllal
degradation. is Il myth and needs no
mission. - Baltimore sun.
A Great Loss.
The late DR. Hodge, of Princeton Theo
lohicnl seminary. once asked student for
the definition Of eternity The student re
piled that he used to know the definition