New-York tribune., 1898-01-25
WORK AMONG MOUNTAINEERS.
A POOR PEOPLE FOR WHOM MUCH GOOD CAN BY
To the Editor OF The Tribune.

To the Editor OF The Tribune
Dear Sir: noticed with pleasure a reference
In your Issue Of yesterday 10 protracted visit
made by NJ. +. Sumner. OF Worcester, Mass.
among the so-called poor whites Of South Caro-
lima MI Sumner is reported as impressed not
merely with the natural scenery. but. IN contrast.
with the lamentable condition Of the people. The
association which in part l represent is specially
interested in all such experiences and publication
of impressions
Evidently Mr.. Sumner a sympathetic OBJ
server But the dwellers upon the Southern noun
tains would object to the name Of poor whites"
and Justly So because that name usually implies
certain degree OF degradation not altogether ap-
plicable to the Southern mountaincers. There are
about two million of these people. occupying a
portion Of country in the South larger than Penn
sylvana and Ohio combined. two hundred and
forty thousand Of their ancestors came over from
Scotland and Ireland between 1870 ard 1910 TO
Carolina shores. They were all Protestants. These
early settlers inauGurated the first Repuhlioan
government In America Il called the Watauga
Association taking It's name from the WaiauSt
River In North Carolina It's date is between 1853
and 1772
These mountaineers patriots In the wars
with the mother country. and were thoroughly
loyal 10 the Union during the CIVIL War. II IS
SAID tha; they furnished one hundred and fry
regiments for the Union Army without conscrip-
ton or bounty. The present cond!uon or ihcse
truly brave and patrOG peHPe Is iqGese
BSo5ffso are scafce asy among them newspaPefs and
modern periodical literature do not find their way
into the mountains They were long ago driven
away from business centres. and railroads have
not penetrated into the mountains 10 any great
extent. They are far removed from educa tional
ami religious influences. They are not inhdels
and would lay claim 10 being IN a certain way
religious. although much Of their religion j. nara
10 distinguish from fetichism. Their vernacudr
is quaint. resembling old saxon Il l. some 'lmes
difficult TO understand then. They have oeen 20
long shut out from thn world that even the Spei.
Ing Of ,heir names mas changed 50 That 1t would
b. difficult TO recognize the original
The American Missionary Association. support
O.
these mountain districts. until lis churches ana
schools for them are planted in hvc southern
Sa,cs Hunger FOR education IS taking possession
OF them. The a. VI. a. has eighteen c&ce!eh,
normal institutions among them. ATTENDED by
> la5 pupils The school wear is from cght 10
rir@ month Their methods % instruction nre
xep; VI to date. one hourishing school an hs
creek Cap Tenn. has nearly TWO hundred pupils
From th.s school twenty wel-cquipp-d y3-i.E
teachers went ont last year. Another schoo
reaches Il constituency of one thousand chnGren OF
ty-nvc nile. Cougregaionasm appetls GO 10 ,1'sss
l!ber,y-lOvng people. and there are fily-nNe s,. .,
churches iu the mountains haylng meilDersi,p ,op
o, over one thousand six hundred. rms poIIH
of our country. r!ch in forests ana mineral Me%,1 @
mas frrnls he'd Statesmen and presidents, anu Vu...
aims vast but undevcloped intellectual @I4 ~
lal wealth u H. VI
VOsfOn Jan. Il, lS.S