The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-17
THE KENTUCKY MoUNTAINEERS
mr.. John Fox, Jr., Describes Them in
His Readings.

Mr.. John Fox, jr., who gave the ninth en-
teriainment in the Y NJ c. A. lecture
course last evening, was introduced by Mr..
W. p f1shback, who said that 1t was only
since the war that the literature of the
South had been developed. The reason he
gave was that the slave was part of the
South. In writing novel before the war a
study of society could not leave the slave
out and could not be put in, for the people
would not have 1t, and so 1t was only since
the war that literature had been developed.
Mr. rishback mentioned Thomas Nelson
Page, of Virginia; Miss Murfree, OF Ten
nessee. James Lane Allen and John Fox,
IT,, as "a galaxy of stars"
Mr.. Fox evidently has studied the char
acter of II e Kentucky mountaineer. He
pictured HIM In his uncouth, rough style
and spoke a language composed principally
of bad grammar and "cuss" words, COM
bined with colloquialisms that had frequent
" 10 Re interpreted. Mr.. Fox's dialect of the
kentuclian is as absolutely distinct as is
that of Mr.. Riiey's Hoosier. 1t is the feud
which differenuates the mountaineers of
Kentucky from those of Virginia. and IT is
the loyalty of the people for their families
and for each other which keeps the Ken
lucky 1eud in existence. The people are OF
Scotch-Irisn origin. the soil Is poor there
are no schools, few churches and the people
are without thrift, many of them living now
exactly as the pioneers lived a hundred
years ago. Their words go back as far as
the time OF Chaucer and are Used as they
were then. Mr.. Fox gave quite vocahu-
larry by their Isolation every characters
tic Is accented. Mr.. Fox was told with great
confidence one day by a mountaineer that
1T IS my opinion that the niggahs was the
cause OF the war" and he then Whispered
and asked Mr.. Fox to be so kind as not 10
mention what he had Just said to him. Their
hospitality was expressed in the remark OF
= mountaineer to a stranger, Take a po-
OF en-"
The sketch. ''Courtin' ON Cutchin - was n
number that bristled with humor from be-
ginning TO end and as Mr.. Fox read it the
ends OF sentences We're frequently. lost in
laughter. II was an actual scene that was
witnessed, and not merely verbal account
OF the ma1 and woman of the mountains
who were brought together by their friends
The cabin, with one room, where it was not
until the family had gone to bed that the
settin up commenced, was described.
The speaker, who is q nountaineer, first
tells the usual method of procedure; how
the chairs are gradually drawn toward each
other, and when close the man puts his arm
around the woman.S neck and whispers a
long time, and then the woman puts her
arm around the mans neck and whispers
to him a long time. This "Courtin on
Cutchin" did not proceed on these lines
and the slow movements of the man exaS-
perated the woman, who used her fist on
the man and brought matters to a sudden
climax. This sketch was So much enjoyed
that Mr. Fox was prevailed on, by applause.
10 read another short story, 'Preachin' on
Kingdom Come" The speaker gave a de-
scription OF the creeks and their names.
One was Greasy" and IL ran into Frying
Pam" another was Hell fer Sartain," and
II ran into Kingdom Come" There was
Hell fer Sartain' Sunday school. The
mountaineer does not think as much of US
ing an oath as others would of using slang
and Ii is the intensity OF the words, which
they use so commonly. that makes the Ian
guase so terribly strong ard peculiarly eff
YectfVe