The evening times., 1899-07-03

dirt, there is nothing wrong for Mr..
French to buy him new Clothes"
The masses of the people in these iso-
lated mountains of Kentucky live in the
most primitive fashion. In fact, they have
been aptly called "our contemporary an
cestors." They speak the language spoken
by the pioneers one hundred and fifty
fifty years ago. They say "kiyer" for
"cover," "craps" for "crops," "gwine" for
going thar for there" "wuz" for
was them molasses" for "the molas-
ses.' and use many other similar provin-
cialisms., But they do not speak the Ian
guage the dialect writer's put in their
mouths. Their English is about as pure
as that of any other locality and to their
credit it can be said that they have never
taken kindly to the slang of the city nor
to the pronunciation of the ,Anglomaniac.
The people are simple, unaffected, without
false modesty, Intellectually bright and
unreservedly hospitable. They will do
anything in reason to accommodate stran-
ger, but they love their natiye hills so
well that they will not listen to harsh
criticisms of their leading citiZens, even
though they be feud leaders,
Many of the young men and women OF
the mountains are fairly well educated.
They have been sent to Berea, to the Lau-
rel Academy at London, to the academy
at Jackson, to Harrow School at Cumber-
land Gap and to the State College of Ken
lucky, at Lexington. Two of the highest
honor students at the latter ,ninstitution
this year, one young man and the other
young woman, came from the mountain
regions of the State. They will both en-
gage in teaching among their own peop.e.
AS an illustration of the simple life these
hemmed-in mountaineers lead, it may be
stated that their only amusements are
singing school and debates, and these are
not followed assiduously. The women are
the real burden bearers. They till the
soil chiefly milk the cows, rear the chick
ems, do all the housework and look after
the stock The men work principally at
/ logging and hunting and fishing 1t seems
strange to see in a mountain home half a
dozen strong men sitting around fiddiing
or cleaning their rifles, and-in the field not
two hundred yards away old and young
women hoeing corn, and cultivating the
| garden spot. Many of the women take
their little children with them to the fields
| and it is usual sight to see two-year-
| old tot playing in the dirt at its mothers
| feet while she is hoeing. The women dress
| in the simplest fashion. They wear sun
| bonnets and plain calico dresses, and in
summer they wear only one garment, be-
| ing innocent OF shoes, stockings, and lin
gerie AS for corsets, few OF the young
women and none of the older ones know
what they are. Probably as result o.
their natural way of living, the women o.
the mountains are noted for the large
number of children they bear. The aver
age number born in wedloek in the coun
ties OF Clay, Laurel Wayne, Knox, Bell
Harlan, Jackson, Breathitt Leslie, Pike
| Knott. Perry, Magoffin, and the othel
mountain counties is seven and families
of from twelve to eighteen children ar
often to be found. One man in Breathit
county admits that he is the father o
thirty eight children. and one woman il
Jackson county has given birth to eighteen
and all Of them are alive and well.
1t is conceded that good roads, whereof.
these people could more readily mingl
with the world outside and by which out
siders could more often go among them
would do much toward making feuds i'm
pOSSible