The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-10-21
KENTUCkY'S MOrNTAINEERs.
support Of Gen. Towards Appeal for
some Interesting Americans.

SvhV
To THE EpIroE OF TnE SrN-Sir' May |.
~ one who knows something OF he needs OF
the mountain people OF eastern kentucky
and Tennessee and western virginia. most
heartily commend Gen. Swayne'- comncu-
dation of Gen. Towards efforts al their bet
terment. ~ set forth in THE SrN Of this morn
inR; His Lincoln Memorial University ~
Cumberland Gap. Tor the education OF the
! young men and women Of the II mountains.
not 20 much in book learning" aS in the
ways of better living. Is comnendable he-
| yond words. and il j. moro than worthy
OF all the money that may be given 10 him to
help the cause lac ha- undertaken and has -
well advanced. Mllionnires laNishly bestow
their wealth on established Institutions FOR
educating young men and women ~ nd-
vGnced branches, and gift of a uillion u
OF such frequent occurrence "a scarcely To
be worthy OF comment This l. money spent
for such education a. comes aiter the stu
| dent has had the advantage Of good homes,
| in communities IN touch with the best the
world has. and after he has received training
| from the best public school system IN IN"
world. Il is well for the student. for the
millionaire and for the natl that therc are
universities 20 endowed On the other hand.
We see Gen. Howard struggling TO raise n
paltry 5000 900 for the maintenance OF "A uni
Nersity which proposes to teach tie better
way to young men and women whose homes
| are in the wilds far from the wider civlliIa-
ton OF which most OF our country boasts. who
| live away from railroads and telegraph. and
| library and church and college and all ihos"
gentler and more refining influences which
make for better manhood and womanhood
There are 100000 people living tributary
| to Lincoln University who have IN them the
genuine quality Of the American. but II hns
no opportunity OF development and the re-
suit t.. through all that section, We find poor
| farms, poor homes. poor food. poor liquor,
poor education, poor religion, poor every
! thing that might and should b" made good
and Wholesome. There prevail the bloody
| icud- that have put their red marks on the
| history of those State-. and Their" ignorance
! holds the peopl. Ia thr6H II l.ht BOOK
learning that those people need, but training
| IN how to make homes livah." plaCe~. 10 ""
taught the little amenities of Life TO be taught
| how to prepare the food that l. In abundance
| all about them; TO be taught NON 10 get the
| most ont OF the opportunities they nave,
TO be taught som'thlng OF ,ocial pleasure,
the proper association together of Their
! own kind 10 be taught low TO huld their
! houses. and how to keep them " hen theN are
| occupied to bc taught "a" sewing machine
| instead OF the shotgun TO be- taught the more
modern ideas of living, the more modern
aEpiiance. Of labor. the more inoI"fn IDEAS
ton and cleanliness to be taught new things
10 take the place of th" old that hay" kept
| them back three-quarter- OF century. No.
! where in this country can more primitive
people be- found than among these noun
taiueerS.
and only such effort, a. Gen, Howard Is
| making can improve them ! know one
! town, u county seat. not tity mile ron
Lincoln University. yet two day ride, IN
| which there Wa NJ the tiue wa> IN II. not
one foreigner, not a negro. rot shoemaker
, OF carpenter, or = saloon, or church. u-ed
exclusively as such, Or barber, or ho'el
! The church aud -Choolhou~e were one, there
were four stores. "A brick court house; jail.
and one brick residence. There had never
and a bra = band had never been heard there.
Yet il Nss more than half century old. aud
many Of IT, ps9rls mad nNed ,H'r ,o, n~GEN ad
never seen a telegraph ro'" or ,,,d rf'f snd
naturally intelligent and one boyof seventeen.
| | knew, was one of natures horn hurGori-tS
He could read and write. but his education
On tho way TO this purely American town.
"" were three DAYS driving 10 i behind u
pair OF fne blue grass horse, htched 70
a IAN, gHHi Touoe for annc %' H. wa. NAN
Of sixty odd, and Owned 300 acre ct
19d hoo naS,,e Gone y, and his S os fon
Of three rooms did not hav" glazed window
in II The dinner, with ga,den iuli Of MIGn
the barn. bees Ia the have, and all IN" re-
sources Of good eating within fsacn Ta55
eaten and we're taking little rest in the
shade. ! asked the old man how Tar he lIyed
from the poat "T S .at p ,n ths
up and down The road " which one do
v"u get your mali ! inquired Don't 81
none l know no could get no letters, for
probably no one he knew had ever moved
out ~ the country, or could write le'tef
bat thought he might take a newspaper
No, oven q new papcr: asked in surpri-~
No We'll how do Won hEd out What =.
satisfaction. 'bN AKIN them that kroN-
No one knows or can know what manner
of pcop,e those sr" until h" hHs gon" among
them Many of them Hr" capable" and have
m "a 70 keen fOlrlN abreast
of the tlme-. and to hr iUlrl modern IN their
ideas but the ma ioritv los oHpdh,", ar"
far behind and the opportunity being lacking
for their hottormeri. they remain m IN" tuts
w the results at Lincoln University, aud ~
other schools which IN small WAY have been
attempted Show ,oncl-ivcly that the-rpscpl"
are ready and v ,lllug to come out ol u" datk-
uc-~ that has shut thrn In for l5n years
feel sure that the Wcnr> of N" millionaire
would rnW 10 tho lclu ot Gen. howard "
the rich could only understand What blessing
their money would ho # 80 applied how
many Young men aud women i would IN,
the new If" into hoN many Of To" Cd would
live out their days IN better lome". and how
many Of the children, coming on, Nohld
find an environment OF promise where now
there j. little more than despair - not
that these people should be helped 20 tho
higher culture. and the lolileS Of super-cul-
tivation They should he taught how 10
make their homes comfortable living places,
how to cook thor ViCtuals ss they should
he cooked how 10 utilize what u ~ hhnd
and how to get ont Of their ASSOCIATION WIN
each az her some Of tho good God gave TO
man " hon he made him gregarlou. creature.
Gen Howard should have not only he needed
500 .OWn. but he should have II mCon-
ditionallv. aud should have n much moro
when he a'k> Tor II. , .