Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-07-18
HAVE MANY GOOD TRAITS
Mountaineers Of the South Are Not All
Violators Of tho Law.

Frou the Boston Transcript.
short statistical paper on The Noun
tain People in Eastern Kentucky" which
appears in the May number of the Berea
College quarterly. is calculated to reawaken
the interest Of those into whose hands It
falls in the condition and future prospects
OF this primitive people What is said Of
eastern Kentucky could doubtless be said
with slight variations about large portions
or Tennessee and Virginia, and, indeed Of
the mountain region included in the Appa-
lachian system generally, but this will do
as a specimen chapter and by considering
the subject in subdivisions. perspective and
proportion can be kept better in hand. The
Appalac chan division Of Kentucky comprises
practically thirty-Ave counties covering
1884 square miles or IA trtfe over a third
of the area OF the whole state This ex-
ceeds by about seventy square miles the
combined area of Connecticut and Massa-
Chusetts
Yet in 1900 this mountain population was
416,0sJ. while that of the whole state was
2,14I.li4. so that third of the state con-
tanned less than quarter OF the people
though taking out the cities from the reck-
oning the mountain population is about
equal TO the rural population in the other
portions of the state. A fact that should be
OF great interest is that they are chiefly
native Americans, many of them perhaps a
large majority. descended from the hardy
stock that went a-pioneering In those noble
ATTITUDES ana SoltuutS a hundred years
more ago and never left them. The number
of foreign born in all that population Is
only little over 200 while for the rest
of the state II is over 5000 The negroes
do not seem TO be attracted by the noun
tain conditions there being only 2ll9
while In the rest of the state there are 272-
6S7. Massachusetts and Connecticut having
also nearly four times many In an equal
area.
1t would be hard To find in any other part
of the country, old or new. such a homo
geneous people They are certainly not a
decadent people In one sense OF the term
The old fashioned large families that were
once so common IN New England are still
the rule In the Kentucky mountains OF
the native white population in 1890 Alb per
cent were between the ages of five and
twenty years. while In Ma aChusetts the
percentage was only 233 The number of
native whites In 1880 was l3l ne7 and in 1890
II was %63 $50 They are still primitive peo-
pie: their advance has been arrested but
their capacity for development has not been
atrophied by being SO long sde-tra cked
from the highway of the more rapid civil
liked progression that has obtained else
where
They stnl exhibit admirable qualities
They maintain their pride and independ-
ence. The minds OF the people have lain
fallow for many years. but they respond
richly TO cultivation. They are the most
hopeful of the poor whites of the south
Perhaps In the whole country there Is not
a more hopeful class to work upon under
proper conditions. Such conditions insti-
tutions like Berea College are doing their
best TO furnish. 1t has struggled bravely
in behalf of these people with results in the
highest degree encouraging. Lincoln Uni
versity. General Howard's pet enterprise is
for the benefit OF the same class.