The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-08-28
AMONG THE PEAKS
How Occidental Carolina
lmpresseses Rev. Liv-
inqstOn Johnson.

| DoiSoAiipc' haywood. JdChSOI anu
Swain.
The crops in the valleys, beside the
| creeks and rivers are magnificent; and
on some of the mountain sides the
corn is fine. This is not great graz
! ing country, as are Ashe, Allegany
and Watauga counties: nor is it as
good farming section as can be found
| in other parts of the mountains. They
| depend largely on varied industries
At almost every station on the Muir
! ply branch, one sees piles of hard
wood lumber ready for shipment
| This lumber is cut in the mountains
and hauled to the roads. Some capt
talist owns the saw mill back in the
| mountains, and the natives haul the
lumber to the road. Great piles of tar
! bark are also seen at every station.
| This bark is taken from the chestnut
oak, and is shipped to the northern
| markets. The wood of the chestnut
| (not chestnut oak) is used in making
| tanic acid. It is split up into corG
wood and shipped to factories or lis
tilleries where it is ground into pulp
and distilled. This is bringing money
into this section now. but it is strip
ping the mountain sides of the mag
nificent forests. which through CEN
|
| the valleys below. Occasionally you
will see the car loads of walnut stumpa
being shipped North. ears ago the
/ trees were taken and now they are
/ coming back for the stumps. 1t isn't
unusual for the landowner to get
more for the stump than he did for
the tree that stood upon it. There is
a large tannery at Dillsboro ana an
other at Sylvia, both of which are
operated by Mr.. Harris. Republican
candidate for Governor. There are
| many kaolin mines in this section
| kaolin is a very fine quality of clay
from which dishes are manufactured
| 1t finds ready sale in the Northern
markets. Tale mining is another in
dustry. Tale is a very white sub
| stance quite similar to soapStone, if
indeed, it is not soapstone. 1t is
ground up and shipped North. They
say it is used for paints and other
| things. l have heard it intimateI that
it comes in mighty handy when the
wheat crop is short.
Mica mines are profitably worked
This is used i'll the manufacture OF
| stoves, and the refuse is ground up
and used as an important ingredient
in making aXle-grease.
The people here are more prosper
Gus than they were four years ago.
| The industrial spirit has taken hold
upon the people Of this section, and
they are hopeful and happy.
! The greatest Improvement is seen
along educational lines. Four years
| ago the public schools ran from six
weeks to two months. In every COM
| munity which 1 have visited 1 have
found a public school running from
four to five months. Thus has the
| pledge of our great educational Gov
ernor been redeemed.
The denomination which have the
honor to serve, has eight schools west
of the Blue Ridge. Four years ago
visited these schools, all of which,
with the exception of one, were III
| their infancy. / have spent two days
at one of these schools on this strip.
! | could not have believed that the
| effect of the school on the community
| could have been 50 great in four years
! if had not seen it with my own eyes.
In the homes OF the peopie and in the
| faces of the boys and girls can be
| plainly seen the influence of the
school. Several boys have gone from
| this school to college, and a number
of girls will go soon. What is true
of this community is true of most of
| the others in which these schools are
located. The sessions last nine months
and the course of study offered pre-
pares the students for college. Other
but as most of the people in the noun
tains are Baptists, OF course our
schools reach more than those of any
other denomination.
The West is surely waking up to
the importance of education, and n
decade or two more of such work as
has been done during the last five
years, will produce a marvellous
change.
The remnant of the Cherokee tribe
of Indians are in Jackson amid Swain
counties. Years ago the tribe was re-
moved to the Indian Territory, but
some of them refused to go. These
number now about fifteen hundred.
They have a hundred thousand acres
of land lying on either side OF the line
between Jackson and Swain. They
are supposed to be self-supporting.
They have teams of oxen with which
they haul lumber and tan bark to the
railroad They have little patches of
corn and vegetables, and they still
hunt and fish. They live in miserable
little huts which would be scorned
by the average negro in Eastern North
Carolina. They still consider them
selves a tribe. They elect a chief.
whose term of office is four years, and
who receives a salary of two hundred
and fifty dollars a year. They have
a council which holds a two weeks
conference every year, and meets be-
tween times at the call of the chief.
The councilmen receive dollar a day
for their services CD. Just what use
there is for chief or council does not
lappear to an outsider. as they have
no jurisdiction. Their causes are
heard by civil magistrates They have
been disfranchised in rather novel
way. In a certain suit which affected
| the Indians years ago, the Federal
| Court held that they were not citizens,
but wards of the government. AT the
| next election the registrars, by au-
thoritv of the forging decision of the
Federal Court, declined to register
them as they were not citizens.
! At Yellow Hill. six miles from Whit
| tier. the nearest point on the railroad,
| is located the government school.
Uncle Sam has here quite an eXpen-
sive nlant. in the way of costly build
| ines beautiful grounds. Water-Works,
aiecfric lights ETC. They take the IN
dian children when they are SIX years
! old and keep them until they com
plete the course. They feed ana clotAc
the pupils. and give them thelr IN
etructinn without cost They do not
have compulsory education, but if
child is enrolled, he is under control
- a. oox,ornnent until discharged