Mrs. Grundy. (Tracy City, Tenn.) 1903-1930, 1904-07-14
Uncle Toms
Chat.
Missionary Beggers.


| notice that DR.. Phillips thinks |
that the negros, commercialism |
and the country church are the
greatest problems of the South.
What's wrong with the good old
fashion country church, and then
what's wrong with the negro?
I've been acquainted with the
negro for 60 years and he is n
negro still and yet he is contin-
ually being fused about. Let |
him alone, is my idea, but am |
sorry the Doctor has rated us
mountain people in the scale of
a city's slum. DR.. Phillips may
be fine superintendent of the
young people in the Presbyterian
Church but like Jesse Littlet0n,
he lacks information ON some
things. Now Doctor, you know
our country churches are neglect
ed because your sort will not
not preach to them unless a big
salary is forth coming, and as to
the mountain people, there is
less crime among them to the
square mile than your cities have
to the square inch. Yet you and
your class hold us up as a lot Of
bloody cut Threats and try to
make us say things we don't say
and you even impeach our warm
hearted, genial manners. On
this subject we also have some
thing to complain of; we've done
everything we could to teach you
city folks some little politeness;
we've let the limbs grow so low
over the roads that you would
have to bow to pass under them,
but it seems to no purpose. We
have tried to teach you the plain
English language SO you could
talk with ease and comfort. Miss
Will Allen Dromgoole hasn't
learned our language as she
would have you believe. She
uses too many words. So Doctor
in instructing your people, please
tell them to be polite and when
they travel our mountain roads
and pass one of our mansions,
tell them to make no remarks !;
and if they happen to see one of
our pickaninnies, tell them not
to ask if they are out of soap for
it's i'll manners. You see, we
know our own business and don't
like for your city hoodlums to
mess with it. Yes, Doc, we are
u problem and very much sot in
our ways and what we have is
our own. We don't have little
girls and silly women begging for
money to send somebody ON u
long ocean voyage to preach to II
lot of cOons, or to pay your way
to some fashionable summer re-
sort where you can hold mis-
sionary meeting and devise plans
whereby you can squeeze the
people for more money to carry
on the good work. Yes, the
country church is also problem
and it's going to be mighty hard
to make them give up the old
time halIeluah religion for youl
heartless up-to-date kind SO prev
alent in your fashionable church.
Why Doctor, the problem is a
serious one, for as long as the
plain old halleluah religion exists
your folks will have doubts and
sinners will doubt. The negro,
you will find, is another problem
because he is not as tractable as
YOU wish and is not quite SO ready
to open his pocket-book and give
| his last cent to missionary pur-
poses as your folks would like.
Better get up u negro excursion
to Africa and they will 90, for a
negro doesn't like to pay fol
somebody else to ride and have 6
good time at his expense anC
neither do mountain folks. Wei
friends, | think we can get alons
very we'll without missionar,
beggers and mountain traduccr
but if any Of them come and be
have themselves, treat. then
kindly I'NCrE Tom.