The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1905-10-26

A Defense Of the Southern MOuntaineer.
I read John Fox, Jr's. article in
Scribner's Magazine on the Southern
Mountaineer," and I determined to
take trip to Kentucky. did not 60
into the "feud" region of Harlan and
Clay counties, but I saw enough to
convince me, that the mountaineer
is not the Creature" that sen
sational writer's depict. That the
"Mountaineer" has not progressed,
proportionally, with the "Classic Puri-
tan"-is perhaps trne; but, that he is
closely allied to the Savage, as Mr..
Fox would have us believe, | cannot
accept as a fair representation OF the
average inhabitant of the Southern
mountains. I am confident that the
mountain people are fully abreast with
many of the citizens of southern Illi-
nois and southern Indiana-both in
intelligence and morality. True, there
have been few facilities for improve
ment, and, doubtless, the average
mountaineer is incapable of using the
English language in its chronological
and derivative sense, like the highly
cultivated denizens Of the "Blue Grass
region Of Kentucky, or the "highly
descended" Squires and Danes of the
Tennessee Valley-iust the same, these
mountain people are of the pures
Anglo-Saxon stock and their inherent
qualities of character, in many respects
should challenge our admiration.
met some gentlemen from Clay
county, while l was at Morehead and
was surprised to find them fully "ul
to date" They explained the condi
tions that obtain in their county
and feel assured that the "mountair
people" have been grossly misrepre
scented, as whole, and in some in
stances, they have been vilely Sian
dered. While visiting in Elliott coun
ty, near Leadingham, ample facilitie
were furnished for accurately gauginl
the character and environments of tn
people who dwell in the surroundin,
region-and I believe that their condi
ton is far less deplorable than that o
the majority of the citizens Of Chicag,
and New York. These mountaineer
certainly need more extended schoo
system. They need an incubation o
the principles of primitive Christianit,
as guides in daily walk in conversation
but, they are more intelligent, honest
manly citizens, than the ignorant, il
literate un-American foreigners tina
dwell in the large cities of tn
North.
A certain rich citizen of Chicago
who has given freely of his ampl
means to the endowment of college il
Central Kentucky-was recently quote,
by Chicago paper as complaining o
the unsatisfactory status of the servant
girl problem in Chicago land he is fur
ther quoted as expressing the hep
that this college in Madison County
Kentucky, would practically settle thi
aggravating problem by furnishing
mountain girls for servants places WHIT
had been especially trained for salts
factory service.
Dear, dear-what hopeless" des
tiny confronts the daughter of tn,
Southern mountaineer.
Under the guise of philanthropy, al
institution is conducted for educating
mountain girls to fill positions al
neutrality-suspicious. where all noble in
SEPARATION is crushed, ostracism is GER
tain aud social recognition utterly
unobtainable. The vulgar parvenue
who presides as mistress of the man.
sion, would deny any and all intimacy
to mental and every lofty aspiration
of the trained" servant would fail Of
realization. Rather than be reduced
to servility as a mental, it would be
better, by. far, to live in log cabin
with an acre of ground, where she
could maintain the independence and
the virtue she inherits from noble
Apglo.SaxOn ancestry.
And what is the object of these mag.
azine articles in so sharply portraying
an exaggerated condition of even the
worst forms of life in the South.
ern mountains? Take notice-please
wotcb the effeek--is IL not tfairn foy