The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1906-02-28
THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAIN PEOPLE AND
THEIR EDUCATIONAL CONDITION.
BY REV. E. MAC DAVIS.


The mountain section of the South embraces two
hundred counties of West Virginia. Kentucky North
Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia Tennessee and
Georgia. 1t lies between the foothills of the Blue
Ridge the east and those of the Cumberland Noun
talns on the west The extreme length is five hun
dred miles, its width is two hundred and fifty miles
an area as large as that of the German Empire.
AN AMERICAN PEOPLE.
ms mountain section Is the home of four million
white people. These people constitute the most dis
tlnctively national remnant American soil The
most American section of the Union is the South and
the most American section of the South is the noun
tain section There is less infusion of foreign blood
there than elsewhere Nearly threeifths of the en-
tire population of Connecticut either foreign born
or persons of foreign parents. Omtting from the
calculation the towns and cities having populations
OF $500 or more find that the rural communities
OF the mountain sections of those States have nine
hundred and ninety-nine American born persons to
every person foreign born persons of foreign pa
rentage.
These native born Americans descendants of an
cestors who settled in the mountains long before the
Revolution. They true and daughters of
the Revolution.
THEIR ORIGIN.
After the close of the French and Indian War and
the expulsion of the French and Spaniards from the
southern borders great tide of immigration set in
Those from the at this time were princi-
pally Scotch and Scotch-Irish harred out of their
own land by the Bishops War and the prosecutions
under the Stuarts. These came to America through
two ports Philadelphia and Charleston. Those com
ing by Philadelphia occupied the contiguous country
east of the Aleghanie, then turned south into the
Valley of Virginia. Those coming by Charleston met
persecution from the red coat minions" led by the
Royal Governor Tryon, well called the Great HeWo
of Carolina" Enough remained behind to draft the
Mec<lenburg Declaration. For the most part they
sought the high lands. Like the mammoth they shook
the bolt from the brow and went the mountains and
beyond. Those who passed and on passed over
and on to win the West. They won it. These are
they who wrested the land from the Indians and
carved states out of the Wilderness They formed
the rear guard of the Revolution. Under SEWER Shell
by, Mcdowell and Campbell they turned the tide OF
that war at Kings Mountain. They added the ter
ritory north of the Ohio greater than France
and four times that of New England The men of
West Augusta belonged to this same stock. In their
fortitude Washington confded when the days were
dark. Under "Old Hickory" of this race waged
the Creek and fought the batte of New Orleans
They gained for Tennessee the proud sobriquet of
Volunteer State" and in the Mexican War planted
Texas with handful of corn, fruit shakes like
Lebanon. These Scotch Irish men constituted the
"Stonewall Brigade"
"From the grey sire whose trembling finger
Could hardly pull down the stubborn trigger
To the raw boy whose shaft bow;
Were yet scarce terror to the crow"