The farmer and mechanic., 1913-12-02
CONCERNING MOUNTAIN FOLK OF
NORTH CAROLINA AND TENNESSEE
hurried Tours Of Investigation and the Efforts OF Novel
lists to Get Picturesque Local Color Result in Great
Misconception as to Characteristics.

ple of the mountains Of North Caro- |
lima and Tennessee. The News ana
Observer printed some time ago an |
article from a school magazine, pup
lished in Michigan and issued from
Leatherman, n, c., and called at
tention to the injustice that It oid 70
the people Of the mountains OF North
Carolina. Attention at the same Tune
was directed to the fact thai TINS sor'
Of thing had occurred often De1ore'
so many people gathering tnelr III
pressions from the exaggerated COL
ditions and characteristics or noveis
which. in their effort at local Color
some times go far afeid from the
eternal truth.
In the same connection, NJ. u. 3.
Caskins. formerly Of North Carolina,
now OF Kirksville, Mo-, sends The
News and Observer an article from
the Kirksville Daily Express which
gives an interview with represent
ative Of the United States Bureau OF
Education that is, undoubtedly, large
" imaginative or based on careless
and incomplete investigation.
There are perhaps not altogether
the refnements and graces in the
mountains that obtain in the Pied
mont and Eastern sections Of the state
but that the mountain fOlk-are essen
TALLY different from those OF the
other portions Of the State as are
legitimate objects of the sOlicitude OF
the misinfOrmed persons who concern
themselves in much about them and
in SO doing picture them as practcaay
uncivilized no really informed person
will admit.
Mr.. Goodwin writes:
81 am enclosing you a clipping from
our paper Of a letter written by Prof.
Foght. Thinking this letter mislead-
ing to those that didn't know the
State and being a son OF the Old
North State, and at all times proud
to acknowledge same, / feel like
would like to see some one reply to
this letter who could tell something
OF the States greatness
The article Of Prof Foght, with
a brief preliminary introduction by
the Kirksville paper is printed below,
It being of course advisable for the
reader to bear in mind all the while
that the writer, however entertaining
and interesting he may be. is not
writing advisedly but is taking few
exceptions here and there and de-
claring them the rule. For instance
there is the statement that there are
counties in the mounties that up until
last year had no public schools when,
SO far as North Carolina is concerned,
there have been public schools In all
the counties for many years.
The article follows:
Prof. II. w. Foght, of Kirksville,
who is engaged in special work fol
the u. 8. Bureau of Education. has
recently visited the mountain dis
tricts of Tennessee and North Caro-
lima, and he writes interestingly Of
the home of 1.-The Trail of the Lone.
Some Pine" Much has been writer
of these mOuntaineerS who are real
ly the descendants of Americans o.
re-Revolutionary days and Of {
clearer strain than can be found il
most sections of the country. Blu
Prof Foght has seen new point:
about them; he has looked at then
through eyes of the expert schoo
man, a man who has just returned
from q period of study Of the highl.
developed school Of Europe, and wha
ne has to say will be of interest. Tn
story Of his trip is as follows:
had requested the porter t
awake me early to get the dayligh
down over the hills. Knoxville wa
far behind us and we were steamin
into the heart OF the mountain:
Close by rushed the Cumberland re
fiecting the gold and red and gree
Of the tree clad hills now at thei
best in many-hued colors fro1
the touch Of early frost. dit
ferent land, this from the bluegras
of old Kentucky! And one migl
have added-a different people. FC
the mOuntaineers of Tennessee an
North Carolina have ever looked III
on all living in the broad. ferti
lowlands as 'furriners'' and much
the time as intruders.
Beginning Of His "Adventures.''
The mountains kept a getti1
higher and the streams narrower al
more turbulent. The Cumberland W.
left behind and the track clung clio
to French Broad instead. At poi
where the stream cuts an ugly z,
in the mountains lies clustered Il
little town of Marshall, the end
my railroad journey; but the real
ginning Of the adventures into t
heart Of the mountains. The ira
was late. and my party had gone
ahead to Big Laurel Camp, over
the other side Of the mountain.
The trip into the mountains beg
at 1880 p. m. and to my Questio
as to distance my driver, a typi,